Man did I let this place go dead.  Looking at the last entry, it was two years ago and almost everything I wrote about has changed! 

First off, I'm not in Washington DC anymore.  So no more American dollars.  My contract at PAHO ended and was not renewed due to budget.  I don't miss the job.  I miss the people (some of them) and I miss Washington DC because it really is a nice city.

Now, I'm in Vancouver studying at the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts.  I'm taking their Game Art and Design program, which means in one year I'll be able to do 3D modelling and such.  So hopefuly I'll be working on a videogame by this time next year at a major company.  And making Canadian dollars, which are now something of value.

Some things are still the same, in that I'm still drawing U-Boy.  I'll do my best to continue to update it at least once a week.  In addition, I'm going to try to update this blog a little more often.  Of course, seeing as that this is my first post in two years, making one more post in one year would be an improvement.  So to be more specific, hopefully I'll update this blog at least once more this calendar year.

Nothing much to say so far, orientation was today.  So now I've got hte last of my art supplies and I've got my course schedule.  As I suspected, I'm going to have some very long hours.  Some days, I'll be in classes from 9AM to 9PM.  Oh well, it's the price you pay.  I'm still excited just because it's the path to a new career and a new life.

Well, in the time between updates a fair bit has changed. I'm back in Washington D.C., back at the Pan American Health Organization, back with my old roommates. Really, the only difference is I'll be paid in American dollars this time. Which is nice.

Well, there are other differences too. I'm on the opposite end of the floor from the rest of my unit, which is good and bad. Good in that it's quiet, and nobody really bothers me so I can get some work done. But that is kind of bad too because damn, it's quiet and it makes you feel isolated-lated-lated-lated. Okay that was a Simpsons joke, from that one where Homer joined the Stonecutters.

I'm still going to draw new U-boy comics though, because this time I brought my scanner. And thankfully it did survive the trip. I was honestly a bit worried that something horrible would happen, like I'd open it up to find it full of glass chards. Because the scanner has a glass surface and it could be broken. That's a tech joke. Man, all my jokes are too inside.

Of course, for all I know everything I'm writing is making perfect sense to everyone reading it, so I don't even have to explain it. Or nobody is reading it. Oh well.

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this thing. I would like to mention that the website (http://www.u-boy.com) has undergone a major overhaul. New layout, new colors, new comics. Usher will be taking an office job in another city, with all new characters. The purpose is to start fresh, but in time, we will learn what happened to the other characters.

The comics are kind of inspired by my time in Washington D.C.. Unlike before, I'm not publishing the comics in tandem with the university newspaper so I will be publishing at least one comic a week. But I've also created an RSS feed for the site for those of you who know how to use them.

I got back from the Barbados a few days ago, but I haven't written about it until now.

It was mostly a business trip, I was there to do some work, but I got to enjoy it a little. Here's a rough breakdown:

Sunday: Flight at about 12:00 pm, stopped in Miami and ate some Cuban food. Those Cubans can make a good chicken. Flew to Barbados from there, got there at about 10:00 pm. Had some rum punch, went to sleep.

Monday: Went to the CPC, which is where we're doing the work. I won't bore you with details, but basically I'm helping to train people. Basically an 8:00 am to 5:00 pm job. Went to the beach, had some more rum punch. Barbados is quite, well, different than anywhere I've been. Having never travelled to any of these sorts of countries it was all new to me. But strangely, the British influence is pretty strong. They drive on the left side of the road, and their national sport is cricket! Cricket!!

Tuesday: Rum is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Oh, and continued doing the training. Also went to the beach again. After that, went to a pretty good restaurant, but they were out of flying fish. Even though flying fish is like a national dish, they are quite rare these days. They said they flew out to Trinidad or something. Also took a look around St. Lawrence Gap, which is kind of a tourist marketplace. Pretty nice.

Wednesday: Went to the office to attend the first part of a workshop. It was actually pretty interesting and delivered well, but too bad I was only there for the first of three days. Also went back to St. Lawrence gap to pick up some souvenirs and junk. And some rum, for the roommates though. Honest. The hotel also threw a party, but that's only because it's Wednesday and they always do that on Wednesday. Still, I like to think it's because they heard I was leaving.

Thursday: Flew out at around 7:00 am. Got to Miami at around 11:40 am without a hitch. But then, at 1:40 pm, got on the plane to Washington, but the pilot said the crew had to check something due to an indicator light being on. One hour later, we got off the plane. Two hours later, they put us on another plane. By the time I landed at about 7:30 pm, I was SOOOOO relieved to be off a plane. But why did I have to direct the taxi driver to where the house was? I mean, what's wrong with this picture? I'm directing the taxi driver.

An amusing trip. Washington gave me a nice welcoming back gift, a cold. But I'm getting over the last of it now.

Being in Washington the last few days has kind of sucked. It has been pouring rain non-stop, day and night. And as a result, I slipped and fell down an escalator. Well, more like one step. But man it hurt!

So I had to get away...

So I read over a book recently called American Gods by Neil Gaiman and it was a really great read. It was thought provoking and darkly funny. Basically it's the story about old gods from mythology who are now essentially powerless because nobody believes in them anymore. On the other hand, there are the newer gods, who represent forces such as TV, the Internet, Media, and other, more modern 'influences.'

There was recently a book festival in Washington D.C. and I went, where I purchased the book Anansi Boys, the new one by Gaiman, and well, had the chance to meet him:



I knew Neil Gaiman has written a lot of things, from the Sandman comic books to his recent novels, but I underestimated how many fans would come to greet him. So I waited a heck of a long time to see him, but I figured, for once there's an author whose work I actually like in town and I might as well get him to sign my book. So I stood in line with all the Goth girls and boys, the comic geeks (although one was smart and brought a folding chair), and some surprisingly old guys.

In the end, I got my autograph, even personalized. And I'm not ebaying it.

A few photos of my recent Washington D.C. adventures.

I didn't quite get inside the White House (doing that is quite hard nowadays, what since September 11, the day that Mariah Carey released her 'Glitter' album.), but I came close. Real close. Close enough to see the armored segment of the Secret Service with some pretty futuristic looking rifles. Luckily they weren't aiming at me.

Me in front of some guy's house He wasn't home though	View of some guy's house	A big pointy thing
Now it looks like the monolith from 2001	The Lincoln Monument off in the distance, the WWII monument a little closer

I just updated U-Boy.com today. It was just a small update, no new comic, but a new piece of art in the gallery. This was inspired by the crazy number of iPods I see around Washington. Oh, and this art was also partially inspired by a certain movie. Try to guess what this sweet movie is.

Oh my god. I think I'm seriously becoming needful of coffee. I didn't have one today, and I felt kinda sleepy in the office, even though I had several hours of sleep the night before.

But then in the afternoon I was fine. Maybe it's because I had more work to do in the afternoon so I had more motivation to stay awake. Or maybe it was that Inca cola I had for lunch. It's this yellow cola that tastes more like cream soda. I mean, it does brag about its caffeine content.

I'm here rambling on my journal, becoming needful of coffee. Reminds me of someone else I know.

If I need another coffee tomorrow I'm going for a black expresso.

There's a bunch of little things I noticed in the U.S. that are many little differences from living in Canada. It's like what John Travolta said in Pulp Fiction, "it's the little differences."

In Canada, we have the $1 and $2 coins. So, whenever I pay for something in cash, I always try to be at least somewhat close or I get a pile of coins back. Here though in the U.S., there's still $1 bills. So at least I get a pile of bills back.

The money is all the same colour here. See, I thought from a cursory glance I had a lot of money in my wallet, turns out I had about ten $1 bills. $1's are the same colour as $20s! Luckily I found this out at home and not in line at the grocery store. Oh yeah, and colour is color here.

Fahrenheit temperatures. I still don't get it. All I know is 90 F is roughly 30 C, that's my guide.

No metric system. But less of a deal.

Everyone has an iPod.

And finally, this isn't so much about the U.S. vs Canada but, after going through years of university and office jobs and never touching the stuff, I have finally reached that point. Coffee is becoming necessary to keep awake. I am trying to keep out of Starbucks though, I don't wanna get TOO addicted.

Yesterday I went into town to check out some of the sights. Here's a few of the photos:

Photo Gallery

These were taken on Sunday, September 5, 2005 in Washington D.C.

---

Union Station Inside was a bunch of stores and restaurants	Union Station Columbus Foundatin	The Capital
The National Museum of the American Indian	A sculpture inside the American Indian Museum	'Raven Calls the Moon' from the American Indian museum
The Spirit of St. Louis from National Air and Space Museum	Snoopy from the National Air and Space Museum I'm glad to see the Smithsonian Institute knows what's important in our history	Part of a 'Red Baron' exhibit They were actually showing that movie continuously inside the mini-theatre
Recreation of an aircraft carrier from the National Air and Space Museum	The Wright Bros. Plane Remember that Simpsons episode when the general goes, 'Not the Wright Brothers plane! The Smithsonian is going to have my ass on a platter!' or something like that	The Washington Monument

So last night I got into a sneak preview of The Cave, thanks to my roommate, and some radio station. I thought it was enjoyable enough, even if it wasn't anything special. What was funny was that I found out, Sinbad was right all these years. At least I think it was Sinbad who was right all these years. See, during the movie, there were all these voices going to the screen, "No, don't go in there!" as if to warn the characters. And when they did, they were like, "Oh no!" That, and the girl beside me who basically did a dive into her boyfriend's shoulder every time there was even a remotely suspenseful part. And I'm not talking just a little turn of the head, I'm talking full-blown, 10-points at the Olympics diving.

That almost made up for that hillbilly guy who practically mooned the audience when he jumped up for the radio giveaway before the show. *shudder*

Today at work, something kinda funny happened.

OK, so pretty much everyone here speaks Spanish, so over my cubicle walls I hear all these Spanish conversations all the time. Now, today I heard this over the wall:

Ay carumba! Or ¡Ay carumba! as it is properly written en español.

I almost burst out laughing.

I guess I'll splurge today.

First, a couple funny stories.

In the D.C. metrotrain (boy, that sounds like the name of a transformer or something) station, I was using a train fare machine when there was this loud, shreiking yell of "YOU'RE AN IMMIGRANT YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!" Pretty much everyone turns and there was this old lady at the big manned ticket booth. She continued yelling in an exchange similar to the following:


"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T TELL ME YOUR NAME?!!

The woman of possibly East-Indian descent quietly responded, although her response was inaudible to any of the people listening from afar.

"I WANT TO SEE YOUR MANAGER!!" screamed the lady, her eyes beginning to shimmer with a blood-like hue.

The ticket booth operator quietly dismissed herself, leaving the old lady snarling, demonic wings sprouting from her back and fangs erupting her mouth.

"COME BACK HERE LADY! COME BACK HERE! IMMIGRANT!!!" she howled.


Hey, I said what happened was SIMILAR, but I'm sure you can figure out which parts were made up.


I was at work, just doing stuff when there was this conversation over the next cubicle wall. Now, this one stood out for two reasons:

1. About 99% of conversations in this office are in Spanish, and this one was in English.

2. It was between two guys, one of them asking the other to burn a DVD. Not so weird, until I heard the DVD would be filled with downloaded episodes of Duck Dodgers. And he clearly specified it was the one from Cartoon Network, not the classic cartoons, and that Duck Dodgers was his hero. I just thought that was kind of strange.


My camera had some sort of file error, so most of my pictures from the first day were lost. GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! Well, I guess it's no big deal. That was the day I made the smart move of wandering around town during a heatwave. Needless to say I was pretty annoyed. It has been cooler lately though, and so I now have a few photos to show for it:



The Watergate hotel

The err-uh Kennedy Centuh foah the Pahfoaming Aaahhhts! Yes, I went to the trouble of photographing and posting it just to say that, and only ONE person reading this will get it. Sigh...

A sculpture outside the aforementioned Kennedy center.

Some guy's house, I don't know who. Sure was heavily guarded and popular with the tourists.

Me in front of that mystery house

There will be more much later, I still haven't really explored the city yet to take pictures, and there's still a lot to see. But before then, I think I need to find a better way to show these pictures off, this journal posting is more time-consuming than I thought.

Today my supervisor had just come back into town, so as a result he was very busy. So busy, in fact I basically sat around for eight hours twiddling my thumbs and playing with my limited access on my office computer, until I finally got to see him for about five minutes or so. So I guess tomorrow is when the fun starts.

At least that $5.00 salad at lunch was good and filling.

Also, today the weather finally let up a bit, because rather than being blazingly hot, it rained.

Finally got to Washington D.C. today. Man it's HOT! I totally didn't expect this. But I heard it was unusually hot today, even for the residents. Met my roommates, and got driven around a bit. Didn't see any real attractions yet, except for the Washington monument from a distance, and the Pentagon from a low angle. That of course, makes the Pentagon look like a completely normal building.

Not much else to report today. Tomorrow I start going into tourist mode, not to mention figure out how to get to the office.

So I'm just getting the final things in place before my trip. Getting everything packed up, saying my goodbyes, yadda yadda.

Haven't updated in a while, might as well talk about stuff. Saw a bunch of movies lately, here's my short review of each:

Batman Begins: Awesome. Way beyond what I expected.

Fantastic Four: Not so good. It's got the cheesy, almost painful romance of the Star Wars prequels, but with no really cool battle scenes to bring balance (to the force).

Robots: Really nice visuals and designs, but otherwise pretty average.

The Station Agent: I'll take a bit more time to talk about this one, because it's pretty obscure. It's about an anti-social dwarf (a short man, this is not a fantasy movie) who moves into in an abandoned train station. It then chronicles the relationships that develop between him, a hotdog vendor with a zest for life, and a woman artist who has her own issues. It's a really great movie, it's got a sentimental vibe without overdoing it, along with some really memorable performances. It's definitely worth checking out.

My good friend caffeinefiend sort of broke the news online before I did, but I'm off to Washington D.C. for an internship this fall. Right now I'm in Gatineau (a.k.a. the city formerly known as Hull) for training and such. Not much to say so far, except the room is nice and the internet is complimentary, which is exactly why I'm rambling on. Might as well make the most of it.

I saw the movie War of the Worlds the other day. It was pretty good, it was different than say Independence Day because rather than focus on the actual invasion, it chose to focus more on a single man and how he reacts to essentially the end of the world, and how the world essentially goes mad. That's not to say we didn't see a lot of alien invasion action. We did, in fact the invasion scenes were frantic and fast-paced, and you really got the sense of hopelessness, I think partially because you didn't see everything, but you knew how it all ended up.

It does follow a big cliche though, that the imperfect dad becomes superdad thanks to a crisis. And there was a slight 'surprise' at the end that was kind of handled poorly. Let's just say that you'd think it was a big deal but it was handled as more of a background thing. So it feels kind of tacked on. Still, Tom Cruise didn't really have a big "I love you guys" speech or anything, so it wasn't a huge deal.

Whoa. Words fail me.

But you know, they could wrap those DVDs in a paper bag and I'd still buy them. Even though I probably know much of those episodes by heart. No, I don't have a problem.


In other news, I just got a new LCD monitor. My old monitor, which was pretty much three years old on the dot, overloaded something. At least judging by the failing picture and the burning chemical smell that suddenly came out. So, I decided to take the LCD plunge. So far it's great, the picture is just as nice as the old monitor and it does pretty much everything just as good, including games and movies. One thing I noticed is that some colors are a little bit darker, especially bright greens and blues. And it is a lot nicer on the desk too, so I have room to put more junk on it, so I can procrastinate clearing the desk a little longer. So it's all good.

So apparently Hugh Jackman is starting his own production company. Big deal right? I mean, every actor has their own production company. The big deal is that his first project is Wolverine, the movie. The fan inside of me says this is great news, and I wonder what kind of story they'll tell? Wolverine has so many stories in the comics, and he's been established as being over 100 years old. Admittantly though I'm not a total expert on Wolverine's history. I have a friend who is though...

On the other hand, the skeptic inside of me says that they might blow it, make some crappy/formulaic movie and just look at this as some way to sell action figures. And t-shirts. And videogames. And fruit snacks. You get the picture.

In other news, The Simpsons is becoming a movie, officially. I'm also of mixed feelings about this, mostly because the show hasn't been nearly as good as older seasons (now on DVD). Who knows though? Maybe they'll take advantage of the fact that it is a movie to do something really cool.

The article also said the show is entering season 17 this fall, and going to run for at least 19 seasons! Holy smokes! Makes me feel ancient...