It's Friday and I'm ready to head home for a relaxing three day break. Sounds like Darcy spent a lot of money at the grocery store so we should eat well during the short holidays! Unfortunately Darcy works tomorrow so we will only have Sunday and Monday off. It won't feel like Christmas being stuck here but we'll make the most of it. I will make Sin Fizzes and my Mom's cinnamon and sugar balls Christmas morning. Our little Christmas tree has even more gifts now and someone special is gettting many of those ;) It's strange but there really aren't many things that I want. There are some dumbek music cds I'd like and that's about it. I have been betting on a few Star Trek Gold Key comics and McFarlane NHL figurines but it's best if I buy those myself. I hope that I win the hockey figures! Starting bid is $1.00 and shipping for first figure is $9.00 and subsequent figures are $5.00 each for shipping.
I've been busy at work buying $8,000 worth of academic dvds in environmental science, health and technology. That seems like a lot of money but these videos are from small vendors like Green Planet Films, Bullfrog Films, First Run Icarus Films and Berkely Media. These are not videos that many public libraries would have or could likely afford to purchase. Many of these items cost around $200.00 but the content is excellent.
The weather has been refreshingly cool the last few days and it makes it feel a little bit like winter. Yuletide greetings to all!
posted by Michael at 6:31 PM
Well I officially have an on-site job interview at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. It's set for the week of January 21, 2006 so I have some time to prepare. Quite exciting but I'm also nervous! On Sunday I went with Darcy and friends to see a well known local bellydancer named
Ansuya perform. She is one of the original
Bellydance Superstarsand she performed an electrifying 20 minute performance! We had dinner and watched the show at a neat restaurant called
Uva. It was a 45 minute trek down the turnpike and interstate to Coral Gables.
Weather has turned refreshingly cool (10 celcius last night!). So I wore my PJs last night and kept the bedroom window open just a crack. Today I dusted off my long sleeved Canada shirt in celebration of the cool weather. I'm currently bidding in ebay on two Star Trek Gold Key comic books. Don't know what made me decide to do this but I hadn't used ebay in a couple of years. The two comics total less than $10.00 excluding shipping. There's only a few hours left in the bidding so we'll see what happens...
posted by Michael at 7:05 PM
Just an update with the job search. University of Calgary emailed me a few days ago stating that I did not make the cut for an interview. I'm disappointed but not completely distraught. But I honestly thought that I was a strong candidate. The position was for a Humanities & Social Sciences Liasion Librarian. Preferred a degree majoring in History, which I have and it did not specify x number of years experience in an academic library (I have over four). I have experience in collection development, teaching and reference. My major weakness is in web page design but that's not in my job duty and it's difficult for almost any librarian to effectively do all those tasks. I'm also born and raised in Edmonton despite working in the U.S. for nine years.
So I decided to email the lady back asking politely if there were any deficiencies in my application. I would really like to know what kind of person they were looking for. Perhaps my not having a second Masters degree in History and not working in Canada as a librarian worked against me. At any rate at least I can now put the dream of working in my field in Calgary out of my mind.
There is still hope that I will get an on-site interview with the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. Their search committee asked me to fill out a preliminary employment form that seemed to be more of a passport application. Darcy and I are excited and nervous about the prospects of moving overseas. I am nearing the end of my patience with the stress of work, dealing with stupid and rude patrons and the hell of living in south Florida. We want a new challenge and we love what the United Arab Emirates has to offer. I think we could still live fairly comfortably there with only one salary and if we end up raising a kid there. Plus it would be the experience of a lifetime! Anyway I don't think I'll hear any more news from the UAE until January.
Forgot to mention last time that we watched a neat movie called What the Bleep Do We Know!? A great movie that mixed drama with science (quantum physics). The basic premise is that one should be aware that there are endless possibilities to what we perceive and do everyday. Combined with our limited knowledge and understanding of the inner and outter universe only the movie reaffirmed my belief in agnosticism.
I finally had my appointment with an orthopedic surgeon last week. He showed me my MRI scans and the two gaping black holes in my two lower discs. It's not a good sign to have that somewhat advanced degeneration at my relatively young age but with my awareness of the condition and my fairly healthy lifestyle I should be okay. My Mom recalled me having lower back problems when I was fourteen and asking my brohter to walk on my back. Of course it's impossible to predict the future and the worst case situtation is that I would need spinal surgery in my old age. My mid/late 30s have been eventful healthwise!
Last bit of news is that I had credit card fraud. I made an online purchase and grew more suspicious when the figurines didn't arrive when they were scheduled. I left two voice mails with the company since they weren't accepting emails during the holidays (go figure!). Finally called Visa to reverse the charges which they happily did. Then they notified me that there were *unusual* transactions made on my credit card beginning the day that I purchased the figurines! They were a couple of clothing purchases for $60 each and a computer equipment purchase for $600! It was good that they were red flagged - perhaps because a few months ago I disputed a charge for perfume purchased in Hong Kong. So they sent me a new credit card and today spent a bit of money online. These stores used PayPal which is pretty secure.
Today's the 25th annivesary of John Lennon's death. I remember being at school that next day and everybody talking about it. My parents had bought his last album Double Fantasy. So I guess that's all for now - Happy Holidays!
posted by Michael at 6:22 PM
