Well, I couldn't let all of January pass by without updating my website. I know it has been a long, long time, but I just didn't feel like writing anything. I guess the problem was that I expected that I'd have lots to say about my move to Toronto, but I really didn't, and so I remained silent. I was online the very first night I got there though... my computer and high speed Internet install kit had both arrived here before me.

So I'm living in a basement bachelor apartment in North York. It's quite nice. I love having my own space, even if the rent is a little steep. My neighbourhood is very nice too, and it seems safe. It's very suburban compared to downtown Toronto. I actually haven't seen a lot of downtown T.O. though because it has been so cold ever since I got here. But that all changed today, thankfully, with temperature approaching the melting point.

I do see on part of the downtown very often though, and that's Bathurst Street, where Jeff lives. I'm usually down there on the weekends. This is the first Friday night I haven't been down there, I think. It was a long day for both of us, so we decided to stay in. Jeff has two roommates, Dan and Christine, and they are both very nice. I always feel comfortable around them.

Recently we found out something very odd. Anders and Janice moved to Toronto to be actors, and the live just down the street from Jeff. What are the chances of them living so closely on the same street?!? I saw them last Saturday night at Lee's Palace for a bit. We've gone there a couple times already on Saturday nights.

I'm sure everyone is wondering about work. Well, it is going fairly well. I started off with some orientation on Thursday, January 9th, and then continued on from there. I got paid for the first two days awhile back, but today I got my first full pay. So it's quite a happy day for me. Working at IBM is quite different from any other working experience I've had. It is a secure site, so we have to wear magnetic-stripe badges that get us into the building. They have our pictures on them, which is bad because I hadn't gotten a hair cut in awhile when I had it taken! Another weird thing is the cubicles, or PWAs as we call them - Personal Work Areas. IBM is all about the acronyms. Anyways, cubicles can feel very isolating at times, but other times I like it because I can just shut my sliding door (they are more than just your ordinary cubicles in that regard) and get as comfy as I want to work. I've met some other co-op students, and they are really great. I eat lunch with Noella and Mohamed almost everyday, and they are both very nice. We often play Scrabble or pool over lunch or on our breaks, and we help each other stay sane. Noella and I frequently travel on the same bus, so it's nice to have someone to talk to.

The work itself is going fairly well, too. I haven't done a whole lot yet, because there's so much to learn about, and my co-workers are really busy lately, because our product is nearing a beta release. Once in awhile though I do something new that makes me feel like I'm really starting to know what I'm doing and contributing to the team. For example, when I was running test plans and I found some defects - well, that just made my day. And today I started actually fixing a defect. Oh, what progress I've made in just two weeks!

Anyhoo, time for me to get this posted and redirect you all to my new location on the web. See you in February!