back from milwaukee. sitting on my floor in scarborough typing on my laptop that is plugged into a very very slow dialup connection. we'll definitely have to look at high speed now though. overall, the trip was really great. learned a ton of new stuff and also was made aware of what i don't know. met some neat people. saw a new city.
i will have a proper blog soon...
Friday, August 16, 2002
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
hey folks...just finished a three day workshop on consultative selling. it was really cool and very informative. i am ready to go out there and sell, sell, sell. we'll see how that goes. thanks again to everyone who has sent me birthday greetings over the past couple of days. i am really grateful that you all are really amazing people.
tchao - how does working with boxes all day sound? that reminds me of my days at Intria.
tchao - how does working with boxes all day sound? that reminds me of my days at Intria.
Monday, August 12, 2002
wow dudes...i am 24 years old. that is pretty crazy. i am all gradumacated. i have a job. a pet fish. responsimabilities. geez, i am growing up right before all your eyes! today was an okay day but it definitely wasn't like spending my birthday at home. i am all alone here in Milwaukee (these new friends here from work are cool but it's just not the same as old good friends or family, you know?) today I was in Consultative Sales training class all day from 8:00 am till 7:00 pm. then, I went to Subway (woo hoo!!!) for dinner with a bunch of classmates. now, i am doing my laundry and working on a presentation about Nuclear Medicine that is due tomorrow. all in all, a pretty lacklustre day.
thank you very much to everyone who remembered me today. you guys are awesome!
by the way,
tai - yep, it's still broken
craig m - thanks a lot for the shout out last week
k - got your message that you got my message :)
thank you very much to everyone who remembered me today. you guys are awesome!
by the way,
tai - yep, it's still broken
craig m - thanks a lot for the shout out last week
k - got your message that you got my message :)
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Watched American Pie II tonight and I must say that it was a very silly movie. Not that great at all. The first one was so much better. This is probably the case though because it's all the same recycled humour so that is a problem for sure. It just wasn't funny the second time around and if they have an American Pie III, it will be even crappier. I will say however that Eugene Levy's character was priceless...The line of the night "By the way son, don't forget your p$n*s cream."
Went to Denny's for brunch and The Olive Garden for dinner tonight. I am eating out all the time and living the good old American dream. Man, the portions here are so big and there is just everything available. Everything has add-ons and can be supersized. It's kind of scary. Actually, I can see Canada going that way so that is kind of sad but hopefully it'll never get this bad. The thing that does make me laugh though is how well any product with "diet", "light" or "fat free" on it sells. All the guys here drink Miller and Bud "Light." What is up with that? I guess it's that whole psychological thing more than anything but really, the marketing works around these parts. I have seen more obese people here and in Boston in the last two weeks than I had seen in Toronto and Asia for this entire summer. This society is scary because it's all about consumption, consumption, consumption.
Last night started out really fun. We went to the Brewers-Expos baseball game (that the Expos won 11 - 4). We tailgated in the parking lot before the game (just beer, no bbq). That was fun and it was my first time tailgating. Then, we bought some tickets off scalpers who I had the following conversation with...
a: $10 for those tickets, those are junk general reserve uptop!!! We won't buy that crap. Give us 2 for $5
s: No way man, we'll sell these to someone else. Ya'll are cheap mofo's!
a: That crap is just paper man. The game has already started. No one is gonna buy that from you
s: We'll see about that. Look at those people right over there (points in front of him)
a: All right, we'll find someone else (we all start walking)
s: (comes running after us after a minute or two) Okay, okay...1 for $5 - how about that???
a: No, I said 2 for $5
s: All right fine but you guys are cheap!
a: Yeah, well you gotta get rid of that paper because otherwise you ain't getting nothing!
For the entire game, I was getting ribbed (and all week up till then for that matter) about being a Canadian. You know all the Canadian jokes... Anyway, in the ninth inning - Vladimir Guerrero, the right fielder for Montreal hit this wicked line drive home run over centre field. I was jumping up and down cheering really loud and I was definitely the only one in my section cheering (needless to say, I got some dirty looks). Then, to top it all off - I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Canada Bandana!!! That is right, right there in Miller Park - I was waving my Canada bandana cause the Expos were socking it to the Brewers. My classmates were thrown aback by this display of patriotism and had a slight chuckle. I think that they probably didn't want to admit that they knew me at that time.
Tomorrow morning is the big golf tournament with the boss. Time to kick some butt and show them all the talents that this Canadian boy has...
Went to Denny's for brunch and The Olive Garden for dinner tonight. I am eating out all the time and living the good old American dream. Man, the portions here are so big and there is just everything available. Everything has add-ons and can be supersized. It's kind of scary. Actually, I can see Canada going that way so that is kind of sad but hopefully it'll never get this bad. The thing that does make me laugh though is how well any product with "diet", "light" or "fat free" on it sells. All the guys here drink Miller and Bud "Light." What is up with that? I guess it's that whole psychological thing more than anything but really, the marketing works around these parts. I have seen more obese people here and in Boston in the last two weeks than I had seen in Toronto and Asia for this entire summer. This society is scary because it's all about consumption, consumption, consumption.
Last night started out really fun. We went to the Brewers-Expos baseball game (that the Expos won 11 - 4). We tailgated in the parking lot before the game (just beer, no bbq). That was fun and it was my first time tailgating. Then, we bought some tickets off scalpers who I had the following conversation with...
a: $10 for those tickets, those are junk general reserve uptop!!! We won't buy that crap. Give us 2 for $5
s: No way man, we'll sell these to someone else. Ya'll are cheap mofo's!
a: That crap is just paper man. The game has already started. No one is gonna buy that from you
s: We'll see about that. Look at those people right over there (points in front of him)
a: All right, we'll find someone else (we all start walking)
s: (comes running after us after a minute or two) Okay, okay...1 for $5 - how about that???
a: No, I said 2 for $5
s: All right fine but you guys are cheap!
a: Yeah, well you gotta get rid of that paper because otherwise you ain't getting nothing!
For the entire game, I was getting ribbed (and all week up till then for that matter) about being a Canadian. You know all the Canadian jokes... Anyway, in the ninth inning - Vladimir Guerrero, the right fielder for Montreal hit this wicked line drive home run over centre field. I was jumping up and down cheering really loud and I was definitely the only one in my section cheering (needless to say, I got some dirty looks). Then, to top it all off - I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Canada Bandana!!! That is right, right there in Miller Park - I was waving my Canada bandana cause the Expos were socking it to the Brewers. My classmates were thrown aback by this display of patriotism and had a slight chuckle. I think that they probably didn't want to admit that they knew me at that time.
Tomorrow morning is the big golf tournament with the boss. Time to kick some butt and show them all the talents that this Canadian boy has...
Friday, August 09, 2002
It's Friday. My first week at work has come and gone. I'm ready for the next 45 years - BRING IT ON!
Holy crap, that sounds pretty scary but it's weird, I've actually heard that from about 3 or 4 different people so far this week. Everyone has that thing in their head that they see themselves working in the same company, same job for that long. I won't be able to do that for too long at all...I am definitely gonna have change up the old career every now and again to keep it spicey.
Wednesday night - the BBQ at Dave's place was great. The house is amazing. I really like it and definitely wanna live there. He has it set up really nice and it is fully furnished. Looks pretty classey too...like a "grown-up" place. Tall ceilings, bbq, awesome kitchen, my own bathroom - can't go wrong at all! Met most of Dave's friends and they are all really cool. Can't compare to the UW posse though but a good replacement while he is over here.
Last night we went to the Wisconsin State Fair. It was basically a larger version of the CNE but it was pretty fun. "Carney's" everywhere. And lots of crazy fried food. Have any of you ever seen or drank beer out of a plastic bottle? I guess there is a first time for everthing. Some of the guys on the team and our manager had a little friendly competition to see who could hit the furtherest drive at the golf game at the carnival. My best was 217 yards. Good but not great. I really don't know how accurate that sensor was though. Plus I was wearing jeans and sport sandals...but I am not making excuses or anything. As a team - we all went on one of those crazy spinny rides. It was really fun and such a cool sensation when we were on that thing. It was wicked. After the fair, we went out to a local night spot called 1225. It was okay. Pretty much the same thing as Whiskey Saigon and Joker and those kinds of places. Nothing great but whatever. Steve knows one of the bartenders so we were getting some nice beverages courtesy of her. Thank you very much Erin.
Today has been a good day. Got to sleep in because today is supposed to be our "apartment hunting" day. I am gonna be living with Dave in November for 6 months though so I didn't need to loook for a place. I just chilled out today. Went for a long run (not as long as Tchao just yet though), played pool in the basement, surfed the net, e-mailed and did no work (just like my University days). Tonight we are going to the Brewers - Expos game at Miller Park (the new retractable room stadium here in Milwaukee). GO EXPOS!!! Then, gonna party it up tonight.
Tomorrow, more chilling. I should do some work though.
Holy crap, that sounds pretty scary but it's weird, I've actually heard that from about 3 or 4 different people so far this week. Everyone has that thing in their head that they see themselves working in the same company, same job for that long. I won't be able to do that for too long at all...I am definitely gonna have change up the old career every now and again to keep it spicey.
Wednesday night - the BBQ at Dave's place was great. The house is amazing. I really like it and definitely wanna live there. He has it set up really nice and it is fully furnished. Looks pretty classey too...like a "grown-up" place. Tall ceilings, bbq, awesome kitchen, my own bathroom - can't go wrong at all! Met most of Dave's friends and they are all really cool. Can't compare to the UW posse though but a good replacement while he is over here.
Last night we went to the Wisconsin State Fair. It was basically a larger version of the CNE but it was pretty fun. "Carney's" everywhere. And lots of crazy fried food. Have any of you ever seen or drank beer out of a plastic bottle? I guess there is a first time for everthing. Some of the guys on the team and our manager had a little friendly competition to see who could hit the furtherest drive at the golf game at the carnival. My best was 217 yards. Good but not great. I really don't know how accurate that sensor was though. Plus I was wearing jeans and sport sandals...but I am not making excuses or anything. As a team - we all went on one of those crazy spinny rides. It was really fun and such a cool sensation when we were on that thing. It was wicked. After the fair, we went out to a local night spot called 1225. It was okay. Pretty much the same thing as Whiskey Saigon and Joker and those kinds of places. Nothing great but whatever. Steve knows one of the bartenders so we were getting some nice beverages courtesy of her. Thank you very much Erin.
Today has been a good day. Got to sleep in because today is supposed to be our "apartment hunting" day. I am gonna be living with Dave in November for 6 months though so I didn't need to loook for a place. I just chilled out today. Went for a long run (not as long as Tchao just yet though), played pool in the basement, surfed the net, e-mailed and did no work (just like my University days). Tonight we are going to the Brewers - Expos game at Miller Park (the new retractable room stadium here in Milwaukee). GO EXPOS!!! Then, gonna party it up tonight.
Tomorrow, more chilling. I should do some work though.