14 is not where it's at

I was really quite gloomy today.

A sore shoulder (too much computer, again), the surgery does not appear to have worked quite as well as I'd hoped (though am much less near death than I was, which is the main thing) and my beloved kindle developed a death rattle¹.

But mostly, I am really feeling the effects of moving floors at the SaltMinesLimited. Everyone on the new floor is so very, very negative (even, I hate to say it, my best pals) and it is all extremely dispiriting. That, combined with AnxiousMum ramping up the crazy (which deserves a special post all its own) does not make for a fun working environment. I dearly miss those enthusiastic GenY lawyers I previously sat amongst. I miss the intelligent conversation with my ex-desk-neighbour.

Usually, I do very much like my job, but the atmosphere is now so awful that by week end, I utterly hate it and SaltMinesLimited. Okay, admittedly, generally I always hate the SaltMinesLimited.

I was very glad to come home today, I'm working on a piece of analysis I adore, for people I like, which makes things infinitely more tolerable.

Also, weekend? De-cluttering garage. Theatre. Food. Vino. Not being at werk! Excellent!

¹Amazon support? AMAZING! The best customer service I have ever experienced. They've sent out a new kindle, I ship the old one back when I receive it and they'll refund my postage. This makes me want to buy more things from them. Kindles for everyone!

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hard sell

I am so absolutely thrilled with the kindle and have quite possibly enough books (from seekrit locales) already to last me through eternity.

If you are tossing up whether to get one, you really should take the plunge while parity is almost upon us.

I can't say the selection from Amazon is terribly fabulous (dear people, if you don't provide the means to give you $ for the things I want to buy, I will get them elsewhere), but don't let that stop you.

I'm also delighted with instapaper and the accompanying super-fabulous givemesomethingtoread. There's even a handy-dandy kindle button which will bundle your articles up and deliver them to your device in an easy-to-read format!

I think in four days I'm reading more than I have, cumulatively, in the previous month or two (rather than the InformationSuperhighway skimming/pretending-to-read which occupies far too much of my time).

The kindle is so much nicer to fall asleep with on your face than a pointy book! I'm having a little trouble finding the optimal reading position in bed, the best so far seems to be waiting until Don falls asleep and resting it on his head.

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i has a love

US$139 (+shipping) full of wonderful!

Less than 5 days from order to delivery.




Look! Teh blog in beautiful B&W!

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yay baby

This is really becoming quite repetitive.



Glad I didn't chuck out the bunting.

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era, end of

This week, after almost 5 years, I cancelled my gym membership.

Because of those pesky health issues, which you now all know far more than you ever wanted to, it has been around 5 months since I visited and that, combined with our austerity measures (she says as she purchases a kindle) and the coolifying of the gym (it used to be so delightfully manky and unglamourous) really made me rethink the commitment.

Prior to that I'd averaged 3 visits a week for the last 4.5 years - which is a pretty stellar effort (and they said it wouldn't last)! The experience was pretty successful, I went from being an unhealthy lump to being really quite fit indeed and actually enjoying exercise.


Here's a lovely picture, stolen from the gym's website, of my back while I was warming down from a run.

Since the surgery, my health is steadily improving and it is a relief to no longer be so ghostly pale and constantly tired. Don and I have been walking about the 'hood in the evenings and to everyone's delight I managed to walk home from work on Monday, though was ridiculously exhausted afterward.

When I recover a little more, I'm really keen on moving to running outside and getting back to yoga, although not with MrsDrBob - because she's just a little too hardcore and breaky.

It is also wonderful to feel the brain re-engaging. I commented to DishyBoss, who agreed wholeheartedly, that it was obvious I was returning to my normal self, as I've been pretty relentless with the "I've been thinking ..." since my return.

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stuff out my window

It's a beautiful morning and I was enjoying a leisurely coffee at our desk, when I happened to look up. Then I jumped in a startled kind of way. Then I squealed.



It hadn't been there 10 minutes prior.

It really is amazing how fast and stealthily huge boats can move. It's very pleasing indeed to see a bit of boat action in that particular location, it's been a bit of a wasteland since the car carriers departed a couple of years ago.

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i need you to hurry up now, cause i can't wait much longer

As part of our lounge room renovation, we acquired a new television. Yes, we were all CRT forever, we don't need no stinking flat screen!!1!eleventy!

But once we were forced, space-wise, to buy the LCD TV (henceforth: super_television), we were absolute converts, especially when we discovered we could plug an enormous external hard drive straight into him. Plus, he is so very, very pretty.

After collecting Bessie on Friday, we arrived home to find that Don had grabbed my hard drive with the very, very badly disorganised, but very, very vast music collection and plugged it into the super_television and amp and was rocking out.

Thus commenced the evening of family listening to music and very ordinary singing (and some air guitar). Don suggested afterward that it was akin to a ye-olde family sitting around the piano having a sing-along - which is exactly what it was, except that we are quite lacking in the piano and any ability to play same.


Super_television even shows the album art!

Tonight I dragged out the very, very old ipod, which, being sync'd to Gertrude the mac, we'd not backed up (long time readers may remember the music hard drive failure of 2008) and plugged it into the amp and proceeded to rock out to tunes we'd forgotten we had.



That is after I eventually remembered how to use an ipod! Golly the iPhone is easier (but holds so very much less - I do loathe having to curate my music collection!).

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maths

I am sitting here wrestling with a SaltMinesLimited report, trying to decided where I can put an extra dollar to correct a rounding error, so two total amounts, calculated differently, will reconcile.

DishyBoss being DishyBoss will not be at all happy with a "rounding differences" annotation. Things need to be bodgied to the cent (of course the bodying has a knock-on effect, because all the figures are interrelated).

I'm talking about one dollar in a total of ninety-four million dollars.

Don is in hysterics.

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finito

Finally, after a much longer wait than anticipated, we have our WankerChairs!



And by golly, they are infinitely more comfortable than the $25 ikea chairs (our dining chairs) we were temporarily using. Really, I could sleep in this chair.

Truly, sometimes you gets what you pays for!

And things are worth the wait!

&etc.

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pristine

I quite underestimated the delight I would feel in divesting myself of a couple of very heavy boxes of books.

I'd been carrying about a set of encyclopaedia from 1935 since I was 15, but no more! Yes, yes, call me a philistine! I did keep the Atlas because I delight in maps, but I figured I'd let someone else have the joy of them. And the St Vinnies ladies were awfully pleased with everything.

I have kept the Compton's Encyclopaedia (1954) because it is full of hilarious American Cold War propaganda - which has been useful for Joe/Frank in History and will no doubt continue to be so for a while longer

Garage clean-out is set for 23/34 October, whereupon I will be donating my vast collection of Hardy Boys books and all manner of other things.

Is good charity shop karma.

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unstuffed

Since we streamlined the lounge room, I've been keen to carry on the streamlining elsewhere. So far it has mostly been books (several boxes of those), but we've also had some cast-offs from the china cupboard.



I think I have had those green cups/plates for about 15 years and have used them, maybe, once? twice? Certainly no more than that. They are pretty though.

All this is, of course, rearranging deck chairs. What we really need to do is tackle the garage. Although it feels like we only just did that. Where on earth does all of this stuff come from?

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snap

There was a wee mishap with my (very heavy) marble rolling pin.



Am eternally grateful that there were no toes in the way when it rolled off the counter!

Now I am forced to use my backup wooden rolling pin, which I have actually never used before. Not only have I not used that wooden rolling pin before, I have never used any wooden rolling pin before. Is it heresy to say that I actually kind of prefer it?

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bad cook

Yesterday, being AFL grand final v2, I attempted a steak and kidney pie, which ended up going all sorts of awry.

Despite being the perfect weather for pastry making (cold and rains-ish) the pastry was an unmitigated disaster - even after putting my first effort aside and trying again. I think (hope) it was the flour (new) because I have never had this problem before.

In the end I had way, way, way too much grand final wine and needed to go and have a little sleep. Don and I agreed that the pie was going nowhere and it was best to look at it in the cold, hard light of a new day, so he and Joe/Frank ordered pizza and I had another little sleep.

Now, of course, I am trying very hard not to be down on myself and to see it all as a learning experience. Luckily it is raining in buckets today, so is even better pie weather and perhaps the filling will be even more yummy after having time to develop more flavour in the fridge overnight.

This evening, I'll be enjoying way too many grand final cups of tea.

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victory

Fortunately DishyBoss was in the office today, so after the initial catching up, I raised the possibility of a bit more flexibility with my hours - saying that my preferred option was working from home three afternoons a week. He was all about the flexibility, but said that while he was not opposed to it at all, he did not think ThePowersThatBe would come to the party re: the working from home.

I know SaltMinesLimited offers working from home options for parents with children under 5, so I pointed out that I didn't see how this was much different to disabled child parenting. He agreed and said he'd raise it with ThePowersThatBe and see how went. Meanwhile, I did a little digging (which I probably should have done initially) and lo! The National Employment Standards say that flexibility should be considered for parents with children under 5 AND children under 18 with a disability (SaltMinesLimited had omitted the last part from our HR manual)! Armed with that information, DishyBoss had approval for me in less than 30 minutes.

Hurrah! It was much easier than I had hoped. I didn't even need to get shouty.

Don is out at the quarterly EasternSuburbsPowerDrinkers love-fest/booze-up, so I had big plans to do a lot of *stuff* this evening.

Am on another wee decluttering frenzy and have been creating stacks of belongings/stuff/clutter all over the place for disbursement to St Vinnies/the footpath. I had planned to continue my very good work this evening, but honestly, it is amazing how utterly exhausted I am after just two days work (and I definitely eased back into it). I'm so very glad that I decided not to launch into a full week, it was all I could do to walk with Joe/Frank to get some Pad Thai for dinner without collapsing.

Despite my exhaustion, I did manage to make this lovely banner:


For my wonderful husband, who also had some rather good news today.

The banner is evidence of why one should not de-clutter too much - I've had that rick-rack for over 10 years, just waiting for such an occasion!

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