Thank God It's...Saturday?

I'm very proud with myself that I'm remembering to send out a mass email for the second straight week! Granted there isn't the big gigantic announcement that the last one carried but at least I feel like I'm making an attempt at keeping in contact with everyone I love and care for. This week saw me receive my first actual Canadian paycheck! Hurray, I'm once again gainfully employed and I might add somewhat handsomely compensated (though frankly short of a truckload of gold bullion arriving at my door, nothing else is probably accurate to account for the work I do...but I digress) I'm handling the freezer better this week and I'm not nearly feeling as poor in my physical condition as well. Perhaps I'm adapting as all species must lest we perish. Also I get to take home a box of assorted ice cream for $5 and that's not too bad as fringe benefits go. There is still no progress on the University front as I continue to await the slow grinding wheels of bureaucracy (I'm looking at you transcript providers!). To celebrate my suddenly happy wallet, I took Shelley out for dinner last evening. It was a nice little place on Bloor. I think we'll miss this little corner of Toronto when we move next month. Shell will miss the little shops and I the great places to get used DVDs. Though Bloor isn't going anywhere. Is it? We also had a small "Ron finally got paid" splurge of a nice little trinket for Shelley and a couple of used DVDs for me (I got 4 of the 5 Planet of the Apes movies so we'll be having a mini Talking Monkey marathon soon). Since I have Friday's off I think we're going to try and work it so I can drive into town and pick up Shell from work but as any of you who've actually been to the big TO know...traffic is a nightmare. So the Friday pickup may observed more in the breach, but we shall see. Let's see what other bits of randomness might I plague you all with this week... I'm currently reading Sidney Blumenthal's "The Clinton Wars" and I have Madeline Albright's "Madame Secretary: A Memoir" on deck, and last night I saw a book called "The Measure of All Things" about Delambre's and Mechain's expedition in the 1790's to measure the meridian. (While I'm at it let me recommend Clark Blaise's "Time Lord" about Sir Sandford Fleming and the development of time zones) Last Sunday saw my one year mark in Canada. I can't believe I've lived here for a year. Time has both flown by AND crept by at the same time (I can't explain it but that's the way it feels). This week we start the rituals of packing for the new house. We have amassed some boxes and soon will transform the back room into a staging area (that's a phrase I though only applied to NASA projects, however I was wrong). We are excited AND terrified, but I think excited will win out in the end. This week will be a short week for me because I get an extra day off for Good Friday, so I get Thursday off (yeah I don't understand it either but I'm going with it). Monday Dad Snyder and I are taking in the Jays home opener against the Tigers. One of the few benefits of graveyard shifts is free time in the days for afternoon baseball (and golf soon too). For those who haven't heard yet, my brother David had a rather unexpected encounter with a car this week. A drunk driver ploughed through his house! Fun times eh? This marks the second time someone close to me has had someone drive through their home- Dave and Missy Andrews had a similar close encounter last year or so. Let's hope these things don't come in threes!!!! He seems fine when I talked to him on the phone and he was already meeting with claims people so hopefully it will all be okay. Imagine the stupid luck of the drunk driver to not only crash his car into a house but the house of a police officer...when will people learn? Sadly when they wind up hurting someone probably. Well that's all for now. GO LEAFS GO!! Your quote this week is on the topic of opportunity "Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises" - Demosthenes Cheers Ron