Argghh, blorsh....
So. I am STILL in Toronto. (That's what the arggghh was for.) Not only am i not back in uganda, but at this point I have no idea when I will actually be returning there, although i am attempting to remain confident that everything will fall into place, and that i will in fact be flying back to Kampala at some point in the near future.
The problem you see, is this: My new employers (let's call them the ABC Co., for simplicity) are either just being very slow (which is very possible), or, they are jerking me around and this whole arrangement is going to fall through. Here's the gist of the situation: I left Kampala in early august, with an agreement (though not a written, binding one) that I would return to uganda in mid-september in order to start work at ABC in October (or possibly November at the latest.) I didn't have a signed contract, because frankly ABC didn't get around to putting one together in time. So anyways, I get home, and a few weeks later I send ABC a fairly thorough project proposal, which they required in order to try and get external funding for my salary. In my proposal I say that i need two months to do research/analysis, and write up a marketing plan for the following year. A couple weeks later, ABC emails me back, saying, essentially 'arrange your plane ticket to come back, you will produce 5-year and 1-year marketing plans during an initial 26-day probation period. See you soon.' No mention of a contract, or of the details usually contained therein, nor is there an acknowledgement that 26 days is not enough time to do what they want me to do, especially given all the research components i'd worked into my initial proposal. I emailed em back, explained that that wasn't enough time, and could we discuss the details, and also that i would like a contract in hand before i arranged my flight.
That was a week and a half ago, and i still haven't heard back. So either i've screwed myself, or they are just being really slow in replying. (Part of me thinks I should have not said anything about the time restraints, gone to Uganda, delivered a sub-standard product at the end of the 26 days, and then at least i'd be over there on my ABC-sponsored plane ticket, and i could just travel around a bit and go home. Unethical yes, but ...)
So yeah, i still don't know when I'm going back.
Life here is sort of slow for me. I've essentially been 'on vacation' now for almost 2 months, and it's getting a bit boring. A couple times a week I'll meet someone for lunch, or I'll have to do an errand, and it's a big event. On the other hand, my friends do get a super-enthusiastic response from me when they provide me with an opportunity for mid-week socializing, which i am happy to provide. I'm just here to bring sunshine into other peoples lives. ;-)
Slow news week
Wow, life in toronto, especially when you spend most of your time lazing around the house in pajama pants, sure doesn't supply a lot of blog fodder. (I kept myself in quarantine until i finished this document i needed to write for the new job in uganda; since i kept putting it off - i'm a great procrastinator - i ended up trapped inside the house for quite a while.)
Anyhow, now that i've released myself from house arrest, I'm going to go to my nearest OHIP office and renew my Health Card. Ooohh... maybe i'll have exciting stories from that later. But i doubt it.
In other news, I went out for dinner on tuesday for my friend Larissa's birthday. We had japanese. Deelish! Also, she really wanted a mention in my blog. So now, when someone types LARISSA ADAMECK into google, they'll get something! (There ya go, larissa!) She is the bleached blond girl in the 'Canada Day in Uganda' party picture below. (A quick anecdote about my favourite Larissa moment: The two of us are attempting to cross a street in Kampala. As is par for the course, a car driving on the wrong side of the street almost takes us out. Larissa whips around, and yells after the car "How can you NOT SEE ME??? My hair is FLUORESCENT!!!" It was quite funny. I can really appreciate bleach blond hair when the wearer is aware that, as she has been drunkenly told, that 'no one has that hair colour in nature, you know.')
Anyways, to aid in my procrastination for the past week or so, i've done quite a bit of semi-random web surfing. Below is a selection of links i found amusing or interesting. Enjoy.
Mmm, Fruity!
A blog about the online dating industry (interesting maybe only to me, since i've kinda worked in the 'dating industry' for the past couple o' years)
The Geography Olympics! (You should really try this, especially if you are canadian and know your geography. Because i'm canadian and i don't know geography, and I totally brought down our national score.)
Reflections on French anti-semitism
I could have sworn I left it on the nightstand... Oh, ick.
"John Kerry plays guitar, George Bush was a cheerleader. You decide."
Sounds just like my first-year university residence! Except for the 'drawing room'. And the 'niceness'.
A jihad on inexpensive furniture!
Tricks of the trade (Sample: Attorney - Do whatever it takes to fit your contracts onto a single page: Format with single-spacing, use a 10- or 9-point font, and reduce the margins to less than an inch. Most people assume any contract that fits on one page will be simple and straightforward, and even sophisticated negotiators can be charmed by the lack of a staple.)
McSweeney's Lists are sooooo funny:
Free Zingers for George W. Bush to Use During His Debates with John Kerry
Possible Names for a Third Team of Pickup Basketball Players If Shirts and Skins Are Already Taken
Reasons to Use the New Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste with Micro-active
Foaming Action (from Advertisements, News Releases, and the Product-Safety
Data Sheet).
E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone.
Hmm, that's enough now I think.
