A Corporate Witch in an IT world

2003-04-07T11:11:00.000-04:00

After a month of deliberation, I came to the conclusion that the Blog experiment was a success. Unfortunately, I no longer have the time or energy to invest in Blogging. Although I have made many new wonderful friends, I decided that it is time for an early retirement from the Blogging community. I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this endeavour. I dedicate this last post to the people who inspired me in becoming a better writer. (You know who you are...) I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you in real space...

Live long and prosper!

Garak

2003-03-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

Well... That test was accurate...

FreakyGeek
-- Whoh man, your a freaky geek that usually gets
picked on and doesnt have many friends-dont
worry, you usually growup to be axe murderers
and computer nerds

>>What Type of High School Stereotype Are You?<<
brought to you by Quizilla

2003-02-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

Wow I haven't Blogged in a while...

I saw Gods and Generals last night. It's the prequel to Gettysburg. I quite enjoyed it. It focused on the story instead of the action. This is a movie for intellectuals and not for the common masses. I found it a bit long (about 4 hours) but it delved into the caracters. The people in that era were really religious...

I would have liked to get more of an overview of the Revolutionary War but, since the movie was caracter-based instead of event-based, I can understand why they did it like that. I really got the feeling that I was there. I was completely cut-off from the rest of the war, I focussed on a few generals (is it just me or were there way too many officers in that war???) and I really felt the misery and loneliness that people must have experienced.

Bruce Boxleitner, Billy Campbell, Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall and Kali Rocha (also seen in Buffy playing Elfrek) did an amazing job in bringing to life these legendary figures. All in all, a good movie. I'll buy the trilogy when it comes out on DVD...

2003-02-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny when you're sitting down with friends and suddenly, someone says: "Why don't you do it like this instead? It goes much better with your personality"? Out of the blue, it's like... Where the frell did that come from??? When did we become that close???

Saturday morning was very bad and I was not looking forward to having a house full of people on Saturday evening (we had a baby shower at our place...). I gave a pretty cool lecture on Reiki in the afternoon and I got to spend some time with close friends of mine afterwards. I ended up staying for dinner (which was delicious) and I had a very good time. We talked and talked and really talked. I had never revealed that much about me and I was quite uncomfortable about it at first but since we shared, it started to feel... I dunno... normal I guess... Of course, now they know way more about me than anyone else and I know it'll sound weird, but I actually feel better. There's some stuff that was said that had been bugging me forever and some experiences that I enjoyed talking about...

In retrospect, it was a good conversation. I got to know my friends a lot better too and I think we're closer now. I didn't think that was possible... Wow... the computer geek is discovering friendship... Maybe I should change the title of this Blog to the discoveries of a Computer geek... Hum... Food for thought...

2003-02-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing that I like to do, it's tests... Here's what I got from the "How do you use magic?" tests.

Take the "How Do You Use Magic?" test! Written by Brimo

Très cool isn't it?

2003-02-11T16:36:00.000-05:00

Daily tech horoscope:

Better prepare yourself, Aquarius -- you're in for an extremely hot spell. A sizzling affair is in the works, and that causal email flirtation will generate plenty of activity when it becomes real-time. Harness your creative energies and watch the sparks fly.

When I read this, I thought: "Ooooooh! These girls that I've been flirting with online... That will lead somewhere.. Finally!". LOL Of course not... After the day I just had, I understand that whoever wrote this, was talking about work. I was bored to death last week (my boss had me type contact lists in Excel) and I started talking with influential people about projects that I thought would be fun... Big mistake. Today, they all came back to me telling me that the project was a GO! and that I needed to give the requirements by the end of the day. I just finished writting them. This means that the projects are mine... So far, I'll have 2 weeks of project-related training and that's without the actual training that I'll ask my boss. Which is 2.5 weeks. When will I do all this work???? At night of course silly :0)

But the best part? They'll upgrade my server :) 2 Gb of RAM, 6 18.2Gb hard drives, 2 network cards and a Quadruple PIII 1.4Ghz Xeon Processor system. I'm in computer heaven!

2003-02-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Ceri last night (isn't she wonderful?). As usual, I had a very good time and it was very relaxing. I just love it when I don't have to pretend when I'm around people. As we were leaving the restaurant, Ceri noticed that it was almost 7:00PM and she thought it would be funny if we waited until Melange closed and started banging on the door saying: WE NEED A SPELL! WE NEED A SPELL! LET US IN!!!! When we got there, the door was opened... bummer...

We got to see the gang and we even got Tamu to come out with us and have coffee. This is how it came to pass that I had a double-date with Ceri and Tamu... I am the luckiest guy on the planet... They're a lot of fun :) Of course, to complete the evening, my electronic leashe was pulled (I got paged) around 9PM but I had a very good time.

Oh! And I got Star Trek stickers!!!! Ceri gave me a book of Star Trek stickers for my birthday!!! They are sooo cool!!! I love you Ceri!

2003-01-30T23:49:00.000-05:00

Warning! Angry ranting ahead

You know, there are days when you shouldn't get out of bed. This has been a week like that for me. Nothing that I say is concise enough, people will misinterpret it...

IE: On one of the lists I subscribe to, there is talk of a Universal symbol (pentacle) not being appropriate for a Pagan Resource Center.

Sorry Puma but check the definition of Universal symbol and then get back in the discussion with the grownups... Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's not Universal. You still are aware of it's existence.

Anyway, I said at some point that because the person was offended by said symbol, we don't really want her in the first place. The location is crawling with symbols so of course she'll be offended...

I've also been called elitist... Hello! Have you met me??? Of course I am... I am very particular about the people I let near me and insist on the highest quality of people. I'm not the kind of elitist who won't care about people who aren't like me. I just insist on everyone living to their full potential. For those who don't want to be open minded, why would you waste my precious time or yours?

Oh and today was the day from hell and I was told that I'm being transfered tomorrow for the fourth time this month. I am now starting a boss of the month club. High admission fees obviously...

2003-01-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

If this article is not written by a Wiccan, it's a sign that Wiccan mentality is seeping through the cracks of culture and getting a foothold in the Muggle way of thinking.

Ok, I know I shouldn't call them Muggles but that way everyone understands...

2003-01-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

I saw most of my friends friday night... I wasn't expecting that but it was nice. I stopped at Elio, a small Café on Ste. Catherine to see a couple of them before I headed out and bought comic books with my brother. After we did our pilgrimage at Capitaine Québec and bought everything we needed for the weekend, we had some Thai food and my brother went home.

So, having nothing better to do, I headed out to the MPRC to get fresh news of the Pagan community. Can you believe that no one was there? Am I the only one with nothing to do on Friday evenings? Anyway, during my brief stopover at Mélange, I hugged a good friend of mine and got this interesting vibe from her. I didn't think anything of it and thinking I was tired, I just went home.

I had a very peaceful night until I started dreaming of that friend giving birth to a baby boy (I think it was a boy) in my bedroom. During the delivery, my friend got up, said she was craving a sunday and we went out to find a Friendly's restaurant. The rest of the delivery took place into the truck and let's just say that by the end, my friend had a sunday and I held the baby in my arms.

Weird isn't it?

2003-01-27T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ahhh Superbowl weekend! Aren't you glad it's over? All the hype, all the commercials, all that money wasted... I used to say that the Superbowl was the only sport that I watched on TV. Now, I can say that the only thing sports related that I watch is the Superbowl performers. Wasn't Shania Twain hot in that outfit??? This cartoon from User Friendly pretty much sums up my opinion about football.

And before I forget, all that I said about watching sports on TV excludes women's tennis. It's not a sport, it's an art...

2003-01-24T13:16:00.000-05:00

Can you all hear that heavenly choir signing??? Hilary Rosen resigned as CEO of the RIAA. Probably tired of being the most hated person on the planet...

I say this is cause for celebration! Geeks of the world, we should get drunk off our asses because we won't have a break for a long time to come. The RIAA Board will start doing interviews for a new CEO. Candidates MUST be from the 9th circle of Hell...

2003-01-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just sent me this cartoon with a message: Good Gods, it's YOU!

Yep, if you're wondering what I look like, that's me... Except that I have hair, a goatee and no glasses... Keyboard included... LOL

2003-01-21T09:32:00.000-05:00

Finally! Beavers are getting the international recognition they deserve...

For those of you who wonder why I'm posting about beavers, you should know that the beaver is my animal guide. It's a proud and noble animal and I was shocked when I met my guide face-to-face for the first time. I was expecting a bear or a deer. After months of studying the beaver, I have to say that the match is perfect... If you're wondering what your animal guide is, let me know and we'll do a session at my place...

2003-01-16T17:59:00.000-05:00

This is it folks! The date we've all been waiting for...

Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix will be released June 21st 2003. Does anyone else find it funny that it's being release on Midsummer???

According to this story from Ananova, it's 255 000 words long and Harry will be told a secret that will change him forever. Can't wait to read it...

2003-01-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

Jar-jaromir... That's just too precious....

Thanks to my friend at Feedsite for publishing it first...

2003-01-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

People are asking me what I want for my birthday... The answer? Nothing. I'd much rather have the chance to spend some time with friends than getting presents. Something along the lines of a quiet evening drinking tea and talking about philosphy, religion, books or even Star Trek :)

Of course, there's always the Bar-Monkey :)

The Bar-Monkey is a bar built around a 486 running linux that can dispense an 8 ounce mixed drink in under 10 seconds. It uses a Matrix Orbital Serial LCD panel with a keypad built into the bar surface for user input. Three Harvey Mudd College students built the bar in their spare time last semester. The bar holds 16 ingredients with which it can currently mix 188 drinks stored in its drink database. Total project cost: $235.

2003-01-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Thirty-eight chapters ... might change ... longest volume ... Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new teacher ... dies ... sorry," J.K. Rowling

2003-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so sick of waiting for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix that I've started to hunt for more information. This is the best I could find on what's coming...

I have also heard her say that one of the main caracters will die. I'm hoping we'll start a discussion... Maybe we should do an evening of tea and teasers about the new book...

2003-01-09T16:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a link with pictures for Return of the King. They look awesome! I'm not much of a LOTR fan but I can recognise that the first movie was amazing and that the second was ok. However, the thrid one looks very promising. It's going to be a very good year for geeks all around...

2003-01-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm looking for an appartment right now... I just figured out how difficult this will be. I don't want to pay too much money (800$ ideally but I'll go a bit higher if I have to) but there's nothing out there. Am I looking too soon? Should I wait another month? This is the first time I'm actually looking on my own and I'm soooooo lost... I want something easily accessible by metro and I want something nice.

As hard as it is, am I having a lot of fun with this experience. For the first time in my life, I'll be totally on my own. It's a weird feeling... All my life, I have been hoping that this day would come! At first, I encountered an unexpected emotion... Fear... I dreaded the day that I'll be alone with no one to catch me if I fall... This was a really stupid thing to say considering that at work, I am trusted with projects worth millions of dollars. Now, I just want to move... If anyone hears of a nice place for rent on the island, please let me know...

2003-01-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, we talked about who could play Sirius Black when one of us (I really don't remember who) said:"You know, Garay Oldman could be a good Sirius Black..."

Well, check out this new article from Ananova... The BBC also has the same story... It's still just a rumor but I think that he could be great...

2003-01-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

I was planning on doing a post on how crappy the loft I visited last night was but to hell with that... There's big news over at Autumn and King of Canada's place!!!! His Majesty the King has been called back to work at his old job! That is amazing news considering that he last worked there 18 months ago...

If you ask me, it's about time they call him back. He is an amazing illustrator! I'm so happy for them. Well, as crappy as the last year was, it's nice to see that everything is going back to normal...

2003-01-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

What a weekend it's been! I went to Brutopia with Hobbes on Saturday to see a band called Bean Cavanagh and the Broken Hearted (a very good band if you ask me...) and we got to see an unexpected show... Don't understand? Read this true story from Hobbes Blog... I swear that it's true, I saw it myself...

Then, on Sunday, we did our Yule gift exchange with my covenmates. I got this really kewl book called The Way of the Shaman. I read the first 2 chapters already and I am quite impressed by the author's knowledge...

Today, I got 2 appointments to see lofts. One is tonight and the other one is wednesday night. Can't wait to see what happens next...

2003-01-03T07:26:00.000-05:00

I went to Hurley's last night to have a few pints with Hobbes. I hadn't done that in a while and it was a lot of fun...

We did have a bit of excitement when the glass door of the fireplace exploded into tiny pieces because of the heat. It was quite loud... To my surprise, there weren't that many people on the second floor. I guess I am used to seing a lot of people on Thursdays...

2003-01-01T00:06:00.000-05:00

Once again, the ball has dropped on Time Squares. Happy New Year everyone!

2002-12-31T01:02:00.000-05:00

Can't sleep... Don't you just hate it when you're exausted but your brain won't stop working??? Obviously, there's nothing good on TV at this hour so I can't numb my brain... At least, tomorrow I'll be able to watch the Time Squares festivities even if I wasn't able to make it there myself.

What do you guys have planned for New Year? Any good parties?

May this new year bring you prosperity and health!

2002-12-29T00:41:00.000-05:00

I've just finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I have to say: WOW!!! I had never read it before and I think it's one of the best so far... I can't wait for the fifth installement. Is it here yet? Is it here yet? Is it ere yet????

I bought it Thursday night and finished it about an hour ago... Next on my reading list is a book by Grey Owl about the Beaver People. It had Beaver in the title so I just HAD to buy it. Apparently, this Grey Owl is famous... Since I have no clue who he is, I guess I'll be discovering his greatness in as I read along... That's the price you pay for growing up in a French Canadian family...

2002-12-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well... It seems that I was right about who will replace Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter movies. Mind you, I think that Sir Ian McKellen is the only viable solution n such short notice...

2002-12-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, something is definetely wrong with this Blog. It keeps doing weird things... I'll try to have it fixed as soon as I can. Sorry for the inconvenience...

2002-12-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

I am so glad that Christmas has come and gone... As always, I got the privilege to get a lecture on how Christianity is better than any other religion in the world, how priests are good and don't deserve what they're getting and how my life is wicked.

However, this year, I got an added bonus!!! Everyone complained that I don't have a girl in my life or something that resemble a life of my own. My parents think that I should go out to bars and mingle. They have no idea what that entails for someone energy sensitive of course... Also, the fact that I don't want to meet someone didn't even cross their mind. I tried explaining to them that I had given it a year (last year to be precise) and that now I want to focus on other things. I want to learn Gaelic, the guitar, photography, storytelling and finish at least one of the books that I'm currently writting.

For everything that I said I wanted to try this or that I was met with rejection. And my family wonders why I avoid them... At least I got a cool present. My brother bought me the first season of ST:TNG on DVD...

Don't you just love the holidays?

I am so not going for the New Year's party...

2002-12-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Vacations... All feelings of guilt have evaporated yesterday when I woke up and said, screw this, I'm not getting up at 6 AM...

Yesterday, I saw LOTR: TTT and I have to admit, it's not that good. The scenery is amazing, the battles are very good and I'm glad we got to see more of the Hobbits but that's about it. The amazement of the first part was't there. Mind you, we had to see it on IMAX so a ten feet tall hobbit is kindda ridiculous...

When we came back home, we did the gift exchange thing for Yule. I got a Witches ball (quite cool!) and candles. I'm a witch! When in doubt, give us candles...

Oh! And I stopped at Indigo to get a few books that I wanted. There was at least 45 minutes of waiting before getting to a cashier. So to all the people out there who can't manage to get a gift before December 23rd, don't go to Indigo!!!

Happy holidays to all and to all a good night!

2002-12-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

This article made me think and so, I added disclaimers at the bottom of the page to protect my a** in case someone recognises me in this Blog and sues me for wathever stupid reason...

2002-12-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

What a day! I think that everyone has gone insane. This is the first 20 seconds that I've had to myself since the day started... We need this now! We need this for yesterday! Don't forget that we need that before you leave! Do you have a few minutes? I need your opinion on this! I need you to sign this! I need your approval on this! STOP!

Then, it hits me. I am leaving for 2 weeks with all this work to do... Am I insane??? I will be gone during the transition, getting 2 new bosses on January 1st. I know that they too will be on vacation but my current boss and his boss won't be... And I'm leaving their district with a pile of work not finished yet! I wanted to use today to try and complete everything. Looks like I won't be able too. At least, I've got VPN access and I'll be able to catch up during my weeks off...

Thank the Gods for that!!!

2002-12-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

Another sleepless night is here. I finally figured out (I think!) why I can't sleep. I feel guilty. I am about to take 2 weeks off and I feel guilty... I know it's stupid and I try not to think like that but it's hard. Especially since I hardly feel guilty anymore. I used to feel like that all the time when I was young. I don't know why I'm like that because I really need this time off before I go ga-ga. I swear if it goes on like that much longer, I'll get up during a meeting and pee in the corner. (Don't laugh, one of my dad's coworker did that but he was mental at the time.)

I'm off to read some Golden Dawn material. If that doesn't put me to sleep right away, nothing will. Well, maybe the Bible...

Good night!

2002-12-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

Working from home is such a blessing... I got everything done, while listening to very very loud music (neighbors be damned, they play the guitar very loudly at 2 AM so they can kiss my a** if they're not happy). I even got to watch TNG, DS9 and Voyager while writing a report on today's announcement of layoffs. They only announced 1700 jobs lost by attrition. The market reacted really well I think... The shares only lost 0.15$ per share. Not a bad day...

Of course, right now I'm stricken with a bad case of insomnia. I re-read the first 3 Harry Potter novels in 4 days... I love it when I can't sleep. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm less productive after 2 days of not sleeping, I'd try to stay awake all the time. Not having to sleep is the one selfish wish I would make if I met a Genie. Anybody know where I can find one? Well, I might as well start reading some Project Manager material for my new training that I should receive after I talk to my boss in February.

Yule is just around the corner. Don't you just hate the holiday period? You have to go see your family, you have to buy lots of presents, everybody runs around because it's the end of the fiscal year (for my company anyway...) and on top of all that, I tried to get some time off. I got 2 weeks if I manage to finish all the work that I have to do (which I'm glad to say I finished today!). I guess my opinion of the holidays will change if I ever get a family of my own...

Has your opinion of the holiday season changed with time?

2002-12-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

This is how I feel about the new Trek movie. This is how the people who complained about the new Trek movie feel. See my point?

2002-12-16T10:19:00.000-05:00

Nemesis review

Warning! There might be spoilers ahead!

(How would I know? I haven't written anything yet...)

In my humble opinion (which is the only one that counts really...) Nemesis is one of the best Trek movies so far. People who have bitched and complained about it should stop watching with their Star Wars eyes and look for good Sci-Fi. It had everything that you need for a good Trek movie. A good plot, a good scenario, good writters, average producers...

This movie took a current social "issue" (cloning) and delved into the problematic. It discussed nurture vs nature, the absence of social engineering (ie: absence of the Federation for Shinzon), the issues that the clone has with his raison d'être (why me? why you? I blame you for me). They talked about parenting and family (Shinzon/Picard and B4/Data). It was funny and the battle scenes were awesome. We've never seen a battle like this one. Ok, blowing up the Death Star was cool but there was no one-on-one. You didn't have 2 caracters fighting each other. In Star Wars, there was no tension, no apprehension. The tactics used in Nemesis were pretty good... Picard, always the diplomat even coordonated tactical information with the Romulan warbirds (they were still in Romulan territory after all...).

Worf even said: "The Romulans fought with honnor." Why was he even there??? Isn't he supposed to be the Federation liaison to Martog? At least, he had the crest of Martog of his sash. He also drank way too much Romulan ale which is funny.

Data's death scene was perfect for an android. Pin the emergency transporter on Picard, say goodbye and do your thing. Perfect!

Now for the criticisms (The movie wouldn't has good without them...)

The lighting sucked big time, just like every other Trek movie. I don't know why they can't get it right. They did in the series...

Picard, Worf and Data went down on a planet with a pre-warp civilisation without getting disguised like they always do in the serie. I know that if they did everything they should have done, the movie would be way too long but please keep the Prime Directive in mind...

Deanna Troi provided all the emotions in the movie. I know it wasn't a drama but I would have liked to see more. Ok, Picard was stunned and couldn't move or say anything, kudos on that...

What else? Well Geordi and Beverly could have had bigger roles. Beverly never had anything really important in the movie. I wish they could have done something bigger with her like a plague or something... And I wouldn't have included Worf in the movie...

I'll definetely go see it again, and again, and again, and again :)

Why are you still reading this??? GO SEE STAR TREK: NEMESIS!!!

2002-12-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

Reading the archives, I've noticed a common thread in recent posts. Gods I'm depressed!!!! I so badly need... to see Star Trek!!! Thought I was going to say something else didn't you? Bunch of pervs the lot of you :) It has been for years since the last Trek installment and Enterprise has been sustaining me but with everything going on in my life, I need more...

So, in my usual leader role, I am organizing an outing on December 20th. Everyone who shows up gets to see Star Trek: Nemesis and then it's out for beers at Hurleys.

I've had a rough couple of months and the next 12 are going to be challenging for me... With the approachin holidays, I need a break. I've worked day and night in order to deserve a 2 weeks vacation that were cancelled recently. However, I told my boss that I haven't had a break in over 3 years now and that if I don't take 2 weeks soon, I'll go ga-ga. Low and behold, if all my work is done in time for the 20th, I should be off for 2 weeks. THIS IS CAUSE TO CELEBRATE!!!

So, who's in? Invite friends, loved ones, hated ones, demons and angels, I don't care, I'm going to see Star Trek and then drink beer....

2002-12-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

About my grandfather...

I spent the last few days at my grandfather's side in the hospital. He has a heart condition and needed surgery to get better. Thing is, after 1 day of tests, they told him that they can't operate because he wouldn't survive. We have a genetic condition in our family where the arteries are blocking without any good reason. IE: My granfather is thin and doesn't do cholesterol and all his arteries (heart and liver) are in really bad shape.

So they did another day of tests. Yesterday, they told him that there is nothing they can do and that he should go home. I talked to the doctor alone afterwards and asked him what his life expectancy is. He told me it's either 5 hours, 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months but not more than 5 years. In other words, they don't know...

So I'm counseling my family. I explained the wheel of life concept, I told them that he has outlived all of his borthers and sister and his still going. After many failed attempts at cheering them up, I turned it into a joke.

He's too pig-headed to die... He's gonna prove them wrong. They want him to take pills? That's what he has for breakfast! (Well that one is technically true...) So they all got a big laugh out of it and I told them that life goes on and so does he.

Live! Drink! And be merry! For tomorrow we may die!

2002-12-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

If you love me very much and you want to give me the all-time-ultimate-gift, by all means, by me this book.

2002-12-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

So I got this award yesterday for Outstanding contribution during the last 4 Quarters. Some will say it's about time!!! while others said why him and not me??? I was pretty happy at first but then I began to think. I know, nothing good ever comes out of that but it comes naturally...

See I get this semi-decent salary. I'm not paid by the hour, I'm paid to do a job. I don't count my hours and I don't care. I love my work and it has come to define who I am in the last few years. So why do I get this award again? Outstanding performance? If I outdid the others, it just means that they don't have as much time as I do to work. They probably have families that they care about. If I exceeded expectations, doesn't that mean that expectations were too low to begin with?

I'm not sure if my boss is pleased with this. The ambiance has been weird since he told me I was being transfered. I took it really well and I don't think he was expecting that. I just explained that it sucked but that I learned a lot from him, that I still have a lot to learn from him and that we'd still be working together anyway. Like he said, it's not the first re-org that I go through and it won't be the last. I just wish I knew why he was shaking like a leaf when he announced it...

2002-12-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

Special note: I have asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Hufflepuff. We will win the next house cup and watch out at the next Quiddich match, I'll play the bumpercar position and make sure no one touches my team...

2002-12-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

I had a job interview on Saturday. (Yeah, I know, it was Saturday...) I showed up wearing jeans and a nice shirt (Come on! It was Saturday, I wasn't in the mood since they had cancelled for Friday and I'm a technical manager...) They were impressed that I had the guts to do that... They literally grilled me for 90 minutes... Technical questions, staff issues, managerial issues. At the end, they told me that I have the job if I want it. I could be responsible for 1st and 2nd line support at a big canadian IT firm. The salary would be good, benefits not as good. I think the big irk is that it's a Help Desk job. Wouldn't it get boring? I've done some 1st and 2nd line support and I was going out of my mind. I'm about to call them and tell them that I do not want the job.

On a happier note, I just got a departmental award for the work I did over the past year. I got a nice plaque with my name on it!!! This is cause to celebrate wouldn't you say? No drinking though...

Speaking of celebrating, I had an amazing weekend. Got a new haircut on Saturday followed by a job Interview. I saw Harry Potter and the chamber of Secrets and then I went home just in time to get a call from Hobbes. I headed over to his place and watched Chicken Run (very funny movie!). We drank some tea and chatted for a while. I had a very good time!

On Sunday, I got to go to a special birthday party. I got to hang out with a very close friend who I don't get to see often enough... I got to flirt a lot (it's always more fun when they are with someone since I know it won't lead to anything...) and yes Ron, I am now aware that I do it constantly and yes, it's in my nature... :)

I got to geek out, look at some very kewl X-mas ornaments and spend a nice day with amazing people. We had amazing food (some rather addictive crab thingie...) and we drank very good wine. Did I mention the drinking? Getting up was a bit hard this morning :) I don't think I've had that much to drink in a very long time... Nothing excessive mind you but just enough to be in a good place with lots and lots of laughter... LOL

With friends like that, what more can I ask for?

2002-12-06T10:42:00.000-05:00

Wow! Apparently I'm between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I just can't decide if I'm:

A dog - something loyal and faithful or,

An owl definately. A smart one mind!

What do you guys think?

Forget that Gryffindor house, I feel much better in those two houses...

2002-12-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

Very sad news...

I just learned that I will not get my Star Trek premiere pass. This sucks big time. I wanted to give it to two good friends of mine but that's out the window... I guess I'll just have to sneak in...

On another note, Autumn mentions me in her Blog (I'm really honnored) and she posted one of my favorite pictures that I took in Central Park. For those of you who know Central Park, I took it at the entrance of the Bethesda plaza, just before you go down the stairs.

2002-12-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

American food... There's a concept worthy of a Stephen King movie. These people do not know how to cook. They can fry food but they can't cook it. Granted, they come from Britain where everything is boiled but they didn't need to go to that extreme when they declared their independance. I think they fry their coffee beans before grinding them.

If you walk down any street, most of the restaurants you'll find will sell pizza. Is that all they eat in NYC? I did manage to eat a decent steak at Texas but it cost me 24$ US. And let's not talk about my friends who had greek food. The tsaziki sauce tasted like water and had the same consistency. On our way to NYC, we stopped at Big Boy. You know, it's that restaurant they make fun of in Austin Powers... Well, they should have made fun of the food. Hey! Big Boy owners!!! When the sausages yell I'M COOKED, it doesn't mean cook them for 30 more minutes!!! Oh and if you're on Times Square, don't go to Howard Johnson. It hasn't been cleaned of renovated since the 70s. I almost did a cleansing ritual when I walked in the door. However, they do serve a good Long Island Iced Tea...

And while on the subject of Times Square, my American friends, it didn't get that name because there used to be a big clock. It was named Times Square because the New York Times used to have it's offices there.

I did find a trendy little corner of the island where the food was good. It's called Hell's kitchen and it's on the corner of Amsterdam Ave and 46th Street. Now all of this is Midtown. If you go in SOHO or in The Village, you'll find very decent food.

2002-12-03T17:01:00.000-05:00

NYC

My trip was a complete success. I don't often have a chance to relax and I usually don't take time off. This is causing some problems for me right now (ie: I'm rally tired and I'm starting to make stupid mistakes) but I am still productive and that's what counts. However, a long weekend is a nice treat every once in a while and going to NYC is the cherry on top of the Eric's-special-extravaganza-double-chocolate-Sunday.

(Warning: If I serve you one of those, it usually means I have other plans for the evening... LOL)

I met a few people on the tour who I will try to keep in touch with. One in particular but the ball is in her court now... I got to see Harlem, a new musical production which takes place in Harlem (and is shown in Harlem). Our guide said that the production is having financial difficulties because of it's location so I went to encourage them. It was great! It's basically a musical history of Harlem. Harlem is a really nice district now. Ok, you still have the burnt down buildings but Bill Clinton has his office there now and there's a Disney store for crying out lound! It's not a ghetto anymore...

I took a stroll in Central Park, walked all over SOHO and The Village, I visited the Empire State building again but I didn't go outside since I was scared out of my mind... It was waaaaaaaaaayyyy too windy and all I could see was people falling off the building. I am one of those people who suffer from vertigo and last time, I didn't have that much of a problem but I guess every time is different.

I didn't get to go to any museums but my time was better spent with someone else. That's pretty much all I'll say on this issue so please, don't ask me for more info...

I'll do a post on American food at some point since it deserves a special mention...

What else? Well I shopped a lot. I bought things for really really cheap... I'm a good negotiator. My new friends were ashamed of me (I got a 20$ watch for 4$...) but hey! if they agreed to sell it to me at that price, they still made money... I also went to a few Pagan stores and let me tell you, the best store is still in Montreal. But, I did buy 2 things... One of them is a piece of art and I'll definetely refer it to someone at Melange since I still have 5 more pieces to buy and I might know people who would be interrested. The other one is a rare edition of A treatise on White Magic by Alice Bailey. It's still in pretty good condition too.

One of the things I always ask myself when I get back is: "What am I still doing in Montreal?". This time was no different. Don't ge tme wrong, I love my new life here and I adore my jobs but I have nothing keeping me here. Almost all of my friends are considering moving far away from me (is it something I did???) and i could earn a lot more money over there. Something to ponder during the cold lonely winter nights I guess...

2002-11-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Start spreading the news! I'm going your way... I want to be a part of it! New York! New York!

Ok, I know that's cheesy... But I'm finally taking time off!!!! That means no Internet for a few days... (There's gotta be a downside to everything right?)

So I won't be posting for a little while, I'll be enjoying Phantom of the Opera and a few museums... See you soon!

2002-11-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

James Bond: Die another day

Warning! Spoilers ahead!

I saw Die Another Day last night and I have to tell you that I think it's one of the best Bond movies so far. Special effect-wise, the CGI wasn't apparent. The car was awesome (although it reminded me of a Klingon battle cruiser...) and the gadgets, although few in numbers, were kindda kewl. The plot line was stolen from Face-Off but it's very comforting to know that Halle Berry is that... easy...

I sometimes wish that I were James Bond. I think it's every guys fantasy at some point... Danger, women and the suits... But I can do without the being tortured for 14 months... I had never seen James tortured like that in any of the Bond movies. I think the worst part for him was that he was without any women for 14 months...

One thing I absolutely hated was the theme song. It sounds weird on the radio and even worse in theater. James Bond songs should be smooth and warm and sensual. This one, performed by Madonna was cold and electronic. It didn't even fit with the movie...

All in all, the acting was superbly done and the story was well directed. I give it an 8 on the Elim scale of movies...

2002-11-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Last night, while I was surfing the Net for P2P programs, I watched a new episode of Boston Public. I have to admit, I've been a devout fan of the show since the first episode and even more after Jeri Ryan (7 of 9 for you Trekkies!) joined the cast last year. My favorite caracter has to be Harvey Lipshultz played by Fyvush Finkel. He always has a sarcastic comment, we often feel sorry for him and let's face it, he's not quite all there...

On last night's show, the principal Harper played by Chi McBride was arrested (in front of the whole school) for assault with a weapon (a coat hanger). He's innocent of course but there's no witnesses since he all threw them out of his office because he was angry... It doesn't look too good for him... I can't wait to see what they'll do with this new plot..

2002-11-25T13:07:00.000-05:00

It's official... After weeks of escaping it, entire days spent avoiding it, hours of careful planning and preparing against it... I have a cold... It's inevitable... A few days before I take time off, I get sick... It's probably because I am really looking forward to this small vacation from the office. I won't mention that I'm going on vacation with a coworker at this point because my friends would just kill me. That's what happens when you jump into the middle of a conversation...

Two coworkers were talking about trips and one of them asid that she'd really like to go to NYC but she didn't feel safe enough going on her own. Jokingly, the other one said why don't you go with Garak (ie: me!), no one will dare confront him... For those of you who have never seen me, I look like a football player mixed with a cement wall. At that point, I just turned around and told them that I'd love to go. Well, I don't think the words were out of my mouth before she asked me when I could be available. And so it came to pass that I am taking time off. It's just 4 days but NYC is so relaxing that I should be up and running (walking fast, running makes me sweat) in no time.

I'm trying to get tickets for SNL but I'm not sure how to go about it since they don't offer them online anymore and I don't plan to stand in line all day. I wish I knew where I could get some...

Other stops on my trip, the drugstore to get some potent medicine, the Museum Company for all my geeky historical needs, the Met, Trump Tower (power meeting with Donald) and Sci-Fi channel to bitch about and complain about their cancellation of Farscape. Don't believe me? I've got my letter in hand...

Included in the tour is the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, FAO, 5th Avenue, Canal Street and a gazillion other things that I can't think of right now... Why am I taking a tour even though I've been there about a dozen times? It's so cheap! I can't believe that I get hotel, food and bus ride for 428$$$!!!! It's a decent hotel too! Ok it's in NJ but nothing is perfect.

2002-11-22T01:33:00.000-05:00

Can't sleep. The sky just fell on my head. Work is driving me insane... Major changes about to be announced. Can't sleep. Badly need sleep. Can't sleep... My workload just doubled... I don't know who my boss will be. No more team... Worst thing is, I can't talk about it at work since this is still a secret until later next month. I can't know any details either. I'm not supposed to know this... This is bad... It'll get worse soon...

2002-11-20T13:46:00.000-05:00

Depressed

This is truly depressing... I'm no genius (fire hot, ice cold) but I can still find my country on a map. It's funny how those articles never compare Canadians and Americans. I know a few americans and I have to say that they are intelligent and kind people. Where do they find the morons to answer those tests?

Among 18- to 24-year-old Americans given maps:

87 percent cannot find Iraq

83 percent cannot find Afghanistan

76 percent cannot find Saudi Arabia

70 percent cannot find New Jersey

49 percent cannot find New York

11 percent cannot find the United States

No one is that dumb right?

Thirty-four percent of the young Americans knew that the island used on last season's "Survivor" show was located in the South Pacific, but only 30 percent could locate the state of New Jersey on a map. The "Survivor" show's location was the Marquesas Islands in the eastern South Pacific.

Only 71 percent of the surveyed Americans could locate on the map the Pacific Ocean, the world's largest body of water. Worldwide, three in 10 of those surveyed could not correctly locate the Pacific Ocean.

Once again, I wish that Canada had participated to this survey. How good are we? I always thought that you could gage the level of education of someone by their knowledge of Geography, History and culture (and I'm not talking about that noise on the radio they call music...). A society should not be measured by what they don't know but by how well they assimilate and use this knowledge. Judging by the recent actions of politicians, we are failing miserably. But of course, we knew that already didn't we?

2002-11-18T15:49:00.000-05:00

Our first snow storm! Don't you just love winter? I've been hoping for this moment since the drought in July when I was laying in my bed and slowly melting... We've had about a foot of snow so far with no end in sight. I've heard that it's going to snow tomorrow as well... I'm happy.

Snow just reminds me of my youth. Snowmen (and women...), snow forts, epic battles between the forces of Good (me) and Evil (my neighbours). I always dreamed of building a castle just like the one in "La Guerre des Tuques". If you don't know this movie, rent it now! Or even better, read the book...

What else? Well there's hot chocolate, cuddling by a roaring fire, taking long walks on Ste Catherine, looking at the X-mas decorations while it snows and best of all, eating at "Le Tour de Ville" when there's a light snowfall... This has to be THE most romantic experience in Montreal. The restaurant slowly turns allowing you an amazing view of Montreal. Arghhhh! See what you did??? You made me think about bringing a date there... At least I get to blame you for putting that idea into my head... (Yeah, like that's going to work...). If anyone wants to join me in an amazing eating experience, you know where to find me.

On another note, only 4 days left before the new James Bond movie comes out... I can hardly wait for it. Also, Star Trek Nemesis comes out on the 13th of December (AND I have a pass for 2 people for the Premiere!!!!) and LOTR: The Two Towers comes out on the 19th... Mind you, The Matrix: Revolution is also coming soon... I guess snow also makes me think of watching movies...

2002-11-18T00:13:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a weekend... First surprise, Joss Wedon's Firefly was amazing! I had given up on the show but I watched it friday and loved it. Then, Joss gave us a wonderfully disturbing Buffy episode in which dead people came back to... well... torment the living. I don't think it was really Joyce coming back to talk to Dawn and I'm not the only one according to a poll on the Buffy web site. 58.55% of fans said: "No way! It was something evil pretending to be Joyce." but it's always hard to say. As if that wasn't enough, Joss again surprised us with an all new episode of Angel in which the Apocalypse starts. I've become accustomed to a roller-coaster of emotions from this producer but this weekend just blew me away! I am so going to be riveted to my TV next weekend. Are we friday yet???

2002-11-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

I've added a banner to YULBlog in the Disclaimer section of this Blog. I think it's a really good idea to link the Blogs like this by region. Go read it, it's very interesting!

I've also added a banner to Island Bloggers. I guess it's the get connected day :)

2002-11-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

After months of debate, I finally re-activated my web account at DrakNet. I love the service that they give and in my book, it's one of the best hosting services out there. (even though I work for an ISP/telecom company!) I've got my graphic designer, I've got basic texts written, I've got my editorialist (well she said yes months ago so I'll have to ask her again), and I've got my ideas.

Deciding on the right domain name was a harduous task. I went through so many incarnations, it's not even funny. The worst thing is, everytime I decided on a kwel name, some !"/$%?& company had bought it and was selling it for an insane amount of money. But now, I've got THE domain name for me and I really like it! So I'm proud to introduce Healing Temple.

2002-11-15T10:01:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's nightmarish day, I had an amazing evening. I dropped by the MPRC where I got to talk with Gomez and Morticia :P until 9PM at which point I was joined by the lovely Ceri. We went to Second Cup and enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate. Hummm... hot chocolate... But that wasn't the nicest part by a long shot... Ceri and I talked for an hour or so which was a lot of fun. I think we should make this an regular event...

Last time I did that was with Autumn after the ritual we did for September 11, 2001 and we were waiting to have all the nice comments laminated. (Autumn darling, we should do that again btw...)

2002-11-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you know you shouldn't have gotten up? This is one of those for me... First of all, I fell asleep around 3AM. Nevermind the fact that I had been in bed since 11PM... Can I tell you that I almost killed my alarm-clock when it rang at 6AM? I didn't... Instead, I said to myself: "Self, let's go take a long hot shower..." Of course, we didn't have any hot water this morning...

I get to the office all grumble grumble (ie: with a dark cloud hanging over my head) when the sky decided to fall. Apparently, the monitor that I tested and sent on friday arrived at destination broken. The thing is, that monitor was meant for someone way above me in the corporate ladder. My VP's assistant is not pleased and let's just say that the guy called me a few things that I will not repeat here because there are ladies reading this blog. Of course, I did all of this as a favor to my VP. I got a computer in 8 hours, something that normally takes 10 days... Political favors my a**...

Then I was told that the server that I managed to find does not comply with the needs of the project. IT'S A FRELLING SERVER FOR WEB PURPOSES!!! As long as it displays web pages, IT'S FINE!!!! Blood pressure just went through the roof along with my last shred of sanity. Tomorrow, I'm coming in the office armed with a Super-Soaker and I'll drown anyone gives me bad news. Tomorrow is the International day of Let's not piss Eric's off! I second... Motion passed!

At least, I can look forward to a nice evening in the company of Ceri's...

2002-11-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

So there I am minding my own business, reading other people's blogs when suddenly, I get hit! The Alpha Geeks? Dare I dream? Could it be a treat for the geek inside me? (And before anyone says it, no I didn't eat the geek...) With hope in my heart, I click on the link. AND THE CROWD GOES WILD... Well I did anyway... It's awesome! It's my new home... Well more like a summer house really. Great job guys.

2002-11-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful ritual we had last night. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I mean I planned everything and it went without a hitch (well except for mom calling as I was about to cast circle). The energy was just totally different than what I thought it would be. Mind you, I completely emptied the appartment of all the weird vibes we seem to have (can't wait to be on my own...) and I set the mood with candles and a wonderful smell of mixed herbs and oils (which I later burned). The whole room still smelled wonderful this morning. I wasn't able to bring the circle down. I had to push it into the walls. Oh well, what's one more circle? The energies will just mix with my current shield... I used the energy of The Morrigan and The Herne to cast the Circle and then asked them to fill the circle with their energies once more. They'll never leave now :)

On another note, I finally figured out why my YahooGroups account kept being de-activated. Apparently, the deleted e-mails wouldn't leave my Inbox which caused the e-mails to bounce. Now that this problem is solved, I subscribed to a group that I've been wanting to join for a while called childrenofmorrigan. I've read previous posts made by the group and they are exchanging some really good information.

I gave away one of my monitors yesterday to a dear friend of mine. She has said that she has eye troubles and seems to have headaches when she works for too long in front of a computer. So now, I can finally buy a Cybex SwitchView. In my book, it's one of Avocent's best products. It will allow me to have one keyboard, one mouse and one monitor for 3 computers. Life is good :)

2002-11-07T17:28:00.000-05:00

I'm really proud of myself today. I decided on an objective this morning and for once, I got to finish it. Usually, I'm continually bombarded with questions and requests for help but I managed to shut it all off. I closed my e-mail, let the voicemail get my calls and put at sign at my desk. "Although I am here physically, my brain is 3 desks over. I will answer all your questions if you find it. Have a nice day..." A lot of people laughed (still don't know why) but they got the message :)

On another note, I've completed one of my four Yule lists. Why 4? Well I've got lots of people asking me for a list. I really hate having to coordinate the gift purchase or have someone do it for me so this year, I made 4 lists. I didn't know what to ask for but I managed to come up with a few good ideas. Unfortunately, I can't re-use them for my family. Why you say? Picture this: " Yes grandma I want a book on Aboriginal Shamanism or any book by Crowley..." Yeeah that would go over really well considering she doesn't know I'm a witch. She suspects something since I haven't been in church in over 5 years. Also, everytime the family gets together and talks about religion. I keep telling myself ok, this time I won't say anything but I always end up saying: "Actually, this was done differently and Christian did this or this isn't a Mystery, this is how it works and this other reason is why they call it a mystery..." Yeah, I know... Smartass!

2002-11-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

Whatever you do, never have the chicken salad with oil and vinegar at Subway. It is vile! However, their chicken salad with Honey-mustard sauce is to die for. I'm still determined to buy a Subway franchise someday but or now, I'm just too busy. I finished planning my Samhain ritual last night. We're celebrating it on the 10th this year and I need to have fun. Mind you, I always have the best time with my coven. They're the best friends a guy can hope for.

On another note, all this talk of writing on Autumn and Ceri's blogs have made me want to start writing again. Of course, I really don't have the time for this but all these good ideas are coming to me. There's a major story brewing in my head and I can't get it out. Talking about it usually helps. I've been really artistic for the past few months. I usually just enjoy watching shows and art but now, I get all sorts of ideas. I even had this great concept for a fully musical Arthurian show told by the caracters of Merlin and Guenièvre. They were supposed to fight all the time until they realized that no matter how they told the story, the ending (ie: the result) was the same.

Now to find a way to focus all that creativity in the office, I'm using a mantra-like technique. Every time I log into my computer, I repeat the following: Arts and crafts, they relax. Work not plain, helps me gain. I know it's not poetic or even making a lot of sense but I know what it means and that's the important part. The technique works by programming the subconscious to help me achieve my goal. And it works too :) After a few weeks of repeating this, you should see results. Try it and let me know...

2002-11-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of Dr. Charles Sheffield, a great Sci-Fi author. He has written great novels such as the Heritage Universe series, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Higher Education, The Ganymede Club, Brothers to Dragons, Cold As Ice, and The Mind Poo. (taken from Slashdot). Actually, I've only read Tomorrow and Tomorrow which I loved.

2002-11-04T13:23:00.000-05:00

Snow! Snow! Glorious snow (again). That's going to get old really fast, trust me.... I had a great weekend! I started with a mind blowing, head-splitting migraine which made me skip a meeting for the Yule Fair at the MPRC. I usually hate it when I'm not at a meeting but this time I've got a valid reason... I didn't even finish my day in the office which has to be a first for me... I'm of the opinion that unless you're dying, you should be in the office no matter what happens. Fortunately, I had done about 70 hours for that week and my last work meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

Needless to say, I didn't go anywhere friday evening. On Saturday, I woke up and tried to crack my skull open and pull my brain out but upon opening my head, I noticed that the Gods had left me a message. "Dear you, We Owe You A Brain. Sorry! - The Gods" Don't you just hate it when people who make fun of you are proved right? I didn't do much Saturday but during the evening, I heard a gentle knock on my door. Imagine my surprise when not one but two gorgeous women came to get me to go to a party. I went as a suggar daddy/corporate whore (ie: I didn't wear a costume). While talking with 2 of my favortie couples (Autumn & Ash + Ceri & Scott), I decided that I was going to host a Star Trek: The Next Party at my place for my birthday. I'm going as a Klingon and I'll make lot's of Bloodwine, Prune Juice, Romulan Ale and all sorts of Star Trek related dishes. I might even make Plomeek Soup, Rokeg pie and Gagh:) Bon appétit....

On Sunday, I played WarCraft III pretty much all afternoon and watched Star Trek Enterprise and Angel. Headache is gone, long live Advil!

2002-10-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

I got my new computer yesterday around 11:30 AM. I was really good... I didn't start playing with it until 7PM. Since it was being delivered by Purolater, I had to work from home. For the whole afternoon it was taunting me. "Garak, come play with me... I'm lonely in my boxes." I know, I need help!

It was in three boxes; one for the monitor, one for the tower and one for my brand new Harmon/Kardon stereo system. I can honnestly say that I have never heard anything this clear. We played a CD and even my roommates were drooling. Dave said I was turning him into a geek. We are the Borg. Your distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile. LOL

On another note:

Happy Samhain!

It's that time of the year where the ghouls are creeping out, where the vampires feed on chocolate instead of blood, where Garak goes wild! Tonight, I'm starting the evening by a dumb supper. Dagwoods is on the menu for me and the Spirits. After that, a ritual to welcome The Morrigan and The Herne into my home and I will finish the evening by watching A Nightmare before Christmas. Autumn talked about it a year ago on our roadtrip and I remembered that conversation this morning. So, during my lunch break, I will go and buy it. I also need a new network cable and a new haircut so it will be a good trip :)

That's it for now. Remeber, eat as much candy as you can, play tricks on people and enjoy yourselves tonight!

2002-10-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever read something so funny that you wanted to share it with the world? Of course you have... Well this article from FOX News, which is probably the worst news program ever produced, made me laugh histerically. They were saying that you cannot wonder who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman. Of course Superman would win... Duh! When you can disintegrate your enemies from a mile away, there's no doubt as to who would win... Ok, saying this, I'm ducking under a table because hordes of Batman fans will want to kill me.

Saying there is no need for a Batman vs Superman movie is like saying that up is down and down is up (and don't start telling me that the earth is round!). The article quotes`"The whole idea is ludicrous,I'd be surprised if any of these produced a watchable film." WHAT??? Obviously, they are not listening to the fans out there who are buying the products, the comics and who will eventually go see the movies. It doesn't matter that the trade DK2 was one of the best-seller of all times.

So, no Batman vs Superman movie. All right, I'm disappointed but I knew that already... At least, they'll make another Superman AND another Batman movie. I've read some of the online scripts. To be honnest, most of them suck big time. In the meantime, I guess I can take comfort in the coming Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets, LOTR: The Two Towers and best of all, Star Trek: Nemesis...

2002-10-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

Alright, I'm bored out of my mind!!! This is the first time it happens in this job (since December 31st, 2001). It's not that I don't have a lot of work to do... It's all repetitive stuff where I don't have any challenge. COPY-PASTE information, create web link... I'M BORED! Good thing tomorrow I have a meeting where I'll get more work. All the things I have on my plate will still be there, there is no one else who can do it but at least, I'll be able to challenge my brain... I can just tell it: Ok brain, complete this really boring task and then you can work on this problem... The human brain works in mysterious ways, mine is just weird...

I wish I had brought a Power Metal CD. All I have is Leahy and a compilation of Celtic songs that I burned on a CD. (Note to the idiots at the RIAA: I have all the original copies at home). My brain just wants to fall asleep or it wanders... I should have told this joke at the party, everyone would have laughed. I should have tried to talk again to the really cute woman at the party, I think she kindda liked me... Brain wander... never good... come back here brain!!!

2002-10-28T10:19:00.000-05:00

I had a great weekend! Friday evening was kidda slow. I usually relax and work on my Coven lessons and rituals. I got to consecrate my shrine because I got The Morrigan statue I have been waiting for... Since I didn't have cable because the filter was broken (water damage I believe) I got to read the first book of Preacher. I'm hooked! Garth Ennis is amazing!

Saturday, I started to work early. Before you freak out and think I'm insane (well I am but that's beside the point...) yes, I sometimes work on weekends. You see, I don't have a job; I have a career. I have tasks that I need to accomplish and if working a few hours on weekends mean that I will leave a bit earlier during the week, I'll work weekends. Of course, I never leave early, I just get to do more but it's the intent that counts! So after work, I got a ride to Taras and Amanda's Halloween party. I was dressed as a monk (ironies of ironies...) and I had a good time. Hobbes, now known as Gomez took great pictures. Mark, Ceri's husband also took these amazing photos... Don't try to find me, I am camera shy...

On Sunday, I attended our monthly Montreal Pagan Resource Center meeting. The MPRC is an amazing Pagan organization of which I am proud to be a part of. We had an amazing fair on Saturday to celebrate Samhain and I started organizing the Yule fair which will be held on December 14th. I can't wait to see the finished product. We'll have a raffle, a Santa Claus for kids (the original, not the Coka Cola version) and lots of artists.

Sunday night was a bust... Star Trek Enterprise was a repeat and charmed and Angel were delayed because of Baseball. Furtunately, we won't have to suffer because of that sport any longer. It's over for this year :)

I can't wait to see what the week has in store for me :)

2002-10-25T23:25:00.000-04:00

It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of a great actor. Richard Harris known to all as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the movie Harry Potter was an actor of incomparable talent. I first saw him in Mutiny on the Bounty playing the role of Seaman John Mills and I've followed his career ever since. His rendition of Oliver Cromwell in the 1970 movie Cromwell was beyond amazing. His Frollo in the 1997 TV movie The Hunchback was only slightly surpassed by the beauty of his co-star Salma Hayek.

You shall be missed...

2002-10-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

Having seen the impact of the comments on other Blogs, I have added my own Comments links. I was quite impressed with the service given by Haloscan. They are pretty much the only ones left who are offering the Comments function compatible with Blog*Spot. Their customization utility is quite easy to use considering it's just a CSS modification and even better, they do not have any ads popping-up in their window.

I have to thank the ever lovely Autumn (and I'm not just saying that because she might read this...) for this recommendation.

As a matter of fact, I have not decided if I was going to tell people about this. What to do? What to do? Both options have positive and negative sides. If I don't tell people, I can say whatever I want without having to wonder about offending others. On the other hand, it would give my friends a chance to get to know me better. I am the shy type and I do not always reveal my inner thoughts and/or turmoil... I guess I'll have to sleep on it...

Until then, play nice...

2002-10-22T10:11:00.000-04:00

So I was finally assimilated by the Blogger collective. I don't know why exactly, I swore to myself never again! You see, I was one of the original users of Pignon sur Rue, a fact that I have never revealed until now... Stick around, you'll probably get to know me a lot better through this site. Many little secrets do I hide and to the light they must come! Nothing to hide do I have.

All right, so that's not exactly true... I am first and foremost, a Witch. What does that mean? For one, thing, I follow an earth-based religion and I worship a God AND a Goddess. Duality and polarity are very important concepts in my life. I am a moral and ethical person, perhaps to a fault but hey, that's who I am!

What else does it entail? Magick. Oooo, I said the M word... Quick! Get the holy water out and sprinkle the spawn of evil... Before you get a Super Soaker and drown me, you should know that I don't melt. Trust me, I wish that I did... but I don't... There's nothing evil about magick. It's like a hammer. You can use it to build something or to destroy it. It's just a tool. What is magick? I always loved the definiton given in Star Wars... It's the binding substance of the Universe. It's in a tree, in a rock, in the Death Star trying to blow you up! It's the fabric of reality itself. What about the practice of magick? Well that's the art of making the universe work with you. You bend and shape your own reality to your will in order to accomplish a specific goal.

Are you on drugs? LOL No. It does work! Take the simple act of lighting a candle. A lot of people light candles to pray or to have wishes granted. But what happens is you pour a lot of energy into it? What if you constantly get reminded that you want something. Your sub-conscious will usually make it happen. It's a very Jungian way of thinking.

So why are you hiding the fact that you're a Witch? That's a bit more complex. The other part of my life which defines me is my work. I am an IT Manager on the way to the top. I work for a big company (I won't tell you which one...) and I want to be a vice-president some day. Although magick gives me a badly needed edge, I don't want everyone to think that I'm insane.

Balance seems to be the theme of my life. On the one side, a very scientific and mathematic life and on the other side, occult philosophies.

I hope this gives you an overview of what this is about. Life itself... My life...