doesn't rain but it

yesterday:

i haven't been to a muay thai class in a while... the cardio was tough. i guess it made up for me not working very hard during the drills, i was partnered with a new kid who's literally a kid (young teen) and has zero training. i got a couple of corrections myself when the instructor came around, but most of the time i was teaching. it's hard to work properly when the person you're working with is as clueless about defending as he is about striking, and he's certainly not tough enough for me to strike at even 10%...

anyway, so the cardio was really tough, and then i took the boxing class afterwards. it's been a long time since i did that, and i felt it. it was a good class, i was feeling pretty pumped by the time it was over.

just as i was finishing my final crunches, the dumbass sat down next to me.
"you're wearing white underpants!"
"what?"
i check.
"i can see them underneath your fighting shorts! you're wearing white underpants!"
okaaaaaaaay then.
"why do you wear those pants your wear anyway?"
"because i like them."
"why don't you wear jeans?"
"because i don't like jeans. they're too tight and they don't have good pockets."
"do you have a girlfriend?"
i looked at him.
"do you have a girlfriend?"
"are you asking me if i'm available?"
"you have a girlfriend. no, you have a wife."
i just sat there, figuratively scratching my head.
"she must be beautiful!"
"umm... thanks, dude."
then he got up and left. he'd been talking really loudly, and i got some commiserating looks and laughter.

---there's something magical about drinking ceres granadilla juice after training. usually cold juice is amazing when you're hot, dehydrating and tired, but this stuff is crazy-good normally...

---i was just saying the other day that supermarket tofu won't cut it, but i tried the medium-firm tofu from my local again and was surprised to find it almost as enjoyable as the stuff i get excited about! the only problem is that it's half the amount of protein per gram as the extra-firm. can't win 'em all, i guess. the salad was delicious, i guess i'll just have to add another protein source.

vfmp came over later and demonstrated his selflessness - *man* that dude has patience! he'd printed out an article and after i showed him the demo exam he read it at the same pace, then slower, sentence by sentence breaking it down until i understood what was going on. damn - being at the "conscious incompetent" level sucks.

---thursday:

i got up early and stayed up, which was fortunate because a recruiter surprised me with an early phone call. after arranging to meet and applying for a couple of jobs using what i think are good cover letters i spent some time trying to figure out if i need to register for the reading / writing sections of the french exam or if listening is enough. the immigration websites can be so annoying sometimes...

i went downtown to get my hair cut, thinking about how perfect the timing is because i had a date tonight as well as an interview tomorrow and another on monday and i didn't want to look shaggy and unkempt. i walked into starbucks for my first coffee and for the first time thought to use their loyalty app. which requires registration, and my phone wasn't connecting to the internet so that didn't happen. i found a quiet corner with a plug and worked on my comics for a bit, finishing with the reworking that it needed before going to the barber.

the barber and i were not communicating. he was much better than the guy i usually get, but he thought i wanted a long fringe. when i realized that he wasn't planning on shortening it my whole system went "HELL, no!", i felt like i was sixteen again and confused about how i wanted to look. i got him to shorten it, not quite as short as i would have liked but in retrospect it came out quite well.
i then had to explain to him that no, i don't want my eyebrows trimmed. ugh...

haircuts... what a drag :/

the cleaning lady arrived soon after i got done trimming my beard and showering, we chatted a bit and then i left her to clean in peace. my second attempt with starbucks' loyalty app was successful, and i found myself a decent seat and really focused for what feels like the first time in a week.

java has anonymous classes? and everything is pointers? well, i'll be damned. mind - blown.
oh, and it's got major known unpatched security flaws, too? i've never liked oracle since i worked for 2+ years on their systems, but this kind of treatment is shocking.

phone interview: the company my army-friend works for and referred me to? the head recruiter called and we had a really interesting chat. a couple of highlights:
1. him telling me, after hearing me out, that he doesn't think i'd be happy with the role they have in mind for me, and me managing to convince him that he's wrong.
2. him asking me what my salary expectations are, and me refusing to play that game, holding my ground until he stopped worrying about offending me and gave me a number... which is only marginally less than i was earning previously and definitely enough to keep me comfortable.

i've passed the first round, and i'm going to be invited for a technical interview soon. awesome!

...

i didn't have time to breathe before the phone rang again, another unidentified caller. this time, a recruiting company i'd sent my resume to well over a year ago. well done, guys!
i was mightily embarrassed because the woman started in super-fast french and i missed one word that i suspected was important, so she switched to english for the remainder. confidence down. i've been invited to a technical interview tomorrow afternoon that'll be in languages and paradigms i haven't touched in a few years... good luck to me!

i was tired, and i'd originally planned to nap before going out but the second call threw that plan out the window. so i didn't rest, and i still found myself running a little late for the date...

... but i arrived on time anyway. yay! after a half an hour trying to relax on the metro and failing. i was tired, but still excited by the day's events...

---the walk from the metro station to aux vivres was magical. the weather, the air was beautiful, crisp but not too cold. the clashing smells and the wildly different people and the buildings and the street art and everything - it was a perfect evening, and i enjoyed every step through it :)

dinner was really, really nice; the food was delicious and we talked a lot and laughed a lot and discussed things that are - as far as i know - inappropriate for first dates, but it seemed like we were both having equal amounts of fun and a good time. i walked her to her bus, and was amused when she rushed off in a similar manner to wednesday leaving me off-balance and smiling.

i've decided i really like her. i hope the feeling's mutual!

---it's late, and my brain's been offline for a while, and i have to get up early and prepare myself for a big day that includes dressing nicely.

huh.