From the “Canada Day Long Weekend” Dept.

Well, it’s 11:30pm Sunday night. It is Day 2 of my 3 day long weekend.

I have to admit, it’s very difficult to work when you’re suppose to be on holiday.

I’ve managed to complete 1 1/2 reports of the 4 reports that are suppose to be done. Not as productive as I would have hoped, but hey, it is the weekend, right?

I cut my hair today. A little on the short-side, but in a week it will be fine.

I’m always amazed at how much hair I’m managed to cut away. It’s a very liberating experience—I liken it to shaving (another infrequent past-time for me). Very cleansing; almost spiritual.

My contract at Critical Path ends soon, so I’ll be looking for a new job.

Hmm…I hope I am more focused than I was in my prior sabbatical. I am fearful that I might move into that blue-funk again….Especially with the release of such games as Neverwinter Nights (D’n‘D RPG —the way it was meant to be on the computer) and Warcraft 3 (hey, it’s made by Blizzard, so it has to be good, right?), I am worried that I may be spending the summer playing video games rather than looking for full-time work.

Now, I know I’m too smart to let something like that happen, but man…I’ve been waiting for these games to come out for such a long time. Especially, Neverwinter Nights. However, I have to admit, I don’t own any computer hardware that could play these games (not even on my 6-month old iBook). So the likelihood of such a summer is not in the cards.

From the “What do I do when I get Paid” Dept.

I am getting paid soon, and I’m wondering what should I spend my money on?

Next to paying off bills and debt, I’m thinking one of three toys:

• a Digital Still Camera,
• a Digital Video Camera, or
• a computer upgrade for my PC

Now I know I don’t need a computer upgrade. There’s no reason for me to spend the 800 dollars and move my K6-3 550 MHz to an Athlon 1800+ (w/ an ABIT KR7A mobo, 512 MB of PC2100 DDRAM, and a RADEON 7500 64MB + misc hardware). My computer does everything just fine (except for games…).

So it’s a toss up for Digital Video or a Digital Still Camera. I know it would be more affordable for the Digital Still Camera (probably a Canon Powershot S30 or G2— while my co-worker Peter isn’t a fan of either camera’s aesthetic, even he admits that they’re both good cameras with competitive features). As for a Digital Video camera, I’d probably go with either a low end Canon or Sony.

I don’ t know. I don’t own a camera, so I’m not “picture crazy” like some of my friends who INSIST on documenting our lives on film. Moreover, what would I do with a DV Cam? Make ASB #3?

From the “Books that inspire Right-Side of my Brain” Dept.

I found an interesting book called “Batman :: ANIMATED“ in Indigo Books last Friday. Fascinating. It’s about Batman: the Animated Series. I’ve always liked the series. I’ve seen every episode and most of the feature-length, animated movies. I love the art design and the direction of each episode—very adult sometimes. The book talks about the series, how the characters were developed, and the inspiration for some of the better known episodes. It has a really rich, graphical layout too. Perhaps, the most amazing thing about it are the full page spreads of some of the storyboards used in the series. Fabulous. I’m always amazed at how an cartoon or movie can be manfuctured from a sequence of still pictures.

I’m kicking myself for not buying it. Damn. It WAS $45 CDN, so it wasn’t cheap. However, in hindsight, it’s one of those books that really can inspire the atrophied right-hemisphere of my brain.

If any of you do find that book and like it, I would also suggest “Batman Collected“ by Chip Kidd.

Anway, I have to hit the sack and wake up early to do some major work.

Cheers,

-T