Personal News Archives: 2001

Mar. 31 | Apr. 11 | May 13 | June 2 | July 1 | Aug. 6 | Oct. 7 | Nov. 21 | Dec. 27

Now in chronological order...

March 31, 2001

The deal with Engineering.com is pretty well done, so they are my new employer. The whole process of being “bought” is quite weird. There were many last-minute revelations about benefits, vacation, titles, and pay schedules — some good, some bad — but with no negotiating power over any of it (unlike when you change jobs). And I have still haven't met too many existing Engineering.com employees.

Heather Grant gave birth to a healthy baby boy on March 19. Tim Grant was present and very happy. You can read all about it at their Web site.

Our Alaska cruise is booked for this summer.

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April 11, 2001

We had a pleasant Easter day at Michelle and Hugh's. Neal and Therese were visiting, and Mom and Dad showed up later in the day, back from Greece. Hugh and Michelle were great hosts, and it was nice to have a big family dinner.

Jean is working on hiring a new office manager. I'm finding that true integration with Engineering.com will not be a speedy thing.

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May 13, 2001

Jean and I have started biking! (on non-motorized bikes, I mean) And I don't know if this is related, but we've also had trouble getting motivated to go dancing. We think that may be, in part, due to lack of people our age to hang out with while we're there.

At work, I'm trying to figure out a Content Management system in order to roll it out to Engineering.com. And Jean has hired his office manager, and she's currently being trained.

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June 2, 2001

Highlights of cultural activities:

We were both a little surprised but very pleased at how much we enjoyed The Essentials "O, What a Night" show at the Waterloo Stage Theatre. They're an a-capella group with a great stage presence and even better voices.
And Cathy was more than a little surprised at how much Jean liked the KW Symphony with the Jeans'n'Classics Band performing “The Music of Queen.” Of course, it was amazing. Another great singer with good stage presence, a quite talented lead guitarist, a choir of great voices from WLU for “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Somebody to Love”... And the Symphony wasn't too bad, either, especially on songs like “Who Wants to Live Forever.”

After almost missing our plane, we had an enjoyable trip to Timmins on the May long weekend. Jean had fun on a fishing trip, while I mellowed out with the parents and Michelle, who also flew up that weekend.

Our friends are doing well. Robin's slightly premature baby girl Faith is now home, and Larry is starting a new job at RIM on Monday.

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July 1, 2001

We had an enjoyable visit with Mom and Dad last weekend. We went for a dinner at the innovative Artbar, went to the Macphie's for another dinner, and took a trek through the Elora Gorge.

This weekend Jean is on call, and it's keeping him hopping!

Work is going pretty well. We're finally getting more integrated with the Woodbridge team, and Jean should be interviewing new drivers soon.

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August 6, 2001

Apart from movies, recent fun activities include:

Participating in the Dragon Boat races at Laurel Creek.
Going to Latin/jive dance evening at Guelph University.
Attending the first-ever Engineering.com party, which included meeting the rest of the staff, getting a company history, and a fabulous catered dinner at the CEO's beautiful home.
Seeing the Carr, Kahlo, and O'Keefe exhibit at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg.
Short visits at various local friends.

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October 7, 2001

This is no longer particularly recent news, but we did enjoy our trip to Alaska, though it probably wasn't the “trip of a lifetime.”

The conflict between the Ontario respiratory therapists and the College that governs them has been — well, not fully resolved, but finally looking as though it will be resolved. The two sides are in mediation, and in the meantime the College has suspended punitive actions against the conscientious objectors (boycotters) until the mediations are over. That has improved Jean's work outlook.

People I like have been quitting at Engineering.com, but apart from that, things have been going well.

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November 21, 2001

We went to see Burn the Floor in Toronto. That's by the same people who did Lord of the Dance, but it's based on ballroom dancing instead. The traffic was awful, but the show was great fun. Afterward we visited with Michelle and Hugh.

We also went to Diana Krall's local concert. She gave a jazzy performance that was much appreciated by the crowd.

I've been getting more responsibility at work, which is a happy thing. However, I'm thinking I may have to learn to drive to Woodbridge (just north or Toronto), at least in non-rush hour times. That's where the other office is. Think I'll start by learning to drive to Cambridge, then maybe Milton.

Jean was in Sudbury and Timmins recently visiting with family. He didn't get in as much hunting as he would have liked, but he did enjoy the break from work. (For those opposed to hunting: Jean doesn't have a license, so hunting for him really means walking around in the bush making sure no one mistakes him for a moose.)

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December 27, 2001

We just returned from a relaxing trip to Timmins. All the McNair siblings were in attendance for the first time in some years, which was fun. It was also delightful catching up with Isaac, who is talking quite a bit now, exclusively in French. All the Lefebvres got together as well, at the Réveillon.

Jean and I received many lovely gifts, including some new clothes for both of us. And we were plenty well-fed. I have this week off, but Jean is back at work.

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