eyes on a little nothing

thought for the day:

the tragedy of life: it's too short not to invest in everything that interests you, but too short to do so much and still become amazing at something.

---yesterday:

a good worker never blames his tools. but i've just been complimented on how professional i am because for once my macbook didn't fail me when i needed to do something remotely? i don't buy it.

it was a relaxed, easy, superheated morning. i woke up exhausted, though, needing at least a few more hours of sleep. that feeling only strengthened as the day progressed; when i eventually found myself halfway through my first cup of coffee i realized that that wasn't going to cut it. it would take the pre-training rockst*r to get me out of the red... and that kept me going until 2am. perhaps i should replace my second coffee (usually right after lunch) with the energy drink?

---i went to the eye institute for my pre-op examination. my appointment was for 11am because there weren't any other times available, and 11am is a particularly inconvenient hour for someone who starts work at 10am. i arrived on time, i was told to have a seat. i'd been waiting for twenty minutes before i was informed that they were running late. there i was, half-asleep (occasionally waking myself with a soft snore) and unable to so much as check my email. what a waste.

after about forty minutes they finally called me in, by which stage i'd lost patience and wasn't particularly friendly. on the one hand, i felt bad for them because a technician hadn't shown for work and so there was one doing the work of two; i was also irritated because if they'd called me in the morning i'd have happily rescheduled and not lost a full three hours of my work day.

i thought the tests would take, like, half an hour or so. however. in additional to redoing every single test on both eyes - after i'd told them that i'm only undergoing surgery on my left - there were problems with almost every test. my fault, to be sure: i almost gave a false report on one of the tests just to get the damned thing over with. that would have been decidedly stupid, of course, but the thought did cross my mind as i could tell that they don't normally take so long to find the right correction.

amusingly, one of the tests took forever because my left eyelid is too weak for me to "open wide". i wonder if it's related to my astigmatism? after five minutes of frustration the technician called in the secretary to hold my eye open with her finger. the two of them were both embarrassed and apologetic, although i found it interesting that the secretary rested her hands on my shoulders between attempts. at the angle that my neck was at, i wondered if perhaps i could ask her for a massage while she was there :P

at the end it turned out that the reason for both tests is that i was registered for surgery on both eyes in spite of what the surgeon and i had agreed on my first visit, but we're going to sort that out on monday.

---metro was supposed to be ready to begin on the comics this weekend, and i was quite excited. yesterday she sent me an email explaining that due to personal circumstances beyond her control and an uncertainty regarding her ability to go the distance she's bailing on me. i'm very disappointed indeed :(

i did, however, receive another email later from an amazing artist who i contacted a while ago, and while he might not actually be able to work with me (something about a potential conflict with his publisher) he's happy to talk to me about my project and perhaps advise. i won't say no to an offer like that.

in addition to that, a co-worker told me that his friend's wife is unemployed and looking for work as an illustrator, so i'll get in touch with her tomorrow. the fact that she mainly speaks french would provide a unique challenge... either we'll figure something out and i'll be able to practice a little french, or not. beggars can't be choosers.

---the three hours that i was in the office were not relaxed at all, and i was still out of it. in addition to a couple of big bugs that i'd have to somehow sell to our client* our it guy switched out our network connection. this would have been amazing except that we weren't given any warning and most of our critical systems weren't ready to be reconnected on a different ip address. so that kind of screwed everything up.

* who arrived just as happy hour began, which did not impress me. the reason he was so late did, though: the woman working at the desk got the company wrong but managed to call someone with my name. boy, were the two of them surprised when he eventually arrived at the front desk instead of me.

---the beers i had at happy hour were much needed. we had fun, mostly, and i was asked to retell my porsche and modelling portfolio stories to the new guys. reactions to those stories always entertain me.

i was careful not to drink more than two beers and to leave an hour and a half for my system to clear for training. it was an excellent boxing session, i was told to work with a guy that i've promised to spar with - as soon as i get my gear sorted out - and he's ridiculously powerful and fast. he made me work really hard and the class was a perfect end to the week.

...

i feel much bigger now. my weight is an almost constant 190lbs (i prefer pounds because it's a round number), but i've gotten to a point where i feel ripped (i'm not "ripped", but i'm a lot more muscular and in much better shape than ever before). the way i carry myself has changed. i'm *pleased* with my body ^_^

---i watched ufc 124 - gsp koscheck 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it. except for the end of the main event. having watched the ultimate fighter - team gsp vs team koschek i've come to think of koscheck as an uninspiring fighter and an intellectually challenged schoolyard bully. at the end of the fight the two of them seem to have neutralized their enmity, which is great. what's weird, though, is gsp talking about koscheck "playing it up" to drum up support.

1. there was no need to do that, that's very wwe and to my mind cheapens the ufc. i don't know about anyone else, i watch it because it's real fighting. i'm just as impressed by fighters "keeping it in the octagon" as joe rogan seems to be.

2. did he do that? or was gsp just trying to cover for his being an asshole? i think he could have just complimented him and left it at that.

---i chased that with a couple of episodes of californication. i can't recall quite how many times i've been told i should see it and netflix thought so too. i was in the mood for quick and light entertainment, and i find myself adoring the show and wanting more! it's great fun and balances the cerebral with the carnal: it's totally writer's porn.

---today:

happy jamaican day! i had no idea, and downtown was closed off for the crazy parade. i was only there to get a haircut (and have lunch and cash a cheque), if not for that i would've stayed at home all day (on such a beautiful day?! too tired for anything else).

i'm shocked at how happy i was to way up early enough to get my laundry done without interference.

awkwardness of the day: my forgetting that godmother's in china... and it was the middle of the night... and she doesn't have caller id... it took about a minute to figure out why she wasn't being very friendly.

after my mission downtown i came home, showered and passed out for a couple of hours. i've noted that the pool is open for business! i'll have to find out when i can go, i do hope it's a "whenever you want" thing.

now preparing to watch have you heard from johannesburg: vimeo has a 72 hour limit on watching their video on demand, and i had no idea because it's fine print. they've agreed to refund me if i purchase it again...