new post, old news

I figure I'll probably be getting more people on me for not updating soon, so I shall make a preemptive post.

Lately I've been doing some database cleanup. Apparently something had happened to the some of the databases which caused incorrect data to get propagated through. They fixed what caused the source of the problem, but when they tried an automated process to correct what had been messed up, it fixed most of the problems. So I and the new guy on our team, were tasked to make sure everything was fixed. This has taken up a large portion of this week. I've had to write up SQL queries to get data and excel formulae to find the discrepancies and form up the SQL statements to correct them. Yay, work.

Aside from that, there have been more outttings, been to Macdonald Island, the large local recreation center, which I have no photo's of... yet. Been out to the local Boston Pizza, Paddy McSwiggens for wings again. Found out there is a bowling alley here, and that it is 5-pin, but haven't gone to it yet.

Found out that the whole bus-pass/pre-paid-fare idea isn't going to work out for public transit on the weekends. The office to buy passes from is only open 8:30-4:30 M-F, and is closed Sat-Sun and holidays. It is almost impossible to get a bus pass or pre-paid fares since those are my work hours. Luckily I have a day off next week, so I'll stock up on enough pre-paid fares till the next day off.

I do have photo's of something, but they didn't turn up that well. We had a superbowl party (Said I had old news). We made it a potluck style and everyone brought something... which turned into way too much food.





I brought cookies :P

The Office

Alright, so I got two photos of work, I know that's not a whole lot, but going around the office taking photos doesn't exactly scream "Productivity".

This is the 41x building, the view is that of just over my cubicle wall. There's the spiral staircase I had mentioned earlier. There are other side staircases to go between the floors, but I like taking the big main staircase. While there is an elevator, I really don't need to take the elevator to go up one floor. Besides, I consume my ration of "needlessly taking the elevator up/down one floor" at my apartment.

My uninteresting cubicle... which took me well over two weeks to get because I didn't have a computer in it. I was temporarily set-up in an office for a week while it's owner was away on vacation, and at the cubicle across from my current one since the office owner was coming back, and the other one had just started his vacation. Also included in the photo is my notebook, the most important piece of equipment I have. Throughout it's pages are scribblings of notes, numbers, names, and processes which make up all that is "work".

Quit Yer Belly Achin', Melonhead*

After numerous complaints to update my blog, huzzah, here it is. I got a few photo's but they're not much to look at. I really meant to take my camera to work again and take photo's of the inside of the building, but again I forgot it on the counter when I left. So for now I have some random photos.

Extra Foods on Confederation Way, close to the Cartier and Parsons housing

I've been slowly getting work, at the moment I've been given 3 different duties: decommissions, which is going through some paperwork for getting rid of programs that are not used, or broken and not worth fixing; testing, which is testing to see if our applications work without error on a new environment the company is switching to; and access requests, which is getting approval and getting access to users for applications and databases they need to use. As a computing science student, I was really expecting to do some programming, scripting, something I've been doing for the last 4 years. However, I think the paperwork, and calling users to ask questions or request stuff is really helping my ability to just talk to random people with confidence.

Superstore, which is downtown near the mall

So far the access request I've been given, just today actually, are probably the most enjoyable to do so far, since they're very easy to just rip through. Testing so far is my second most enjoyable, but the only reason is because I'm still waiting to actually test the applications. Decommissions are my least favourite, simply because it requires a huge amount of paperwork, lots of contacting users and other people, signing of paperwork, and mostly because when I started doing them I didn't know who to talk to about a lot of the different things the paperwork asked for me to know. The topping on the cake is that a lot of these applications are pretty easy to get rid of, but because of the paperwork, is taking over three weeks. Also, before I can start any of the paperwork I need approval from a specific owner of the application, which don't reply to my emails or are never at their phone. One particular application, no one seems to know about, and have gone down the path of "this guy might know" for quite a long time. I have dubbed the person, whomever it may be, that knows anything about this application, "The Unicorn", due to it's mythical nature.

The Public transit bus stop outside the Cartier housing.

Had a few nights out, on Wednesdays there is wings night at Paddy McSwiggens. Went there once, decent and very cheap wings. I'm more favourable to baked wings, not the deep-fried ones they serve, since you get juicier skin rather than crunchy skin. Drinks are expensive, since my meal was only nine dollars for 20 wings and no drinks, while other people were in the mid twenties - low thirties and had less less wings but drinks. Note: Honey Garlic wings good, teriyaki wings bad.

Went to one of the local clubs, Whiskeys Ultra Lounge. People had originally wanted to go do a different place, Club NV, but there was a big warning about how that place is a little sketchy, while Whiskeys could be, but wasn't very often and relatively safe. So about 10 of us went down there on one weekend and some danced while some played pool (I think there were 3 tables, maybe 2, didn't hang around that end of the place and count). Had some fun there, but I don't believe the club scene is compatible with me.

Shuttle bus stop for the shuttle at downtown that goes to Syncrude site (41B)
bus arrives every hour:15 from 8:15am - 3:15pm

*yes, I know the quote actually goes "quit yer daydreamin', melonhead"

First Week

First week on job was something that something new. Met a lot of new people, obviously, and got to know a lot more about the position I was placed in. Got my ID, unfortunately I thought the camera was a lot higher than I thought it was, so the angle of the photo with my silly grin end up looking more smug than anything.


No, I'm not working at the plant, but nearby at the 41X building (below). It's standard office setup; cubicles, water coolers, etc. It's got a central spiral staircase which I've been told about twenty or so times to hold the handrail else managers, or other employees, will condemn you for not doing so.



The work load has been relatively non-existent, so far. There were mandatory training videos, orientations, important documents to be read, but for the majority of the time there were large gaps in time when there wasn't anything to do and our team leader wasbusy in meetings. I've been told that this is pretty typical first week, and that now that I'm somewhat brought up to speed on their systems that I'll be getting some real work really soon.

My title is Operations Applications Support. I work in the Business Line Applications branch of Syncrude's IT department. This branch deals with essentially all the applications that Syncrude uses, my particular team deals with application that are used in the field and plants. I'm supposed to make sure that of the three hundred or so applications they use in the field they run smoothly and get them working if they are not. While it sounds a little daunting, I'm told I'll personally be working on probably five or six applications for now.

A long while back, before I left, I was sent an email for a Holiday party that the IT department was holding for employees of Syncrude and Exxon. I had accepted and it just so happen to fall on this Friday, a day I got off from ADO (additional days off). I and pretty much everyone in the office had attended. There was food, dancing, and karaoke. It's apparently one of the perks of doing a January co-op, along with wonderful, fantastic, frigid, snow!

Here's some photo's of the party: