Update on my life right now...

[carlfoxmarten]

Since it's been a bit of a while since the last time I posted an update on current happenings around here, so here's another update.

Part 1: Education
My graduation application was accepted, and I'll be graduating on June 17th with a BSc (Bachelor of Science, Computing).

I've confirmed that I'll be attending the ceremonies, now I just need to rent the regalia for the event.
(so far I know that they'd prefer you to use a credit card online, and it costs exactly $30, tax included)

Part 2: Open house
This Saturday (May 28th) is the nearest campus open house, and I'll be presenting a software program that I hope will get used to teach first-year students programming techniques.

So far, I have two problems that I need to have dealt with before then. The first is that the program is nowhere near done enough to present, and the second thing is that I don't know when I'm off for lunch.
(supposedly I'm off at 2pm for lunch, and have to be back by 1pm)

Part 3: Mom's birthday on Sunday
It's only a few days until mom's birthday and I think all I have is a card just yet.
(I'd picked up a CD for her of the Irish Tenors, then found out she doesn't like tenors)

I got her a $50 gift card for her favourite fabric store and a bottle of one of her favourite bubble bath brands, but I wouldn't feel right doing the same again.
(plus I don't have $50 spare for another gift card)

Part 4: Job opportunities:
As I was involved with the ACM's international programming contest a few years ago and have a profile on LinkedIn (a Facebook-like site for professionals), I was sent a message by a representative at Google wondering if I'd be interested in hearing about job opportunities.
It took me a bit to figure out what to say, but eventually I did respond in the positive and had a fairly positive phone conversation with her.

I need to send her a copy of my latest academic transcript (which states which courses I've taken and what grade I received) and a copy of my resume.

She's going to pass them along to their Waterloo and Montreal locations (with Seattle a lesser possibility), so I need to ensure my resume looks as good as I can get it.

If I do get to work at Google, I'll have to move, no matter which branch I'd work at.
This'll be rather interesting...

Part 5: DVDs recently acquired
Somehow my dad managed to find copies of all three released Animaniacs volumes in a dump bin for $12.50 each!
(ordinarily, they're around $40 each, and that's at the cheapest place I could find it at, too)

So far, I've watched the firs two disks from the first volume, and have thoroughly enjoyed it!
(I'm going to limit myself to one disk a day so I actually get other stuff done)

Comments

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Good luck with everything! If you get a Google job in Kitchener-Waterloo I'd be happy to show you around.

[carlfoxmarten]

That's my main preference right now, I'm not sure how I'll quite survive living in Quebec...

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

At least it's Montreal; that's probably the only city in Quebec where you can get away with speaking English. KW's quiet but enjoyable, and we'll be connected to Toronto by commuter train by year's end so you can go there on days off. Transit around the area is a joke but if you live downtown you should be all right. Rent is relatively cheap here.

[carlfoxmarten]

How bad is transit in that area?

I live in a city that's supposed to have transit, but most buses only come every half hour, and the vast majority of them only run North-South.
(the three bus routes that do run East-West only run during peak periods, and only once an hour)

I'm open to doing a fair bit of walking, as I'm used to it now.

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

Depends where you are. The busier routes tend to be on half-hourly or 15-minute schedules. There's also an express service that runs every 15 minutes from Waterloo south to Cambridge if you need to travel beyond the immediate area.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, you'll be at their office at the Lang Tannery in downtown Kitchener; this is a good place to be because it's very pedestrian-friendly and close to shops and restaurants. It's a good facility:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/google-unveils-new-canadian-hub/article2027254/

I don't think they have any offices left near University of Waterloo, but that area isn't as pedestrian-friendly just yet. It is served by the express bus, however, so you won't have far to walk. There's a major transit expansion on the way, with light rail currently being studied. If you're used to half-hourly buses, you should be all right.