A long break

Okay, so it's been a LONG while since I made the last post. And a hell of a lot has happened.

In January, we entered into serious production of our prototype - a Facebook application centred around fostering environmentally friendly and cooperative challenges. The idea is that you invite your friends to join you in doing something good for the environment. It was a fantastic process to go through the development of a prototype at the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab. Great ideas and suggestions flew at us from the faculty and other residents. It was a weird, tough, exhilarating and sometimes scary process. BUT, it all lead to a prototype that looks great and works.

We previewed our prototype in the middle of a snow storm in February. It was a crazy day and it took me three hours to get from the CFC home and back again. A few intrepid souls made it that night. Bless their lovely little hearts. No one I invited made it. I'm not going to take that personally.

We were lucky and we got some attention from the "green" world. We've been in discussion with an organization that is interested in being more active and visible on the Facebook platform and is looking to use our prototype to do so. I'll let you know what happens.

Once the program wrapped up, I packed up my things and headed back to Ottawa. It was hard to leave family and friends. It was especially hard leaving my group-mates as we were still trying to finish the app and build a company together. Thank goodness for skype. We manage to teleconference regularly and it doesn't seem to bad.

I've been back at work for about a month. While it's weird doing the 9-5 again and dressing like a gainfully employed adult, it never ceases to amaze me how easily you fall back into the old routine. A very good friend who used to work in the same organization has changed jobs. I miss being able to do lunch or coffee with her but am happy that she's off doing new things. I'm working with her and her creative partner on a creative project, and she's also a neighbour so that means we still get to hang out. And our conversations consist of things other than kvetching about work.

Speaking of work, I've returned to the group I used to work with from 2003 to 2006. It's good to be with old friends, who know you and whose work you are intimately familiar with. And luckily, I am able to focus on new technology issues and take advantage of the things I have learned at the CFC and previous work projects. It's nice to know that the time back at school wasn't just for my personal development but that work gets to benefit too.

So despite feeling a bit torn between two cities, I can't complain. I am getting paid to do what I am really interested in.

So now you are all caught up.