Bank Gossip..... and Mika

So, my coworker at Starbucks, a couple months ago got a job as a teller at the Bank of Montreal... I recommended him, but it was mostly just his own merrit. I was so happy for him, he is awesome, I have kinda known him for about 4 years, he used to work at a Starbucks in James Bay with my best friend at the time, and I have seen him around town a couple times... anyways, it was a good move for him. He has worked for Starbucks since the dawn of time, and is paid absolutely shit, and is trying desperately to leave the party life, and make something of himself, and I just thought this was the best step for him.

So, he still works at my Starbucks once a week at night for extra cash on the side (working fulltime at BMO during the day), and he worked tonight when I went in to get my schedule for next week. Anyways, he and I got talking, and it turns out that the manager that I worked with, Barbara Bell-Irving (yea, I'm not afraid to smear her name all over the net !) has been transferred from my old branch, to his !! He was complaining about this new manager, and how he is sure she is out to fire him, and how she is snooty, self-riteous, really bossy, and oddly enough kinda looks like Miss Piggy (I kid you not...), and I was like "OMG, is her name Barb ?!"... and yea, so the discussion went.

I feel so angry, the woman single-handedly was responsible for three employees either quitting or transferring out while I worked under her, and thats quite a feat when the entire branch had only 9 employees !!! Sarah, whom I love, and haven't talked to in forever (note to self: call Sarah) actually quit one day right on the spot.

Barb used to schedule her to start work right at 9am, even though she was a commercial teller, and therefore had craploads of coin, deposits and cash to count and verify in the morning before we opened. Therefore she needed to start doing this at about 8:30am in order to be ready for our daily 'team huddles' before we opened at 9:30am. Barb took it upon herself to just stop scheduling her at 8:30am, and instead at 9am... which Sarah took, she is a sweet little blonde thing, and just came in early and wouldn't get paid for it... but then it got rediculous... Barb refused to pay her for the half hour, and it honestly makes a difference when all of a sudden your paycheque is 2.5 hours less a week (thats almost $200 less a month), so she stopped coming in early and would come 'on time'... and I would just help her with the deposits and cash, which wasn't my job, but that was fine, to assist and make sure she was done in time.

Then, Barb came and talked to me, and let me know that it was 'inappropriate to support others in doing their jobs', and 'that Sarah was perfectly capable doing it herself', so I had to stop. So, Sarah would come in every morning, count and do as much as she could as fast as she could, and Barb would harp on her for being late to the 'huddles' while forbidding anyone to help her... she would literally sit in her chair in the meeting room and yell accross the branch for Sarah to 'hurry her ass up'.

One day this above scenario happened just like this, except Sarah's dog was ill, and she had been a little late, and Barb was being especially ferocious, even mumbling sarcastically that its hard to come in on time when you start 30 minutes after everyone else (which poor Sarah didn't want to !! lol), and Sarah flipped. She literally smacked down the binder that she wrote her daily counts in on the desk, stood up, walked into the back room, grabbed her stuff, and on her way gave Barb her key to the vault and said 'Fine, I quit'.

It was one of the most awesome things I have ever seen. And damned good for Sarah to do it !

I called her that night, and she was freaked out cause, she had no job, and no plan on what to do, and her fiance made good money, but they needed to make mortgage payments, etc... Anyways, she ended up getting a job as a secretary for HSBC's Premier branch in Oak Bay, assisting and working with their high-end clients. Anyways, she loves it, and really enjoys it now, and its better money, so I was happy for her.

But it makes me sad that now my poor Starbucks coworker will have to put up with Bitchy Barb... one of the nicer names I have for the woman. Sigh, this is the issue working for a big corporation, as much as I love it, and the perks are awesome, big companies never seem able to actually FIRE these horrible people, rather they just move them from department to department (Barb was originally sent to my old branch from Vancouver !!!)... I think its cause she has so much seniority she almost cannot be fired.

Argh, makes me mad. I just hope it doesn't affect his newly-founded carreer. She better not mess with him, or heaven help her if I see Piggy Barb on the street !



ON a positive note... this is Mika's new single, and I Heart it. It could never replace the soft spot in my heart that I have for his others, but its quite possibly my favourite song of his to-date.

Enjoy, I love his artistic style !

Momentum

Do you sometimes feel like you've just been stuck in a bit of a rut, and honestly don't really have any willpower to get out of it ?

I have been so dis-interested in school over the past month or so. It feels like I have already moved on mentally, but I still have to go through the motions and participate in the proccess, because ultimately the last 3 years are useless if I don't actually buckle down and finish my damned degree. That being said, the only class that inspires me to care all that much anymore is my Econometrics class. How sad is that ? My hardest class, the one thats mostly just Statistical Economics, is my most interesting, and engaging class. Its also the class that I have the best mark in (almost an A+, and its my hardest class... ?>!?!)

That just goes to show, it doesn't really matter how hard the material is, if you have it presented well, by a good professor (which I do, I love him, he rocks), then no matter how 'hard' the material is, you will be engaged and learn. I am totally engaged, and now that I think about it, I have always had the best marks in my statistics classes, or my classes that are heavily based on Statistical analysis, research and empirical work. Its like I was born to analyse Economic data. I could've give less of a rat's ass about unapplicable theory, or 'international economics', or even raw theory... but the moment you give me that same material in the form of data, or an analysis of stats... or in the form of statistical research, I am all over it like a fat kid on smarties.

I think this is something I need to be aware of, and look into....

I would love to do a Master's degree one day, and go on to Graduate school.... God, that would be awesome. And honestly, I would love to do a degree in Statistics... how sad is that ? The class that every undergrad loathes, and even my mom (who is one of the most academic people I know) says she cannot stand statistical classes... and I want to do it as a second degree !

So, in honor of Stalin, I am coming up with a 5-year educational plan (hopefully you might get my reference, if not, just google 'stalin 5-year plan'...) Although, I hope mine to work out a lot better, and be more humane, lol !

I want to work, be involved in banking and build my experience (also possibly do some government work...) but ultimately, I want to go back to school within the next 5 years, and do my Graduate degree in either Econometrics, or Statistics.... and then I REALLY want to get involved in government policy work. There is such a huge void of Statiticians and Economists in Canada, especially with retiring Baby Boomers... UVic's Economics department office is littered with brochures for "Public Service Canada", "Bank of Canada" and other government agencies... but they all mostly want Graduate-level education (ie, Master's and above...), but these are actual policy jobs, thats makes me hot and bothered.... actually being involved in making policies and advising government agencies... !!!!

Sigh, one day. 5 year plan... hold me to it !

lol, that assumes you all still know me in 5 years... :D

And by you all, I mean the select few you actually read this rambling that I post, hazaa ~!

Now, I am off to bed, to dream of regression models, and statistically significant variables !

I heart you Gwen !

God, If I was half as classy and amazingly chique as Gwen Stefani, then I would die a happy man.

I just cannot get over how she is constantly reinventing herself, her style and her mannerisms are always uniquely Gwen-ish, but change and adapt over time. Sigh, she is just so amazing.

And I particularly love how you never hear how Gwen went on a rampage in her Mercedes while on coke and crashed into the sidewalk... cause she doesn't ! She is not only classy on screen, but in real life, she has no major tabloid drama, she proves we can all have a fabulous, beautiful nature, and not be major partiers, or turn into a Hollywood mess...

She is also one of only two women in Hollywood who can wear typically-male clothing and look amazing in it (also Diane Keaton, love her), as exemplified by her wearing a tie and suit in the taxi towards the end of this video !

Anyways, she is class, and I want to be the male version of her, soooo badly !

Gwen, I love you !!





.... Yeah, that's right, I just wrote an entire post about my obsession with a pop star... no, I am not a loser :P

I miss my puppies...

I was trying to write a post earlier, and lacked any inspiration whatsoever. Even though I frequently think of many things to post about during class and on the bus. (hence I should probably start taking my laptop to class, so I can jot things down as I think of them...)

So, I went to Starbucks to get a cookie to inspire me, and there was the most amazingly adorable little dog outside, clearly upset that it had to wait (in the cold) while its owner purchased a beverage inside. It was a cutie, looked a lot like a chitzu, but not quite.... Anyhow, there I am adoring this dog, letting it jump up on me, and rubbing its ears, and back, and petting it as it attempted to lick my hands, sooo cute !

Then the owner came out, and gave me the weirdest look ever ! I honestly felt like I had just been in the middle of making out with someone and his wife had just walked into the room... so awkward !!!

She looked at me, then took the dog's leash, make a joking remark, I made one back... and off they walked.

Now that I think about it, it was probably weird from her perspective, but that being said, I MISS MY PUPPIES !!

Sigh... we will cuddle soon my darling...

soon...

Danger Matt Bowyer !

Okay, so I am dangerously close to turning into someone who just posts YouTube videos on his blog all the time, and that is my only creative contribution to society... Well, I am loathe to turn into someone who just regurgitates someone else's creativity and spews it all over the internet...

However, and i promise this is the last for a while... I just watched this Video from LisaNova, and honestly, its sooo me... its actually really sad how much this is me:

Watch it, and I will perhaps rant later about how I feel that written blogs are in danger of becoming extinct (I have a theory that YouTube is for the written blog, what cable TV was for the book/library)...

At mommy's

I am at my mom's place in Kitsilano in Vancouver... and they have cable, which I do not.... the fancy type with big buttons and menus, and AN ENTIRE CHANNEL DEDICATED TO OLD CARTOONS !!

I HAVE WATCHED PINKY AND THE BRAIN FOR THE LAST 2 HOURS, AND I LOVE IT !!!

Everyone else is asleep...

It truly makes me sad to think that there are entire generations of children with no idea what this show is.. sigh... so, enjoy the Theme Movie, and a compilation of the best parts !!!




And the BEST CLIP EVER (no, I am not dramatic at all...)

Matt is Paranoid...

Okay, so seriously, there is a new technology out there called RFID, I do not know entirely what it stands for and I really do not feel like going into a big long explanation. Suffice to say it would enable a consumer to have information read by an almost standard metal-detector-like sensor. This would facilitate the scanning of passports, credit cards, etc... It is truly interesting technology...

It has already been implimented by the Japanese food chain Domoco, as a trial run...

Here is a short IBM Advertisement for it:



However, there is already some issues with the technology. The state department in the US has implemented voluntary passports that have the technology, allowing a person arriving off of a flight to simply wave their US passport at a detector and walk right through customs, nice and easy right ? Well, the problem lies in the fact that though the material is encrypted and therefore VERY hard to steal about the person, each nation would use slightly different frequencies, allowing the person's nationality to be instantly, and easily, found out. This has been cited as a potential terrorist hazard and an invasion of privacy (bomb could be designed to only go off when a person of a specific nationality walks by with their passport, or certain stores being able to track nationality of clients.. etc)

Anyways, I find it interesting, I think the technology is UBER cool, but I also think that there are some issues that need to be addressed.

Now, and lastly, and I know this makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist, but there was a mention of a passage of the bible (Revelation) on a blog, and the blogger noticed the creepy similarities of this...

I do not presume anything, this is more than likely a simple co-incidence... or is it?
(Keep in mind the ultimate idea is to install these chips in one document that everyone carries, or implant one chip that carries all your financial/nationality info on you, like your right hand.....)

"16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
-Revelation 13:16-17

Anyways, if they announce a plan to put them in a head, or on the right hand, then I will geniunely freak out.

Until then, this post is clearly the result of me reading too much about technology while being bored and drinking lots of Starbucks...

...

..

Although, if Starbucks had this, it would make the line move a whole damn faster... !!

Reminds me of ...

I was watching this video today, and it was reminding me of Cody for some reason. At first I thought it was just that I was missing him and that everything reminded me of Cody. But then I got to the end, and I realised what it was that made me think of him while watching this, tee hee.

Enjoy !

Its by a student from the Vancouver Film School, I am impressed ;)

Christmas at Starbucks...

Okay, so I worked until 2am last night putting together (along with 4 other people) the Christmas display and merchandise at my store...

I always volunteer for it, and it was a hoot, sooo much bloody fun !

Now, that being said, I WANT ONE of the new stainless steel mugs ! Its sparkly, and shiny, and a really nice red, not too hot-red, but a nice gentle red, that adds a little pa-boom cause it sparkles so much.

The problem is that I own about 4 travel mugs, and about 20+ mugs for home use... most of which I rarely use. Now, the travel mugs I do use a lot... and this one is so damn pretty, but I can't really justify buying something new, when I have a perfectly good one at home, right ?

right ?

Argh... consumerism is such a curse...

And a wonderful, wonderful thing.

DAMN YOU EVIL MUG ~!

And sometimes it just rains cows...

I think this is a sign from God. Of what, I do not know.

MANSON, Wash. - Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object - a 270-kilogram cow.

The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized.

The year-old cow fell about 60 metres from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple's minivan, causing heavy damage.

A Chelan County fire chief, Arnold Baker, said the couple missed being killed by a matter of centimetres in the accident Sunday on a highway near Manson.

The Eversons, visiting the area from their home in Westland, Mich., to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, were checked at Lake Chelan Community Hospital as a precaution.

Everson, 49, said he didn't see the cow falling and didn't know what happened until afterward.

He said he kept repeating: "I don't believe this. I don't believe this."

I would like to thank the CBC's website for this story, and for entertaining me while I procrastinate studying for my midterm at 2:30pm today.

Montreal place.

I just realized that I never actually put up any photos of the cute, albeit small, place we are staying in when we are in Montreal. Cody is there right now, he arrived, very sick of driving, last night.

I will be going in December.

Anyways, here is the place, the landlady is a darling too, she even stocked the fridge upon Cody's arrival !

Let Me Borrow That Top

Best Liam video ever, he rocks !!

'Shoes' was damn awesome, but this is a GREAT second. The best part is the Spanish bit at 2:20...

My favourite quotes are:

"You just won't die will you..." and "Fuck you with something hard and sandpapery"

Oh god, makes me laugh so hard.

Way to go Kyle, another great video, and he just got a TV show too... anyways, it rocks, make sure to watch till the end, the last 5 second are the BEST, priceless !

Ode to DST

Daylight Savings time is great, at least in the fall.

I woke up this morning, running for the shower, because I had 'slept' in and needed to be ready and dressed by 10am. I have someone coming over to buy my old laptop, and its not nice to be in one's pyjamas when doing such a transaction, makes all parties involved feel awkward.

Anyways, so I run for the shower, quickly dry and flat-iron my hair (its finally getting some length to it...), and then try to scrounge up whatever I can to make some sort of breakfast that might at least pretend to be 'balanced'.

Then I look at the computer's clock.

It says its 8:30am, my wall clock says its 9:30am. Guess which one was right ?

Yep, It was only 8:30am... no need to rush. So, instead, I went to the grocery store, bought some muffins, milk, cheese, etc... got some scones from Cobs (the girl screwed up and charged me only $.85 for 6 scones, I'm not gonna complain !! I think they were $0.85 each...), and then came home and started making coffee and typing this story on my laptop.

I love you Daylight Savings Time, and today will be a good day !

Civilization IV

I just ordered Civ IV on eBay today, and thanks to the rapidly rising Canadian dollar, paid the US price of $60USD (about $55 Canadian) for a game being sold in Canada for $99.

The fact that prices are 20% higher in Canada than the US, despite the fact that our dollar is the highest its been since 1957(when we went off the Gold standard), closing at 1.07 USD yesterday, is a whole other issue that I could rant about for a long time... and I might just in a later post.

Suffice to say, many Canadians are buying things like this awesome computer game at a significant discount through American sites and then shipping them up... some even buying cars for $10,000+ less than the price in Canada. Canadian retailers are suffering, and deserve to until they get their heads out of their collective asses...

*cough* focus, anyways, what this post is REALLY about is this game, and how excited I am to be getting it in the mail sometime next week !!!

I am not allowing myself to open the box until I am done my midterms as of Friday, but after that I anticipate I will be barely heard from over the days to follow.

I am just so bloody excited !

Check out the intro movie to the game:



This is the Official Advertisement for the game:



And this is the Advertisement for the Expansion Pack:



I cannot wait !!!

The graphics are awesome, and their are such new things you can do, like form your own religion, and a completely unique governments you can fully create !

Weeee !!!

Song Lyrics Rant

I find it important to have an actual message in the songs that I listen to. I want to not just have a good beat, and listen to something that I enjoy listening to, but also reading. I want a song with lyrics that speak to me, and are emotional. I love songs where you can just hear the pain in the singer, or the love and affection come right through in a deeply primordial way.

So what the hell happened to mainstream music ? Seriously, I cannot stand most 'hit' music now because I enjoy the beat, love to dance to it, but then I listen to the lyrics, and its freaking bull crap.

Britney Spears' (just cause I love to hate her) new song is the best example of this. Seriously, WHAT THE HELL, did you really need a song to basically say "I'm a whore, I pretend to be a pretentious biotch, and I just want to have fun and have no substance to my life"...

Thats deep.

Britney aside, most other musicians aren't any better. And those that have good lyrics sometimes can't sing worth a damn. Case-and-point, Bedouin Soundclash. I love there songs for their messages, I love the tolerance and acceptance and questioning of the world-order in their music, but GOD, is it too much to ask to have a lead singer that can ACTUALLY sing.

It used to be that to be a musician you had to have singing talent, a good voice, a fairly good ability to write music, or at least collaborate and do it. Now, someone else writes the lyrics for you (which could take a 5-year-old thirty seconds to write), someone else writes the music, and usually all you do is sing, albeit badly !!!

What ever happened to TALENT ???

Oh, and just to prove my point, Britney's lyrics, and the song by Bedouin Soundclash (if they just replaced their singer, I would love it...).

Gimmee More
Britney Spears

It's Britney Bitch
I see you,
And i just wanna dance with you

Everytime they turn the lights down
Just wanna go that extra mile for you
You got my display of affection
Feels like no one else in the room (the room)

We can get down like there's no one around
We keep on rocking, we keep on rockin'
Cameras are flashing while we're dirty dancing
They keep watching, keep watchin'
Feels like the the crowd was saying

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Center of attention, even when you're up against the wall
You got me in a crazy position (uh huh)
If you're on a mission (ooh)
You got my permission oh

We can get down like there's no one around
We keep on rocking, we keep on rockin'
Cameras are flashing while we're dirty dancing
They keep watching, keep watchin'
Feels like the the crowd was saying

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

I just can't control myself, more
They want more?
Well I'll give them more (ow!)

Gimme Gimme more
Gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more
Gimme gimme more

Gimme more gimme more
Gimme more gimme more babe
I just want more

Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme

seriously, what the hell was she (and Hollywood) thinking ?!?!?!?!?
(moreover, who the hell wrote this CRAP ???)


Oh, and Bedouin Soundclash, PLEASE LEARN HOW TO SING !



And NO, its not the style of his singing, he is actually off-key a lot of the time, and tries to sing notes he cannot hit, so he forces it, you can just hear his voice straining...
GOD, AND ITS SUCH A GOOD SONG WITHOUT HIS DAMN VOICE...

Argh, I'm gonna go have a Starbucks...

Rotting Pumpkin

I like the music.

Its fun to watch.

Happy All Hallow's Day ! (not Eve)