My employer runs a shuttle bus service in the mornings and evenings to and from Skytrain stations. It's quite a nice gesture and is very convenient for those who don't drive in.

I have the choice of Gilmore and Nanaimo stations to get picked up from. Due to the timing in the mornings, I tend to use the Gilmore pick up. Though I've used the shuttle dozens of times, I saw something today that I'd never seen before.

The pick up point is near the intersection which is also near a bus stop. Usually the people milling about are other EA employees or people waiting for one of the two buses at the stop. While I was waiting for the shuttle this morning, I heard some dude whistle in my general direction from his car. I'm a pretty observant dude and there were clearly no women around me who were "whistle-worthy". As well, there weren't any dudes around me who could be classified as "whistle-worthy" either.

It didn't make any sense but I soon forgot about the whole thing. Not five minutes later, something else happened. A dude in a pickup truck hauling a small trailer approached the intersection in the opposite lane and began honking his horn in short bursts. He then turned off to the right and appeared to pull over.

My initial thought was he was honking at nothing since I didn't see any traffic ahead of him that would require him to toodle his horn. Then out of nowhere, two dudes who had been just milling around the bus stop ran across four lanes of traffic against the light to where the truck dude had pulled over. Both the dudes were wearing flannel shirts and constructions boots. They each looked like construction workers.

It now instantly clear to me what was happening. These were day labourers looking for work, any work they could find. I'm not sure about the legality of such arrangements in that WBC rules must be followed in construction work.

Anyways, I've only read about such short-term jobs in the US where many illegal immigrants work in such a manner to eke out a living. In fact, here's a web site listing where you can find such workers in many cities.

It also made sense that just around the corner from the Gilmore station is a Home Depot. In many cities, it's natural for these workers to gather near a Home Depot where contractors are bound to be.

So there you go. If you want to partake in some shady construction labour, try the Gilmore Skytrain station.

1 Comments

When I first moved into my new apartment I had this idea that I would combine practicality and exercise into this one task. The idea would be for me to use the stairs to walk up to my apartment when returning from work. Since I live on the 28th floor, this seemed like a great opportunity to get a good workout.

Of course, since moving in I haven't even entered the main stairwell once. Perhaps, I'll try it for the first time this week.

0 Comments

In a previous post I mentioned how I'm running a small side business at work selling soft drinks. Since the fridge where the drinks are located is away from my desk, I rely on the honour system for payment. In my previous updates, I wrote how only a few cans seemed to go unpaid for. Unfortunately, in the intervening weeks, the amount of theft just increased.

One week I counted sixteen cans that were just taken. That's well over a case of drinks stolen. Then another week nine cans were stolen. I decided this was not acceptable. Last week, I just left the fridge empty. If the thieves thought they would continue to get a free ride, they were wrong.

On Monday, I sent out a team wide e-mail detailing the brazen theft and also explaining how the drinks are bought using my money, not from the team budget. So when people steal drinks, they're actually stealing from me. I announced that I was going to try something new. The drinks would now be in a smaller bar fridge next to my desk. I essentially now dared people to steal from right underneath my nose. Would people be that brazen.

After I sent out my message, I got several replies, all sympathetic. One of our production coordinators was actually nice enough to reimburse me the lost revenue from the team budget. That was a nice touch.

We'll see what happens in this new situation. I wonder if people will try to rip me off again.

1 Comments

As I mentioned in a previous post, my Xbox 360, which has faithfully entertained me for the last three years, broke down last week.

As part of the free repair process, it was picked up by UPS near my apartment building around 3pm last Tuesday. By 8pm on Friday, it was already in Don Mills, Ontario where Microsoft has its service centre. The speed by which it arrived makes me think it was delivered via rail though I guess technically one could drive to Ontario in three days but that would be one hell of a drive.

Unfortunately, since it arrived in Ontario late Friday, it wasn't technically delivered until the following Monday which meant it was just sitting there for two days. Some dude named "Cesar" signed for my console this morning. Officially, Microsoft has now acknowledged it has my console. What, if anything, they are going to do with my Xbox 360 is unknown. Ideally, it would be great if they just shipped me a working replacement console by Tuesday morning which means it possibly could get to me before the weekend.

I would love to do some gaming this Saturday.

0 Comments

Since I've started to work in Burnaby a lot has changed in my daily routine. Some things have been noticeable right away, others have taken some time to pop up.

One of the things I've noticed is that I don't eat McDonald's food items any more. When we were downtown, we were next to a McD's located in Waterfront Centre. Sometimes I buy lunch from there about once a week, though it would be closer to every other week. I would often buy snacks from McD's. In the afternoon, I'd often buy a snack wrap, junior McChicken, or a bacon cheeseburger. It was convenient and cheap.

Now, I have no close by McD's to go to. I'm usually stuck on-campus all day. On my way home, there's no McD's that's conveniently along the commute. I do live by a Burger King but I refuse to eat BK products. On the weekends, I don't actively go seeking McD food.

All that adds up to a change in my diet. I hope it's for the better. The question is, did I replace McDonald's with something better?

1 Comments