Here's a nice photo of the project team at TD. It's a good mix of client personnel, PeopleSoft consultants, and Accenture consultants. We're running at full steam at the moment, quite an exciting phase.



posted by Tom at 9:34 AM | link | (0) comments

So, how about that SARS?

The WHO thinks Toronto is a Hot Zone, which sort of woke us up a bit... Until then, only the hospital workers (and I suppose their patients) had really noticed any change in the city. Now it's on everyone's lips, and the topic in all the elevators. But really, there's very little sense of disturbance. Some companies downtown are taking limited measures to separate key staff (to avoid the risk of their entire businesses getting quaranteened) but there doesn't seem to have been an outbreak so far, and since the total number of cases -- 257 at last count, I think -- is so small, nobody I know even knows anybody who knows one of the victims... at least, so far as I know.

It's a bit weird. I suppose in a few months we'll look back on this time as either being a completely unnecessary panic scare, or the start of something much bigger. Is SARS going to be the first of the super bugs they've been predicting for the last few years? Or should everybody just stop worrying and take their Vitamin C?
posted by Tom at 9:01 PM | link | (0) comments

Another very busy week behind us. We're closing in on May 16th, the end of the Build and Unit Test phase of my project, and the team's working at full speed. I managed to fit a few non-work things in this week, however:

- Exultate board meeting on Tuesday, my first meeting as chair as I'm the president-elect;
- Molly's fundraiser on Thursday for David Miller's mayorial campaign;
- I organized a very poorly attended work social outing to Joe Rockhead's Climbing Gym today and the other three attendees and I got a chance to hang off some tall walls for a while.

Tonight we're off to Anne's parents' place until Sunday morning, to get some R&R, play some Scrabble, and see some great art.
posted by Tom at 8:56 PM | link | (0) comments

The Easter weekend is upon us, and Anne and I are at my place. Seems strange to be here -- it's been a month since I first moved up to Anne's, and... no, the bugs haven't completely gone, so I can't move back here any time soon. :-(

We rented Amelie and watched it last night. Fun, cute little movie. Not sure why there was so much fuss about it, but it was certainly worth the time.
posted by Tom at 12:17 PM | link | (0) comments

Just got back from a couple of days in St. Charles, IL, at the Center for Professional Education, a training facility that's basically the last vestige of the Arthur Andersen corporation. Accenture rents space at the facility for training sessions. I was one of six senior managers from our Toronto office down on an excellent training course aimed to teach us relationship building skills. It was an intensive course, and very well designed and run.

Back on the project today, I'm working late to get caught up. It's a short week, so there's a lot to do...
posted by Tom at 8:34 PM | link | (0) comments

It's been a really busy time over the last few days. The weather hasn't helped -- a late winter storm dumped about a foot of snow and ice on Friday and Saturday, nixing our plans to go to Georgetown for the weekend to see Anne's parents. It's finally starting to warm up today.

Work is also very busy, as my project is getting into the critical build and test phase.

On the plus side, Anne and I went to my place on Sunday and managed to get everything squared away. It's now ready for re-habitation (whenever we get the time to move all my stuff back from her place!)

Yeesh, what a boring blog at the moment... Sorry. I recommend looking at the archives from this time last year for better material...
posted by Tom at 5:30 PM | link | (0) comments

Well, in Toronto it sure doesn't feel like spring. There's a horrible ice storm kinda thing going on outside.
posted by Tom at 1:17 PM | link | (0) comments

Well, it's only Wednesday but it's been a very busy week! This evening Anne joined my team for an outing to Gerrard St. East for very tasty Indian food. Yesterday night, we went with Meredith and Bernard for Japanese food at Kobe and then saw the wonderfully twisted musical "Sweeney Todd". Monday I met Suzy Vadori (nee Conway) for a drink after work and got caught up on what she's been up to since leaving Accenture three years ago. Sunday Anne and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon cleaning out my closets for the Great Extermination, cooked up a pizza and played on the computers. Saturday Molly treated the suspects to a really lovely pork recipe with a mushroom risotto. And finally, way back on Friday we did indeed see Madama Butterfly, which was as good as could be hoped (not being a big fan of that opera to begin with).

Going forward, we have choir tomorrow night, the final opera of the season on Friday (An Italian Girl in Algiers) and are going to Georgetown to see Anne's parents, and in particular the art show her Mom is organizing, on Saturday. Busy busy busy!
posted by Tom at 11:13 PM | link | (0) comments