Archelogical Chores and Reading......

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Sunday evening, yet again. Sorry to miss last week but I just couldn't bring myself to check in as I had nothing to check in about. Nothing. Like I've said, it's pretty dull when am trying to save for Adventures, and this coming Friday morning is the Adventure back to NZ! Or Auckland rather, and let's be honest, it's not nearly as exciting as the rest of the country potentially can be. But still, it's an Adventure, which is why it's been so quiet around here otherwise! But here we are now, got a cool glass of Forester Estate Semillon Sauv Blanc (2009), meh, it's not too bad. Tough to find one that isn't sweet and syrupy...... But it does the trick. The evening is overcast, cool and breezy, Kona is working hard to keep the left side of the couch from floating up and away, the birds are kinda quiet but boy they had a lot to say this morning. The strange show tunes radio show that's on before the groovy jazz tunes radio show is playing Cabaret tunes from crooners mixed in with the odd cheese-ball Broadway song...... Hmmm. I have to say, so far my favorite episode of this show was a couple weeks back when they played science fiction/Leonard Nimoy/William Shatner tunes - that was fun/wierd. Otherwise, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still deathly quiet. Tho last week I very narrowly missed over 6 inches of work for a massive hugemongous bid that was coming in the next few weeks. But they decided in the end not to go for it. WHEW! There was even talk of needing to bring in reinforcements! Gasp! Still tho, it would've been nice to do what I've been hired to do over 6 months ago..... Not complainin' tho, am still updating the website and that's.... fun. I have wrapped up two of my outside editing jobs, with one big one to go, so that keeps my brain busy enough, more or less. Still, always happy to have gainful employment, no matter how quiet! And to think, this week is going to be a short week, cos Friday starts the vacation for Jesus and Anzac Day and Labor Day - HOOOOray! So I'll leave the office this Thursday around 4.30pm and I won't have to come back until Tues 8am May 3rd - sweeeeeeeeet! And I only have to spend one day of real vacation time to do it! And two additional days are my free days (we get one a month and the most you can ever use is two at a time, tho they get cranky when you do. Meh!) So yes, even tho it's pretty darn quiet - I'm happy enough!

And then there were the weekends. What did I do last weekend............. Oh yeah, nothing. Not even chores. Earlier in the week (I think it was the week before last... apologies for repetition) I had my Invasion with the Owner of this glorious Shitbox and the New Real Estate Agent. The look of shell-shocked horror on her face was priceless, cos mine wasn't her first stop. Wish I was able to take a photo. She couldn't take notes fast enough. The owner looked right uncomfortable as I listed the stuff wrong with the place (stuff the owner's always ignored and told me he wouldn't fix) "And by the way, it's all been documented in my Entry Condition Report. You might want to read that in addition to your notes today" I had to tell the Agent. She just nodded, said she would, and kept writing. Funny. Then a few days later she sent a real plumber, instead of the cheap unknowns the owner usually hires for peanuts, to look all the plumbing over. I got two new tap handles for the kitchen and a new shower head - woooooot! Tho I didn't need the kitchen tap handles. Hey, was not my money! And then this past Thursday she sent the carpenter, very nice enough Irish guy, to repair the broken floorboard in my "living room". That was messy yet very interesting. He peeled the gross carpet back (I begged the agency to let me pull it all up but no potatoes) and scooped out the bits of rotted floorboard - the cause was some wood bore worm.... why that one board and not the whole place I have no idea. This would be a wood bore worm's and termite's buffet! Come n' geddit guys! So off the carpenter went to get a replacement board and while he was away I had a peek at what was in there. Well, I pulled out bits of newspapers that they must've used to help fill in the insulation - January 4th 1944. Holy crap Batman, I knew the dump was old but not that old! I pulled out a few more bits from 1946 too. So they must've used it to fill the gaps where the insulation didn't reach. I've saved what I could, tho a lot of it is in little pieces. I'll clean it all up, tape together what I can and maybe try to frame what I can. Pretty neat! Archeology fun in your own home!

Oh, and the reason I was able to be home supervising the archeological dig in my living room, it was my first time ever working from home! Gasp! Just like a real Grown Up! 'Course, it took me and IT over an hour and a half to get my work laptop and my crappy internet (Dear Optus, I hate you. Love, Jennifer) to talk to the work servers. What a pain. When I get back from NZ I am so getting real internet once and for all, you hear me Optus????!!!!!! I will be modern!!!!!!!! As God is my witness, as God is my witness Optus is not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry [for real internet] again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry [for real internet] again! (Picture Scarlett O'Hara with dirt all over her face in front of Tara at sunset...... that's me vs. Optus). Oh yeah Optus, it is so on!

And then the weekends. Last weekend was spent relaxing, because I'm so busy and stressed out at work all week........ (joke). And this weekend was slightly more exciting in that I loaded up my way bitchin' eReader with 1,236 books (minus a bunch of duplicates). Cooooooool. I'll be reading for years at this rate! I have to have something to do in NZ! And chores. I did the chores. The carpet was disgusting after the dig. Even sprinkled baking soda all over it to try to kill whatever it could. Worms I don't care, go crazy, but anything else that might want more than 65+ year-old wood.

And that has been that. Dull, yes, but fear not, some fun is sure to be had in Auckland (guffaw! chortle! snort!)? Will bring my little adopted laptop and camera and see if I can't check in while I'm there, lord knows I won't have much else to do. I mean, I'm going over mainly to catch up with my friend Catherine and her husband Paul and their 2 cats Sam and Fud. Other than that, I'll just wander around the place and try not to suffer from PTSD. But will take as many photos as the place allows and who knows, I might find a Small Adventure and a bit of art to bring home!? Will keep you posted!

So hope you're all well up there. The weather has finally settled into bearable and lovely conditions, so feel free to come on down anytime!!!!! You have until December!

BYE!

J!

Adapting & Cleaning Before the Invasion.....!

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening. The day has been lovely, cool and breezy, even had some rain while it was sunny. Wierd, but I guess that's awkward Autumn, not sure if it's supposed to be hot and humid as hell or cool and rainy - so during the week it'll do both! There aren't too many birds out there chattering away, but then maybe because the weather's nice they're off getting stuff done, or whatever they do to keep themselves busy during the day...... But I have a nice, cool, glass of the standby white wine, the strange show tunes radio show is on, playing some strange 1950's musical numbers having to do with the horoscope and, um, Xmas...... Hmm. You can't say this show isn't dull! Life is good!

So work. Yep. Still quiet. They've asked me to fill out a "Performance Management Plan". Hmm, ok. I know how these things end up. Such an exercise in futility because nothing constructive but bad usually comes of these things, no matter how trivial the things you put in it are. Whatever. I brought it home to do over the weekend but when I looked at it this morning I thought I'd better save it for something to do at work, that way I can have something to do during the day. I did bring in some editing from home (funny when you have to bring work from home to work to keep busy), and got a fair bit done there. That was an awesome way to pass the day for once - having something to do! So I'll fill out this plan stuff tomorrow. Otherwise, all's the same and quiet. Still, happy to have a place to be everyday! Fingers crossed my performance is managed well to plan....... Will keep you posted!

And then the weekend. Dead quiet. Cemeteries are more exciting. Oh, that's not entirely true, I cleaned most of the day yesterday, and the dead can't clean..... Can they? You always hear of ghosts making a mess, do you ever hear of ghosts who tidy? Hmm. So yes, cleaned most of the day in preparation for another invasion (inspection) this week by the new rental agency. Sigh. At least the little place is clean and tidier than it normally is. Now just have to hide the evidence of the illegal roommate............. Hopefully this will be the last invasion for a while. In my 5 years here I'll never get used to these "inspections". It just doesn't make sense, especially if the tenant has been there for a few years and nothing has ever be amiss. Hmmm. They'd never get away with this stuff in New York City - the agencies'd be pulled up for harassment! I wish. Oh well. This'll give the new agency a chance to see what a shitbox this place actually is. Afterwards we'll just have to watch this space and count the minutes until they raise our rent, regardless that I have a hole the size of my foot in my living-room floor....... Hmm.

And then today, Sunday. Even quieter than yesterday. Little bit of tidying but mainly more computer maintenance stuff on the little backup computer. Once I got most of it updated I started to adapt a novel into a screenplay. Never done it before. What a fun challenge this is going to be! Am adapting my favorite Ian Rankin / Rebus novel "Black and Blue" into a film because his stuff has only been made into hour and a half made-for-tv movies that generally suck. None of them have been made into proper films, so I've taken my favorite and am gonna give it the ol' college try. Why the hell not?! Got nothing to lose but a bit of wrist movement and time! And can you just imagine if Rankin likes it??? In my head I've cast Gerard Butler as Rebus. He's a bit young, but with a little makeup and the right lighting, man he'd be good........ But I gotta get the thing written first!

And that's about that! Quiet but productive in a way. I save more money by not being exciting. Will be exciting in a couple weeks time when I head over to the Land of the Long Wet Cloud! And yeah, I have a swish hotel for a few days, all paid for, so if any of you find yourselves in Auckland, give me a call! Otherwise, hope you're all well up there! Drop a line so I know I'm not writing this for my health every Sunday. Because I know what I've done all week/end, I have no idea what you folks are up to! And hurry up and get your flights down here before Southwest's planes all peel apart and drop out of the sky and Qantas raises the price of jet-fuel until only Sultans can fly!

BYE!
J!