Author: James McNally

On The Move

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Brooke and I moved on July 31st into a two-bedroom apartment just three blocks west of our old place. We have a great south-west view from the 27th floor and can see Lake Ontario! But the move was really stressful, as all moves are, and we’re still unpacking and getting used to the new space. I think this weekend might be the first time in a month where I wasn’t either painting, packing, shopping, or assembling crappy IKEA furniture (though there are still a few pieces waiting in their boxes for me).

On top of all that, I was in the midst of several job interviews. I had second interviews with two places right around the time we were moving. In fact, I had my final two and a half hour long interview on the morning we were moving. The movers were scheduled to arrive at our place at 1:30, and I got home at 1:20. It was a crazy day. The good thing is that later that day, after we’d finally moved all of our stuff into the new place, there was a message on our phone. I got the job.

So, I’m happy to report that on Monday August 27th, I’ll start my new position as Web Producer/Writer with PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the biggest accounting and business consulting firms in the world. It will be a big culture change from the small office setting I’m used to (and, ulp, I’ll have to use a Windows PC again), but it will also be really nice to spend my working day doing what I love, and as part of a team of other people.

I will really miss the people I worked with for the past four years at Lifford Wine Agency, and I’ll especially miss all the great wine events I was able to attend, but I’ve promised to keep volunteering at their big annual portfolio tasting, an event that I wouldn’t miss for the world.

Unearthed

The Net, Premiere Issue, June 1995

During the excavations that took place this past week while Brooke and I moved, I found this ancient relic from the past. My “cyberspace companion” featured some helpful articles. My favourite was “Six Myths: Unmasking Cyber Lore”:

  • Myth 1: The Internet is a single network controlled by one organization.
    • Fact: The Internet is actually a patchwork of commercial, educational, government and public and private networks, all cooperating to achieve an open, interconnected communications system.
  • Myth 2: The Internet is free
    • Fact: Don’t believe it for a moment. All of the Internet’s conduits, computers, and information resources are paid for by someone. Often an organization provides free Internet access to its members as part of an affiliation. But, for people lacking Internet access through an organization, getting on the Internet carries a price tag.
  • Myth 3: The Internet will usher in a new age of democracy, a socio-political nirvana.
    • Fact: People created the Internet, people run the Internet, people drive what happens on the Internet — and people are human. No inherent technological properties of the Internet will bring democracy or a new age of global community.
  • Myth 4: Internet users are cyberpunks and content they create is cyberporn.
    • Fact: While some consider portions of the material on the Internet to be immoral, obscene, or useless, much of it is no more controversial than what’s found at a public library or in a bookstore.
  • Myth 5: The Internet is chaotic. There’s simply no way to find anything.
    • Fact: While no Internet information-collection or resource-searching tool is flawless, there are landmark collections and tools on the Internet that you can use to find what you want.
  • Myth 6: The Internet is hostile to newcomers — the hapless newbies.
    • Fact: While a newbie can get mercilessly flamed for ignoring or flouting the Internet’s social customs, there are plenty of ways a new user can get up to speed in a hurry.

In this pre-Google world, Myth 5 was especially amusing to read. Yahoo still resided at its Stanford URL (http://akebono.stanford.edu/yahoo). And I love how many times they use the prefix “cyber”! Can you remember your first experiences with the “Internet”?

Nissan Toronto 5K 2007

Brooke was running the Nissan Toronto Ten-Miler this morning in the Distillery District, so I entered the 5K because I don’t enjoy anything longer than 10K. It was a perfect day, cool and sunny, and the race started very early at 8:00am. Getting up at 5:45am was not fun, but it was a decent race for me. Not my best time this year, but I didn’t go in with any expectations.

Kilometre 1: 5:06.9
Kilometre 2: 5:11.6
Kilometre 3: 5:11.7
Kilometre 4: 5:08.0
Kilometre 5: 5:03.4

Chip Time: 25:35.8
Gun Time: 26:06.8
Overall Place: 111/425
Gender Place: 75/174
Age Group (M40-44) Place: 7/16

P.S. Brooke took three minutes off her previous time at this distance, so I’m very proud of her!

Official Results from the 2007 Nissan Toronto 5k

8 Things Meme

Documentary film blogger Pamela Cohn has tagged me with the latest blog meme. This one requires me to tell you eight things you may not know about me. I’m also required to post the following rules:Rules:

  1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
  2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
  3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
  4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

Ok, here we go:

  1. I have a thing for visiting obscure countries. In the past two years, my wife and I have vacationed in Uruguay and Slovenia. Iceland and the Baltic republics are high on the list for future trips.
  2. I’ve formally studied French, Italian, Spanish and Russian, but can speak none of them even passably well.
  3. I still don’t have a driver’s licence, at the age of 42.
  4. I have a Bachelor’s degree in theology that so far hasn’t come in that handy.
  5. As a teenager I had a pet hamster named Fergus.
  6. The first rock concert I attended was Queen in 1978. Freddy Mercury in a leotard. Yikes.
  7. I once played drums in a bad “Christian” rock band. Our gimmick involved wearing underwear over our pants. That was my idea.
  8. When I was visiting Finland in 1989, I took a 36 hour round-trip train journey so I could say I’ve been north of the Artic Circle.

One more thing that Pamela might not have known about me was that I actually have two other blogs. She knows me from Toronto Screen Shots (my film blog). But this one was first (established AD 2000!) and there’s also Runner-Up (mostly sports-related stories about “non-winners”).Next victims:

Ga Ga For Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

I’ve been listening to Spoon’s new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga for the past few weeks, “unofficially.” Today in the mail I was delighted to receive my pre-order of the new CD from the nifty guys at Merge Records. Because I was among the first 200 geeks to order, I got a signed 7″ (you know, a 45rpm record!) with two non-album tracks. Problem is, I no longer have a turntable. I also have a rare 7″ of “Anticipation” that I can’t play, either, but who’s counting. Anyway, I want to beseech you to go out and buy this CD. It sort of crept up on me, but the Aha! moment came last weekend when I played it LOUD on the stereo in my bedroom and crawled back under the covers. At that moment, it was the perfect record for me. And I think it’s stronger than their last two albums, which makes it well-nigh perfect.

There are at least three perfect singles that should launch Spoon to superstardom (although I think I say that about every album they release, and it hasn’t happened yet.) Find and listen to “Don’t Make Me A Target,” “The Underdog,” and especially “Finer Feelings” and then buy this CD. Really.

And the boys are playing in Toronto on October 15th, after a gap of just about two years. You’ll want to be there, too. Here are some other shows.