Latest update!

Hello there!

It's been a while since I've posted a general update, and I've been really bad at returning e-mails and phone calls - so I just wanted to explain what I've been up to. The problem is that last night I worked until 4:00 AM, and I've had about 3 hours of sleep. So here's a point-form update:

• My job is going great, but very very busy:
• Major project relocating - in 4 weekends - over 200 servers to a new data centre (reason I worked until 4:30 this morning)
• Leading a major portion of a data retention project, which will generate reports on all types of data currently existing within the firm, and will also implement processes and technologies to manage this data going forward
• Leading portions of two projects for office moves (the one in London is ~80 people; the one in Toronto is ~450 people. Both offices are moving in February/March.)
  
• Managing the process of replacing lease-end servers (about 150 servers to be replaced between now and July 1st)
• Working on developing business process improvements re. how my team is engaged to perform server builds
• Managing my team's workload, and handling new requests for resources/services (They seem to never end - make them stop!!!!!)
• Escalating support issues to my manager and director as required
• Participating with my manager in interviewing candidates for an open position on our team
• Do you think I'm busy enough? LOL
• Also organizing a stress-buster “Steak Night” for my co-workers (I thought of using a slogan like “Dig into a steak rather than carving up your colleagues!” but decided against it.) Seriously, they’re a great bunch, so it should be a lot of fun.
• Even though it is insanely busy, it's a great job. I get to use my creativity to make things better, there's infinite variety, it's always challenging, the people are great, I have a lot of support from my manager and his boss (the director), and I love the leadership responsibility. Like I keep saying, I feel like I've won the job lottery. :->
  
• Roommate saga on pause
• As most of you know, I’ve been looking for a roommate to share my wonderful 2-bedroom apartment
• I’d found a great candidate, Mahsa, who is a University of Toronto student (Masters in Fine Arts, Music – she plays the cello), and we finally got through all the red tape of applications, etc. so she could get a card to my secure building – and then she didn’t move in. ????
• She stopped by today and filled me in on some of the issues she is facing. There are a couple of health crises in her family, so she is planning to return to Iran for up to three months. Also, while she is currently separated from her husband, he wants a reconciliation, so when Mahsa returns to Canada, she might decide to return to her marriage as well. We have agreed to wait until mid-December and then make a decision about the roommate decision. I am too busy to go looking for a roommate again before Christmas anyway. And if possible, I’d really like to wait for Mahsa because I think she’s great. (Although of course if her marriage works out, I'll be very happy for her.) We’ll see how it works out.
• By the way, she did pay me for November's rent, even though she'd never moved in. At first I felt bad about taking it, but she was determined, and I saw it as a gesture of good faith. I'll use it to get my apartment painted and buy a bed for her if she decides to move in.
  
• Not much else happening these days!
• Even though I’m really terrible at responding to e-mails or calling people up, I love hearing about what’s going on in the lives of my friends and family! Tell me what’s going on with you!!!! :->