So I've been in the process of interviewing for a new job the past two weeks. I was turned down for the job I really wanted (FAE), but later that day offered another role. It's not exactly my dream job, but I think it's a good role, and would provide some new and interesting challenges. The pay is a lot better, as are the benefits, but on the other hand, I feel some loyalty for my current company. They flew me home on short notice for a family emergency, even though I was supposed to come home the next week anyway, and they've treated me very well over the past year.
I have to decide by Monday at the latest, and I really don't know what to do. I'm leaning towards taking the new job, but it's based mainly on the compensation side, not the work side. And the fact that I have so many friends (okay, a couple of friends) at my current company isn't making it any easier.
At times like this I wonder how other people make these choices. I had a friend who used to flip a coin to decided everything (it went so poorly that I was actually supposed to shoot the coin later on). Other people are clinical and place the pros and cons on a chart, mapping out which is the better choice. Some go with their heart. Any advice on how I should approach making these choices?
Friday, November 24, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Grey Cup 2006
It's that time of year again where my friends and I head out to a Canadian city, and at great expense, freeze our asses off watching a football game. That's right, it's Grey Cup time. This year was no exception, as we spent far more money than we should have, but had a great time. Some of the highlights include an all Thunder Bay pub crawl, GJ puking his guts out on a city bus, beat downs from the bouncers, and Special Ed showing some beer pong magic.
Friday. My flight doesn't leave until 5pm, so I've got time to kill. I get all packed, hope I don't forget anything, then head way the hell out to the back side of Orleans to pick up Jeff. When I show up, he's mostly ready, but forgot about the flag. How could you forget the flag, especially when you paid like $500 for it? After some searching, we ran out of time and had to head for the airport flag-less. Not a promising start, I must admit. Security is a breeze, flight is good, even if the inflight entertainment was broken, and there we are, in Winnipeg. A quick call to Mike, and Brandon is on his way to pick us up. 20 minutes later, he finally shows up, and off to McDonald's we go (none of us have eaten that day).
We get to the hotel, throw our bags in the room, and the beer drinking starts. Mike has a head start on everyone, but it can't last long. Once GJ wakes up, it's funnel time (he came straight from working nights). A few funnels later, it's time to get the gong show on the road, so we head down to a friends place for few more beers and the hallowed shirt ceremony. Every year we get team shirts made, with Thunder Bay Bombed Squad on the front, and Grey Cup (insert year here) on the back. White long sleeve shirts for the bars, blaze orange t-shirts to go over our jackets for the game. GJ and Mike gave small speeches, the shirts got handed out, and we passed out letters as well (captain, and two alternates). Then it was off to the convention center and Riderville.
We get to the convention center and try to find the Saskatchewan party. Thankfully there was some sort of incident going on at the time, so rather than wait in line we managed to walk straight in the back door. Unfortunately, the place is packed, and the bathroom is outside of the hall, so if you need to take a leak, you have to wait in line to get back in. The plus side is that the beer comes in cups, so if you're really desperate, you can always huddle up and refill the cups. Nothing says Grey Cup like a warm cup of piss. At least not with this crew. After about an hour of listening to Beatles covers, we decide it's time to head out to a bar, so off to Cowboy's we go.
With a name like Cowboy's, what kind of bar do you think it would be? A country bar, right? Well, so did we...and apparently it is, most nights. That night, however, it was disco night, complete with $16 cover. We still go in, but it's not what we were expecting. We had a good time (some of us, that is), and left a bit early (2am). A long ass cab ride, and it's back to the hotel for some food and another pitcher, then a good nights sleep.
Saturday. We got up bright and early in the afternoon (well, at 11) when Mike and Jeff's dad knocked at the door. After getting dressed and having a couple of beers, it was off for lunch across the street. More beer, huge burgers (triple fat boy burger anyone?), and a cute waitress later, it was off to the beer store for beer, and the grocery store for jungle juice mix. For those of you who don't know what jungle juice is, it's a case of beer, a 40 of vodka, and 4-6 cans of frozen fruit juice concentrate (no water). Add ice to chill. And that's it...almost pure booze. And it tastes like juice. This stuff is what gets us into trouble every year.
By this time, it's around 1 and we're ready for beer pong. Somehow, Al's buddy Special Ed is a machine at beer pong, going undefeated for most of the day until Mikey finally caught fire. By the end of it, we've gone through most of the juice and about 50 beer, so the guys were pretty good to go. And by good to go, I mean right gassed. During this time, GJ tried to BBQ some sausages for dinner, and manage to burn them all. I at least had the sense to go to Boston Pizza for dinner (mmm...cactus cut potatoes). We've bought tickets for a pub crawl, so it was time to head off to the Tijuana Yacht Club (the starting point).
We get to the TYC, and there is no one there, other than a hockey raffle group. And no one seems to know anything about this pub crawl. Turns out that we and our friends we've called up are the only ones on the damn crawl. Literally, it's all people from Thunder Bay, which means it's bound to get out of hand. We stick around the TYC for an hour or so (we're calling the shots on when we leave and where we go), then head off to Pharaohs. Pharaohs is dead, and entirely rap and R&B, which isn't our kind of music (most guys are wearing cowboy hats). Still, we spend a good 2 hours there, have fun, act like idiots, and get even more gassed. Even I started to partake in the drinking with a few shots.
11pm rolls around, the bus is back, and it's time to go. But not without stopping at the beer store next door to pick up a case, just to make things interesting. After all, it's a 30 minute drive to Silverados, so we need something to tide us over, right? At this point in the trip the TBay-ness starts to show as some of the guys get in a fight in the back (yes, we are all friends, but this is what happens at Grey Cup, every year). No one was hurt too badly, although GJ couldn't really stand without being in pain from a good kidney shot at one point.
A case of beer (and several broken bottles) later, we're at Silverados. This place is packed, and, unsurprisingly, the guys at the door had no idea we were coming, so they had to clear it with their managers to even let us in. Great job, Canad Inns. During this holdup, a couple of guys get in another fight with a random guy in the lineup, and GJ get's the boot. Kevin goes out to keep GJ company, and apparently they picked up another 6 beer, and won some money at the casino. Almost more fun than we had inside. We only planned on staying a little over an hour here, so we spread out, got some drinks, and hit the dance floor. Round up time came, and where is everyone? After some searching, we found Special Ed (I swear I was ready to haul him off the damn patio), then had to head back in for Kenny. Another 10 minutes of searching, we grab Kenny and off we go back to the TYC, but this time with 2 random people in tow. On the way out of the parking lot, the bus just about gets hit so the driver stands on the brakes. This wouldn't have been too bad if everyone was sitting, but a couple of guys went flying down the aisle...very funny indeed.
We finally get back to the TYC, wait in line to get in, then get told by management (literally the same guy who sold us the pub crawl pass) that anyone with the bracelet won't be allowed in, regardless of their current condition. Special Ed has already snuck in, though, so we can't leave without him. A couple of guys are also protesting and won't leave the lineup. After much arguing and posturing, we finally get most of the real agressive guys in a cab and on their way home, just in time. About 2 minutes later, as Mikey is coming out, Gribbs finally chirps the bouncers a little too much and is pulled out of the building. Gribbs pushes back, and next thing I know 6 guys have him on the ground, and one is elbowing him in the back as hard as he can. Most of this I see from the hood of a car as some guy sent me flying, probably because of the team shirt. Such fun. Another 30 minutes of Gribbs fighting with the bouncers, losing his glasses, and finally getting in a cab, and we call it a night.
Sunday. Game day. This is what it's all about. Five years running, and this is the best we've felt on game day by far, which means there's a lot more drinking to do. If only we weren't out of beer. A quick trip to Steve's for breakfast again, then down to the beer store for another case (only 15 beer this time...funds are running low). Combine that with the jungle juice, and it's game time before we know it. We hop on the bus, hit the stadium, and we're ready. While we're waiting outside for Robby to show up, some Argo cheerleaders try to get us to buy a calendar. Kevin tells her that if she can name the #1 reporter on The Score, he'll buy one. From the look on her face, it was "like I asked her the square root of pi or something". Honestly, she didn't even know what TSN was. And she's a cheerleader. Go figure.
A bunch of $7 beer and next thing we know it's kickoff. The game is pretty much covered on TSN and the like, so I'll leave that alone. Suffice it to say, the game was pretty boring with a lot of kicks. More fun was Mikey making an ass of himself, especially since some of his students (he's a high school teacher) were three rows down from us. I feel sorry for him today. I can only imagine what the rumours will be like. After the game, it's back on the bus so we can get changed before heading out to the Palemeno. GJ isn't doing so good right about now, as evidenced by him puking all over the bus. Those people just loved us.
Back at the hotel, we get changed, and half the guys go next door for food, the rest of us head down to the Pal. GJ heads back to the room to puke and die, Kevin and Brando head home, and Jeff joins Mike and I at the Pal. The moment Ms. Skinner sees him, she crawled over the bar and promptly informed Mike and I that "he's going home with me". Thankfully, impaired and all, Jeff had a bit more sense than that. More beer, more dancing, then it was off to the hotel for a nap, up at 7, and off to the airport. Every other year, the airport is packed the day after the game. This year, dead. No line ups, no nothing. I could have slept another hour...damn it. Plane takes off without incident, short flight back, I drop Jeff off, and it's another Grey Cup chapter in the books.
Let the planning start for next year....anyone know a good hotel in Toronto?
Friday. My flight doesn't leave until 5pm, so I've got time to kill. I get all packed, hope I don't forget anything, then head way the hell out to the back side of Orleans to pick up Jeff. When I show up, he's mostly ready, but forgot about the flag. How could you forget the flag, especially when you paid like $500 for it? After some searching, we ran out of time and had to head for the airport flag-less. Not a promising start, I must admit. Security is a breeze, flight is good, even if the inflight entertainment was broken, and there we are, in Winnipeg. A quick call to Mike, and Brandon is on his way to pick us up. 20 minutes later, he finally shows up, and off to McDonald's we go (none of us have eaten that day).
We get to the hotel, throw our bags in the room, and the beer drinking starts. Mike has a head start on everyone, but it can't last long. Once GJ wakes up, it's funnel time (he came straight from working nights). A few funnels later, it's time to get the gong show on the road, so we head down to a friends place for few more beers and the hallowed shirt ceremony. Every year we get team shirts made, with Thunder Bay Bombed Squad on the front, and Grey Cup (insert year here) on the back. White long sleeve shirts for the bars, blaze orange t-shirts to go over our jackets for the game. GJ and Mike gave small speeches, the shirts got handed out, and we passed out letters as well (captain, and two alternates). Then it was off to the convention center and Riderville.
We get to the convention center and try to find the Saskatchewan party. Thankfully there was some sort of incident going on at the time, so rather than wait in line we managed to walk straight in the back door. Unfortunately, the place is packed, and the bathroom is outside of the hall, so if you need to take a leak, you have to wait in line to get back in. The plus side is that the beer comes in cups, so if you're really desperate, you can always huddle up and refill the cups. Nothing says Grey Cup like a warm cup of piss. At least not with this crew. After about an hour of listening to Beatles covers, we decide it's time to head out to a bar, so off to Cowboy's we go.
With a name like Cowboy's, what kind of bar do you think it would be? A country bar, right? Well, so did we...and apparently it is, most nights. That night, however, it was disco night, complete with $16 cover. We still go in, but it's not what we were expecting. We had a good time (some of us, that is), and left a bit early (2am). A long ass cab ride, and it's back to the hotel for some food and another pitcher, then a good nights sleep.
Saturday. We got up bright and early in the afternoon (well, at 11) when Mike and Jeff's dad knocked at the door. After getting dressed and having a couple of beers, it was off for lunch across the street. More beer, huge burgers (triple fat boy burger anyone?), and a cute waitress later, it was off to the beer store for beer, and the grocery store for jungle juice mix. For those of you who don't know what jungle juice is, it's a case of beer, a 40 of vodka, and 4-6 cans of frozen fruit juice concentrate (no water). Add ice to chill. And that's it...almost pure booze. And it tastes like juice. This stuff is what gets us into trouble every year.
By this time, it's around 1 and we're ready for beer pong. Somehow, Al's buddy Special Ed is a machine at beer pong, going undefeated for most of the day until Mikey finally caught fire. By the end of it, we've gone through most of the juice and about 50 beer, so the guys were pretty good to go. And by good to go, I mean right gassed. During this time, GJ tried to BBQ some sausages for dinner, and manage to burn them all. I at least had the sense to go to Boston Pizza for dinner (mmm...cactus cut potatoes). We've bought tickets for a pub crawl, so it was time to head off to the Tijuana Yacht Club (the starting point).
We get to the TYC, and there is no one there, other than a hockey raffle group. And no one seems to know anything about this pub crawl. Turns out that we and our friends we've called up are the only ones on the damn crawl. Literally, it's all people from Thunder Bay, which means it's bound to get out of hand. We stick around the TYC for an hour or so (we're calling the shots on when we leave and where we go), then head off to Pharaohs. Pharaohs is dead, and entirely rap and R&B, which isn't our kind of music (most guys are wearing cowboy hats). Still, we spend a good 2 hours there, have fun, act like idiots, and get even more gassed. Even I started to partake in the drinking with a few shots.
11pm rolls around, the bus is back, and it's time to go. But not without stopping at the beer store next door to pick up a case, just to make things interesting. After all, it's a 30 minute drive to Silverados, so we need something to tide us over, right? At this point in the trip the TBay-ness starts to show as some of the guys get in a fight in the back (yes, we are all friends, but this is what happens at Grey Cup, every year). No one was hurt too badly, although GJ couldn't really stand without being in pain from a good kidney shot at one point.
A case of beer (and several broken bottles) later, we're at Silverados. This place is packed, and, unsurprisingly, the guys at the door had no idea we were coming, so they had to clear it with their managers to even let us in. Great job, Canad Inns. During this holdup, a couple of guys get in another fight with a random guy in the lineup, and GJ get's the boot. Kevin goes out to keep GJ company, and apparently they picked up another 6 beer, and won some money at the casino. Almost more fun than we had inside. We only planned on staying a little over an hour here, so we spread out, got some drinks, and hit the dance floor. Round up time came, and where is everyone? After some searching, we found Special Ed (I swear I was ready to haul him off the damn patio), then had to head back in for Kenny. Another 10 minutes of searching, we grab Kenny and off we go back to the TYC, but this time with 2 random people in tow. On the way out of the parking lot, the bus just about gets hit so the driver stands on the brakes. This wouldn't have been too bad if everyone was sitting, but a couple of guys went flying down the aisle...very funny indeed.
We finally get back to the TYC, wait in line to get in, then get told by management (literally the same guy who sold us the pub crawl pass) that anyone with the bracelet won't be allowed in, regardless of their current condition. Special Ed has already snuck in, though, so we can't leave without him. A couple of guys are also protesting and won't leave the lineup. After much arguing and posturing, we finally get most of the real agressive guys in a cab and on their way home, just in time. About 2 minutes later, as Mikey is coming out, Gribbs finally chirps the bouncers a little too much and is pulled out of the building. Gribbs pushes back, and next thing I know 6 guys have him on the ground, and one is elbowing him in the back as hard as he can. Most of this I see from the hood of a car as some guy sent me flying, probably because of the team shirt. Such fun. Another 30 minutes of Gribbs fighting with the bouncers, losing his glasses, and finally getting in a cab, and we call it a night.
Sunday. Game day. This is what it's all about. Five years running, and this is the best we've felt on game day by far, which means there's a lot more drinking to do. If only we weren't out of beer. A quick trip to Steve's for breakfast again, then down to the beer store for another case (only 15 beer this time...funds are running low). Combine that with the jungle juice, and it's game time before we know it. We hop on the bus, hit the stadium, and we're ready. While we're waiting outside for Robby to show up, some Argo cheerleaders try to get us to buy a calendar. Kevin tells her that if she can name the #1 reporter on The Score, he'll buy one. From the look on her face, it was "like I asked her the square root of pi or something". Honestly, she didn't even know what TSN was. And she's a cheerleader. Go figure.
A bunch of $7 beer and next thing we know it's kickoff. The game is pretty much covered on TSN and the like, so I'll leave that alone. Suffice it to say, the game was pretty boring with a lot of kicks. More fun was Mikey making an ass of himself, especially since some of his students (he's a high school teacher) were three rows down from us. I feel sorry for him today. I can only imagine what the rumours will be like. After the game, it's back on the bus so we can get changed before heading out to the Palemeno. GJ isn't doing so good right about now, as evidenced by him puking all over the bus. Those people just loved us.
Back at the hotel, we get changed, and half the guys go next door for food, the rest of us head down to the Pal. GJ heads back to the room to puke and die, Kevin and Brando head home, and Jeff joins Mike and I at the Pal. The moment Ms. Skinner sees him, she crawled over the bar and promptly informed Mike and I that "he's going home with me". Thankfully, impaired and all, Jeff had a bit more sense than that. More beer, more dancing, then it was off to the hotel for a nap, up at 7, and off to the airport. Every other year, the airport is packed the day after the game. This year, dead. No line ups, no nothing. I could have slept another hour...damn it. Plane takes off without incident, short flight back, I drop Jeff off, and it's another Grey Cup chapter in the books.
Let the planning start for next year....anyone know a good hotel in Toronto?
Monday, November 13, 2006
Weekend-y goodness
This weekend, some friends and I decided to check out Borat. Now, I don't have cable at home, or internet access, and I've been out of the country for most of the past few months, so I know little to nothing about pretty much every movie in theatres now and coming out soon (there's a new Bond?), so it was a bit of a surprise for me.
We all enjoyed the movie as it's the hardest we've laughed in a long time. That being said, it's not a movie that any of us thought that we need to see again. The biggest question we had coming out of the movie is "how is that only rated 14AA?". There were more than a few scenes of questionable content, especially seeing how other media is rated (video games and the like). Why is it the moment there is violence, the rating goes straight to R, but (spoiler warning) you can show a couple of naked guys wrestling and ending up in sexualy implicit poses and still be 14AA? It just doesn't make any sense to me.
Anywho, that's my two cents on it.
We all enjoyed the movie as it's the hardest we've laughed in a long time. That being said, it's not a movie that any of us thought that we need to see again. The biggest question we had coming out of the movie is "how is that only rated 14AA?". There were more than a few scenes of questionable content, especially seeing how other media is rated (video games and the like). Why is it the moment there is violence, the rating goes straight to R, but (spoiler warning) you can show a couple of naked guys wrestling and ending up in sexualy implicit poses and still be 14AA? It just doesn't make any sense to me.
Anywho, that's my two cents on it.
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