Thursday, June 30, 2005

cats & dogs & playing cards

probably not enough to break the drought but it has been raining steadily down here.

i am blessed.

i was talking with a girl at work today about our lotto ticket in tonight's draw. i pulled out my two lucky four leaf clovers and the photocopy of the scratch lottery ticket that my grandmother won $10,000 with about 20 years ago. at the same time, my nana's funeral notice also fell out reminding that it was 17 years ago today since she passed away. i immediately knew that she was there with me - scoff all you like, i know when she is around me as i have the same physical reaction every time. i felt happy and loved for the first time in a long time.

i left work just after 4pm in order to get to the post office as i had a parcel to collect.

would it be the book from amazon.uk that i have been waiting 4 weeks for?

would it be the parcel that my 16 year old niece alluded too when chatting on msn last night?

would it be the parcel from the ever wonderful shirl (that she thought not as it was only posted last week)?

yes, shirl! postal miracles do happen!! the playing cards are just the cutest thing ever!!! a million billion thank yous!!!!

treats from michigan


a 0 day which is 0% of the RDDHA - nobody wants to walk their dogs in the rain

music to my ears
the best of : new order
abc 702

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

just...

...how boring can one person's life be??? went to work, came home, got on the net, got off the net, cooked dinner, cleaned kitchen, back on the net...

10pm update: amazing how a simple action can cheer you up - mlb just called to say hello - thanks sweetie, it did me a universe of good

found at shirl's...

My name using Egyptian Hieroglyphs!

S U S A N

Try your name
Script by the jackol

a single day which is only 10% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
the best of : new order
abc 702

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

more money for old rope...

another thrilling day at the office - not...

better things are happening outside of the grind.

tonight i went to a market research discussion in the city and got paid $65 cash to spend two hours discussing some tv advertisements and the packaging of some new 'asian inspired' sauces. easy money...

i have a new job spec to look at and consider - this is from an agent that had i registered with last year and they suddenly called me out of the blue for this particular job... it sounds very corporate but the money is good. i think i might as well put myself on the altar of the employment gods and see what happens. i have to keep plugging away at my quest as i know i cannot stay where i am - they really have no idea...

a 3 day which is 30% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
the best of : new order
abc 702

Monday, June 27, 2005

the bad news...

...i did not get the job. my quest for a new job continues. i'm doing as i said i would - doing my daily 4 hours of headset bound call centre work and doing what i can of my own work in the remaining few hours. the usual 'lets do things at the last minute' eejits are crawling out of the woodwork and expecting us to bend over backwards to make their life easy. they seem to forget that government legislation is what drives this industry and they are responsible for getting the payments to us on time, not the other way around. with each passing day, it is more and more pleasurable to tell them that their options are limited... if only i could say what i really want to say - i want to leave my job, not lose it...

monday madness! otto says 'I think Blogger is working on some things; all text is now centered and I can't seem to do a thing about it... Thank you to everyone for playing Monday Madness. We're off to Chicago early Monday morning so I won't be around to visit this week (and I know I've been negligent lately; sorry!) Have fun and I hope to see you back here next week!! =)'

This week I thought we'd play 'fill in the blanks.'

1. If I could just figure out how to be happy, I'd be real happy.
2. I would be happy to hand over all of the cleaning to someone else.
3. One thing I try to do every day is breathe.
4. Someone once told me that I was very pretty.
5. Probably the one word/phrase I tend to overuse is 'i hate my &$#@ing job'.
6. I need to work on not getting too worked up over things i cannot control.
7. When I'm cleaning house I like to listen to loud music.

a 10 day which is a perfect 100% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
get ready : new order
low life : new order
substance (disc 2) : new order
(new order are the best music i know of to keep me calm.)
abc 702

Sunday, June 26, 2005

blues festival

i've been having my own private blues festival of the 'couldn't be bothered' kind.

i don't like being 44 - i am soooo not that old. my birthday was purely average and mostly crap - despite some lovely bits, there was too much not-so-good stuff.

yesterday and last night was spent at my parents place. they can easily drive me to distraction with their parental ways - it was easier to get mum to drive me to the station after this exchange with my father this morning:

dad: when are you going home?
mum (answering for me): i'm going to drop her off at the station on my way out.
dad: you don't want to spend the day with me? who will i talk to?
me: why would i, you never listen to a word i say...
dad: huh???
me: exactly...

unconscious mutterings

1. Useless:: a glass eye at a keyhole
2. Radiant:: laundry detergent
3. W:: hotel
4. Unpaid:: slave
5. Geek:: nerd
6. Unfaithful:: putting it about
7. Reboot:: ctrl/alt/delete
8. No!:: what part of non, nein, αριθ, não, нет do you not understand?
9. Squad:: funky...
10. Fetish:: fixation

a 28 three days which is 93.33333% of the R3DDHA

music to my ears
it's my life : talk talk
hot fuss : the killers
addicted romantic : faker
antics : interpol
turn on the bright lights : interpol
the best of : new order

Thursday, June 23, 2005

why do i bother?

ugghh!! is it any wonder i want to find a new job. the powers that be have decided to sweep my little friday tantrum under the carpet and pretend it did not happen. i find this attitude very difficult to deal with as it means they do not take my concerns about the way these people behave in a serious manner. i am expected to carry on as normal.

i will play their game and be a model staff member, doing my job without complaint. hopefully, very soon, i will be able to hand in my resignation and get the hell out of there. i know i have been through phases before where i have looked for a new job but given up when it becomes too much effort.

not this time...

a 10 day which is 100% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
silent alarm : bloc party
abc 702

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

lost in the plot

well, the interview was ok - more an informal chat. i've been asked to come back next week for a 2nd interview... could be good... just have to be patient...

my friend gk had the afternoon off so he drove me there and picked me up again afterwards. i was so glad that he did - i knew where it was but it is a 'business park' so there are lots of places in the one huge block and this goose had written down the wrong unit number - doh! had i got the bus (which drops me off one block away!) i would probably still be wandering about. at least i was smart enough to get the contact number of the company from the agent - i was able to call them to confirm the right number!

the best part about the job is that it is a new position so if it becomes mine, i will be able to have some input into the way things get done. it is a uk company that has been here in oz for 2 years and has had some recent rapid growth. it will be a challenge to begin with but i think i can deal with that! please keep your fingers crossed for me!

::update::
i forgot to say earlier, i did take my walk down to coogee and it did do me a world of good. how gorgeous is this...

winter at the beach :)


i also managed to get my hair cut at the randwick 'just cuts' on the way home so i was having a 'good hair day' (the appropriateness of this comment will be revealed if i get the job...)

and just found a link to these pick up lines over at the lovely karen's blog (tee hee hee):

To pick up 3rd daughter:
Do you believe in love at first sight... or should I walk by again?



To pick up susan:
You are like a candy bar: half sweet and half nuts.



eventually turned out to be a 23 day which is 230% of the RDDHA - woo hoo!!

music to my ears
no music today - i was too nervous to listen to anything...

change of plans

i took an annual leave day today so that i could attend to some medical things. i don't know what the universe is trying to tell me but both appointments have been cancelled. yesterday, i had to cancel my appointment at the women's hospital outpatients department due to unforeseen events - wtmi if i explain this in detail so i'll leave it at that. the other one, the ct scan, was for 10am this morning although i had to be there at 9am to drink some concoction to dye my insides. i was on the bus on the way to maroubra when my mobile phone rang - the machine to do the scan is broken and they are waiting on a man to come along and fix it. the lady offered to call me back when it was fixed but had no idea when that would be and considering that i have to fast for 6 hours before the scan, anytime later today would be difficult. i stayed on the bus and went to eastgardens, thinking i could get my haircut but it was too early and just cuts was not open. i went past the store where i recently bought my new jacket and trousers and their 30% sale was still on - they had the same jacket in a nice chocolate brown so i just had to buy it... i think i'll wear it to the interview this afternoon - i'm just hoping that it will still happen!!

i also think the universe is taking my search for a new job quite seriously - an agency that i registered with last year called this morning about job they would like me to consider - i'm waiting on an email with the job description and will see what happens from there...

i now have a whole day to waste so i'm going to walk down to coogee and look at the ocean - it will be good for my soul and my blood pressure. for the first time in my life, my bp is higher than it should be and i'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with the stress i'm putting myself through at work. a nice walk, some sunshine and the ocean air will do me a world of good.

so far, it is an 18 day which is 180% of the RDDHA - i will admit that 16 of them were in the pet shops at eastgardens - 5 totally gorgeous labradog puppies (2 black, 3 yellow), the most adorable tiny jack russell pup and another 10 assorted cross breeds. they were all wearing their early morning bright eyes and bushy tails and were jumping about playing happily with their cage mates. i always make a detour to the pet shops at any shopping centre i go to, even if i have no business in that section. a guaranteed multiple dog sighting makes it all worthwhile.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

wee jobbies

eek!! i have an interview tomorrow... 4 resumes sent, only mine got earmarked for an interview. wish me luck!! i am very nervous but feel quite confident. my friend jon.g is giving me tips on how to handle interviews - he is a dispute resolution expert / workplace mediator so i trust his advice. thanks!!

speaking of new jobs, my friend jules has one - she will be moving to england for 3 years!! we just get reacquainted and now will be torn apart again. it gives me motivation to save some money so i can go and visit her.

i'm having an abdominal ct scan tomorrow to determine once and for all if i have gallstones or not. i have not had a bad attack for a while and the last one (two fridays ago) was very minor. if this scan does not shed any light on the problem, i will have to have an endoscopy - eek!! a camera down the throat... wish me luck, again!

a 4 day yesterday which was 40% of the RDDHA.

zero day today - bummer...

music to my ears
addicted romantic : faker
abc 702

tag team meme

i've been tagged for a book meme by bryn

number of books i own:
um, let me work this out... 5 boxes full that have been hiding under my bed for the last 5 years - approximately 50 books per box. two small bookshelves with about 50 books each, the large box full in the spare room that holds, um, probably 100. the pile up of books next to my bed - about another 50... lets just say lots!

last book i bought:
the light of day by graham swift and keeping faith by jodie picoult - how can you buy just one at a time??

last book i read: lovely bones by alice sebold

books that mean a lot to me: eek! all books mean a lot to me. i adore books!

i am tagging: because i've seen this in several other places, i'm tagging anyone who has not already done it :)

i've also been tagged by shirl

the first part: list 5 things from your childhood that you miss the most.

my 5 things are:
visiting my grandmother
the total lack of worry about the future
hanging out down at the creek with my friend kerrie
summer school holidays - they seemed to go on forever
a bag of lollies for 10c and there would be enough for the whole week

the second part: remove the #1 item from the list below, bump everyone up a place and add your blog's name in the #5 spot. you need to actually link to each of the blogs above and below, so everybody gets the benefit of other people checking out their blog. pass it on to three other bloggers.

wandering willow
bread crumbs
always a dreamer
other side
3rd daughter

i am tagging: karen, mal & anyone else who wants to do it!

Monday, June 20, 2005

eek! eek!! eek!!!

i could not face going into work today and when i called in sick, the team leader was not there so i spoke to the senior. she understood entirely how i felt and told me to take the whole week off. i can't do that but i do have wednesday off as an annual leave day as i have 2 medical appointments to attend to. i'm thinking that i will maybe take tomorrow off as well and go back thursday. we'll see what happens later today as i have had a call from the agency who advertised one of the jobs i sent an application off for yesterday and i'm going to see them at 1.30pm today. it is the job that only pays a little more but worth a look. i don't want to take any job just for the sake of escaping the current hell but i have to check out what is available and get some interview practice.

i'm mad and it's monday so i might as well knock this one over while i'm here...

monday madness! otto says 'Until I can think of more creative questions, let's try another 10 anagrams! An anagram is a rearrangement of the letters of one word or phrase to form another word or phrase.'

Please list at least one anagram for the following words...

1.rentals sternal saltern
2.wreathe weather whereat
3.untidy nudity (i'm assuming it was meant to be untidy as i had never heard of intidy...)
4.ruling luring
5.peaks speak spake
6.imprints misprint
7.meals males selma salem lames
8.reserve reverse reveres severer
9.cosmic comics
10.heirs shire hires shier

the ones in this colour are the ones i found here. hey otto, much harder than last week - i didn't need help then!

Sunday, June 19, 2005

the usual, suspect...

a very quiet day. the usual sunday tasks of trotting up/downstairs to do the laundry, ricocheting aimlessly about the web and drinking cups of tea. miss e made a quick emergency visit to pick up her wallet that she had left here last night - apart from that is has been a solitary, talk-to-myself kind of day - not even any as nobody is online to chat with unlike me, they must have found a life...

on a positive note, i did send off two job applications today - one sounds a lot like the job i'm doing now and is paying approximately 50% more... the other pays only a little bit above the current one but is more local. they both sound interesting at least.
now i just have to be patient while i wait for a reply

unconscious mutterings
  1. Domesticated:: tame
  2. Cask:: chateau cardboard
  3. Wayne:: bruce...
  4. Insidious:: pernicious
  5. Cool!:: freezer
  6. Dishwasher:: sink
  7. Little house:: big mortgage
  8. Stepford:: glasgow
  9. Hung:: over
  10. Falling:: star
a zero day which is 0% of the RDDHA a zero result is to be expected if i don't leave the house... i did visit my virtual pug pet today - that is as good as seeing the real deal

music to my ears
addicted romantic : faker
soundtrack : garden state
the final straw : snow patrol
songs for polar bears : snow patrol
when it's all over we still have to clear up : snow patrol
jjj

Saturday, June 18, 2005

days of wine and falafels

a nice long sleep in this morning restored my spirits some. a few hours of aimless websurfing later i did a bit of housework and finally cleared my dining table of the pile of crap that has sat there for the last year... in the afternoon miss e and i walked down to coogee and along the beach front promenade - always good for the soul. this evening miss e came over to see proof of my nice neat dining table. we celebrated the event with a bottle of pink champagne and then went to the local lebansese restaurant for some take out. this was washed down with a bottle of rose while we watched my garden state dvd. can i have zach braff for my birthday? please??

a 10 day which is 100% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
turn on the bright lights : interpol

Friday, June 17, 2005

open the vent

i know i've said it before, but i have to say it again.

I HATE MY FUCKING JOB AND THE STUPID IDIOTS I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS!!

this week ended in much the same manner as last week. with end of financial year looming, we are heading up for your busiest period of the year. the call centre has not met their critical standards of service for a long time now. 5 people have resigned in the last few weeks and there is no time to train any temps or new starters before the starts to hit the proverbial fan. all this means that the dwindling backup team (there are 4 of us left and one is off on maternity leave in a few weeks) are being asked to give up more and more hours in our workday to help the call centre cover up for the fact they cannot manage their workload, which in turn makes our workloads suffer. it would be ok if we were treated with some respect and at least knew that our support was appreciated but that just never happens. twice last week the call centre team leaders found it necessary to throw some last minute orders for us to get on the phones and take calls - thursday's request for an extra half hour came at 1.25pm when i had just left a total waste of time one hour meeting in order to do my usual hour of backup. this kept me on the phones until 3pm and meant i did not get a lunch break. afterwards, the admin manager advised that i have to spend 3 full or 6 half days on the phones between june 23rd & june 30th. this is the same woman who, 12 months ago, promised to get more staff trained in call centre work to expand the backup team and that there would be regular meetings with call centre team leaders to be kept up to date with any new procedures etc. of course, none of this has happened so there were some words that sounded like a vague apology but it was just lip service. i bought up a few issues that were agreed needed to be addressed but i doubt anything will change. the only future i can see in this company involves having to support a team that does not appreciate the work we do for them and takes advantage of us on a regular basis - that is not the future i want. today, this lack of consideration was made crystal clear. there is a standard backup session on thursdays and fridays when the call centre have their weekly team meetings. usually if the meetings are cancelled, we are advised and don't have to log in. i logged in at 3.30 and by 4.30 when i had not been advised that the meeting was over, i called the team leader who advised that the meeting had just ended. i did not believe her, so got my team leader to confirm exactly when the meeting had finished. it turns out that the bitch had told me a baldfaced lie as they had not even had a meeting and had neglected to tell us this. to say i spat the dummy is a fairly major understatement. tonight, i am trawling the job websites and giving some consideration to calling in sick on monday - i might just beat some people up if i have to see them too soon...

anyhoo, how was your day?

a 3 day which is 30% of the RDDHA

music to my ears
adddicted romantic : faker
abc 702