Thursday, April 27, 2006

Bookmarked Goodies

Ok, no real post but I have a few links that I'd like to share with you all.

First off, gadgets! Gadgets for all! We have the Top 10 Strangest Home Gadgets, Top 10 iPod Accessories, Top 10 Strangest MP3 Players and a secret one.

Second, Lego. Now that I have your attention, check out the Top 10 Strangest Lego Creations.

This last one is good, but if you've seen V for Vendetta (and if you haven't, flog yourself in shame!) you will laugh. I did. Outloud. At work. I'm sure people wonder about me now. Watch it here.

EDIT: I just found this one and HOLY CRAP!

EDIT 2: This 30 min video is crazy! Fire and corrosive chemicals are fun.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Oh, Cruel Fate?

When Bus Talker gets on the bus today, he says he has something to tell me. Starting today, he'll be starting work an hour later on Tuesdays and Fridays. Couple that with his day off on Wednesday and I'll have to deal with on on just two days.

But since he won't have talked to me for a couple of days, he'll probably talk even more when he gets the chance.

So, is Fate being cruel? I'll find out in a few days, but I'm sure Fate is screwing with me.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Warning: Update in Progress - Please Do Not Disconnect

Well, the week is almost over and still no word on the job. At first, the waiting wasn't so bad. Now it's getting to be unbearable. I wish they would tell me something - anything. Even if it's "Sorry, but you're last on the list of people we are considering". Then I would know where I stand and I could plan accordingly. But nooooooo. Maybe next week (rolls eyes).

Yesterday at work was so much fun. And by fun, I mean it hit the fan hard.

In my building, most of the doors have maglocks (big old magnets used to lock the doors) and they can only be opened with an access card which you swipe in front of a card reader. Pretty easy. Now, there had been some work done on the hardware for the security systems and it seemed to go well. About half an hour later, one of the employees couldn't open the front doors with her card. So, I went out to see what was going on, assuming that she was doing it incorrectly. (Sidebar: it's amazing to see people who have worked here for years still using their cards wrong). I watched her try to open the door and noticed the card wasn't working.

Now, these access cards sometimes, for no reason, just stop working and that's what I figured the problem was then someone else tried to use the other set and had the same problem. Two dead cards, hmmmmm. Then I saw that the card reader wasn't working right. So I let these two people in and swiped my card to get into my office. Same problem. Then I had people coming up saying their cards wouldn't work. I quickly understood what had happened. All the card readers - all of them - stopped working. People couldn't get into the building, get into their work areas and I couldn't get back into my office. Soon my phone was ringing and I stared helplessly at it from the hallway.

Now, the techs who did the work had gone for lunch and they finally came back (after I was able to contact building operations and tell them what was going on) and when I told them what had happened, he got to work right away. After about 10 minutes, everything was back to normal. Apparently, the new stuff they installed screwed up the system. What I find weird is that happened 30 minutes after it was installed. Oh well, it made the day....interesting, to say the least.

Also, I had an interview scheduled yesterday for a new guard. I had set this interview up last week because he said yesterday (Thursday) would be perfect for him at 2 pm. Perfect - his choice. So, 2 pm shows up but he doesn't. No problem, this place can be a bit tricky to find. My supervisor shows up to give me some time off and we chat. 2:30 pm and no interviewee. So I call the only number I have for him. No answer and I leave a message. Finally, 3 pm and no show. I tell my supervisor the few things I want to know about him and I head home, since my supervisor has hired many a new guard, he knows exactly what to do. After I get home (an hour bus ride) I call him up. No show at all. Well, fantastic. Yet another disappointment. Unless he has a really good excuse, I won't even consider hiring him. Damn, what does it take to find a part timer! Ah well, more overtime for me.

So, I picked up a new personal cell phone (I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'm too lazy to read back and check) and I love it. The Motorola Razr V3c. It's my new baby. But like all babies, sometimes they can screw you.

Last week, a friend of mine tried to send me pics of his new baby to my phone. He tried four times and each time the photo didn't show. The fifth try worked perfectly. Later that day, I tried to delete those 4 messages that didn't work. My phone told me I can't delete locked messages. Strange, as I didn't remember locking them. So, I go looking at the options and lo and behold: there is no "unlock" option. I then try to read them and I was rudely told that "Operation Failed".

Great, now I have 4 messages that I can never, ever delete. That's just really annoying. Not urgent, just really, really annoying. So I try to fix the problem myself with no luck (surprise, surprise). 2 days ago I spent an hour on the phone with my carrier and the problem is still unsolved. Yesterday I call up Motorola and my worst fear is confirmed. I'll have to do a master clear to remove those messages. Unfortunately, I'll lose all my photos and contacts and ring tones and everything else I had on that phone.

But I bit the bullet and did it. My contact list was fairly short, so copying it out and then re-entering it was relatively fast. However, I'll have to slowly retake all the pics that I had on it. Oh well, c'est la vie, as the French say.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Blurry Vision

Ug, I'm so tired. I almost missed my stop this morning. Fate or luck was on my side and I woke up just as the bus stopped. Yeah, it would be horrible if I missed work. I hope I get a good chunk of sleep tonight. I really need it. I'm sure my eyes look more like horizontal arrow slits than actual eyes. Coffee will be my bestest friend in the whole world today. Gut rot will be the annoying person who tags along and won't go away. Ug.

I almost had my new guard. I got the application and he was looking for part-time work! That almost never happens now. I called him up and yes, he was looking for permanent part-time work - nights and weekends. I have no need for a nights and weekends part-time employee. So, more 12 hours shifts for me. Good thing it's easy work and I get overtime.

It's an even better thing that this is a short work week. Huzza for religious holidays.


Got bored with my Japan Black theme for Firefox so I downloaded a bunch of new themes. And the winner is....(drum roll) HaikuFox! I had this theme months ago and really like it. Turns out I still do. I guess I needed some brightness in my browsing life and HaikuFox does the trick. Plus, the tabs work a bit better with my Tab Mix Plus extension.

Yay for the little things.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Information Gained: Minimal

Well, the interview went well. Very short, since I knew most of what the job was about.

Did find out that this time there is pressure to find someone already trained for this job. The last two people hired weren't trained but this time it seems to be different. I still have my advantages, but I'm not trained in the areas they want. However, if they don't get any more applicants, that will be good for me.

I'll keep you all posted.

On a side note, I'm having lots of fun with my new cell phone. Such a pretty toy. Now, if someone would just call/text me...

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Mousetrap to the Extreme!

Found this little gem. If you have 15 minutes to waste, watch this. It's utterly incredible.

Except for the song and dance routine. I have nothing to do with that.

Zero Day

Today, at 6 pm, I'll be having my interview for the new job. Needless to say, I'm nervous.

But I'm like this all the time - as the day goes by, I'll get more and more worried and then it'll be over and I'll wonder why I got so worried. I guess I always start thinking about worst case scenarios. Maybe I should stop doing that.

I know I still have a really good chance to get this job. I have a lot going for me, but I won't expect anything. Probably better that way. I did find out that the building manager is "resisiting" me as a choice. I don't know why, but my guess is he doesn't want me to leave my security position because I'm so very good at it. Well, maybe I'll know more about that after my interview.

On an upside, I went out with Zelia and picked up a new cell phone: the Motorola Razr V3c. My God, it's such a good looking phone. Bell was having a sale on them too, so I got a really good deal. I was able to drain the batter this morning and now I'm giving it the "first charge", which is so very important. That means I can't play with my new toy until I get home. I'll live, somehow.

That's about it. So, wish me luck and I'll let you all know what's going on tomorrow.