It's been a busy 2 months... I don't have photographic evidence of this, exactly, but there are a few pics available in the Photo Album. Maybe someday I'll get around to doing the things I've been meaning to do for 2 months.

I'm not sure, but my Cheese might be starting to smell a little old. It could be that some of it has even been moved already.

-25/07/04-

No more random anonymous emails, but I am getting an average of 20 spams a day. Anyway.

Nothing really new to update, except for a short, and maybe a little disjointed, Discourse. Definitely a change from my earlier stuff 3-odd years ago.

2 weeks into my stint at E-One Moli Energy (the Moli once meant Molybdenum!) and everything's going well. Working in Maple Ridge and then running back to coach downtown (for free -- why do I do this to myself??) is quite draining. But at least I gets paid in real money.

What sort of word is "awkward", anyway? 2 'w's?? That's messed.

-29/06/04-

I love getting random emails from people who seem to know me but don't tell me who they are.

Anyway.

I've got some pictures up of my Eurotrip. Convocation pictures are on their way, but it's taking some time. A few corrections to miscellaneous pics. Check em all out in the Photo Album.

-24/06/04-

Update, fer real.

This one's got a few updates in Discourses, including both my final Valedictory Address (more than minor cosmetic changes, less than major rewrites) and a rambling piece of writing in my classical style.

Employment is now up to date.

Fixed Rowing up a bit.

Pictures in the Photo Album to come.

-1/06/04-

A brief update because it's almost midnight and I'm tired.I went on a nice little trip to Europe last month for about 3 weeks. Fun, but I was stupid enough to break my brand new digital camera. So no pictures until I get it fixed.Despite a few close calls, I finally graduated. My grad-level fuel cells course ended reasonably well, but combustion surprised me with a 60. Don't know why because we never saw any of our marks, and the prof wouldn't tell me. Whatever. On the bright side, I think I finally aced a final exam, this one in my Astrophysics course (it only took 5 years). Maybe I should have gone into physics afterall.Currently looking for a job as a mechanical engineer in Vancouver. Jobs are available, they're just a bit hard to find. So far I'm at 2 interviews for 11 applications, which I suppose is okay. My resume's changed more in the last month than it has in the 4 years prior; click on the Resume link for the most up-to-date version. A little worried that the new interview is for a management position, which would effectively negate 90% of everything I've learned during my time at UW in terms of pure engineering. It would basically be a career change, possibly necessitating an MBA somewhere along the line. In the end, it comes down to one thing: how good the money is. The answer to that question next week!

-14/03/04-

I've finally switched to Dreamweaver, after using first Netscape Composer, then MS Frontpage, then Notepad. Dreamweaver's pretty cool: easy to use, and accurate html. But then most people already knew that.Rearranged the Photo Album and added some new sections. Lots of new pics. Everything worth seeing from the past 3 months, more or less.Nothing else new. I think I'm spent for the next month.

-9/03/04-

A few notes of note....I went down to Daytona last month for about a week, and had a fantastic time. I'll put some pictures from the trip, and from IRS on the 17th of February, this weekend. Also look for a short article in Discourses I submitted to the Iron Warrior regarding the trip.4B is no longer incredibly easy... this month is shaping up to be just a little rough.At least there's some good news on the post-grad front: I had a phone call from the company in Grand Cayman that wants to interview me at the end of the month. Not cutting-edge stuff, as the product engineer admitted, but still interesting work in water desalination.Oh yeah, I'm off to Europe once exams are over. April 22 to May 17. My sister keeps raving about how nice St. Albans is, and I have yet to see just how big Big Ben really is.

Also, I removed my work reports from the Geeks section. I should have realized that they're of a confidential nature.

-11/02/04-

I'm tired of being stalked on the internet by people I don't know, so I've removed most references to my full name. Those of you who've kept track of my ramblings over the years may remember that I use to feel that privacy was superfluous; I didn't care who knew me, or what they thought. But that was then, and this is now, and it's all starting to get ridiculous. I realize that the URL has my first name in it, but it's the full name that's key. And yes, the full name is in my resume, but it's the casual stalking I'm trying to avoid here.Anyway, nothing else is happening. IRS is just a few days away, and organizing stuff is pissing me off as usual. Gotta love working with people, eh?Either 4B is incredibly easy, or I just haven't been hit by the sledgehammer yet. I have 1 midterm and 4 finals. I also have 4 projects, but I don't feel like they're real yet. We'll see if I still feel that way in a month.I still have no job, no gradschool offer, and no idea what to do post-grad. I figure a trip hitting all the provinces and each territory might be in order. Or maybe a flight to Europe; tickets to the UK are sub-$1000 right now.'Till next time... take care of yourselves, and each other.

-4/02/04-

Brief update, because it's been long enough.I am officially the Waterloo Engineering Class of 2004 Valedictorian. You can read my speech in the Discourses section. It's only moderately cheesy.Um, it's 1:30am, and I'm tired.So much is going on, it's hard to keep track of it all right now. But no real news on either the job or school front. I've added a new Resume, one that I feel represents an evolutionary leap, nay, a paradigm shift in personal resume writing. Whether other people, namely employers and professors, feel likewise remains to be seen. Teacher's college is looking a little appetizing right now, though.I've discovered the joy of baking, at least of cookies that I get to eat later. They upset my stomach, though... probably the milk I add to them. More on baking while at Waterloo later.

-10/01/04-

Happy belated New Year!!! (as always....)It's always a belated New Year. How else can it be when my computer is perpetually in Waterloo, while I spend Christmas in Vancouver? It's hard to update when separated from your material by 5000km.I suppose I could do some serious updating, but it's currently 1:32am, and I'm grotesquelly tired. It was a fantastic Christmas break, complete with frigid temperatures, but it certainly wasn't long enough. Now I find myself suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome; always tired, never able to catch up on my sleep, etc. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I do find that simply contemplating the upcoming 4 months is enough to drive me into a pit of despair full of misery, draining me of whatever energy and enthusiasm I might have once had.Okay, so that's starting to sound a little too depressed, and that's not really my state of being right now. I simply haven't been able to find a consistent source of excitement lately, even if I'm baking cookies. I do have a new digital camera, but I have yet to create a consistent photo album with it. Don't hold your breath right now; I'm much more concerned with figuring out my future -- which is really the source of my less than excited mentality.

Figuring out my future? I thought it was all figured out already.... remember this?

5 YEARS My plan for graduation is in serious disarray. It used to include Mechatronics and Physics, but the possibility of that is rapidly fading away. Mechatronics is essentially a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering, which would land me a job in controls, automation, or anything involving a mechanical and electrical system. Physics is just cool, especially particle physics. Mechatronics, however, is insanely intensive in the learning department, which tends to preclude second options and specializations. My plan post-graduation is currently up in the air. I'm juggling around the ideas of either entering grad school for a couple more years, taking some time off, or diving into the work force (what else is there?). I even thought about joining the Department of Defense's direct officer entry program. But, time off still sounds fine, damn fine.

Anyway, we'll see about something more concrete in the near future. My procrastination window is limited by external deadlines, so I'll have to make a decision at some point in the extremely near future. I'll get some pictures up soon, as I'm sure you're all anxious to remember things through the eyes of Daren.