So we went to the toy section at Zellers, today. You know what we found? Transformers are more realistically posable for todays children than they were for us. I can't say I'm thrilled to have grown up in such a dark time, in terms of general toy development.

And with every new Spider Man movie they make another set of toys, including a new web-shooter toy or two. They get bigger each time! This new one is half again the size of the average ten-year-old's forearm!

But in other news, I continue on my trek to employment in such a way as to make babies dance and angels sing, because I am completely convinced that I am that important to the oblivious and the angelic. I'm helping Jason move stuff from his old place to his new place, and I can't help but feel envious of his good fortune to actually own (or partially own, anyway) his own home.

We're eagerly waiting for Tylor to get back from Hawaii, and I think he is too, so that we can let him in on some of our newest developments in the heart of Magi, our larger projects. For example, we've got a system devised with which to plan out tactics and maneuvers in battle situations, whether they be pitched, planned, or punitive. That's right, we're plotting military strategy. The Alliance is sure to fall. As is the Empire. All the Empires, actually. There are a few. And a couple of alliances. And some sovereign territories that are due to get whooped as well. Okay, I'm just babbling now. Jason, you take over for me.

I just can't wait to get moved in. I will have my own play room, wherein I can disappear for hours working on the website or just wasting time with Diablo 2 (yes, Diablo 2, not WoW or anything new, my computer sucks.) We will also have a place to work together, the three of us, which is very good as we have this afore-mentioned new system for devising strategies. I can't give away its secret because it would make us look less impressive. However I may be deluding myself in thinking that we have anything to lose in that regard.

Yes, I am very excited to now be a home-owner. My fiance thinks that I don't show my excitement enough because I am simply not a "jump up and down and squeal" kind of guy. But I assure you that this is what I'm doing on the inside.

Boy the things I've missed.

Today I gave my two weeks notice at work. I have found a new job closer to my new house. Though it doesn't pay much more than my current job, I will be saving probably about 50% of what I have been spending in gas.

Now that the personal news is out of the way, my real reason to update was to share some developments on my drawing and cartoons and things. Today, my Portfolio Page is updated! There are two New Drawings! Also, just because by connection to the website-uploading-software-thingy is very random, I will take this opportunity to upload the first Avatars Strip. It will be located in my portfolio for now but Avatars will receive its own section, just like HMBs, once there are a few more strips.

Oh, I have to go now. Dinner time.

First, it's my girlfriend's birthday today, so happy birthday to her.

Second, I've cleaned up the website. Go ahead, explore. Just try to find a link that doesn't work right, or that takes you back to the old file folders.

Three more items in my Artwork page, including the second Avatars strip. Other than that, I don't have a lot to say tonight.

Also...

April 21 - Happy Birthday Janny!

See, I can wish my girlfriend a happy birthday on the website too even if it is just about 3 weeks late. And by girlfriend I mean fiancee.

Are you familiar with that Bill Cosby joke, the one where he talks about the water in the fridge? Anybody could come and drink from that water bottle, with the condition that if they emptied it, they had to fill it again. Every time that thing got down to an inch of water left in the bottom, that inch of water would stay there, simply because no one wanted to be the one to have to fill it.

That's what this news page seems like, sometimes, only it's the other way around. The more time that has passed since the last post, the more likely it is that I'm going to be the one updating. Certain co-conspirators over here have gone off on rants about things like talented fan-fiction writers, and then concluded that their thoughts on such matters would be an excellent addition to the site. Then, these this same people person comment/s later about how websites should be maintained and given proper attention. Not that I'm complaining, it's an excellent point, and should always be kept in mind. However, the size of the update, or prospective update, should never intimidate one meaning to make it.

So really, I have only this to say: I'm really terribly interested to read somebody's thoughts on fan-fiction. *ahem*

(Editor's note: I don't think I'm ever going to see it.)

This week I started my new job. It kicks ass. I spend about half the day inspecting orders and then for the rest of the day I get to sit and do pretty much whatever I like while we wait for customers to show up for their pick-ups. The other guys spend most of this time kicking a soccer ball around outside. I'm a lazy troglodyte so I will be getting a lot more drawings done. I made Avatars Strip Five today and I will have another drawing ready tomorrow.

So, my new plan for Magi is as follows. I will nerd it up so much at work that my co-workers will want to quit to get away from me. Then I can refer Mark and Tylor to come work with me. We will be paid to work on our various Magi Creations!

My new job, on the other hand, sucks. They don't bother training us, they just have us stand around while they look at new and interesting problems on their own. Doesn't it seem to make a little sense to involve your trainees in the problem solving process? Does no one think that maybe showing them the tricks, the habits, the tools, and maybe even the solutions might be a good idea?

The other day, I stood over a hole for six out of my seven hours of work. The other hour was driving. We started to do a job, but it involved something new, and there was a problem, and there were attempts at a solution... But I have no details. Why? Because I, as the new guy, am supposed to stay out of the way.

This is not how you train people! I have trained people. I know how to train people. The people I train are trained well. They are involved in every process. I put their hands on the task at hand and I talk them through it. I let them know what they miss, what they could do better, and I praise them when they get it right. People who are trained by me learn how to approach every single obstacle, because they learn the principles involved in the problem-solving process.

What I do not do is tell them to stand alone a full city block from where I am using some tool they haven't seen. I post some other guy, some guy who knows the tool already, and I involve the trainee.

Me? As the trainee, I was left alone for four hours while three guys who knew what they were doing failed to solve a problem that involved stuff I haven't seen. I'm not saying I automatically would have been able to solve it by virtue of being dynamically awesome, what I'm saying is that I could have been learning about the tools and processes being used.

Most Recent Position: Manhole Guard.

Compound that constant supervisory attitude with the fact that my full time job comprises so very many 6.5 hour days, and I am not happy with my current employer.

I have been a forklift operator(2500lbs to 8000lbs), I have been a cable-puller, I have been in charge of a shipping/receiving warehouse. I have experience with training, with customer service, and with sharp deadlines. I am proficient with computers, and able to learn any program outside of the plethora of programs I already know. When I learn a job, I excel at it.

If you have a position you need filled, send me the details, including shift times and wage/salary. Send it to wordsmith@magi-creations.com with the subject line: employer

And now, I think I'll work on a review. Click on the Rants&Reviews button to read it.

I got fired today! They didn't tell me why but my best guess is that I was nerding it up too much. Seriously, I didn't do anything bad, wrong, or too slow. Even at the times that I was doing nothing but drawing, it was while the other guys where playing soccer. I even asked if there was anything that needed to be done before doing nothing. But no worries. I have another job lined up already. All this means for me is a one-week speed bump in pay.

To add to the stress of losing a job, I have also been having a fun issue with my car. The damn thing decided that it wasn't resistant to battery drain as a result of someone who shall remain nameless leaving the lights on over night. We managed to charge the battery enough to get me to work the next day, but It was dead by the time I had to leave. Mark and Tylor were kind enough to put off seeing a movie to come rescue me.

So, cost for a new battery: $100. Which is okay because the one I had was over six years old and due for a change anyway. But, we went to both Walmart and Canadian Tire only to find that they don't have a listing for the battery on my 97 Hyundai Accent. I had to borrow my fiancee's car for the day last monday. First, I had to get up at 6 to drive her to work. That was about a half hour. Then I went to Canadain Tire to see if the info listed on the battery in the manual was enough for them. It wasn't. 15 mins to the parking lot at work where we had left my car on Saturday. (Digression: I didn't do anything about my car on Sunday because we were at Janis' brother's place for our nephew's 1st birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUNE! (Digressing from the digression: I know Rune is only 1 and can't read this.))

The tools I had with me proved to be too wimpy and small so I had to drive (15 Mins) back to Canadian Tire to buy a more manly tool. Ten Inches! 15 mins later I'm back at my car playing with my new toy. I got the battery out and another 15 mins down the road I buy a new battery from Canadian Tire. Then I took that to my car. That was another 15 mins by the way. My car works! However, during the rescuing process two days prior Mark came to the assumption that it was not just a battery issue and that it would likely cost me another $600 dollars at least to fix something in the engine. Fortunately for me, after talking to Janis' parents and other people who actually know more than crap-all about cars, it turned out to more likely be an alternator problem.

Canadian Tire again, the next day. They test my alternator. Or rather, they try. They get no signal or anything. So they do a $260 electrical wiring repair deal. Turns out the alternator was just fine, it simply wasn't getting power. Huzzah! Everything works! Everything but the headlights! Now I need a $72 light switch... but the part won't be in until next Tuesday. AARGH! And guess what. That's another $104 for service and installation. Total cost = aprox $536. So. Mark was almost right.

Janis: "Don't forget the $100 I spent on the battery charger."

Crap... Mark was right. But not about the problem, just the cost. That's the important thing, that Mark wasn't 100% right.

Sigh. Okay, now that I got that rant out, here's what you all really want. Avatars Number 6, and more Artwork.

About ten years back, on a family trip through the Rockies, the van's engine just stopped. In the mountains. In the middle of the night.

We coasted to a safe place to pull over, and slept there on the side of the road, until a tow truck came to pick us up to bring us into town. Calgary, to be specific. The tow bill couldn't have been cheap. This is why you spend money on AMA.

See, the van's engine stopped because it had no power getting to it. The lights didn't even work, because the battery had been totally drained, because it was in constant use. The reason the battery was in constant use was because the alternator wasn't working. It had to be replaced, at a cost of $600.

It's not that I need to be right, it's that he tried so hard to make me wrong.

I quit my job today, for no reason but to keep Jason out of the spotlight, because I am an attention whore. The fact that I can devote myself full-time to getting another one might also have something to do with it, but really, who can say?

So, after I got my car back from Canadian Tire after the electrical stuff was done, it turns out my heater/fans weren't working either! I decided to wait until the part I needed for the lights came in. This was a stupid idea. I hadn't anticipated that over the next couple of days before the part came in, while I was driving around looking for jobs, that we would have near record high temperatures! I don't have AC in my car, so the fans are a necessity! I was WARM!

But I'm okay now. I got the new part installed and the fans work now too. No extra cost, thank god. Though I would have refused to pay extra. It worked before I got the electrical done, and it didn't after I got the car back. They were at fault there as far as I'm concerned.

After the last few days, dropping resumes and going to interviews, I will now have a job come Monday one way or another.

In the meantime, enjoy more Avatars!

Happy Birthday Mom!
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
Happy Anniversary Janny!
Happy Birthday Andrew!
Did I get everyone?

I have a new job now. I get to play with chemicals! Janny is getting a new laptop computer, so she won't need to steal mine, meaning I can get more work done on the website. Also, If you happened to check the site earlier this week only to find that we were missing, we appologize for that. The short version is, we missed a deadline for renewal. If you want a longer, more detailed version of the story, I'm sure Mark will have a rant for you. But we're all good now. So, Avatars anyone?

Jason wants a rant. He specifically mentioned me and noted that I might rant about it. He asks and I deliver.

So yes, for a brief time, we were nonexistent. It was a new feeling, or rather a complete lack of feeling. Kind of like purgatory. You ever been? I can't say I'd recommend it, but only because the beverage service sucks. The AC is good, though.

Anyway, we went offline because I was told by popular vote to just deal with the issue of impending shutdown myself, and receive payment from the guys when they got their payment to me. Well, as you'll know if you read my posts, I have been unemployed. Not since I quit that job I mentioned, the one that sucked, because I had another one that day. But my reserves were done in, my credit card was maxed. You would think my cohorts *coughtylorcough* would realise that this would mean I couldn't deal with the issue.

I'm being unfair to Tylor. Neither of them wanted to deal with the tedium. Hell, I didn't either, so it's on all of us. I just prefer to have that thin layer of denial up at all times. I'm taking it down now as a matter of professional responsibility, seeing as how being effectively inactive and invisible for a time is a pretty major issue, one you shouldn't dump on your co-workers, especially since they were buying your food.

Anyway, I also have been paying monies to the maintenance of this website since before its debut. I have, in all fairness, been paid back for what was not my share, but the thing is, it was always there, always coming off my credit card, a constant unseen thing that we have, at times, forgotten about. It was time for someone else to have that burden. I'll buy them pizza.

So when it actually went down, we set a time and date, and we gathered and dealt with it, each of us playing a part in the process. It was an excellent team-building exercise, and I think that others should engage in the process. I think if team-building trainers would encourage their office-staff recruits to pay for the Magi Website, the world would be a better place. For three of us, anyway, and isn't that a start?

So we weren't down for more than a day and a half, unless it was two days or more, in which case it was less than three full days. Everybody got the math on that?

Oh, and Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Whether we be coconuts
or wether we be men
Is to whether we retreat
or turn and fight again.

For deep within the oven
our fate is being sealed,
By the cheesy pan of pasta
which has finally congealed.

Am I to see the foray
as evil or as right
when intolerance of lactose
is what will decide the night?

Let me just say, I don't know.

I don't know the answers to the questions above, nor do I know the questions that any of you are thinking after reading it.

I'm sure as my exhaustion perseveres, I may come to make less sense. Let's see what happens, shall we?