The Great Mango Tree of Life
Monday, July 28, 2003
I have one thing to say about work today, and then I won't mention it again.... "AAAAAAAAGGGH!"
In other news, my weekend was great. Saturday began at 1pm (which is great in and of itself) with dessert with Phalse, TechKnight, Bubbles, and MotivatedTea. Surprisingly, TechKnight and Bubbles have a great many things in common (if you know both of them, you know why this is a surprising thing) including a tendancy to download things like the StrongBad songs and a love of all things Swingle. Next up for the day was a mad shopping spree with everyone except TechKnight, as we prepped for camping next weekend. After dropping Bubbles off at the subway, the remainder of the group played Nurtz until late into the night (9pm at least -- aren't we the wild ones?).
Yesterday brought rain in the morning, resulting in momentary panicking, but that cleared up in time for our picnic with Bubbles's family, L's family (who are very nice people, most of whom I met at the picnic), and my family (they're also nice... but I've known them a bit longer). The picnic was in High Park, and was a b-day party for Bubble's mom, MT, Bubble's sister, and I forget who else.. basically everybody. We finished that up with Twelfth Night, which was playing in the park and was especially great fun for me, because it's my fav play. Feste was particularly good, and the yellow-stockinged cross-gartered-ness of Malvolio was a real eye-popper -- I hope they paid him alot for making him wear what he had to wear, poor guy. (Good legs, though.) lol. So that was my weekend, and I'm focussing on that, since the rest of my week is likely to be the way today was, work-wise (see above).
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Seems like my life has been stress, stress, and more stress lately. Thankfully, things have eased off for this week at work, so tomorrow should be miles better than the past three days have been. I'd jump for joy, but mangos can't jump. *grin*
We did have an interesting case in court today. It was in Trial Scheduling Court and the lawyers were arguing about setting dates for trial, but in the process of doing that a number of interesting details came out. It turns out that there was an allegedly crooked accountant who allegedly scammed two clients out of millions of dollars. Turns out they lost all their money, and when they went to get it back, neither he nor the money was there. What makes the case interesting is that it has so far involved three different courts. The first is family, since he divorced his wife, who is also being sued for the money which some parties think was transferred out of company into person funds and therefore split in part of the divorce proceedings. The second is civil, since the clients are suing to get their money back. The third is commercial, I think because the clients' companies are dealing with the scam artist's fake company and therefore required someone appointed to trace the money. Did I mention that this guy sold his jet, his three cars, and his house in Florida and disappeared? My eyes definately got wider when I heard the amount of money in dispute casually mentioned in the lawyers' arguments. I have to say... lucky guy. Somehow I doubt he's stupid enough to come back to Canada so that he can get served with all these outstanding lawsuits, not to mention a criminal fraud charge.
For all that my job has been a headache all week, it definately has its entertaining moments.
Monday, July 21, 2003
Quick update:
1) Phalse, thanks for so GRACIOUSLY offering your driving services for the August long weekend. You saved my camping plans.
2) Thea and anyone else in Toronto interested, we're good for July 27 to see Shakespeare in the Park. (Twelfth Night, my fav!) We'll have a b-day party for your mom at the same time. As far as I know, it'll be the four in your family, the five in mine, plus a cousin and a friend of a cousin, plus I guess any of the friends you have invited. (If the picnic gets too big, it'll be a potlatch picnic.)
Wow. Long week. To anyone whose e-mails I didn't answer while at work on Friday, I apologize. The bad news is, I have more work to do today. The good news is, I had a great weekend. It all started on Friday, as most weekends do. I studied my LSATs (which were not fun, until I checked my scores on the practice test I had just completed -- it made me feel MUCH better about this whole scary test thing). Then I played some Bach with my brother for a half hour or so -- also work, because we had a concert yesterday morning, but fun stuff nevertheless. AND, the most fun of all, I have finally started the third chapter of Neverwinter Knights and I get to be a lawyer in a court case for one of the quests!
On to Saturday, which meant sleeping in all morning, and then going to dim sum with my brother and sister and eating way too much food. My first dim sum of the summer, sadly, but believe me we made up for that with the quanitity of food we ate. 4 dinners worth of food (we had to take some home) for $33. After dinner we walked down to Active Surplus to buy some switches. Well maybe "walked" isn't the right term. "Waddled" is probably more accurate.
Sunday was the concert in the morning, which went very well, followed by a trip to Port Hope for my cousin's b-day party. We BBQ'd and opened presents and played with her 10-month-old son, who is adorable and very well-behaved. He just learned how to walk this weekend! More exciting news, my 2nd cousin Connie, who is a friend of my cousin Candace and whose wedding my brother and I played at, is having a baby. My family is just bursting at the seams these days.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Just a short post today. (I slacked off this morning, and then had a meeting, so I didn't get my work done.) Message for Bubbles: thanks for helping me out with the St. Simon's site today (ummm... and every other day that you're going to have to work on it with me for the next month or so).
Today I was (indirectly) responsible for getting someone evicted. *sigh* Landlord and Tenant special appointment on my list, and the judge had to rule in favour of the applicant. Sometime's it's weird being part of a faceless institution like the Justice System, handing out judgements and affecting the lives of people you've never even met.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Turns out I'm still doing work, but hey, everybody needs a break now and again. As thrilling as data entry is, I will tear myself away from it for two minutes to post recent news. The sacrifices I make for my friends. haha
Actually, I wish I had some news to report, but unless you're interested in hearing about the fact that I have 4 books due at the library next Friday, or the fact that I got my new glasses yesterday (sadly, they are pink -- although everyone who has seen them assures me that they don't look too pink from a distance) I don't have much to report. I would have more to report if I could stand watching the news these days, but after the recent incidents of shootings (of the pellet gun and other varieties) I have decided to take a short hiatus from all forms of media. Well, all forms of media except reading other people's newspapers over their shoulders on the subway, and that's just because subway rides are boring and I like being obnoxious.
Gotta go buy some new shoes this week. Someone stole my only pair of sneakers. I know who it is, but I can't hunt her down 'cause she's not in TO anymore. Not that I really care, since my old pair had multiple holes. Had I known she wanted them, I would have sold them to her... at a reasonable price. *grabs greenbacks greedily *
Oh. I do have one thing. I am going to my cousin's b-day party next week. She is coming up on her 1st anniversary of marriage, and she recently had a baby, and I have NO idea what to get her, because I figure she won't want more stuff for the baby, but on the other hand she won't want anything that's not useful. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Wait. Let me qualify that statement: TASTEFUL recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, all.
Monday, July 14, 2003
That was a weird week. I actually had to do work! Anyway, that's my excuse for not posting in so long. However, I do have more inane news for anyone who is interested. And if you're not interested, too bad, 'cause I'm writing it anyway.
I have maintained my streak of never assembling a non-power-tools-required item without the use of power tools. It was a close call there, as the new desk did not appear to need anything more than a screwdriver. At least, it didn't until MT leaned on the keyboard tray and pulled the screw right out of the wood -- I got to use the power drill after all, just like when we assembled the bed and needed a drill for pilot holes. And then there was the "boat" (read: bookshelf) that I assembed for my dad with Bubbles. Needed the drill for that one, too. What can I say? Drills are fun!
So, this weekend I did more work, which wouldn't have been fun at all except I dragged other people into doing it with me and the "work" ended up being playing multiple games of the Game of Life with wacky rules -- resulting in me having 10 kids, 6 horses, and a million-dollar farm which I inhereted from no one in particular. Would you believe that in six games of the Game of Life, I didn't ONCE spin a 4. Not once. I swear, the board was rigged! I mean, what are the chances? Fortunately, I didn't get any picture of my ignoble defeat. Next time we're playing Risk. No one beats me at that. *evil world-domination-type laugh*
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
It turns out that I did have news yesterday, but couldn't post anyways as a result of some of that news. First, I had lunch with a friend so we had a chance to catch up on news, which was nice. My brother showed up after work and surprised me by going home with me, and also caught me up on some news, which was less than nice. (My grandfather died last May and some of my relatives are really getting nasty in dealing with the will.) Nevertheless, the evening turned out to be more fun than not. It's my brother's b-day on Friday, and he and I went looking for a new desk for his room, which was delivered yesterday. This resulted in unhooking three computers and various accessories, including audio equipment and network cables, after which the fun really started. We're talking destruction-with-power-tools fun! We had to bash the old desk into pieces in order to take it outside. Apparently I have a teensy destructive streak in me. *grin* Then we assembled the new desk, and rehooked up all of the computers, stereo systems, speakers, the phone line, the network hub, etc which would have allowed me to post, but I had to go to bed so that I could get up for court this morning.
Speaking of court this morning, I walked into Courtroom 1-1 prepared to work when, to my shock and dismay, I found that that the computer was missing. It's a good thing I made manual notes before court as a fall-back. As for where the computer went, it was eventually found, but there is still suspician regarding its original disappearance, since the manner in which it was hidden suggests that someone might have been attempting to stash it out of sight until it could be discreetly removed (read: stolen). Talk about nuts. Who would try to steal anything as big as a computer out from under the noses of a building full of police officers, court deputies, not to mention judges? And now I have to come to work early on Mondays before court opens to check that the computer is there, so that if it goes missing again we'll have two days to track it down. Argh! Still, being in the middle of a police investigation was stressful, but kind of exciting. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks.
Monday, July 07, 2003
Happy B-day Bubble's Sister! Hope you liked you're musical present. I want a copy of the tape, please -- you know, the one your dad didn't tell me he was going to make! Grrr. For everyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about (which is just about everyone) her dad wrote her a trio for her b-day, which my bro and I and someone else played for her at her party last Saturday. The party itself was fun. Good food, good company, etc. Unfortunately, I pulled a muscle in my leg or something on the way to the party (while sitting motionless on the subway... someone explain to me how that happened, 'cause it makes no sense to me), resulting in me limping to the party, limping at the party, and begging for a ride home from the party. I also limped around yesterday and people laughed at me. Fortunately it's getting better, so soon I will be able to kick all the people who laughed at me and then I can laugh at them while they limp around.
Got Eine Kleine *shudder* transcribed onto the computer finally. That makes seven wedding-piece arrangements that I have done which will no longer be lost (thanks to the creator of Sibelius for making a program that actually works). It also means that I have actually accomplished something, which is nice, 'cause now I don't have to be productive any more this month (one day of productivity per month is about my limit). Further to that end, I have a book in the library to pick up today, and I'm still not finished Chapter 2 of Neverwinter, so I have lots of things to waste my time on. Speaking of being unproductive, someone put work in my in-tray, so I have to go track them down and then figure out a way of passing it back to them. (I just love working for the government!) I'll try to check in tomorrow with more news, assuming anything interesting happens between now and then.
Friday, July 04, 2003
Man I love Fridays. No work tomorrow, everyone in the office is suffering from mental breakdowns, bosses all leave early, and my day is nothing but phonecalls (which I can usually get away with screening) and the occasional fax (which can be put off until Monday). Hmm... it finally occurs to me why I might hate Mondays so much. Nevertheless, aside from a few "to-do-later" piles my desk is clear, and I can basically goof off and do nothing but answer phones until 5.
Only problem is... now I'm bored. *sigh* I've read GW, all 30 comics that I regularly check, the Onion, /., everyone else's blogs (twice), and all the synopses for Star Trek TNG on the official site. Can't play games on my computer, don't have any music to listen to, left my books at home. If anyone is reading this before 5 today (or even after 5, in advance of next Friday when I get bored again), I need (suitably discreet for an office setting) entertainment!
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Wow. Feels like forever since I've posted. That's the trouble with having a vacation day in the middle of the week... it makes you feel like an entire week has passed, when it really hasn't. Anyway, enough blathering on about that. Let me blather on about something else.
Canada day was great! Went to Thea's house and hung out at their place. Thanks to Bubble's family for letting us crash there, and for driving us to the fireworks, which were great. I forgot to say thanks before, because I was to busy saying "Ooooh, look at the fireworks! That one was sparkly! I like sparkly things!" and generally acting like a 3-year-old. It really drove home exactly how much fun 3-year olds have. Except 3-year-olds don't drink. (The whiskey was very nice and no, Thea, it doesn't taste like peat moss.) Anyway, I'll bring the book back on Sunday, and I left three decks of cards and the Harry Potter hat you so kindly gave me at your house, so maybe you can bring those by on Sunday as well? Don't worry too much about the cards and stuff, though. I won't need any of it until the August long weekend.
One other piece of semi-interesting news: I was in court yesterday, and I could have sworn I heard Todd in court. I even looked up to see what the heck he was doing there. It was so weird that I missed the number of the case they had just called and had to get it off the registrar's list later. Of course it wasn't Todd, 'cause he's not a lawyer, but this guy looked AND sounded so much like him! So that was my non-celebrity-look-alike-sighting for the day.
