31 December 2004

Resolutions - 2005

Here are the new years resolutions that I care to publish for potentially all to see:

1. Give up wine (red and white) and potentially beer
I have confirmed over the festive period a direct link between wine consumption and ill effects (other than those traditionally attributed to alcohol). So this year, I say “no” to the most socially acceptable drink, and try to stick to drinks that I can safely drink (vodka, whisky, gin), despite the odd remark about going “straight to the hard stuff”!! (Puhlease!). As for beer, I’m just going to have to test that out…

2. Undertake at least 2 projects unrelated to work
I won’t jinx it by telling you what they are…

3. More dinner parties
It’s well and truly time to get back into the experimental cooking.

4. Remember birthdays of all friends and immediate family (incl Grandparents) and be more regular with correspondence/catching up
New address book (xmas present!!) that includes birth date section should make this easier. Will be throwing away old address books and consolidating all 3 household address books into one!

5. Reduce plastic bag usage to zero

6. Read more and watch less television

**Coming soon** – retrospective holiday journal – for those of you were wondering what we were up to when we should have been sending out our Christmas cards….


17 December 2004

merry xmas from merry risa

Just getting in first before anyone else can use the name for a pun at this time of year (again). It tends to work, except with complete strangers.

Well, we're off on Sat'dy morn... road trip halfway across the country in our li'l car. First night - Mildura, land of oranges, grapes and dried fruit. We're all prepared with music compilations, books on CD, and many things to discuss.

Until 2005, signing off.

08 December 2004

Flying high....

Yesterday I went on my kind of regular trip to Narrabri, NSW. This requires getting up at 5:30am for a 7am flight, which is bad enough. But the way home is a 2-leg trip, dropping passengers at Moree, before the final leg back to Sidonee arriving 9:30pm.

During the day, there was a spectacular subtropical storm front – the sort that rolls in quickly towards you from the horizon, makes the sky really dark, and the lightning flashes all around. Afterwards, the already sodden ground was covered in puddles that the already saturated clayey soil just couldn’t take in (for those unenthused, this is exciting stuff when your city has been in drought for a few years...).

The aeroplane – a 36-seater, 2 propeller thing – took off amidst the continued rain and electrical storm. Soon after, things got a bit turbulent. People took it with amazingly good fortune – sharp drops in altitude were met with excited “ahhhh!” and “woooooo!” noises, as if we were on the Mad Mouse. After being jolted suddenly to the left, up and down repeatedly with a few successive sudden drops in altitude, I began to wonder how long we could keep suddenly dropping in altitude without coming dangerously close to the ground!

But enough. Those thoughts are hardly helpful! But I did wonder how everyone else could manage to continue to treat this like a scary show ride… I suspect it’s the “you might as well laugh, otherwise you’d cry or be sick!” mentality. Another sobering thing at this point was that the person next to me was beginning to turn up his air vent, and rummage around for his sick bags. He didn’t find one. I checked and had two, and gave him one quickly. The journey continued like this for the whole flight which should have been 25 minutes, but I’m sure took far longer. Unlike my poor companion, I wasn’t sick several times, but I did use my bag to breathe into to mitigate mild symptoms of hyperventilation.

They grounded us for 1.5 hours in Moree airport, and we all did our best to recover, while being subjected to American game show, followed by American detective show, and finally American cop show. I watched in apprehension as a teenage boy wolfed down milk and biscuits at the airport, while the rain and lightening raged on outside.

Finally, we were off on the home leg of the journey, estimated to arrive home 2hrs late. Being a longer flight than the last, we were able to cruise above the clouds, and divert our journey inland to avoid much of the storm. The first 15 minutes were bad (more people reaching for the plastic-lined bags, including milk and biscuit boy), but much of the rest of the journey was quiet enough for a snooze.

This flight is now knocks my 2001 flight from Mildura to Melbourne off my “most harrowing flight” list.

26 November 2004

Word for the day...

con·nip·tion n. Informal

A fit of violent emotion, such as anger or panic. Also called conniption fit.
A colleague used this (not referring to me!!), and I hadn’t the foggiest idea what it meant until I looked it up. Seems to be a useful word - am storing it for use at Christmas, as conniptions seem to be common in my family!!


On Rotation…

Food:
nectarines, mangoes, strawberries, mangoes, bananas, mangoes.

CD’s:
Skylarking - XTC;
Music for Airports - Brian Eno;
Aether - The Necks;
His’n’Hers - Pulp;
The Very Best of Elvis Costello

Books:
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
Love in the time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marques

Skirts:
Every skirt I am wearing seems to be rotating around on me. Mildly irritating in some cases, close to a fashion faux pas in other cases (splits rotated around 180 deg to the front or side). Not sure what is causing this… Am I normal?

19 November 2004

Iron woman

Well that’s probably taking it a bit too far.

But, I am going in a 2.3 km swim around Cockatoo Island this Sundy Morn.

Wish me luck. I’ll make it to the end, no worries, but it’s the harbour water and what’s in it that worries me most….

04 November 2004

Check your ethics

For years, everyone except perhaps the most macrobiotic dieters among us have been thinking “what could possibly be wrong with taking vitamin tablets? It can only be good for you, right?” The so called health industry has been raving about antioxidants…. Fruits and veges have lots of them, therefore the logical conclusion was made by many that these compounds compressed into a pill for you to take can only make you healthier...

Not necessarily. See linked article.

This article highlights the problem of fully private funded research, and how some companies are (likely to be) keeping certain results commercial-in-confidence whilst releasing research that is in their favour. Products are probably out there despite the fact that there may be unpublished data showing that a product is not effective or even detrimental to the circumstances it claims to improve. Disturbing when it's your health they're messing with....

This is why we can’t entirely trust the private sector to fund all of our research. But even in a society where we have both govt and privately supported research, how do we ensure that companies are acting in the interests of the health of the community, without totally removing any competitive advantage they might rightfully gain from funding their own research…??

02 November 2004

Diary of an intermittant insomniac....

12:30am
Lying awake, mildly annoyed that I can't get to sleep tonight.
Can't be daylight savings, as that only accounts for an extra hour awake.
Brain ticking over, going over the days contradictions.
OK - time to start thinking of more pleasant, menial, daily things, the weekend.
Worked for a bit, then back to days events....
Get up, do things until I feel tired again...
Go back to bed.

Look over at partner blissfully doing sleepy activities - regular breathing, occasional snore and roll over. Jealous. Must keep some herbal sleeping tabs for moments like these - only happens half a dozen times a year... Must get some headphones for late night music listening...

2-3:00am
I don't even feel remotely tired.
Beginning to worry that I will be so tired tomorrow, that I won't do a decent day's work.
Recalling helpful insomnia hints: make sure you wind down before bed (tick); make sure you keep active during the day and try to go to sleep at regular time(tick); get up when it is light, no matter how tired you are (tick); remember, setting standards that you need a certain amount of sleep creates needless anxiety and will keep you awake longer (ohh).

6:30am
Wake up, relieved that I got to sleep at all, mildly panicky about the day ahead. How vague will I be?

Here's to an early night....

28 October 2004

Turning 29 is A*C*E !!

My 30th year has got off to a cracking start!

Woke up early to a bright, sun-lit room (that’s a good thing - I like being woken by the sun)…. C-chan made me coffee and a banana smoothie, and played me happy birthday songs on the CD player while I opened pressies. I got:

- 2 new books (that I can’t wait to read)
- cheque to contribute to bike fund (to replace stolen bike)
- CD of Oboe concertos
- Candle
- Book voucher
- Dept store voucher
- Pudding basin

The latter was a present on request… puddings are going to be my latest cooking craze – you can look forward to it when you next come to dinner – chocolate steamed pudding, sticky date, golden pudding, jam pudding…

Good day all up!

26 October 2004

Defeatism...

…is a plaguing illness in some work places.

“I tried so many times, but they never change so I’ve given up”
(Ever thought you could try to go about it another way?)

Often you come across people who are fixed in their ways or views, and apparently can’t see how they are wrong or affect people negatively. Often so much is left unsaid, or talked about destructively behind peoples backs, rather than constuctively.

One of the most useful things one of my last bosses said to me, in the context of trying to bring about change of viewpoint, was:
“Just keep chipping away”

In other words: be persistent. (The opposite of defeatism).

But the image of “chipping away” is more powerful to my mind - the image stays there much longer than it would have had I been told to “be persistent”.


Amateur office place behavioural scientist, signing off.

19 October 2004

Phrases I don’t care to hear ever again....

“…in terms of…” – often very badly-used sentence joiner that helps you to change tack mid-sentence and re-iterate what you explained badly in the first place

“Give myself permission to….” – counsellor-speak, crossed over into the mainstream

“…step up and take responsibility for...” – as above

“…you’ve taken (insert adjective + noun) and made it your own” – only thing worse than hearing this on TV is when you hear people regurgitating it at morning tea the next day

“…at the end of the day…” – we can blame sports people and commentators for this one, which leads to another whole dialect of bad English...

11 October 2004

Bloated-ness (post 2004 federal election)

There are things that you can do that give you more of a warm, fuzzy feeling than paying a thousand per month into your mortgage/investments will ever do. We collectively are doing very little to improve life for much of the living things on this planet.

Lately, I have been pondering a fair bit about human nature, and have a theory that the sort of self-absorption that seems so prominent in society at the moment is probably what spurned religions thousands of years ago such as Christianity (I know too little about other religions to comment on those). Wise people realised that we achieve more when we work towards the common good, and when we look out for only our own interests, we self-destruct.

What is most disappointing is that we don’t show any signs of being much better as a whole than people were 2 millenia ago – wisdom doesn’t seem to have kept up with knowledge. We are unable to reach a standard of living and say “that’s enough, I have everything I need, and I will be satisfied with making other people’s lives better now”.

I myself am sick of having stuff, accumulating stuff, being sent stuff, being given stuff I don’t need just because it’s Christmas, and a society that doesn’t know when it’s taken things too far for the sake of income. Symptoms include:

- useless gadgets that you use once then forget
- needless remakes of films and re-recordings of songs with nothing new or interesting about them
- culture that is either brain-deadening or increased noise, but not at all enriching
- a satirising and cynical sense of humour that makes us feel witty, but seems to smother the urge for serious and constructive critique
- lack of long term policy and public planning
- having better technology but opting for the cheapest model
- packet food that takes just as long to prepare as the real thing, but with 5-times the ingredients, and 5 times the waste

I am party in doing or enjoying so many of the above things. However, last year we gave my in-laws a world vision Christmas card (which had a donation attached), and my Ma-in-law told us that it was the best, most true-to-the-spirit Christmas present she has ever been given. She was truly chuffed! That’s pretty cool, don’t you think?

08 October 2004

Get out of my dreams (and stay out of my car too)

Last night, I had a dream about spiders. Arachnids of all kinds are most unwelcome in my dreams, I tell you. I can still remember all too vividly the dream I had as a kid about giant spiders walking out of the house over the road from mine. In real life, I can't help but start at the sight of them, even if they are meters away, and not showing signs of being likely to rear their nippers up at me or take a leap my way. It seems that Arachnids are now the second recurring dream symbol that my subconsious likes to throw up every so often to make its point - the other symbol is the experience of being trapped underwater for a long time by a wave that breaks on me. Great.

In last night's dream, I was in a somewhat vulnerable position in a small room (not trying to be smutty here), then noticed that I was surrounded by several largish spiders that had somehow before escaped my notice. After some expert self-analysis, I have decided that spiders represent things that are most unwelcome in my life, and in this case, popped up quite suddenly.

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Forgive the obscure 80's song reference in this post's title, but you must be used me doing that by now.

01 October 2004

It's rainin', and it's rainin' good

Fell asleep to the sound of rain, woke up to the sound of rain...
Can still hear it raining outside, and I'm presently located not far from the catchment area!
What a nice sound!

30 September 2004

Calling all rich business people who are feeling generous....

My challenge is not to award a 15 million pound prize to the first company who can build a passenger plane that can carry 3 passenger astronauts twice into space...

My challenge is do anything else with the same amount of money so long as it does someone good. It can even do humanity as a whole good! Really easy! Lots of options! Just think, you can:-
- build hospitals in impoverished regions of the world (and there are lots of those),
- make townships in remote regions self sufficient with electricity, food and water,
and oh, I don't know,
- fund the development of biodegradable plastics,
- fund a new train line in Sydney (instead of a motorway),
- give your live audience hybrid cars or annual public transport passes.

There, I just came up with 5 ideas for you, really quick! (Whatever you think if his music, at least Bono gets off his bum and does something about raising awareness of AIDS and 3rd world debt).

23 September 2004

Heartened by humanity, for a change….

Turn off all the media noise that’s going on around you, switch off to other people’s moans and groans about “person x that did y the other day which makes them evil” and how “something good will never happen in this place, so you might as well give up”… and you might just find something that inspires you!

I must say, I have been a bit of a Lizzie Bennett from Pride and Prejudice of late – “the more I see of this world the more I am displeased by it” (or something similar). But this week at work, no less than 2 people have inspired me a great deal!! I temporarily feel a little bit like my 12-year-old self, when my sheltered and safe existence allowed me to blindly put a positive spin on just about anything.

Person 1 – on a fixed term visa, living here year to year with her family, not knowing where they might end up, learned English as an adult prior to coming here from a former communist eastern European country, not able to get secure employment and has a boss that is quite frankly a prick. We take her out for her birthday, and shout her an inexpensive lunch and coffee. She insists on repaying us by inviting us to her home for lunch, which was delicious. She repays kindness 10-fold and bears her burdens with an amount of grace I rarely see in people.

Person 2 – rich lawyer with enough money to buy yachts and stuff. Donates large sums of money to researcher in desperate need so that important area of research can get off the ground. Doesn’t want to be publicly recognised for what he has done, and wants area of research to be widely available one day soon to people in the third world to help reduce a form of pollution. Lawyer doesn’t see why he should keep all this excess money that he doesn’t need. Donation is not even linked to tax write-off!

I feel myself climbing out of my grey (not quite black) hole this week!

And this weekend, I am going to the nation’s capital, to visit friends!! But more on that next week!

09 September 2004

Couch spud

We have recently taken to reading the description of late night movies scheduled to air on our ethnic telly station just for our amusement. Here is a snap shot from 3 movies airing this week:

A certified, yet harmless, nut case is on a five-day "observational" leave pass
from a lunatic asylum. (Greece)
A family of farmers has to deal with the retarded elder son. He gets
everybody bored and tired of him, even the cow, to whom he talks several times a
day. (France)

Otherwise, I am enjoying watching or anticipating watching:
- "6 Ft Under". The new series has just started on the teev - yay, some drama that doesn't explain everything and has some engaging, different characters!
- John Saffran's new show about religions of the world.
- The Chaser (CNNNN) group are taking a break from afternoon radio committments to soon produce an election special! Where would we be without their irreverent humour to keep us sane in the lead up to the Big Poll?
- "People Like Us". If you have never seen this 1/2 hour show, try to watch it. This week it was on 10pm Tues on our national broadcaster. I don't know how to describe it, other than a spoof documentary.

07 September 2004

Ch ch ch ch changes…

When you are ready for change, it can’t come soon enough. When it is forced upon you, you drag your heels… unless you can ready yourself – add your own spin to the situation, and take it in a direction you can be content with.

Readying myself (for a potential change in jobs) is my challenge at present. I’m finding it substantial distraction, a background stress that is inhibiting rather than driving me to do what I should be doing.

Must… focus… Must… think… positively!

02 September 2004

cutting back... again

This state is continuing a trend to cut back its support to the rural research, and this article demonstrates a trend that has been happening in all states DPI's and also the national scientific research organisiation for over 10 years now. There are rumours in aggy research circles that the state DPI will no longer perform the multiple roles of research, extension, and regulation within 5-10 years, and will only perform the role of a regulatory body (quarantine, chemical regulation etc). That will leave applied agricultural research largely in the hands of private industry (chemical co's and agribusiness consultants). Not quite the same thing as having an independent body carry out objective research with the best interests of society at heart.

So why should we care about this? Farmers are less than 1% of the population and put chemicals on our food and cause salinity through land clearing, right?

Farmers are a diverse mix of people – many are University educated, some are third generation on the land, some “seachangers” who have moved from the city in the hope of a different life, some are immigrants who started off as a farm hand and gradually started farming their own land. One thing that can be said of living in the country – you are generally isolated. Before farmers take up new ways of doing things, they need to first and foremost, have respect and trust for the person who is teaching or demonstrating it to them – ie ideally you need someone who has an objective & holistic approach and preferably has long-term research to back up what they are saying. And someone who is based not too far from you (face to face contact is important). Regulation and the uptake of new practices need to be backed up by objective research that is for the benefit of all, and that we can all see happening with our own eyes, not just read about in an article somewhere.

Can private industry provide this? Definitely not. Can industry levies fully fund this? Not enough $ to support the infrastructure (facilities etc) required, and many would argue that as the end benefits of agriculture are eaten by everyone, every day, so it shouldn’t only be farmers who pay.

Can Universities provide objective, long term research and extension to growers? Yes and no. They can be objective, but Unis are not necessarily stable as many research staff go wherever their funding contracts will take them. This means that in a short time, an exodus of staff to other research institutions can alter the skill base in a University Faculty significantly. In addition, Unis have to juggle research with their primary focus of teaching, are often based in the city, and aren’t traditionally good at research extension – this is a role that govt-funded organisations have traditionally filled. And let’s face it, practical research extension is learned on the job, and if we are lucky, experienced researchers who haven’t been tempted to take a package by now might be able to mentor younger researchers.

So what can be done? It is obvious that political parties don’t know how to market agricultural research to the masses, or to argue its benefits over issues that the city-centric 80% of voters think are important. They don’t know how to say to people that it is integral to their lives, and that farmers need to be helped to farm sustainably so that the land can be there for generations to come. Importing our food from other countries is not a sustainable option either. The views of political bodies (including farmers groups and political parties) only get reported when they are extreme or controversial. Somewhere in the middle is the balanced view of what is really happening – a whole range of things.

The funds available for agricultural research are increasingly available only as competitive grants. So initially, say we had 2 state DPI’s competing for the same field of research in 2 different geographic regions (say temperate and sub-tropical). With a limited pool of funding, the options are: fund both inadequately to do the project, or fund one organisation (that is not set up to be able to carry out research for the benefits of those outside its own region) fully. Gradually, our state DPI’s and SIRO are differentiating their skills so that they don’t compete with each other for funding. Result? Patchy skills bases around the country, no sharing of research because we are all competitors and govt departments move towards research areas that they think will look exciting to voters because that is where the money is. Where does that leave the back up for other govt functions such as quarantine, plant and animal health, food safety...?

I understand that all govt departments – state or national – need to justify themselves, re-evaluate themselves, and restructure from time to time to account for changes in society. But cut backs and the loss of older, more experienced researchers is slowly crippling the research community (or is it just that I'm realising how inept we all are?). The loss of positions without replacement is decreasing the critical mass of researchers in some areas – how can environmental scientists and agricultural scientists bounce ideas off each other if they aren’t co-located, yet supported by other scientists of the same discipline at the same time? In addition, the loss of research stations in the heart of where the end users of the research are based is decreasing the level of 2-way interaction between industry and research that is necessary. Let's face it - how often would farmers and scientists get together and chat unless they ran into each other on the street from time to time?

I'm wondering how much longer the cutting back can go on?

24 August 2004

Flat tyre

First *horrifying* experience of a flat tyre on the M5 yesterday….
My poor nerves! Cars & trucks whooshing past at 110kph as we put on spare tyre….
Then the (mild) embarrassment of having to drive at 80kph the rest of the way into Sydney due to silly excuse for a spare tyre that car manufacturers give you these days*. Suprisingly, given Sydney's many impatient, intolerant "why the hell aren't you doing at least the speed limit?" bumper hugging drivers, I only got half-honked at once!!

Couldn’t help but think “that’d be right” when my tyre went flat. Funny that – you feel flat, then you get a flat tyre – kind of like your energy materialising itself in an event. If these are the rules of the universe, whatever can I expect to happen next?!!!

* spare tyre is smaller and harder than normal wheel, and you can only travel at 80 kph and for a certain distance. ie the spare tyre is only designed to get you as far as a tyre shop. Really irritating if you don’t have time to deal with it on the day your tyre chooses to get a puncture and go flat. As Cheese says, cars are evil, expensive pieces of junk.

17 August 2004

Sometimes you astound yourself with your philosophical revelations, sometimes you slice through sociological phenomena with cutting satire.

Sometimes you are just plain shallow....

On the weekend, I saw a couple lunching out with matching white pants and tops. All white, but clearly not sportswear to do with lawn bowls or tennis. Matching is the sort of thing we might do by accident and get mildly embarrassed about. Very coordinated weekend leisure wear. Very sickening.

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By the way, here is a cool link if you are at all concerned about the Sydney rainfall situation. These data are taken from electronic rain gauges, so not as accurate as human-checked, but still gives you an idea of what is falling where. Note that Camden in the south-west (close to the waragamba dam area) always gets less rain than nearer to the coast. Sad, sad days for Sydney Basin's amenity horticulture, fruit and veg producers. However, you will be pleased to hear that recycled water is getting trialled by my campus, and is used to water the public grounds in the new cul-de-sac-ridden housing estates out this way.

I think this year's Australian Idle (sic) finalists should do a remake of Toto's 80's hit single: "Bless the rain down in Africa", with an Australian twist to the lyrics of course.

06 August 2004

Thwarted by bureaucracy, Australian style

Was wondering if anyone else has been thwarted by bureaucracy recently? You know, you have something in mind for the benefit of everyone, and you start to make enquiries about how to go about it. It seems possible, so you proceed, only to find out part way through that some other person/department needs to be involved. Suddenly, things get way more complex than they need to be, and after much effort (you persist only on principle), the decision about your original idea/approach finally comes back :
- NO, or
- Yes, but you’ll have to do a, b, c,….z in order for this to happen

A friend who works for a large, Australian company was recently thwarted by bureaucracy in an attempt to get a door opening in the opposite direction in the Mens toilets in his office. He had everyone’s health and safety in mind. What could simply have been $200 unscrewing and rescrewing of hinges, turned out to be a $2000 internal services quote that was, not surprisingly, knocked back.

(I have lots of similar things happening around me, but not so interesting to tell).

04 August 2004

State of mind

Unsettled about: reaching the half way point of my contract, and not really knowing where I’ll be in 6 months time

Exhilarated about: feeling fit for the first time in years… the power in my arms and legs as I do laps, muscles reasserting their place in my body

Blissful about: life every day with the person I’m with (awww - but it's true!)

Calmed by: the beautiful cliffs, rainforest and forest I walked around on the weekend

Sated by: all the rich, yummy food I ate whilst away. It’ll have to be back to the food basics for a few days now…

Annoyed by: the fussy eater I sat next to at the fantastic BBQ lunch, put on by the students today, who felt the need to comment about everything... (ooh - I wouldn't like that.... oh, I don't think I'll eat any more of that - anyone else want mine?.... What do you call this stuff then?)

Pleased about: balancing up all the biological science based-learning I’ve done by reading the occasional non-fiction book.

Wondering about: which craft, cause or hobby I might take up next?

Thrilled for: a family who have just had their visa extended by a year, who have handled every set back with grace, counted their blessings, survived on shakey work contracts, and managed to hold together a family of 3 children who are rapidly becoming little Australians and wouldn’t remember much about “home” if they had to go back there.

30 July 2004

There is a microwave oven at my workplace that flashes the following message across the digital display after it has beeped ready:  "Enjoy your meal!!!!"

Who is this kidding?  Does anyone actually think that a microwave is a sentient being of some kind? (don't answer - rhetorical question!)  Does this message actually make anyone feel warm and fuzzy?  Why do the creators of these machines feel the need to try to give them human attributes?  Has someone actually done market research to show that people are wanting their machines to greet them when they finish heating their meals??? 

For the work that went into this digital message on the oven, I got approximately 2 seconds of enjoyment, on one occasion - the first time I noticed the message.

26 July 2004

Fey and whimsy - concert review

We went to see Belle & Sebastian on Sunday night.  Some reflections on the experience:

The Music
I can say that they lived up to my expectations.  While I reckon ½ of what they played was material I didn’t know, I could still nod my head and tap my foot in time.  Mid-way through the concert, 5 or 6 of them stayed on stage while the rest had a break, and they mucked around with an ACDC track.

The Musicians
Like a Mini-orchestra – very talented bunch, but not surprising given they formed as part of a music college project.  12 people on stage most of the time, with a core group of 7 that were on the stage all the time. Everyone on stage seemed to be really into the music they were playing.

They spared no effort in reproducing the sound they create on the albums, using trumpets, French horns, shakey things, recorders and other unnameable instruments.  Apart from the drummer and main keyboardist, most of the musicians swapped instrument at least once during the concert (acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, electric guitar, aforementioned novelty instruments).  5 strings players (1 cellist, 4 violinists) came on and off the stage as needed. Three of them sing, with Stuart Murdoch taking the lead in most instances.  Only thing we could complain about is the bass, which wasn’t mixed very well and vibrated just a bit too much.

The Stage Antics
The lead singer is very funny, in a likeable, goofy kind of way. They all had fun, showing off, mucking about, and joking with each other and the crowd.  At the end, they let some people get up on the stage and dance, and the concert ended with the very accessible B&S band members posing with the fans for their cameras/mobile phone cameras, which was a bit of a different way to end a concert. 

The Fans
As I always find with concerts, there are fans that spend so much time thinking about their fave band that they seem to think they have more of a relationship with the band than they actually do.  They shout out obscure references to lyrics or things that go over most people’s heads.   There were a few more people like this than usual in the crowd. 

Boogie-ability
As I alluded to earlier, most of their work is foot-tapping, head-nodding stuff, with possibly the exception of “Boy with the Arab Strap” and “Seeing Other People”.  The lead singer boogied away most of the night when he didn’t have a guitar or keyboard in front of him, and his dancing style reminded me of Ian Curtis’s or a less drugged-out version of the dancing guy from the Happy Mondays (Bez).

Rating – 8/10

23 July 2004

When new hobbies turn bad...

New hobby is beginning to peeve me.  Social Volleyball.  Well I’m just not sure how social it is, really.
 
When I first started playing, I had to contend with div 1 players who did nasty spikes best dealt with by ducking.  That stopped after a while, and it started to become more fun as I got better and got to meet new people. But now I find other things making what should be a fun pastime a bit of a chore, namely:
- EVERY Thursday is taken up between 7:30 and 10:30.
- Some people on my team take it a bit too seriously, and I’m one of the shorter, less skilled players…
- I’ve been playing for less than 6 months and people expect me to umpire!! I mean come on!! Not only that, when I say that I really don’t want to, I get chastised for it (“come one, it’s hard at first, but no one’s going to get mad at you if you make a wrong decision” – correction, people DO get quite pissed off with bad umpiring decisions, and had I known I’d have to umpire from the start, I wouldn’t have started playing in this comp – that’s not my idea of fun!!)
- I don’t get that much exercise from it.
 
Dr J’s idea of playing social soccer is looking more attractive every day.

19 July 2004

Winter of discontent...

Last night was a cold one here for Sydney-town. Slept in thick trackies and didn’t wake up overheated. The last few nights, the wind had been whistling in our windows – the sort of night where noises wake you up and you wonder if things are being knocked over, if iron rooves are being lifted somewhere, if you remembered to bring in everything from the balcony, or have they been swept away by the wind? All weekend, clouds kept a rapid pace across the city, and showers of tiny, wind-fragmented droplets came and went, interspersed with bursts of sunshine and grey. Perfect weather for eating minestrone soup and freshly cooked bread. I’m missing my parents’ soup and toasted cheese sandwich winter dinners.

-------------------------

Is it possible to undergo a 1/3-life crisis early? I have witnessed people turning 30 doing this, and wonder if I’m going through the same thing?? 30 is looming for me, but still a way off.

Things are shifting in priority for me/us, I’m finding, in a way that I wouldn’t have expected. We have plans that we are sticking to for the time being, but it will be interesting to see if we see them through as we plan (or planned 6 months ago). I know that making plans sometimes can make you feel bound to them, but that also making plans and sticking to them can be very rewarding and worthwhile, so long as you live well along the way... which I am.

Will someone slap me on the cheek, tell me to pull myself together, and that life is easier now compared to in their day?

13 July 2004

family holiday - don't forget your baggage!!

Have spent much time lately pondering the complex relationship that exists between families, due to family visits that coincided from my family and my partners'. Now that I am part of another family, I have to understand the whys, whos and wherefores of what makes this family tick and behave they way they do, and there are endless contrasts to make with my own family. Understanding is one thing, tolerance and enjoying each other's company are different matters.

Last weekend made me think about the following points a lot:
- two people can have many attitudes, beliefs and approaches in common, but take it back a generation, and it becomes startlingly apparent that only part of what makes up each individual comes from your family.
- risk management was something I thought I only had to deal with at work, but it seems families have different approaches to this also. Some parents try to manage risk in relationships e.g. by trying to assert a sense of need for each other where there needn't be any. This of course could be avoiding the fact that the relationship is not based on affection as much as the parties would like. By contrast, families who like each other and feel genuine affection don't feel the need to assert this feeling of "practical reliance".
- the value of wanting to learn and improve yourself on all levels. I have a newfound respect for this, after observing how four 50-something year olds approach this differently.
- also interesting to ponder how people get stuck in grooves like old records, and stretch excuses to cover why they can't change, while others recognise patterns in their lives and take steps to change things they don't like or is bad for them. The latter is an extremely valuable skill where you have sufficient wealth and time to do so.

Enough deep pondering about families for now.

06 July 2004

Bucks 4 bairns....

Carrying on a mini-debate we had last month on Bsharp's blog, it's interesting to hear what is being debated in the media since it was implemented on 1 July:

- tales of people trying to hold off having ceasars until after 1 July, and people disappointed with missing out on having a 1 July baby by hours or minutes!!
- talk of needing to implement another level of management, involving the bonus being installed in a series of monthly payments, for mothers for whom there is a risk that they might not use the money as intended (addicts etc)
- smart ideas for investing your baby bonus!! invest it bonds/funds and use it in 18 years time for you childs education etc etc!!
- current affairs show stories about teens planning to get pregnant to cash in on the $3000 windfall!!

I can't help thinking how bizarre this is. Just goes to show that a lot of people who don't really need the bonus will receive it, and the temptation is there for anyone to use it on things other than for baby-related costs. And the PM says that's OK - you don't have to spend it on the baby!

I know it's better than nothing, but does little to address the issues that a compulsory paid parental leave system could address.

01 July 2004

the Anti-crush

I have stumbled across a new phenomenon....
Miss J's confessions about the attractiveness of a certain rock star somehow linked the synapses in my brain to a conversation I'd had recently about anti-crushes.

You know, those people in the public spotlight that evoke a pathological reaction upon simply seeing their image. For some reason (we'll possibly have to put down to some sort of negative chemistry) you are driven to say "ooh, I can't stand him/her!!" whenever you see them. Most other people won't feel the same way - we're not talking evil people here, or obviously annoying/idiotic/twitty people....

For example:
For me it's Kevin Bacon. When asked why I "can't stand him", I just can't explain it. He's probably a very nice person. It's got nothing to do with Footloose.

For C-chan, there are a few people he inexplicably just "can't stand", and one is Dawn Fraser. Something about her gets on his goat. I've given up trying to figure out why...

Anyone else got any anti-crushes they can confess?

23 June 2004

Country towns - seen one, seen....?

Hi folks, from the sunny plains of Narrabri, NSW!!

The land of gently sloping cotton and wheat plains and distant purple mounts on the horizon. The land of: wide country streets with roundabouts that semi-trailers negotiate on their way to somewhere else; 90 degree, on-street parking; roadkill - victims of poor road visibility at dusk; limited lunching outlets; one each of burger and fried chicken outlet; a "nice restaurant" attached to the RSL that serves steaks drowned in sauce; and a brand spanking new community centre that everyone raves about "Really - that place has been the best thing that has happened to this town in a long time!!".

Not much happening here to report outside work - I say this not at all intending to insult anyone living here, who I'm sure are busy with their own lives in many different ways. Didn't want to approach anyone at the motel I stayed at last night (mostly men travelling in pairs from probably Tamworth or Dubbo, staying here on rural-type business), but most people nod and say hello in that friendly country way. Instead, I have finished the latest Gibson novel - which I really enjoyed by the way - and indulged in the pay tv movie and documentary channels available in the motel.

Flights here are limited, meaning I have no option but to touch down in Sydney at 9:30pm, and eat those wierd not quite meals that airlines serve these days (ie cheese, crackers, dip followed up by a mint!!)

22 June 2004

Cloudmaking....

Go China!

What more is there to say about this.

17 June 2004

Working with cowboys...

If only that meant we all wear hats, cowboy boots and practiced our lasso throwing all day...

Well I certainly have my work cut out for me at (not so) new job. I know I am being a little impatient with the team-bonding thing - my last work place was so good like that... Mates I could lunch with, and all of us united by a cause. This place is more... challenging. Loyalties are all over the place, largely due to the fact that a multitude of sources pay their salary on 3 or less year contracts.

Decisions are made on the spur of the moment to blurt out difficult news to someone just so that it can be off someone else's chest, rather than thinking over the long term implications of what and how one could say things. Business decisions that turn out to be not in our favour are taken personally - as if we are a charity that people should throw $ at, rather than a place that should be equally as concerned with the commercial outcomes of what it is doing as a potential investor would be.
Hmph.

A few set backs this week, I suppose. A few dents in what seems to be an obstinate positive attitude: that rural research is important for the nation to make rural living both sustainable and viable; so that fresh food is available to the nation without having to rely on energy-expensive imports; that scientists can learn to see things outside of their immediate tunnel of vision.

---------------

On a related but different note: funny thing, relationship dynamics. C-chan finished exams the day before yesterday (yay!). I have been trying to make his miserable life of full time work and exam revision better, helping out where and when I can. He finishes exam and then *BAM* - my difficult week starts. I know that I handled things better when I was putting on a brave face, so to speak. As soon as there is an audience to vent to, I vent, and a melodrama starts! Interesting implications for long term, household harmony. Interesting implications for someone who thought she had grown up more than that!

10 June 2004

Stumbled across this show on Tuesday night. It's a 3-part adaptation of a play - the characters are very interesting, the subject matter deals with issues from 15-20 years ago, which I remember but had a child's perspective of, and the acting is brilliant. Worth tuning in for the final 1/3, or hiring it out from your video store.

09 June 2004

New Negotiation Technique #2 - Doodle Mania

This technique is used compulsively by some, not at all by others.

The key to the Doodle Mania Negotiation Technique is to disguise the fact that you are actually listening by doodling all over your page!!! Feel the people you are meeting with squirm as they realise that you are rapidly covering your whole page with meaningless doodles rather than pertinent notes!! Then, bowl them over once more by making a comment that shows you are actually listening afterall.

For added shock value, phallic shapes might just help...

03 June 2004

On the teev

Favourite show at present is this....

Of course, we aren't home when it's on, but may or may not engage in breaches of certain acts to watch it...

And yes - this does say a lot about the quality of other shows on the free to air teev at present.

02 June 2004

Stuff cheesey crusts!

I hate the whole idea of stuffed cheesey crust pizzas. I think it is dis-gust-ing.

Lactose intolerance aside, the whole idea makes me want to gag. As if there isn't enough, greasey fatty cheese on most pizzas sold in Australia*, they add a little bit more so that it can sit there as a big cheesy plug in your stomach.

And that whole idea in the advertisements that the cheese in the crust adds flavour so that you won't have to waste them doesn't wash either.... do you see any Australians dying of hunger because they don't eat their pizza crusts???


*yes that is a rather snobbish reference to the fact that I have actually tried genuine (and less cheesey) pizza from its home in Napoli, Italy

31 May 2004

Sunday's shoe binge....

On the weekend, I bought 3 pairs of new shoes. I don't want you to get the wrong idea here (as I could tell shop assistants were when they looked at my full up shopping bags). This is not a habit - rather, I go for a couple of fashion seasons with no luck, so when there are suitable shoes around, I go to town for a half day and buy up big. It would be a binge if I was doing it to excess, but in the long scheme of things, I have a smaller than average sized shoe collection for a chick.
Thanks to bsharp for all her assistance in this matter!! Hope your new boots serve you well also. I usually test the patience of everyone I shoe shop with (ask my Mister), but yesterday seemed to be a breeze, and I only commented once to a shop assistant about how annoying it is that they can never order in more size 7's, which is my size and is always sold out first. Next shoe shopping effort will focus entirely on mens shoes, as C-chan has a male version of my not being able to find the right shoe problem, and sadly, men's shoes options are even more limited. Just another thing we have in common.... :)
----------------
After a full half day of shopping, what could be better than catching some friends who came up for a short trip from the nation's capital? Lovely to see them and their gorgeous crawling bub, that seemed to take more of a liking to me this time (phew). I'll store the superwoman flying trick in the back of my brain for next time I encounter an 8-month old.
-----------------
Got home to a roasting dinner, put together by someone who had had his nose in books all day, but still managed to think that I might like to watch the new ABC-7:30pm-Sunday time slot show on the 7 wonders of the industrialised world, and started taping it for me (Good on him, as my Auntie would say). Life is good to me!

24 May 2004

Employee of the year competition – first nominee

This is the first in what could be an annual competition. It really depends on whether I encounter any more outstanding efforts worth writing home about, and if there ends up being more than one at the end of the year, I suppose that is enough to have a winner.

This nomination goes to Sharon*, a checkout operator from a large supermarket chain with an outlet at Broadway, Sydney. I think you will gain an understanding of her outstanding service in the following dialogue:

R: oh – I have a few bags of my own that I would like to fill up first.
(Proceeds to ignore my request and continues packing into plastic. I reiterate my request.)
S: I generally find that too much of a hassle.
R: So much for reducing plastic in landfill and saving the environment and all that.
S: I really don’t care, so long as I make a buck and get ahead in life.

Sharon has demonstrated a strong determination to not save resources that is beyond (or behind?) her age of late teens/early 20s. Even when my irritating habit of wrestling grocery items from her hand to pack into my bags (or repacking the bags so that mine could be full) began to slow her down, she showed amazing perseverance and resolved to pack one more plastic bag!! All this, despite fact that her particular company sells lovely bright green reusable bags to customers so that they can reduce their plastic bag usage.

I would like to commend Sharon for her efforts, and congratulate her for her nomination.

*not her real name

--------------------------

By the way, while on the topic do large supermarket chains pay checkout staff by hourly rates only, or is there a bonus system that rewards churning more people/$ through the checkout?
I will just assume that there is no staff reward system for reducing plastic bag usage.

20 May 2004

New negotiating technique - 1. The Rottweiler

Came across this technique over the past week - was used against us, and was a bit of a distraction until we worked out what was going on:

An essential ingredient is a group of people in opposing team that are new to working with each other.

In the lead up to a big meeting where a course of action will be decided, proceed to talk to everyone on the opposing team and backstab everyone else on the team. Completely discredit them by using past examples of where they have stuffed up. It's preferable to be completely one-sided in your accounts, so that the people you are back-stabbing look as incompetant as possible. Put nothing in writing (of course) that would reveal what you have been conveying verbally.

Hopefully, you'll even get a rise out of inflammable types right away as you talk to them. You will probably make the confidence of the opposing group sink pretty low, as they start to believe their team is the ultimate group of losers. You may even succeed in making them distrust each other. You'll probably distract them from the task at hand, and they probably won't notice the stuff-ups that you have made, or the breaches of contract that you could be accused of.

On the day, turn up and be most civil in front of your superiors and opposing team.

NB This won't work for long (if at all) when the opposing group does talk to each other regularly and frankly enough to let each other know what has been going on. Be warned that people will will think you are a gruff bastard, and will think twice (or even 3 & 4 times) before picking up the phone and talking to you, until trust is established.

19 May 2004

them unis have strange types...

The High Level Adademic
Pet topics include the prestige and strong traditions of uni, but this means diddlysquat to average people. Have impressive academic resume but have spent entire life in university system and have little experience outside the uni system.

The Scientific Professor
Knows a lot about some stuff. In fact, don't make the mistake of asking them detailed questions in their area, unless you have appropriate time available to hear the answer. No management or administrative skills whatsoever in most cases, and nor are they incouraged to learn them. Frequently emerge from their offices, blinking their eyes in the light, as if they have been locked away, reading for hours.

The Departmental Hinge
People who run academic departments. If they go on leave, no invoices get signed, no meetings happen, no new staff can access email, and no milk gets ordered. Love chatting, but rarely seem to get around to doing what you have asked for.

Other peculiarities:
Internal Mail.
No teaspoons or indeed other useful cutlery and plates in kitchen (ie byo).
Rostered days off.
New union maternity leave policy that could entitle you to 36 weeks paid leave (yipee) if you have worked with them for 2 years, and a minimum of 12 weeks paid leave.


14 May 2004

Shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to...

As my gratuitous Smiths quote above suggests, today's topic is shyness.

I met someone today who is really shy. I'm mentioning it because I realised at the time that I rarely come across people who are really shy. (What a confident bunch of people we all are!!)

She sits very quietly at lunchtime, listening but not saying anything. When you try to engage her in conversation, it seems to be first met with disbelief. Once it is established that people are looking at her, expecting an answer, she'll respond quietly and quickly, ending the conversation by looking away. If you pass her in the hallways, she will avoid all eye contact, and not say hello.

-------------------------------------

up my nose...

Someone who sits near me has a serious snorting habit. Not pharmaceutical of course, but serious sinus problems, that seems to require them to snort really loudly. Am sure that one day I'll get really fed up and offer a tissue.

Gross.

13 May 2004

Wierd noises from neighbouring apartment, episode 3

Some of you have been spared details of episodes 1 and 2* of this exciting series, because I didn't have a blog then. Those who weren't spared will probably have worked out by now that wierd, recurring noises bug me, and that one of my passtimes is to speculate about what could be causing the noises.... I'm sure there's a name for my condition, but I haven't sought professional help yet.
No I'm not talking about the unmistakeable sounds such as rattling pipes, or the toilet brush being used on the toilet upstairs (too much information, I know, but we have no doubts about what that noise is when we hear it...).
I'm talking about FREAKY noises that aren't always clear at first, and come back frequently to interrupt your thoughts.

So what's the new noise? The apartment across the hall emits a really loud sound in bursts lasting up to 5-10 minutes. Sometimes, it happens 3 or 4 times a day, at no particular time. The way I'd describe it is a hand-powered egg beater being used in a metal bowl. Noise could either be:
- a piece of excercise equipment, with rotary action to part of it
- it is an egg beater, and neighbours are running pavlova business from home/eat protein supplements that need to be mixed well
- their favourite industrial/dance track

One day, I might just have the courage to ask...

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* Episode 1 - the operatic orgasm; Episode 2 - the continual beep upstairs.. life support machine??? or maybe just fire alarm batteries needing replacement?

11 May 2004

Going Aggy...

A few weeks in an Aggy campus brings some interesting things to note after a few years away from such settings:
- unoffficial dress code: blue shirts with name of institute embroidered on pocket (not too popular with the women-folk though, I must say).
- 2 popular times for making meetings: after morning tea (which everyone has at 10:45), or after lunch. Don't expect any other time to be kept. Location of meeting will always be vague, as will duration of meeting. Don't expect them to come and find you.
- food outlets nearby - Cobbitty Art Gallery and Tea Rooms, Cobbitty General Store (they make good sandwiches I hear), and food and drink vending machines in lunch room. Food vending machine is unreliable, or so I found out late one day when getting a bit vague with hunger, and using my last $2.
- friendly, science geeky, earthy.
- signs in ladies toilets: "These toilets are smelly - you might want to use the other ones" complete with little graphic of toilet. Not sure if this is unselfconscious humour or a genuine attept to warn us without consideration of tactlessness.
Kind of like William Shatner's (of original StarTrek fame) psychadelic version of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - you don't know if he's taking the piss out of himself, or recording the track with a conviction that he is creating art and will be taken seriously. Remind us to play the track for you if you are at all interested. Worth a laugh.
Am embarrassed in advance for next female guest I need to entertain on campus when nature calls for her, and wonder what could possibly be stuck up in the male toilets...

21 April 2004

Cool quotes

This is poached (ie excerpts taken word for word) from last Saturdays' SMH magazine, authored by Hugh Mackay:

Tolerance – How would you like to be “tolerated”? Wouldn’t you rather be understood and appreciated? We don’t need more tolerance; we need more curiosity about each other.

Happiness – Don’t chase it. Let it surprise you with its occasional, blissful visitations. Sadness, frustration and bewilderment are as authentic as happiness: if we’re to be fully human, we need to experience the lot.

20 April 2004

Quick post on events from first few days @ new job

Managed to go to wrong refectory/footbridge when attempting to meet Knightwriter for lunch : (
No phone or email contact details until next week!! a bit of a problem when you need people to ring you back...
I have already met someone whose mother lives not only in the same suburb as my folks, but in the adjacent street!!
I am now one of the minority of sharply dressed people for the first time in my life!! But then it's easy when surrounded by jeans and t-shirt clad youths
Concepts of what I will have to do are sinking in - some things will be tough, others a welcome challenge, others are easy to grasp...
Introductions, introductions...
most unsettling thing - is the way some people look at each other knowingly when my position is explained to them and say "oh, yes... you'll be able to help with <insert in house joke/ongoing problem project>!! ha ha ha!!".
most silly thing I did - now getting accustomed to regular self-introductions with other staff, I started off boldly in the photocopy room this morning with "Hi, I don't think we met yesterday...". Response: "No we didn't - I'm Michael from Tosheeba and I'm here to fix the photocopier...". Me: "Oh - that would explain that then. I'm new. Obviously."
What a dag!

06 April 2004

Attack on office by men in blue suits claims 3...

Shish, what a day.

Rest of staff in staff meeting.
Just me at my desk, trying to finish off things.
I hear voices. I see man gather his things and leave with stranger in blue suit... Looks suspiciously like an HR consultant "escorting" someone out.
Turns out it was, and it also happened to 2 others. Yuk.

Sure we all have our opinions about peoples' competency on the job, but I don't wish this on anyone. The bit of me that likes to like everyone, and found bits of them to like because I had to work with them, is feeling a bit upset with no outlet. Don't feel enough to cry, and the situation totally doesn't affect me as I'm out of here soon, and nor are we likely to cross paths again.

I suppose I'll just say "Goodbye fellas" here. I hope they find something new to do REALLY SOON.



02 April 2004

And I thought I was over the cliffs edge before....

Thought that resigning and accepting a new position was the equivalent to jumping off the cliffs edge. Well I was wrong.
Seems I am still to go over and that should happen at knock-off time, next Wednesday. Then the true implications of what I have done will truly sink in. Mixture of happiness and sadness, hope and scaredness, relief and nervousness for the unknown. It's all building - I can feel it in my stomach.
But then change is good and is one of the things that helps us to grow etc, I know.

28 March 2004

Some musical selections for March, 2004

Thought I'd share some things we have been listening to that might not be so common. You can read more about the particular album or artist by going to the All Music Guide, which my Mr refers to for most music purchasing decisions, and I'd recommend to any music buffs.
My choices today are not particularly contemporary...

"Five Leaves Left" by Nick Drake:
This was released in the late '60s, and is kind of a melancholy folk music.
Perfect for grey, rainy days. Also perfect for putting on late at night when you are trying to get to sleep. Evokes all sorts of images in my mind, but mostly of country manors and green English fields.

Serge Gainsbourg (a compilation called "Initials SG"):
Think Austin Powers, only French!! I am choosing this mainly for novelty value, and am not sure if this album will be a stayer for me. His most famous soing is probably "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus", a very raunchy song that must have been outrageous when released in the 60's. Gainsbourg was an Anglophile, and tended to use English words in his songs, which are quaintly spoken with French accents in amongst the rest of the French Lyric. He often does duets with women, such as Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin. Listen to this album, and you'll instantly recognise a few more recent bands that have been influenced by them: Blur ("Parklife"), Air ("Moon Safari").

24 March 2004

Wrung out

Them
Life for us is tough
Everyone is making us comply at every angle
So you sit up and listen to our issues.

Me
Wrung out,
Too emotionally involved.

Them
Sit down, and let me tell you what it’s like for us
I’m not disturbing your lunch am I?
It’s all a conspiracy, to suck more money out of our pockets and into theirs.

Me
Wrung out,
Take it too much to heart.

Them
And then there was that time when that really unfair thing happened
And that time when your predecessors’ predecessor did something unfair to us
So of course you might do the same thing, despite what you say

Me
Wrung out,
Even when there is nothing I can do.

23 March 2004

Times of change = times of vivid dreaming

Not surprising to find that this time in my life - where lots of change is happening - that the vivid dreams start happening.

Last night, I dreamt that me and 3 men parachuted into WW2 Germany. Only problem was that when we landed, 2 of the men had plain kilts on. It occurred to me that they might stand out as being Scottish. We pressed on nonetheless, and went into a large store to buy supplies and plain coats. It then occurred to me that I was wearing a kilt also - tartan. I wondered if we could get away without being noticed. Suddenly the kilted men did a runner and everyone else was chasing them. The other man and I decided to go out the back way. I ran out into grassed areas and headed for the woods, now alone. I knew I had to get out, but only had a parachute!

Before you criticise my subconscious for its strangeness, there are a few symbolic things in that dream that I easily recognise for what they are... New job will almost definitely be male-dominated field. Parachute sybolises dropping into somewhere different - if you really think about it, my new work place is in some ways opposite to where I work now - "behind enemy lines". I suspect the male company and kilts are exploring the archetypal gender roles, and my degree of comfort when working with men and my own (male) animus.

Not so wierd now, eh? Was all in a WW2 setting because I have been reading and watching a lot about this topic over the past year. "Charlotte Gray", eat your heart out!

Can't focus on future role much in waking hours - so much to do before I leave, but my brain goes and does it in my sleep! Cool!

16 March 2004

drive-time entertainment...

Will soon be faced with commutes to and from work by car for the first time in 4 years. Need ideas for things to keep me entertained, given that reading is out of the question!
Some of my ideas:
- put entire cd collection on rotation
- discover obscure radio stations
- take dictaphone and make "notes to self" when they occur to me

Will also need to look into car-pooling. Gee - so much to do.

12 March 2004

Well that wasn't how I planned it....

Seems like I have unofficially resigned. Wasn't ready to, but boss is away for next 2 weeks and kind of had to. Might as well post it here now!
Felt my bottom lip tremble a bit. When am I going to stop being prone to tears in innappropriate moments? I suppose the good thing is it was only lip trembling.
I will probably enjoy my weekend without a weight on my shoulders. A good thing.
Whew.