Monday, December 31, 2007

Year in Review

And so I sit in front of my computer at 11:15pm typing away when perhaps I should be out on the town getting sloshed. I decided to stay at home and reflect on the past 365 days. This was quite the eventful year for me, with a lot of personal ups and downs, family tragedies, and otherwise things I should rather forget. I can't say 2007 was the worst year out of the 41 other ones I've had (can't remember much from years 1 and 2) but if anything it was in the lower echelons of the spectrum. Let's hope 2008 is better.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

I hadn't gone to see a movie in a long time so I decided to check out the new Nicholas Cage flick. After checking my "suspension of disbelief" at the door I sat down not expecting much from the movie, and that's what I got. It was your typical "treasure hunt" movie. I was puzzled by the casting of Oscar winner Helen Mirren (and also her decision to accept the casting). My next movie will probably be The Bucket List starring two unknown actors named Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Monday, December 24, 2007

MC & HNY

Enough said.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Love Story

"Love means never having to say you're sorry". Every once in a while this 1970 classic comes on TV and every time I make time to watch it. It's one of the first true modern tearjerkers, with a haunting theme and beautiful story. I guess now I'll be in a melancholic mood for a day or two.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Changes

There are a lot of changes happening at work, some good and some bad. We have two salaried floor managers coming in, which means my schedule is no longer the steady Wednesday-Thursday-Friday off. I even have some night shifts thrown in, and I don't have any more 4am-2pm starts on Saturday....just as I was getting used to them. I guess I'll finally get to experience the horrific traffic jams on the highway in the evening.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Christmas in Cloverdale

Fraser Downs had its Christmas party last night, and a few of the table games staff showed up. We managed to just make it in time for the buffet (which was delicious) before the festivities began. The party was held at a golf course banquet center, very beautiful. There was a wide variety of music, I got to request "that ABBA song". There were also some "questionable" tunes that were played, namely "The Chicken Dance" and "Cotton-Eyed Joe", but I guess those songs were quite appropriate for the crowd. I had a good time and managed to leave just before 11pm. After all, I am writing these words just before I have to leave for work at 7:15 in the morning. Red Bull day!

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Coincidence

About three weeks ago I bought myself a Garmin nuvi350 GPS for my car, so I wouldn't get lost during my long trips to Cloverdale. Even though I'd easily memorized my trip, I always brought my GPS on my trip, if only to hear the sexy female voice announcing my turns. So this morning in my haste to leave for work, I didn't bring my GPS. I was already starting my car when I realized my mistake, so I thought, well, it's not like I don't know how to get to work. So I was on my way. Unbeknownst to me, this one day (after three weeks) there was some major accident on the Port Mann Bridge, which I must cross in order to get to work. As a result, traffic was diverted. As a result I started driving on some highway that I was not familiar with. Suffice to say, at 3:30 in the morning, I was easily lost. I managed to make my way to a city and called my shift manager who guided me to work. What are the odds, this one day I don't have my GPS?

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Settling In

I guess I'm settling into my new home (workwise). My sleep cycle is more or less fixed now as I find myself waking up at 9 or 10 in the morning on my days off. I'm going to bed no later than midnight.

As for work itself there are still a lot of things to learn and work on as we continually try to nurture our new casino. But things are going fine and hopefully will continue to do so. Let's just hope we don't have horrific snowstorms for a long time.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Weather Outside Was Frightful...

The last two days I've had to experience the "pleasure" of driving the 30km home from work in snow. Luckily both times the highways weren't as bad as expected. For most of the day today the snow as falling quite badly and I was afraid that I'd be stuck when my shift ended at 6:30pm. But as fate would have it, the skies warmed up and rain started falling at around 5. Then the rain fell harder and harder and the drive home only took about 10 minutes more than usual. I hope the rains fall throughout the night so my drive in the morning isn't too icy.