Hi everyone. Sorry for the unexpected break (again!).
So the good news is that I've moving the location of this blog to a new host for a variety of reasons.
Also good news, is that I've basically managed to move pretty much everything across to the new location - archives and comments included.
So come on over and check out the new home!!!! (and don't forget to update your bookmarks). I have no plans to shut this site down in the near future, but hopefully everyone should well and truly be using the swish new site before there's any risk of anyone getting left behind.
See you on the other side!!!
Monday, September 03, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
That's All Folks
OK, that's it for now.
I'll be back as soon as possible. I promise.
It'll totally be worth it.
I could even do one of those "Next week on....Just Because I Can...."
You can look forward to...
I'll be back as soon as possible. I promise.
It'll totally be worth it.
I could even do one of those "Next week on....Just Because I Can...."
You can look forward to...
- At least 2 celebrity spottings
- Maybe more
- Me making fun of NTB
- A post about Ice cream (who doesn't love ice cream?)
- Some less than ideal travel adventures
- The worst ever trip to Queensland travel diary
- The Tale of the Vegan and the Airport Bar
- Probing question number 742 - how well do you have to know someone before you can ask for a bed for the night?
- Queuing friends
- Advice to Virgins. Ummm - make that Advice to Virgin Airlines
- Back in the olden days musings
And that's even without counting on anything that happens in the next couple of days!
So tune in soon...same place, probably a similar sort of time.....
J.
The Last Supper
Is there anything more depressing than the last night on holidays when you realise it’s pretty well all over and you’re flying out the next morning?
You’ve pretty well scoped the place and gotten into the groove of the place. You know your way around, and have figured out the sort of places you want to hang out in your time there, and then suddenly it’s all as good as over.
We hit this point pretty much straight after our trivia disgrace. And then missing the courtesy bus back to our accommodation. It was pouring (who would believe it would be 14 degrees and raining, even in winter, in Byron Bay) and taxis were pretty much non-existent.
We decided to go get pizza and try to catch a movie.
Well, on the cusp of end-of-holiday depression, we stumbled upon the most amazing pizza. Bloody amazing!!
Is there anything that pizza can’t fix??
You’ve pretty well scoped the place and gotten into the groove of the place. You know your way around, and have figured out the sort of places you want to hang out in your time there, and then suddenly it’s all as good as over.
We hit this point pretty much straight after our trivia disgrace. And then missing the courtesy bus back to our accommodation. It was pouring (who would believe it would be 14 degrees and raining, even in winter, in Byron Bay) and taxis were pretty much non-existent.
We decided to go get pizza and try to catch a movie.
Well, on the cusp of end-of-holiday depression, we stumbled upon the most amazing pizza. Bloody amazing!!
Is there anything that pizza can’t fix??
Not Competitive at all
Sunday in Byron Bay heralded the start of the foul weather that is currently continuing up North. So what is a couple to to with the last full day of their holidays in a relaxed seaside town?
Pub Trivia, of course!
NTB and I turned up and settled in, with our pencils sharpened. The two of us, with a couple of other mates were quite the trivia aficionados a couple of years back. We had a regular team and used to play every week and do pretty well.
It’s fair to say that with our background we went in pretty cocky. We may have even discussed what we would do about the prize if we won.
Of course, according to the rules of false pride coming before a fall, we may have not done as well as we had hoped.
OK, second last, since you asked.
Bugger.
Pub Trivia, of course!
NTB and I turned up and settled in, with our pencils sharpened. The two of us, with a couple of other mates were quite the trivia aficionados a couple of years back. We had a regular team and used to play every week and do pretty well.
It’s fair to say that with our background we went in pretty cocky. We may have even discussed what we would do about the prize if we won.
Of course, according to the rules of false pride coming before a fall, we may have not done as well as we had hoped.
OK, second last, since you asked.
Bugger.
Burger Etiquette
There are as many ways of eating a big fat burger as there are people. What’s your preferred technique?
I personally go for the “cut into quarters and eat from the outside, in” technique, whilst trying to drop as little as possible all down my front. What does everyone else think?
For the record, in case you were wondering, it was a tofu burger. And a Damn good one, at that!
I personally go for the “cut into quarters and eat from the outside, in” technique, whilst trying to drop as little as possible all down my front. What does everyone else think?
For the record, in case you were wondering, it was a tofu burger. And a Damn good one, at that!
Holiday Joys – Part 2
Has anyone else out there ever been in a float tank. It was one of those things that was there at the accommodation and you totally feel like you have to give a go.
I personally enjoyed the whole float tank experience. It was pretty strange. After we booked in, there was the whole question of float tank etiquette – what do you wear? Deo you turn up in your bathers? Shower beforehand? How do you know when you’re done? Is it going to be like a coffin? What if I freak out?
Just for reference, the answers are: Nothing. No. No, that’s part of the process before you get in. There’s instructions about the music being played in there so you know when to get out. No. You open the hatch or get out.
I really enjoyed the experience. There were a few initial things to figure out – like how to put in earplugs, and the correct positioning of the neck-cushion so you don’t get a sore neck, and what to do with your hands. But once I got the hang of it, I ended up so relaxed I actually fell asleep in there. It was also way larger than I expected, which helped with my main reservation about the whole experience.
The only weird bit was waking up after drifting into the land of nod and being a bit disoriented about where I was. After a few seconds, though, all was good and relaxing again.
After an hour in there, followed by an hours’ massage, followed by an hour sitting on the beach reading my book, I don’t think I could have possibly been more relaxed! I highly recommend the whole experience.
I personally enjoyed the whole float tank experience. It was pretty strange. After we booked in, there was the whole question of float tank etiquette – what do you wear? Deo you turn up in your bathers? Shower beforehand? How do you know when you’re done? Is it going to be like a coffin? What if I freak out?
Just for reference, the answers are: Nothing. No. No, that’s part of the process before you get in. There’s instructions about the music being played in there so you know when to get out. No. You open the hatch or get out.
I really enjoyed the experience. There were a few initial things to figure out – like how to put in earplugs, and the correct positioning of the neck-cushion so you don’t get a sore neck, and what to do with your hands. But once I got the hang of it, I ended up so relaxed I actually fell asleep in there. It was also way larger than I expected, which helped with my main reservation about the whole experience.
The only weird bit was waking up after drifting into the land of nod and being a bit disoriented about where I was. After a few seconds, though, all was good and relaxing again.
After an hour in there, followed by an hours’ massage, followed by an hour sitting on the beach reading my book, I don’t think I could have possibly been more relaxed! I highly recommend the whole experience.
Holiday Joys – Part 1
Walking as far as you physically can in both directions along a beach, for hours and hours and hours. Is there anything more relaxing and refreshing and better for the soul?
Backpacker Hostel Bonus
Hi to Clare and John. One thing I totally love about staying in backpacker hostels is that you can literally talk to anyone, and you make friends so easily. We made friends with the gorgeous Clare and John who we are looking forward to seeing again in Sydney this weekend. Yay facebook, also, as it totally makes these things a lot easier to organise!
Thanks also to the couple who taught us to play Texas Hold 'Em one night!
Thanks also to the couple who taught us to play Texas Hold 'Em one night!
More Fun and Games
OK, here is the second installment of holiday posts as promised.
Hang in there, I've just discovered that I' have somehow managed to double-book my weekend this weekend with one of my high-school friends, Alison, as well as my parents all coming to visit (I thought they were due the following weekend until a couple of hours ago).
It's possible I'll be running around trying to coordinate various plans with various people over the next couple of days, but will try to get on to give the odd update when I can.
In the mean time, enjoy the several posts on holiday adventures!
J.
Hang in there, I've just discovered that I' have somehow managed to double-book my weekend this weekend with one of my high-school friends, Alison, as well as my parents all coming to visit (I thought they were due the following weekend until a couple of hours ago).
It's possible I'll be running around trying to coordinate various plans with various people over the next couple of days, but will try to get on to give the odd update when I can.
In the mean time, enjoy the several posts on holiday adventures!
J.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
On an Unrelated matter
CONGRATULATIONS!!! To Karen and Anthony, who are expecting a baby in February!!
Holiday whinge number umpteen
Ooh – the perils of trying to sleep in whilst on holiday. You’ve got to love the child having a temper tantrum directly outside your window at 7.30am on the first morning of your holiday!
Classy Venues
One thing every classy joint should have: the requirement for patrons to pay a deposit over the bar for use of a pool cue and the white ball.
Sharing is Caring
So, hypothetically, say, this couple (friends of mine, you see) were out to dinner. It’s a Thai meal (hypothetically, of course), and they share a couple of dishes and have a drink each.
At the end of the meal, the girl has hypothetically half of her drink, a red wine, left in her glass. As she is finishing, the waitress brings over the bill, and with it a plate with 4 scorched almonds on it. A lovely touch, I though. Umm, she hypothetically thought.
Not wanting to ruin her palate, she decided to finish her wine before partaking of her tasty scorched almond dessert treat. Her dining companion, chatting away about how delicious the meal had been, hypothetically eats three scorched almonds off the plate.
Do we hypothetically think maybe a manners line was crossed?? You know, hypothetically speaking?
At the end of the meal, the girl has hypothetically half of her drink, a red wine, left in her glass. As she is finishing, the waitress brings over the bill, and with it a plate with 4 scorched almonds on it. A lovely touch, I though. Umm, she hypothetically thought.
Not wanting to ruin her palate, she decided to finish her wine before partaking of her tasty scorched almond dessert treat. Her dining companion, chatting away about how delicious the meal had been, hypothetically eats three scorched almonds off the plate.
Do we hypothetically think maybe a manners line was crossed?? You know, hypothetically speaking?
Musings on Flying – Part 2
What sort of parent thinks that the appropriate toy to keep a young child amused on a flight is a plastic mobile phone toy that makes an array of beeping noises when each key is pressed; each more earsplittingly irritating than the last? And then allows them to play with it for the entire trip?
Musings on Flying – Part 1
I’ve never yet missed an airline flight. Amongst my siblings that’s something of a rarity and I’m touching wood as I type this.
I do, however, think it’s a huge hypocrisy by airlines, that if you are even a couple of minutes late checking in for a flight you can be refused admission onto the flight. On the other hand, airlines fell free to delay or even cancel flights or leave customers waiting in flight lounges indefinitely with impunity.
P.S. I actually wrote this one at the very start of my trip. You have no idea how ironic this post is but will do if you keep reading.
J.
I do, however, think it’s a huge hypocrisy by airlines, that if you are even a couple of minutes late checking in for a flight you can be refused admission onto the flight. On the other hand, airlines fell free to delay or even cancel flights or leave customers waiting in flight lounges indefinitely with impunity.
P.S. I actually wrote this one at the very start of my trip. You have no idea how ironic this post is but will do if you keep reading.
J.
Warning – Intensive Travel Adventures Posts Ahead!!
The Telstra debacle piece appears to have been cancelled due to lack of interest. Guess you’ll never know what you missed out on (well, unless I hit a case of writer’s block in the near future), but good news is at hand. I have recently returned from a sensational holiday and am brimming with inspiration.
Whilst on holidays I invested in a good sturdy notebook to capture all those fleeting thoughts, so you my loyal readers, strap yourself in for a rollercoaster ride!!
Enjoy!
Whilst on holidays I invested in a good sturdy notebook to capture all those fleeting thoughts, so you my loyal readers, strap yourself in for a rollercoaster ride!!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Democracy
So, let's put it to a vote...
If anyone requests it, by the time I get back from holidays (Tuesday next week, thanks for asking) I'll post up the ongoing saga of my dramas with my internet provider.
I know this sounds kind of dull, but since it seems to be a conversation between me and a clueless automatic email response system, and I happen to be a bit of a smart-arse who intends to find out just how cheeky you can be to one of these things before someone steps in and actually reads one of your emails, I actually think it's kind of funny.
So what do you think?
J.
p.s. I'll think of you all whilst I'm relaxing in Byron Bay....;)
If anyone requests it, by the time I get back from holidays (Tuesday next week, thanks for asking) I'll post up the ongoing saga of my dramas with my internet provider.
I know this sounds kind of dull, but since it seems to be a conversation between me and a clueless automatic email response system, and I happen to be a bit of a smart-arse who intends to find out just how cheeky you can be to one of these things before someone steps in and actually reads one of your emails, I actually think it's kind of funny.
So what do you think?
J.
p.s. I'll think of you all whilst I'm relaxing in Byron Bay....;)
Happy Birthday to Me!
So are you doing the calculations and scratching your head? Wondering how my birthday snuck up without me making a big deal of it?
Me too.
Especially when a birthday card rocked up in my mail today.
Afraid it was a month too early.
Easy mistake to make. I totally understand.
Except it was the same person who gave me hell for ringing her a day early to give her best wishes a month ago....
Does this count as quote of the day?
Me too.
Especially when a birthday card rocked up in my mail today.
Afraid it was a month too early.
Easy mistake to make. I totally understand.
Except it was the same person who gave me hell for ringing her a day early to give her best wishes a month ago....
Does this count as quote of the day?
Monday, August 13, 2007
New Discoveries
Office Politics
Do you think it's bad form for a grown woman, making sandwiches in the office kitchen, to cut the crusts off?
Just wondering.
J.
Just wondering.
J.
Someone get this girl a cosmopolitan.
Oh, I mean - I feel truly cosmopolitan.
It's kind of cool to see how people come to visit from all sorts of places, but I would like to say a special hello to my first Guatemalan visitor.
Hello!
J.
It's kind of cool to see how people come to visit from all sorts of places, but I would like to say a special hello to my first Guatemalan visitor.
Hello!
J.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The best souvenir ever
I was at Old Parliament Hour last weekend. Mainly to go to the National Portrait Gallery, which was awesome (but that's another story), and after the all the viewing pleasure of the exhibition (which was great, by the way) there was the mandatory browse through the gift shop.
Whilst there, I think I saw the best souvenir ever. They had these amazing postcards. You could write on them and post them, like a normal postcard. But on the other side was a very special photo of OPH (Old Parliament House), and inset into the postcard were two plastic lenses.
The trick was, that if you folded on the dotted lines, once you received the postcard, the lenses and the very special picture, set up this fantastic 3-dimensional picture of OPH.
Sensational! I think they should do that for all the good tourist destinations!
Whilst there, I think I saw the best souvenir ever. They had these amazing postcards. You could write on them and post them, like a normal postcard. But on the other side was a very special photo of OPH (Old Parliament House), and inset into the postcard were two plastic lenses.
The trick was, that if you folded on the dotted lines, once you received the postcard, the lenses and the very special picture, set up this fantastic 3-dimensional picture of OPH.
Sensational! I think they should do that for all the good tourist destinations!
A shout out
Hi to Karen, NTB's sister, who's been back in Sydney tonight, from Brisbane, and took us back to her old Uni job premises, the best Indian food ever.
Thanks for a great feed and a great night!
Thanks for a great feed and a great night!
Britney Spears Hair
I have an issue with Britney Spears' hair.
If you remember back to March this year, Britney shaved her head. I think it was some sort of breakdown thing. High celebrity drama and all that.
You may also remember, 2 weeks later, that I also shaved my head. I did it for charity. The wonderful people at World's Greatest Shave will attest to the fact that I actually gave them money...it wasn't my euphemism for a breakdown.
So what bugs me is the fact that Britney Spears is appearing in public no, doing more somewhat mentally-challenged things, but with a shoulder-length bob.
I, on the other hand, am still sporting the latest in pixie cuts (on a good day).
So are we talking a really good wig? Hair extensions? How does that work?
I think I might start a rumour - do you think she's using hair plugs? A la Warnie?
If you remember back to March this year, Britney shaved her head. I think it was some sort of breakdown thing. High celebrity drama and all that.
You may also remember, 2 weeks later, that I also shaved my head. I did it for charity. The wonderful people at World's Greatest Shave will attest to the fact that I actually gave them money...it wasn't my euphemism for a breakdown.
So what bugs me is the fact that Britney Spears is appearing in public no, doing more somewhat mentally-challenged things, but with a shoulder-length bob.
I, on the other hand, am still sporting the latest in pixie cuts (on a good day).
So are we talking a really good wig? Hair extensions? How does that work?
I think I might start a rumour - do you think she's using hair plugs? A la Warnie?
Ode to my new bed
I have a new bed.
It is very comfortable.
It is a great thing on which to lay my head.
And it is also very good.
Very very sleepable.
It is much better than my poetry.
I think I shall go and have a nap.
It is very comfortable.
It is a great thing on which to lay my head.
And it is also very good.
Very very sleepable.
It is much better than my poetry.
I think I shall go and have a nap.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Mmmm...Tasty
So I was at the supermarket the other day. I spotted a pack o f"low carb" pasta.
Given that I love pasta, but find the fact that it's pretty high in kilojoules and fat, so try to only eat it occasionally, I thought I'd check it out.
I read the label, and true to the headlines, it was substantially healthier than my usual brand, I bought a pack.
Tonight I decided to cook it up. MMMM...Tasty!
But I bet I could replicate the recipe, without shelling out the $5.40 for the pack of pasta. Check the recipe below:
Given that I love pasta, but find the fact that it's pretty high in kilojoules and fat, so try to only eat it occasionally, I thought I'd check it out.
I read the label, and true to the headlines, it was substantially healthier than my usual brand, I bought a pack.
Tonight I decided to cook it up. MMMM...Tasty!
But I bet I could replicate the recipe, without shelling out the $5.40 for the pack of pasta. Check the recipe below:
- Buy normal pack of pasta
- Cook pasta according to instructions
- Discard pasta. Retain cardboard box pasta was packaged in.
- Rip cardboard into pasta-shaped pieces
- Pour source over.
- Eat.
So now I have half a pack of foul-tasting pasta. If anyone's interested in trying it out, I'll sell the remainder of it to you for $2.50...bargain.
Kidding. I'll let you have it free.
OK, you drive a hard bargain...I'll give you $2.50 to take it off my hands.
Ahh, bugger it, it's going in the bin.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Except....
for quote of the day for yesterday....
"Mmmm...Andrew Gee is a God. He's more than a God. He's a Godess"
"Mmmm...Andrew Gee is a God. He's more than a God. He's a Godess"
Hey there
Hi everyone, I'm still alive, but very, very, very tired.
I've been to Canberra, been to a fancy dress party, had a random school-reunion moment, and enjoyed my favourite holiday - the Bank Holiday. I won't bore you by repeating last year's post.
And I had a very busy week last week and I'm very very tired.
And I have a new bed (yay! thanks to the ATO) and I'm far too eager to be in it to think straight enough for a decent post.
I'll try soon, I promise.
J.
I've been to Canberra, been to a fancy dress party, had a random school-reunion moment, and enjoyed my favourite holiday - the Bank Holiday. I won't bore you by repeating last year's post.
And I had a very busy week last week and I'm very very tired.
And I have a new bed (yay! thanks to the ATO) and I'm far too eager to be in it to think straight enough for a decent post.
I'll try soon, I promise.
J.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
All Hail the Queen
Is there anyone out there who doesn't love new gadgets?
If there is, they're nothing like me.
I have a new gadget (other than my new internet connection. YAY!).
It was actually quite an exciting story...well, for me, anyway.
I've had a bit of bad luck with rice cookers. I managed to kill 2 in a matter of a couple of months. Don't even ask. It's not relevant to the story anyway.
So consequently, I decided that I would actually invest in a good quality rice cooker (I'm sure if you've read even a few posts on here, you'll realise I take cooking very seriously).
Being me, I did my rice-cooker research. Checked up on the internet and a few stores, compared brands and features and reviews, and settled on the exact brand and model of rice cooker I was after.
It was quite a pricey one. I figure you get what you pay for. For that reason, I put off actually purchasing the coveted rice cooker. I love a bargain, so I thought I'd wait until somewhere had it on sale.
3 Weeks ago I was logging onto my internet banking. I was doing my usual bill-paying and pay-redistribution activities, when I saw that the balance on the rewards points I get for using my credit card was getting up there. I usually like to use my balance fairly regularly (I got totally stung when I lost bucketloads of frequent flyer points I'd been saving up in the Ansett collapse, when I ended up sitting at the airport for 3 hours, only to be sent home, frequent flyer points and flights down the toilet).
I clicked the link to the catalogue of things I could cash in for...and right there was the exact rice cooker that I wanted!! And I had enough points!!
I may have had to wait for delivery by post, but the whole thing is so much sweeter now that I've used my points on something I really wanted and was prepared to buy anyway!
The gadget is great. I have been making rice galore, plus using the slow-cooker option to make risottos, curries and more. Just call me the queen of the slow cooker.
If there is, they're nothing like me.
I have a new gadget (other than my new internet connection. YAY!).
It was actually quite an exciting story...well, for me, anyway.
I've had a bit of bad luck with rice cookers. I managed to kill 2 in a matter of a couple of months. Don't even ask. It's not relevant to the story anyway.
So consequently, I decided that I would actually invest in a good quality rice cooker (I'm sure if you've read even a few posts on here, you'll realise I take cooking very seriously).
Being me, I did my rice-cooker research. Checked up on the internet and a few stores, compared brands and features and reviews, and settled on the exact brand and model of rice cooker I was after.
It was quite a pricey one. I figure you get what you pay for. For that reason, I put off actually purchasing the coveted rice cooker. I love a bargain, so I thought I'd wait until somewhere had it on sale.
3 Weeks ago I was logging onto my internet banking. I was doing my usual bill-paying and pay-redistribution activities, when I saw that the balance on the rewards points I get for using my credit card was getting up there. I usually like to use my balance fairly regularly (I got totally stung when I lost bucketloads of frequent flyer points I'd been saving up in the Ansett collapse, when I ended up sitting at the airport for 3 hours, only to be sent home, frequent flyer points and flights down the toilet).
I clicked the link to the catalogue of things I could cash in for...and right there was the exact rice cooker that I wanted!! And I had enough points!!
I may have had to wait for delivery by post, but the whole thing is so much sweeter now that I've used my points on something I really wanted and was prepared to buy anyway!
The gadget is great. I have been making rice galore, plus using the slow-cooker option to make risottos, curries and more. Just call me the queen of the slow cooker.
The first step is admitting you have a problem
Hello, my name is Jacki, and I'm an addict.
I blame Madeleine. I went along just to keep her company and was determined that I did not need another pair of Birkenstock shoes.
I have 2 pairs already. And they last practically forever. And I don't need another pair.
Maddy really wanted a pair, though. I was happy to take her along to the specialty store so she could make the most of the opportunity during her Sydney visit.
Maddy sorted herself out with a lovely pair. Although she did have a bit of trouble deciding between two that were both very nice.
Once she decided, she insisted on me trying on the other pair. They happened to be in my size.
I wore them out of the store, with my old pair in the box.
I think maybe I need to stay outside the shop next time. Either that or demand a commission from Birkenstock. Do you think they'd pay it in store credit?
They are beautiful, though. And they'll last just about forever. And I'll get a lot of wear out of them.
I can justify this.
I blame Madeleine. I went along just to keep her company and was determined that I did not need another pair of Birkenstock shoes.
I have 2 pairs already. And they last practically forever. And I don't need another pair.
Maddy really wanted a pair, though. I was happy to take her along to the specialty store so she could make the most of the opportunity during her Sydney visit.
Maddy sorted herself out with a lovely pair. Although she did have a bit of trouble deciding between two that were both very nice.
Once she decided, she insisted on me trying on the other pair. They happened to be in my size.
I wore them out of the store, with my old pair in the box.
I think maybe I need to stay outside the shop next time. Either that or demand a commission from Birkenstock. Do you think they'd pay it in store credit?
They are beautiful, though. And they'll last just about forever. And I'll get a lot of wear out of them.
I can justify this.
Long Weekends
It was a very big, not to mention long, weekend.
I took Friday off to spend time with my friends Jon and Maddy who have been up visiting from Tassie.
We've had a complete ball - we started with some shopping (although not quite the type of shopping you would imagine as Maddy is terrible at that sort) as Jon took a nap and the girls went off to buy me a new mattress for my bed. That's probably a whole nother story.
We had a night at the pub for dinner and drinks on Friday. We went to the art gallery and then to vegetarian Yum Cha and then the aquarium and then home for dinner and board games and even an old-fashioned sing-along with the guy with the guitar at the party until the wee small hours until told to shut it down by the neighbours (usually I'm the crabby neighbour!)
Then we made it to the Rocks markets and headed back to get Jon to the airport, then Maddy and I made some more shopping mischief with a trip to the Birkenstock Shop.
It's Wednesday and I'm still recovering, but what a fantastic weekend! Maddy & Jon are 2 of my favourite people and it was so good to spend some time with them. Cheers to old friends!
I took Friday off to spend time with my friends Jon and Maddy who have been up visiting from Tassie.
We've had a complete ball - we started with some shopping (although not quite the type of shopping you would imagine as Maddy is terrible at that sort) as Jon took a nap and the girls went off to buy me a new mattress for my bed. That's probably a whole nother story.
We had a night at the pub for dinner and drinks on Friday. We went to the art gallery and then to vegetarian Yum Cha and then the aquarium and then home for dinner and board games and even an old-fashioned sing-along with the guy with the guitar at the party until the wee small hours until told to shut it down by the neighbours (usually I'm the crabby neighbour!)
Then we made it to the Rocks markets and headed back to get Jon to the airport, then Maddy and I made some more shopping mischief with a trip to the Birkenstock Shop.
It's Wednesday and I'm still recovering, but what a fantastic weekend! Maddy & Jon are 2 of my favourite people and it was so good to spend some time with them. Cheers to old friends!
Note to users of the office kitchen
- Don't dump your dirty dishes / glasses / mugs / cutlery in the sink. We have 2 double dish drawers that are regularly packed and started and then emptied a couple of times a day. You have it pretty good, all you have to do is put stuff in it.
- Those nifty little velcro signs tell you which drawers are clean and which are dirty. These, however are not entirely infallible. Have a look at the contents before you stick your dirty stuff in. There are several drawers.
- If the dirty drawers are full and there's no more room for what you want to add, maybe you could consider emptying a clean drawer? I'm pretty sure hell is unlikely to freeze over.
- If all else fails, there are sponges and there's washing up detergent under the sink. You could always (gasp!) wash up by hand.
- There is no number 5. It's a four-step plan. Got it?
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Hot Chilli Woman
Mmmm...I love chilli. Fresh chilli, dried chilli, chilli sauce, chilli stir fry, pickled jalpenos, chilli sin carne, scrambled eggs with chilli, hot curry, home grown chillis and anything else that's spicy (I'll even go for hot english mustard, horseradish or wasabi).
Recently, my regular supermarket chain, as they tend to do, decided (in their infinite wisdom) to discontinue stocking my favourite chilli sauce.
Byron Bay Sauce Company chilli sauces totally rock.
So, anyway, I was definitely feeling the loss from my vast collection of chilli sauces.
Thank god for the internet.
I found this amazing website that sells all sorts of chilli sauces. Some that even the greatest of chilli afficionados (me, of course) had never heard of.
I managed to order at least a couple of each of the range. I was a happy girl. A "Hot Chilli Woman" if you please.
Then I discovered the chilli heat ratings system.
One thing you'll be fully aware of if you eat a lot of chilli, but will be oblivious if you don't, is that the more of the stuff you eat, the more tolerant you become.
Since I eat chilli pretty much as a major part of three meals a day, I have a pretty reasonable tolerance. I laugh in the face of things that make NTB sweat and hear ringing in his ears. I can't even taste a touch of tabasco in a dish. I thought I was invincible.
So the new chilli sauce website had ratings, in heat, of 1 to 10.
The sauce that I spotted had a rating of 10+++.........the highest you could get. It was called "Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce". And it was supposed to be the hottest chilli sauce you can buy in the country. I was instantly hooked. I had to have it!!!!
Right up until the point where I spotted the product below it in the catalogue....
Dave's Ultimate Insanity Hot Sauce!!!!
Of course I ordered some. It was supposed to be even hotter than the hottest sauce ever on sale in this country.
On the label it warned - "Use one drop at a time"
I ignored that.
Well, the verdict could be weak, boring, couldn't even taste it. How disappointing. :-(
Except it wasn't.
Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll just have one drop next time.
IT'S AWESOME!!!
Recently, my regular supermarket chain, as they tend to do, decided (in their infinite wisdom) to discontinue stocking my favourite chilli sauce.
Byron Bay Sauce Company chilli sauces totally rock.
So, anyway, I was definitely feeling the loss from my vast collection of chilli sauces.
Thank god for the internet.
I found this amazing website that sells all sorts of chilli sauces. Some that even the greatest of chilli afficionados (me, of course) had never heard of.
I managed to order at least a couple of each of the range. I was a happy girl. A "Hot Chilli Woman" if you please.
Then I discovered the chilli heat ratings system.
One thing you'll be fully aware of if you eat a lot of chilli, but will be oblivious if you don't, is that the more of the stuff you eat, the more tolerant you become.
Since I eat chilli pretty much as a major part of three meals a day, I have a pretty reasonable tolerance. I laugh in the face of things that make NTB sweat and hear ringing in his ears. I can't even taste a touch of tabasco in a dish. I thought I was invincible.
So the new chilli sauce website had ratings, in heat, of 1 to 10.
The sauce that I spotted had a rating of 10+++.........the highest you could get. It was called "Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce". And it was supposed to be the hottest chilli sauce you can buy in the country. I was instantly hooked. I had to have it!!!!
Right up until the point where I spotted the product below it in the catalogue....
Dave's Ultimate Insanity Hot Sauce!!!!
Of course I ordered some. It was supposed to be even hotter than the hottest sauce ever on sale in this country.
On the label it warned - "Use one drop at a time"
I ignored that.
Well, the verdict could be weak, boring, couldn't even taste it. How disappointing. :-(
Except it wasn't.
Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll just have one drop next time.
IT'S AWESOME!!!
Pirates Vs Ninjas
Even if you've never followed a link I've put on here before, you should follow this one. Click through the slideshow using the flag men down the bottom, and be prepared to laugh!
I especially love the "Google Fight" section!
J
I especially love the "Google Fight" section!
J
Monday, July 23, 2007
Counterpoint
On a lighter note....some good stuff to say....
Happy birthday to NTB (stands for "Not The Boy", as my beloved shall henceforth be known).
Happy birthday to Nic...sorry I called a day early. I'm sure you'd wonder if I was an alien body-snatcher if I didn't get a little confused now and then.
I have a new toy. But that's a whole separate post...and since I seem to have been a bit light on those lately, I'm going to save it for another day.
J.
Happy birthday to NTB (stands for "Not The Boy", as my beloved shall henceforth be known).
Happy birthday to Nic...sorry I called a day early. I'm sure you'd wonder if I was an alien body-snatcher if I didn't get a little confused now and then.
I have a new toy. But that's a whole separate post...and since I seem to have been a bit light on those lately, I'm going to save it for another day.
J.
Fun & Games
I'm trying to stay positive. You'd think I would be excited. After all my dramas with trying to get my internet working at home, faulty mobile cards that had to be replaced, issues with getting my connection to work on my new laptop and various other issues that make my blood boil, it seems I'm finally sorted.
You could say that the excitement was kind of tarnished by having to spend pretty close to 2 hours over the last couple of days on hold to my provider. The exciting new thing that they promised would work, really didn't. Finally, after the first long wait, an entirely humourless service rep, and getting cut off mid-conversation, I managed to get online.
Even at this point I was pretty excited.
Well that lasted a whole day until it stopped working. I tried calling a few more times at various stages over the weekend and spent a lot of time on hold before having a bit of a tanty and giving up (following the advice of the nice lady who suggested I "call back at a more convenient time").
Tonight I got pig-headed, knowing that I only had one more day until my cooling off period ran out and I was potentially stuck with a dud that would never work.
Finally everything seems to be working, even my email (woo-hoo, no more webmail!). It only took 40 minutes on hold and 15 minutes on the phone to the charming (yep, sarcasm) fellow who finally ended up helping me out. I'm not sure it wasn't by accident.
My phone download connection still doesn't work with the USB cable, but I seems to have configured to bluetooth to work properly so that's that bit sorted.
The last thing to worry about is my MP3 player software. As one of the problems with my old laptop is that the CD/DVD player doesn't work properly, it's been great fun for the last couple of months having to download music on one laptop, transfer via USB thumb drive, then convert and upload to my MP3 on my old laptop. (Yes, that's me being sarcastic again).
After quite a bit of research, and no results, I finally decided to go directly to the source and email the company that makes them. Maybe something I should have done a long time ago, as they responded promptly with a link to a (secret, I'm sure) part of their website and details of the software upgrade that should be compatible with Vista. I've downloaded it, but after recent disappointments, I don't want to get too excited.
Wish me luck.
I've also been sick.
And I've been doing my tax.
I could be a little cranky. Maybe.
You could say that the excitement was kind of tarnished by having to spend pretty close to 2 hours over the last couple of days on hold to my provider. The exciting new thing that they promised would work, really didn't. Finally, after the first long wait, an entirely humourless service rep, and getting cut off mid-conversation, I managed to get online.
Even at this point I was pretty excited.
Well that lasted a whole day until it stopped working. I tried calling a few more times at various stages over the weekend and spent a lot of time on hold before having a bit of a tanty and giving up (following the advice of the nice lady who suggested I "call back at a more convenient time").
Tonight I got pig-headed, knowing that I only had one more day until my cooling off period ran out and I was potentially stuck with a dud that would never work.
Finally everything seems to be working, even my email (woo-hoo, no more webmail!). It only took 40 minutes on hold and 15 minutes on the phone to the charming (yep, sarcasm) fellow who finally ended up helping me out. I'm not sure it wasn't by accident.
My phone download connection still doesn't work with the USB cable, but I seems to have configured to bluetooth to work properly so that's that bit sorted.
The last thing to worry about is my MP3 player software. As one of the problems with my old laptop is that the CD/DVD player doesn't work properly, it's been great fun for the last couple of months having to download music on one laptop, transfer via USB thumb drive, then convert and upload to my MP3 on my old laptop. (Yes, that's me being sarcastic again).
After quite a bit of research, and no results, I finally decided to go directly to the source and email the company that makes them. Maybe something I should have done a long time ago, as they responded promptly with a link to a (secret, I'm sure) part of their website and details of the software upgrade that should be compatible with Vista. I've downloaded it, but after recent disappointments, I don't want to get too excited.
Wish me luck.
I've also been sick.
And I've been doing my tax.
I could be a little cranky. Maybe.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
WOOHOO!!!
I know you can't actually see me sitting here writing my post. If you could, however, you'd see me with a big grin on my face.
After about a million attempts and different approaches, I finally have an internet connection, at home, on my new laptop (instead of the old one with the dodgy hard drive).
I know it sounds like a small thing, but given the amount of hassles I've had to get to this point, I think I have a right to be excited.
WOOHOO!!!!!!
After about a million attempts and different approaches, I finally have an internet connection, at home, on my new laptop (instead of the old one with the dodgy hard drive).
I know it sounds like a small thing, but given the amount of hassles I've had to get to this point, I think I have a right to be excited.
WOOHOO!!!!!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Public Transport pet peeve number 1
Remember this post about public transport? It was my top ten (or more) things I hate about public transport.
Well, I've recently come to realise that there was one that I missed. A BIG one that I missed. It's gazumping the rest and heading straight to number one.
PEOPLE WHO SNIFF ON TRAINS!
I hate you all. Take a bloody tissue with you on the train if you have a cold. I hate you. Don't sniff every two bloody seconds and sneeze and spread your germs around.
I particularly hate you all because now I have a cold and I'm sniffling myself.
Note to self: remember tissues for train journey tomorrow morning.
Well, I've recently come to realise that there was one that I missed. A BIG one that I missed. It's gazumping the rest and heading straight to number one.
PEOPLE WHO SNIFF ON TRAINS!
I hate you all. Take a bloody tissue with you on the train if you have a cold. I hate you. Don't sniff every two bloody seconds and sneeze and spread your germs around.
I particularly hate you all because now I have a cold and I'm sniffling myself.
Note to self: remember tissues for train journey tomorrow morning.
Live Earth - Sydney
Yes, as the title would suggest, I had an amazing weekend. My gorgeous sister Petrina visited and we went along to Live Earth Sydney. It was an amazing day - such a great atmosphere and fantastic acts. Just as a note to everyone who read the articles in the paper and were wondering, I have to recommend that seating is a good way to go for events like the one I attended on Saturday.
The place was packed to the rafters and I have to say it was the biggest concert I've been to in terms of crowd numbers. I think I've been to bigger festivals, but for a one-stage show it was a pretty impressive crowd.
The absolute highlights of the day are very closely tied. John Butler Trio are an old favourite of mine and I've seen them play a few times before, but this was by far the best gig I've seen. They also clearly have the greenie credentials and were really fired up about such an enthusiastic crowd and it really showed.
Seeing Crowded House live was a pretty amazing experience. It was great to see a band I enjoy who I had thought that I would never get to see. The crowd went wild and it sounded like every person there was on their feet and singing along with every word. And they've still got it - they have a real ability to make a connection with the crowd on a really personal level.
Runners up were Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and Blue King Brown, who I had never heard of before, but who's CD I will be putting on my birthday list.
Even the weather stayed good for us (which is a big ask given the weather chaos this winter) and all together it was one of those days that you just never want to end.
The place was packed to the rafters and I have to say it was the biggest concert I've been to in terms of crowd numbers. I think I've been to bigger festivals, but for a one-stage show it was a pretty impressive crowd.
The absolute highlights of the day are very closely tied. John Butler Trio are an old favourite of mine and I've seen them play a few times before, but this was by far the best gig I've seen. They also clearly have the greenie credentials and were really fired up about such an enthusiastic crowd and it really showed.
Seeing Crowded House live was a pretty amazing experience. It was great to see a band I enjoy who I had thought that I would never get to see. The crowd went wild and it sounded like every person there was on their feet and singing along with every word. And they've still got it - they have a real ability to make a connection with the crowd on a really personal level.
Runners up were Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and Blue King Brown, who I had never heard of before, but who's CD I will be putting on my birthday list.
Even the weather stayed good for us (which is a big ask given the weather chaos this winter) and all together it was one of those days that you just never want to end.
Geek time
If you happen to have 20 minutes to kill and are feeling particularly geeky, this is an extremely interesting read
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The Big Day
Today was the big day - my big television debut!!!
OK, that's a bit of a lie. I ended up on local TV news for Burnie, Tasmania, when I was in primary school for being part of a jump rope for heart team and met Fiona Coote. I suppose that was technically my television debut.
And then there was that time when that thing happened and I had quite a lot of TV interviews and such. But that's a whole different post for another day.
But anyway, today was a big day for me and Ronene and Australian television.
It was so weird seeing myself on a show that I have watched on many occasions in the past - Ready Steady Cook.
Before you ask (I know you're going to), you can check out the recipes here. For the record, I was soundly beaten by an outstanding strawberry meringue roulade. I think we did pretty well, though, with
Crumbed goat’s cheese with asparagus, tomato and saffron salsa
Mushroom and goat’s cheese arancini with pesto
Mushroom, asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto and, last but not least;
Upside-down apple and raspberry tart
I had to note that the whole thing somehow looked a bit like a home movie. Not because of any lack of production skill, but just because that's the only medium I'm used to seeing myself on the small screen.
I also noted that I found it pretty cringe-worthy. I think it's even worse when you know the daggy comments are coming. Something on par with seeing yourself telling a dad-joke.
I noticed that I liked my hair better that short. And that it has grown quite a lot since the taping.
So, that's it. All over and done with. Of course, if you watch this space, I'll see what i can do to try and work out how to get some of it online for friends and family. If you want to see it, you may have to pretend to be one or the other!
For those that caught it, hope you enjoyed it. For those that didn't, guess that's lucky for one of us!
J.
p.s. check out the continuity problem at the end. A prize for anyone (other than Ronene, Tresha or Harriet) who can pick it!
OK, that's a bit of a lie. I ended up on local TV news for Burnie, Tasmania, when I was in primary school for being part of a jump rope for heart team and met Fiona Coote. I suppose that was technically my television debut.
And then there was that time when that thing happened and I had quite a lot of TV interviews and such. But that's a whole different post for another day.
But anyway, today was a big day for me and Ronene and Australian television.
It was so weird seeing myself on a show that I have watched on many occasions in the past - Ready Steady Cook.
Before you ask (I know you're going to), you can check out the recipes here. For the record, I was soundly beaten by an outstanding strawberry meringue roulade. I think we did pretty well, though, with
Crumbed goat’s cheese with asparagus, tomato and saffron salsa
Mushroom and goat’s cheese arancini with pesto
Mushroom, asparagus and goat’s cheese risotto and, last but not least;
Upside-down apple and raspberry tart
I had to note that the whole thing somehow looked a bit like a home movie. Not because of any lack of production skill, but just because that's the only medium I'm used to seeing myself on the small screen.
I also noted that I found it pretty cringe-worthy. I think it's even worse when you know the daggy comments are coming. Something on par with seeing yourself telling a dad-joke.
I noticed that I liked my hair better that short. And that it has grown quite a lot since the taping.
So, that's it. All over and done with. Of course, if you watch this space, I'll see what i can do to try and work out how to get some of it online for friends and family. If you want to see it, you may have to pretend to be one or the other!
For those that caught it, hope you enjoyed it. For those that didn't, guess that's lucky for one of us!
J.
p.s. check out the continuity problem at the end. A prize for anyone (other than Ronene, Tresha or Harriet) who can pick it!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Act Your Age and Not Your Shoe Size
I read this article in the paper on the weekend. It was about how some celebrities dress too old or young for their ages.
I'm not so sure that I'm prepared to go on the record with my high-fashion advice to the beautiful people (I'm a card-carrying dag, after all), but I do think the concept holds in certain other circumstances. Like the workplace, for example.
Obviously I'm getting at a point here (trust me, I'll make it there eventually).
There's this woman who sits kind of nearby. I don't actually work with her, but I sit near enough to overhear a lot of what goes on.
So this woman seems generally pretty good at her job, and sounds as though she knows what she's talking about. The problem is that she doesn't seem to have gotten past her teenage giggling stage.
I'm really not one for going in for stereotypes of ageism, but you should hear this woman. If I was one of her stakeholders, I'd be left seriously questioning how whether this woman was actually listening to my serious concerns. Or listening at all to what I was saying, as she kind of sounds as though she has headphones in tuned to the Qantas comedy channel.
So what do you think, readers? Am I being too judgemental? Or is there a time and a place for the giggle that does not involve a middle-aged woman who is supposed to be a professional?
I'm not so sure that I'm prepared to go on the record with my high-fashion advice to the beautiful people (I'm a card-carrying dag, after all), but I do think the concept holds in certain other circumstances. Like the workplace, for example.
Obviously I'm getting at a point here (trust me, I'll make it there eventually).
There's this woman who sits kind of nearby. I don't actually work with her, but I sit near enough to overhear a lot of what goes on.
So this woman seems generally pretty good at her job, and sounds as though she knows what she's talking about. The problem is that she doesn't seem to have gotten past her teenage giggling stage.
I'm really not one for going in for stereotypes of ageism, but you should hear this woman. If I was one of her stakeholders, I'd be left seriously questioning how whether this woman was actually listening to my serious concerns. Or listening at all to what I was saying, as she kind of sounds as though she has headphones in tuned to the Qantas comedy channel.
So what do you think, readers? Am I being too judgemental? Or is there a time and a place for the giggle that does not involve a middle-aged woman who is supposed to be a professional?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Behind the times
I love blogs. Good ones, anyway. I like the medium and I appreciate the way a well written blog can broaden your perspective on the world and give you a sneak peek into things that are important to others.
I have a number of blogs that I check on a daily basis. some of which I've linked to over on the side there
<----
In a number of these blogs I've heard reference to this mysterious thing called an RSS Feed. Not knowing what this was, I think I somehow created a picture in my mind of what this mysterious RSS feed thing might be*. In my head, it was something like a leader board like those they use in newsrooms and share dealing rooms with all the new stuff scrolling along around the room in letters made from red dots. Somehow I had myself convinced that RSS was something similar on my PC. This didn't really sound all that exciting to me. And since I usually check all these blogs from work, and I don't have access to install anything on my PC (even if it were working).
So, maintaining an impressive balance of both denial and delusion, I have continued checking blogs individually.
Until yesterday.
I finally got out of my own head long enough to find out what this was all about. Needless to say there's no scrolling of anything and no software download requirements. Pretty much nothing at all like anything I thought.
So if, like me, you have never thought to check out RSS feeds, I would urge you to do so immediately. Maybe here at Bloglines. It's a really excellent thing where you just put in the web address of all your favourite blogs and it give you a list and tells you if there have been any updates. You just click on each out of the list and that particular blog is available in a panel to the left. Couldn't be easier and it stops me checking my stack of regular pages every day, whether they've been updated or not. And they're all in the one place.
Couldn't be easier. Seriously. Maybe I should have checked it out earlier.
*In a somewhat similar fashion to the way I create directions for myself when driving, think I know where I'm going, and then get myself horribly lost.
I have a number of blogs that I check on a daily basis. some of which I've linked to over on the side there
<----
In a number of these blogs I've heard reference to this mysterious thing called an RSS Feed. Not knowing what this was, I think I somehow created a picture in my mind of what this mysterious RSS feed thing might be*. In my head, it was something like a leader board like those they use in newsrooms and share dealing rooms with all the new stuff scrolling along around the room in letters made from red dots. Somehow I had myself convinced that RSS was something similar on my PC. This didn't really sound all that exciting to me. And since I usually check all these blogs from work, and I don't have access to install anything on my PC (even if it were working).
So, maintaining an impressive balance of both denial and delusion, I have continued checking blogs individually.
Until yesterday.
I finally got out of my own head long enough to find out what this was all about. Needless to say there's no scrolling of anything and no software download requirements. Pretty much nothing at all like anything I thought.
So if, like me, you have never thought to check out RSS feeds, I would urge you to do so immediately. Maybe here at Bloglines. It's a really excellent thing where you just put in the web address of all your favourite blogs and it give you a list and tells you if there have been any updates. You just click on each out of the list and that particular blog is available in a panel to the left. Couldn't be easier and it stops me checking my stack of regular pages every day, whether they've been updated or not. And they're all in the one place.
Couldn't be easier. Seriously. Maybe I should have checked it out earlier.
*In a somewhat similar fashion to the way I create directions for myself when driving, think I know where I'm going, and then get myself horribly lost.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
An update
In case you're interested, today was a far less frustrating day. I only had one visit from the computer guy - and the was earlier in the day than yesterday and therefore somewhat less smelly.
Whilst I am still homeless (office-wise, not actually homeless) apparently I should be back working at my own desk by Friday. Just in time to move floors to a new desk.
Whilst I am still homeless (office-wise, not actually homeless) apparently I should be back working at my own desk by Friday. Just in time to move floors to a new desk.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Proof
Proof that the universe, in its infinite wisdom (unclear though it may be when you're mired in it) has a way of its own.
If you read the last post, you can probably figure out that I was really annoyed and frustrated and cranky today. I even felt the need to apologise to the guys I've been sitting with for my crankiness as I left this afternoon...helped in part by another visit from the smelly computer guy, who told me he had to take my computer and replace the hard drive...should have it back in the next 2-3 days.
It was pouring with rain and miserable when I left work and I was feeling pretty miserable on the trip home.
Then I arrived home and checked my phone (that I accidentally forgot this morning) and everything changed.
So.....
Good News number 1
Bec had a healthy baby boy - Benjamin Christopher, 4.235kgs and 53cm this afternoon!!!!
congratulations to you and Luke and all your families!! Can't wait to meet him!
Good News number 2
I'm going to be an Aunty again!!!!!!!! Total surprise on this one...my sister Mel is going to have a baby in December, a cousin for the gorgeous Kara. It might have thrown a little spanner in the works for the family Christmas plans, but I don't think anyone's too worried.
And suddenly I'm in a good mood!
If you read the last post, you can probably figure out that I was really annoyed and frustrated and cranky today. I even felt the need to apologise to the guys I've been sitting with for my crankiness as I left this afternoon...helped in part by another visit from the smelly computer guy, who told me he had to take my computer and replace the hard drive...should have it back in the next 2-3 days.
It was pouring with rain and miserable when I left work and I was feeling pretty miserable on the trip home.
Then I arrived home and checked my phone (that I accidentally forgot this morning) and everything changed.
So.....
Good News number 1
Bec had a healthy baby boy - Benjamin Christopher, 4.235kgs and 53cm this afternoon!!!!
congratulations to you and Luke and all your families!! Can't wait to meet him!
Good News number 2
I'm going to be an Aunty again!!!!!!!! Total surprise on this one...my sister Mel is going to have a baby in December, a cousin for the gorgeous Kara. It might have thrown a little spanner in the works for the family Christmas plans, but I don't think anyone's too worried.
And suddenly I'm in a good mood!
Hello again
Hope you're not expecting a big brain-dump like yesterday's plethora of posts. I'm afraid you've just got little old me whingeing about bloody computers again.
On Thursday my work PC died. I couldn't even get it to start up when I came in in the morning.
This, in itself, is not particularly unusual. The stupid things has died and been rebuilt at least once in the last couple of weeks prior.
Currently, one of my colleagues who sits in front of me is off on her honeymoon. Given that it's really close to my desk, and therefore all my stuff, it seemed like a good idea to use her computer until mine was fixed.
Unfortunately that was a naive hope and her computer wouldn't start up either. So 2 computers down at 10am. Not a bad start.
Since then I've been playing musical computers - setting myself up wherever someone is away.
Technical support did try come to see me on Friday. Unfortunately they got the right floor in the wrong building.
Several calls to the help desk to try to get some traction on fixing something were fruitless prior to this morning due to a 3 day service level. Yep. You read correctly. 3 days to even come have a look.
At 9.15 this morning service level had officially been exceeded. I actually had a meeting until 10.30 so I even gave a bit of grace time.
To say I was a little cranky on the phone at 10.30 might be a bit of an understatement.
Finally this afternoon a man came to look at the machine. I'm not going to even start on his body odour issues because they're not really that important to the story. Suffice it to say, people 4 seats away commented after he had left.
Anyway, in the way of tech support people everywhere, he suggested doing the same thing they did last time (remember, that rebuild thing that clearly didn't work?). Then he tried to blame the external hard drive I use. The same type of hard drive that everyone in my area has plugged into their same type of computers.
In the end, he did a few things and managed to get the thing to boot up. He then left me to restart the machine 3-4 times to see if the fix would hold. Given that every time we do this in our organisation, all software updates, patches and things upload and synchronise, a full reboot can take some time. It took me about an hour to do 3 reboots.
After finishing what I was doing, I decided it might be time to move back to my regular desk (for the next 3 days, anyway). I packed up all the gear I've been carting from desk to desk and headed over.
I managed to log in successfully. Good sign so far. Then went to do the first thing I always do when logging in, I went to start my email.
At this point I noticed that there were some shortcuts missing from my start menu. Then I noticed the missing applications. Like email. And anything from the Office suite (except Publisher, oddly enough).
So back on the phone to Mr Smelly. He came to visit again - about half an hour later. He did a few more magic things and then told me to try logging on again in about 10 minutes, muttering something unintelligible about profiles.
I'm a generous person, so I left it 20 minutes. I went over and fired up the PC.
I'm still waiting for it to finish booting up. I feel like I've basically wasted most of my day running between desks to check progress and restart that stupid thing.
Do you think I'm a little frustrated by now?
On Thursday my work PC died. I couldn't even get it to start up when I came in in the morning.
This, in itself, is not particularly unusual. The stupid things has died and been rebuilt at least once in the last couple of weeks prior.
Currently, one of my colleagues who sits in front of me is off on her honeymoon. Given that it's really close to my desk, and therefore all my stuff, it seemed like a good idea to use her computer until mine was fixed.
Unfortunately that was a naive hope and her computer wouldn't start up either. So 2 computers down at 10am. Not a bad start.
Since then I've been playing musical computers - setting myself up wherever someone is away.
Technical support did try come to see me on Friday. Unfortunately they got the right floor in the wrong building.
Several calls to the help desk to try to get some traction on fixing something were fruitless prior to this morning due to a 3 day service level. Yep. You read correctly. 3 days to even come have a look.
At 9.15 this morning service level had officially been exceeded. I actually had a meeting until 10.30 so I even gave a bit of grace time.
To say I was a little cranky on the phone at 10.30 might be a bit of an understatement.
Finally this afternoon a man came to look at the machine. I'm not going to even start on his body odour issues because they're not really that important to the story. Suffice it to say, people 4 seats away commented after he had left.
Anyway, in the way of tech support people everywhere, he suggested doing the same thing they did last time (remember, that rebuild thing that clearly didn't work?). Then he tried to blame the external hard drive I use. The same type of hard drive that everyone in my area has plugged into their same type of computers.
In the end, he did a few things and managed to get the thing to boot up. He then left me to restart the machine 3-4 times to see if the fix would hold. Given that every time we do this in our organisation, all software updates, patches and things upload and synchronise, a full reboot can take some time. It took me about an hour to do 3 reboots.
After finishing what I was doing, I decided it might be time to move back to my regular desk (for the next 3 days, anyway). I packed up all the gear I've been carting from desk to desk and headed over.
I managed to log in successfully. Good sign so far. Then went to do the first thing I always do when logging in, I went to start my email.
At this point I noticed that there were some shortcuts missing from my start menu. Then I noticed the missing applications. Like email. And anything from the Office suite (except Publisher, oddly enough).
So back on the phone to Mr Smelly. He came to visit again - about half an hour later. He did a few more magic things and then told me to try logging on again in about 10 minutes, muttering something unintelligible about profiles.
I'm a generous person, so I left it 20 minutes. I went over and fired up the PC.
I'm still waiting for it to finish booting up. I feel like I've basically wasted most of my day running between desks to check progress and restart that stupid thing.
Do you think I'm a little frustrated by now?
Monday, June 25, 2007
SALE, SALE Up to 50% OFF!!!!!!
(Another one from the archives)
There's this little arcade that I go to to buy breakfast or lunch a couple of times a week. On my way there, I pass a jewellery store.
It's one of those kind of hole-in-the-wall places with an open front and a roll-a-door that shuts down when the place closes rather than walls and a door.
Every day when I pass there, I see people checking out the bargains. Yes, the bargains for the big SALE, SALE Up to 50% OFF!!!!!!
I thought a sale was supposed to be an event. Something out of the ordinary, that offers better than usual bargains.
But no, this shop apparently discounts all their stock 365 days per year.
Shouldn't that just make it a discount shop? Lowest prices guaranteed? Surely this is fraud??
There's this little arcade that I go to to buy breakfast or lunch a couple of times a week. On my way there, I pass a jewellery store.
It's one of those kind of hole-in-the-wall places with an open front and a roll-a-door that shuts down when the place closes rather than walls and a door.
Every day when I pass there, I see people checking out the bargains. Yes, the bargains for the big SALE, SALE Up to 50% OFF!!!!!!
I thought a sale was supposed to be an event. Something out of the ordinary, that offers better than usual bargains.
But no, this shop apparently discounts all their stock 365 days per year.
Shouldn't that just make it a discount shop? Lowest prices guaranteed? Surely this is fraud??
And then there was today
Sorry if you're reading these posts through. I know I may have jumped around a bit, chronologically speaking, but I kind of got caught up with publishing a few draft posts and threw in some stuff from today as I thought of it. You don't have to get the order, just accept that's the way it is and we'll all be happy.
As for today, it's been a strange one. Firstly, I've been a little disoriented with PC issues at work for 3 days now have meant that I'm playing musical desks. It's been good in a way - I'm making lots of new friends!
Then this morning our wider business group was called into one of those meetings that all corporate workers know and hate - the RESTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
This was followed by oodles of rumour and speculation. Another teary meeting as my manager advised us she no longer has a role and a shock to me as I discovered that after only 2 months in the role I've been working towards for the last 18 months, my team is being dissolved and I'm being transferred as a permanent analyst to a product team.
The transfer in itself isn't such a bad thing. I know the team that I'm joining and know and like the new manager I'll be reporting into. It is a little bit limiting, however, in terms of development and advancement (the two key reasons I applied for this job).
So the team and I are all in a bit of shock this evening. I'm generally pretty positive about hings working themselves out, and they probably will, but I'm just going to need a bit of time to process.
As for today, it's been a strange one. Firstly, I've been a little disoriented with PC issues at work for 3 days now have meant that I'm playing musical desks. It's been good in a way - I'm making lots of new friends!
Then this morning our wider business group was called into one of those meetings that all corporate workers know and hate - the RESTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
This was followed by oodles of rumour and speculation. Another teary meeting as my manager advised us she no longer has a role and a shock to me as I discovered that after only 2 months in the role I've been working towards for the last 18 months, my team is being dissolved and I'm being transferred as a permanent analyst to a product team.
The transfer in itself isn't such a bad thing. I know the team that I'm joining and know and like the new manager I'll be reporting into. It is a little bit limiting, however, in terms of development and advancement (the two key reasons I applied for this job).
So the team and I are all in a bit of shock this evening. I'm generally pretty positive about hings working themselves out, and they probably will, but I'm just going to need a bit of time to process.
Good Luck
Best of Luck Bec and Luke and baby bean - who'd going to be born tomorrow 'cos he's stubborn like his mum!
Hope all goes seamlessly for Baby's first day out in the world.
Hope all goes seamlessly for Baby's first day out in the world.
What Jacki did on Hiatus - part 3
I went to the movies to see Shrek 3 (not as good as the first one, but even a second-rate Shrek is better than most movies on the first go)
I had a great dinner with David and Angelika (thanks for the stereo system), who coincidentally have news today! ;-)
I actually managed a bit of quiet time at home, not feeling bad at all about watching a stack of DVDs because it was so miserable outside.
I had a massage on the weekend. That's always a good thing.
I went to a cool (that's "cool" in the nerdy sense of the word) forum to see the authors of a book I'm currently reading. I'm not going to tell you who or what book. Even I know it's too geeky to admit in public.
I've run the usual gauntlet of farewell lunches drinks etc for various people at work either a) moving overseas b) changing roles or c) keeping their role but moving interstate.
So, as you can see, you really haven't missed much...It could even be argued that I've been a little dull.
I had a great dinner with David and Angelika (thanks for the stereo system), who coincidentally have news today! ;-)
I actually managed a bit of quiet time at home, not feeling bad at all about watching a stack of DVDs because it was so miserable outside.
I had a massage on the weekend. That's always a good thing.
I went to a cool (that's "cool" in the nerdy sense of the word) forum to see the authors of a book I'm currently reading. I'm not going to tell you who or what book. Even I know it's too geeky to admit in public.
I've run the usual gauntlet of farewell lunches drinks etc for various people at work either a) moving overseas b) changing roles or c) keeping their role but moving interstate.
So, as you can see, you really haven't missed much...It could even be argued that I've been a little dull.
What Jacki did on Hiatus - part 2
The company I work for has a lot of great social and environmental responsibility programs. One of them that's great is called "Community Day".
For Community Day, all staff get one paid day a year to go out and do volunteer work. Usually it is organised by team and this year my team opted to go out and help clear up storm damage at a children's camp on the outskirts of the City.
So last week I headed off early, printed map in hand, ready to help out. Of course, me being me, I managed to take the scenic route (read:get horrendously lost on the way) and arrived a bit late.
We did manage to get most of the heavy lifting done, but unfortunately the storms that caused the damage were far from over and we were sent home early due to getting rained out.
So I took my sodden, muddy self to visit Bec for the rest of the afternoon - we drank cups of tea and watched ridiculous TV shows on her Pay TV channels!
I probably should feel worse about not being able to put in a full day's work volunteering, but it was nice to be rugged up drinking cups of tea with a good friend instead.
For Community Day, all staff get one paid day a year to go out and do volunteer work. Usually it is organised by team and this year my team opted to go out and help clear up storm damage at a children's camp on the outskirts of the City.
So last week I headed off early, printed map in hand, ready to help out. Of course, me being me, I managed to take the scenic route (read:get horrendously lost on the way) and arrived a bit late.
We did manage to get most of the heavy lifting done, but unfortunately the storms that caused the damage were far from over and we were sent home early due to getting rained out.
So I took my sodden, muddy self to visit Bec for the rest of the afternoon - we drank cups of tea and watched ridiculous TV shows on her Pay TV channels!
I probably should feel worse about not being able to put in a full day's work volunteering, but it was nice to be rugged up drinking cups of tea with a good friend instead.
What Jacki did on Hiatus - part 1
I mentioned a weekend away in my last post. Yup, I headed down to the deep south of New South Wales, almost to Bateman's Bay - which is conveniently also close for my sister and cousin to get to from Canberra.
We headed down there on the recent Queen's birthday long weekend. On the down-side there was some pretty hairy weather on the drive down (Jacki: "Is it a problem if I can't actually see the road?" Passengers: "Just follow the car in front with the hazard lights flashing"). I'm a bit of a granny-driver and found it pretty stressful. On the up-side once we got far enough South, we managed to miss the worst of the weather that tore through and made a huge mess of parts of northern NSW.
So 8 of us had a great long weekend, eating and drinking and playing a lot of board games.
From memory we managed at least one game each of....
We headed down there on the recent Queen's birthday long weekend. On the down-side there was some pretty hairy weather on the drive down (Jacki: "Is it a problem if I can't actually see the road?" Passengers: "Just follow the car in front with the hazard lights flashing"). I'm a bit of a granny-driver and found it pretty stressful. On the up-side once we got far enough South, we managed to miss the worst of the weather that tore through and made a huge mess of parts of northern NSW.
So 8 of us had a great long weekend, eating and drinking and playing a lot of board games.
From memory we managed at least one game each of....
- Scrabble
- Speed Scrabble
- Scattergories
- Cluedo
- Pictionary
- Balderdash
- Uno
- Backgammon
We cooked up a storm and even managed a long hike along the beach. Good friends (and family) and good times.
These weekends are never long enough.
Howdy
Hi all, if you're reading this then I guess I can assume that you haven't deserted me over the course of my hiatus.
For those of you who have contacted me to check if I'm OK...or not contacted me but wondered anyway, I'm totally fine. The break started with a weekend away and turned into me just deciding to have a little break to make sure that this is still something I want to do.
And the upshot is that it is something I still want to do!
So read on...hopefully I'll manage to give you something worth reading.
J.
For those of you who have contacted me to check if I'm OK...or not contacted me but wondered anyway, I'm totally fine. The break started with a weekend away and turned into me just deciding to have a little break to make sure that this is still something I want to do.
And the upshot is that it is something I still want to do!
So read on...hopefully I'll manage to give you something worth reading.
J.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Sorry
Short hiatus, I promise. I'll be back soon.
J.
p.s. Can't help saying good luck to Bec - who's due today...hope baby bean comes soon!
J.
p.s. Can't help saying good luck to Bec - who's due today...hope baby bean comes soon!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
THANKS
Big thank-you's to both Dave and Marti.
Thanks to Dave for giving me his sensational stereo components to replace the crappy-arse broken CD player on the crappy power-sucking stereo that I kept from my ex because he owed me money when we broke up (not that I'm bitter)
And thanks to Marti who came over and set the whole gear up for me so that everything is now this amazing home theatre experience...even when I'm just watching NCIS.
You're both legends!!!
p.s. Raffling off tickets to the next movie marathon at my place....
Thanks to Dave for giving me his sensational stereo components to replace the crappy-arse broken CD player on the crappy power-sucking stereo that I kept from my ex because he owed me money when we broke up (not that I'm bitter)
And thanks to Marti who came over and set the whole gear up for me so that everything is now this amazing home theatre experience...even when I'm just watching NCIS.
You're both legends!!!
p.s. Raffling off tickets to the next movie marathon at my place....
Listening comprehension
Remember back in school they'd make you take reading comprehension tests? You'd have to read a passage and then answer a few questions about the contents.
The other day I went to Fire Warden training. It was a specialist session on bomb threats (let's hope I don't get too badly tagged for using that combination of words!).
2 days later I was in a meeting where another person who had attended that exact same training session gave a short presentation to communicate the contents of the presentation to people who hadn't attended the training.
I have to wonder about different people's listening comprehension because whilst I believe she was talking about the same stuff I'd heard, it pretty much bore no resemblance whatsoever to what I'd taken away from the session. Please find below a translation table:
her: yeah bombs happen all the time in Sydney
me: There were a number of bomb scares last year in Sydney
her: these bombs went off
me: because the person who took the call kept their head, the building was evacuated and the bomb safely contained and detonated in a safe way by the bomb squad.
her: they don't just evacuate you in an emergency
me: Most bomb threats are from people who don't really want to hurt anyone, and mostly hoaxes. The risk will be assessed and the building will be evacuated if the risk is deemed high.
her: most bomb threat callers will give their name.
me: Many bomb threat callers will give a name. Even if it's not their real name, they often use repeated aliases so even a fake name can be useful in investigations.
I don't want to give away too many other fire warden secrets...but can you see what I mean?
I really don't blame any of the meeting attendees for leaving that meeting with a slightly panicked look on their faces!
The other day I went to Fire Warden training. It was a specialist session on bomb threats (let's hope I don't get too badly tagged for using that combination of words!).
2 days later I was in a meeting where another person who had attended that exact same training session gave a short presentation to communicate the contents of the presentation to people who hadn't attended the training.
I have to wonder about different people's listening comprehension because whilst I believe she was talking about the same stuff I'd heard, it pretty much bore no resemblance whatsoever to what I'd taken away from the session. Please find below a translation table:
her: yeah bombs happen all the time in Sydney
me: There were a number of bomb scares last year in Sydney
her: these bombs went off
me: because the person who took the call kept their head, the building was evacuated and the bomb safely contained and detonated in a safe way by the bomb squad.
her: they don't just evacuate you in an emergency
me: Most bomb threats are from people who don't really want to hurt anyone, and mostly hoaxes. The risk will be assessed and the building will be evacuated if the risk is deemed high.
her: most bomb threat callers will give their name.
me: Many bomb threat callers will give a name. Even if it's not their real name, they often use repeated aliases so even a fake name can be useful in investigations.
I don't want to give away too many other fire warden secrets...but can you see what I mean?
I really don't blame any of the meeting attendees for leaving that meeting with a slightly panicked look on their faces!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Even more clutziness
If you're a regular reader, you may have picked up that I take my tea very seriously.
After a visit to Canberra the other weekend, my equally tea-conscious sister gave me a case of teapot envy. Hers was lovely - it was a good size and poured beautifully.
Mine looks pretty good and is a good size, but it's one of those annoying ones that dribble every time you pour a cup of tea. without fail. I've actually incorporated this fact into my morning routine so that I pour next to the sink with the teapot over it at an odd angle to catch the leaky tea.
So on Saturday, I noticed that a local homewares store at my local shopping centre had a bit of a sale on, so I resolved to buy myself a new teapot.
this was actually quite some effort. The teapot that I liked was on a very top shelf and the shop assistant had to get out a ladder to get it down for me to have a look at it. It also didn't have a price-tag or a box so it took a bit of hunting down to find out how much it was.
All that said and done, I paid for my new teapot, had it wrapped, and headed off to get the rest of my groceries.
Of course, clutz-Jacki couldn't just leave a story there (nor would it be an amusing anecdote for my local readers, I suppose).
I grabbed a shopping basket and quickly filled it with the necessary groceries on my list. I headed to the checkout, lined up, and then unloaded my basket. All this time the new teapot is carefully wrapped and in a green bag over my shoulder.
Once my basket was empty, I leaned down to place it in the usual stacking spot, under the checkout.
At this point the bag slipped off my shoulder and slid quickly down my arm...and landed with a clank and a thud on the ground.
Needless to say, I spent part of the afternoon playing handy-woman with glue and a broken teapot....
After a visit to Canberra the other weekend, my equally tea-conscious sister gave me a case of teapot envy. Hers was lovely - it was a good size and poured beautifully.
Mine looks pretty good and is a good size, but it's one of those annoying ones that dribble every time you pour a cup of tea. without fail. I've actually incorporated this fact into my morning routine so that I pour next to the sink with the teapot over it at an odd angle to catch the leaky tea.
So on Saturday, I noticed that a local homewares store at my local shopping centre had a bit of a sale on, so I resolved to buy myself a new teapot.
this was actually quite some effort. The teapot that I liked was on a very top shelf and the shop assistant had to get out a ladder to get it down for me to have a look at it. It also didn't have a price-tag or a box so it took a bit of hunting down to find out how much it was.
All that said and done, I paid for my new teapot, had it wrapped, and headed off to get the rest of my groceries.
Of course, clutz-Jacki couldn't just leave a story there (nor would it be an amusing anecdote for my local readers, I suppose).
I grabbed a shopping basket and quickly filled it with the necessary groceries on my list. I headed to the checkout, lined up, and then unloaded my basket. All this time the new teapot is carefully wrapped and in a green bag over my shoulder.
Once my basket was empty, I leaned down to place it in the usual stacking spot, under the checkout.
At this point the bag slipped off my shoulder and slid quickly down my arm...and landed with a clank and a thud on the ground.
Needless to say, I spent part of the afternoon playing handy-woman with glue and a broken teapot....
M&M Magic
The break up of my mini-pack of M&Ms:
3 orange
3 brown
3 yellow
2 blue
2 green
1 red
The correct order for eating M&Ms: Brown, Orange, Yellow, Red Green, Blue. Isn't it obvious?
3 orange
3 brown
3 yellow
2 blue
2 green
1 red
The correct order for eating M&Ms: Brown, Orange, Yellow, Red Green, Blue. Isn't it obvious?
More clutzy goodness
It's funny, even when you know you're a clutz, you can convince yourself that you look pretty cool. A couple of pieces of background information you may need for this story.....
- Today's Friday, and at my workplace that means casual dress.
- This morning I decided to wear my favourite stretch denim jeans.
- I have recently started to wear a pedometer in a bid to get fit.
So I headed to work this morning and clipped on the pedometer. Quickly discovered that the pedometer doesn't stay clipped onto stretch materials terribly well. Walking into work, the stupid thing drops off for the umpteenth time. I'm carrying two bags and my breakfast, so picking it up takes a bit of logistical wrangling.
I'm greeted with onlookers finding this whole episode highly amusing. I think the phrase was "Sometimes Jacki's such a Jacki!"
typographical clutziness
Ah, I love when the humble typo changes the entire meaning of a sentence whilst still making sense. Like when I accidentally added a stray "C" the word "remediate" this morning....
Still Alive
Hi everybody. Sorry, for the involuntary absence, I am experiencing ongoing technical difficulties at the moment. I'm afraid to say you'll have to put up with me posting only from home for a little while.
The good news is that I've still been writing a few posts. Bear with me if they seem a little out of context; I've been saving them up especially for you!
So enjoy...and bear with me....please?
The good news is that I've still been writing a few posts. Bear with me if they seem a little out of context; I've been saving them up especially for you!
So enjoy...and bear with me....please?
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Canberra
A big thanks to Petrina and Nicola for a sensational weekend in Canberra!!
the first of many. :-)
p.s. Petrina, I believe you may find
the first of many. :-)
p.s. Petrina, I believe you may find
What do you really, really not want to break down when you're away for the weekend?
Apologies for the absence. I’m blaming ongoing work PC issues, combined with being a bit of a social butterfly at the moment, so I’ve not been home much in the evenings.
As compensation, I have a great “Jacki’s an idiot” story for you all.
So, as you may have read, I was away all weekend in Canberra getting up to lots of fun girly family shenanigans. I arrived home Sunday evening and headed out again pretty much straight away to go see not-the-boy. This was followed by arriving back home later, totally exhausted, and heading pretty much straight to bed.
Yesterday morning I got up to get ready for work, and started making a cup of tea. After going through the usual motions of boiling the kettle, emptying the teapot and making the tea, I returned once it had had a chance to steep for a few minutes to do the pouring.
At this point I noticed that the milk wasn’t cold. A quick sniff confirmed that “yoghurt” would be a far more accurate description of the contents of the carton.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I warily checked the fridge. It was as warm in there as the rest of the apartment, and the state of my vegetables confirmed that it probably hadn’t been cold in there for a couple of days. Aargh! The fridge is definitely the one appliance in the house that you don’t want to have break on you and left for a couple of days.
So, being the organiser that I am, I did the following:
I looked up the number of my appliance repair guy (it was on a magnet on the fridge, so it wasn’t too tricky to find) and gave him a call. He agreed to come out mid-morning.
I called my boss to organise coming in a couple of hours late. She suggested that if the fridge was completely dead it would probably be covered by my contents insurance.
I called my insurance company to check that it was covered and received instructions on what I would need to do and what I would need from the repairman if the fridge was fried.
I dashed to my local supermarket. Picked up milk (I did finally manage that cup of tea) a couple of things to eat, and a bag of ice.
Went back home and filled the esky with ice and then the contents of my shopping.
Completed the stomach-churning job of cleaning out my fridge. I think the less said about that particular task the better.
Finally the repair guy arrived. He briefly admired my new dishwasher (advising me on giving up on the old one and giving me excellent advice on the choice and maintenance of the new one was his last job for me) and then set to the task of having a look at my fridge.
He opened the door, and noted that it wasn’t working at all, even the light. Apparently it’s unusual for the light and the engine to fail at the same time. Time to check the power point. I grabbed a hairdryer (it’s not like it’s been used for anything else much lately) and gave it a try.
Nothing.
OK, apparently the next thing to do was to check the fuse box.
As I’m in an apartment, my fuse box is in my hall storage cupboard. I opened the door and it was immediately clear what the problem was – two of the fuse switches were flicked to the “off” position.
I scratched my head and puzzled for a minute and then looked upwards. On the shelf above the fuse box was the travel bag I had just replaced that morning after using it as my luggage from my weekend away.
Best I can figure, when I started packing last Thursday night, I caught the switches with one of the straps on my bag as I took it down off the shelf.
So the good news is that my fridge is fine.
The bad news is that I’m an idiot.
As compensation, I have a great “Jacki’s an idiot” story for you all.
So, as you may have read, I was away all weekend in Canberra getting up to lots of fun girly family shenanigans. I arrived home Sunday evening and headed out again pretty much straight away to go see not-the-boy. This was followed by arriving back home later, totally exhausted, and heading pretty much straight to bed.
Yesterday morning I got up to get ready for work, and started making a cup of tea. After going through the usual motions of boiling the kettle, emptying the teapot and making the tea, I returned once it had had a chance to steep for a few minutes to do the pouring.
At this point I noticed that the milk wasn’t cold. A quick sniff confirmed that “yoghurt” would be a far more accurate description of the contents of the carton.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I warily checked the fridge. It was as warm in there as the rest of the apartment, and the state of my vegetables confirmed that it probably hadn’t been cold in there for a couple of days. Aargh! The fridge is definitely the one appliance in the house that you don’t want to have break on you and left for a couple of days.
So, being the organiser that I am, I did the following:
I looked up the number of my appliance repair guy (it was on a magnet on the fridge, so it wasn’t too tricky to find) and gave him a call. He agreed to come out mid-morning.
I called my boss to organise coming in a couple of hours late. She suggested that if the fridge was completely dead it would probably be covered by my contents insurance.
I called my insurance company to check that it was covered and received instructions on what I would need to do and what I would need from the repairman if the fridge was fried.
I dashed to my local supermarket. Picked up milk (I did finally manage that cup of tea) a couple of things to eat, and a bag of ice.
Went back home and filled the esky with ice and then the contents of my shopping.
Completed the stomach-churning job of cleaning out my fridge. I think the less said about that particular task the better.
Finally the repair guy arrived. He briefly admired my new dishwasher (advising me on giving up on the old one and giving me excellent advice on the choice and maintenance of the new one was his last job for me) and then set to the task of having a look at my fridge.
He opened the door, and noted that it wasn’t working at all, even the light. Apparently it’s unusual for the light and the engine to fail at the same time. Time to check the power point. I grabbed a hairdryer (it’s not like it’s been used for anything else much lately) and gave it a try.
Nothing.
OK, apparently the next thing to do was to check the fuse box.
As I’m in an apartment, my fuse box is in my hall storage cupboard. I opened the door and it was immediately clear what the problem was – two of the fuse switches were flicked to the “off” position.
I scratched my head and puzzled for a minute and then looked upwards. On the shelf above the fuse box was the travel bag I had just replaced that morning after using it as my luggage from my weekend away.
Best I can figure, when I started packing last Thursday night, I caught the switches with one of the straps on my bag as I took it down off the shelf.
So the good news is that my fridge is fine.
The bad news is that I’m an idiot.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Why is it so?
So favourite topics, they're already quantified over the side. A little elucidation may be in order, however. So here goes...
- Whinging. I'm a bit of a venter. Love a good vent, in fact. A good whinge on a blog always makes me feel heaps better. Thanks for listening. Well, reading.
- Complimentary stuff. I was actually surprised to see that the numbers for this are higher than the whingy ones. Guess I'm not such a sooky-la-la after all.
- Stuff happening. I kind of started this one, and somehow every time I use it I wonder whether it was really a good idea. Pretty much every time I post it's about stuff happening. It's kind of a given.
- World's Greatest Shave. A short but intense period of shameless fundraising. Don't regret a second of it.
- Public Transport. I'm on it every day. It's a big part of my life. I'm trying to cut down on the habit of writing about it. OK, let's just leave it at that.
- Jacki's a clutz. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.
- Guest writers. Love 'em. They're great. Haven't done one in a while (although the last one was particularly memorable). Any volunteers?
- Quote of the Day. New, but good. Love whenever I get a new one.
- Jacki Philosophy. Kind of a catch-all for stuff that I just like.
- Food. Words. Music. Really just me talking about my taste in stuff, and my personal passions. Hope some people out there enjoy them.
So there ya go!
At the Author's Behest, We Forget
OK, I'm not so sure that everything on here was such a good idea. Here are a couple of posts that just maybe I'd rather forget...I'm including links on here out of habit, but feel free to not click on them.
This one, the first of several work update emails. Yup. Nobody wants to hear it. Even I don't want to hear it. I never enjoyed writing it, and finally got around to letting it fall by the wayside.
I think I've done this more than once. Yawn. Probably because I couldn't think of anything original to write on the day. Pure laziness, no doubt.
Whinging about work. Hmmm. Everyone's favourite topic.
Still, not too bad a number of duds given it's 3 in 300. (that's a 1% miss rate, in case you were wondering).
What do I write about?
OK, I started this post, but then realised that, thanks to the wondrous magic of labels, you can actually see this list yourself over there<--------------------and down a bit. Go have a look if you feel the need. In summary, whinging is pretty popular.
My Favourites
OK, this is completely self-indulgent. It's completely based on the posts that I most enjoyed writing. So here we go...top 5.
This post on high heels was my very first real whingey ones. Plus it came with its very own gross photo.
This one was a great one to write. It's nice sometimes to sit back and thank the people you love and who love you
This one was my absolute favourite to write out of everything. I may have lost the plot a little somewhere along the way, but strangely enough this one had quite a few fans as well.
This, this and this. Really only counts as one post. I was so overwhelmed with people's generosity with the whole fundraising effort. Plus the fact that I was suddenly bald.
The culmination of many, many (possibly too many) posts on public transport. The final word. I was pretty much ready to close the door on this whole staple and I did that with this post. And the one that followed, but the whingey one was definitely more fun to write.
This post on high heels was my very first real whingey ones. Plus it came with its very own gross photo.
This one was a great one to write. It's nice sometimes to sit back and thank the people you love and who love you
This one was my absolute favourite to write out of everything. I may have lost the plot a little somewhere along the way, but strangely enough this one had quite a few fans as well.
This, this and this. Really only counts as one post. I was so overwhelmed with people's generosity with the whole fundraising effort. Plus the fact that I was suddenly bald.
The culmination of many, many (possibly too many) posts on public transport. The final word. I was pretty much ready to close the door on this whole staple and I did that with this post. And the one that followed, but the whingey one was definitely more fun to write.
Most Popular
And the winner is......
The most popular post, at least judging by the fact that I got loads of emails, heaps of traffic, and even a comment was...
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
I really try not to get too "battle of the sexes" on here. Generally I'd prefer to be known for my writing and my own quirky sense of humour (at least, that's how I like to thing of it) than my relationship. This is coupled with the fact that the significant other is really pretty uncomfortable with being discussed publicly (he also hates having his photo taken, or being filmed, but that's another story). So for all of these reasons I try to steer basically clear of these sorts of topics. But at the time I wrote this, it was just too funny a situation to leave out.
Seems the rest of you agree. :-)
The most popular post, at least judging by the fact that I got loads of emails, heaps of traffic, and even a comment was...
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
I really try not to get too "battle of the sexes" on here. Generally I'd prefer to be known for my writing and my own quirky sense of humour (at least, that's how I like to thing of it) than my relationship. This is coupled with the fact that the significant other is really pretty uncomfortable with being discussed publicly (he also hates having his photo taken, or being filmed, but that's another story). So for all of these reasons I try to steer basically clear of these sorts of topics. But at the time I wrote this, it was just too funny a situation to leave out.
Seems the rest of you agree. :-)
HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!!!!!!
Yes, believe it or not, but it was one year ago today that I started up this little blog of mine.
And would you believe that it has intersected very nicely indeed with my 300th post!
Yup, I've averaged to post 82% of days for a year. Or 5.8 times a week, or 25 times a month. (I did mention up front that I was a bit of a nerd!)
So, how could I top all of that, I asked myself? And, let me tell you, I answered (sometimes the voices in my head do that...it's very handy!)
The answer that came to me was that I should have a blogging extravaganza!!!!
There will be lists. Oh yes, many lists. A bit of a walk down memory lane and plenty of reminiscing.
We'll take a look back at my favourite posts. We'll revisit the most popular posts. We can take a look at some the the amusing ways that people got here, and I might even walk you through some of my favourite themes.
There could be some questions answered. If anyone asks any questions, that is...you lot are a notoriously quiet lot (even though I know you're there). But if you change your mind and want to post a question or a comment, please go ahead. It's now or never!
Anyway, should be a blast, so tune in throughout the day. Well, actually the afternoon as I'll be doing some work stuff in the morning, but you get the picture!
See you there! Or here, I suppose.
J. :-)
later.....just so you know, my PC was out of order pretty much all of today, so all these great posts following, that I diligently prepared last night, are being posted from not-so-sunny (bloody freezing, in fact) Canberra. Enjoy belatedly. J.
And would you believe that it has intersected very nicely indeed with my 300th post!
Yup, I've averaged to post 82% of days for a year. Or 5.8 times a week, or 25 times a month. (I did mention up front that I was a bit of a nerd!)
So, how could I top all of that, I asked myself? And, let me tell you, I answered (sometimes the voices in my head do that...it's very handy!)
The answer that came to me was that I should have a blogging extravaganza!!!!
There will be lists. Oh yes, many lists. A bit of a walk down memory lane and plenty of reminiscing.
We'll take a look back at my favourite posts. We'll revisit the most popular posts. We can take a look at some the the amusing ways that people got here, and I might even walk you through some of my favourite themes.
There could be some questions answered. If anyone asks any questions, that is...you lot are a notoriously quiet lot (even though I know you're there). But if you change your mind and want to post a question or a comment, please go ahead. It's now or never!
Anyway, should be a blast, so tune in throughout the day. Well, actually the afternoon as I'll be doing some work stuff in the morning, but you get the picture!
See you there! Or here, I suppose.
J. :-)
later.....just so you know, my PC was out of order pretty much all of today, so all these great posts following, that I diligently prepared last night, are being posted from not-so-sunny (bloody freezing, in fact) Canberra. Enjoy belatedly. J.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Things Happening
A big Happy Birthday to Jo for yesterday. Hope you had a great day!
Sorry for the slight lapse. I managed to kill my work PC. Yep, completely dead. Won't even start up. Not bad for 6 weeks into a new job hey?
Soo.....tomorrow is a very special day. Can anyone guess why??
If not, I suggest you tune in. There should be plenty of action. Well, plenty of posts, if you can call that action.
Anyway, you'll have to be here to find out.
J.
And howdy and welcome to all my new visitors. Come back any time.
Sorry for the slight lapse. I managed to kill my work PC. Yep, completely dead. Won't even start up. Not bad for 6 weeks into a new job hey?
Soo.....tomorrow is a very special day. Can anyone guess why??
If not, I suggest you tune in. There should be plenty of action. Well, plenty of posts, if you can call that action.
Anyway, you'll have to be here to find out.
J.
And howdy and welcome to all my new visitors. Come back any time.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mystery Solved
Those keys have found their owner.
And the winner is....(drum roll please!) my Aunty Sandy. Who's place I was at the other week. In my own defense, I was the only woman in the large family group who took a handbag to the funeral. It ended up with a lot of random stuff in it. Including several sets of keys.
So mystery solved.
And the winner is....(drum roll please!) my Aunty Sandy. Who's place I was at the other week. In my own defense, I was the only woman in the large family group who took a handbag to the funeral. It ended up with a lot of random stuff in it. Including several sets of keys.
So mystery solved.
Underrated Accessory
Given my penchant for hats, I feel obligated to link to this post about them.
Although I have to admit that I only own one of the types of hats discussed. Well, two of the same category. You know what I mean.
Any guesses as to which one?
Although I have to admit that I only own one of the types of hats discussed. Well, two of the same category. You know what I mean.
Any guesses as to which one?
Monday, May 21, 2007
Link of the day
PG15+ Warning on this one. It's kind of creepy, but also kind of interesting.
Photos from West Norwood Cemetery Catacombs
Photos from West Norwood Cemetery Catacombs
Hair Colour moment
OK, I've just had it pointed out to me that I made an error on my post advising exactly when I am to become a big-time celebrity.
When programming VCRs, please set them for Tuesday the 3rd of July at 2pm on Channel 10 for the world premier of Ronene and I duking it out on Ready Steady Cook.
That is all.
When programming VCRs, please set them for Tuesday the 3rd of July at 2pm on Channel 10 for the world premier of Ronene and I duking it out on Ready Steady Cook.
That is all.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Oooh...the possibilities are endless...
Jacki likes to giggle .
jacki likes the view
Jacki hates America with a passion unmatched by anything
Jacki hates coffee, she is naturally caffinated
Jacki loves the Peppermint patty
jacki loves her family
Jacki loves being at home
Jacki loves where she lives
Jacki loves to dance
Jacki loves to sew
Jacki loves people
heheheheheeee
jacki likes the view
Jacki hates America with a passion unmatched by anything
Jacki hates coffee, she is naturally caffinated
Jacki loves the Peppermint patty
jacki loves her family
Jacki loves being at home
Jacki loves where she lives
Jacki loves to dance
Jacki loves to sew
Jacki loves people
heheheheheeee
part 2 - What Jacki Wants
Since the last post was so fun, I had another idea...
jacki wants more of course.
Jacki wants to be your everything What more could a hospitable blogger offer?
Jacki wants to dissolve the band Especially if that band happens to be Hanson. Let it go guys. You're too old to be child stars and you were never that good in the first place.
Jacki wants to go to Colorado Springs amongst other places.
Jacki wants to thank Bloomingfoods for giving her soap a spot on their shelves. Very nice of them, I think.
Jacki wants to know what happened. I sure do. One minute I was going to be a historian, the next I was racking up long-service leave working for a bank....
Jacki wants you to know that she did indeed choose some winners. Of course. I'm not friends with losers.
Jacki wants to know...everything. Tell me all your secrets!
Jacki wants the nice big house. But since it's Sydney, she'll settle for her medium-sized apartment.
Jacki wants to go to Ireland maybe even more than Colorado Springs
jacki wants geo education to be better. I'm sure it's very important, for some very good reason, that escapes me just at the moment.
Jacki wants to see the end of poverty, hunger and inequality. The start of sustainable environmental and economic practices. Better education. John Howard lose power (oops...I may have lied about not discussing politics). the invention of chocolate, cheese and chips that are really really good for you and have not fat or bad stuff at all but still taste exactly the same as the naughty ones.
jacki wants to promote the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. It's on these weekend. I'll be collecting around Erskineville, but if you happen to want to make a donation, you can do so here
Jacki wants to come too. especially if you're going somewhere nice.
Jacki wants the flamed dash gauges. The car just won't feel complete until she gets them.
Jacki wants to know what color the van is before she takes a stand. Yep. The van colour is very important in all my major life decisions.
Jacki wants to know how many women have been racing. Ever. At anything.
Jacki wants you to see the cutest kid ever. You can see pictures of her niece if you ask her.
Jacki wants to stand out from the other girls That explains a lot.
jacki wants to go to sleep Yes. It is about time for my disco-nap.
Jacki wants chicken mcnuggets really bad No. No. I'm pretty sure she doesn't. In fact, Jacki doesn't remember ever eating chicken mcnuggets. She can't really remember what chicken tastes like. That is not a craving Jacki gets.
Jacki wants to fly. If she thinks happy thoughts, maybe she will.
Jacki wants the responsibility. I think she's ready for it.
jacki wants to hide things. Easter eggs?
Jacki wants to form a foundation to help third world countries. Well, that's not a bad ambition at all. She might start small though.
Jacki wants to learn the geetar. How did they know??
Whew! All of this referring to one's self in the third person can be quite exhausting!
jacki wants more of course.
Jacki wants to be your everything What more could a hospitable blogger offer?
Jacki wants to dissolve the band Especially if that band happens to be Hanson. Let it go guys. You're too old to be child stars and you were never that good in the first place.
Jacki wants to go to Colorado Springs amongst other places.
Jacki wants to thank Bloomingfoods for giving her soap a spot on their shelves. Very nice of them, I think.
Jacki wants to know what happened. I sure do. One minute I was going to be a historian, the next I was racking up long-service leave working for a bank....
Jacki wants you to know that she did indeed choose some winners. Of course. I'm not friends with losers.
Jacki wants to know...everything. Tell me all your secrets!
Jacki wants the nice big house. But since it's Sydney, she'll settle for her medium-sized apartment.
Jacki wants to go to Ireland maybe even more than Colorado Springs
jacki wants geo education to be better. I'm sure it's very important, for some very good reason, that escapes me just at the moment.
Jacki wants to see the end of poverty, hunger and inequality. The start of sustainable environmental and economic practices. Better education. John Howard lose power (oops...I may have lied about not discussing politics). the invention of chocolate, cheese and chips that are really really good for you and have not fat or bad stuff at all but still taste exactly the same as the naughty ones.
jacki wants to promote the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. It's on these weekend. I'll be collecting around Erskineville, but if you happen to want to make a donation, you can do so here
Jacki wants to come too. especially if you're going somewhere nice.
Jacki wants the flamed dash gauges. The car just won't feel complete until she gets them.
Jacki wants to know what color the van is before she takes a stand. Yep. The van colour is very important in all my major life decisions.
Jacki wants to know how many women have been racing. Ever. At anything.
Jacki wants you to see the cutest kid ever. You can see pictures of her niece if you ask her.
Jacki wants to stand out from the other girls That explains a lot.
jacki wants to go to sleep Yes. It is about time for my disco-nap.
Jacki wants chicken mcnuggets really bad No. No. I'm pretty sure she doesn't. In fact, Jacki doesn't remember ever eating chicken mcnuggets. She can't really remember what chicken tastes like. That is not a craving Jacki gets.
Jacki wants to fly. If she thinks happy thoughts, maybe she will.
Jacki wants the responsibility. I think she's ready for it.
jacki wants to hide things. Easter eggs?
Jacki wants to form a foundation to help third world countries. Well, that's not a bad ambition at all. She might start small though.
Jacki wants to learn the geetar. How did they know??
Whew! All of this referring to one's self in the third person can be quite exhausting!
Jacki needs....
I have to admit I wasn't going to post today. No reason. In fact "no reason" was actually the reason. I normally don't have mental blanks or writer's block, but I can't say I really had anything to post about. I made it to work with a minimum of public transport difficulties, work's running smoothly, and it's just one of those quiet times in my life (If it never rains, but it pours, I'm waiting for a deluge!)
Anyway, I have a little bit of time to kill whilst running a big long query, so I did a bit of reading instead - some archives of one of my favourite other bloggers here.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I came across a meme done here, and had to try it out. The results were funny enough to be worth a post.
Basically, if you want to do this yourself, go to Google and type "*your name* needs" into the search field and then search. Please note that where I have put the little asterisks please insert you actual name, or the game is nowhere near as much fun.
anyway, apparently, here's what Jacki needs....
Jacki needs to get into a rehab routine at home. That's a bit rough. Just because my head-shaving occurred roughly at the same time as Britney's, doesn't make it the same thing...
Jacki needs your assistance in order to make her accessible for even more nationalities. Yep, spread the word. This blog could get right round the world with your help. that's how I'm choosing to interpret that.
Jacki needs every shred action he can get. I don't know if it's worse or better to include the next sentence....as the Scottish Senior Championships start at Lasswade on March 3
Jacki needs to show some respect. No disrespect, but....
Jacki needs to come home soon to make fun of dumb things Now that's one I could manage!
Jacki needs to car-pool with someone either Friday after work or Saturday. Ummm...OK, I guess it beats the train.
Jacki needs prayer that God will strengthen her and use her. Ok, I generally try to steer clear of religion, sex and politics on here. I'm not touching that one with a barge pole.
Jacki needs a prom date....has to be someone under 21. Yup. And hurry. I'm running a little behind in my plans for the prom....like over a decade late!
Jacki needs a life I didn't know things were that bad. I know it's been a slow week and all....
jacki needs to hurry and drop a new cd man! or another hot mixtape!!!!! Well if it's that important, I could work on a mix-tape over the weekend.
Jacki needs help with her homework. ...she's studying "wine appreciation" if that makes the job more appealing....
Jacki needs her ass whooped. Uum. I'm going to pretend this one's referring to board games. I never mind a bit of healthy competition.
JACKI NEEDS TO PAY THE BILLS TOO whoa! that one sounds nasty. As far as I know, I'm actually pretty good at paying my bills on time. Most of them are via direct debit, in fact.
jacki needs to find a boy. Preferably one who cooks, cleans and can fix stuff. ;-)
jacki needs to act like an adult not a kid. No! Don't wanna! I'll hold my breath 'til I turn blue if you try to make me!
Jacki needs to make you a special avatar. Abracadabra! You're a special avatar.
There's more, but I seem to be getting down to the pron end of the search engine now, so I'm just going to stop.
Well, that kept me amused for ages!
Anyway, I have a little bit of time to kill whilst running a big long query, so I did a bit of reading instead - some archives of one of my favourite other bloggers here.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I came across a meme done here, and had to try it out. The results were funny enough to be worth a post.
Basically, if you want to do this yourself, go to Google and type "*your name* needs" into the search field and then search. Please note that where I have put the little asterisks please insert you actual name, or the game is nowhere near as much fun.
anyway, apparently, here's what Jacki needs....
Jacki needs to get into a rehab routine at home. That's a bit rough. Just because my head-shaving occurred roughly at the same time as Britney's, doesn't make it the same thing...
Jacki needs your assistance in order to make her accessible for even more nationalities. Yep, spread the word. This blog could get right round the world with your help. that's how I'm choosing to interpret that.
Jacki needs every shred action he can get. I don't know if it's worse or better to include the next sentence....as the Scottish Senior Championships start at Lasswade on March 3
Jacki needs to show some respect. No disrespect, but....
Jacki needs to come home soon to make fun of dumb things Now that's one I could manage!
Jacki needs to car-pool with someone either Friday after work or Saturday. Ummm...OK, I guess it beats the train.
Jacki needs prayer that God will strengthen her and use her. Ok, I generally try to steer clear of religion, sex and politics on here. I'm not touching that one with a barge pole.
Jacki needs a prom date....has to be someone under 21. Yup. And hurry. I'm running a little behind in my plans for the prom....like over a decade late!
Jacki needs a life I didn't know things were that bad. I know it's been a slow week and all....
jacki needs to hurry and drop a new cd man! or another hot mixtape!!!!! Well if it's that important, I could work on a mix-tape over the weekend.
Jacki needs help with her homework. ...she's studying "wine appreciation" if that makes the job more appealing....
Jacki needs her ass whooped. Uum. I'm going to pretend this one's referring to board games. I never mind a bit of healthy competition.
JACKI NEEDS TO PAY THE BILLS TOO whoa! that one sounds nasty. As far as I know, I'm actually pretty good at paying my bills on time. Most of them are via direct debit, in fact.
jacki needs to find a boy. Preferably one who cooks, cleans and can fix stuff. ;-)
jacki needs to act like an adult not a kid. No! Don't wanna! I'll hold my breath 'til I turn blue if you try to make me!
Jacki needs to make you a special avatar. Abracadabra! You're a special avatar.
There's more, but I seem to be getting down to the pron end of the search engine now, so I'm just going to stop.
Well, that kept me amused for ages!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Strange discovery
Has anyone lost a set of keys?
Well, anyone who's been around me and my handbag over the past couple of weeks.
I found a completely random set in my bag last night. I don't recognise them at all. they don't even look vaguely familiar.
They have a distinctive keyring with "Love One Another" printed on it.
Are they yours?
Well, anyone who's been around me and my handbag over the past couple of weeks.
I found a completely random set in my bag last night. I don't recognise them at all. they don't even look vaguely familiar.
They have a distinctive keyring with "Love One Another" printed on it.
Are they yours?
Interesting link
If you've got a spare 20 minutes and want an interesting read, this is compelling stuff.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sooo....
See ya Ronene, have a great holiday and I'll see ya when you get back. I'm not jealous of your trip to Dunsborough and Margaret River at all. No, not one little bit.
Get well soon Sandy, who is very sore and sorry for herself at the moment. You win the "clutz-off" of the week!
Miss ya Bec. Getting less and less patient with the countdown until Baby Bean comes to join us all out here in the world.
Hello sister P. Looking forward to coming to visit you in Our Nation's Capital next week. Look out Canberra!
Hello to Callum, who I went to high-school with back in Tassie and who has recently started working in the same building as me for the same company as me. It was nice to catch up over lunch today!
That is all.
Get well soon Sandy, who is very sore and sorry for herself at the moment. You win the "clutz-off" of the week!
Miss ya Bec. Getting less and less patient with the countdown until Baby Bean comes to join us all out here in the world.
Hello sister P. Looking forward to coming to visit you in Our Nation's Capital next week. Look out Canberra!
Hello to Callum, who I went to high-school with back in Tassie and who has recently started working in the same building as me for the same company as me. It was nice to catch up over lunch today!
That is all.
Quote of the Day...part 6
"Are you still at work?"
....from the person who had just rung me on my work phone number.
;-)
....from the person who had just rung me on my work phone number.
;-)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A few things that make up for it
In the interests of fairness, I should probably state my reasons for persisting with public transport as my main method of transport to and from work (and other locations, but not as regularly).
- It's cheap. Certainly a hell of a lot cheaper than paying for parking any place closer to my work than my house. And a cool arrangement for paying off an annual pass that's a perk of my job, it's an even bigger bargain.
- It's far less stressful than driving into the CBD in peak hour.
- It's a bit of brainless me-time in the morning and evening. Kind of a buffer between work and home.
- It's an opportunity to read for an hour or so every week day.
- It's an opportunity to listen to music for an hour or so every week day.
- It's good for the environment. Less use of renewable resources.
- I put hardly any kilometres on my car. I can go longer between services, and I only put fuel in about once a month (sometimes even less)
- Far lower risk of accidents. Admittedly, the one's that do happen are pretty nasty, but they're pretty unlikely events.
- You can't get arrested for talking on your mobile phone whilst travelling on a train. Hmm...maybe that belongs in the other list....
- It's more sheltered than walking, especially in inclement weather.
- If you happen to go out for after-work drinks, you don't have to worry about whether you're alright to drive or if you should leave your car and have to pick it up somehow the following day.
- Thomas the Tank Engine is a train and he's pretty cool.
OK, I may have been pushing it on that last one, but I realised I had nearly as many good things as bad, so I thought there would be a nice symmetry if I came up with one more...
Top 10 things I hate about public transport
I haven't had a whinge about public transport on here for a while. I'm sure you've all missed it, so here goes...
The top 10 things I have about public transport.
The top 10 things I have about public transport.
- Trains running late
- Trains running early
- Missing the train
- Accidentally getting on the wrong train (especially when it's an express and I end up whizzing by my stop then have to backtrack)
- Trains that are too full
- People that won't get out of the way of the doors or stairwells to let other people passed them. Or even better...move further inside themselves so that everyone can get on and off in an orderly fashion.
- People who try to get into the carriage before those who are disembarking finish getting off.
- People who take public transport when they have bad BO. I'm the last one to deny that I ever get a little perspiration happening, especially in mid-summer or if I've done a bit of a sprint to make the train, but I'm talking about full on eye-watering days and days worth of smelliness. Take a shower.
- People who put all their bags on the seat beside them when there are people with no seats.
- Tourists at the station with their huge suitcases during peak hour who stand and block the whole walkway whilst looking vaguely around at the different signs. Stand to the side, people!
- People who leave their rubbish - especially tissues and food wrappers - on the train after they leave.
- People who won't get up and offer their seat to those more in need of it than themselves. No, I don't mean me. I mean heavily pregnant women, the elderly, the frail, the disabled or the injured. Selfish prats. What's wrong with you?
I know that's more than 10. Sorry, I can count, just couldn't keep the list down to 10.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Very tired
I'm very very tired today. Very tired. Ask me why...
It's because last night I went to see Pink in concert with Ronene and Danielle. It was GREAT!!!!!!
There is just something about live music, especially a big concert with screaming fans.
Plus she copied my hairstyle. :-)
It's because last night I went to see Pink in concert with Ronene and Danielle. It was GREAT!!!!!!
There is just something about live music, especially a big concert with screaming fans.
Plus she copied my hairstyle. :-)
Friday, May 11, 2007
Black Hole Sun
I love trivia. At one point in my life (not too long ago) I even participated in a regular (and quite, successful, I might add) trivia team.
During that time, however, the one thing I learned, was that every successful trivia team needs to have a good spread of people who are good at different topics.
During this time, I came to realise that music trivia is really not my thing. I'm not too bad with top ten hits in Australia 1989-1993 (something to do with being at boarding school and the fact that sneaking downstairs early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to the common rooms to watch Rage was forbidden).
Nonetheless, I am a big fan of SBS's Rockwiz music trivia show. I certainly can't answer too many of the questions, and most of the guests I seem to be ridiculously oblivious of, but I enjoy the format and the show in general.
But what I really love the most about the show, is the very last segment shown. To give you a bit of background; each team has one singer/musician as a contestant. Then right at the end, they get the unlikely pair to sing a duet to an even more unlikely song.
Somehow it always works. No matter how unlikely.
I know that this show normally airs on a Saturday so I'm a little behind. I'd like to defend myself by stating my philosophy of taping everything I like on VCR timer so I watch TV, the shows I enjoy, when I want to. I never miss them and I rarely end up watching things just because they're on.
So anyway, It's Friday night and I'm watching last Saturday's TV. Let's move on.
Last Saturday's Rockwiz had Glen Shorrock, a sentimental favourite (is it too trite to mention the concept of "reminiscing"?) and one of my absolute favourite contemporary singers (Australian of otherwise, she's that amazing) Katie Noonan (if you ever get the opportunity check out the duet she did with Spearhead's Michael Franti for The Panel's soundtrack part 2 - plus if anyone has a copy of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road that George did on Rove a while back please let me know).
Well, at the end, they did the customary duet - would you believe they sang a version of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun. It was totally sensational. I've just rewound and watched it 4 times in a row and may do a few more times before I head to bed.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. Or maybe I'll let you borrow it from me....if you ask real nice and get to me before I tape over it (Gray's anatomy is on Sunday, after all!)
During that time, however, the one thing I learned, was that every successful trivia team needs to have a good spread of people who are good at different topics.
During this time, I came to realise that music trivia is really not my thing. I'm not too bad with top ten hits in Australia 1989-1993 (something to do with being at boarding school and the fact that sneaking downstairs early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to the common rooms to watch Rage was forbidden).
Nonetheless, I am a big fan of SBS's Rockwiz music trivia show. I certainly can't answer too many of the questions, and most of the guests I seem to be ridiculously oblivious of, but I enjoy the format and the show in general.
But what I really love the most about the show, is the very last segment shown. To give you a bit of background; each team has one singer/musician as a contestant. Then right at the end, they get the unlikely pair to sing a duet to an even more unlikely song.
Somehow it always works. No matter how unlikely.
I know that this show normally airs on a Saturday so I'm a little behind. I'd like to defend myself by stating my philosophy of taping everything I like on VCR timer so I watch TV, the shows I enjoy, when I want to. I never miss them and I rarely end up watching things just because they're on.
So anyway, It's Friday night and I'm watching last Saturday's TV. Let's move on.
Last Saturday's Rockwiz had Glen Shorrock, a sentimental favourite (is it too trite to mention the concept of "reminiscing"?) and one of my absolute favourite contemporary singers (Australian of otherwise, she's that amazing) Katie Noonan (if you ever get the opportunity check out the duet she did with Spearhead's Michael Franti for The Panel's soundtrack part 2 - plus if anyone has a copy of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road that George did on Rove a while back please let me know).
Well, at the end, they did the customary duet - would you believe they sang a version of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun. It was totally sensational. I've just rewound and watched it 4 times in a row and may do a few more times before I head to bed.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. Or maybe I'll let you borrow it from me....if you ask real nice and get to me before I tape over it (Gray's anatomy is on Sunday, after all!)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
55 Days until International Stardom & Celebrity
Yup, the wait is over for those who've been asking incessantly.
The episode of Ready Steady Cook starring none other than myself and Ronene will be going to air (that's industry-talk for "on the telly")
2pm, Tuesday, 3rd July 2007, channel ten.
So tune in. Check out our magic cooking skills, rapier wit and sparkling repartee. I'm sure Paris and Nicole will be knocking down the door very shortly afterwards, vying for our attentions and wanting to hang out with the latest and hottest celebrities on the block (us, in case you were wondering), so book in some time with us quick smart before that happens.
And try not to laugh at us too much, hey?
The episode of Ready Steady Cook starring none other than myself and Ronene will be going to air (that's industry-talk for "on the telly")
2pm, Tuesday, 3rd July 2007, channel ten.
So tune in. Check out our magic cooking skills, rapier wit and sparkling repartee. I'm sure Paris and Nicole will be knocking down the door very shortly afterwards, vying for our attentions and wanting to hang out with the latest and hottest celebrities on the block (us, in case you were wondering), so book in some time with us quick smart before that happens.
And try not to laugh at us too much, hey?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
International Day of Non-Posting
Well it probably isn't. It's probably just one of those synchronicity things that seems like more than a coincidence. But strangely enough, none of my regular blog reads have made updates today. Maybe there's a strike and I didn't get the memo.
Anyway, a bit of random web-surfing had to replace my blog-reading during my lunch hour today. And I did find this very cool photo below:
It's a picture of the sunset from the Mars Rover. Hope you like it.
J.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Shopping Nirvana
I'd like to preface this post with a statement of the fact that I'm really no shop-a-holic. Far from it. My friends will all tell you that I'm really a bit of a dag.
I do, of course, love a bargain, and if I want something that I'm expecting to have last me a while, I'm prepared to pay accordingly. It's just that sometimes you need things.
It had been becoming more and more obvious that I was in need of a new handbag. The old one was literally starting to fall apart. The lining had torn and things kept disappearing into some alternate universe that had formed in there.
A handbag is a very important thing for me. It's the one thing that follows me pretty much everywhere and gets used pretty much every single day. I'm in and out of it constantly, and often need to find stuff quickly yet have the contents kept safe. for this reason design is very important. In the past I've even taken to drawing my own designs for the perfect handbag (pity I don't have the skills to actually execute the designs...). So basically, I was prepared for a fairly generous budget.
Normally when I shop I'm pretty much a "go - find - buy" type of person, but this particular handbag purchase turned out to be quite a tricky one. No fewer than four previous shopping expeditions has proven fruitless (and handbagless, too).
At the end of my wits, I had decided to try something different and go across to Birkenhead Point, a factory outlet centre in Sydney and try my luck there.
Well, let me tell you. It was worth the drive. I hit total shopping nirvana. First I found the perfect handbag. Perfect size, plenty of compartments, very much my style. And it came in at under half the budget.
Then, whilst leaving, I walked past my favourite shoe brand's store - and they were having a 20%-off-already-discounted-items-sale. As I was also in need of some new winter boots it seemed like it was worth checking out. As luck would have it, the pair I fell in love with at first sight was not only available in my size, but added to the handbag cost, still came in under budget!!
All in about 40 minutes by the time I browsed, tried on and paid.
Woo hoo!
OK, maybe I should have a put a disclaimer on the top about "boys may not want to read this" or something.
Ah well, bad luck. :-)
I do, of course, love a bargain, and if I want something that I'm expecting to have last me a while, I'm prepared to pay accordingly. It's just that sometimes you need things.
It had been becoming more and more obvious that I was in need of a new handbag. The old one was literally starting to fall apart. The lining had torn and things kept disappearing into some alternate universe that had formed in there.
A handbag is a very important thing for me. It's the one thing that follows me pretty much everywhere and gets used pretty much every single day. I'm in and out of it constantly, and often need to find stuff quickly yet have the contents kept safe. for this reason design is very important. In the past I've even taken to drawing my own designs for the perfect handbag (pity I don't have the skills to actually execute the designs...). So basically, I was prepared for a fairly generous budget.
Normally when I shop I'm pretty much a "go - find - buy" type of person, but this particular handbag purchase turned out to be quite a tricky one. No fewer than four previous shopping expeditions has proven fruitless (and handbagless, too).
At the end of my wits, I had decided to try something different and go across to Birkenhead Point, a factory outlet centre in Sydney and try my luck there.
Well, let me tell you. It was worth the drive. I hit total shopping nirvana. First I found the perfect handbag. Perfect size, plenty of compartments, very much my style. And it came in at under half the budget.
Then, whilst leaving, I walked past my favourite shoe brand's store - and they were having a 20%-off-already-discounted-items-sale. As I was also in need of some new winter boots it seemed like it was worth checking out. As luck would have it, the pair I fell in love with at first sight was not only available in my size, but added to the handbag cost, still came in under budget!!
All in about 40 minutes by the time I browsed, tried on and paid.
Woo hoo!
OK, maybe I should have a put a disclaimer on the top about "boys may not want to read this" or something.
Ah well, bad luck. :-)
Quote of the Day...part 5
"Oh Sandy...you've got a new couch outside!"
Said after walking straight past the branch new couch in the lounge room to admire the old couch sitting on the balcony waiting for rubbish collection
Said after walking straight past the branch new couch in the lounge room to admire the old couch sitting on the balcony waiting for rubbish collection
Back Again
Hi all,
I'm back again. Back in Sydney and back blogging. Thanks to everyone who's kept checking for updates over the last week, and a particular thank-you to all my friends who have been so supportive and thoughtful.
So I'll give you a brief run-down in this one post, and then I'm going to leave the topic and return you to you regular viewing.
Thanks loads to Sandy and Brian (my Aunt and Uncle - and also my godparents) who, as always, seemed not in the least put out by having their home invaded by herds of marauding family. thanks to my cousin Simon for giving me a bed and dealing with the late-night debriefs.
The funeral was lovely, It really was something that my Grandpa would have loved. The chapel was packed full of people who loved him, some of whom drove all the way from Cummins (the small country town where my grandparents spent most of their 60 years of married life) that morning and were driving back that evening. It's a 6.5 hour drive.
My cousin Simon also did a fantastic job of putting together a photographic insert for the order of service. The photos were amazing - really told the story of his life.
My grandfather was a farmer and a practical, salt-of-the-earth type. Instead of flowers, there was a sheaf of wheat on the coffin, and instead of handfuls of dirt, we sprinkled handfuls of grain. It was a really touching moment and something he would have had enjoyed.
My mum and her sister and brothers delivered a lovely eulogy - not too long but with all the important things included.
I can only hope that one day I go out as loved and well understood.
I'm back again. Back in Sydney and back blogging. Thanks to everyone who's kept checking for updates over the last week, and a particular thank-you to all my friends who have been so supportive and thoughtful.
So I'll give you a brief run-down in this one post, and then I'm going to leave the topic and return you to you regular viewing.
Thanks loads to Sandy and Brian (my Aunt and Uncle - and also my godparents) who, as always, seemed not in the least put out by having their home invaded by herds of marauding family. thanks to my cousin Simon for giving me a bed and dealing with the late-night debriefs.
The funeral was lovely, It really was something that my Grandpa would have loved. The chapel was packed full of people who loved him, some of whom drove all the way from Cummins (the small country town where my grandparents spent most of their 60 years of married life) that morning and were driving back that evening. It's a 6.5 hour drive.
My cousin Simon also did a fantastic job of putting together a photographic insert for the order of service. The photos were amazing - really told the story of his life.
My grandfather was a farmer and a practical, salt-of-the-earth type. Instead of flowers, there was a sheaf of wheat on the coffin, and instead of handfuls of dirt, we sprinkled handfuls of grain. It was a really touching moment and something he would have had enjoyed.
My mum and her sister and brothers delivered a lovely eulogy - not too long but with all the important things included.
I can only hope that one day I go out as loved and well understood.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
I'm still here
Well, for a couple of hours at least. I'm flying out to Adelaide tonight and will be back Friday afternoon.
Thanks to everyone who's been so nice to me the last couple of days, especially the person-not-called-the-boy-anymore who's been extra nice. I swear I didn't put the post on just to have everyone I know ring me and feel sorry for me immediately, but thanks anyway to those who care enough to do it anyway.
It seems like a big week for goodbyes, apart from the obvious one tomorrow. Cecilia made it out safely yesterday on her big adventure (albeit, I believe, with some last minute travel plan changes due to the risks involved with her planned stopover in Lebanon).
I've also just come back from lunch with the beautiful bun-and-oven pair of Bec and her bump. she finishes work on Friday, so it was our last chance for a while. I'm going to miss our regular Monday updates for a while, although I have to confess I'm looking forward to meeting the newest addition to her family.
In other news, a big congratulations to Nick and Justine. Nick apparently popped the question last night, the correct answer was given, and the question on everyone's lips today is "when do we celebrate?".
So, it's unlikely I'll be back online until late Friday or maybe Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.
J.
Thanks to everyone who's been so nice to me the last couple of days, especially the person-not-called-the-boy-anymore who's been extra nice. I swear I didn't put the post on just to have everyone I know ring me and feel sorry for me immediately, but thanks anyway to those who care enough to do it anyway.
It seems like a big week for goodbyes, apart from the obvious one tomorrow. Cecilia made it out safely yesterday on her big adventure (albeit, I believe, with some last minute travel plan changes due to the risks involved with her planned stopover in Lebanon).
I've also just come back from lunch with the beautiful bun-and-oven pair of Bec and her bump. she finishes work on Friday, so it was our last chance for a while. I'm going to miss our regular Monday updates for a while, although I have to confess I'm looking forward to meeting the newest addition to her family.
In other news, a big congratulations to Nick and Justine. Nick apparently popped the question last night, the correct answer was given, and the question on everyone's lips today is "when do we celebrate?".
So, it's unlikely I'll be back online until late Friday or maybe Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.
J.
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