Has it really been since August? Damn, that's 4 months. Well, quite a few really awesome things have happened in that time. The least of which certainly is not...
I FINALLY MOVED INTO AN APARTMENT!
It's true! Mid-October, I moved into a brand new bachelor apartment near the Museum of Nature. I can walk to work in under 20 minutes. How awesome is that?!
I have to say that not a whole lot happened between mid-August and mid-October. I continued Spanish classes (which just ended last week), continued to work, and generally prepared for my move. A very exciting time, indeed. I also got to see the Bright Light Social Hour live for the second time, and they were as good or better than the first time. Just amazing.
The last 6 weeks or so are where it's really at, though. I've taken up darts. Yes, darts. I join a group of 12 - 18 people every Thursday night and throw pointy things at a colourful board. And I'm getting good at it. I also got sent to Philadelphia for training, the first trip I got to take courtesy of Hay Group. That was good fun, as well. I met some great people from across North America (mostly Toronto and Philadelphia, but some Dallas, Montreal, New York, and San Francisco colleagues too).
I'm sure there are pictures of that somewhere, I'll have to dig them out and post them. Philadelphia is quite a nice city, albeit a little more expensive than anticipated. I got to stay for an extra few days to do some touristy stuff, like see the Liberty Bell, run through the park with the Rocky Statue, and eat a Philly Cheese Steak. I also got to enjoy a performance by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, which was probably better than the Flyers/'Canes game I'd originally planned on attending. Right before the concert, I stopped at a restaurant called Sbraga. Now, I don't normally go into restaurants that look like they will cost a lot of money (oh, who am I kidding?), and, well, this one was fantastic. I had no fewer than 2 dishes which contained foie gras, but also some lamb, and a few other dishes which I can no longer remember but which were fantastic. I had to pass on the wine though; I was already tired from being awake at 4 a.m. and flying down, and I didn't want to fall asleep during the performance.
The training was, well, training. The networking was the best part. It was also cool to hang out with some of my usual colleagues in a more informal and social setting. Of course, those 3 days went by very quickly, and I found myself on a plane back to Ottawa before I really wanted to leave.
The rest of November (and early December) were more or less uneventful. I saw Monster Truck live for the 3rd time, class finished up, and finally, work got busy. The last three weeks at work (except for today and likely tomorrow) have been crazy. And I love it that way.
The highlight of the month, no doubt, will be my upcoming vacation. As of Saturday, Christmas vacation begins, and I will heading home to visit my parents and sister for the first time in a few weeks. After 4 days in Stittsville, I will head to Toronto with Frankie. We will visit friends and family there for 4 days. And then, I go back into travel mode.
Berlin, I am coming for you. You'd best be ready.
I FINALLY MOVED INTO AN APARTMENT!
It's true! Mid-October, I moved into a brand new bachelor apartment near the Museum of Nature. I can walk to work in under 20 minutes. How awesome is that?!
I have to say that not a whole lot happened between mid-August and mid-October. I continued Spanish classes (which just ended last week), continued to work, and generally prepared for my move. A very exciting time, indeed. I also got to see the Bright Light Social Hour live for the second time, and they were as good or better than the first time. Just amazing.
The last 6 weeks or so are where it's really at, though. I've taken up darts. Yes, darts. I join a group of 12 - 18 people every Thursday night and throw pointy things at a colourful board. And I'm getting good at it. I also got sent to Philadelphia for training, the first trip I got to take courtesy of Hay Group. That was good fun, as well. I met some great people from across North America (mostly Toronto and Philadelphia, but some Dallas, Montreal, New York, and San Francisco colleagues too).
I'm sure there are pictures of that somewhere, I'll have to dig them out and post them. Philadelphia is quite a nice city, albeit a little more expensive than anticipated. I got to stay for an extra few days to do some touristy stuff, like see the Liberty Bell, run through the park with the Rocky Statue, and eat a Philly Cheese Steak. I also got to enjoy a performance by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, which was probably better than the Flyers/'Canes game I'd originally planned on attending. Right before the concert, I stopped at a restaurant called Sbraga. Now, I don't normally go into restaurants that look like they will cost a lot of money (oh, who am I kidding?), and, well, this one was fantastic. I had no fewer than 2 dishes which contained foie gras, but also some lamb, and a few other dishes which I can no longer remember but which were fantastic. I had to pass on the wine though; I was already tired from being awake at 4 a.m. and flying down, and I didn't want to fall asleep during the performance.
The training was, well, training. The networking was the best part. It was also cool to hang out with some of my usual colleagues in a more informal and social setting. Of course, those 3 days went by very quickly, and I found myself on a plane back to Ottawa before I really wanted to leave.
The rest of November (and early December) were more or less uneventful. I saw Monster Truck live for the 3rd time, class finished up, and finally, work got busy. The last three weeks at work (except for today and likely tomorrow) have been crazy. And I love it that way.
The highlight of the month, no doubt, will be my upcoming vacation. As of Saturday, Christmas vacation begins, and I will heading home to visit my parents and sister for the first time in a few weeks. After 4 days in Stittsville, I will head to Toronto with Frankie. We will visit friends and family there for 4 days. And then, I go back into travel mode.
Berlin, I am coming for you. You'd best be ready.
