Friday, August 27, 2004
Organic food is crap
I have just been to one of the many organic supermarkets here in Vancouver. It all looks very nice inside with hardly any of the evil mainstream food products. All the food looks nice and everyone feels great that they are helping the environment and eating healthier food. But are they? I agree we should eat less junk food and processed food but i am definitely not on board with the thinking that organic food is better for health, the environment and it defnitely tastes worse in my admittedly limited experience. Food companies aren't stupid, they've latched onto this healthy living movement and with all the incidents of poor health and increasing obesity in the developed world it is easy to see why organic is so appealing to people. The problem is they are just assuming that it is healthier. They think, "no chemicals" and automatically think this is benefitting the environment and their health. The reality is that intensive modern farming is good for the environment for several reasons. It reduces the amount of land we need to farm, it produces more crops for lower cost, there is less waste and we get food with the right balance of nutrients and minerals. There are so many other arguments against it too that I will just offer this link for you to read at your leisure
I have just been to one of the many organic supermarkets here in Vancouver. It all looks very nice inside with hardly any of the evil mainstream food products. All the food looks nice and everyone feels great that they are helping the environment and eating healthier food. But are they? I agree we should eat less junk food and processed food but i am definitely not on board with the thinking that organic food is better for health, the environment and it defnitely tastes worse in my admittedly limited experience. Food companies aren't stupid, they've latched onto this healthy living movement and with all the incidents of poor health and increasing obesity in the developed world it is easy to see why organic is so appealing to people. The problem is they are just assuming that it is healthier. They think, "no chemicals" and automatically think this is benefitting the environment and their health. The reality is that intensive modern farming is good for the environment for several reasons. It reduces the amount of land we need to farm, it produces more crops for lower cost, there is less waste and we get food with the right balance of nutrients and minerals. There are so many other arguments against it too that I will just offer this link for you to read at your leisure
room result - didn't get it, but neither did anyone else as the current tenant is staying another month. She said I'm in with a chance of getting it for October 1st though.
update in list form
quit job after one day
got no where to live from saturday
might come back to the uk for a few weeks or all of september
waiting on result of a room tonight
got another potential room but won't know until saturday
quit job after one day
got no where to live from saturday
might come back to the uk for a few weeks or all of september
waiting on result of a room tonight
got another potential room but won't know until saturday
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Ever had one of those days - part deux
So, today was the opposite of yesterday - I think I'm going to quit my the sales job, the interview I had tomorrow was rescinded and I didn't get the room I want.
I've never quit a job after one day before but I'm 90% sure I'm going to tomorrow. It wasn't that bad but I just can't imagine doing it for one or two days, never mind months! The people in the sales team are great and I really like the guy who's my "leader" but I came out here to have fun and my heart is just not in this. Besides, I'm always "sticking things out" and it's time to be more honest with myself. Having my interview tomorrow taken away makes the decision a bit tougher but I think I'll get out early and make it less painful and not waste everyone's time.
I think we visited over 30 businesses today and only made one sale. I got so tired of hearing my guy do his pitch and have to take shit of people that I just don't think I should put myself through that. You only get $25 per sale so today he only made $50 (we sold two phone lines to one company).I think I could do an average job and probably average 4 or 5 a day but it would be so dull and tiring. These guys are doing 12 hr days and I came here for a better life, not to get rich. I did enjoy riding round with him in his 1985 5.7 ltr Camaro. But I don't enjoy trudging round the streets in a suit as you are so obviously a salesman as no one wears suits in this city, especially not out in the surburbs where we were.
My interview got taken away as they want someone with analytical modelling experience and I stated that I didn't have any. During the phone interview the HR lady didn't realise that this was such a large part of the job and thus she called to save me wasting my time...which is good.
And the stupid room! I just can't seem to gel with these people. I talked to the guy for 40 mins and he still gave the room to someone else. Looks like I'm going to have to get something more expensive.
So, today was the opposite of yesterday - I think I'm going to quit my the sales job, the interview I had tomorrow was rescinded and I didn't get the room I want.
I've never quit a job after one day before but I'm 90% sure I'm going to tomorrow. It wasn't that bad but I just can't imagine doing it for one or two days, never mind months! The people in the sales team are great and I really like the guy who's my "leader" but I came out here to have fun and my heart is just not in this. Besides, I'm always "sticking things out" and it's time to be more honest with myself. Having my interview tomorrow taken away makes the decision a bit tougher but I think I'll get out early and make it less painful and not waste everyone's time.
I think we visited over 30 businesses today and only made one sale. I got so tired of hearing my guy do his pitch and have to take shit of people that I just don't think I should put myself through that. You only get $25 per sale so today he only made $50 (we sold two phone lines to one company).I think I could do an average job and probably average 4 or 5 a day but it would be so dull and tiring. These guys are doing 12 hr days and I came here for a better life, not to get rich. I did enjoy riding round with him in his 1985 5.7 ltr Camaro. But I don't enjoy trudging round the streets in a suit as you are so obviously a salesman as no one wears suits in this city, especially not out in the surburbs where we were.
My interview got taken away as they want someone with analytical modelling experience and I stated that I didn't have any. During the phone interview the HR lady didn't realise that this was such a large part of the job and thus she called to save me wasting my time...which is good.
And the stupid room! I just can't seem to gel with these people. I talked to the guy for 40 mins and he still gave the room to someone else. Looks like I'm going to have to get something more expensive.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Ever had one of those days?
Today I've had more progress than in the last 3 weeks combined. I feel totally drained. At 2am this morning I was still up due to the nervous energy built up in anticipation of my 9am interview. I woke up at 6.30 and got ready. I got to the interview on time and was told to go for coffee with one other candidate and 2 members of the company. It turned out they had both recently been promoted to assistant managers. They were 20 and 24 and had worked at McDonalds and been an welder respectively. So here I am being interviewed by some fairly intellectually limited people. The 20 yr old girl especially asked me the same question 3 times and seemed totally out of her depth. Anyway, after this 40 min dialogue of which I practically dominated, me and the other candidate were taken back up to the director's office. The director is 23 and somewhat intense. He gave me a pretty intense grilling and then after some tooing and froing decided to give me a job. I start at 8am tomorrow!
Later on after successfully collecting my social security card (finally), buying some cufflinks and other crap I get a call from a job I applied for ages ago that I really want. I have an ad-hoc telephone interview with zero preparation and then an hour later the lady rings back and offers me a full interview tomorrow (you see my problem). I manage to get it delayed one day to Wednesday. So now I start one job on Tuesday and have to go to an interview on Wednesday.
Finally, I go to see a room and it's nice and the guy basically says I can have it if I want it. I haven't committed yet as I didn't really gel with the dude but if I don't get anything by thurs I'll take it.
Today I've had more progress than in the last 3 weeks combined. I feel totally drained. At 2am this morning I was still up due to the nervous energy built up in anticipation of my 9am interview. I woke up at 6.30 and got ready. I got to the interview on time and was told to go for coffee with one other candidate and 2 members of the company. It turned out they had both recently been promoted to assistant managers. They were 20 and 24 and had worked at McDonalds and been an welder respectively. So here I am being interviewed by some fairly intellectually limited people. The 20 yr old girl especially asked me the same question 3 times and seemed totally out of her depth. Anyway, after this 40 min dialogue of which I practically dominated, me and the other candidate were taken back up to the director's office. The director is 23 and somewhat intense. He gave me a pretty intense grilling and then after some tooing and froing decided to give me a job. I start at 8am tomorrow!
Later on after successfully collecting my social security card (finally), buying some cufflinks and other crap I get a call from a job I applied for ages ago that I really want. I have an ad-hoc telephone interview with zero preparation and then an hour later the lady rings back and offers me a full interview tomorrow (you see my problem). I manage to get it delayed one day to Wednesday. So now I start one job on Tuesday and have to go to an interview on Wednesday.
Finally, I go to see a room and it's nice and the guy basically says I can have it if I want it. I haven't committed yet as I didn't really gel with the dude but if I don't get anything by thurs I'll take it.
Monday, August 23, 2004
It looks like the house idea is crumbling into the ether...the originator of the idea who had me and 7 or 8 others prepared to move in with him, seems to be giving up on the idea (hi Scott if you're reading). The housing rental market is pretty tough and it just seems like too much effort to go see all these places when the landlords are always going to pick a family over 4 young profs. We have put plenty of effort into it but like I said there is always going to be competition for every property and we are unlikely to ever be favourites. I've got a few more options for finding a room by myself. Hopefully they will work out early this week as I really don't want to get to wednesday or thursday and not know where i'm sleeping on saturday. I won't even talk about the job mission...!
Well I've seen two Will Smith movies in the last 24 hrs and both of 'em were relatively entertaining. I also missed the first 20 mins of both of 'em (which is a weird coincidence). Last night I watched Bad Boys 2 which is a total carbon copy of Bad Boys 1, therefore, it was above average but hardly ground breaking. This afternoon I went to see I-Robot which again was fairly similar to most Will Smith movies in that he spends most of the film making wise cracks or sprinting after baddies. I thought it was a good film and although the acting and the plot weren't mesmerising the CGA (the graphics) were up there with the best even if his car was whack (it was an Audi TT with a crappy body kit). Oh and I missed the first 20 mins cos we got stuck in Sunday traffice and stupid diversions.
Better go iron a shirt for tomorrow's 9am interview. I'm gonna get crucified I reckon but beggars can't be choosers.
Well I've seen two Will Smith movies in the last 24 hrs and both of 'em were relatively entertaining. I also missed the first 20 mins of both of 'em (which is a weird coincidence). Last night I watched Bad Boys 2 which is a total carbon copy of Bad Boys 1, therefore, it was above average but hardly ground breaking. This afternoon I went to see I-Robot which again was fairly similar to most Will Smith movies in that he spends most of the film making wise cracks or sprinting after baddies. I thought it was a good film and although the acting and the plot weren't mesmerising the CGA (the graphics) were up there with the best even if his car was whack (it was an Audi TT with a crappy body kit). Oh and I missed the first 20 mins cos we got stuck in Sunday traffice and stupid diversions.
Better go iron a shirt for tomorrow's 9am interview. I'm gonna get crucified I reckon but beggars can't be choosers.
