Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to work I go!

Hi!

Well. I see I've done it again - gone and let a couple weeks go by when I really, kinda, sorta didn't intend to. Am sorry. I think about it tho! But here we are - the sun is setting happily, the lorrikeets are cheerfully tweeting away in the Eucalyptus and palm trees, the cat has had his lettuce, there's a tribute to Hawaiian music on the radio, I have my glass of wine - life is good!

So work. Funny you should ask, cos I just so happen to be gainfully employed. I know, crazy, huh? Even I keep thinking it's a cruel trick being played on me by my agency. But no. I got a contract gig that started this past Monday (and meant to go for.... dunno how long), so yes, that means to date I've so far worked one whole week full-time - an event that hasn't happened since August 28th. Crazy indeed. It happened kinda fast - Monday I applied to a "bait ad" - one of those ads agencies will put up basically asking for 'anyone with these sorts of skills should apply we have all kinds of work for you', rather than a specific gig; sometimes those bait ads pan out, but most times they don't. Well this one did. I applied Monday, she called me Tues to see me Wed, I saw her Wed, she called Thurs to tell me I had a gig starting on Mon. Wham bam I gots me a job! And get this - it's basically $5 bucks more an hour than what I was on at my last real gig, and $22 more an hour than what some of these space-filler gigs have been paying me. Cooooooooool. I'm basically a Project Monkey working for Queensland Health. Meh, not a government agency with the best reputation at the moment (especially in light of the recent fact that hundreds of their staff haven't been paid in a couple months (no worries for me tho cos am being paid by my agency, which is kind of a bummer too in that if there's a holiday, like Anzac Day on Mon, if I don't work I don't get paid. But am not complaining in the least, so I could care less about little Govvy perks right now!)), but it's a foot back in the door, it bulks up mah resume and the bank is happy regardless! So will enjoy it all while I can, do my best to doge those political bullets that seem to be whizzing around Health at the moment and collect mah paycheck and pay mah bills! But yeah, I have no idea how long this gig is meant to go because it's project work. When one project ends 3 tend to pop up in their place. And the 3 times I've asked different folks how long they expect to keep me they all give me a funny look like "What do you mean, where are you going?" Tho one gal told me the one big project am organizing is meant to go at least a year........... And another project sounds a lot like babysitting.......... So, HOORAY!? Will definitely keep you posted! Hooray for a real paycheck again! WHEW!

And then the weekends. Have managed to get out a couple times. Last weekend went on an Adventure Walk with Kim through Newstead (the 'hood where my foster Xmas family lives), over to the Breakfast Creek Hotel for lunch, then down along the river/very busy road to Portside Wharf where we were just in time to watch a cruise ship depart for someplace else - that was pretty neat, the tugs turned it around on a dime and sent it on its way. Neat. Then we walked alllll the way back to her car and that was that! Then that evening I met a friend to go see a French film "Igor and Coco" about Igor Stravinsky and Coco Chanel, some guff about them having an affair... Eh, it was ok. Ver-ree French. Now, don't get me wrong, French films are some of my favorites on the planet, except ones like this. Eh. But nevertheless, it was great to get out of the house! And bonus, later in the week I met up with another friend and we went to see "Bad Ass". Despite myself, I laughed. It wasn't nearly as bad as it looks or as I thought it was meant to be. It was funny. And different from a lot of similar stuff. Plus Nick Cage was his usual weird self. It was a good laugh. Creative. Cute. Fulla action. It was fun.

Then yesterday I met a friend for breakfast at Sassafras (like 2 minutes from my dumpy apartment, their ricotta pancakes, gross as they sound, they're The Bomb). Then we had a wander over to a little local art gallery....... eh, sigh, I can't believe they want that much for flower paintings done by bored, lonely housewives. Then we had a wander up to the Planetarium where we were serendipitously in time to buy tickets for the first Brisbane screening of the "Cosmic Collisions" movie from the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and narrated by Robert Redford (an apparently very big deal in planetarium movie world). And it was really cooooooooooool! I highly recommend it! That was immediately followed by a guided tour of the night sky over Brisbane at this time of year. Man, that was really pretty neat. I love that stuff. The planetarium certainly has a lot of potential, if only people would spend a bit of time and money on it. Then we had a quick wander through some of the wet and rainy Botanic Gardens, then it was back to home. What a bitchin' day!

And today were the very neglected chores, not that the place gets that bad. Plus it's been raining off and on and today was the first nice day (tho hot - nearly 90! It's Autumn for cryin' out loud!) for at least a week. So it's all clean and dry now! Hooray!

So yeah. That's about that. Just have to get back into the swing of things. Hee, Friday evening I was so tired and beat from the week that I went to bed at 8.30pm. I didn't wake up until 9.15am the next morning. I haven't slept like that since working at the theatre. And really, I mean c'mon, office work is nothing compared to 20 theatre production hours all on your feet! But I guess I was just outta office-work-shape. Sad. Ha, even sadder (maybe) is the fact that my tv has died. Well, is in the process of dying via snap, crackle and I don't want to leave it until the pop. Soooooo..... Not that I'm a huge tv person, it's better to watch DVDs on than the little laptop. But never-mind, at least the dumpy little apartment hasn't burned down, I can still watch movies on something and I have more attention for reading. Hooray!

So there you go. Finally I bring good tidings. What. A. Relief. So yeah, it's game on - so if anyone would like to c'mon down, the weather's beautiful (more or less, at least it's not stinkin' hot every day) and the Tour Guide is back in business!

BYE!
J!

Break with a View...

Hi!

Well. Here I am! A day late but that’s because this weekend was Easter, and they get from Friday until Monday off, so today, even tho it’s Monday, it feels like Sunday. Soooo that’s why I’m checking in a little late…. But anyways, here we are!

So work. Yeah. No. Not yet. I did have 3 whole days of being Super Temp, but that was all. Tho one good thing did come from it besides a very paltry pay, I made a new friend! He’s pretty cool; we ended up talking a lot about all the kinds of music we like and how he’s just starting up a little jazz band with a friend. And he lives in my same ‘hood, just on the other end. So that’s cool – an interesting new friend! But otherwise, I had a strict rule this weekend of not turning on the computer, which is also kinda why am late checking in, but mainly because I really needed a break from The Job Hunt. So today am just checking in and will hit the job board’s fresh tomorrow. Plus want to spend some real time fixing up mah little desktop publishing business, get that going no matter how small, anything to do something for some dough! Will keep you posted!

And then the weekend……... Nice, long, relaxing weekend. It was excellent! I got out a lot for once and caught up with a few folks, and even got to eat a few meals out! Just like in the old days! Hooray! Let’s see, Thursday we had our pizza and game night ("Carcassonne" is the game we play, I finally managed to remember!) with the old work guys and his family, always most excellent.

Saturday I caught up with my new friend for breakfast before meeting Kim for an Adventure Walk. That was neat – we caught the bus from the middle of town up to Mt. Coot-tha. Y’know, alllllllll along, since I’ve been here, I always thought someone had told me that no buses go up there… But they do! They go allll the way to the top and the lookout and restaurant there, and then they also stop half-way down/up at the botanic gardens and the planetarium! It was eaaaaaasy! And I can catch the bus in my ‘hood, kinda, just have to walk a little ways almost into Milton, the ‘hood next to mine, but it beats catching the bus into town to catch it back again! Annnnnyways, we discovered how easy it is to get up there on the bus. So we stopped and checked out the view (little hazy) and had a glass of really overpriced wine and a bowl of french-fries (pardon me, chips). Tho by the time we got up there it was getting on sunset and the bus, fantastically convenient as it is the last bus back to town is like at 5.11pm, which is really dumb because the planetarium closes at 7.30pm. Hmmm. So we really quickly had a look around the botanical gardens and caught the bus back to Milton. Cooooool. Then we ordered pizza and watched “Man from Snowy River”. Hmmm. VERY beautiful cinematography, and the story was Nice, but otherwise, eh… It was just a nice movie. Unlike the pizza. It’s The Best! Love Kookaburra pizza, they’re a little local independent restaurant down the road from me that happen to make some of the best pizza on the planet, and the staff are super nice to boot. Go the little local independents!

And then Sunday I met 2 friends from old work for breakfast and a little wander around town, but nearly everything was closed. Then came home for a nap before meeting my new friend for dinner at the Paddo Pub! Cooooool!

And then today. Will be quiet and lazy. After I check in I intend to get mahself a root beer float and watch DVD’s until bedtime. I haven’t done that in ages and it’s what I had planned for the whole weekend, only everybody wanted to catch up! Not that I’m complaining – Hooray!

So there you have it! A few small Adventures were had, nice meals eaten and new friends to chat with – hooray! So now that I know how to get up to the top of Mt. Coot-tha, that’ll be one more thing we can do when you come for a visit……….! So c’mon down, the weather’s finally perfect!

BYE!

J!