Author Archives: El Jefe

Dude. That ain’t right.

Holy crap.

I’m realizing that I haven’t updated the Official NJLE™ website in over SIX MONTHS. Wow, that’s my epic failure. It’s kind of bizarre how much things can change in such a relatively short (or relatively long, depending on your perspective) period of time.

The NJLE has always been kind of sliding by; on the brink of both wild success and brutal failure. However, in the past couple of months… it’s become glaringly obvious that belts are going to have to be tightened and things are going to have to change up in this bitch. See, everything in this place… surrounding us, in Canada? So much of it is affected by the price of oil. The whole world is affected. But here’s the trend:

In the past year, the price of oil has dropped off to a staggeringly low price that affects the entire world.

In the past year, the price of oil has dropped off to a staggeringly low price that affects the entire world.

Anyway, the main source of income for the NJLE is related to the price of oil. “On the outside” your highness is an engineering desk jockey for a company servicing the oil and gas sector. With this downturn, the NJLE GDP is taking a forced 10% hack-and-slash and a deep, deep round of layoffs that’s going on at my place of employ as a reaction to the global economy.

So, I have to look at my options. I think I’m relatively ok for the next month or two from a layoff perspective…. maybe. After that? All bets are off. I’m looking at possible opportunities elsewhere however, given that layoffs are rampant in my industry right now, I think it’s unlikely that I’ll find something after I get punted. So… I’ll have my five figure layoff payout. Low five figures, let’s be clear. Very low.

And then? If I don’t find another job? It’s EI for yours truly… and that’s something that I know very little about at this point. It’s terrifying to me to not have a job. To not be able to provide.

Terrifying.

Anyway, the future is not known to me. Maybe shit will turn itself out just fine. Maybe not. I am not Nostradamus of some wizened prognosticator. I’m clinging on to this moment, taking life day to day. Because that’s all I can do right now.

We Are Not Running A Lemonade Stand

So, I’m looking through this engineering document for this project that is around $300,000,000 in capital cost. It’s quite a hefty document with an indecent number of pages and a lot of blood, sweat and tears (emphasis on the tears, I’m guessing) going into it.

I get to one section where they are estimating costs for various portions of the project. They obviously were using some kind of a template to put these costs together but the title on each page was written in Comic Sans font…

COMIC SANS.

This isn’t a handout for a grade 3 class newsletter. This isn’t a Tupperware party invitation. This isn’t a sign for a lemonade stand.

This is a technical document that details the work involved with a $300,000,000 industrial project. DON’T USE COMIC SANS! Our client sees this! It makes us look like a mickey mouse operation! Whoever did this needs to be fired. For reals.

My Apple TV Is Blowing Up

It’s because TV has got so awesome lately. Seriously. The last 5 years have shown some serious improvement in the quality of television that isn’t sitcom or soap operas. As a result, the hard drive of my computer is blowing up with all kinds of awesomeness waiting to be watched.

#1 – The Americans Season 2

Season 2

Season 2

#2 – True Detective Season 1

True Detective Season One

Yes, that’s Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.

#3 – 24: Live Another Day

Jack Is Back. Bitch.

Jack Is Back. Bitch.

Insects Helping Columbia

James

Columbia’s James Rodriguez during the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

I don’t know if anyone here has been following the FIFA World Cup but the quarter final game of Brazil vs Columbia was one heck of a match for more reasons than the obvious.

World Cup goal scoring leader, Columbia’s James (pronounced Hamez) Rodriguez is about to take a penalty kick, closing in on the end of the game while Columbia is down 2-0. Suddenly, this happened and Twitter almost blew up. Personally, I didn’t even see it when it happened… as I was checking in late in the game.

But it’s really too bad that the insect had to fly away. Maybe he could have guided James to another goal to tie the game instead of losing to Brazil.