Sheer laziness

I'm on holidays from work, I have no real reason for not updating my blog any sooner than now. There is no news on my Dad as yet, the lawyers go back to work next Tuesday, they'll be making contact at that time, and then we'll see what happens from there. He's really depressed, it makes me sad to see him like that, and yeah, that's about all I've got to say about that at the moment.

Christmas was quite nice actually. On Christmas Eve we went to my Grandma's house for dinner, and then went back to Mum and Dad's to exchange presents like we do every year, and got home around 12:30am. On Christmas Day we went to Ivan's parent's place and most of his Aunts and Uncles were there and we had a BBQ for lunch. It was a nice couple of days really!

Since then I haven't been doing anything too exciting. I've moved on from the hours upon hours of LOTR:ROTK and am now on hours upon hours of Matrix stuff. Only 4 DVDs to go, yay! Also in between I've been doing a little reading and catching up with some people I didn't get to see before Christmas. And getting a flat tyre, then replacing said flat tyre. That was fun :-/ Luckily it happened close to home and Ivan came to help, and just as well there were two of us because the wheel nuts were on so tight that I had to stand on one end of the thing to get them off while Ivan tried to turn it. Crazy.

That's been about it in a nutshell I guess. Like I said, very little has happened. We're spending New Year's Eve at home again this year with a couple of people coming around so nothing too over the top. Hope you all have a good one!

Merry Christmas? Hardly

Dad lost his job today. After at least 15 years working in the same factory he got sacked because he was off with a sore back for two days last week, had a certificate, but his work don't believe him because he went to his own GP and not the one from work. Unbelievable. An entitlement he has, which they can't prove he misused! Tomorrow he gets the official letter and I doubt very much that that's the reason they'll put in the letter, because they just can't do that. The week before Christmas. What horrible people. We don't really know what's going to happen now, as it only happened a few hours ago, but at 54 Dad's gonna find it tough to get another job. Especially if this gives him a bad name. I still can't quite believe it, just needed to vent, sorry :-/

Meh, I can't think of a title

Yes, things here are still a little crazy and so I haven't been able to do my regular daily updates again. I'm still working here in Adelaide and after the relatively busy days the nights have been busy too, with Christmas BBQs, dinners and general get-togethers to go to. And occasionally, I like to have some time to myself so have been reading or watching hours upon hours of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition stuff. I also bought the 10-disc Matrix thing and haven't had a chance to watch any of that.

But only 2 more days of work and then I have 2 weeks of holidays, yay! Granted, in between those holidays there'll be Christmas and New Years so it won't exactly be a relaxed holiday with all the people I'd like to see during that time, but some time off work is always good :)

Speaking of work, this morning I had a job interview for a Licensing Officer position back here in the big smoke. The interview went okay, there always seems to be one question that stumps me and this was no exception, but the other questions I felt confident about so here's hoping. I think they're planning to tell people before Christmas although that's a tight timeframe as interviews started today and are going until next Wednesday, but yeah, hopefully we hear sooner rather than later. On top of that I've also just applied for another position here in Adelaide, one that's a level higher than what I'm on now but it's only a one-year contract. So, yeah, been busily writing that in my spare time too.

Hmm, lots of stuff has been happening. My sister is engaged to Steve, and we're all wrapped because unlike her ex, this guy is a keeper and treats her like a princess. So she's mega mega happy as you could imagine.

Last Friday the Berri office had its Christmas party so I went back to Berri last weekend and went along to that. It was at the Bonneyview Winery in Barmera and I had a great time. They had karaoke but no one from our group was mad enough to get up there, but the Australia Post crew had their dinner on the same night so they got up and sang Return to Sender which was quite funny :) Also the Barmera Christmas Pageant was on so we got to see some free fireworks.

Last night I went to the Christmas BBQ for the SA Herpetology Group (that's reptiles and amphibians by the way) so that was great because I haven't seen those people for a year. And it confirmed the fact I still want to get a gecko. On Thursday Ivan and I are gonna have dinner at Steve's place with him and Maria which will be good, because we haven't seen his place yet and she's probably moving in there soon. So tonight I have to do my Christmas shopping because I really don't want to leave it until next week! I have 6 or 7 people left to buy for, ugh. Damn expensive holiday, but I must admit, I like giving people gifts at Christmas so it's my own fault :)

Anyway there isn't too much left to the workday and although I'm sure I've forgotten something here, I'd better wrap this up. 2 more days, then holidays, yay!

Things you miss

When you've lived in the city for all your life and you move to a regional town, there are bound to be things you miss. Most would say they miss the night life, and perhaps if I was younger I'd be inclined to agree, because I've outgrown nightclubs these days and I've been to the pub for drinks with friends more in Berri than I did in Adelaide. I miss certain stores though.

Don't get me wrong, the town I live in isn't tiny even if there are no traffic lights (the drive to work is mega mega easy and fast), but it is lacking in certain stores. This becomes very noticeable around special occasions such as Christmas. Here in Adelaide, I work across from Rundle Mall, and can easily walk over there during my lunch break or after work and buy some things. In Berri, there's the Riverland Plaza which has maybe two or three decent stores and so it's really limiting.

One major downside to Berri is not having anywhere decent to go for lunch. Yes, there are sandwich shops but they are, and this is being kind, sub-standard. Here in Adelaide there are Food Courts as far as the eye can see and if you can't find a decent sandwich somewhere then you are, indeed, an idiot.

Books. There are no bookstores in Berri, and for someone who loves reading this can be a problem. The only place to buy books are Newsagents where they are quite expensive. If it weren't for the book club we have at work, where we can buy books for less than half price, I'd be lost. Mind you, I overdose on the cheap books. That's why I have a bedside table about to topple over because of the books waiting to be read.

And finally (for now), Haigh's chocolates. When you pay $6 for a block of chocolate you can bet your ass it's gonna be the best chocolate you've ever tasted, and Haigh's is undoubtadly my favourite chocolate ever. Many years ago when my sister and I would come into the city it would be a treat for us to buy some Haigh's choccies. I would always buy a block of their dark chocolate because dark chocolate is my favourite and Haigh's dark chocolate ROCKS! So, it's almost three weeks since I've been here and I hadn't bought any Haigh's yet... until today. I couldn't resist, walking past the store at lunch time and not going in for The Best Chocolate In The World seemed criminal. I know, I complain about my weight but screw it. It's Haigh's Chocolates, who are you to resist it?

Berri isn't a terrible place, there are for worse places to live, but I really do love Adelaide.