hybrid tumbleweed

My shiny new machine

We finally bought a car!  My partner had a small domestic car years ago, but for me this is a first.  I am so excited!  I've driven a lot--commercial vehicles, both taxis and 18-wheelers, as well as various rentals for personal needs over the years--but I have never before owned a car (since many readers may be puzzled by a thirty-something man buying his first ever car, I shall write about that in a future post). 

I did a lot of car researching and searching over the last few weeks--I read consumer reports, car reviews (both professional and personal), compared charts, with emphasis on reliability, fuel mileage, depreciation and safety ratings, and test drove a number of different small cars. 

Over the past couple of years we seriously entertained buying a Daimler-Chrysler smart car.  Not only is it very cute, but it is also small and fuel-efficient (I am strongly opposed to large vehicles, unless their size is necessitated by line of work), and has good crash safety ratings.  We wanted a car that would not unduly enlarge our ecological footprint.  But in the end we decided against it--the smart is so new to the Canadian market that there are hardly any used cars for sale (with freight, PDI, and taxes, the price tag was too high), and, again because it is so new, reliability is hard to judge.  It also does not seem as solid a vehicle as other, only sightly larger, cars. 

So we turned to Hyundai, Honda, Nissan and Toyota.  After comparing their lineup of small cars and test driving a few of them--Hyundai Accent, Honda Civic (both hatchback and sedan), Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, Camry and Echo, we decided on the Echo. Would have liked the Yaris, but again, new is too expensive.  We leaned first towards the Echo hatchback (I realise now it was mainly the cute factor), but after driving both, agreed that the sedan not only handled better, but also has better storage space (except perhaps with the rear seats down).

So we jumped through all the financing hoops and bought the 2005 Toyota Echo sedan.  Here we are at the dealership, just before driving away with our new (well, new to us) car.  Although new enough at just over a year, we did not have to pay freight and PDI on top of all the taxes--that's the benefit of buying used.  It had just over 50000 km on it and still had remaining factory warranty.  We had it rust-proofed and extended the warranty.

The interior is surprisingly spacious for such a small car.  I never liked the feeling of having to crawl into a small car, having hardly any room to move my arms or legs around, or to shift my position, and feeling like my butt was just barely missing the asphalt.  This car is easy to get into and out of, leaves plenty of arm, leg, and head room, and allows for excellent visibility.  Much like the smart, the Echo feels much larger on the inside than exterior appearances would have you believe.  I have not yet driven for more than an hour at a stretch, but with the exception of its lack of cruise control, I look forward to a longer road trip.

I drove it home on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006 and have driven it to work now for almost a week.  It handles very nicely, both in stop-and-go city traffic, and at highway speeds.  It has a short turning radius and corners very nicely.  And with its small size it's easy to find parking downtown or at the mall.

I'll leave this post with a couple more pictures of my new baby.  In a few weeks, once I have some more mileage on it, including more highway driving, and I've used up my tank of gas and have a better idea of its true fuel mileage, I will write some more about it.  So here are a couple of extra pics--I wanted a silver car, but this looks quite nice as well!

      

Some more updates...

I have spent quite a bit of time the last couple of days getting a new weblog up and running.  This one is called "Wordworking".  It's a blog about my efforts and struggles to become a freelance writer.  Yes, I have played with the idea for quite some time and have finally decided to take action.  Please visit.  And of course, if you like what you see and would like to support me, feel free to offer your comments, drop a couple of dollars into my tip jar, or hire me to write something for you.

In other news, I have put another project, at least the on line portion thereof, on hold.  I am taking a bit of a break from the hybridity research.  To be quite honest, I simply do not have the funds to continue it for now.  I turn, for now, to smaller, more affordable projects.  Unless, of course, someone decides to hire me, offer to publish and/or fund my research, etc.

In other news... I like, before getting to work on my own blogs, to quickly browse through a few other blogs, starting with the featured blogs and followed by the list of recently updated blogs.  One blog I saw today, Girl Solo in Arabia, turned me a deep shade of jealous-green.  Why can I not have an interesting job like that?  Dagnamit!  Oh was I jealous!  It took a while for the green to go away...  I heartily recommend the site to anyone interested in travel writing, Arabia, the travels of Ibn Batutta, etc.  WOW!  Now will someone please scoop me up and send me on an adventure that interesting? And pay me to not only stay alive but also to write about it?

My, my, getting late... must go to bed.  In my dreams I can also do things that are THAT interesting. 

Going wireless at home

Well, I finally decided to go wireless at home.  I recently moved to a new place for a new job, and with that move also came some other changes, like ditching my old desktop.  That left us with only the one laptop between the two of us.

While I have not missed the old desktop, quite outdated by now, I did not like the mess of wires attached to my laptop, a device meant to be portable.  Part of the trouble was that I only have two telephone jacks in this place, so one had my phone on it and the other, in the living room, had to serve both my Internet and faxing needs.  This meant that my laptop was usually perched on the coffee table, near the phone jack but much too low for comfortable writing, or on my lap.  And the wires connecting my laptop to everything else were not only an eyesore, but also a tripping hazard.

I finally got fed up with this situation last week.  I walked over to the nearest Staples and bought a Linksys WRT54G wireless router.  Excited, I took my new toy home, eager to get everything set up.  Though not your typical manly man, more metro than macho, I do get excited about new gadgets.  The excitement was soon replaced by frustration bordering on anger... the stupid thing would not connect to the Internet via my Sympatico DSL connection.

Part of the problem, a lack of time, was resolved today.  I finally got a couple of days off work, and my partner wasn't home, so I decided to hunker down, do some research and get this thing working or else return it.  I perused the wireless sections of tech fora, read supporting documentation on the Linksys web site, and then tinkered. 

I now have things set up so that I am able not only to take the laptop anywhere in the house, sans cables, portable as a laptop was meant to be, but also to browse with confidence that my wireless connection is secure from war drivers (people who walk/drive around looking for and using unsecured wireless connections).  The one thing I have not yet set up wirelessly is my printer.  I think I'll have to buy an additional device for that.   

Hmm, what to call this update...

Wow, it's been more than a month since my last post!  I have been so busy in my new job, have had so much to learn, that I simply haven't gotten around to it until now.  I'm fairly settled into the new job, although there is still a great deal to learn, and am becoming somewhat familiar with the new town as well, small as it is.

I must say, I do miss the travel.  But there are a great many things I do not miss.  I'm glad to be off the road and out of the truck.  And the new job as Support Shift Coordinator is a good change.  For years I dreaded getting a cubicle job.  I still would not want to work in one of a thousand little cubicles in one of those enormous office floors high up in a glass and steel tower.  My cubicle, lucky me, is right by a window, and I work in a fairly small single-floor office environment--there are only six of us on my shift.  Anyway, I am busy learning and enjoy the rewards of a more interactive job, and of knowing that I've done my best to find solutions to make someone's day a little easier. 

I also have a lot more time off to be at home or go out on the town, to pick up an engaging book or see a good movie or play, and to spend quality time with my partner playing scrabble, having stimulating conversation, or going for long walks.  Yes, I like it.  It's good.

Now I just need to save some money and get myself a little fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly car to get around a little easier.  I'm doing a lot of walking and cycling, but for some things that just isn't quite enough.  I wish there were better electric or hydrogen options already.  Hybrids are becoming more efficient but are out of my price range.  So for now I'm seriously considering getting the Mercedes-Benz smart fortwo.  I need to get around better, but don't want to unduly enlarge my ecological footprint (to measure your own ecological footprint, go to http://www.myfootprint.org/).  I have already done much to reduce mine, but it is still larger than it needs to be.   

That's it for now... Later!

I'm in... moving into the office!

I'm in! The series of interviews for an internal opening (several, actually) yielded results.  I will be starting my new job in the office of the company for which I've been working for almost two years now on July 5th.  It's a good company to work for, and I'm glad to stay with them in a different capacity.

While I will undoubtedly miss some aspects of my current job (the travel and relative independence certainly), I will appreciate being home every day, as also being able to put more of my skill-set to good use.  I've been driving truck for almost two years now, hauling freight across the Eastern half of North America, and have enjoyed the relative freedom of the open road. 

I've seen much of North America that I simply would not have been able to see in most any other job.  While I mostly stopped in industrial areas of various towns and cities, I always enjoyed soaking up the scenery--the beautiful, densely forested mountains and lakes of the Adirondack region of New York and of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, the verdant hills of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Virginias, the small highways through dense forests along the great lakes of the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin, the wide open grasslands and farms of Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas, the contrast of orange earth and piney woods in Mississippi, and the many beautiful rivers, especially the Mississippi and the Susquehanna.  I've also had a keen eye on the ubiquitous deer (sadly too many of them dead), the occasional coyote, many wild turkeys, countless red-tailed hawks, cranes, and many other small animals and birds.

While I have enjoyed nature the most, the human narrative as told by cities, highways, and technology has not escaped my attention.  I have marvelled much at human ingenuity.  I've seen beautiful old cities nestled in the mountains, storied cities full of history, their stone, brick and concrete buildings and bridges a step closer still to nature.  I've also seen the modern cityscapes of steel and glass reaching into the sky, seemingly disconnected and separate from nature.  And of course, I've seen the (unfortunate) proliferation of suburban sprawl and big-box stores.   

I've reflected on our dependence on the natural world and our efforts to remove ourselves from it through technological innovation.  So many factories, particularly in the primary and secondary industries, can be found along rivers, estuaries and lakes, feeding off them (and, unfortunately, polluting and destroying them as well).  And around these factories, bit by bit, towns have formed.  I've read the same layered story also in transportation routes.  First trade and industry relied on waterways for transportation, then, with technical innovations, came the railroads, and finally, the paved highways.  In some cases this progression (I'm sure there are many examples) is quite clear--the railroad runs quite near the river, and a little distance further lies the highway.

I digress.  The point of all this is that I have done a great deal more the past two years than merely drive a truck.  I have enjoyed aspects of the job immensely and have had a great deal of food for thought (indeed sometimes almost too much).  These aspects I will miss.

Now I must turn my attention to learning a new job in a new environment.  I'm sure my experience on the road will be a great help as move into the operations department to support drivers.  But there will be much to learn.  I look forward to it... and to the predictable schedule and daily home time.   

Canada joins the ranks of the xenophobic paranoid

Until recently, Canada had managed to project and preserve an image of relative tolerance, multiculturalism and peacefulness.  So strong was this reputation that some liberal Americans, afraid of what America's reputation might stir up for them while traveling abroad, have been buying little Canadian flags to put on their clothes and backpacks. 

While a great deal of xenophobia and racism (not to mention sexism and homophobia) lurk still beneath the surface in Canada--one need only listen to a CB radio for a few hours or spend some time listening in on lunchroom chatter for ample evidence--, we at least had an international image of tolerance.  Now even that is being destroyed.  The veil is lifted.  Canada has managed to join the ranks of the xenophobic paranoid.

We need no longer turn to Fox News or American newspapers to hear about possible terror plots.  The fear-mongering has come to Canada.  Now we can listen to Canadian coverage of Canadian paranoia.  Even the Toronto Star is full of terrorism headlines after the recent much-publicised arrest of 17 Muslim men in Toronto.  (Aside: the Toronto Star, known as a left-leaning paper, even has a special report on 'Homegrown Terror' today.)

First the Liberals under Paul Martin sent troops over to Afghanistan without public discussion--even many politicians apparently knew little about it until Harper came into office and stepped up the whole campaign, putting Canadian soldiers into active combat roles.  And now, with much drama, Canadians are being arrested for alleged terror plots.  A day later a mosque in the GTA is vandalised.

What the hell is going on?  Why is North America becoming more conservative?  Why are conservative elements gaining political strength?  We should be evolving, not just technologically, but socially as well.  Instead it seems we are devolving.  I hope these are just momentary backlashes against the progress we've made in the last fifty years.  Whatever it is, the direction Canada is heading now with this terror paranoia, I'm afraid, will only contribute to the rise of terrorism.  When will people learn that marginalising people only increases terrorism, indeed creates terrorists?

Busy, busy, busy... learning about self-promotion!

Wow! What a busy month it's been!  And no, my brain has not suddenly cooled down.  It has simply been so busy learning about the job-search process, about effective resumes, cover letters/executive summaries and interviews, about self-promotion, and indeed about self-discovery.  I've been too busy to write my blog.

I've read a number of books on the subject of the job search.  There are so many books on the subject, and so few of them are really any good.  One book recommended to me by my current supervisor, Knock 'em Dead by Martin Yate, is, in my opinion, very good.  While I did not have it handy when revamping my resume, it was very, very helpful in preparing for interviews.  It offers down-to-earth, straight-forward and sometimes hard-hitting advice on everything from answering tough interview questions, to negative and positive body language, to how to dress for an interview.  It covers just about everything one might need to prepare for a successful job search.

I work for a large and growing company that happens to be a great employer.  Unfortunately, my current role within the company leaves me unfulfilled--while it has been interesting, and sometimes fun, it utilises very little of my skillset.  Fortunately, however, there is ample room for advancement within the company.  I have my foot in the door, so to speak.  So I decided, upon the advice of my supervisor, and after a great deal of thought, to apply for a higher and more challenging position advertised internally.

A day after e-mailing the hiring manager my resume and cover letter I got a call to set up a telephone screening interview.  A few days later I passed the screening interview and had the weekend to buy a new suit and prepare for three back-to-back in-person interviews.  That's where Knock 'em Dead really came in handy.  I studied the company and studied myself in preparation for those interviews.  It's been a while since my last serious interview, so I was quite nervous.  While there are certainly areas, upon reflection, in which I could improve, I think I did quite well.

Those three interviews were yesterday.  I was told by the last interviewer that they would interview one more candidate today, after which they would consult with each other to arrive at a joint decision.  There are, I think, three positions for which I am being considered.  And now I wait...

I had already decided, and I told my partner so, that I would not put my hopes up too high, and that I would take this as practice, as a learning experience, regardless of the outcome.  But how nice it would be if I got hired now, by the company I already know!  And if I do get hired, I will be very, very busy getting to know the new job.  I am excited about the possibility, but also somewhat nervous.  It will take a lot of effort, a lot of learning, and I must develop my skills in an entirely new context.

Why am I being so vague about what my current job is?  And about the positions for which I am being considered?  Even about the company I work for?  Suffice it to say, for now, that it is a complicated affair.  On the one hand I don't want to jinx the process (I know, it sounds superstitious and I'm embarrassed about it, especially since I claim to be neither religious nor superstitious... just leave me alone already, will you?), and on the other, I am a little embarrassed, given my educational background, to publicly admit what I am currently doing.  Not that it isn't an honourable and important profession, but, but, oh forget it, you'll find out soon.  I'll tell all once I move on.

Wish me luck (or is that also superstitious?)!

Job Search... Aargh!

I am finally getting back into a serious job search.  As I have mentioned before, I am not happy with what I am doing now.  I am not miserable, but simply unfulfilled.  While I am being more realistic about my next move, putting certain dreams momentarily aside, placing them on the not yet pile, I do need to get into work that not only offers a better schedule and affords a healthier lifestyle, but also relies on at least some of my education.  I need to feel challenged, mentally, even if not intellectually. 

Oh with what dread I approach the search, especially the putting together of a resume!  Everything and everyone is now a commodity in the global marketplace.  I am--I shudder at the thought--a commodity.  And I must sell myself, must cleverly market my education, my accomplishments, skills and ambitions.  I must present an image of confidence and certitude. 

I am not a salesperson, so I borrow books from the library on resume writing, job searching, career transitioning.  I pore over the books and agonise over my past, present, and future, my saleable accomplishments, skills, and ambitions.  What have I accomplished that will be deemed worthwhile, especially given that most of my work experience has been in the blue-collar world?  Will they recognise as an achievement the fact that I was the first in a poor immigrant family to make it to university?  That I struggled through three degrees, funded by student loans and fuelled first by dreams, then by the growing student debt itself?  It rendered me an educated pauper.

I digress and perhaps grow a little dramatic.  Pardon me.  But among the skills I do have in my proverbial toolbox--critical thinking, writing, communication--selling, ironically, especially selling myself, is not anywhere near the top.  Yet everyone is expected, especially when knocking at the white-collar door, to sell her/himself.  I cannot simply approach employers and tell them that I am honest, hardworking, and willing to learn.  I must learn to sell.

I am very open to suggestions, advice, comments, that could make the task ahead easier.  I would especially like to hear from people who have made the leap from blue- to white-collar work, people who have come from the lower socioeconomic strata, acquired an education funded by student loans, and have, so to speak, made it.

A New Axial Age?

Scholars of religion and philosophy, after the German philosopher Karl Jaspers, speak of an axial age, a pivotal period of time, roughly 800-200 B.C.E., in which there seems to have been a flurry of thought that resulted in the formation of the great religions of the world.  I will posit that scholars a thousand years from now, if humanity has not wrought its own demise before then, will think of our own age as another axial period, a period wherein religion, along with various forms of superstition, will be left behind by the vast majority of humanity, and wherein humanity will begin to stand on its own feet, so to speak, to think for itself, to rely upon its own mature thought to form an ethical framework by which to live.  I believe this age, if my thinking is correct, probably began with the Renaissance, accelerated during the Enlightenment, and, with certain backlashes, continues to gain momentum today.

I know it may seem silly to postulate something that cannot be proved or disproved for hundreds of years, but it may be useful in stimulating some deep thinking about humanity, about where we are collectively heading, how we decide to work out our relationships, how we decide to not only coexist, but get the most out of the life we have.  I certainly would like to see more metathought.  I would also like to see more specific thought/work on the development of ethical frameworks that function independently of religion, ethical systems that are based not on the unseen but the seen, not on a life beyond, but rather on this one, frameworks that do not use the fear of punishement(hell)/desire for reward (heaven) dynamic, or rely on the dictates of some greater, unseen being. 

I think it is time for humanity to begin standing on its own feet, to work through its own issues, to use its capacity to think and feel (reason and empathy) to develop ethical frameworks by which to live.  I know this requires a great deal of thought, a great deal of questioning and dialogue, a great deal of trial and error.  And there will be many shades of gray, or better yet, many colours, instead of any simple dichotomy, any simple black and white answer to fall back on.  It will be hard work, there will be no easy answers, but I think it's time.

An aggravated itch...

I was listening to the CBC this morning while on the road as I often do.  And, as happens with great predictability, I heard a number of interesting things that got me thinking.  I heard an interview with Scott Griffin, chairman of House of Anansi press and author of the newly released book "My Heart is Africa", recounting his experiences with the Flying Doctors air ambulance service.  I also heard part two of a documentary on the program 'Ideas' entitled "Pleasures of the Flesh" (for more info., see http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/pleasures-flesh/index.html).

The interview with Scott Griffin, while interesting as a whole, really served to aggravate my longstanding itch to learn to fly.  It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.  I have no intentions of flying a commercial airliner or military jet, but I very much would like to fly a small plane such as a Cessna or an ultralight.  Griffin mentioned, when asked what got him into flying, that he had always had the dream, but that he could not afford it for a long time.  When he finally was able to afford it, he simply went for it.

This got me thinking... What would I do to learn how to fly?  I know there is no traditional way for me to do this--it is expensive, and I am still deep in student debts.  So I thought, what if I could live in a small place near or on the property of a small airport and get flying lessons in exchange for any kind of non-specialised work around the airport? Maybe I could be the groundskeeper, the airplane washer, the get-this-or-the-other-thing person.  Then I could slowly weasel my way into some kind of work that involves flying... Hmm, any ideas?

The other program, while again interesting in its own right, got me thinking about a peripheral topic, something I've been thinking about over the last couple of weeks, namely the rise of secularism.  See the post 'A New Axial Age?' for more on this.