Guest Writer - That Place called Lebanon …

an article from our safely returned Cecilia...

That Place called Lebanon …Hello avid readers of Jacki’s Jabbering,
As you all know this article is a bit overdue. My excuse is that I found it really hard to write an interesting and entertaining article about my visit to Lebanon because of the war that was happening there. Eventually I have decided to write a general article about Lebanon and it’s main attractions. Here it goes…

Lebanon is officially known as the Lebanese Republic. It is small country, which is represented by a dot on the global map of the world. Located in the Middle East at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, it is bordered by Syria to the North East and Israel to the South, with a narrow coastline along the western edge.

The flag of Lebanon features the Lebanon Cedar in the green against a white backdrop with two quarter-height horizontal red stripes on the top and bottom. The red stripes represent the blood of the martyrs that dies for Lebanon’s independence from French Colonialism. The white backdrop represents the snow on Lebanon’s mountains and the Cedar is the native Lebanese tree.
The capital of Lebanon is Beirut and it is the largest city in the country. Prior to the Lebanese Civil War (1975-2000), it was known as “Paris of the Middle East’. The city had undergone major reconstruction in recent years:
· It had largely regained its status as a tourist, cultural and intellectual centre of the Middle East.
· It is also the centre for fashion, commerce and media.
· The city was host to the Asian Basketball Championship and the Asian Football Championship.
· Beirut also successfully hosted the Miss Europe pageant twice.
· The city is home to numerous international organizations. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is headquartered in Downtown Beirut while the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
The city is bustling with restaurants, beach clubs, centres for performing arts, music venues, movie theatres, a casino, and a number of night clubs, pubs, and bars.

Lebanon is a place of many attractions from fresh green valleys and mountains, historical sights, fabulous entertainment, great shopping destinations to a laid-back country/village life. In honour to my fascination with history, the remainder of this article will discuss the historical attractions (which I didn’t get to see, but I am determined to see next year)
The main attractions listed below, are in my opinion part of the “1001 places you should see before you die”
Tyre: Ancient Queen of the Seas - is over 5,000 years old and as such constitutes a historian and archaeologist's delight. Although there are remnants of Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Greek, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman civilizations in the city, it is the Roman ruins that are most prominent in Tyre today. Highlights include the largest Roman hippodrome in the world, an enormous triumphal arch, and an extensive Roman necropolis.
Aanjar: Commercial Hub of the Umayyad Dynasty – Mainly renowned for its graceful stone arches and wide arcades, the ruins of Aanjar offer a unique opportunity to step foot upon an ancient Islamic trading hub connecting Damascus to the Mediterranean Sea. It is among the world's few known ruins of the 8th century Umayyad dynasty and is one of the region's only examples of an inland commercial centre.
Baalbek: Roman City of the Sun – is home to awe-inspiring temples and city ruins, which are among the largest and finest examples of Roman architecture in the world. Located in the fertile Békaa Valley, the city of Baalbek originated in Phoenician times as a place of worship to Baal, the Phoenician Sun God. During the Hellenistic period (333-64 B.C.), the Greeks named the city Heliopolis, or “City of the Sun.” However, Baalbek entered its golden age in 47 B.C., when Julius Caesar made it a Roman colony. Byblos: Ancient Crossroads of the Mediterranean - Historians believe that the site of Byblos dates back at least 7,000 years. It is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The modern port city of Byblos is built upon multiple layers of ruins, dating back to as early as the Stone Age and extending to the more recent Ottoman days. Byblos offers annals of Lebanese history through its great age.
Qadisha Valley & Cedars Forest: A Natural & Spiritual Sanctuary – Quadisha Valley is known as the “Holy Valley.”It has been a place of refuge for those fleeing religious persecution since the 5th century, and it houses some of the most important early Christian monastic settlements in the world. Rock-cut chapels, grottoes, and hermitages, many painted with frescoes dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, are tucked into the steep walls.
The Qadisha Valley and Cedars region is a prime destination for nature enthusiasts, with abundant opportunities for hiking and trekking, mountain climbing, caving, and other natural exploration. In the wintertime, the nearby Cedars Ski Resort, along with the other resorts in the northern Mount Lebanon region, are popular destinations for skiing and winter sports.
Be sure to make this lovely country one of your future destinations ;)

Great Quote

Just read this quote from Edward De Bono and really liked it.

"If you have an obvious problem and think you have a solution, what is the need for creative thinking? Actually, there is a real need, because an adequate solution is not necessarily the best solution. Too often, the adequate blocks the best when it comes to problem solving."

I think there's something in that for all of us, don't you?

J.

12 Sleeps to go!!!

Anyone interested in my birthday wish list yet?

;-P

The Breakfast dilemma

For those of you who have been listening to me whinge about my unsatisfactory breakfast options since the move tot he new office, I promise this is the final one. I've admitted defeat and and taking a new tack.

for those of you who haven't been subject to my ranting about my breakfast, the background to this story is as follows:

Back at the only office, there were many problems. Lack of views (of anything other than the sides of other buildings), crowds, things falling apart, grotty chairs and desks, minuscule kitchen cupboard (meaning the kitchen was effectively in the cupboard) dodgy air-conditioning, and dodgier lifts. what it didn't lack, however, was excellent food options. In particular, I was a fan of the MLC centre breakfasts from the L.A. Grill. Lovely fresh rolls, fluffy scrambled eggs, and plump fired mushrooms. The ladies there were lovely, and looked after their regular customers. They'd have my order ready for me by the time I got the front of the line. Mmmm...delicious.

So the move to the new building came along and I realised I'd have to find an alternative. the first place I tried has quite nice eggs but no mushrooms. I did try to suggest that they would have a good and regular customer if they were to add this item to the menu, but to no avail.

The second place I tried found me some mushrooms and cooked them up for me along with my egg. I gave them an "A" for effort. Pity that both the eggs and the muchrooms were overcooked, salty and rubbery.

I found a third place. Not bad on the eggs front, and I liked the rolls they use. They gave me raw mushrooms. Hmmm...n0t bad, but also not really what I was after. Also, after asking for no butter, and then confirming that when the fellow who was preparing my roll asked again, I still ended up with a heavily buttered roll. And they charged more than anywhere else. Strike three.

I've walked through all the various areas of the station entries and exits, and all the streets between there and my work, and all the places surrounding, and these are the only options I've been able to find.

So I've given up. I've arrived this morning with a grocery bag full of supplies. I'm giving cereal a go. And I have bread with various toppings to try toast. This morning, I had quite a good toast experience, although I've discovered that the kitchen nearest me doesn't have a toaster. I have to walk all the way around to the other side of the building. Fine for this morning, but I'm sure that will get old very quickly.

So wish me luck on my quest to find the perfect working breakfast solution!

J.

the weekend

Just want to have a bit of a brag about my weekend.

Spring sprung with a vengeance and the weather was balmy and divine.

Saturday consisted of a swim, Lunch with Cecilia, an acupuncture/massage appointment, a bit of shopping, some new (well, second hand, but new to me) books, then a few pints of cider at the Irish pub with Trent and Ronene.

The evening was a quiet one at home on my own cooking up a feats and watching movies and having an early night (after drinking cider in the sun, it was probably the prudent course of action!)

Sunday was more beautiful weather, a trip to the supermarket and greengrocer, and then off to the Spanish festival! Sangria and salsa all in the same place...what more can you ask for???

Dinner in Chinatown with Marti (mmm...salt & pepper tofu, at least as good as the version from my favourite Chinese restaurant) and then home for another early-ish night.

Only one complaint...it just wasn't long enough!

13 sleeps to go!

Bring on the birthday!!!

I've had a good day

I've had a good day. For many reasons....

1. It's Spring!!!! the winter of my discontent is over. Summer is coming!
2. It's now 17 sleeps to my birthday. AND I can now say that my birthday is this month.
3. It was a beautiful day
4. It's no longer winter
5. It's Friday, and I have a glass of red next to me as I type this
6. They finally fixed that stupid blind I was whingeing about yesterday.
7. Work was good and very productive.
8. It's the weekend tomorrow

How can you go wrong with all that happening?

Hope you all have a great weekend!

J.

P.S. Photo diary updated: http://hotoiary.fotopic.net/

17 Sleeps to go!!

It's the little things that get you

OK, so it's another whinge post.

The new building's all very lovely and the views are great blah blah blah. But it's possible someone skimped on a budget somewhere, as one of the electric blinds doesn't work. ie All the blinds around it close, but this one is forever open.

Now this may not sound like such a big deal. But seriously, you should check out what happens at sunset every day.

the offending blind is behind me and slightly to my left. So at a very special time very day, the sunset comes blaring drectly onto my computer monitor, and then reflects directly back into my eyes. I physically cannot see a single thing on my screen and end up having to turn it around sideways and len forward and turn my head to keep working.

Great for OH&S non?

Taste

I've always wondered about how people like and dislike different flavours.

I mean, I assume we all have basically the same equipment for tasting, and if you're a Darwinist the basic theory is that taste developed to indicate what was good or bad to eat from a survival point of view.

So why would it be different for different people? Apart from allergies, foods that are good for one person are good for another and the same with poisons.

But, I'm willing to wager, if you turn to the person next to you and ask them what their favourite food is, and which foods they dislike, they will not be the same choices you would make.

Today I wandered down to one of the local food shops to get some lunch and ordered a pre-made salad. There were a lot of ingredients I like, and just a little bit of beetroot.

I don't like beetroot. Never have since I was a kid and first eating solids. this was much to my Mum's dismay, since she grew and pickled her own and I think it may have been a source of pride (not without good reason, mind) that her beetroot is pretty sensational. Regardless, I've never been able to stomach the stuff. As a side note, this may not be such a bad thing given my natural clutziness and the apparent ability of beetroot to permanently stain anything it comes into contact with.

Since I like to think of myself as open-minded and I also know that my tastes have changes as I've gotten older, I decided to give it another go. It was only a small piece after all, and mixed in with the rest of the salad stuff.

Well, I guess my tastes haven't changed. Yuck! I'll give that a miss for the next 10 years thank you very much.

So, now you may or may not be wondering what else I don't like. Regardless, I'm gonna tell you!

1. Number 1 by a long-shot is Vegemite. Not very patriotic of me, I know, but the stuff literally makes me feel nauseous. Can't even handle spreading the stuff on toast for someone else because it smells like it tastes.
2. Peas. OK on their own or raw in coleslaw (mum's secret ingredient), but I don't like peas mixed in with other stuff. It's just somehow wrong.
3. Carrots. Love them raw. Not so good if they're cooked. I don't hate them, just rarely do them for myself.
4. Tomatoes. Love them cooked, not so big on them raw. I used to refuse raw tomato altogether, but have conceded to not picking it out if it's already in a salad. Also I'm OK with them if they're home-grown.
5. Bananas. Can't stand the texture. Don't mind if it's banana cake or something.

so yes, I'm kind of specific with the things I'm fussy about. My sister says I'm weird. but then she doesn't like garlic. she must be mad.

J.

18 sleeps to go

The Winds of Change

There's nothing like a new look to liven up things up a bit. I've updated by blogger tool and so now have all sort of new bells and whistles to play with!

Hope you like the new look. I've also been toying with the idea of changing the name. Too much? Good idea? Any suggestions? You could end up going down in the jacki's Blog hall of fame (tempting, I know).

Submit your thoughts via the comments.

J.

Count down...

I have started the countdown. Actually I started ages ago, but its kind of not cool to draw attention too far out. So anyway, now I've broken the 20-day barrier, expect constant reminders.

It's my birthday in 19 sleeps!!!!!

Guest Writer - A Night At the Phoenician with a Dash Extra

Some creative writing from Albert....

Here’s full account just as it happened, nothing more, nothing less. Well, perhaps I exaggerated a little, perhaps I made up most of the story, you the reader get to decide.
Last week I was at a restaurant called “The Phoenician”, with a group of friends. To be sure the food wasn’t all together intolerable. In fact it was quite adequate, one might even say it was tasty if one’s palates didn’t know better. However, one’s palates by no means gave an inkling to the sort of warped twilight zone one was about to make a wrong turn into. Suddenly, the music got louder. It sounded like the dance of the seven veils from the ancient royal courts of Jerusalem. The lighting dimmed, and in the back of my mind, I expected Salomé the daughter of king Herod Antipas to materialise from nowhere and start to provocatively sweep the dance floor. I was at least part right, for a Salomé look alike did indeed appear, followed closely by a male belly dancer, dressed in florescent green bikini-like top, and what looked like either a very large belt or a tiny skirt made entirely of golden tassels. He also had a green head garb, bejewelled with imitation rubies and emeralds, bestowing upon the observer many a far flashing, thus dazzlingly confounding.
“Keep an open mind”, I thought to myself, “for this is bound to be outlandishly entertaining”. The voice in my head was right on the money, no sooner had it stopped, the male belly dancer burst into serious dance, shaking his hip machinegun style. Had he artificially motorised his arse, it still wouldn’t have gone far enough to explain this unsightly scene. The hip oscillating at no less than 1000 RPMs, the stomach rippling like a pile of jelly on top of a jackhammer.

The last time I found myself in such surreal scene was at John Samaha’s party at Vaucluse Bowling club. We started by watching the sunset across the bay, that red fire goblet dips beyond the blue, indicating that the time was ripe for the loonies to make their appearance. Yes, I lucidly recall the provocative jazz singer named Edwina, dressed in a cat suit, swinging her tail left and right, all the time confessing to the beauty and simplicity of self-administered pleasures. So much was she into her theme that she may well have been a short 3 verses away from reaching for a cigarette.

Meanwhile, I stood across the room, with one martini in hand, totally immersed in her music. That voice, pure yet smouldering, like a nun with a shadowy past. It soaked the pleasure centres of the soul like a long shot of morphine into a fresh vein. What an indelent partie de plaisir she is, perhaps a tête-a-tête would be in order (the overuse of these French clichés could not be helped), by Jingo, yes, let’s do precisely that!

After some lapses and loses common to such dreamlike sequence, I fast-forwarded back to the present time, where the maitre d’ of the Phoenician had just brought us a complimentary dip. He proceeded to recite to us a certain legend about the Sumerian hero Galgamesh , that when he sought the bull of heaven, Humbaba, in the cedar forest of Ballabek, he consumed this very dip to gain miraculous powers, and thus triumph over his prey. I tried this “Hocus-Pocus” dip, it was rather good.
Given that it was so delicious, I thought I’d follow in my ancestral hero’s footsteps, and consume generous amounts of the stuff, in the hope of experiencing miraculous transformations myself. Alas, there was nothing to speak of, no overflowing reserves of wit, no superhuman strength. Perhaps the bowel movement the next morning was remarkably pale and coherent, like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube, now that’s hardly a miracle. All the same, pray to the good god this madness will never end.

Quick Update

• The weekend was great
• Welcome back Ronene!
• Welcome back Adam!
• Happy birthday Bridget!
• How good is Spanish food?
• Trip to Tassie for me and the boy booked for March
• Still don't have the bloody clothes-dryer fixed!

Hope you all had a good weekend too.

J.

20 Questions

I've always been a fan of blogs. I read a couple of them regularly, and thought quite a lot about the whole thing before I started this one. During this time there were a few things I was interested to know, so I thought I'd put together a list of questions and my answers to them. I know I only speak for myself, but at best it may help demystify the whole blogging thing somewhat, and at worst it will bore you silly and you can skip it. So here goes. Jacki interviewing Jacki.

Why do you do it Jacki? Well, Jacki, It's fun for me and a creative outlet. I was a bit stale with the whole newsletter thing because it was too inflexible and I felt like I wanted to something a bit different. I consider myself a bit of an "open book" kind of person, so don't mind putting myself out there. Plus, as an added bonus, my friends & family who live far away can still keep track of what I'm up to.

What's the best bit Jacki? Definitely the comments and the feedback. Makes it all feel worthwhile. Especially when people tell me I make them laugh. My favourite posts to write are the ones where I get a bit silly and let my zany side out for a run. (It's a large part, OK).

What's the worst bit? Really can't think of too many worst bits. Only when I go to tell a story to one of my friends and they've already heard it because I put it on the blog.

What's the hardest bit? Trying to be honest about myself, but still respect the privacy of my friends and relationships. I have to remember that anyone could google me here so it's not fair to be too explicit about other people.

Where do you get your ideas from? funnily enough, that's never a problem. I actually keep a list of things as I think of them and can refer back to it on days when i have a bit more time on my hands. Usually it's stuff that happens in my life, stuff that annoys me or stuff that makes me happy or stuff that I have an opinion about.

Is everything in all of your posts true, or do you make it up? It's all true. Mostly. Let's just say I don't exaggerate any more than I usually do and leave it at that.

Where do you find the time? Usually I try to put up a post and do a bit of writing during my lunch break at work. If I've got a lot of ideas on the the go I'll sometimes do them at home and then bring them in and post them during my lunch hour. I deliberately (and mostly successfully) try to keep the posts themselves pretty short and manageable so as not to bore my faithful readers. Fridays are usually a bit quieter for me work-wise so I tend to do more.

Do you do drafts or just sit and write and post? A bit of both, actually. I always have a few half-written posts on the go which tend to be the longer, more general-opinion pieces (this particular post has been sitting in draft format for about 3 weeks). I'll usually spend a bit of time on them. The "what I've been up to" kind of posts I tend to just fire off. More often than not, though, I tend to have thought through what I'm going to write about and the basic structure of how I'm going to present it well before I sit down to write, so I just kind of bang away at the keyboard in a frenzy, read through once, spell check and then publish.

Do you have many readers? Not really sure. This particular blog host doesn't have counter or stats functionality so I don't know. Apart from one random comment from a random visitor a few weeks back, the only people I know who read are close friends or family. We could do a survey...If you're reading this, scroll down immediately to the comments link and raise your hand (electronically speaking). You don't have to say anything meaningful or witty. "OK, I read your bloody blog, OK?" will do.

You mentioned earlier that you watch a couple of blogs regularly. What are they? OK, I'll share my secrets. It's a rather eclectic mix. You can take a look via the following links...
http://www.meish.org/
http://www.moby.com/journal
http://shauny.org/pussycat/
http://www.slowleadership.org/
http://www.planetthoughtful.org/
http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/
..And lately....
http://roneneonthemove.blogspot.com/

If I'm new to a blog, should I go back in the archives to the beginning and read all the way through, or just start from wherever I come in? Well, I've tried both. Whatever tickles your fancy. With my blog, I'm sure the regular updates won't be enough of a good thing, so of course you would want to go back and read more ;-) Just kidding. Whatever you want.

You sometimes use some weirdo words, Jacki, are you trying to pretend you're smart? Confession time. I'm addicted to word of the day (today's is Denizen). And where else am I going to get to use all these fabulous words? And it's my blog. I'll use big words if I want to. But I do try not to get too carried away all the time.

And do you really think you're funny? Well, sometimes, hopefully. It's possible I inherited the smart-arse gene from my Dad. Why? Don't you like my sense of humour?

No. Actually. I don't think you're funny at all, except for being funny-looking. Now hang on a minute. There's no need to get mean about this. I do my best. If you don't like the blog, don't read it.

Well I kind of have to since I'm you and you write it, which means I write it and...Oh...Well, you know what I'm getting at. Anyway. It's not funny. I thought that you weren't supposed to laugh at your own jokes, so maybe that's normal.

Nope. I think it's just not funny.

Aargh! Forget it. I'm ending this interview now. I don't have to put up with this rudeness!!!

J. ;-)

Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. Answering yourself is the second. I'm clearly well beyond both points of no return!!!

Welcome back Aunty Nene

great to have you back in the country and look forward to catching up and hearing all your tales of adventures tonight (if you don't fal asleep on me in the mean time), and maybe have a couple of glasses of red....

My million dollar idea for the day

Years ago someone told me (I'm reasonably sure I didn't make it up myself, even though it's possible) that the average person has 3 million-dollar ideas a year. That is, 3 ideas that could make a million dollars if they were actually done or invented.

Now necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say, and it certainly the motivator behind my idea.

About 12 months ago I needed a new mobile phone (after having my old one pinched, but that's another story). Like many people, I'd only ever owned Nokia phones. They were good and reliable and easy to use and you could get a decent one on pretty much any plan. But then something happened. The Samsung D500 slide phone had just come out on the market and I was instantly smitten. That very night I took home a shiny new black Samsung and have been very happy with it ever since. It does everything I want it to do exceptionally well and I am very attached to it. It may not have to be quite snowing in hell for me to be seen without it, but I would expect it to be getting towards the chilly side.

As with anything in this world, there's always a trade-off. After years of me and everyone I know having had Nokias, I was always pretty confident that there would be a Nokia charger to be found somewhere pretty easily if my battery should happen to have run down a bit further than I had realised. Plus I had a plethora of Nokia chargers...The ghost of mobile phones past...Of my own, so I could afford to have one in the lounge, one in the bedroom, one at work, one in my laptop bag, and a car charger.

Of course today my lovely sleek Samsung is running a little flat. I should have popped it on the charger last night, but completely forgot, and now it's down to the last bar. And Friday is always maximum mobile phone usage day (people to talk to, Friday night drinks plans to be made...You know how it is). And I'm at work. And I have one charger and one car charger. Needless to say, neither of them is here. And nobody around here has a Samsung charger. And even if they did, it's unlikely they will have had several Samsung chargers in a row and therefore have a spare to keep in their desk.

So you can see my dilemma. My necessity if you will.

Onto the idea. Actually, as I've been typing this it may have mutated into 2 ideas. Either would be a good thing.

Idea #1 - the universal mobile charger. How different can the technology in the batteries be? Surely it's only the attachment that's different. (I may be given a lecture the contrary from the battery-expert bf later this eve, but for now I'm sticking to my theory). Surely you could sell them through the office stationary catalogues? There'd definitely be a market. I know I'd consider investing in a spare charger more if I knew it would work on any future brands of phone I might buy. And if the whole battery thing is different, should there be some sort of regulation? Surely it's breaching some sort of monopoly rules or something (no, not the game. I'm trying to should like I know what I'm talking about).

Idea #2 - the retractable charger. Something like a vacuum cleaner cord perhaps? Maybe snapping open and closed so the bit that goes into the power-point (Yep, most definitely going to be told what the technical name for that is tonight) can actually be stored flat and inside the phone. How much of a competitive advantage would that feature give a phone over its competitors?? Lots I think.

So anyway. I think they're good ideas. And I've decided to be stubborn on this point. Even if I hear all sorts of responses about how neither of these things is possible, I still believe that they should be. And someone somewhere should just damn well come up with the technology to make it happen. That could be their million dollar idea. Maybe we could team up and both get rich. Anyone? Anyone?

Oh well. Guess I'll just have to try to use the phone as little as possible until I get home. A million dollars doesn't go as far as it used to anyway. Do you think I should adjust the saying for inflation?

J.

What a wonderful weird world

A couple of years ago I came up with a little bit of a theory. I came to believe that for someone like me, living in Newtown and working in the Sydney CBD, you manage to see something freaky pretty much every single day. At the time I was inspired by the fact that there was a loose crowd of people walking in random directions around the plaza next to my bus carry giant papier mache vegetables (didn't know then, don't know now. That experience has been relegated to the 'probably never will' category).

For a while I started writing them down, in order to prove my theory, but since I never really did anything with them and nobody else was interested, I stopped after a while.

The last couple of days, however, I do seem to have had a few stand-out freaky things cross my path.

On Tuesday night I was heading home, to find an iron sitting forlorn and alone under the dark footbridge near my house. Out and about looking for a nice lady iron perhaps?

On Wednesday night I was out for a few drinks to farewell Sandy. My taxi driver on the way home was an interesting fellow. He had all the speakers blaring and was singing along in that particular way that only a true fan can. To Boney M. He was also clearly wearing a Ray Martin Style wig. Although I'm not sure that I should really include this. It's almost normal for taxi drivers to be a little odd in Sydney.

Yesterday's actually happened outside of my usual observation zone, and might not actually be a strange thing for most people. See I actually have an uncommon surname. So I was very surprised last night to be ordering pizza and order it from someone who said they had the same surname. Not as surprised as him. Still, it obviously was a pleasant surprise for him, as he threw in a couple of free orders of garlic bread!

This morning has been all a bit strange as I was facilitating for a workforce management discussion group in North Sydney. First was the earlier than usual start, second the extra fuss involved in extra train tickets, third having to change trains without going outside to have a look at the TV screens and find out what platform I was supposed to be on, fourth, not having the address and directions on me so having to make a bit of a guess, fourth it being a bit of a longer and uphill walk than I expected, and the weather being far warmer than forecasted so turning up nice and sweaty and a little flustered.

Hmm. I guess I was my own freaky thing to observe this morning!

P.S. Tried to upload a stunning picture of Boney M in their hey-day to complement this posting, but the upload thing seems ot be on the fritz again. Feel free to imagine the stage performance complete with skin tight glittering lycra, capes and afros. And the backnig singers with weird cape kind of things coming down from their afros.

Quick Update

It's ridiculously busy here with impending deadlines all over the place, so I'm afraid this won't be lengthy. In fact, you may have to put up with a dot-point posting....

• The cold wasn't as bad as first thought
• The weekend was pretty good - first one I've had at home without visitors for ages
• I have a new flatmate...How that came about is another story so will have to wait
• Good luck to Sandy, who's off to Cape York for a month to work with the indigenous communities there. You'll be great, have a great time, and I'm proud of how brave you are (and how little you actually packed after all the angst!)
• This week is complete craziness work-wise. There are literally not enough hours in the day at the moment!
• Thank God for Cecilia! Despite being given only a sketchy, rushed and piecemeal introduction to the role, she's doing a great job already, and actually doing a pretty good job of understanding me as I ramble and mumble my way through trying to explain what I'm doing.
• Yay! Ronene's back on Friday. Well, yay for me, but probably not for her (and not just because she's bringing me duty-free!) Can't wait to have her back - it's really not the same if one of my girls is away...
• Welcome Daryl who is visiting from Melbourne for a few days. It seems they'll let anyone into the building these days... ;-)

J.

That impending sense of doom

My throat isn't sore yet, but it does feel like it's coated with dirt

I have taken off and put back on my jacket about 20 times today

My nose is starting to run.

All my joints are feeling a bit achey

And my head is pounding.

I've dosed up on vitamins and echinacea and have moved onto mild painkillers, but I have a suspicion this weekend is going to involve staying in bed with a cold.

Bugger.

Update to Humble...

Although I'm still eating Humble pie, apparently I'm not in too much trouble since the accident of height has meant that only inordinately tall people can tell.

Gulp. Whew. (almost relieved)

Cheers to...

...Who chose to replace my broken bag today, even though I was one day over the 30-day return period. flexibility and a committment to customer service are great to see in this day and age. I'll be a long-term customer for sure.

J.

What the???

OK, I just don't get it. We managed to get away for a lovely weekend in the small town of Berry (down near Nowra) for the weekend. Having been there before, we dutifully headed off to our favourite pub. I really like this pub. It's quirky and interesting, and the staff are always willing to have a chat and all the locals who frequent it are just as friendly.

I'm really just not sure what the deal is with people who put dead and stuffed animals up on their walls and ceilings as decorations. This place is filled with them. All sorts of them. There are deer and cows and a formidable looking bull.
Our noble national animals (never got that concept of having national animals and flowers and stuff, but that's another story) appear stuffed side by side in all their splendour. And there's a monkey dressed in red pants and shirt playing the banjo up next to a moose head (I think, it wasn't one of the taxidermist's best jobs, that one).
On the roof (sorry, my picture of that one didn't work out due to the lights on the ceiling) was a mighty black bear-skin. Resplendent king of the woods reduced to the indignity of a rug that's not even on the floor.

Can anyone explain? Is this as ridiculous as it seems, or am I being an oversensitive free love & mung beans hippy vegetarian on this one?

Pros and Cons

So the new building is now a reality, the boxes are unpacked and the dust has settled.

As with every change in life, there are going to be some advantages and some disadvantages, as well as a few hiccups during the transition. I thought I might share a few things and you can decide which category they fall into (some may depend on your perspective).

1. The Queen of clumsy apparently can't even be at her new desk for half an hour without spilling a glass of cranberry juice all over the place (OK, this one's a hiccup, whichever way you look at it)
2. The new desks are substantially smaller and storage space is at a premium.
3. The view is sensational (not so good if you're afraid of heights, though, I'd imagine)
4. You're pretty much right in the thick of the weather (except not actually outside). So the huge thunderstorm / lightning storm / hailstorm that happened this afternoon (see http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/winter-suddenly-wallops-sydney/2006/08/15/1155407798255.html for more details) and was then followed by this:
5. I know not everyone likes storms, but it was pretty amazing. The sunset afterwards was also spectacular, but I managed to fill up my camera memory and didn't get the photos cleared off in time to capture that particular moment. I'm sure there'll be other opportunities
6. Hi to Karen from Melbourne (originally Tassie) who has been one of my best mates since I was 12. She was in Sydney for a rare stop-over today and caught up with me for lunch, reminding me how close we are to the Slipp Inn (no Princes there today, unfortunately!)
7. I'm sitting back close to my old team. Good news for me as they're a funny old bunch. You'd have to ask them what sort of news it is from their perspective!
8. I still haven't got the whole food thing sorted. Being a committed veggie (no, not committed that way, even if I arguably deserve it at times!), having to change my regular eating spots can be quite daunting and I've kind of chickened out so far.
9. The kitchen is awesome. Actual matching crockery, cutlery and glasses. Plus Fisher & Paykel double dish-drawers (the same dishwasher I just had put in at my place because it is, without compare, the best dishwasher in the world today), plus big fridges (yes - plural!) and proper recycling facilities and 2 microwaves (that aren't so ancient that the display is in roman numerals).
10. The removalists leaving behind our magnetic sasco year planner. How can we possibly plan our year without it???
11. Having to learn how to use the new printer...Closely related to the definite bonus of having a printer that has had new toner at some point during the last decade, and doesn't chew more paper than it prints. (ditto for the photocopier)
12. Having to get used to the whole train thing again. Somehow getting off at the wrong station on my first morning - a station I've never actually used regularly instead of one that I used to get off at every day. How does that work? I even make myself wonder sometimes. Plus rail tickets have gone up in price recently and are more expensive than bus tickets. Grr.
13. The cool new mobile phone holder that came in the welcome pack that flashes pretty colours when my phone rings (I think it's supposed to encourage people to put their phones on silent). OK, small things amuse me.

So all in all, not a bad trade. Ask me in a couple of weeks when I've had a chance to rearrange my desk. It's become painfully obvious that my first attempt at optimal set-up has failed miserably (shelves behind the monitor not such a good idea in hind-sight), but moving all those cables and laptop locks etc is kind of daunting. I'll wait until a nice quiet Friday afternoon when procrastinating seems the best option.

J.

Humble pie.

Yep. I'll publically admit it. I'm most definitely in the girlfriend bad-books.

There may have been a slight incident on the weekend. It may have involved me helping trim around the edges of newly clippered hair.

It may possibly even have involved me slipping a little and it could have resulted in a tiny bit of a bald patch.

Oops.

Sorry!

In my own defense...who lets someone as clumsy as me near them with sharp objects?? Did I mention I managed to spill cranberry juice on my desk within about 30 minutes of occupying my new office?

The dog ate my homework

OK, so I've been absent from the blog for a couple of days. Sorry. I have some really good excuses.
First my Grandma passed away and I had to go to Adelaide for the funeral (yes, I'm from Tassie originally, but that's only because my parents are where I got my nomadic genes from). It was a lovely day, celebrating the life of a strong and determined woman who had a good innings (so to speak) and passed away peacefully at the age of 89.
Then I got back to the shenanigans of moving office. Friday involved putting all the rest of my stuff (and the absent boss's stuff too) into boxes, then having to be out of the old office by 1pm so going off to have a lovely lunch in the sun.
Then today was unpacking, trying to get everything to work, trying to work out where the bathrooms were, and contemplating how much fun fire-drill are going to be when you sit on the 31st floor.
So with all that going on, I'm possibly a little behind in my work and not necessarily finding time for a quick post on my lunch-break. I promise to be back soon.

In other news - Yay!!! Cecilia's back. Primarily a good thing because she's been kind of stuck in Lebanon for the past 6 weeks, and secondarily because she's joining the team and giving me a well-needed hand over the next couple of weeks. (I promise those are in that order, truly they are!)

J.

The Endless e-tag Epic

Another thing I did with my day off was to finally get around to organising a e-tag for my car. For my non-Sydney based readers, an e-tag is an electronic gadget that you hang in your windscreen that you use to pay tolls, rather than having to go through the slow booths and hand over coins. I've been meaning to do this for some time, but it kind of became more imperative after my fist experiences with the new M7 freeway on the weekend. The M7 doesn't have toll booths at all. If you don't have an e-tag you have to ring up or go online within 48 hours and pay via credit card. As I don't have the internet at home and also only have a mobile number, this can become a very expensive exercise, plus I use the toll roads just enough to make it worth my while having a tag.
So anyway, after paying my M7 tolls from the weekend, I asked the operator about e-tags. She told me to go into my local post office and they would fix me up with one.
Given that it was a Bank Holiday (did I mention that it was a Bank Holiday on Monday?) and therefore everything was still open whilst I had the day off, I decided to get it over and done with right away.
So off I trotted to the Annadale Post Office.
Well, you'd think I'd gone in there asking the woman behind the counter for directions to Batman's secret bat-cave. I don't know about you, but I generally expect people to know how to do their job. Clearly there were a lot of things left off this particular postal worker's induction training. Including how to set up an e-Tag account (amongst other things).

After searching and finding a form in the rack, I dutifully filled it in, reading all the questions thoroughly and making sure I knew what I wanted. I then returned to the counter.

Well, the whole process seemed like it should have been fairly straightforward to me. The questions on the computer screens she was filling out seemed to align perfectly with the order of the fields I had completed on my application form.

So why, I ask you, do you think she felt the need to ask me every single question??? Wasn't that kind of the point of completing the form?? Plus given that she was now receiving all information from my spoken responses, rather than reading them off my form, I now had to spell my name, the street name from my address, my suburb, and my mother's best friend's guinea pig's maiden name. All the whilst having to listen to her tell me about 15 times during the conversation how she hadn't done this before (you don't say????). You have no idea how long this went on. Actually I'm not sure I really do either, as it felt as though I had been sucked into a time vortex for the agonising period of time I was stuck there.

Then, after me completing it on the form, and the employee-of-the-month asking me at the start or the form, she double checked which option I had chosen (there are 3 choices - 2 automatic debit ones, and a manual payment one - and I had opted for the manual payment plan) by making sure it was the automatic direct debit I had selected. AAAAARRRRFGGGGGGHHHHHH!!@!!!!!!!! Isn't automatic the direct opposite of manual???????

Anyway, I eventually got it sorted. Although I have a strong suspicion I could have taken control of her PC and completed the whole process far more quickly and far less painfully.

Surely it's not rocket science?? I'm not vain enough to think that my intellect is so far in exccess of that of the generaly populace that something might seem simple to me that is actually quite difficult for most people. I'm pretty sure any reasonable person should have been able to manage the task of typing the details from completed fields on a form into a computer.

What planet was this woman raised on?????

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

J.

An evil conspiracy

Does anyone else get the feeling that some things are really a lot more difficult than they should be?

My dryer hasn't been working properly. I hardly ever use the thing, but on occasion it would be handy to have it working. so when Dad was visiting, he pulled it down off the wall, undid the back and discovered the problem was simply a broken belt. Easy to fix...or so I thought.

So off we trundled to Bunnings. The home of all things fix-it...or so I thought. Apparently they don't stock large appliance repair items.

Then off to do some grocery shopping, where we think it might be a good idea to stop into Harvey Norman, where they sell large appliances, including the same brand dryer as mine. Surely they have an idea of how to service what they sell...or so I thought. Apparently not. The helpful salesman did refer me to a repair place at a particular address on Parramatta Rd in Ashfield. He couldn't actually tell me what it was called, but he looked like he knew what he was talking about so I believed him.

I didn't get a chance to go to Ashfield for a week or so (I'm a busy person, OK) but thought that I'd take advantage of the bank holiday and head on over. The mission started quite well, and the place was easy to find and even had its own parking (although using the same narrow ramp as both entry and exit to an underground car-park seems a little risky to me).

So in I go, clutching my broken dryer belt tightly in my hot little hand. Surely these guys would be able to help me. All the signs say promising things like "appliance repairs", "washing machines, dryers, fridges and freezers" and "Simpson, Hoover, Electrolux". Well, I was wrong about this one too. They told me to call the manufacturer directly.

So I left it a couple of hours, since I didn't really have a phone book handy and nobody at that place offered me the number. During a stop off at the post office a bit later that day (ooh...I left that one off the previous post. And actually I think its probably worth its very own post for the dramas that took) Sandy was waiting around whilst I tried to organise an e-tag, so she looked up the phone number for me.

So I rang up, during the middle of the day on an uncapped mobile (I no longer have a land line due to the fact that I almost never use on these days). Tangent - did you know that Simpson, Electrolux, kelvinator, chef, dishlex, westinghouse & hoover are all the same company???? Talk about the illusion of choice! and waited on the line for over 5 minutes before giving up and deciding to ring on Tuesday.

I rang today and the lady was very helpful. "Yes, you can order a new part. You can get it from one of our spare parts suppliers" of course, none of whom are conveniently located for my neck of the woods. The alternative was for her to order it for me. The part costs $15.99. The cost of sending it out to me would be $15.00.

Guess I'm up for another drive on the weekend.

J.

The beauty that is a Bank Holiday

Bank holiday has got to be the best public holiday around (assuming you work for a bank, that is). I love it. It has all the advantages of a regular public holiday such as:

• Not having to go to work
• Being able to sleep in
• Not having to go to work
• Doing whatever you want

Plus, it also has added advantages such as:

• Other people still have to work (am I being smug in yet another post?)
• Everything is still open (apart from banks, of course)
• Nothing is closed
• No public holiday surcharges on menus

What more can a girl ask, really?

So I guess what you're wondering now, is what I actually did with my day off. Even if your not, I'm going to tell you.

1. I actually didn't get a sleep in. I started my day early thanks to the efforts of an unnamed someone who did have to go to work so thought I should be awake when he woke up.
2. Lying in bed dozing and watching morning TV until the desire for a cup of tea became all-consuming
3. Lazy breakfast. Lazy getting ready in my own time.
4. Picked up by Sandy to go shopping (yep, that's right. All the shops were open!)
5. Out to Ashfield on a futile mission that I'll have to make a separate post on if I want to avoid going on too much of a tangent in this one.
6. Back to Sandy's so I could borrow a small suitcase as I'm going to Adelaide overnight tomorrow and I thought my huge suitcase was a bit much. Plus, I managed to kind of bend the pull-out handle on it a bit after falling down an escalator on top of it at Melbourne airport a couple of months ago. Don't ask. (I have issues with escalators - "stairways to doom" I saw them referred to on one of those current affairs shows, and I can well understand why)
7. Out to lunch at the Nag's Head (http://www.nagshead.com.au) where I had the most divine goat's cheese risotto - and spotted a number of other highly appealing vegetarian options on the menu.
8. Back to my place for hot chocolate, doonahs and a DVD (and evenpossibly a little bit of napping)
9. Dinner - I invented a new recipe for low-fat vegetarian shepherd's pie which I have to say turned out pretty damn well.
10. Off to bed at 8.30 (it had been a hard day!)

Ahh...I love bank holiday.

J.

Smug

I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald a while back about traffic and pedestrian crossings in the Sydney CBD and greater metropolitan area.

Apparently, our style of traffic control is biased towards vehicular traffic, rather than pedestrian traffic, especially during the daytime.

So the upshot of this fascinating piece of trivia, is that (unbeknownst to most Sydney CBD pedestrians) all pedestrian crossings are set to automatic in the Sydney CBD between 7am and 7pm every weekday. To spell it out for you, those pedestrian crossing buttons don’t work!!!

I don’t really know what the worst thing about this is. Do you think it’s the fact that we’re all being quietly deceived? Or the fact that I feel smug and superior whenever I see someone futilely (not sure of the grammar on that, oh well.) pushing one of those buttons when I stopped years ago?

What do you think? Does that make me a bad person?

J.

Shock! Horror!

I love horror movies. I know the kind of thing that you're either into or you're not, so if you one of those people who's not, I don't expect you to understand (in fact you may think me a little mad).

But I love them. All the way back to the first real horror movie (in my humble opinion, subjective as it may be), the fist version of Night of the Living Dead, a good old-fashioned zombie movie.
I love all the classics - The Exorcist of course, the Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween series, anything with vampires (but especially Salem's Lot and Lost Boys). I love the old fashioned horror movies, the B-Grade 80s horrors (yeah, especially those) and the modern take on things such as the Scream series and Saw. I love the suspenseful psychological horror movies such as The Omen series and the gory ones with ominous titles like The Dentist.

So the question, I suppose, is why?

I love horror movies because they are at the same time both predictable and random. You can usually amuse yourself by feeling mentally superior over the fact that you can pick what order the disposable characters are going to die in, and at the same time, still be scared into jumping out of your seat by an unexpected cat jumping out of a cupboard at a suspenseful moment (a common red herring trick, by the way).

On that topic, I like those "fright" moments, and the adrenalin rush that goes along with them, making you feel on edge, and therefore enjoying the rest of the movie better.

I love the fact that you can walk out and know (in your head, at least, even if maybe not all of you believes it for a little while) that there really aren't any vampires waiting for me (I hope), and that I'm unlikely to be atttacked by Zombies in my home that evening. Or at least that I'd know what to do if they did.

Bring on the gore!

J.

Updated pictures

I've finally had some time to get a few personal things done with the forecast push today (if you don't know what that is, don't worry, but suffice it to say, it is long and boring and repetitive).

So I've updated my photo and photo diary sites. If you're interested and fancy a look, check them out at the following locations:


http://gallery129166.fotopic.net/

http://hotoiary.fotopic.net/

Hope you enjoy the window into my life

J.

Eggheads

If you check back through the archives to the 6th of June this year, you'll discover that I take my breakfasts very seriously, particularly the eggs, and particularly the cooking of the eggs.

Seems I'm not the only one!

http://www.discover.com/issues/feb-06/features/cooking-for-eggheads/

J.

Thanks to my girls

Sorry boys, tune out now if your eyes are glazing over, but this post is a tribute to my girls.

Every girl's got to have her girlfriends. People to laugh and cry with, to share thoughts, hopes, dreams and disappointments. They pick you up when you're down and hear you out when you just need to get things off your chest. In turn you get to share in their special moments and be there when they need you. They don't judge you, but know you well enough to tell you when you're wrong, and they help you find your way when you're confused and lost.

I don't what I'd do without my girls. Thanks for everything - you know who you are.

J.

Geek Heaven

Found this site today whilst doing some research. Total geek heaven!!!

http://www.techweb.com/

Visitors

So the big weekend with my parents has come and gone. They arrived Thursday night late-ish so were basically just settled in, given the tour of the new apartment, and we caught up on each other's gossip.
I had Friday off work, so had a bit of a sleep-in (don't you think the best sleep ins are always on week days?) and then tag team shopping. Mum was first while Dad kept himself busy doing all my handy-man jobs (thank Dad!). We sorted out a new dress, wrap, shoes and handbag for Mum to wear to my sister's wedding in October, plus a few other bargains for each of us along the way. Dad was next - a new pair of jeans, plus a trip to Bunnings to help pick out some tools for his eldest daughter.
Friday evening was out to dinner at one of my favourite restaurants in Enmore, and a bit of an after-dinner drink at the Duke where Sandy joined us for a while.
Saturday involved a relaxing day, a surprise visit from Ron & Harriet (Ronene's family) after a bit of an issue with dodgy keys to Ronene's unit, and slowly preparing for Saturday night dinner.
The dinner was a roaring success with family and friends and massive amounts of Italian food.
Sunday started with a big clean-up, then down to they Quay for a tour of the Opera House - very interesting. Back home to take-away dinner and a trip to the movies (You, Me & Dupree - wait for DVD).
So now I'm back at work and they're on their way home - time flies when you're having fun and it feels like it's all over before it's begun.
thanks for the visit Mum & Dad - great to see you!!!

J.

How do you know when you're old?

My rude little sister emailed me the other day about this blog. I believe her comments were along the lines of:
"How many quotes on a person's blogsite along the lines of 'does
that mean I'm showing my age/ getting old' does it take before it proves
that they really are getting old??? ;-)"
So I got to thinking. How do you know when you're getting old? Actually, how do you know you're grown-up? Or middle aged? or Old? Or do we ever really hit any of these things completely or are they just a construct? In fact, if films like The Sixth Sense or The Others (Oops - hope you've seen them, otherwise I'm about to spoil the twists for you!) sometimes people don't even know when they've died!
Some milestones are pretty easy to pick. Some are a bit harder. Some cultures have proper rites of passage that signify when you pass from one stage of life to another, but ours tends to leave things a bit open.
Anyway, along these lines, I thought I'd construct my own little guide to where you are in life, and what milestones you can expect if you are younger than me, and what I'm looking forward to (or dreading) coming up. You'll also notice I've taken it upon myself to invent a few new categories, but since it's my scale I've given myself (very generously, I think) poetic license with these things. So here we go - in somewhat chronological order.
Baby: OK, this one's easy. When you're born you're a baby.
Toddler: Since the verb "to toddle" refers to walking, if somewhat precariously, I'm designating toddler-ship as starting when attempts at walking being. Also coincides with other developmental stuff like learning to talk and eat proper food.
Little Kid: Walking, talking, going to school, but still allowed to take naps after lunch, and school often involves, such delights as "playtime" "sitting on the mat having a story told", and spending time in the sandbox.
Kid: Going to school. Discovering the delights of social society such as bullies, not being in the "cool crowd". School actually involves sitting at a desk and the 3-Rs.
Bigger Kid: Owning a bike. No question. Life becomes a new game altogether once you get your first bike.
Back to the bottom of the food chain: I really don't think enough has been said on this difficult period of life. The catalyst, of course is going from the top of the food chain in primary school to the bottom of the ladder in the much bigger pond (ouch, apologies for the 3 horribly mixed metaphors in one sentence!) that is high-school.
Teenager (official): Turning 13
Teenager (truly): Discovering that boys (or girls) are more than just carriers of boy(/girl) germs.
Young Lady / Gentleman: Somewhere around the first formal function.
Student: Uni, but only if commenced within a certain period after finishing high-school. Usually straight afterwards, but allowances can be made for gap years/exchange students. Funny how that those attending high-school are called "high-school students", but "students" seems to automatically imply university. Other indicators are such related activities as discovering the uni bar, actually being allowed into pubs, living in shared accommodation, and staying up all night finishing an assignment that you've only not done because you were too busy hanging out at the uni bar.
Pretend Grown-up: This is kind of like a grown-up, but more for that period just after uni when you've left because you've finished your degree but still don't know what you want to do with your life. Involves getting a day job that doesn't involved carrying any type of food or beverage. Also discovering the joys of having a full-time salary.
Real Grown-up: Hmm. Not sure that I've entirely hit this point yet, but here are a few things that make me think I might be getting there - I make my bed every morning. I am not considering leaving the company I work for just a little while longer because then I'll qualify for long service leave. I've made career choices rather than changed jobs. I've hired someone and threatened to fire someone. My house is clean most of the time because I just keep it that way. I can't remember the last time I went to a night-club. I went to the pub last weekend and asked if they could turn the music down. I have my car serviced regularly (and I own it outright!). I have 2 mortgages (eek!). I do my tax on time (mostly). I know the difference between a shiraz and a merlot without having to read the label. I always brush my teeth and clean and moisturise my face before going to bed. Oh dear. The evidence seems to be mounting. On the other hand, I still don't really get the make-up thing, I rarely iron, and I still watch Video Smash Hits or Rage every weekend morning.
Getting Old: I may have hit a couple of these things, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. I do have a podiatrist, but I'm not yet at the point of arthritis. I don't have any grey hair (I think being naturally quite blonde helps in that department). I don't have any wrinkles (I don't think so, anyway. Although now I've typed that I'm considering going to the bathroom to check before posting in case I'm kidding myself about this one). I'm still ambitious with my career instead of craving a sea-change.
Old: I actually think this one might be a bit of fun when I get there. I'm planning on being a cantankerous old person. Preferably with a bit spooky house and lots of cats. I'm going to take great pleasure in confiscating any wayward balls hit over the fence by neighbouring children, and will bargain incessantly with the checkout staff at the grocery store, greengrocer, bakery, local craft store....He He. Looking forward to that indeed. **rubs hands together and smiles gleefully**

So there you have it. Lifestyle milestones according to Jacki. Have I missed anything important?
If so, let me know. Otherwise, I'm signing off. I feeling a little tired. Must be about time for my nap....

J.

Dammit!

Premature roaring. Bugger. Been doing revisions all today. Heading off now with a whimper, not a roar.

But on the up-side, only 1 more sleep until the imminent arrival of the parental units! Yay!

J.

ROAR!!!

In spite of continuing shared drive issues and a mountain of very complicated work I had to get through today, everything's done!!! Is it just me that sometimes wants to go out in the street and roar after a job well done?

I'm going home for home-made pizzas and an early night now.

J.

Too much of a good thing

Yawn. All the shared drives at work are having issues. No access to documents, templates, tools and files. It's not making for much of a productive day (especialy since I went back to my podiatrist this morning and so was in late. Have I told you lately how much I love my podiatrist? Sorry, that's another post. But at least now I can hopefully stop whingeing about my toes and write something interesting).
So I've been sitting here doing a job that we're all in the process of going through, and changing all my work files over into the approved stationary / files for the new building.
Now I'm a pretty organised person when it comes to my work. Everything is filed - and generally in an order that might make sense to most people, not just me. I have a collection of manuals for systems I use, suspension files in a locked filing cabinet for more sensitive stuff, and in-trays with neat manila folders for stuff I use regularly.
So now I'm busy taking all my stuff out of a perfectly good filing system and putting it into a new one.
You can imagine how thrilling I'm finding that.

There hasn't even been much of an explanation given for why we might all have to spend hours re-filing every scrap of paper ever kept by the 4000-odd staff moving into the new building. There have been a fe mumblings about the size of the new desks, but I would have thought that that would be my own problem if I can't fit all my stuff there? Do you think there was some sort of filing expert that came in and assessed all the different roles and methods of filing that everyone had and came up with a solution that suited everyone (or even most people)?

In fact, now that I come to think of it, there's actually a fair bit of stuff that refers to things I have done through the company, filed in very nice company branded lever-arch folders. Of course these aren't approved for the new building so they'll have to be re-filed.

I'm sure that standardising is a good thing in a great many cases, but I think we have here a case of ill-conceived bureaucracy. Sure "let's just get everyone to use the same 2 types of folders. Then it will all look really neat and tidy in the cupboards" sounds like a good idea in theory. But did anyone actually think it through?

Grrr.

J.

Guest Writer - Visitor!

One week in Sydney by an Adelaide girl.
I started my visit to Sydney on Sunday afternoon with a trivia contest raising money for Oxfam. Our table did fairly well and ended up with lots of magazines and mouse mats to share between us. As it turns out, Lawn bowls clubs have really cheap drinks! I had a great time, met some great people and had lots of laughs.
The next day it was time for my first bus commute into Sydney and everything went pretty well. I visited the new WBC building and was very impressed with the views, the decor and the funky furniture. The day ended with a fabulous curry and celebrating Jonathan's Birthday.
The next day, I yet again found out that someone doesn't regularly attend after work drinks (we all drive to work in Adelaide!) cannot keep up with hardened Sydit'sites and that's pretty much all I remember about Tuesday night drinks. those Branch Resourcing gals can really hold their own!
On Wednesday night we went to a pub trivia evening a very enjoyable, but we didn't actually win anything. (Yes, it was definitely due to the broken speaker).
On Thursday night we had a fabulous dinner at Emperors Choice and Jacki and I shared a very large plate of Spicy Tofu (which, as always was the food highlight of my trip) Also at dinner were Briohny ,Darrell, Jo, Sergio and Linh. It was great to catch up with everyone again!
By Friday I had experienced pretty much every commuting scenario, missing the bus, waiting in the rain, not being able to catch it as it was full, running to catch the bus and having it pull away just as you get to it, catching the train, waiting over an hour for a taxi in the city before giving up and even making my way in by myself on Friday morning. I especially like Friday afternoon drinks and am looking forward to some Veggie Yum Cha for lunch tomorrow with Sergio and Linh!
It was great seeing all the guys in Sydney again and especially meeting Peta and others for the first time. I think I'll have to do this every year for the change of scenery and to experience the lovely Sydney hospitality!
Nicole

More than halfway there

Did anyone make a new year's resolution this year?

I did, and I have done pretty well with it so far, even if I do say so myself. I suppose it helps that I chose to do something that I thought I would enjoy and have actually enjoyed even more than I thought I would.

I decided that it was time I made music a part of my life. So I've bought more CDs this year than I think I have in my whole life before. I sorted through all my old CDs and threw out a stack that were damaged in an unfortunate incident a while back and that I hadn't bothered throwing out when I played and they didn't work and I just put them back on the stack.
I've been to see a bit of live music this year already, and hope to see more.

I love when New Year's resolutions turn out like that.

So what am I loving right now?

• Desert Lights Something for Kate
• Black Fingernails, Red Wine Eskimo Joe
• Tales of a Librarian Tori Amos
• A Grand Don't Come for Free The Streets
• Street Signs Ozomatli
• Thirsty Merc Thirsty Merc

J. :-)

I'm friendly, OK.

So while we're on the topic of the other night with the girls. I should mention that they had endless fun at my expense, making fun of my friendliness.
Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm a pretty friendly person, and I'm really not shy. At parties I generally manage to meet everyone attending, and I have no problems doing work networking or making new friends at any sort of function.
So why do my friends apparently seem to think it's so shocking that the same tendencies seem to come out in less structured environments, and with people less connected to me in a social sense?
I'm talking about the fact that I have a bit of a knack for striking up conversations with random strangers in public places.
Pubs are easy. I do it all the time, especially if I'm left standing on my own while my companion(s) are off in the bathroom or at the bar. In fact, I did that last week and struck up a conversation with some random while Kogi ducked off the the bathroom.
The Bus. Now this what kind of what started the conversation. I mentioned something about the guy I sat next to on the bus the night before. And the fact that I got his name and email address. And swapped some music files from our phones via bluetooth. And I took his photo (it was time for photo diary, OK?). Well, he had the same phone as me, and we were stuck sitting next to each other for a 30 minute bus trip. What else are you going to do? I also met another guy the other week, when he noticed I was playing sudoku whilst taking my normal commute and asked me about it. (See, it isn't always me doing the initiating). I ended up teaching him how to play and having a very interesting conversation about time-series regression. (OK, interesting for some people, I'll admit). And then there was the girl at the bus stop the other week. She asked me how far it was to a particular stop and how she would know where to get off. I told her I was getting off at the same place and if she wanted to sit with me I'd let her know. Turns out she was from Tassie...So of course we ended up having mutual friends in common. And the French backpacker a while back...I think I also have photos of him somewhere...
There are also some more random ones. I've seen people sitting by themselves in strange places looking upset or crying, and I've asked if they needed help. I was even actually able to help once, but it has always lead to interesting conversations.
So the question is, am I a freak for talking to random strangers? Or what is wrong with our society that we think we can't?That we're afraid? Or that people will think we're crazy?
Well, I'm quite happy making friends all over the place. And I guess while people still talk back, there's obviously enough like-minded people to there who feel the same.
So there.

J. :-)

Judging a book by its cover

A funny thing happened last Saturday night when I was out with the girls. Thought I'd share.
The 4 of us were sitting around, glasses of red wine in hand, having lots of laughs and meaningful (or not so meaningful - but that's another post) conversations, and minding our own business.
Then, from the end of the table, we hear "Excuse me" and turn to see a lady has approached the table and is addressing us.
"Do you girls like putting music on the jukebox?" She asked.
So what would you think? I think we must have all looked pretty horrified and there were 4 blank looking expressions staring back at her, stuttering and struggling for something to say.
Was she crazy (we were in the inner west, after all, and as much as I love living there, I do admit we have more than our fair share of loaves short a slice)? Was she approaching us for money? I didn't think that asking strangers for money to put music on the jukebox was really the done thing? Did I miss the memo? Huh?
"I'm the owner - you girls look like you'd pick good music", she said, as she slid 2 hefty stacks of $2 coins across the table....

Whew!!!

It's been crazy this week. Here's the abridged version so far....
Saturday - Chores and running around shopping centres on a rainy Saturday. Not fun. Out for a girls night in the Inner West with Bec, Sandy and Kogi. Possibly just a little more wine consumed than was absolutely necessary, and definitely more hanging shit on Jacki than was necessary.
Sunday - brunch with Bec, picking up Nicole from the Airport and heading straight to a charity bowls day that turned into a charity trivia day because the grass (pitch? turf?) was too soggy to play on.
Monday - Happy Birthday to Jonathan! It was me in chef mode, loads of curry and a friendly game of scrabble (should I have let the birthday boy win? Nah.)
Tuesday - a quick after-work debrief drink after a hectic day. Unfortunately a deluge started and we were stuck there a while...
Wednesday - Trivia. Missing a few regular team members. We sucked. We're blaming the broken speaker and the fact we couldn't hear properly.
And in between it's been a very hectic week's work. Tonight is dinner with a couple of the other interstate guys from work in town for training. Then tomorrow is Friday. Do you think it's showing my age to want to just go home and spend the night watching TV on the couch on a Friday night? Saturday Nicole heads back to Adelaide and I'm heading up to the Central Coast for Bec's Mum's 60th birthday party (should be a blast), then back for Jonathan's birthday celebration on Sunday. Work next week and then Mum & Dad arrive the next weekend....

Never mind. What's that saying about when you can sleep?

J. ;-)

Work this...well, little while

Well it's been ages since I've done a "work this week". I'm guessing you have assumed one of 3 things has happened with that particular column.

1. Jacki has done no work
2. Jacki has been too lazy to go through her diary to figure out what she's been up to since when
3. Jacki has been too busy actually working to stop and tell everyone about it.

Well the answer is somewhere in-between. Clearly there have been a couple of periods where I have done no work. These include my holiday and the time I've had off with food poisoning and the dentist.

I have definitely been too busy to go through my diary to give a detailed description of what's happening in the exciting world of forecasting.

When I have been in the office it's been pretty crazy with all the different stuff going on. There's been all the usual stuff, plus a few dramas we discovered with daylight savings and time-stamped data, plus getting ready for new time studies results and the next year's sales targets. Adam was off for most of last week so I've been holding the fort and wishing I could split myself in two!

So between all that, not oo much else has been fit in!!!

I think I need a nap!

J.

What's hot and what's not

Do you ever read those articles in magazines? I thought that I might put my own personal list out there.

What I'm loving right now
The new handbag I bought at lunch, the new album from Something for Kate, Blistex complete moisture lip balm, the whole Superman revival thing, the 2 new vegetarian products from Sanitarium, all the visitors that are coming to see me, my new favourite cocktail - Hibiscus infused vodka with wild lime juice (called a Pink, and available from Summit), Chambourcin.

What's not in the good books
Dentist visits, noisy neighbours downstairs who play techno music too loud every night until late (am I getting old?), numbers that don't add up when they should, the fact that it's another 3 hours until the weekend really starts, getting excited when the bus driver handed out new schedules for my regular bus route (after I made a seemingly well-received suggestion to the Sydney Buses a couple of weeks ago that they review the bus timetable given all the new recently-built and approved apartment buildings along the line), only to discover that they've actually cut the number of buses down. Who was the @*&% moron who decided that in all his infinite wisdom???????

I think I'm gonna start taking the train next week

Grrr...again

I still hate the dentist.

Power days

Whew! Adam's away sick for the second day and I'm holding the fort on my own. There's a new forecast just finished running, the sales plan needs finalising and there are merger scenarios to run!! Aargh! Even worse, my dentist has called and said there's been a cancellation this afternoon so I don't have to wait another month for my final filling (yay! great news!...yes, I'm being sarcastic).

But somehow I'm doing OK. You often hear people talk about having off-days (and I certainly know all abouty them too), but I've been known to have Power Days.

There are a couple of factors that come into power days and today seems to fit the bill....

• You have to be in peak physical condition - no lingering or lurking colds or flu, late nights the previous evening, or lingering back-ache/head-aches (did I mention my toe seems to be better?). Ay of these things can ruin a power-day and make it into a regular day.
• You have to have at least one deadline. If you don't, you'll never push yourself and achieve a power day (why do today what you could put off until tomorrow?)
• You have to have a full day's work that needs doing. If you're totally swamped, you're likely to get overwhelmed and disheartened. If you haven't got a full day's worth of stuff to do, the old procrastination law comes into play.
• There have to be minimal interruptions. You can't have a power day if you've scheduled six hours worth of meetings. It's just not going to happen.

So my to-do list, which looked crammed this morning is alrady well under way. Things seem to be running smoothly (knock on wood) and I'm on schedule to get everything done I need to today by the time I need to leave for the dentist. Hooray!

So back to it. Must....focus....

Hope you all have power days too!

J.

A rose by any other name

What's in a name?

Everyone's given a couple at birth. They may be shortened or lengthened, or abbreviated, or changed completely. Many women change them shen they marry. Other people can give them to you, but somehow it's not cool to give one to yourself. Although making one up can be acceptable in some situations.

Most people somehow seem to suit their names. Either that or they grow into them.

I personally go by Jacki. My full name is Jacquelyn Marie, but only my grandparents call me that these days (Mum held out for years, but even she's given up!).

For some reason I'm not entirely sure of, Mum occasionally calls me Jacquelyn Marie Theresa Henrietta.

I'm quite often called Jackster/Jaxta - something started by my friend Rossco (also known as Rissko - when he's had a few and gets a bit cheeky, Groover - a long story, and "my boy Ross" - usually proceeded by "not" and referring to what his mum might make of his many and varied shenanigans) many years ago, I believe.

My friend Sandy also has a drinking alter-ego: the ever-charming Shandy.

When I'm receiving unwanted attention I'll go by Agnes. The expressions of people when you introduce yourself by that name are pretty priceless.

A couple of people call me J. The ultimate shortening. I've always particularly liked this one, but as I said above, you really can't influence your nicknames.

The boy calls me a number of odd things. But he kind of does that to everyone. Pretty much everyone he knows has been called Crazy-pants at least once. I get a few too cheeky (or soppy) to put on here, but also get such pearlers as funky-duds, cheeky-chops, Jacksterino, and fluffy-fuzzy-bunny-feet (when I'm wearing my fluffy slippers, of course).

My friend Louise and I used to let our inner children out to play sometimes. They were called Chloe and Molly. They like to Spice Girls and singing into hairbrushes.

When I was in primary school, my dodgy surname lead to quite a lot of nicknames. The less said about those ones the better. I think I'm still traumatised. Although I may have done better than my youger sister and brother who ended up with unusual first names, as well as surnames (I think Mum & Dad ran out of ideas after the first 2 kids). Bronte and Petrina (who you could be mistaken for calling "PetrinawithaP" for the way she has to always introduce herself), your names will always be normal to me...sorry I can't speak for the rest of the planet.

So that's pretty much the history of me and my names (and those of a few of my friends). Does anyone else have any pearlers?

J.

The final countdown....(da da DAA da, da da da dah..)

3 sleeps until Bec comes over for girls cocktail night in the Inner West!

4 sleeps to go until Nicole arrives from Adelaide!

15 sleeps to go until Mum & Dad arrive from Tassie!

I love visitors!

And while we're at it.....I love going away too.

91 sleeps until I leave for WA

95 sleeps until my sister's wedding

97 sleeps until I leave WA for Tassie

101 sleeps until Karen's wedding

103 sleeps until I head back to Sunny Sydney.

And while we're at it, I love birthdays!!!

67 sleeps until my birthday!!!!

J.

And...

And Hello to Nic. glad you like the blog. Feel free to leave me comments instead of sending emails. Makes me feel more loved.

That goes for all of you.

J.

;-P

The wonders of modern technology

Everyone in the office has had the silly-half-hours today. Nobody has even noticed I'm not wearing shoes. I've been informed it's because of the full moon.

Maybe that's why I found this so hilarious. In this day and age of sensational forecasting technology, software and hardware, this is the best solution we could come up with today to a particular problem!

for the record, that's a pile of 10 packs of post-it notes carefully balanced to hold down the escape key on keyboard.

How far we've come!

Another whinge - and another one not for the faint hearted

At the risk of sounding like I'm a whinger who talks way to much about feet, I'm going to give you another whinging post about feet.

I'm wandering around today with no shoes on. Despite what some of you may remember from my uni days, this is not due to any hippie idealism. It's because my toe hurts.

I have this hereditary weird toe thing. My siblings all have the same thing and it seems to be inherited from our Dad. In our family it's a well known phenomenon. Basically, our big toes are larger than the rest of our toes. Not just in the normal way where big toes are supposed to be bigger than the rest (as the name would suggest), but substantially bigger. I'd guess mine is more than double the size of my next largest toe. Given that I've already posted one gross foot photo on this blog, I'll spare you a visual, but you get the picture. If you're really curious, you can check the archives. Otherwise, just take my word for it. Where most people have a big toe (or two), our family have giant toes.

Now the giant toes on their own are really not the problem. Aside from looking a bit odd, and meaning that we all have to wear a size bigger shoe than the rest of our foot would require, having an inordinately large big toes doesn't cause any problems on its own. The problem is that our toenails are also inordinately big. And not just big in that they are relative to the toe and therefore cover the inordinately big toe. (who would have thought you could use the word "inordinately 4 times in one paragraph?). The big toenails are both large in surface area, but also in thickness and strength. In fact, they kind of resemble a (barely) smaller version of a horses hoof. Very difficult to cut and prone to things like ingrown toenails. They tend to be OK during summer when open-toed shoes are essential wardrobe items, but not so much fun in winter when they get crammed into open-toed shoes.

So anyway, I'll try getting to the point at some stage here (I'm sure I had one when I started this rant....Hmm....Oh yes. Right.) Well my toes have been hurting quite a lot lately. To the point where it was not overly pleasant wearing socks and even worse wearing stocking, and downright torture wearing tight shoes.

Being a girl, and therefore definitely not too tough to go see a doctor, I toddled off to my GP and got a referral to a Podiatrist. I've never been to a podiatrist before and didn't quite know what to expect. But this one was conveniently located and managed to fit me in with only a couple of days wait - a nice change from most specialists.

So I rocked up and was pleasantly surprised. She was professional and did a great job and knew what was wrong immediately and took care of it straight away. (Corns, if you must know). Plus she had one of those machines that magically process your health insurance card so you don't have to pay and then fill out forms and make a claim and pray to the arbitrary gods of health insurance that you'll get a decent refund.

So all was well and good for a while, and since my podiatrist included a complete once-over for my feet and heels in my visit, my feet looked better than they ever have in my whole life.

Unfortunately all is again not well in footsville. Compounded by the fact that I wore my least comfortable pair of work shoes today (they look great with the outfit - it's not like I could have worn my brown boots with my black and white outfit) that get kind of sore by the end of the best of days.

So I've rung my fabulous new podiatrist and, shock, horror, she's got the flu so I'll have to wait until next week to see her.

Apologies to anyone in my office who has had to put up with me hobbling around in my stockings today. It may last another couple of days, but I will be back into shoes as soon as possible. I promise.

J. (aka Hop-a-long Cassidy)

The green-eyed monster

Some days just don't seem quite fair. I arrived this morning to 3 emails in my in box that made me very jealous. One from Cecilia having a lovely time in Lebanon, one from Ronene with funny stories of her escapades at the Blarney stone, and one from Maddy and John who are enjoying the vineyards of France and about to head to Italy.

Meanwhile I'm having a lovely adventure. Here at my desk. At work. Just like I do every day. Dammit!

All quiet on the Western Front

Apologies for the lack of posts the last couple of days. Unfortunate case of food poisoning to blame. I recommend not eating at the Chinese place in Myer food court next to El Turko turkish place. Ever. Really not fun. Will try for a decent post this afternoon.

J.

Update - the place is called Khao Thai - steer clear!

Exciting visitors

I had a phone call from my Mum yesterday. She still lives in Tassie, although her and my Dad spend a lot of time touring around the country in a big motor-home. They've decided to come visit me in Sydney for a long weekend at the end of the month, before they set off on their next big tour (to WA for more time with their favourite grandchild, plus my sister's wedding). Yay! Mum & Dad have only made it to Sydney to visit me once since I moved here (4 years ago one week from today!) even though we've seen each other in various different locations several other time since then. They also certainly haven't seen my new apartment, something I'm very proud of (in case you haven't been able to tell!) and now I finally have room for them to come and stay properly.
I'm not quite sure what we'll do yet. They quite like shows, but I've searched Ticketek and CitySearch websites and there's not really anything suitable on while they're here. Any suggestions from my loyal readers (particularly the Sydney-based ones...or anyone who's been to Sydney and enjoyed doing something)?? Feel free to post suggestions via the comments - keep in mind Mum doesn't enjoy wine and neither of them are as agile as they used to be, but we have a spacious and comfortable car and lots of enthusiasm.

Cheers!

J.

Nothing better

I had a great weekend. A very satisfying spring clean on Saturday, dinner then drinks with a charming and attractive man (despite a particularly Jacki moment involving a jug of boiling vegetable stock and my hand) then Sunday up early and off to Maroubra for coffee and a long walk along the beach collecting shells and enjoying the sunshine. Mmm heaven!

At the risk of becoming repetitive

sorry to harp on, but I found this site, and given my penchant for doing stupid things with photos, of course I loved it.

http://www.funonit.com/funny_jokes/fake_magazine/

Endless Possibilities, Too funny.