Homemade Caramel ButterScotch Cheesecake.

I get a whole bunch of spam comments around here. Most of the time, I just delete the comments after going through them – I blame my OCD but it helps me catch a few of real comments in there, yes I’m looking at you Ren by the way.

Anyways, spammers are getting craftier by the day.

Some appeal to my love of dumb questions:

Why is a square meal served on round plates?
from Affiliate Network, on “The one that sends Child Services to my house*”

It would be too hard to eat the meal if it was under a round plate.

That’s So COOL…who knew ?
from Education, on “Diptych – Bold“

Well, not you that’s for sure.

Some appeal to my know-it-all side:

I’m looking for 3d animation software programs without breaking the bank. I’ve come across maya, 3dmax and 3dmagix so far Whos got a review for 3dmagix? I’m into cartoon animation so which program is suitable for me? Jeffrey D
from raffaelo, on “Hey look who’s posting around 23h30*“

I don’t know. Damn.

Most appeal to my vanity:

I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites.
from generic viagra levitra generic cialis pills on “The one that sends Child Services to my house*“

You’re my new BFF.

Really like this post, thanks for writing.
from hib bathroom mirrors, on “Blackmail“

I’ll hook you up with my CutieDaughter, Son.

Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure.
from cheapest generic cialis, on “I am not from around here“

In Russia, pleasure reads you.

Super information,I have Digged this site to my seo list for future and will keep a eye on your other posts.
from ubotstudio, on “Regenerating… 25%“

Well, I do write timeless pieces. I posted this one in November 2008

Some want to “contribute” nudge-nudge wink-wink:

hey this blog is great. I’m glad I came by this blog. Maybe I can contribute in the near future. PM ME on Yahoo AmandaLovesYou702
from Cherrie Jahosky, on “They Keep Killing Suzie“

Bow-chicka-Wow-wow!

hey this blog is great. I’m glad I came by this blog. Maybe I can contribute in the near future. PM ME on Yahoo AmandaLovesYou702
from George Sester, on “They Keep Killing Suzie“

WTF? Is Amanda a girl or a guy? Aaaargh! Oh, those are actually for the Author, so it’s all good for me. Dodged that bullet.

Of course, some don’t try at all:

ocljlwijlmcds
from ocljlwijlmcds on “Wonder More“

I mean really? You just write your name as a comment? Lame.

And finally, some try way too hard:

Thanks for posting this article. I’m definitely frustrated with struggling to search out relevant and brilliant commentary on this subject. Everybody now goes to the very far extremes to either drive home their viewpoint that either: everyone else in the planet is wrong, or two that everyone but them does not really understand the situation. Many thanks for your succinct, applicable insight.
from pub height dining set, on “’stache“

That’s right. I am the expert on sticking a mustache on a cow.

This is kind of a rebirth edition. With pictures / graphics. Enjoy.

• The Phoenix: So Hilly decided to reinvent herself. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next. Just so you know, I’m totally stealing the Hilly Sundays and making them Mikey Sundays. I kid, I kid. I never blog on Sundays anymore.

• The Dark Phoenix: I’m thinking about this. Again. I already did this and that, so I’m thinking about making it official. Again. Feel free to gimme your thoughts, opinions and assvice.

• The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning. So I completely missed the release of Gathering Storm, the 12th (and final) book in the Wheel of time series. Well, true to the Robert Jordan experience, the final book has now become a three book saga. So the ending is really a beginning. As it should be, I guess.

• Galaxies are Colliding: I look good in black.

In a slightly modified Call of Cthulhu tradition, I’ll keep the last two bullets for myself – the madness is here and I’m not going down without a fight.

That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.

Hi. I’m not LeSombre. I’m a guest blogger who appreciates the opportunity to post something here somewhat anonymously. More on that later. But first — I want to tell you a about what happened to me this past Monday.

I’m your average person between 30-40 years old. Close to ten years ago, I decided to make a career change to something very new and very different from what I had been doing before. By a few strokes of bizarre chance, luck, and simply being nice to the right people at the right time, I found myself a job working closely with the Interwebs. It was with a small company that I had only heard of — but things were progressing to the point where it was ripe for acquisition by a bigger company.

And so it did a few months after I was hired. I learned a lot on the job. I raced to the head of the pack rather quickly and took on some further responsibilities as a technical trainer. Although the company name changed several times, my workplace and general job remained a constant. Like many folks, there are days that I dread going to work yet months that I smile at the notion of being in a job with a good fit.

Which brings us to Monday: we were all called into an all-hands meeting. Our director and VP, who are based in another city, were already in the room — this was not going to be good. Especially because they usually would mill about the troops informally before their meetings. We sat down around the room for the meeting. It began and ended quickly.

Our director cut to the chase: effective May 1, our center would be shutting down. The work would be moving to a different company center in Ohio. Why? “Realignment” purposes. (e.g. It’s a better fit that way; It’s not us; it’s them.) But they care very much about us and will try to help us find other positions in the company. Oh — and there are positions available doing the very same jobs in Ohio for those who want to make a new home in a land far, far away.

Not quite the news that anyone wants to hear, but certainly not first thing on a Monday morning.

Look — as far as all of this goes, I’m lucky. Very lucky. I’ve had this gig for nearly a decade. I’ve seen friends and colleagues let go from their jobs at the drop of a hat. I”m married to a wonderful partner with a wonderful career and wonderful job benefits. I have a roof over my head and a very supportive network of family and friends. In a time when unemployment and underemployment is at levels not seen in decades, I’m doing quite well.

But still? This blows. It hurts. Perhaps it’s because I have been lucky and haven’t had the experience of being fired like this before. I’m probably taking this far too personally, but I foolishly didn’t see myself as a pawn, one of many tens of thousands in the company, who is herded up with others and moved around (and off) the board regardless of my own specific performance. I certainly need a thicker skin in that regard.

Does anyone watch Torchwood? There’s an episode in the first season entitled They Keep Killing Suzie. You’ll have to suspend some reality for Torchwood on any account, but in this episode they bring someone back to life who was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. As her body gradually repairs itself, it’s taking away the life-force of the person who brought her back, making her suffer the same fate. As her headache progressively gets worse and worse and she feels blood trickling out the back of her head, she’s told exactly what’s happening: she’s encountering the feeling of getting shot in the head. In very, very, very slow motion. And there’s nothing she can do to stop it. No way she can dodge the bullet. The inevitable will happen. Very slowly.

It hasn’t been the perfect job. Not by far. But I know exactly what to expect day in and day out. I know which people will make me smile, which will make me laugh, which will make me roll my eyes and which will make me want to jump onto a table and scream. I know, generally, what’s expected of me every day, and I know what amount of money will be direct deposited into my bank account every two weeks. I know where I stand with my colleagues and my superiors.

The unknown scares me.

And I’m not alone. We were later told that the May 1 date may actually be June 1. Or July 1. But they’re not sure. It’s sending my co-workers into a flurry of decisions to make: Although moving to Ohio is not an option for me, some are considering it. What are housing prices like? What are the schools like? Will my significant other be able to get a job? Will this job last more than six months? For those of us not contemplating a move, there are also decisions to be made: do we look at one of the other (scarce) positions within the company? Do we look outside the company? Who do we tell? Are our friends truly our competitors for these same jobs? It’s driven us crazy.

And it’s only been day two.

I’m fairly sure that this is going to work out okay for me in the end. I’ll find a job somewhere doing something. It may come before our center shuts down; it may be months after my severance pay runs out. There will never be any guarantees that this will be the right job for me, nor that it will be a job which will last a decade like this last one has. You know what? I work with a whole bunch of talented people. We may stumble a bit, but on the most part we’ll all land on our feet.

Yet work today felt like everything was proceeding in slow motion. Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… As much as I truly desired to throw myself into my workload and just get my job done, my mind was racing: What next? Am I proceeding at the right pace? It’s been 26 hours since the announcement and I don’t have a job lined up yet. Am I doing something wrong? The whispers of co-workers around me, some of whom are sharing their plans with me and some of whom are holding their cards close to their chests. What do they know that I don’t know?

There are 66 days until the First of May. I truly hope not all of them feel like a painfully slow shot to the head.

—

As for the anonymity thing: there’s a good chance you’ve determined who I am. That’s fine. I’m not trying to keep my job situation a secret from anyone. I simply wanted to place a layer of sorts between my own blog (which can be linked to my name) and this topic in case, for instance, any prospective employers want to put my name into a Google search. But yes — if you think you know who this is, you’re probably correct. Please use appropriate discretion if you decide to comment here. Thanks.

• Notapussy: My good buddy Dave2 called me a pussy. I’ve never been so honored! It was meant in the British sense of the word, right? Well, maybe I’ve made a huge mistake.
• The Wolfman: I went to see The Wolfman on Monday. Here’s my 5-word review of the movie: predictable, entertaining, foggy, gimmick, meh. I have a feeling that a lot of my reviews would contain the word “meh”. What’s the last great movie I saw? I think it was District 9. What’s the last great movie you saw?
• News: You’d think that with things like facebook, twitter and Blogs out there, news outlets like cyberpresse.ca would be able to get better pictures to go with their stories? Maybe it’s just a case of using “148408-commissaire-lnh-gary-bettman-rene.jpg” instead of “148409-commissaire-lnh-gary-bettman-rene.jpg”.

Just in case they decide to change it…

• The missing Tuesday Post: the astute reader might have noticed that the Tuesday post is strangely absent from my post archives. That’s because I’m growing up people! I chose the high road, I’m the bigger man, etc. Heck, If I can let Dave2 call me a pussy, I sure as hell can let some dude I work with try to rip me a new one because I used a big word he didn’t get. Oops. I guess I still have some growing up to do.
• Breakfast Club: The Breakfast Club turned 25 this week. I remember the first time I watched the movie… There’s a famous joke in the LeSombre’s household about Breakfast Club. I goes like this:

Lovely Wife: Did you see Breakfast Club?
LeSombre: Many times.

I know it doesn’t sound that funny, but it really is. I was flipping the channels one morning and went past one where they were showing Breakfast Club. Instantly LW said: “Did you see Breakfast Club?”, but she really meant to say: “Did you see? Breakfast Club!”. Well, I guess you had to be there.

In pure Call of Cthulhu tradition, I’ll keep the last bullet for myself for when the madness finally comes.

Grrrrrr-Rrrrrrawr!

*That’s 11:30 P.M. to you, my American friends.

Monday was Family Day here in Ontario (where I work). Wikipedia says it applies to 60% of Canadians, but let me tell you that it doesn’t apply to LovelyWife.

Well maybe it does and she instead gets an extra day between XMas and NY. Who knows.

What I know is that LW worked today, and the kids went back to school after a week off due to another minor medium plague. Because if you remember, the minor plague is something else we had a few years ago.

Which means that I spent Family Day ALL. BY. MYSELF.

I’m Ronery.

Of course, once my family came back from the office / school, all Hell broke loose and I was forced to work for three hours. Stupid server who has to break down on days off. Like clockwork I tell you.

So that’s why I’m updating at 23h30 (11:30 P.M.).

BTW I sent this pathetic Tweet:

Hey – Guess who has two thumbs and worked 3 hours on his day off (instead of having sex I might add)? This guy! *points with thumbs* Sigh.

And that generated a few good replies:

@LeSombre … and all this time I thought having sex WAS your job! (Mr Shiny)

@LeSombre That made me snort, then cough. Sorry you had to work, though. And really sorry you didn’t have sex! (Lovely Lynda)

Thanks for making me laugh.

Oh and also I updated Mikey’s Angels to Wordpress 2.9.2 and the latest CommentLuv. You’re welcome.

Now I have 30 minutes to come up with a post for Tuesday…