Saskatchewan Plates

I’m back in San Francisco after my third trip to Vegas this year/ever, second in a month. It’s excessive I know, but also a really unlikely pairing. I’m not much of a clubber, I don’t gamble particularly well, and I’ve never taken in a show, but I always have a damn good time – something I can directly attribute to the clutch crew of collaborators I’ve had on all of these trips.

This time was no different.

I boarded my flight back to SF this afternoon with a notably strong feeling of euphoria. It’s easy to attribute it to the tail end of a Craps adrenaline high, but I want to also call out the full weekend without any worry about work surrounded by a few amazing friends. In my mind, the euphoria was a result of the stress-happiness ratio swinging back into black with authority.

Of course like any index, it will be back into the red eventually, probably very soon as Friday is my appointment with the wisdom tooth fairy. But, to keep the financial metaphor going, I’m going to have to be more proactive about investing in this area going forward. It felt damn good to be that happy, though a little bittersweet to realize I may be feeling a little bit more blah on average than I thought.

In any case, if anyone else is making the trek to Vegas and wants to add a +1 to their Ocean’s X, you give me notice and I’ll be there. And, if you look at most of my travel: the epic BC road trip of 2005, the epic dominican trip of 2008, the epic east coast road trip of 2008, Greece, Japan/China/Taiwan, and even all the little trips to the lake – I can conclusively say that I love traveling, as long as I’m doing it with awesome people.

(Cue sappiness for Dave) And thankfully, I have no shortage of awesome people to call on.

Edit: Somewhat related and also awesome:

Today was a mixed bag of emotions.

Step one: Sell the car – I actually lucked out and found a buyer within the company so I didn’t have to go through the hassle of craigslisting. On my final drive down to the valley, the vars aligned and my ipod generated one last classic top-down playlist. It included Justice (the first CD I ever played in the car), some road-trip Karaoke favorites like Sublime, the Two Koreas, and Corb Lund, and, while Don’t Stop Believing would have been a great ending song, the ipod chose Let it Die by Feist to pull into the parking lot one last time.

And like that, it belonged to someone else, keys and all. It’s a remarkable feeling to trade a sleek, designed marvel of technology for a thin slip of paper with a series of numbers printed on it.

Step two: Have a number of efforts at work fall through simultaneously – To a certain extent, I’m still trying to find my role on my new team. And, while I’ve been trying to stretch my legs a bit lately, a number of my proposals got blasted down in the span of a few hours, which left me reevaluating what I thought my role was.

Step three: Have hard work on my previous role pay off – Nice to hear that you’ve made an impact, which is impressive at a company that moves so fast that it’s hard to keep up let alone leave a mark.

Step four: Night plans fall through – Traffic and public transit conspire to scrap plans on the town, and with no feasible plan B I stayed in to…

Step five: Re-live childhood by playing old SNES games – I dug out the classics: Mario Kart, Super Mario RPG, Earthbound, Zelda. I definitely did not play through all of them. But they all triggered flashbacks to simpler times.

Therefore, emotional rollercoaster.

I would like to say I’m going to have time to decompress, but I think I’ll be in the office Saturday and then helping out with recruiting Sunday. And next weekend is a return trip to Vegas, which should be the end of travel until the return trip to the frozen tundra to celebrate the calendricly related births of both Christ and myself.

I was lucky enough to get back to Waterloo for a recruiting trip this week. The actual work portion was excellent. The non-work portion was eye opening.

I got to see a ton of people still in the area: Gee and Laura, Trish (She’s technically in Toronto), Tammy, Heather, Jarrett (technically in Ancaster), Andy, Shahnaz, and Nathan. I even ran into Dan and Paula who were visiting at the same time, and caught a quick coffee with Jamie in Toronto. I missed Lindsay and Gent this time around.

Waterloo fits like a pair of warn in jeans. There was no teething, no awkward warming up period. It was like I’d never left. I clipped down the 85, cursing the same old construction, across to university and then two years into the past. I hit lots of the old spots: Ethel’s, the Duke, the Spur (now the Texas Chainsaw), the Heuther, PBT, Curry in a Hurry. I walked up and down King street and around the campus. It was an incredibly comforting feeling to be that familiar with the surroundings. I also realized how much I miss seasons and weather. It was windy and rainy the entire time I was there, but I loved the cold and crisp breaths as I walked between buildings on campus. I loved the warmth of Ethel’s as I hurried out of the rain for a beer. Making my way around southern ontario in weather that was anything but idyllic felt almost like a return to normality.

That said, the most important thing I realized was that, despite how much I feel like I belong in Waterloo, I don’t. I realized that my deep emotional connection to that place is only tangentially based on the broken sidewalks that connect the establishments I frequented over those 5 years.

Waterloo, now, is entirely a city of memories. Remembering all those cold nights in line for Phil’s, or sitting at the bar at Ethel’s for Tacos with Kenshi and Gee, or Morty’s with the Garner Four. All the walks back from late lectures, or to the computer labs with Ed, Zam, and Brad. Remembering the summer nights hanging around on the construction in front of Echo Base, playing Mario Kart (Alex losing at the last minute!) in the old Albert house, hanging out in the Doug Fir lounge, or even our initial escapades from residence. Every square inch of that town is a reminder of some past event and even the mundane ones are fond. It’s a suburban time capsule of five incredible years.

I miss that time deeply, but a proper return to Waterloo would not bring that back, or more specifically, it would not bring the people back. Without the people over those five years, Waterloo would as much meaning as any other small college town. So it’s all of the Waterloo faces I have to thank. I can’t figure out a way to say this with less corniness, but having the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and spend the last five years with them was a blessing.

What I realized at the conclusion of my trip is that cities and places are merely the sets, the backdrops for memories. It’s the actors on the stage, not the stage itself, that make memories cherished.

I’m hanging around the office a little later than planned on a Friday afternoon waiting for Tina and Tal to get their butts in gear and come pick me up. A few hours from now, we’ll be sitting around a bonfire somewhere near Big Sur over what will probably end up being the only camping trip of 2009. That’s a sad fact as it was a gorgeous summer of which I am guilty of not taking advantage.

Last week, we headed up past The Sac to do a little white water rafting. I’m not sure why I haven’t done it before, it was an absolute blast (We did the tunnel chute, a class IV right into a man made tunnel – evidently it’s famous). We’ve got plans to do the north fork which is a little shorter but a lot more intense, but again, probably not until next year.

Motorcycle should open up a few roadtrip opportunities as Deryk, Alex, and Kevin have all expressed some interest on hitting the road with their bikes as well. I’ll need to make a purchase before that, and I’ll need to actually sell the S2000 before that.

Other very hot news: I have tickets to see !!! tomorrow night! I’m pumped! I didn’t even know they were touring so it was a great catch on Tina’s part. It’s been a long time since Kenshi and I were randomly driving around KW to serendipitously catch “Is this thing on?” on the community radio.

Speaking of segues, I will be in KW next weekend and the early part of the week to help up with recruiting. Thankfully, that’ll give me some extra time to hang out with the locals (which seem to be Gee and Trish), stop by Ethel’s for some tacos, drink a beer on the patio at the Huether, and take in the sweet dank smell of the MC building.

Alright, ride is still not here and I’m starting to stress. I’m going to call this anyway, gota get the hot dogs out the fridge.

Dear Dave,

As far as I can tell, you’re the only one that still reads my ramblings. That’s no reason for me to let it wither and die though. My actual excuse this time around is that I was tackling the move up to San Francisco, which, I am happy to report, is complete. I have retired the Mountain View tag.

I’m all moved in to my very own one bedroom apartment. I’ve done quite a few location changes over the last few years, but what’s notable about this one is that I am, for the very first time, living without roommates. The entire apartment is my own. Turns out living on your own is quite a bit different.

For example, my computer is now in my living room next to my couch. This marks the first time I haven’t had a computer in my room since going to university. In fact, since university – all my life really, my room has served as my storage place for all my things: computer, desk, books, CDs/DVDs, luggage, winter gear, storage boxes, on and on. My bedroom was where I would spend my time, where I’d hang out. Now my bedroom has my bed and my clothes. Only activities that involve one of those two things happen in my bedroom.

I hear your scoffs, but I argue this is an end of an era. The bedroom has gone from being the hub of my entire life, to just another room on the other side of a door. I can’t help but feel that my bedroom somehow resents me a little now; maybe it feels like I’ve sold out. Suddenly I can afford my own apartment to myself and I don’t have any time for it anymore, except when it’s convenient for me to sleep. I tried to find other things for my bedroom to do, but I could only come up with my banjo. A harsh consolation prize for giving up the relationship we once had. Now I’m partying with my living room and kitchen all day, while my bedroom just watches through the open doorway, hoping that one of us will pay attention to it, maybe invite it to join.

Other than my slightly awkward relationship with my new bedroom, the rest of my apartment is great. Lots of room, lots of light, awesome location, room for the car (though it costs a bit extra). I’ve made a few additional housing purchases to stock it up: shelves, filing cabinet, dishes, glasses, cutlery, etc. It feels like it’s really coming together. Internet comes Monday which will make a big difference as well. The task I’m still struggling with is art. I’d like to have something inspired on my walls. This means no movie posters and I should probably hold off on putting the records back up. I’ve been meaning to check out Etsy for material. Maybe I’ll commission Keeley to put something together.

With the move done, selling the car comes next. I expect travel to slow a bit as well, but short term I have a rafting trip, a camping trip, a trip to Waterloo, and two trips to Vegas booked between now and the end of November. Aiming to do Christmas back in Saskatoon, but if anyone can suggest a warmer destination, I’m all ears.

No girls yet, but I have faith!

The soundtrack for “The Time Traveler’s Wife” has a cover of a Joy Division song done by Broken Social Scene. The song itself isn’t particularly inspiring (which accurately described both the movie and Broken Social Scene over the last few years), but it segued into a start to finish play of BSS’s You Forgot It In People. This reminds me, you should all be starting to put together your top X albums of the decade.

How is it possibly August 23rd?!

Only a few posts ago, I was bound for Canada to enjoy the first of the summer weather in Saskatoon. Now I’m on the other side of my second trip home, and only a few weeks away from my one year of full-time employment and the slow decline into fall. This last month has been just as busy as the rest of the summer. I’ve just returned from another excellent Saskatoon trip followed by a very enjoyable trip to New York. Work has also been busy, presentations on both the old and the new projects. And the move to the city adds more drama to the stack. It’s likely that the reason time has passed so rapidly is that there’s been very few hours in any given day to relax and decompress.

September will be busy on the home front: Move, furniture shopping, selling car, buying motorcycle, cooking more often, getting used to living without roommates, finding new bars, and new breakfast places, adjusting the social graph, warming up in the new team, planning.

Christmas, 2010, and being 25 years old are all just around the bend. Good god.

Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix) by Das Racist

The last two months have flown by with exceptional speed. June was expected with the big international trip, July was a shock. Rotations announced, I started ramping up with my new team, and that was exactly when things became hectic with the old team. In the last two weeks, I’ve pitched a product to execs (with a successful outcome!) and taught a class how to use my new team’s tools. It’s nice to actually feel like a product manager!

Considering the workload over the last few weeks, the lack of personal updates is not surprising, but I think of queued up enough to make a go of the blog post. Made a one night only trip up to Seattle and caught up with Trevmanda in their shiny new condo on Mercer island. Always nice to put in some face time with some of the old Waterloo crew. On evenings where I managed to ease the workload, I made a few trips up to the city with some of the work crew. Buckshot has rapidly become a favorite evening hang out. $2 PBR and skeeball is a powerful motivator.

Last weekend, I got a few coworkers together to take the motorcycle training course. I had a blast even it was just driving the bikes in small circles in the parking lot. In any case, I’m now on the hunt for a bike of my own, further pushing the limits of a reasonable number of toys to own.

The big news this weekend is that I have a deposit down on a new place in San Francisco. It’s in SOMA which means it’s walking distance to work. It’s a happy little set up with a parking spot, which means I don’t need to scramble to sell the car, though I probably should to avoid the temptation of keeping it for the occasional MTV commute. Pictures to follow when I go up to sign the lease this week (assuming everything goes to plan).

Oh, and Dave convinced me to fly back to Saskatoon for Folkfest. My budget just got shot to shit.

Anyway, things are “calm” for the moment, but with travel (Saskatoon, New York, South Carolina?), the move, and the rotation off my old project all coming down the pipe this month, it promises to be busy. I’d also like to get a few more phone calls home in. Let me know if you’re interested in receiving one.

I’m in love with a certain time of day. It doesn’t happen every day (though it’s very common during the summers in idyllic silicon valley). It’s just after the sunsets, but because the sky is still light, sensors haven’t got around to signaling street lamps to turn on for the evening. The wind stops. Trees are still and lakes turn to glass. The temperature will start dropping in a few minutes, but right now it’s perfect. If you were smart, you just cracked a beer.

It reminds me of slower times, of a more gradual pace. This year, the inaugural year of my career, has rocketed by despite being packed to the brim. Twelve months ago I was winding down a summer job in Saskatoon, preparing for the big move to the valley. Now I’m looking for a new place to rent in the city as a result of my year rotation. Looking back, the only I thing wish I had more of is control over the pacing. The last 10 months have been filled with itineraries, hard deadlines, and limited engagements. Using this as baseline, the trajectory I’m on will lead to things becoming more limited and not less. Over the next year, I need to decide whether I’m okay with the way things are trending.

But that’s not what now is for. Now is for a fresh air, slow smiles, and a few fond memories of days past. Wish you were all here.

It has been a whirlwind month. In my last post, I was one week from the APM trip. Despite the lack of photos (working on it), I made it through three east asian countries in less than two weeks and back, despite my best efforts to the contrary.

I really liked Tokyo, it was exactly what I expected: awesome. Despite having the most time to spend there out of any country on the trip, I could return and see a lot more. Highlight of the trip was seeing Ed, despite only have a few short hours to catch up. It seems like he’s doing very well out there, so hopefully he’ll be around for me to visit in the future. Beijing was very interesting to see and certainly different than I had expected. Taipei was the big surprise on the trip, largely because I had no expectations at all about it. I’d love to go back, maybe during a cooler season.

We found out our rotation fates at the end of the trip. You may have noticed my hasty “Moving to SF update”. I am happy to report that my new project will have me based out of the downtown SF office, hence the move.

Instead of taking a few days off to recover from the trip, or perhaps locate new housing, I hopped a plan to New York to visit my current team and local friends.

The scenery in New York is wonderful this time of year, but unfortunately the weather was hit and miss. My one night stay at the Standard was beautiful and I was very lucky to check out the brand new High Line Park. If you’re not based in NY, you probably did not hear about the spectacular High Line Park, which is the result of a project to convert NY’s abandoned raised subway lines into a city park. I recommend you check out the pictures. The exposed rails really appeals to my love for nature reclaiming man made constructs.

Only a few short days later and I was back at the airport, this time en-route to Vancouver. Life lesson: If avoidable, don’t travel on the Thursday before the long weekend. I made it to Newark International in time, but my flight departed late and only by running was I able to make my connection in Seattle. Apologies to those whose hopes I crushed by successfully making it.

Cons of living in the states: No credit history; criminal with the same name makes it impossible to check-in to flights online and get the seats I want.

Cons of living in Canada: No Hulu or Pandora

Vancouver was wonderful. I use wonderful here because I’ve simply run out of new highly positive adjectives to describe the city. I caught up with a huge set of familiar Vancouver faces over the course of three days and some from out of town. Kenshi made it up from Seattle and Trish was up visiting Shawn. Shannon graciously picked me up at the airport at Midnight on Thursday despite working the next day. Dan and Paula threw a BBQ. Kevin put me up on Saturday night.

I will move back to Vancouver. I’m not sure if I’ll make my original 2010 goal, but I will move back. I’m sure it’s first love syndrome, but I have very few reasons to be anywhere else. I consider myself a flight risk.

So now I’m munching on Sheila’s cookies and drinking Tim Horton’s waiting for my flight back to SF. The next month will be much quieter on the travel front, but just as dramatic overall. Goals for the next month: Find an apartment in SF, move into said apartment, sell the car, get a dog. Let’s see how I do. At the very least, I’m looking forward to retiring the ‘mountain view’ tag.

While We Were Hunting Rabbits by Matthew Good (I forgot how monumental Avalanche was)

I’m having a hard time kicking this off.

Saskatoon was a blast. Not a second was wasted. I saw so many wonderful people I dearly miss and had only minutes in some cases to catch up with them. Unfortunately or fortunately, things have been so busy on the California front that I have not really had time to come to grips with the fact that I won’t be spending weeks basking in the prairie sun this year. Or days wandering the streets of Vancouver. Or hours soaking in the hotsprings in Nakusp.

Rotation talks are all but wrapped up. The preliminary decision is made this weekend, we’ll find out the final decisions in two weeks time. I have my preferred outcome, but I have no idea if it will pass through the matching process unscathed. I’d be varying degrees of happy with any of my options, though it’s remarkable to think of how drastically different things will be only six months from now based on that outcome.

Back to now: Weekend is almost here. I’ll be spending it tying up lose ends, doing a little shopping for some business casual, and early packing. A week tomorrow is my flight to Tokyo. I’m excited, though admittedly a little nervous. I haven’t done much in the way of transcontinental travel (not to be confused with intra-continental travel), since the Greece days. And the arrangements are surprisingly similar. Expect at least one of these photos. I should probably find a Yorick before I head out.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a blog post without some vague, contemplative send off. Despite all the up and up, I have that nagging feeling that I’m walking down the wrong isle in the grocery store. I’m definitely shopping for something, but I’m not sure I’ll find it here. It’s not time to move on yet, but I suspect I’ll be looking down a different isle sooner or later. BAM!