After some initial trouble with my credit card, I was finally able to order my first Mac from the Apple Canada webstore: the new Apple MacBook. I waited on this purchase as long as I could, and it has paid off: the MacBook, announced only two weeks ago, has all the power of the MacBook Pro, at almost half the cost.

I wanted this machine in time to show my students what this Mac thing is all about. Most of them have never seen another operating system, and I want them to experience a Mac in all its glory before they make their next purchasing decision.

While I'm excited about the new computer, I'm also curious about experiencing Apple's renowned support. And I got a chance to test it out right away: I had forgotten to buy a video adapter (to hook the computer to a projector for use in class), so I had to call their toll-free number to add it to my order. Here's how it went down:

1. I waited on hold for 3 minutes.
2. I confirmed my order and personal information with their support guru.
3. I explained what I wanted to add to the order.
4. The guru made the change, and after a minute of frantic keyboard clicking, informed me that she would waive the expedited shipping charge on the original order-- I paid for expedited shipping to receive it before classes end-- which meant that my adapter was free.

Sweet!

If you're thinking about buying a new computer, you might want to follow along as I share my experience of moving from a PC to an Apple. I will address issues of compatibility, useability, the now-famous "running XP on a Mac" options, and other gotchas to consider.

Comments and questions are welcome. Now I go to sit by the window and wait for the UPS truck.

Just when I thought I'd had all the good news I could handle, I got another bulletin. My Assistant Principal took me aside and asked me what I wanted to do next year.

"Work here," I said.

"Would a continuing contract be OK with you?" he asked. A continuing contract means that I am a full-time employee who can't be fired unless I kill a special ed. student during a pep rally before lunch during an even-numbered month. Twice.

"Yes," I said.

"Congratulations," he said, shaking my hand.

Too bad June is an even number-- I just got my Alberta gun license!

A couple of years ago, I decided to change careers. I quit my geeking job, and went back to teachers' college after an enlightening experience helping a group of high school students. It never occurred to me that this was a risky decision, though my friends and colleagues have said as much. All I knew was that the prospect made me happy.

Some interesting things have happened since.

For one, teaching is tough when you are a night person. I tried to make my daily wake up time 5am after reading an inspiring series of articles that spoke to my hatred of the morning. It wreaked havoc with me for a while, but the idea made me happy, and I am now getting up daily at 6am (a compromise from my previous 7am start). This makes me happy.

Getting up earlier allows me to take the bus to work: I can read my book, listen to music, and bypass traffic jams. Despite the fact that I make two connections from my house to the school, my travel time is only about 5 minutes longer than when I drove. Plus, I save a couple hundred dollars on my insurance by taking off the work-use rider, and I'm unaffected by the spiralling price of oil. Before I went to public transit, I weighed these benefits; while the idea made me happy, the reality has contributed to my contentment more than I could have anticipated.


Getting up early also gives me more time. So I started to think about getting my Masters of Education degree; I would enjoy the research, and it would also net me a hefty pay raise. Two problems: my Ontario degree and pitiful marks make getting into a program difficult, and the fact that I would have to pursue it part time would mean that I would either have to drive to the University for night courses, or pay a huge premium to do an online program. Then I read another article on the same site about initiating change in your life with positive thinking. To my binary, science-y mind, this was absolute rubbish. But the idea made me happy, so I kept thinking positive about it. Then a couple weeks ago, two amazing profs from the University of Calgary approached the staff here-- out of the blue-- and offered to develop a customized Masters program. They would teach the classes once a week, here at the school, after hours (read: no extra travel). They would charge normal course rates (read: no premium). They would allow me to apply as an "unclassified student" for the time being; after a few courses, my average would be high enough to be accepted into the Masters program, and I could count those courses towards the program requirements (read: drunken undergrad failures? No problem!). I am registering for September. I am getting my Masters.

Wow.

I guess the point is this: follow your happiness, your passion, and your curiosity. The world will conspire to help you succeed, and in more ways than you could imagine.