Adventures with Plasma, Hairspray & Melbourne!

Hi!

Well. Late. Yep. Sorry, last weekend, and the whole week, just got away from me. So busy. But not anymore! Here I am! The little chatty lorikeets have claimed their branch for the evening from which to chirp their last thoughts before bedtime. The sort of strange "Broadway Show-tunes" radio show, the one that's on before the way cool jazz show, has been and gone, and the way cool jazz radio show is nearly finished. Got my cool glass of nice white wine.... The evening, rainy as it's been all day, is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Don't have much to be doing just yet, but I've again been assured things are coming and then I'll apparently wish I had my idle days back again. For now I have a couple things to keep me occupied, and that's enough. Am happy, I like it the more I get settled, meet people and figure stuff out. Hooray for gainful employment!

And then the weekend(s)! Well, the week before last was way totally awesome because I went to Melbourne first thing Wednesday morning! Hooray! Was there from Wed until Sat. So a short but sweet visit. It was awesome to see Jeff and Emily after 5 years. And it was way cool to scope out Melbourne like a normal person, as opposed to my first visit there many years ago (while I was still living in NZ) which was only for 6 hours on a layover from Auckland to Germany. And my tour guides at the time were absolutely useless, to put it politely. So this was pretty much the first time I've really seen Melbourne. It's much cooler and nicer than I remember. I can't rightly say what city it reminded me of.... probably closest would be London, tho with much better weather and on a much smaller scale. But overall it had that gray, Victorian classy hip coolness to it that London has. I must say I quite liked it. And honestly, 3 days isn't enough, but it was a start! We did a lot of wandering for the most part, checking stuff out, sticking our heads into the lane-ways and teeny little malls stuffed with hip and groovy shops.

So that Wednesday we met up, dumped my stuff in the room at the hotel - the Langham (oooooh fancypants), and headed out to get some food at a place on the river called "World". Not bad food, very highly strung waiter, nice view of the river and city. Then, to walk off brunch, we headed over to the Crown Casino - it's MASSIVE. Vegas would be jealous that it doesn't have one just like it (complete with jets of flames (pardon me - "Gas Brigades"/fireballs) shooting from decorative cauldrons at night). So we stopped in there (after walking the length and breadth of it) for a beer while Emily shopped for CD's. Then we headed in to see the new Harry Potter film. If you like HP, I highly recommend it. If you don't like HP, I highly recommend you don't see it. I liked it, and the last installment will be released just before mah birthday next year (hello Gold Class again)! And by that stage it was time for us to check in at the hotel to see if their bags had arrived yet (they had, after 3 days of traveling on their own, no thanks to Alaska Air). So we quickly refreshed ourselves before heading out to get a quick bite to eat at a very totally cool little cafe down one of the little lane-ways, who's name escapes me unfortunately (will do some internet research and come back to you with the name, because if you find yourself in Melbourne and hungry, this is a place to go.... once I remember the name....). So we had a quick bite to eat before heading in to the Princess Theatre to see "Hairspray - The Musical". Now, these theatre tickets were a gift, so, kinda like you shouldn't, as a rule, speak ill of the dead, you shouldn't bag a play/musical when it was a gift, given to you with the very best of intentions. But I have to say, I don't do musicals at the best of times (for an example of a best of time - "Sweeny Todd", and that had Johnny Depp directed by Tim Burton, and I still had loads of trouble with it). And this one, well, it didn't even have Johnny Depp to help redeem it. So we three sat there very politely, very patiently dreaming of the moment the house lights would come up, alerting us to intermission. After 45 minutes I began to fear for the worst and there would be no intermission. Jeff fell asleep. Emily and I shifted nervously in our seats hoping the end would be near. Finally, an hour and a half later, the moment we'd been begging for: "Intermission". I'll tell you what, fire or no fire, no one would've jostled to get out of that theatre quicker than us. No wish to speak ill of a gift, but that show sucked. We all agreed there would be no returning. So, giggling madly with our new-found freedom, we caught a cab and bolted straight back to the hotel where Jeff and I drank beer and Laphroaig and Emily downloaded iTunes. It was an evening saved from certain death.

The next day, Thanksgiving, saw us wandering to the Blue Train Cafe for a very nice breakfast before heading over to the Botanical Gardens. Even with the rain, which stopped just as we entered the Gardens, it was wonderful. It was huge, lush and hilly. We spent a good 4 hours or so wandering around in there taking pictures, trying not to get lost. We stopped for a lovely spot of scones and jam at their Terrace Cafe before continuing on through the rest of the Gardens, ending up at the Shrine of Remembrance (war memorial). Then the rain really started up with gusto just as we crossed the road, forcing us to take cover in the National Gallery of Victoria. Unfortunately they were closing shortly, so we had just enough time to dry out whilst wandering around the book/gift shop. Pretty cool. Like I said, 3 days is not much to scope out such a cool city. Then we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before heading over to the Marriott where they were putting on a Thanksgiving dinner (tee hee, complete with clam chowder starter... hmmm). Also meeting friends of mine that I'd invited to join us, Talava and her fiance Josh (I used to work with Talava at my last gig at Health. They've just moved down there and love it). The dinner was pretty good considering, and the pumpkin pie even got Emily's nod of approval. Happy Thanksgiving in Australia!

And then Friday was last-minute shopping for gifts for them to take home for friends for Xmas. Boy, we covered most of the inner-city. Whew! And then, gifts successfully acquired, we headed out to St. Kilda via #16 tram, took about 20 minutes, where we had a bit of a wander along the beach, stopping for a bite of pizza and chips (fries) and a glass of wine at a really pretty cool beach-side restaurant (again, name escaped). And then that evening we met Jeff's new boss and his girlfriend for a very lovely Italian dinner right on the river (again, name escapes me, will get back to you). It was a very busy, but very good day.

And then Saturday saw us off to the airport for their flight back to the States at noon and mine back to Brissy at 2pm (delayed 30 mins, to be expected these days). And then that was me and the end of a way totally cool Adventure and reunion! And I have to say, I must be getting old because that night it was all I could do to stay awake until 8pm and Sunday it was all I could do to do a load of washing. And then there was the week, and then it was the weekend and now here I am. Boy time sure flies when you're having fun and recovering afterwards!

So yes, that brings me back to a couple days before heading to Melbourne - that Monday I took delivery of mah brand spankin' new 42 inch, Panasonic Plasma TV and "complimentary" Panasonic blue ray player (valued at around $350)! Hooray! But that evening I'd met my friend Jan for dinner at a lovely little Thai place up the road from me (name escaped), so aside from quickly turning the thing on before heading to bed, I didn't watch much. But, a week later - it died! GASP! I was in the middle of a James Bond movie! Aaaarrrgggghhh! So this past Tues I trotted back to the shop where they took pity on me and my mere week of fancy tv ownership and arranged for a brand spankin' new replacement to be delivered this Saturday. Hooray - again! So far so good! The guy at the shop told me they either drop dead within the first 7 days or after 3 years (good to know, will start saving for the next tv if that's the case).

So Saturday was reserved for one load of laundry and tv shows from the 80's - Magnum PI, A Team, Knight Rider - it was what was on tv while I was tuning it in and adjusting all the contrast and brightness, etc levels..... Boy, I gotta say, after all this time with no tv, and just mah poor little laptop, this tv is totally awesome! And massive! Bloody thing fills the room! But yes, Xmas has come a little bit early..... HOORAY!

And then there was today, Sunday. What typical weekend of mine would be complete without a dose of chores. So now the little apartment is clean, the lorikeets have gone to bed, the TV is settling in.... I must find a couple of Blue Ray discs and see what this thing can really do.... I'm thinking either a James Bond or the first Raiders of the Lost Ark........

So there you have it! Now you can understand a little why I was a bit late checking in. WHEW! An Adventure was happily had! And that's the best excuse! So hope you're all well up there - now when you come down, time allowed, we'll hit Melbourne too! C'mon down!

BYE!
J!

Napping in a Wedge with a Tail...

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening, much like many previous Sunday evenings, the birds are out there chattering away, although they're kind of quiet at the moment when they're usually really gabby.... They've been quite rambunctious most of the day, so perhaps they're talked-out. Either way, it's a lovely, cool, overcast evening, the very strange and nosy owner of our sad little crumbling apartment block is dragging palm fronds around and flinging them over the fence into the neighboring apartment block's yard (and that's just the tip of his strangeness), got mah glass of wine (same as last week, it's taken that long to get through it), and the way groovy jazz tunes have just fired up - ahhhh, lovely Sunday!

So work. Yep. Is going happily well. I've had slightly more to do this week, which is always nice in helping the time pass. But until the new year springs into action, I have a feeling things could stay pretty quiet.... Which is kinda good, I guess, gives me time to study up on all the new acronyms and the slightly confusing, multi-layered business structure. Hmmm.

Oh, and I foolishly forgot to mention last week in summing up the previous week (a.k.a. My First Week at the New Job), that Thursday I got to go to Amberley Air Force Base (or as it's meant to be known: the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley") to go look around the base (well, some parts of it). It's pretty big, kinda run down, old small buildings. You'd think with the gazillions of dollars that these places get off the Government you'd expect the place to look like Star Trek. But no. Guess they spend all the dough on toys. We showed up just as they'd finished their Veteran's Day salute business with fighter planes and rifles. We wandered around A Lot, escorted at every turn, of course. Got to see a new ("green") Wedgetail being converted from just a standard 737 and fitted out with its new spy gear (tho the spy gear was classified from me, being a "Foreign National")......, I even got to stand around and crouch in a brand-new Kiowa helicopter's cockpit after it'd been freshly painted with its designed-to-order camouflage. But boy by the time we got back to the office we were beat. It's a fair way outta town and the drive was kinda long. But it was all really pretty neat. Oh and the whole place (my building that is) is absolutely crawling with Americans. I giggle a little whenever I hear the accent. After what, 9 years living down here it's the first time I've ever shared a building with them. It's kinda weird, but kinda nice. They all seem to be here purely for projects, so they're on contracts for like a year or two. Hmmm. Definitely interesting!!!! So yes, work is good. Hooray!

And then the weekend. Pretty darn quiet. Chores, naps, books, the usual. Although yesterday was nice in that my neighbors downstairs had me over for dinner and good gossip. That was really nice. I'm a big believer in being friendly (to a point) with your neighbors as you never know when you may need them. Well, it helps anyways when you live alone. Otherwise it was a very nice, quiet, very restful (maybe too much so, hope I'm not awake until 2 in the morning) weekend!

So there you go! Hope you're all well up there. I've done the math and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to come up there for another visit for..... well, it won't be next year, I don't think I'll have the vacation time saved up..... Maybe spring that next year......? So that gives you a huuuuge window of visiting opportunity - you know I'll be here! And you know you want to!!!

BYE!
J!

Surfin' for Adventures

Hi!

Well. Here I am, little late and I have no good excuse other than the truth – I was surfin’ the net and lost track of time. I know that sounds lame, but it’s hard to surf the net at work (as you can imagine) and I don’t have the brain space when I get home. So there. But here I am! I must say those lorikeets were out there chittering away last evening like they were never gonna get another chance to say what they wanted. Nice sunset (bit warm – summer’s lurking around the corner), and a very average glass of Sauvignon Blanc (that’s my lesson learned for buying it purely based on the label, something I’ve never really done and won’t do again). So yes, yesterday evening was quite nice, and I expect tonight will be much the same (am writing this from work, just to get a head start!).

So work. Yep. Is pretty good. First week went by like a shot, as they do. Everyone seems really nice and friendly, they know their stuff, and it seems like they’ve all been here a minimum of 5 years – a good sign. The trick will be for me to get my head around all the systems and process – it’s all really multi-layered and pretty complicated-looking from the outside. Definite learning curve. They tell me the acronyms are the toughest to get, probably not so much for me after Fire and Health, for me it’ll be remembering the file paths and intranet sites and where stuff is all filed and stored! So yes, it all seems to be going well so far! HOORAY!

And then the weekend. Saturday was kinda quiet. I met a friend I haven’t seen in ages for breakfast at one of my favourite little places here in town called “Venice”. And oddly enough the place was dead quiet which I thought was kinda weird because it’s usually packed, especially on a Saturday morning. But the view is still excellent and the food is good. And then came home and read, napped, the usual. Saturday seems to be my chill-out day where I don’t do anything at all. It’s nice. Boring, but nice. Just wait until I get my savings back up to scratch and then it’ll be “let the Adventures begin!”!

And then Sunday. Busy. Chores all day. Weather turned hot and humid too, which could be why when I sat down at the computer to write my brain wasn’t really into it – it was tired and just wanted to surf and not think. Hmmm. Happens. But wait until next week, that’ll be an Adventure – I’m off to see Emily and Jeff in Melbourne from Wednesday until Saturday! HOORAY! And work is cool with it and everything. Excellent. So am starting to get excited about going. And bonus, I get paid this Thursday, so I’ll have money (always kind of a scary thing when you first start a job – when do you get your first pay?)!

So there you have it. Kinda dull, but like I said, just wait and I’ll plan more Adventures (vacation time willing)! So I hope you’re all well up there! Drop a line and say Hi sometime, or hey, even submit an idea of something you want me to gasbag about!?

BYE!

J!

Washer-woman with wine and cheese!

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening, got mah groovy jazz tunes on the radio, got mah cool glass of wine (an unwooded chardonnay of some sort, meh, it's just ok), not very many twittering birds out there this evening for some reason... Not sure why, the weather is lovely and warm, there's a very pretty sunset, teeny little breeze, gee, if I were a bird this would be perfect chattering weather! Never mind, I'm sure they're out there doing quiet pre-evening bird things......... propping up the branch, fluffing the straw........ But here we are!

So work. Yep. First day tomorrow. Pretty exciting, sort of..... I mean, it's still work, not like I'll wake up tomorrow at dawn and am off to Disneyland. But still excited nonetheless. Always have mixed ideas about starting new gigs. This one is different I guess because so much is riding on it (plus it's like totally bitchin', like, fer sure cool) and it's technically permanent, the kinda gig I haven't had in years and years and years...... So, I have nearly everything I own washed and ironed, got my clothes picked out for tomorrow, got my work bag nearly packed, gonna buy lunch in town until I figure out the lunch break shift and which fridge will be safe to stash my lunch......... Yep, all ready - bring it on, new gig! Waaahhooooooooo! Will keep you posted how it all goes!!!!!!!!

Otherwise, my last week/day at Health was fine. Wound down nicely, leaving me absolutely nothing to do all day Friday. Plus, there was hardly anyone there, they all had the day off. It was excellent. Oh, and Tuesday was Melbourne Cup day, "the race that stops the nation", and it stopped work from about 12.30-4pm, that was also pretty excellent, and bonus - I won $4 bucks! See, one thing I've learned living down here in the Southern Hemisphere all these years is that you don't have to be remotely sporty to feign interest in the big sporting events at work, all you have to do is channel your inner Helen Mirren (performing on Broadway), look enthusiastic (or if you're into method acting, you could buy a raft of different sports' team jerseys to wear on the appropriate day - free day to wear jeans if you wear a team jersey on game day!), smile and say "Go -insert sporting team name here-!" and you're in! Like, I remember when the America's Cup yacht race was on while I was in New Zealand. To me, I couldn't give a rat's furry pink backside, but as long as I pretended to, I got to fluff around all day at work eating snacks and drinking wine - now what's not excellent about that?! Just have to play along and not only do you get to skive on work, you get to eat and drink on work time, and everyone thinks you're the Ultimate Team Player!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So yes, my last week at work was pretty good, wine and cheese and all. "I'd like to thank the Academy, my parents..............."

And then there was the weekend. Started off really pretty cool Friday evening with, surprise, drinks with a few folks after work to celebrate my last day of work with them! That was nice and we could actually hear each other over the din (we sat downstairs away from the riff raff and the blaring speakers this time). Tho we didn't stay long as one guy had to boogie off for his Salsa dancing event in town and I had to rush off to meet Dom and a couple of his friends to go see Robin Williams! We got tickets last minute as they'd finally dropped the price nearly a hundred bucks. So off we went (tho we sat at the back of the arena.......)! The Umbilical Brothers opened for him - they were totally awesome. If they ever tour up there in the US I highly recommend going to see them. Or next best, look for some of their acts on YouTube. So creative, talented and funnyfunnyfunny. Then ol' Mork came on and didn't stop for a good 2 hours. He was funny, yes, that's a given, but he wasn't breathless funny like he is on David Letterman, or in his shows up there..... It could've been the jet lag (Brisbane were his first couple of gigs), it could've been the cultural and political references that were kind of lost on the locals, I don't know, but he was sure crude, I guess maybe someone told him Australians like that sort of humor..... It would've been misguided advice, yes, but there it was. Ultimately, it was still a way cool show, glad I went, but if I ever get the chance to see him again in the US, I'm going!

And then there was the real weekend. I swear I felt like a washer-woman all day Saturday (and today come to think of it). Washing, ironing... I don't even have that many clothes! Small washer. Many loads. Much ironing. But come evening, I was invited to Jason and Clare's for cards and Mexican food (tee hee)! Usually it's pizza and Carcassonne, but they shook it all up this time and it was so much fun. We always have such a good laugh when we get together (hope we didn't wake the kids this time, tho I didn't hear any crying......).

And then today, more hand-washing, more ironing, tidied up my sorry little weak fingernails, and read my book. Must be nervous energy for tomorrow. No nap at all this weekend either. Weird. But yes, a good and very productive weekend was had! Hooray!

So there you have it. Will keep you posted how the new gig goes. Fingers crossed it's a keeper (and for that matter, that I'm a keeper!)! I see that the Aussie dollar is kicking the US dollar's backside, so I suppose I won't recommend you come down here for a visit any time soon..... Even if the weather is gorgeous and perfect, but don't worry, summer will be here in no time, so you won't be missing anything! Maybe by next June you can come visit........? Anyways, hope you're all well up there! Drop a line sometime and just say Hi!

BYE!
J!

Halloween in Dullsville!

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening, actually early evening-ish, thought I'd get a head-start on the chittering-chattering lorikeets...... But I do have my glass of cool white wine, a lovely breeze, some "interesting" semi-jazz/semi-classical tunes on the radio, must be the show that's on before the hip n' groovy jazz tunes, the little apartment is clean, life is good!

So work. Yep. So this'll be my last week with Health. Always with last weeks they're gonna try to cram in as much as they think they can get away with. I don't mind, am happy to help. Sigh. Has been good, might even kinda miss some of them. The work has been interesting, and hopefully for a good cause later on down the road (for Health that is, not necessarily me). Then it's off, kinda, figuratively speaking at least, into the wild blue yonder that will be Boeing. No idea what type of place it'll be to work in, aside from high security..... Will keep you posted, well, within security regulations that is! Am quite looking forward to the new environment. Hopefully this one will be a keeper! Fingers crossed - more to come I'm sure!

And then the weekend. Started off quite nicely Friday evening with after-work farewell wines at a bar called The Exchange in the City here, about a block from work, for Talava, a very nice, lovely gal/coworker who's pulling up stakes with her fiance, they're off and moving to Melbourne! And the evening didn't go very late, which made my wallet and head happy. Cos getting into summer here, it makes it really tough to drink red wine around this place because most bars don't keep it in a wine fridge, so you get room temperature red wine - pretty hard to get down when the room is around 80+ degrees..... Guess I need to find a white that I really like to drink, they at least serve that cold and won't look at you funny if you ask for a couple ice cubes on the side (a crime, yes I know, but this is Queensland in the summer and I can't drink any wine that quickly, ice or no ice!).

And then there was Saturday. Dullsville. Chores, reading and a good long nap. I tell you, this last year has absolutely taken it outta me. Guess I'm de-stressing and needing to catch up on mah rest (and savings, come to think of it). Am getting there, dull as it may be for those playing along at home. Trust me, with the new gig and the hopeful predictability it will bring, I can start knocking off some of those Adventures on mah List! As it is, I have a 3 & 1/2 day Adventure planned to go to Melbourne during the Thanksgiving weekend to see Jeff and Emily (sorta kinda like family.... I was there when Emily was born and now she's gonna be 16 while I see them in Melb!); so I have that really cool Adventure to look forward to. Have been to Melbourne before, years ago, for a day, but I had spectacularly horrible tour guides, so I always kinda wrote that visit off - now to make up for it! Hope I like Melbourne better this time around cos first impressions weren't that impressive....!

And then there was today. Ooooooooh Halloween! Pretty tough to get into tho it when A) It's warm and sunny, B) Am not a kid and C) They don't really do it here - it's an American Thing. Hmmm. But it's there at the back of my mind........ oh dear I hope I don't get any trick or treaters...... some of them do do it here.............! Otherwise the day was given over to chores and another round of tossing stuff, although this time I've actually compiled a list of stuff to sell, instead of just abandoning it on the curb like usual. This way I hope to make a coupla bucks so I can get new stuff that I actually like and want instead of hand-me-downs that I needed at the time. Now just have to draw up the ad.......

And that's about that! Apologies for the dullness. Just wait a couple months or so and then hopefully things will improve..... I even looked at other apartments around the place but I still have such a screamin' deal here, dumpy as it is...... No rush, it's cheap and Kona's happy. Otherwise will focus on paying back the parental debt and saving for a rainy day, and maybe a new bed-frame.......

So, hope you're all well up there! I know the exchange rate with the Dollar doesn't really do you guys any favors, but hopefully it makes flights to here kinda cheap? Either way, hurry up and get down here, cos when summer really kicks in, unless you like stinky hot and humid, this place will be unbearable from Dec until about April.....! Ahhh heck, c'mon down anyways, it'll be fun!

BYE!
J!

A Job of Beach-Side Fish with Kettles

Hi!

Well. Here we are, slightly late but only by a few hours, technically. Lovely Monday evening as the sun sets……. The same lorikeets are out there merrily chirping and chattering frantically away…. No crows to hear of, thankfully. They’re just big bullies anyways – tho not to the Kookaburras, they know who’s boss out there. I got mah nice cool after-work glass o’ white wine, no jazz tunes tho, but that’s my punishment I guess for being late. But never mind – here we are!

So. Work. Yeah. Am starting my last 2 weeks with Health…. They begged me to stay on one more week (awwww, isn’t that nice – warm fuzzies), and Boeing said that would be fine……. Yes – H O O R A Y for me I won the Boeing gig after all! Oh. My. God. I still can’t believe something good has happened on the job-front. Finally! Of course, there’s always a bit of a speed bump – they’re only going to take me on for 6 months while they wait for me to get Permanent Residency and then Citizenship. Hmmm. Is gonna take a lot longer than 6 months tho. So all I can really do is start the paperwork and hope that’s enough evidence of “a commitment to my future in Australia with Boeing……..” Hmmm. Yeah. HOORAY tho – I have someplace to be until next year at least!!!!!!!!!!! And another good thing(s), it’s based here in the City, so no awful commute to the Airport, and it’s basically on the same money I’m on – HOORAY! So of course what did I do to reward myself – I went out and bought the most fancy pants phone I’ve ever seen, because (well, Katie has one!), I’ve reasoned to myself, I probably won’t have access to any real Internet at the new job and I don’t want to be busted for checking email or the news……. ! And, when I finally get back to up there, the phone’ll work with US systems – hooray! So yes – HOORAYs all around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEW!

And then there was the weekend. Started off nicely Friday evening with a couple drinks after work with a couple of folks. But was a good girl, went home way early, so the wallet was pretty happy. ‘Course, after buying the phone on Sunday, wallet wasn’t as happy…… But never mind!

Saturday was pretty quiet. Laundry, nice weather, nap… After all the stress of the interviews and the utterly painful waiting to hear back about the job, I was really pretty tired………

And Sunday was really nice – my friend Dom (of the new license and the new/used car) and I decided to go up to Sandgate to have some lunch at the Full Moon Hotel (pub) (really niiiice food, really crappy service) and then we had a wander along the beach! Sandgate is just north of the city by about 1/2 an hour or less... right on Moreton Bay, so the view is really very pretty with Moreton Island waaaaay out across the way. Was lovely weather again (only because they've been threatening rain and storms like every day for the last week and it hasn't sprinkled once - yet!) and the water wasn’t too chilly! It was just really nice to get out of the house, get some fresh sea air, some sun and a good lunch! Hooray! But we didn’t get in until later than I thought and by the time I had a shower, got settled, my brain had turned to Sunday evening mush and I knew I wouldn’t make sense if I tried to check in then… Hence being a wee bit late!

So there it is. Sorry for checking in late, but I at least bring good news! So while there’s relief on one front, it opens another kettle of fish with the PR fun. I remember the fun that I had applying for PR in New Zealand… Sigh. Hopefully it’ll be more straightforward than NZ and the immigration people here know more about, well, immigration! Will keep you posted on that front. But until then – HOORAY! And because of the job thing, it looks like I could be here a wee while longer, so come on down! I’ll be here to give you the guided tour!

BYE!

J!

Waffles and Wine!

Hi!

Well. A little bit late but that’s ok…. Here now! You know how Sundays can wind down so much that sometimes it’s all you can do to go make dinner, with not much brain energy for much else? Yeah, well, that’s how yesterday was. Weird because it started out fulla beans…. Anyways. Here we are, Monday evening, same birds twittering along out there, glass of wine, sun is setting – life is good!

So work. Yep. Still have my short-term bit of fun until the end of the month. Have yet another interview with Boeing tomorrow afternoon… Although they’ve already called all 3 of my references over a week ago……….. Sigh. I just can’t help thinking about the moment when that poor overworked someone first realized they needed help, until the moment a butt was finally in a chair… my god it can take months. I miss the days (or perhaps it was the types of jobs – theatres, record stores….) where I could rock up wearing whatever (probably jeans), tell them what I can do and how wonderful I am and get hired pretty much then and there. None of this waffling around for months at a time, wringing hands like we’re all getting married. My god it’s easier to date than it is to interview for a job these days! Not that I’ve done much of that either – too busy wringing my hands trying to get a job! So yes, again, will keep you posted who wins the Boeing Job Lottery……?!

Otherwise, I pretty much got another job offer when this short-term one finishes, doing web editing for Qld Health (payroll project), in the same building in fact, and one floor up from where I sit now! It was a gig I’d interviewed for a few months ago but didn’t win because the other person had more something-whatever skills. So I put it out of my head. Well, turns out that person is hitting the bricks and they want me to take it now! Cool. Tho it pays a bit less than what I’m on, and is only going until January (probably get extended they have that much work), but hey – it’ll beat nothing! So I asked the gal if she could wait for me to decide after I hear who wins the Boeing gig, and she was cool with that. So hopefully by the end of this week we’ll all know who’s gonna work where!?

And then there was the weekend. Started off quite nicely Friday evening with drinks with a friend at a new fancy pants place here in town called Cicada. We showed up right at prime after work drinking time so the place was packed. But somehow we managed to get a corner table with the most excellent wait service! It was pretty nice. And then next thing we knew they were stacking up tables and chairs and staring us down waiting for us to pay our bill and leave already! Cool! Finally the City gets some nicer places to have a civilized glass of wine and some cheese, as opposed to the usual standing amongst the crowd, swilling beer and mixed drinks (or warm red wine – gag), get pushed and shoved around, drinks spilled all over you because the gal can no longer walk upright in those $300 stiletto’s…. Yeah. So it was quite a nice change!

And then Saturday. Boring chores day. But most excellent because it was the first weekend that it hasn’t rained pretty much since I got back from my visit to the US! The sun was bright and shining, there was a good breeze, the humidity had dropped – perfect laundry weather! So got all that done, complete with nap. It was a dull but good day.

And then yesterday, Sunday, was up and out early to go and scope out the Multi-Cultural Festival in the Roma Street Parklands. Ahhh it was really good! So much foooooood from so many countries! Problem with those Festivals is that I always forget to starve myself a few days before and to load up with pocketfuls of cash. But I did manage to stuff in a Danish and a coffee from the Denmark tent. Am just sorry I didn’t starve ahead because everything looked so good in most of the tents – Hungary, Ethiopia, Russia, and there was even a Mexican tent (the guy was here from Cancun!) way too many to be able to eat at all of them! And then there was all the music and dancing, costumes and crafts. It was pretty neat. I like that kind of stuff. Shame it was only for one day and a bit scattered around the place. Place, pshaw, the Parklands are actually quite lovely, especially after we’ve had all this rain. So I’ve made a metal note to go check the place out properly this coming weekend (or very soon) and take some more pictures, minus the tents and crowds. It’s so nice to see the place in bloom. And that reminds me I should make a trip up to the Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha to take some photos after all this rain…. It’ll be bloomin’ lovely (har har har…..)!

And that’s about that. Enjoying my last 2 weeks of a good paying gig……. Enjoying the perfect weather….. You should think about coming down for a visit – the dollar is equal which means stuff will be cheap-ish, flights should be pretty cheap anyways! Plus the weather is fabulous, but it won’t last long, so hurry up! C’mon down!

BYE!

J!

Pendulum Between Wet Weather and Work

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening. Missed the last one due to there not being enough hours in the day/weekend to do everything before Monday 6am..... But here we are, got the way cool jazz tunes, glass of cold white wine (Jacob's Creek Chardonnay), not too many twittering birds, although I've been hearing more kookaburras than crows this evening - crows are just wussies, kookaburras are tough, cos it's been raining pretty much since I arrived back from the US....... which is good for the plants and the dams, and besides, we know what's just around the corner! Pretty soon the weather talk will be all about how hot and humid and horrible Sunday evenings are! So will enjoy while it, uh, continues to last!

So work. Yep. 2 more weeks to go and then......... Dunno. Been applying for a few, been on an interview, which is what took up most of my Sunday last week - getting mah Interview Ducks in order, doing my research, ironing, etc. Interview was noon that Monday, with a full morning of work so all I had was Sunday evening to prepare. Interview seemed to go well and they called all 3 of my references by the end of the week. So will hopefully hear tomorrow who they picked.....? I've decided to really not get my hopes up about this one no matter how cool it would be. Hell, any permanent job would be cool! Oh yeah, gig would be with Boeing as an Editor/Brand Manager in their Communications Dept. So yeah, pretty cool...... Hmmm. So tomorrow I hope to find out. Will post a short note letting you know which way that ol' pendulum swings! Otherwise, temp gig is going great - so busy with these big, dense planning documents - I love it! Shame they can't keep me, but that's the story of my time in Australia. Will keep looking and will keep you posted!

And then the weekends. Oh yeah, new mattress is The Best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it. Hooray for Ikea! Best $600 bucks I've spent, next to my plane ticket to come out and see everyone a few weeks ago. I highly recommend a new mattress. And I'm happy to report that while yes, it's very comfy, I can actually get out of bed and feel really good - no aches and kinks - hooray! So this is how normal people sleep - excellent! But as far as the weekends go, well, last weekend I think I was pretty pooped from the week - getting into the swing of work again (the downside of having had a vacation) and all that, because work has been so busy, which is really good, tho the week flies. So last weekend I think I hung around and read... napped.... tried to shop for a new suit for mah Interview, but yeah, no, not when silly little cool, hip n' groovy suits are around the $500+ dollar mark - on sale, no suit for me! Otherwise the weekend was the usual totally boring stuff, with $500 more safe in mah bank account!

Then there was this weekend. Started off on Friday with Pizza & Games with friends. That was excellent, as I hadn't seen them in a couple of months. Always such a good evening which goes too fast. Then Saturday was up early to bust out the chores in time to meet a friend from work (who's married to an American gal in San Francisco - she's arriving soon) for dinner and drinks at my favorite wine/cocktail bar in the world, The Lark. We had the kangaroo steaks. Sooooo good. Tho mine came out first and we had to wait for his because "It's resting and still bleeding out." Never in my life have I heard a meal delayed for that reason. And I've eaten in some of the swankiest places going (in NYC at least). That was a first! Needless to say I had a good giggle when the gal walked away. But mmmmmmmm kangaroo, so good. Crocodile is better, but man it's a good bit of meat when it's done right! And they did it right! I'm telling you, you come down here for a visit, we're so going there!

And then today was a really awesome day in that I went with Dom and Alan to go pick up Dom's very first car (he just got his driver's license this past Wednesday)! It's just a cheap ($2,000) 1993 Nissan Pulsar. It's in pretty good shape for the age and the price. So we 3 took the train to just near Ipswich and walked a few blocks to the guy's house to pick up the car. Dom drove us all over Ipswich, where he's from originally from, showing us the sights along his memory lane, and then back into town. And I have to say, for a new driver, in a strange new/used car, he did most excellent. I had to laugh when I told him I've been driving as long as he's been alive! Ahhhhhh memories. I kinda miss my 1978 Pinto. White with red racing stripes and way totally cool red interior. Went everywhere in that tough little car. Sigh. Makes me want to go out and pick up a cheap little car just to shoot around in...... Must get job!

And that's about that! Glad to have the work for another 2 weeks, glad it's busy, but boy I'm pooped by the time the weekend comes! Ahhhhhhhh, getting older. So yes, will keep you posted how the job hunt marches on. Hope you're all well up there! I'd say come on down but A) The weather is poo unless you like the incessant rain and chill damp (gee, just like NZ....) and B) The US dollar is almost equal with the Aussie dollar - good for Aussies, bad for US. But hell, c'mon down anyways before summer comes!

BYE!
J!