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!!)

Cloudmaking....

Go China!

What more is there to say about this.

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.

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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!

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.

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...

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.

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