You walk into the Second Cup and scan the room. Over in the corner you see Colin sitting at a table sipping a cup of coffee.
That coffee looks extra, extra large – you hope this is not going to be a long conversation. You like the idea of catching up, but you’re busy – you don’t have all day to spend in a coffee shop. (set: $boring to 10)(set: $angry to 10) (set: $coffee to 0)
[[Walk over to the table and sit down.->Name]]
[[Grab a coffee first, if it's anything like media class, you'll need caffeine.->Coffee]]You sit down across from Colin and give him a smile. You notice he has a few more grey hairs than he used to. You wonder if that’s because of work – or maybe his kids - or maybe something more sinister.
"Hello $firstname." He shakes your hand. "How have things been?"
You talk about yourself for a while, but then start asking questions about what’s new in Colin’s world.
(if: $coffee is 1)[[[Take a sip of your coffee before you begin.->Check]]]
(else:)[[[Think of some good questions.->Check]]]You grab a coffee at the counter. It’s nice to see Colin again and everything, but flashes of newspaper costings, GRPs and blocking charts haunt you every time you think back to your time at Sheridan.
At the very least you'll get a good cup of coffee out of this meeting.
You wonder if Colin remembers your name. (set: $coffee to 1)
[[Walk over to the table and sit down.->Name]]"Yeah - Isla will be a year in mid-November. She's doing great, but keeps getting colds. Doesn't matter how she's feeling though, she always seems to have a smile on her face. Well, except when she's hungry. She gets really, really mad when she's hungry."
You remember Colin mentioning to you before that his son - Cameron - was not a good sleeper. How old is he? He must be almost 3 by now. (set: $kid to 1)
[[How's Cameron doing?]]"Well it didn't run last year," he started. "But it's back on again this year. I haven't been around much the past 6 months, but I hear there are some cool things coming down the pipeline. Sounds like Peggy has been working hard to switch things up. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it when I get back." (set: $postgrad to 1)
[[What type of changes are there going to be to the program?]]
[[What about the creative stream?->Creative?]]
[[What about the media stream?]]
[[How is everyone?->Everyone Post Grad]]
Colin smiled. "Well, we're finally 'mobile'. It was inevitable. I've got mixed feelings about it. I think it was time, it opens up a lot of opportunities on how we can teach and the flow of the class." (set: $program to 1)
[[What about the extra cost for students? Was that ever a concern?]]
[[Don't all students already have laptops?]]
[[That's great. It's about time.]]
[[Sounds good. How is everyone?->How is everyone?]]
(set: $strange to 1) Colin nervously looks around the room. He leans over and whispers, "I think I'm being followed." He slumps back in his chair and sighs. "But more on that later."
[[I think we should talk about it now.]]
[[Think of another question.->Check]]Colin tilted his head to one side and looked at me. He paused for a few seconds and finally said, "Which class again was that one?" (set: $boring to it - 3)
[[You give a sheepish grin and shrug your shoulders.->Parental Leave]]Colin laughed. "That sounds about right. You were probably working on some creative project."
Suddenly, Colin's face turned dark. There was something behind those eyes. Something that frightened me. He looked away and down at his coffee. "Creative... damn creative..." he muttered.
This was not a topic I wanted to get into. (set: $angry to it - 3)
[[So... what else is new with the family?->Parental Leave]]Colin nodded knowingly. "I know. It's very powerful. Very powerful indeed."
[[So... what else is new with the family?->Parental Leave]]“I started Parental Leave in January so that I could spend more time with Cameron and Isla. No one is going to say spending more time with your kids is a bad choice. But it really was a great thing. I’m very lucky I had the opportunity.” (set: $parentalleave to 1)
[[Are you finding much time for yourself?]]
“Great! Isla is a smiler, Cameron is a laugher. He has hit his “terrible twos” however – that’s proving to be interesting. Were you ever in a class of mine where I used my angry voice? I’d like to think it was at least a bit scary. When I tried to use it with Cameron – he laughed.”
[[I don't remember you using your angry voice? We must have been a good class.]]
[[I don't remember you using your angry voice. I must have missed that class.]]
[[Oh, I remember you using that angry voice. It shook me to the core of my being.]]Colin takes a big gulp of his coffee. “Sort of? Hard to say. My running isn’t going very well. If I’m lucky I’ll make it out a few times a week.
"I don’t play beach volleyball anymore, which is disappointing – but that was done a few years ago when my friends got too busy to play. I take a lot of pictures, use Indesign to put together family albums, things like that.”
InDesign - that brings back some memories.
[[Think of another question.->Check]]Colin raises his hands in the air. "Can't talk about it. There's exciting times ahead I'm sure. Hey - did you know we've got co-op?"
[[Yes, I was part of the class that had the co-op opportunity.]]
[[Yes, I heard about that. That's pretty cool.]]
[[No, I didn't realise it was now a co-op program.]]
[[What about the creative stream?->Creative?]]
[[What about the media stream?]]“3 hour class for 28 weeks just can’t hold all the content I’d like it to have. I’m trying to figure out a way to keep it fluid so that all students take what they want from the course.
"A large portion of the last graduating class ended up in media – so I’m happy it’s providing them with the opportunity to enter the industry.”
As you're talking you notice out of the corner of your eye, someone trip over a chair and fall awkwardly towards Colin.
[[Leap up and stop the man from falling into Colin.->Handle Myself]]
[[Leap up and push Colin out of the way of the falling man.->Handle Myself]]
[[Do nothing.]]"Oops." Colin shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry about that. All the years blend together these days." He took another sip of coffee.
"Anyway, if you're interested in helping out some Sheridan grads, let me know - and maybe I can help out!"
[[No worries Colin. What about the creative classes? Any changes planned for them?->Creative?]]
[[No worries Colin. What about the media classes? Any changes planned for them?->What about the media stream?]]
"Isn't it though. Last time we had the class, a whole bunch of students ended up with media opportunities. If you're interested in having some Sheridan co-op students, let me know, maybe I can hook you up!"
[[That would be great, I'll let you know. What about the creative classes? Any changes planned for them?->Creative?]]
[[That would be great, I'll let you know. What about the media classes? Any changes planned for them?->What about the media stream?]]"Well now you do! Last time we had the class, a whole bunch of students ended up with media opportunities. If you're interested in having some Sheridan co-op students, let me know, maybe I can hook you up!"
[[That would be great, I'll let you know. What about the creative classes? Any changes planned for them?->Creative?]]
[[That would be great, I'll let you know. What about the media classes? Any changes planned for them?->What about the media stream?]]"Great, can't complain. They've got the new HMC building built. I heard it's fantastic - I haven't seen it yet. (if: $parentalleave is 1)[Like I mentioned, I've been on Parental Leave since the beginning of the semester.] It was delayed a semester, just couldn't get everything done in time." (set: $sheridan to 1)
[[What's going on with the transition to a University?]]
[[What else is new at the college?]](put: (prompt: "Enter Full Name") into $name)
(if: $name is 'Dukmar Robey')[(set: $firstname to "Colin")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Marc Doucette')[(set: $firstname to "Marc")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jacob Anzivino')[(set: $firstname to "Jacob")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Mohit Agrawal')[(set: $firstname to "Mohit")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jeryl Torres')[(set: $firstname to "Jeryl")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jennifer Will')[(set: $firstname to "Jennifer")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jackie Cabral')[(set: $firstname to "Jackie")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Miguel Reyes')[(set: $firstname to "Miguel")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Joel Nicolle')[(set: $firstname to "Joel")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Daniela Santia')[(set: $firstname to "Daniela")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Leah Shabaga')[(set: $firstname to "Leah")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alexandra Marinaccio')[(set: $firstname to "Alexandra")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Veronika Zulalyan')[(set: $firstname to "Veronika")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jasmine Hwangbo')[(set: $firstname to "Jasmine")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Lisa Jackson')[(set: $firstname to "Lisa")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Erica Cuda')[(set: $firstname to "Erica")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Caitlin Hoey')[(set: $firstname to "Caitlin")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Justine Nguyen')[(set: $firstname to "Justine")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Tetiana Lysenko')[(set: $firstname to "Tetiana")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Nate Cordery')[(set: $firstname to "Nate")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Tetiana Lysenko')[(set: $firstname to "Tetiana")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Brenda DeOliveira')[(set: $firstname to "Brenda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Brock Darling')[(set: $firstname to "Brock")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jeff Costigan')[(set: $firstname to "Jeff")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Rachele Benjamin')[(set: $firstname to "Rachele")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jaclyn Berzins')[(set: $firstname to "Jaclyn")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Nicole Minshall')[(set: $firstname to "Nicole")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jared Ross')[(set: $firstname to "Jared")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jeff Thiessen')[(set: $firstname to "Jeff")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Daria Jabenko')[(set: $firstname to "Daria")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Amanda Patchett')[(set: $firstname to "Amanda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Phillip Langdon')[(set: $firstname to "Phillip")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Katie Manor')[(set: $firstname to "Katie")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Breanne Morrison')[(set: $firstname to "Breanne")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Lea Henry')[(set: $firstname to "Lea")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Kristen Baker')[(set: $firstname to "Kristen")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Andrew Ferreira')[(set: $firstname to "Andrew")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Paola Hernandez Soto')[(set: $firstname to "Paola")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alison Van Buskirk')[(set: $firstname to "Alison")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Sarah Benzinger')[(set: $firstname to "Sarah")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jacqueline Fell')[(set: $firstname to "Jacqueline")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Amanda Maiorano')[(set: $firstname to "Amanda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Amanda De Fields')[(set: $firstname to "Amanda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Rekha Gaddam')[(set: $firstname to "Rekha")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Nicole Lam')[(set: $firstname to "Nicole")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Kavita Tewari')[(set: $firstname to "Kavita")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Marlise Panganiban')[(set: $firstname to "Marlise")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Lexy Khoo')[(set: $firstname to "Lexy")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Courtney Kelly')[(set: $firstname to "Courtney")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Chris Gray')[(set: $firstname to "Chris")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Tim Sarrazin')[(set: $firstname to "Tim")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alejandro Gomez')[(set: $firstname to "Alejandro")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'She Kei Foo')[(set: $firstname to "She Kei")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Samantha Redshaw')[(set: $firstname to "Sam")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Fredo Zavarella')[(set: $firstname to "Fredo")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Christian Pietrasiak')[(set: $firstname to "Christian")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Hannah Wiseman')[(set: $firstname to "Hannah")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Gregory Tarasov')[(set: $firstname to "Gregory")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Brooke Verbeek')[(set: $firstname to "Brooke")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Ama Karikari')[(set: $firstname to "Ama")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Anastasiia Antonets')[(set: $firstname to "Anastasiia")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Kern OLeary')[(set: $firstname to "Kern")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Muhammed Ali Abbas')[(set: $firstname to "Muhammed")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jonathan Wellum')[(set: $firstname to "John")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Sunaynna Venkatesh')[(set: $firstname to "Sunaynna")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Dave Playfair-Brown')[(set: $firstname to "Dave")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Rebecca Ngo')[(set: $firstname to "Rebecca")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Vanessa Rosati')[(set: $firstname to "Vanessa")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'AB Jithu')[(set: $firstname to "AB")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Milos Milasinovic')[(set: $firstname to "Milos")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Melissa Colella')[(set: $firstname to "Melissa")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Isaac Kamen')[(set: $firstname to "Isaac")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Trevor Lo')[(set: $firstname to "Trevor")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Yonghun Ma')[(set: $firstname to "Yonghun")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Liz May')[(set: $firstname to "Liz")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Nikki Oplocki')[(set: $firstname to "Nikki")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jeff Thiessen')[(set: $firstname to "Jeff")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Kyra Santa Ana')[(set: $firstname to "Kyra")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Laura McDonald')[(set: $firstname to "Laura")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Tommasina Caprio')[(set: $firstname to "Tommasina")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Tim Sarrazin')[(set: $firstname to "Tim")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'James Clark')[(set: $firstname to "James")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Mary Catherine Stina')[(set: $firstname to "Mary Catherine")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Amanda Ashley')[(set: $firstname to "Amanda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Sarah Hussain')[(set: $firstname to "Sarah")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Nina Chopra')[(set: $firstname to "Nina")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jennifer Thompson')[(set: $firstname to "Jennifer")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Amanda Valentina')[(set: $firstname to "Amanda")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Christina White')[(set: $firstname to "Christina")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Lara Shead')[(set: $firstname to "Lara")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Robert Zaranek')[(set: $firstname to "Robert")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Ryan Sherratt')[(set: $firstname to "Ryan")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jodi Harvey')[(set: $firstname to "Jodi")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Hiba Wehbe')[(set: $firstname to "Hiba")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Jesse Hill')[(set: $firstname to "Jesse")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alycia St. Pierre')[(set: $firstname to "Alycia")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Caitlin Hoey')[(set: $firstname to "Caitlin")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Kylie Vandendool')[(set: $firstname to "Kylie")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Shirley Ng')[(set: $firstname to "Shirley")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Megan Brescacin')[(set: $firstname to "Megan")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alycia St. Pierre')[(set: $firstname to "Alycia")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alycia St. Pierre')[(set: $firstname to "Alycia")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else-if: $name is 'Alycia St. Pierre')[(set: $firstname to "Alycia")][[[(goto:"Walk over to the table and sit down.")]]]
(else:)[[[(goto: "I'm Busy")]]]Colin looked at me - "Well! If it isn't $name. I'd love to chat, but unfortunately I'm meeting someone. Why don't you send me an e-mail: colin.robey@sheridancollege.ca - or message me through LinkedIn - and I'd be happy to set up a time when we can meet!"
He turns away and starts sipping his coffee.
''//Hmmm. Did you type your name correctly? If you did and you received an e-mail from me inviting you to this meeting, send me a quick e-mail to let me know. There may be a bug I need to fix! -Colin//''"It would have been a reason why I would have hesitated 10 years ago to force students to purchase a laptop. It's still an added cost now, but I think if they're able to afford tuition, with the drop in prices to own a laptop, it's a low barrier to overcome - and the benefits outweigh the cost."
[[Are there any challenges to having it a mobile program?]]"A lot do have laptops - but not everyone. And if there's one student who didn't have a laptop, for whatever reason, then I wouldn't want that person to be left out because I made having a laptop a critical part of learning in the class."
[[Are there any challenges to having it a mobile program?]]"Yes and no. I wouldn't have recommended laptops as part of the program 10 years ago. Tuition already costs a lot of money, I wouldn't want to add to that burden. But now, there's a lot of opportunity that comes from having a laptop in class and the cost in owning a laptop has dropped. We were ready a few years ago, but the process to make it official was frustrating."
[[Are there any challenges to having it a mobile program?]]"Sure. Distraction is one. It also means a lot more work for the professors to incorporate the laptop, get the most out of it."
[[Any more changes happening in the program?]]
[[How is everyone?]]"There's quite a few changes. Program map changes, courses being adjusted - and the biggest will be changes to the third year. I can't really say much about it, but the move to a brand new space at HMC opens up a bunch of cool opportunities."
[[Think of another question.->Check]]
[[How is everyone?]]
(set: $anythingelse to 1)"Everyone is great! Did you ever have Ian Fisher for one of your classes?" (set: $everyone to 1)
[[Yeah, I remember him.]]
[[No. Who is that?]]
"He retired! He decided it was time for new adventures - I think he was inspired by Janice's retirement the year before. He had been with the program for a very long time and at Sheridan for 31 years!
"He was a good guy with a lot of insight - I wouldn't be in this job if he hadn't hired me on part time and provided me with advice as I went through the hiring process.
"He was also a smiling face in the hallways. It's going to be a bit different next semester.
"Did you ever have Annie Tarzi as a teacher?"
[[I don't think so.]]
[[For sure. I remember Annie!]]"Ah, a professor in the program. He just retired this past year."
"Did you ever have Annie Tarzi as a teacher?"
[[I don't think so.]]
[[For sure. I remember Annie!]]"Refresh my memory $name. Which program were you in?" (set: $programquestion to 1)
[[What's new in the Post-Grad advertising program?<-I was in the Post-Grad program.]]
[[What's new in the 2/3 year advertising program?<-I was in the 2/3 year program.]](if: $kid is 0)[[[So - you've got another kid? How's that going?]]] (if: $kid is 1 and $television is 0)[[[Watching much television?]]]
(if: $programquestion is 0)[[[What's new in the advertising program?]]]
(if: $sheridan is 0)[[[How is Sheridan anyway?]]] (if: $sheridan is 1)[[[Would you like another coffee? It's on me.]]]
(if: $strange is 0)[[[You seem a bit strange... is everything okay?]]] (if: $strange is 1)[[[Who do you think is following you?]]] (if: $strange is 2 and $kid is 1 and $programquestion is 1)[[[I'm concerned about your well being Colin - are you sure there's nothing I can do?]]]
(if: $coffee is 1)[[[Throw your coffee in Colin's face.]]]You take the cup of hot coffee in your hand and without hesitating you throw it at Colin's face. He dodges the coffee effortlessly and it falls harmlessly to the floor.
You're stunned. He moved so quickly - you now know you never had a chance.
Standing now, he takes a look at you. He brushes some lint off his shoulder and then reaches out to shake your hand. Still sitting, you shake his hand, mouth open.
"It was a good attempt $firstname. But you failed. The next time we cross paths hopefully you'll take a different action."
Colin walked out of the coffee shop.
[[That was probably a bad idea. Do you want to try this again? Set up another coffee appointment with Colin. I'll keep your progress in mind.->The Coffee Shop]]
[[Maybe later.->Lost]]"Did you ever have Annie Tarzi as a teacher?"
[[I don't think so.]]
[[For sure. I remember Annie!]]"Ah, never mind then."
[[You pause. Waiting for Colin to continue.->Everyone Else]]"Well, she's the new co-ordinator for the 2/3 year advertising program! She takes over in September. Everyone's pretty excited, especially since there's a lot of change coming to that program."
[[You pause. Waiting for Colin to continue.->Everyone Else]]"Everyone else is doing well. We no longer have our own offices at the new campus, so I think that'll take some getting used to. I'm going to miss sharing an office with Paula, Yvonne and Iryna."
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"It's still moving forward - I haven't heard a lot about it recently."
[[Think of another question.->Blue Jays]]"The search is on for a new President. Dr. Mary Preece has taken on the role of President and Vice Chancellor temporarily until the Board of Governors figures out who is going to take over permanently."
[[Think of another question.->Blue Jays]](set: $strange to 2) Colin looks around nervously. "Look. There are certain "groups", who want me out of the way." The clatter of a dropped spoon behind us makes Colin spin around. He analyses the situation for danger, then turns back to me. "It's because of what I know."
[[Is there anything I can do to help?]]
[[You're sounding a bit crazy...]]"Not a lot. But I have been watching **Game of Thrones.** Man is it good. It's got Zombies in it - so I don't like that. But it's good stuff." (set: $television to 1)
[[I never really got into Game of Thrones.]]
[[Winter is Coming.]]"Oh." Colin looks at me strangely - then scans the room. His eyes fix on the exit and he starts to bite his nails. (set: $boring to it - 4)
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"Oh yeah $name, you bet Winter is Coming!" Colin leaps up from his seat and gives me a high five. He then starts to flap his hands like a dragon before sitting back down in his chair. "Yeah. Awesome."
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"Really? That's very kind of you. Extra large, three milk. I have a faculty meeting later today that I need to stay awake for."
You walk up to the barista and ask for the coffee. (set: $donut to 1)
[[You buy a double chocolate donut for Colin as well.]]
[[You stick with just the coffee.->Another Coffee]]You bring back the coffee and donut to Colin and place it in front of him. He looks at the donut, looks back at you. "What is this?"
"I thought you might like a donut," you reply.
His eyes stare straight through you. He picks up the donut and throws it across the room, hitting a child in the back of the head. "I've never been so insulted in all my life." You hear the child cry in the distance. (set: $angry to it -4)
[[Sorry about that... it's a donut...->Check]]You bring the coffee back over and set it in front of Colin.
"Thanks," he says. He takes a sip. "Delicious."
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"I'm putting you in danger, just by talking to you. I appreciate the offer - but I'm afraid I need to do this myself."
[[I understand.]]He shakes his head. "The people of Westeros thought the Long Night was the stuff of legends. They don't any longer." (set: $angry to it - 3)
[[Okay then.->I understand.]]"I just need to be careful. That's all. We all need to be careful." Colin goes back to his coffee and takes a long slow sip. It seems to comfort him.
[[Think of another question.->Check]]Colin gets up, his coffee not yet empty. "Look. I don't want to be mean - but this is probably the most boring conversation I've ever had. And I've had some boring conversations. If you want to meet me with me again, feel free. Hopefully you can find something a bit more interesting to talk about."
[[You want to try this again. Set up another coffee appointment with Colin. I'll keep your progress in mind.->The Coffee Shop]]
[[What a jerk. Forget about this. You've got work to do.->Lost]](if: $boring <= 0)[(goto:"Boring End")]
(else-if: $angry <= 0)[(goto:"Angry End")]
(else:)[(goto:"Beginning")]Colin gets up and throws his half finished coffee to the ground. It spills across the floor. "Look. I'm sorry. You're pissing me off. I just can't keep it inside anymore. If you want to talk to me again, set up another coffee appointment, fine - maybe in next time you'll find a bit more respect for others."
[[You want to try this again. Set up another coffee appointment with Colin. I'll keep your progress in mind.->The Coffee Shop]]
[[What a jerk. Forget about this. You've got work to do.->Lost]](set: $angry to it - 3) As you leap up to help Colin, you notice that he is no longer in his chair. The man comes crashes down right where Colin had been and you wonder if this is a scene out of the Matrix - Colin had moved so gracefully.
He looks at you, takes a sip of his coffee that he managed to take with him and says, "You don't think I can handle myself?"
[[Quickly, think of another question.->Check]]You know Colin can handle himself. Before you can blink, Colin moves swiftly away and the man crashes harmlessly into the chair. Well, it was still painful for the man who tripped.
Colin takes a sip of his coffee, then sits down in the adjacent chair as the man picks himself up off the floor.
[[Think of another question.->Check]](set: $boring to it - 3) Colin rolls his eyes. "I said later, I meant later. Isn't there anything else you want to talk about?"
[[Think of another question.->Check]]Colin sighs. "I guess I can tell you. I need to trust someone." He leans closer. "I saw something. Something that I wasn't supposed to see."
I leaned closer - I had to. Something was wrong. I could now see a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He picked up his coffee but now his hands were trembling.
[[What was it?]]Suddenly the lights in the coffee shop went out. Even though it was morning, darkness enveloped the room - an unnatural darkness. My eyes desperately tried to adjust but they couldn't. Then Colin shouted, "No... they've found me!"
In front of me I heard a struggle. A chair was knocked to the ground, the table lurched towards me.
[[Leap across the table and try to help Colin.->The Struggle Leap]]
[[Scream for others in the room to help.->The Struggle Scream]]
[[Take out your phone, turn on the flashlight and see what is happening.->The Struggle Phone]]You leap across the table, knocking over Colin's empty coffee cup to the ground. You reach, you grab - there's an arm. You hold on tight, but the arm is so hot. Unnaturally hot. You can only hold on for a second before the pain becomes too much and you let go.
You hear Colin scream.
[[Colin! Colin!! Are you okay!?]]You scream out to everyone in the room. "Help! Help! My media professor from Sheridan College where I graduated from and whose name is Colin, who I was just having coffee with needs help!!"
There's silence in the room. All you hear is a deep raspy voice - an unnatural voice whisper, "You're too late."
Then you hear Colin scream.
[[Colin! Colin!! Are you okay!?]]You frantically pull out your phone and try to switch on the flashlight, but it doesn't help. It can't seem to penetrate the unnatural darkness. You can now only see an inch in front of you while the struggle across the table continues.
Then you hear Colin scream.
[[Colin! Colin!! Are you okay!?]]As quickly as it began - it is over. The lights turn on and you look around. It's as if nothing had happened. Customers are quietly drinking their coffee, chatting about their mundane day - unaware of the horror that had just transpired.
In front of you, there's a chair that's been knocked over - but that is all.
No people, no struggle.
//No Colin.//
[[The End?]]Hope you enjoyed! Would love to hear from you, how things are going, all that kind of stuff. If you like, send me an e-mail: colin.robey@sheridancollege.ca or message me through LinkedIn.
ColinHope things have been going well for you. Would love to hear from you - send me an e-mail: colin.robey@sheridancollege.ca
ColinBefore you can ask another question, Colin asks you a question. "How about those Jays eh? What's your opinion on their season?"
[[A wasted season - which is too bad. Hopefully they can re-tool and get ready for next year.->Wasted Season]]
[[I don't really follow baseball.]]
[[Blue Jays aren't really my team. I'm a baseball fan, just not a fan of the Blue Jays.->Other Fan]]Colin's teeth clench. "What type of an attitude is that? Wasted season? There's always a chance. Even when they're mathematically eliminated there's always a chance. You get it? Always. Man. What is wrong with you." (set: $angry to it - 3)
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"You don't really follow baseball? What? Do you think it's boring? Well, I find this conversation boring. What do you think of that $name?" (set: $boring to it - 3)
[[Oops. Think of another question.->Check]]"Oh. What team are you a fan of?"
(link: "New York Yankees")[(set: $angry to it - 8)(set: $team to "Yankees")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Boston Red Sox")[(set: $angry to it - 8)(set: $team to "Red Sox")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Tampa Bay Rays")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Rays")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Baltimore Orioles")[(set: $angry to it - 6)(set: $team to "Orioles")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Cleveland Indians")[(set: $angry to it - 5)(set: $team to "Tribe")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Minnesota Twins")[(set: $boring to it - 5)(set: $team to "Twins")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Kansas City Royals")[(set: $angry to it - 6)(set: $team to "Royals")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Detroit Tigers")[(set: $angry to it - 3)(set: $team to "Tigers")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Chicago White Sox")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "White Sox")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Houston Astros")[(set: $boring to it - 4)(set: $team to "Astros")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Seattle Mariners")[(set: $boring to it - 8)(set: $team to "Mariners")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Los Angeles Angels")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Angels")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Texas Rangers")[(set: $angry to it - 6)(set: $team to "Rangers")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Oakland Athletics")[(set: $boring to it - 4)(set: $team to "Athletics")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Washington Nationals")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Nats")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Miami Marlins")[(set: $boring to it - 4)(set: $team to "RMarlins")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Atlanta Braves")[(set: $boring to it - 5)(set: $team to "Braves")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "New York Mets")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Mets")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Philadelphia Phillies")[(set: $boring to it - 5)(set: $team to "Phillies")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Chicago Cubs")[(set: $angry to it - 4)(set: $team to "Cubs")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "St. Louis Cardinals")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Cardinals")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Milwaukee Brewers")[(set: $boring to it - 4)(set: $team to "Brewers")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Pittsburgh Pirates")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Pirates")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Cincinnati Reds")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Reds")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Los Angeles Dodgers")[(set: $angry to it - 3)(set: $team to "Dodgers")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Colorado Rockies")[(set: $angry to it - 3)(set: $team to "Rockies")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "Arizona Diamondbacks")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Diamondbacks")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "San Diego Padres")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Padres")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
(link: "San Francisco Giants")[(set: $boring to it - 3)(set: $team to "Giants")(goto: "Baseball Team")]
Colin looks stunned. "You like the $team? Wow. I don't want to tell you how that makes me feel. You don't want to know."
[[Think of another question.->Check]]"Creative?" Colin's eyes narrow. "Creative?" Why do you care about creative. He looks down at his coffee and mumbles a few words. They may have been swear words... (set: $angry to it - 3)
[[I mean media stream... anything new in the media stream?->What about the media stream?]]Welcome to the "Keep in Touch E-mail" 2017 edition.
If I've heard from you in the past year, through LinkedIn, Facebook (even if you just liked one of my funny comments) or e-mail you should be part of this list. If you want to keep getting this e-mail each year, just send me a quick "Hello" either through LinkedIn, Facebook or at colin.robey@sheridancollege.ca.
Even better, if you have a few minutes, let me know how things are. Any amazing accomplishments, happy moments, travels, etc. I'd love to hear from you. I don't care if you're still in Advertising or not.
If I don't hear from you for a while, I'll take you off the list. (Or you can e-mail me and tell me you want off the list - no worries.)
If you know someone who would like to "Keep in Touch", ask them to contact me and I'll set them up.
The mind maps are gone - I did that for a few years, now I'm trying something different. It's a game. You're meeting me at a coffee shop - and you've got a lot of questions to ask. You decide how the meeting will go - but if you either bore me, or anger me - I might decide to just leave.
I hope you enjoy!
Colin
[[Begin the Keep in Touch Adventure->The Coffee Shop]]