Phoenix, The Little Laptop Reborn

Hi!

Well. Here I am! Long story short – my computer d i e d a very painful, yet quick death. So I had to get a new hard drive and it's been fun and games ever since, finding files, not finding files, replacing files from a bazillion places if I'd backed them up to begin with.... You get the picture. Once I had it coughing along, I learned all my programs were no longer valid – Word, Excel, Adobe, etc. So I go to the 'net to acquire OpenOffice. Ok, installed, all going fine. Then my Internet gave up. Sigh. Wasted a week and a half making phone calls and trips to the Optus shop (tho they could just be called Useless instead) with my little broadband usb stick. Which brings us to today..... So far so good.......!? Dare I hope.......? So that is the sad reason for the radio silence. Not everything is back to it's sprightly self, but at least the big important bits are working again, more or less. Hooray!

So work. Yeah. No. Still nothing new on that front. Have lost count of the applications submitted and doors knocked on. Tho I must confess have had 3 or 4 interviews so far – not bad considering the country is about to go into Xmas lock-down until like the 2nd week of January. Sigh. Stupid Xmas getting in the way of my finding gainful employment (shakes protest fist in air)! Maybe Santa can stuff a job contract into my stocking (note to self – must hang up stocking)! But, am pleased that there are even jobs out there worthy of applying for, there've been lots and I've applied lots. Just today I put in for 4 different gigs! Fingers perpetually crossed!

Otherwise, have been passing the time, well, putting my little computer back together, and when the Internet works, doing online training for graphicy designy stuff, doing research for, well, jobs and my little biz. Have also done a lot of random baking and making things from scratch. Hmmm. Whether it's being broke or bored or hungry for stuff I can't get here, I don't know, but the fact that I'm baking in 90 degree heat with 60% humidity, I dunno what's wrong with me. But man I make a mean batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies! And then there're the mid-day naps that have to be taken when the temperature and humidity in this little hot box of an apartment gets to be unbearable and my brain slowly turns to mush, there's nothing for it but to lay on the couch in front of the fan with the spray bottle. Then after about 3pm when the worst is passed, I can get back to it. Ahhhhhh, summer in Queensland! Hey, am not complaining – would rather be here than NYC!!!!

As for adventures, or even any kind of excitement, well, due to the bank account being a no-go zone for anything other than rent or food, have had to miss out on some pretty cool concerts (Elvis Costello, The Church....) and I don't want to know what else, I do my best to not go looking for it. Tho I have been out a couple times with just one or two of the old work folks (the ones I liked the best), have even manged to take in a couple new movies, like in the theatre and everything! How exciting! Saw the Coen brothers film “A Serious Man” - excellent and kind of back to the style of films they used to do and what they're best at; and saw the Paul Giamatti movie “Cold Souls” - very interesting and funny, even if the audience I saw it with didn't get it. It's funny to me that the general public needs their humor handed to them in simple terms. Heh. They even kind of struggled with "A Serious Man". Ahhh well, it inspires me to get busy with some of my movie ideas now that I've got a spare bit of time.....!

And that's been pretty much that. All's the same and fine aside from the poor little laptop. But we're up and running, even if there's not much to shout about at the moment. That's ok. I'm sure things will change soon and before long will be back to bleating about work! Hahahaha! Ahhhh well, I hope you're all well and warm up there - I sure am down here! If you get tired of the cold and feel like you really need a dose of hot and humid - c'mon down! Otherwise, drop a line! And oh yeah, have a good Xmas (if you're into it) and will most definitely check in next week! Hooray!

BYE!
J!