GREAT RESTRAINT

So today was the second Tuesday working out in Burnaby. One of the things myself and another co-worker have discussed previously was the lack of nearby KFC locations when we worked downtown. Knowing we were going to the ‘burbs, we talked about being closer to KFC locations. In fact, where we work, we have nearby locations at Metrotown, Brentwood Mall, and on Kingsway by NCIX.

We were both looking forward to partaking in “Toonie Tuesdays“. This is a KFC promotion where just over $2 gets you two pieces of chicken and an order of fries. We thought it was too soon to go last Tuesday. Today, we almost pulled the trigger on our first “Toonie Tuesday”. Unfortunately, I was already starving and opted to the cafeteria instead. I had the tuna steak, which tasted great but left me with a queasy stomach afterwards.

I’m almost certain that next Tuesday I’ll be ordering two “Toonie Tuesday” specials.

THE WEEK THAT WAS

So last week was the first full week that the skate team spent working out in Burnaby. After the first week, here are my thoughts.

First, I get the feeling everyone is getting a handle on the commute. No one is really late and I haven’t heard too many complaints, except about the lack of signage in the underground parkade. Personally, having the shuttle bus run from the Skytrain station right to EA has made my commute much easier. I’d always have trouble getting into the studio before 10am. Now, I’m always there at 10am or before.

Food-wise, I’m still getting used to the cafeteria. There’s a plethora of choices every day. In fact, if you count the smaller cafe in Phase II, there’s actually two places to get lunch on a daily basis, each with its own menu. People complain about the cafeteria but honestly, there’s so much to choose from every single day. Last week, I went out three times for lunch. Once for pho, at the exact same location I used to get pho when I was a games tester. It was surreal and a bit of deja vu at the same time. As if it was a previous life that I had lived. I also lunched at Swiss Chalet just off the Lougheed Highway. Man, I love me some Chalet chicken. It was so good. The lunch outing consisted of Sushi Town out on Hastings Street. I heard so many good things about it but it turned out to be a real disappointment. The service is bad, the tea was cold, and food was pedestrian. I admit it appears they give you a large portion of sashimi when you order it but that’s the only positive I could find.

Back at the studio, we’re still working out the minor details in our space. Our Flavia drink machines didn’t come over with us, so it sucks not having our usual selection of teas and coffees. We do have a Starbucks coffee machine, that is until it broke after the second day. So now on the entire floor, there’s no where to get coffee or a decent cup of warm water.

It’s a bit of a longer walk now to the washrooms and kitchen areas. What I don’t like is having to walk behind people’s desks to get to those places. Unfortunately, there’s no other way to do it. On our old floor, there was a continuous ring that was a common walk space. There was always a wall to separate the foot traffic from people working nearby. This isn’t the case now, so I try to walk as far away from the desks as possible to give as much privacy as I can. This won’t change and I feel really lucky no one can constantly look at what I’m doing on my computer.

The last team from Black Box is moving this coming weekend. Once that happens, we’ll all be one big happy family again. From there, I hope our little studio can once again define our unique culture.

TIRED

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZM4F5Jaq2s&hl=en&fs=1&]

Tonight, I was ready to present my treatise on the political and economic situation in the Middle East but darn it, I’m just too tired to give the effort it requires. Instead, please enjoy the video above of kittens playing.

THEN AND NOW

Just for comparison, the two photos above represent where I used to work (top) versus where I now currently work (bottom). The placement of the arrowhead in the second picture is pretty accurate. I may only be off by one or two windows.

You can also see the previous location was pretty urban with some understandably spectacular water views. The current location has a very suburban feel to it. It’s very weird to see so many trees when I look outside now.

Check out the areas yourself:

Then

Now

LIKE IT WAS 1990

So this evening I’m standing in line to pay at a London Drugs store. Directly in front of me is a dude about 14 years old, give or take some face peach fuzz. Ahead of him is another dude, about 40 years old.

Forty is putting down his items for the cashier to scan. He only has a few things. He then puts down his last item, which just happens to be the June 2009 issue of Penthouse magazine. Trust me that it was the June issue, I did a lot of Internet research after I got home. Anyways, the clerk sees forty slap down the Penthouse and in a blink of an eye, the clerk picks it up, scans it, and places it into a bag. I guess he was trying to spare forty some embarrassment and probably didn’t want to expose the kid to actual printed porn. Forty paid and he was off.

I can’t remember the last time I saw someone buy actual porn at a store. Who’s buying porn mags these days? With the advent of the Internet, having to pull your pants up from your ankles, and going to store isn’t required any more to get your porn fix. Maybe forty was moved to kick it old school for once. I can appreciate that. As far as magazines go, Penthouse is a solid choice (or so I have been told). Or perhaps he’s going to a place that doesn’t have Internet access. Another reason could be that he needs a skin mag for a prank of some sorts.

In any case, I hope he enjoyed looking over Pet of the Month Kagney Linn Karter.

TONY PLAYS HIS NEW GAME

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37T4pASyqts&hl=en&fs=1]

Based on the previous games I’ve worked on, it’s only natural that I’m interested in what other skateboard games are doing. This week at E3, Tony Hawk revealed more about his new game Tony Hawk: Ride. In the interview above, Tony actually gets on his new skateboard peripheral to demo the game. It looks interesting but the question remains, will people put down $120 to play it?

BURNABY DAY ONE

Today was day one for the skate team out at EA Canada. With the use of the EA-procured shuttle bus, I was able to be at work at 10am on the dot, which is kinda of a rare thing for me. I made my way to the cafeteria where I immediately ran into an old co-worker now working on the NHL team. Dean and I did some joking around while I selected one slice of bacon, one hash brown, and one breakfast sausage. Dean walked me over to Phase II.

It turns out I didn’t need my breakfast as there was a huge spread of pastries, breads, and fresh fruit waiting for the skate team. The majority of my team was in the process of unpacking and setting up in their new spaces. All my stuff was accounted for. On each of our desks was a welcome package from facilities. The package contained a new Black Box branded badge holder (made of super crystal clear plastic), a badge reel, a glass mug, and a coffee cup.

I spent all morning setting up my computer, TV, Xbox 306 dev kit, and PS3 dev kit. At noon, there was a welcome BBQ out on the patio next to our space. We actually have two patios for our use, which is nice since we as a team like claiming spaces for our own.

We were supposed to be “back to work” in the afternoon but no one really expected anyone to be productive on such a day. A lot of people were watching E3 live video. I think I actually wrote a bit of code.

I got home about ten minutes earlier than usual which I appreciated. I’ll have some more to say later about the transition to Burnaby.