Culture Shock

I started my new job last Tuesday and, well, I was in for a surprise. I spent all my working life either working in high tech for big corporations or freelancing. And now for something completely different...

Differences:
- I bring a book to work and actually have time to read while I wait for my ride (instead of working).
- I work in a noisy open environment (as opposed to a quiet open environment)
- the complexity of the work is 2/10 rather than 9/10
- everybody is bilingual French/English or English/French as opposed to Russian/French or Chinese/English
- I had one meeting last week. One.
- I don't have email yet, and it doesn't hurt my productivity (heck! it might even enhance it)
- ditto for the Internet

Ok, so I am just starting. But still, this is SOOOO promising! ; -)

Give me an R...

Here’s a fun game I got from XY x2:

Comment on this post and I’ll give you a letter. List ten things you LOVE which begin with that letter, then post this in your journal and give out some letters of your own.

She gave me the letter R. Here’s my list:

Red - Vibrant, alive and cheerful.

Reading - I spend most of my free time immersed in books. I have been doing that since childhood. I still haven't come up with a definitive list of the books to bring on a desert island (that will be for another post).

Roger - that's my dad. He used to sing to us: "J'aime papa, j'aime maman, j'aime mon p'tit chien, mon p'tit chat, mon p'tit frère/J'aime papa, j'aime maman, j'aime mon p'tit chien et mon cerf-volant." That should get anybody's priorities straight.

Red Sails - lyrics from Bowie. On his Lodger LP. Anything by Bowie, really. He was my favorite singer all my teenage years (I can't say I listen much to him these days).

Le rhinocéros- a marvelously absurd play from Eugène Ionesco. I first saw it in the 1980s with my then-boyfriend who absolutely didn't get it. I should have known right then and there that our relationship was doomed...

Rabbits! - I just love them! It seems I am a rabbit (or hare) in Asian horoscopes. That's fine by me. Maybe it's my totem too?

Running - not in an organized way, mind you. I just love starting to run for no reason, for the sheer pleasure of feeling my muscles respond to my whim, for the fun of speed and the joy of freedom.

Rain - I like thunderstorms ("St. Peter playing bowling" my grandma would say), my mom's memory of rain (school was out if it rained hard because it would flood the dry riverbed and they couldn't cross it; rain is full of hope) and well... rain in and of itself.

Railways - We lived near railways many, many times. They are part of the fabric of myself. I once walked to another town on the railway - it clearly is the shortest route. My brothers boarded merchandise trains for the fun of it (I wasn't supposed to know as I was too young for those dangerous games).

Revolution - Ah well, I love change. Peaceful revolution is certainly the best kind with evolving attitudes and technology.

Culture Shock

A demolition derby is an excellent place to experience a shock to the system. The idea itself is preposterous: line up some cars, have them crash into one other. The referees decide who wins between the last cars left running. There are obviously rules (there are referees and they get to settle matters); the referees direct the drivers to be more aggressive, from what we could see. We got the impression that the more hits you distribute, the higher you rated.

We went to a demolition derby last week-end. The words "white trash" were never far from our lips. It's a wonder to be in a stand with hundreds of spectators, watching cars run into each other for the purpose of giving a show. Is that how the decadent Romans felt watching the gladiators fight to the death? We are taught to take care of our cars and feel bad when you are in an accident but crashing and getting run into is the whole point of this game.
I wonder if people enjoy seeing the transgression acted out? Is it some kind of release by proxy? We were left with a feeling of unease - for having enjoyed some of it? Strange hobby...

Quick and Dirty

My life has been pretty busy lately and I have been meaning to blog again and again. So here are the news, briefly:
- We bought ourselves a light touring kayak at Jenda Paddlesports, close to home. The idea was to have a light boat that one person could handle singly i.e. put on the car, drive away, put in water and back. That way, we don't have to wait for everybody to feel like going at the same time. The kayak is from Wilderness Systems; it is a Tsunami 135 (not shown here, but scroll down to see the Tsunami 140 which is pretty close). It exceeds our wildest dreams - it is stable and fast and we love. We tried it a few times on those warm days we have had recently. The feeling of freedom is just awesome.
- I have a new job. It starts Sept 22 and I can't wait. I will be working on the applications designed by the previous company I worked for so I expect to be very comfortable in that environment. Plus I will be writing instructions which is a new direction I wanted to take in my career.
- We finally got a Wii Fit! We lined up at Future Shop 30 minutes before opening hour and secured a copy. Yay! Then we ran errands and so forth and were too tired to set it up by the time we got home. Go figure...

The Wonders of Nature

We rented a kayak for the first time ever this week. We had been out canoeing a few times in the past but were interested in kayaks for their lightness and the flexibility they afforded. Those things are light and fast as well as easy to maneuver. You can do a light or strenuous workout depending on your mood. Very versatile.
So. Because we planned to come back late, the owner of the little shop which was opened that day (it was hit and miss until we thought of Merrickville) was nice enough to allow us to call him home after the store was closed so he could retrieve his kayak. We followed him home to unload it once (instead of transferring the kayak from our car to his van). On our way back from Charleston Lake, we saw an inordinate number of frogs in the beams of the car. The shop owner told us that they migrated back to the river en masse every fall to bury themselves in the mud to hibernate. We were to swerve to avoid squishing them and we should keep an eye out for raccoons and skunks who were out hunting after the frogs to avoid accidentally killing prey and predators alike. What a kind, sweet man to be worrying about the wildlife around him, caring enough to instruct us on the preservation of these frogs. Earlier on, at the provincial park, we had to pay attention to the snakes, sunning themselves on the asphalt (we didn't see any, though there were lots of rustling noises when I went hiking). Lots happening around us as the critters get ready for the cold weather. We're still thinking water sports and enjoying those nice warm days.