Burning with the Sun

Hi!

Well. I know it was a busy week because it went by so fast, but darned if I can remember anything interesting that happened….. Nope. Just the usual work week. No exciting mid-week parties (though we are getting into the season soon), no exciting mid-week trips, no exciting mid-week anything besides work. Hmm.

So work. Yeah. Is good. I like my job, it’s interesting. In fact, the beginning of the week saw the Qld Fire & Rescue Service get international accreditation, from representatives of the United Nations no less (!) that will now enable the QFRS to go anywhere in the world if there’s a disaster of some kind and not only can they help, but they can organize and boss people around when they get there. Pretty neat. Qld is the only state in the country to have the honor. Not sure why, say, the New South Wales or especially Victorian Fire Depts. didn’t go for it as well or first, but Qld beat them to the punch and now QFRS is in the lead! So basically all of the folks that I work with that wear an officer’s uniform were participating in the exercises. They had to work with the Federal Police and the State Police in setting up and coordinating mock terrorist attacks around the city, various scenarios with casualties at all hours, etc. It sounded like it was really intense and reallyreally interesting. So even if I’m not directly a part of that stuff, just working with the guys who were and hearing the stories is so interesting and kinda cool. So yeah, I really dig my job. Even if, after how many months, we’re still kinda trying to figure out what it is I really do. I think we have it pretty nailed down, but there’s always new stuff I put my hand up for to help them with. Oh – and I got to go do 2 days of Adobe Flash training! Coooooool I love learning new stuff. A gal I work with (not the one with the nose still waaay outta joint, thankfully. No, the reallyreally nice one) and I are going to be updating some discs with interactive stuff and, well, fix other web stuff. So we’re quite excited to get started on those projects. But, before any projects or anything gets started, I’m having 2 days off! Hooray! Taking tomorrow and Tues off. All that time banked up in the timesheet again and if you don’t use those days, you lose them at the start of the new month. And because I’m no fool and love a good PAID day off, am takin’ ‘em! Hooray!!!

And then the weekend. For once I was good and came straight home after work. No after work drinks. No nothin’. Gosh, in fact, I was pretty much asleep in front of the TV by 8pm. Sad. No, did nothing exciting because first thing Saturday morning a group of us went down to the Gold Coast to celebrate Christine’s birthday by playing at Dreamworld (theme park, kinda like……. hmmm….. Knott’s Berry Farm……) and then out to dinner, and the beach today! Ahhhh, it was most excellent! She’d rented a 3 bedroom apartment for the night right smack in the middle of Surfer’s Paradise, so walking distance to all the restaurants and bars, etc. Dreamworld was, yeah, kinda like Knott’s Berry Farm in that they have a few good “scary” rides, a Nickelodeon theme, quite kid-oriented, and get this – it opens at 10am and closes at (wait for it….) 5pm! Man. If Aussies could do all of Disneyland in a day and still be standing, I’d be impressed. Cos this lot was absolutely beat by 4pm. But I have to admit I was too. But it was such a good day and lots of fun. Then it was to the apartment for a rest, a shower and some drinks, and then out to dinner at the Hard Rock Café (Christine’s special birthday pick). Then we were going to continue to party on (Wayne) but after just trying to walk from the apartment to the restaurant, we realized all the drunken hoodlums were out in force (they always are in Surfer’s Paradise. Every Sunday evening on the news is full of stories about hoodlums causing trouble in Surfer’s; which is weird because all the tourists go there). So we decided we’d just take the party to the apartment where we had lots of nibbles and booze and good music. It was fun but ended pretty early. In fact, the birthday girl was in bed by 11pm! Then this morning we got ourselves organized and just 3 of us headed to the beach (the others had to go home). Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I love the beach. My skin doesn’t so much, but I do. Yeah. I have quite funny sunscreen patterns on my arms. Oh well. It’ll fade in no time. Once the pain from the burn goes away! So yes, a very good weekend was had by all!!!!!!! Now I can cross one thing off my Australia Adventure List – Dreamworld!

And that’s that! Am just sooooo happy to have the next 2 days off. Not only am I beat, but ooooooh, the sunburn! Sunburn and office wear don’t seem to go so well together………. Not really sure what to do for mah 2 days of freedom……. laundry, sleep, not spend money, soak myself in aloe vera!

So hope you’re all well up there! C’mon down – the water’s fine!

BYE!

J!