Maybe I should have scheduled my interview at 11am, rather than 10am, as I really didn't feel on top of my game. Thanks to all for the best wishes, I think I really needed them. The company is pretty cool, the people all looked pretty laid back and casual, but I wasn't at ease. The building is nice - the Xerox building at Yonge and Bloor - and the lay-out of the work stations was nice, the cubicles themselves not too small. The salary isn't spectacular by any stretch, but were I offered the job, I think I'd take it because it actually heads me in the direction that I want to go. So, do I think I'll get the job? I'd rather not say.

I'm going to take a quick nap before I get ready to head out to the Petes for Passover. I feel pretty beat. On another note, it's my sister's birthday today: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GINA !!! I'll try to give her a call tonight, before the seder.

It's a stunning day today. It's about 27 degrees right now, but without any sort of humidity, which is pretty sweet, with full sun and a gorgeous breeze. I'm celebrating this by wearing a skirt and teeshirt and I left my leather jacket at home in exchange for my denim.

Last night, I went to A&C's for dinner. Rick joined us and we enjoyed nummy chicken wings, onion rings and plenty o' salad. I noticed that Al avoided the bean salad that I brought *laugh*, but the rest of us enjoyed it. Rick grumped about missing the hockey game, which the Leafs won, by the way, but was sensible enough to not mention the game while we watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. By the time the flick was over, it was getting late and we didn't have time to enjoy the extra features. Next week, though, oh baby - Snape and Lucius... *passes out* *comes to* *looks around* *giggles with embarrasment*

I can be such a girl sometimes.

Anyway, tonight there is an informal campaign team meeting at a pub. Yes, I did say 'informal'. I think the plan is to avoid discussing work, if at all possible, and bond with each other. We'll see how that goes; I wonder if some of them can discuss anything other than work. There will be no staying out late, though, because of tomorrow's interview. I have to give myself time tonight to prepare for it as well as to get a decent amount of sleep.

Passover starts tomorrow night, too, so Willi and I will be going up to the Petes for a few days. I have to take some work with me, holiday or not, because I've got stuff needin' doing. I've also promised to repaint Richie's model because... well, frankly, it blows. He hadn't thought the horse would live through the first adventure and so he didn't bother to paint it nicely. So, I'm going to make it nice, since the horse (I think we named it Effervesence, or something) did, in fact, survive.

Okay, Blogger is a spazz today.

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, after work and before D&D, I went to One Big No, the artist protest against the US in Iraq. There was an art exhibition of activist art, most of it beyond terrible, and tons and tons of musical acts that were performing, most of whom were really quite good. The highlight of my two hours there was definitely the Kurdish musicians and dancers who did a rollicking performance on the mainstage. I was happy to see a wide dichotomy of people attending. One of the arguments made against the No side of the war debate is that it's all just a bunch of white, middle class, 'bleeding heart' liberals. Well, not at this protest. I would say that every colour, faith and status was represented here at this family-friendly protest. I can't say who turned out for the night time acts, as I wasn't there, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a similar make-up. If there was one thing that surprised me, though, was the tiny, nearly invisible presence of the NDP. I would have thought that they'd be out in full force, but they really weren't.

On a different note, I just got off the phone with the woman who called about my resume. It's for an entry level design/art job with an advertising agency. It's not in the big creative or production departments, rather it would be with the accounting dept., producing art specifically for them for presentations, etc. It's not sexy, but it would be an excellent foot in the door. The company is located right at Yonge and Bloor (mmmmm, good eats...) and I have an interview at 10am on Wednesday !! She wanted me to come in tomorrow, but I am at the ROM, and though I could probably take an hour and a half off, and walk over, Wednesday allows me more time to prepare a portfolio. Go me !

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, after work and before D&D, I went to

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, after work and before D&D, I went to

Okay, first of all, here is some news. I updated my webpage. No, not the portfolio, just the other stuff. Go look, it has a link to my store, from which you must buy things.

Also, this cracked me up. Imagine Bush and North Korea's Kim as internet buddies. Heehee. Pretty funny stuff.

Last night, Rick ran a D&D campaign. Hey woo ! Go Rick ! It was pretty good. We're a fun bunch, though, so it's hard for it to suck. Rick's a bit rusty, but he hasn't DM'd since before the third edition came out, so, all in all, with a bit of leaning on the texts, he was pretty good. I'm playing a gnome monk, Mumbee Wimblewarren - Apples to you ! - and I think I'm going to like him. I am having some trouble sorting out a personality for him, though. I'll figure it out eventually, I always do. Maybe I'll finally run a second episode to my campaign in the near future, too. I'd like to, just for variety.

Yesterday and today at the ROM were absolutely dead. Okay, not stone, cold dead, but neading some serious ressusitation (I'm sure I spelled that wrong). I spent most of them standing around in the rotunda, drawing. I have never had to keep myself entertained like that before. I found some administrative tasks to do, too, like sorting ballots, but there's only so much one can do. Anyway, after work, I went to the gym. For those of you who thought I'd just give up on the gym, I am proving you wrong ! I actually like going to the gym on Sundays. It's pretty quiet, very laid back and not nearly as noisy as it is on a weeknight after work. I worked out for an hour and forty-five minutes, using the cross-trainer for about ten minutes (not bad, not bad...) and various other interesting machines that look like instruments of torture. Following my workout, I walked around on Yonge Street for a bit, eating dinner at the little sushi place, all by my lonesome, and then wandering into some used booksellers. I bought a book that looks like it will be an interesting read. The title, in silver, on the black cover was what caught my eye, King Death. It's subtitle is "The Black Death and its aftermath in late-medieval England" and it has some dancing skeletons on the cover as well, making it the perfect buy. I had a wonderful conversation with the shop owner, too, and I will definitely go back in order to plumb the depths of his art section.

Finally, Rick sent me a link today, which he probably got from the little advert in his email inbox. Which are smarter, cats or dogs? An unanswerable question, really, and the article was written by someone predisposed to believe cats less intelligent, and therefore the whole article was rather unbalanced. Anyway, the answer always comes down to cat people believe dogs to be dumber and vise-versa. Whatever. Here's what I wrote to Rick as a rebuttal to the article (if you can call it that):

That woman and her dog researcher don't know dick about cats. Cats ARE social, but not herding animals, and that's an important fact. And frequently, in the wild, cats form pride-like social structures. And, anyone who's seen Willi and me, especially, interacting, cannot possibly argue that she (or any other cat that I've lived with, for that matter) does not communicate -well- with humans. Cats have a myriad of communication signals, and as for spoken 'word' cats have recently been explained as having well over one hundred, including many outside our hearing.

I joke that cats are smarter than dogs, but since their 'purposes' in existing, especially among humans, are so completely different, and their behaviour so dissimilar, it's apples and oranges. I've met smart dogs. I've met dumb cats. I've also met monumentally stupid dogs and brilliant cats. I've seen cats' problem solving skills at work, and there, with the tiny exception of a few breeds, they have dogs well beat. Also, cats, unlike dogs, play very well by themselves. Yes, dogs play by themselves, but cats make it an artform. And I guess in a world where 'team-players' are prefered, that makes cats less smart.

And, for the record, cats in history -were- trained for hunting, etc. But, their free-will and independence made them less reliable and therefore dangerous. At any rate, I prefer having a pet that doesn't look at me like I'm The Master. But then, I like horses that have 'problem habits' too.