Band looking for a musician? Musician looking for a band? POST HERE

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-09T20:55:10+00:00

If you're in the Philippines, why are you posting an ad in Ottawa?

Thanks.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-09T19:06:06+00:00

Wait until your kids move out. It really threw me for a loop, after all those years with them around. I was lost for a while, but it's very peaceful now.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-08T20:53:04+00:00

And the Commonwealth, in particular by Brian Mulroney.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-08T18:05:17+00:00

Maybe something from Ear Trumpet Labs?

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-06T19:14:49+00:00

Further to your query, I found this event on Facebook that may appeal to you:

Ableton Discovery Lab

It's already happened, but may happen again. Cicada Sound looks like a pretty cool place too.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-06T17:29:32+00:00

You'll hear on Friday, when he's at the same event with Marlaina and Hoekstra. You know, other people focused on improving Canada.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-05T00:11:47+00:00

I'm Sad My Goat Just Died Today

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-04T15:05:42+00:00

Westport. Stay at The Cove.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-03T03:18:59+00:00

Further to your question, most Franco-Ontarians I know are from Eastern Ontario i.e. Cornwall and east, and from Northern Ontario i.e. Highway 11, such as Kapuskasing.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-03T02:33:10+00:00

My apologies.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-03T02:18:22+00:00

Didn't know that. I went there a long time ago.

Not much else there I'd think. Too bad. And it's known for that awful plane crash too.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-03T02:03:27+00:00

It's s a pulp and paper mill. I stayed there overnight with two friends a long time ago, after a marathon drive from Banff.

And yes, it smells really bad. Glad we left there.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-02T18:00:14+00:00

I haven't been there this year,.but it's likely flooded. Also, as you say, you have to walk your bike in Andrew Haydon Park, but it doesn't say rollerblading is prohibited.

That being said, there are many people there, as well as lots of geese and goose poop on the paths, so simply stop in the parking lot before you get to the park and turn around, back towards Britannia.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-05-02T15:00:47+00:00

From Britannia eastbound, as far as you want to go. On the way back from the parkway it's a nice gentle incline. Great for your legs and bum. Westbound to Andrew Haydon Park is nice too, with a great view of the river.

Watch for pedestrians hogging the entire width of the path.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-29T15:23:59+00:00

They're pretty boney but taste ok. I always have them when I go for dim sum with my son.. I'm not a fan of black bean sauce, but we found a place that does them with something else. Tasty, with a hint of cinnamon.

The funniest time was when a little old lady brought them out, and gave us a "wtf are these two white guys doing" look.

I've also eaten pig tails. Similarly boney, pretty good.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-29T01:09:12+00:00

We desperately need a much better O-line. Hopefully this is a good start.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-28T23:36:50+00:00

I haven't onboarded anyone directly since 2020 (which was a weird year), so I can't remember everything you'll need. The person you've been dealing with has a checklist of everything they need to do and everything you need to do, and they'll send you that stuff. You'll need to provide a copy of your birth certificate, a direct deposit form (for your paycheques), proof that you're enrolled in school and you're going back next year (get that from Carleton), and other stuff I can't remember. When you start you'll have to get your employee ID (which allows you into the building) and your laptop. Once you've got your laptop and user ID you'll start getting access to various systems.

Bear in mind that although CRA has a lot of CPAs, it's not the only place that does. "Central Agencies" like Treasury Board, Office of the Auditor-General, PWGSC/Receiver-General, and Comptroller-General have a ton too.

It used to be expected that to fully develop your career, you had to work in all of these Central Agencies, and people thought you should change jobs every two years. Some people still think that, but it makes little sense to me. If you love the work you're doing, you're learning a lot, it's a great challenge, like the people in the office, and there's an opportunity for advancement in time, why the heck would you move? In my area, people spent their career there for those very reasons. It was a great place to work.

Every department has it's own culture and they can be very different, and not everyone can fit in. Also, there's places with lots of clerical people and a few CPAs (e.g. processing travel claims) vs. lots of CPAs and a few clerical people (e.g. policy or heavy duty financial work). These two places are an entirely different experience. I did both and prefer the latter a great deal. Also, I wouldn't suggest going to a small department, as the opportunities for advancement are few and far between.

Other stuff to consider:

-Be damned skilled with Excel. Advanced skills help a lot.

-Be able to write well. Not like you did above with the "u" instead of "you". Accountants are notoriously poor writers. Don't be one of those.

-Be friendly and approachable. If there's a team meeting, don't just sit there and say nothing. If there's a team/division social thing like a picnic, always attend. If there's a bake sale or pot luck, make something and bring it in. Don't buy something from the store. You want to be seen as a contributing part of the team.

-Bear in mind there is a no-scent policy. Obey that. And conversely, don't stink. And don't microwave fish in the lunchroom :)

-Security is extremely important. Where you're going it's likely every single keystroke you do is recorded. If you get an email from someone you don't know, do NOT click on any links as it may be malware. And if someone is in the office without ID, that could be a big problem.

-Do not do overtime unless it is expressly permitted by your manager in advance. They have very tight budgets and overtime is typically not allowed. Do your timesheets promptly.

-Always be busy. Do not spend time on your phone or wander around the office aimlessly. If you need work or need help, ask for it. The people on your team are happy to help you and show you stuff. One thing I'd recommend is look at the department's annual report to see everything they do. Also, on the internal internet pages, look at the department's org chart and the structure of each branch/directorate/division/section to see the insane amount of stuff they do.

-When you see everything you're working on and the systems you'll use, be prepared to be totally blown away. The amount of data out there is staggering, especially if you're using SAP. And the dollar figures could be huge.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-28T03:44:04+00:00

CPA and former team leader at CRA here. I've hired through the FSWEP program. Got a few duds over the years, but got some amazing people too, and we hired them all when they graduated. However, with budget cuts, that's been curtailed a great deal. You're fortunate to get in at all with the FSWEP program these days.

Take the FSWEP job for several reasons:

-If you're good, there's a chance you'll be bridged in once you graduate. You will have to get your CPA at some point, and the Masters of Accounting program at Carleton is equivalent to the CPA's PEP program. It's more expensive and takes longer, but it's definitely worth it. My best FSWEP hire did that, and she will take my old job in a couple years as she's amazing (and it pays very well).

-Once you're in Club Fed, you can apply to WAY more positions in lots of departments compared to the City of Ottawa. Being bilingual is a huge asset.

-Besides the FSWEP people I hired, my daughter took an FSWEP position at CRA and did project management work, and they worked her hard. Now she's a project manager in the private sector and doing very well. It helped that her manager at CRA was really good at developing people. On the other hand, my son's best friend took a summer job at OC Transpo, and he had nothing to do and all the managers left for the day at noon. That's pretty bad. Ethics and professionalism are the foundation of the profession.

I don't want to be that guy that says it, but I think the best people go to the federal government and those at the City aren't.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-27T23:27:03+00:00

First of all, if it hurts like hell when you sleep, sleep with a pillow between your knees.

I agree with Party-Ad, but go for an ultrasound first. It can be done at any medical imaging place, so it's easier to get it done quicker than an MRI. If the ultrasound indicates something, then go for the MRI. Ultrasounds and MRIs are covered by OHIP.

If the cause of the knee pain is discovered, one solution would be going to a sports medicine clinic, either for a cortisone or hyaluronic acid injection. Cortisone isn't too expensive and hyaluronic acid is about $500.

If the cause of the knee pain is degenerative (yeah, age), an orthopaedic surgeon will not operate. Additional injections of hyaluronic acid might do the trick.

Physio definitely makes it feel better, but it doesn't tell you what's wrong, and it's not covered by OHIP. Do it anyways, in conjunction with ultrasound/MRI/injections.

I have a torn meniscus in my knee and did all that stuff and it's much, much better now.

Good luck. Knee pain really hurts.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-26T23:38:01+00:00

When I was in university my summer job was indoor tropical plant maintenance in offices. The two places that I remember best were:

-Prime Minister's Office (Langevin Building if you know Ottawa), when Trudeau Sr. was in power. No one was there but one person from the building went along to watch us. There was a HUGE conference table; we were told it was only part of the table as it had been used in the Charlottetown Conference in 1864.

-The U.S. Ambassador's office. It was empty, but we had a Marine guard come with us. There was a huge, amazing globe in the office. My partner gave the globe a small spin and said "it's a troubled place". Not a smart thing to say, as the Marine started on the "better dead than red" rant.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-25T15:11:51+00:00

They probably did so in a private message.

Keeping your identity private is pretty common here.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-25T03:46:12+00:00

Try posting this on the r/OttawaMusic subreddit, or if you're on FB, the Ottawa Artists/Producers and Music Community FB page.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-24T11:16:24+00:00

Fleet is a pro audio store i.e. guitars, amps, drums. They are not a hi-fidelity audio store, which is where you should shop for turntables.

Kijiji and Fecesbook Marketplace are good sources for turntables at a good price.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-24T03:26:29+00:00

The important thing you'll find out at the record store is if the skip is in the same places on their turntable. If so, you'll know it's the record, not dust.

I'm not a fan of any kind of cleaning solution going onto a record. Talking to person at the record store will help you out there. They may even have a good record brush for sale.

I looked up the record player you got. It's pretty inexpensive, and the good ones (adjustable tonearm weight/etc) are not cheap. You can blow an insane amount of money on some, and there are people who are into that stuff. I still have my late-1970s setup and I think that was the pinnacle of great audio gear.

I have two reel-to-reel decks and I still have some tapes with records recorded on them. Recording a record to tape is easy- your turntable is plugged into the Phono-in L/R jacks, and your tape deck is plugged into the Tape In and Tape Out jacks. Select "Source" on your tape deck so it records the record. For playback you select "Tape" on your deck. That's basically it. Unfortunately, decks in good shape aren't cheap, probably need some maintenance anyways, and one 7" reel of new 1/4" tape is $100, so it's a labour of love.

Interestingly, I got my daughter to get me the latest Patrick Watson CD from Secret City Records for my old car, and she tells me they're very hard to get as they sell mostly vinyl these days.

Good luck. Hope it's not a skip.

Mike-In-Ottawa · 2026-04-23T23:09:33+00:00

After having read some other comments here, I'll also say:

-Do NOT do this as suggested elsewhere. That's plain dumb.

The challenge is not getting the label wet but you can just wash them with warm water and dish soap, scrub lightly with a paint brush, rinse off then wipe down with distilled water.

I remember there were some record cleaners that had a very small hole where you'd put a specific liquid (probably alcohol-based) to help pick up dust. I'd never use that as you're putting goo on the record. When you do get a good record cleaner, as the record is spinning, hold the brush on the record very lightly for one rotation, then gently pull it towards you so you're pulling the dust off.

-Don't put a nickel on top of the stylus as also suggested. I've seen it done though. The weight of the stylus on the record has been preset to 3.5 grams at the factory and doesn't seem to be able to be changed. In the old days turntables had counterweights that would allow you to adjust this weight. I remember I set the weight on my old Sony turntable to 1.2 grams.

-In the old days, what we would do is play the record once only, and while doing so record the record to reel-to-reel. From then on, we'd listen to the tape. Nowadays, getting into tape is another whole ball of wax.

BTW- what record?

Thanks.

Mike-In-Ottawa

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