Not the best of breaks

Thursday was Australia Day and thus, a day off work, and in effort to get a long weekend I also booked Friday off as an Annual Leave day. I imagined myself getting some housework done and above all else, relaxing my arse off, but so far that's not really been the case.

Ivan had a big data entry project to do which he anticipated might take him the whole 4 days so in an effort to free up his time I decided to give him a hand. We worked all of Thursday and Friday afternoons on it and got it finished. We'd just talked about how we'd go out somewhere for dinner with some of the money earned as a bit of a treat.

Then Ivan was packing the stuff up, moving the chair back around to the other desk but had to lift it to get it over the desk. In doing so, he tripped over the wastebasket and the chair went through the front window of the unit. My immediate reaction was to laugh, because I always laugh when something bad happens as some crazy defense mechanism and also because the vision of him tripping over was quite bloody amusing. But then I realised most of the money we'd just earned had just, literally, gone out the window.

We phoned a couple of glaziers and one came out at a reasonable price last night but didn't have the right sized glass and ofcourse, he has not yet returned today so our front window is currently patched up and all our neighbours are now well aware that we're idiots.

In an unrelated topic we also seem to have an ant problem. The problem is, we keep getting odd ones around the place and not a stream so we have no idea where they're getting in but their singularity is starting to annoy me.

So aside from all that crap I haven't done very much at all besides watch a bunch of Smallville episodes. I'm frantically trying to get through the Season 2 episodes. And the extent of my housecleaning so far has been cleaning the toilet. Not exactly the break from work I had planned...

Last

It's the last day to vote for my blog in the 2006 Australian Blog Awards so get to it! Follow those links to the right and vote away! And unlike John Farnham, this really is the last time [to vote].

As an aside, today is possibly the last time I have pasta for lunch when I'm wearing a white shirt. Will I never learn?? Apparently, because this shirt is stripey the spillage is not as obvious but methinks my workmates are just being kind.

Oh, to be (filthy) rich!

After having the same $10 sunglasses for just under 10 years, I decided it was time for a new pair when I put them on recently and could hardly see out of one eye due to the lenses getting scratched in my handbag. Sunglasses are something I have never splurged on because of the fact I either a) lose them, b) sit on them, or c) scratch them. But this time, I thought, I'd look for something a little better and attempt to take care of them.

I went into Shades first, which was a huge mistake. I tried on a few pairs and fell in love with this one pair which, I was very disappointed to hear, were going to cost me $400. $400 for a pair of sunglasses! I'd never want to take them out of their case! I'd require an alarm thingy with them so I could locate them! They'd need to be completely unbreakable. Unfortunately, the price was mainly due to the name, and not for any of these nifty features. Woe is me.

Ofcourse, every other pair I tried on and looked at after just couldn't compare to this pair I'd fallen in love with. I searched high and low for something reasonable. In the end, I went to the Chemist and ended up buying a much more respectably priced pair of sunnies, but alas, they don't look quite as good.

FYI for those in Adelaide, the Sunglass Hut I don't think have ever heard of customer service. I went in there twice (yes, I gave them a second chance!) and each time the "customer service" staff walked right by me not to someone else, but just to wander around the store aimlessly. Good job, ladies.

New planet discovered!

This morning NASA sent off a probe to Pluto, but let me tell you, I don't need no fancy high speed thingy to discover my own planet in the last few days. This planet is situated... get this... on my leg.

Yes, I speak of a pimple. On my freaking leg. Who gets a pimple on their leg? I mean that rhetorically but clearly the answer is me. I don't know why or how but somehow it appeared on the lower half of my leg earlier this week, and from the looks of it, it's here to stay for a while. And it's not just a little one either, it is HUGE and stands out like dog's balls. So in this 35+ degree weather I can't even wear a skirt to work. Bastard of a thing!

A challenge indeed

My poor Dad seems to have a continuing run of bad luck when it comes to sucky employers. There was as some might remember the whole debarcle pre-Christmas 2004 when the place he'd worked at for 15 years decided to give him the old heave-ho and then the challenge of getting them for unfair dismissal. SO he wanted to get out of that industry and start something new, and since then poor Dad has had trouble finding his place in the workforce.

I don't know why my family kept it from me, but I only found out a couple of days ago that Dad's no longer doing delivery work anymore because again, basically his boss was a bit of a prick (this time, no evidence of something we could take him on, unfortunately). I was initially told Dad was put on standby because the company lost the delivery contract, but then last night Mum told me she suspects it was because he made a pay enquiry with his boss after working on a public holiday and the boss apparently flew off the handle. How can people be such total arses?

So this morning Dad had an appointment with a recruitment agency that Ivan had set up (bless his cotton socks). I went along with him before work as it was an informal get-together just to hand in a Resume basically and arrange a time to fill out paperwork, etc. She was such a positive person and was very reassuring, so I hope something comes out of it that above all else makes Dad happy! God knows he deserves to be happy after putting up with crappy workplaces for so many years.

It really got me down thinking about it last night, probably because I remember my own crappy experiences. Thankfully, I have had pretty good working relationships throughout my working life, but when I started off at Bi-Lo as a 15 year old I had the biggest dickhead as a boss, ever. He gave me a written warning on Christmas Eve for the love of god! In fact, the only two written warnings I ever got were in the first 3 months of working there, both from him, and I worked with that company for 9 years with no other verbal warnings, even. I hate that man to this very day.

So, get it off your chest, what bad experiences in the workforce have you guys faced?

A shameless plug indeed

In honour of my 300th post, and also because I'd like to bask in some kind of e-glory, I bring your attention to the fact that you may now vote for me in the 2006 Australian Blog Awards (see links in the sidebar). Unfortunately, you need to be registered with Collective Apathy to vote, so one link directs you to the nominations screen where you can register, and the other link takes you to the voting page for the category I'm nominated in. I've made it as easy as possible for you all to sign up and vote for... well, whoever you like :) Signing up to the site is easy and well worth it to cast a democratic vote. So, vote away (if you please)!

Has it been that long?

I was getting into such a good habit with updating this Blog regularly and now, before I know it, almost a week has passed since my last update. Oh well.

Not that I have anything interesting to report, really. I was intending to get on here a few days ago and discuss the "controversy" (and I use the term loosely) that is Brokeback Mountain, and I'm sure I had other things to prattle on about, but that moment's passed so I'm left with a quick boring update.

With the whole metering data saga work has been really hectic as I was responsible for moving the project forward while someone was on leave, and at times over the last 3 weeks I was sure I'd go somewhat crazy, but thankfully he's back from leave now and my own work can slowly return to normal.

The weekend passed with little fanfare, although it's just what I needed after the leadup to Christmas, than New Year's, than a LAN. A rest was definitely in order. On Saturday I went to visit Mum and Dad for a few hours and that was about the only time I left the house over the weekend. The rest of the time was spent watching the Cricket, watching Smallville episodes, catching up on other weekly TV shows, playing a couple of games, reading, and generally just sitting on my arse. Fabulous. (Or should I say, fabularse, ha ha).

My apologies for not leading a more exciting life at the moment :)

JeStEr's Arcade

On Saturday we went to Darren's place for what he has named JeStEr's Arcade, i.e. a LAN. He's running it so every 3 months he has one with prizes and points for games tally over the year so that each year he can name a Gamer of the Year. That sentence contained the word "year" a hell of a lot.

He's planned it really well actually, and we had a lot of fun despite turning up late and being assigned to The Hot Room (temperature-wise, not looks-wise). There were 8 of us in total (he's gonna keep the same 8 coming each time to make the points fair). The games that were up for competitions were F.E.A.R, Tiger Woods 2006 and Racedriver 2. After F.E.A.R where I'm not too shabby my downhill slide down the ladder began but not to worry. I didn't manage to walk away with any prizes this time either, curses.

Other games we played for fun were Flatout, SWAT 4 and good old Worms World Party for a few laughs to finish of the night. We got home at around 3am so on Sunday we did as little as humanly possibly, with me watching a lot of TV shows and vegging on the sofa.

The only other thing that has happened to me this week is the air conditioner at work is broken and they're endeavouring to fix it ASAP apparently, and they appreciate our ongoing understanding. I don't understand at all, I'm afraid. Would much rather be working from home. Pfft, who am I kidding, I wouldn't get a thing done!

Hmm, better go get something done...

Topics for discussion

I swear, sometimes at work we have the strangest conversations.

I can't even remember how we got onto this topic, but I somehow managed to hear that Karen believes Jesus was actually a vampire. This somehow morphed into the beliefs of Scientology. This somehow morphed into South Park. We then eventually all returned back to working.

Today the topic of discussion was mouldy food, and when it is ok to simply pick off and continue eating the once-mouldy food item, and when it is not. The concensus was that picking off mouldy bits of bread and cheese were ok, but anything meat or yoghurt related were definitely not. And any growth that looked furry was a definite no. And apparently people have died from eatting green potatoes. Then we questioned how blind people would know if their potatoes were green.

Ah yes, you can learn wonderful things and have wonderful conversations in an office environment.

2005 in dotpoints

2005 was very much a topsy-turvy year for me, with a summary of my year below:

• I got to go to Sydney (my favourite city) in January for the Wave Aid concert with Bron. We had an awesome time but I still have the tanlines from getting extremely burned while we were there.
• Dad had his unfair dismissal hearing and won (big relief for the family).
• Music Month for Bron and I continued with us going to the Big Day Out (hadn't been since 1997). Even though this was in February, and thus not the same month as Wave Aid, we still called it Music Month. Being come on to by some guy who was the most drunk I've ever seen someone was the lowpoint.
• At the end of February I moved back to Adelaide from Berri and started my new job in the city with the same Department. I still miss the people I worked with while in Berri but things are so much easier now.
• I started getting into golf even though I am so very bad at it.
• I finally got some new glasses and got to ditch my old 80's frames.
• Ivan started a second job, which took us some time to adjust to.
• Mum had a major operation but is all good now.
• I finally got the geckos I've wanted for ages and adore them despite them getting moody with each other and needing to be separated. Damn drama queens. Their names are Geckotron and Merkenschlager :)
• I got some scary moles removed. Scary stuff but all good in the end.
• I turned 26 with no fanfare but had a nice birthday for a change.
• BF2 was released and was played furiously for a while but now I haven't loaded it since August.
• My sister and Steve got married. It was beautiful.
• My own relationship with Ivan fell apart briefly, with me even looking at other places to move into, but thank goodness, at the eleventh hour he told me the truth about how he felt. We've now passed our 6 year anniversary.
• I lost one of my best friends.
• I gained some new good friends at my new job.
• I got to meet a bunch of friends I speak to online from interstate.
• I went to Victor Harbor for the first time in years.
• I went bush camping for the first time in 2 years. Man, I'd missed it.
• I went to the Barossa with Bron to see Pete Murray and The Whitlams.
• My parents have had some major financial hardship, which unfortunately looks to be continuing into 2006.
• Christmas was the usual quiet affair, and this year we (the family) didn't drive each other crazy. A Christmas miracle!
• NYE was spent at Alex's with a BBQ and a retro games night, playing stuff like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly and Park and Shop. Bloody hell it was fun :D