operatives

smashing pumpkins - ava adore is one of my all-time favourite music videos; aside from being my favourite song of theirs, there's something about the relationship between the lyrics and the listener as it's reflected in the video that pushes all my buttons.

i'm thinking of this because it turns out that pg's never really heard the band, so i *had* to showcase. she still doesn't dig 'em. but i tried, and that's the main thing.

---last night we strolled slowly through the park in the drizzly cold, and it was marvellous. we then sat down at the 5 seasons for delicious sushi, tempura and teriyaki. i tasted the sushi, but other than that enjoyed gorged myself on exquisite vegan treats.

we watched l.a. confidential when we got home. i think i might've seen it before - perhaps just the end - but it didn't matter. it's as good as they say, smart and classy and engrossing.

my morning mumble:

i'm sweating
not because i'm stressed
i have one job to do today and i'm pretty sure i know how to do it

rather, because i arose to cold this morning
an icy, shivering cold
that kept me under the hot duvet another five futile minutes
and so i skipped out late into the morning wearing my blazer
with coat in hand that i'd hurriedly grabbed on my way to the door
to quickly discover that fourteen degrees doesn't need a coat

and for the heated metro, even a blazer can be too much

---the metro station i entered was empty; the station i switched lines at was jam-packed. the difference between being barely able to see the metro over the sea of people scurrying to work and walking into an empty car is approximately five minutes. with no shoving. what a pleasure!

i arrived early, and was still warm when i left the metro. i worried that i was running a fever, but in retrospect 14 degrees is relatively warm. i took a walk around so that i'd get to the office on time, but instead of leaving at 9am we would only depart around noon; in the interim, i took a pc and a desk and began studying things. including the organization, which included meeting people. in the first round i missed half the names, by the second i'd gotten them all. it's easy when there're three with the same name, four i've been in contact with by email, one with a classically simple name and one with the same french name as an old friend of mine.

that last one has a b-b-b-b-bad ringtone. i think if i had that ringtone i'd find it impossible not to answer in that voice and tune.

so i didn't have time for breakfast on the way out, but at least the office has an espresso machine. they have a cafeteria, too; it's also pretty sweet in terms of décor and cubicle setup.

---it turns out that the pseudo-dress code allows for developers to wear jeans and a t-shirt, but if i have to choose between jeans and a blazer i'll go with the latter. i can't tell you why. my mother suggests that it might have to do with my ambition, i think it's closer to an aversion to jeans and the convenience of blazer pockets.

perhaps i'll change my mind some day.

---trivia for the day: lebanese driving is like all other mediterranean driving. and french keyboards are very annoying.

midway through the day my mother called to harass me about food - i hadn't eaten - and by the time i found an escort to the cafeteria at the location we were at it was closed. i had to settle for a $2.5 twix: the vending machine and i had a disagreement regarding numbered columns so i had to pay twice :(

---a note on quebec marriage: it's not much of an institution here. more often than not people get together, have kids, and then remain together or not, moving on and having more kids with other partners without anything becoming a big deal. although there are issues with rights - which i agree should have legal recourse - the whole thing is quite refreshing.

---the walk back, at 16 degrees, did require a blazer. go figure.

i felt good but exhausted when i arrived home. and famished. after pre-dinner and dressing down, we ate real dinner and talked a lot. my aunt and cousin made fun of my enthusiastic description of the fifth element as a fashion extravaganza; we all ate too much dessert (including mouldy fudge, i hope a bite or two isn't going to make me sick) and then pg and i came down to watch lockout. [edit: my mistake! i originally wrote lockdown and that's a different movie altogether]

what an elaborately crap movie. the plot's full of holes, the characters either develop unreasonably quickly or not at all, and the stupidly unlikely is abundant. aristotle would have awarded 'em a razzie.