Powerless rant

I don't really know for sure what it is exactly that I'm feeling.  I will just let my thoughts run now and see what I find.

I am angry.  Or at least that's the closest I can describe it.

Two of my colleagues leave on Friday, another leaves the end of next month.  I feel so restless because of it because now that they are leaving, they feel freer to share with the rest of us the crap that they had to put up with.  It's not very pleasant.  I have ranted about it here in the past, but apparently one of the bosses was talking to a potential re-employee (he left a few years ago) and basically going through the staff list, listing everyone's faults, along the lines of "x doesn't know what she's doing, y doesn't have a clue, z just blabla" blabla dissing everyone.  Apparently he disses us to clients, co-working company's people, etc.  Another colleague says "don't think that any of us is spared of that 'treatment' by him!".

So now they are having interviews.  And for some reason that just makes me feel so angry.  The false-civility, treating them like normal people, when in reality we all don't *get* treated... we just aren't really there.  The fact that we are so not-there that the boss can just in a fit of anger and frustration threaten someone's job, without actually GIVING A F&&K that it is a person that he's getting angry at.  It's a goddamned person who would actually, when you get down to it, LIKE to enjoy their job!!  But no, that's only part of it.  The fact that your needing time off after an OPERATION is so begrudginly acknowledged/allowed, or like the one occasion: a pregnant colleague tripped down some steps, nearly bashed her head open on a sticking out bit of ex-wallshelf (the metal bracket) and the only response the one boss had was "she's been here, what, since the beginning of the year? she should look where she's going!".  A) she's pregnant, you septic goat-testicle, and B) how bout just asking "are you ok?" maybe if you feel like it add "you should be more careful!".  Asshat.

Anyway, I'm sure I've ranted about all of that before.  But right now I feel so angry and fed up (again).  This makes me feel so restless and itching to bash them across the faces with a brick and yell at them and kick them and jump up and down on them and kick them into the dirt.  Or something.  Something that feels satisfying.  Not the greatest sentiment/mood/state-of-mind but that's what I feel like.  And then I'd say "toodle-doo, *@&#^&$^&$!" and leave.

But realistically I shall go make myself a cup of tea and keep calm.

Unexpectedly relaxed weekend

Apart from my laptop crashing quite a few times this evening. Going to run a memtest next time I'm on. It just bluescreens and that's it.

Friday evening G and I watched Darjeeling Limited. It was a very strange movie. Completely opposite to what I'd expected. Thursday evening we watched Enchanted which was brilliantly entertaining. I LOVED the curtains with the dress-panel holes!

Yesterday morning we popped in at S's work to drop off the visa application forms. Just a couple of things we must send through to accompany the application but that's ticked off our list. We had brunch with G's folks too and then we walked around while G's dad shopped for shoes for the wedding. He was successful too, and G's mom and I both laughed and shared the sentiment of "if only shoe shopping was that simple!!". We also went into the music shop and I picked up The Cardigans Live in London DVD. I'd phoned the day before to find out whether they had it in stock and also how much it is, and the lady had kept it aside for me. I also bought the Chemical Brothers' Push The Button. The other albums are on their way (online shopping rules), so in a few weeks' time I will have all the Chembros' albums! I've also added the Loco Roco soundtrack to my wish list... something completely frivolous and indulgent but the game is just so insanely adorable!

G and I hung out at the mall for about an hour while we waited for my nails appointment: I'd made an appointment (a sort of trial run) for a nail-do for the wedding. Basically the lady gave my nails a file+paint and also put extension/false nails on my little fingers so that I could see whether I'd like them for the wedding. I don't. HAHAH, they are SO WEIRD, typing with them now feels very odd. I just can't get used to the slight change in sensation and they don't look so good to me. It looks as if the finger under the nail is too large and is pushing at the nail making it bulbous. I really love the french manicure though, so that's what I'm going to have on the day!

After the 'manicure' G and I bought ribbons for the wedding car. I also splurged a little and bought some manicure tools (emery board, buff+polish stick, cuticle sticks and some clear nail polish). I think it's about time that I indulge in a little self-TLC. Things are so hectic with wedding preparations that I feel quite cosmetically (health&beauty) neglected. It's surprising how revitalised something like a good filing and painting of your nails can do!

Friday morning (apologies for chronologically hopping around!), G and I went to the attorney to sign the marriage contract stuff. Then we went through to visit the wedding venue. Had a very good 'brainstorming' session with the co-ordinator. So many things to think about and decide on and plan. YAY!!

I also got to work on the little horse cross stitch. It really doesn't take that long to do, just that it's such intense work that it actually gets exhausting. The stitches are small and it's over 2 so I become temporarily shortsighted after a while of working on it. After the 2nd one, I don't think I'm going to do any more over-2 or small count cross stitches again.

Yay, it's nearly payday! And, unrelatedly, hopefully the washmachine will have finished shortly! It's bedtime!

Hectic week/end ahead...

and it's gonna become busier and busier as the wedding day draws nearer.

Success!

Just a report back on those boots I mentioned in my previous post: I phoned the shop. They cost R4500. There goes that idea!

Today G and I went to the HUGE mall nearby at about 1pm. We got home again at about 7pm. Somewhere during the afternoon we had lunch so it wasn't as if we went shopping for 6 hours straight. It was a very fruitful shopping trip.

G found a shirt for the wedding and some jeans. I found 2 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of track/pyjama pants and a 2 pack of vests. AND we found vacuum bags - we've been looking for them for months.

I feel very much more inspired now. New pants which I can keep for at home/going out, instead of just jeans. I will keep those black pants for work (that reminds me - I have to sew the buttons back on some of them - tumbledrying evidently weakened buttons' stitching). I just wish that they weren't pants needing ironing. I HATE ironing but *sigh* what must be done must be done!

I saw boots like the ones I had my eye on, but they were cheap ones (for a few hundred) which wouldn't last more than about 6 months if I were lucky. Not worth buying because the excitement at having such nice boots wouldn't outweigh the disappointment when they inevitably break. And yes, 'break' is the word I use here because if the cheaper boots give in, they are not repairable. Decent, well made ones you can get restitched or re-heeled (what's the right word?). One day, I will have boots like that.

G is currently playing Patapon. I had the PSP out yesterday afternoon and played a bit of Patapon. Then I switched over to LocoRoco (man I love that game!) and played for HOURS and eventually 'finished' the game! Yay!!!

Odd day today

Today I feel so unbelievably restless and unsettled.  G is having problems with his net so we're hardly able to chat during the day.  Somehow that makes me feel unsettled, as if I'm cut off with the outside world.  I feel it helps us keep up to date with what's going on with each other during the day.  Also it is useful for just ranting into because both G and I have stuff we NEED to just offload about, such as DUMB COLLEAGUES!

At this very moment, the receptionist is busy cleaning.  Gawd knows why, she's just got a bee in her bonnet this morning and has got a little bowl of water, a scourer and some general purpose cleaner and has scrubbed the entire cupboard, her desk, her keyboard, the printer, dunno what else (I've been overhearing her cleaning so I can only identify the items by sound).  I saw her cleaning the printer - cleaning it with a SCOURER!  And SOAP!  So that the surface is all matte with a soapy layer like you apply when cleaning a kitchen counter or something.  That's gotta be good for it!  Presumably she subjected her keyboard to the same treatment.  You gotta wonder sometimes.  I just... don't care... can't be bothered to tell her that it's not such a good idea.  She doesn't listen anyway.

G and I watched Stardust last night.  SUCH a good movie!  Fun and lighthearted entertainment... I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Tonight we're going to watch Little Miss Sunshine.  When we went to the movieshop last night to take the movies out, their system had 'lost' our details.  Apparently if you don't hire a movie once every 5 months, it deletes your info which seems a bit dumb considering that not everyone gets to or feels like watching a movie every single weekend or even month!

I've printed out a calendar for the next 3 months and pencilled in all the things we have to do.  The next few weekends are going to be very busy!  We're going to pop by at a ribbon shop and someone who hopefully will do my nails.  We're also going to the mall nearby so I can take a closer look at some boots I've had my eye on.  Calf-high leather boots.  I'd really like a pair but I am seriously doubtful whether those would be even remotely reasonably priced.  A similar pair in the US costs $200 which is +-R1500, but I doubt a good pair like that would cost anything less than R4000!!!!  HAHA so yeah, it's more a shopping trip to see the real price so that I put that idea out of my mind!

Dude is so cute and such a sweetheart.  I took him out of his cage last night and let him have a bit of playtime.  Clipped his nails as well - while he was sitting on my finger I fiddled around with his nails and clipped a bit and at first he was a bit annoyed because it was as if I were biting his feet myself (budgie to budgie behaviour) but then he seemed to realise I was doing something not as a budgie and he sat quite still and seemed tense but kept calm.  I gave him a neck scratch afterwards and must have accidentally caught one of his quills (baby feathers) under my nail and tugged it because he gave quite a squeak and jerked away - but still sat quietly and let me hug him and give him more head scratches.

I read up on the Aus immigration/quarantine website yesterday that they are now allowing pet birds in from NZ subject to strict quarantine and analysis.  Hopefully in the next while (before we move) they will allow other countries to bring in their pets.  I'm going to check back regularly... if we aren't able to take Dude I will be MOST upset because he's really like 1 of the 3 members (excluding the fish!) of our family.

3 people at the office have resigned.  2 are going the end of this month and the other the end of next month.  I'm not surprised.  Just this morning the typist told me what the boss had said of the messenger guy "if he doesn't go around this office every day checking that none of the lights have blown, he won't be working here for much longer!"  Shit like that REALLY demoralises everyone because although they might not hear it to their faces, they can sure as hell SENSE that type of sentiment and attitude.  Hell *I*'ve even had that type of thing said to me by that boss.  I don't recall the details (thank heavens) but I do recall being threatened that unless I sorted it (some mess-up) out, my job would be at stake.  Charming.

Anyway, enough for now - I have work to do (yay *rolls eyes* so interested in it right now)...

~*~

High school reunion

Apparently there's going to be a high school reunion for my matric year sometime next year.  I read about it on Facebook a while ago and recently checked on the group again.  Reading the Wall comments everyone is pretty much feeling the same way I suppose - "10 years have passed?!?!?!?".

One thing that made me go ! was someone's comment saying "yes! and we must bring our hubbies and wifeys and kiddies!".  If you think about that for a second, you'll realise why I'm so ! about it.

There were approximately 150 of us in the year.  If you double that it's 300: student + partner.  And if you were to include 'kiddies', estimating that I'm not alone in my childfreedom and that some classmates have probably popped out 4, you could say there'll be 2 kids per couple.  SO that totals 300 adults and 300 'kiddies'.  It sounds horrible...

Firstly, all that a reunion is really is a parade of how successful everyone is now, how lovely they still look, how well they have (haven't) aged, how great their partner is and how cute/clever/etc their children are.  To me, that doesn't sound like a great deal of fun.

Add to that 300 kids.  I don't think I need to go into detail here.  300 kids.  If the adults behave themselves (hopefully they have grown up a bit since matric), there will be 300 kids running around the entire time.

I dislike it enough when I'm forced to be surrounded by kids by being seated near the kiddies section in a restaurant, so I am not *willingly* going to go surround myself with 300 kids...!

Ugh.  No thanks. 

Sushi

As you can see, sushi has become a regular meal for us! The california rolls (uramaki) came out better than expected! The 2nd pic is pretty much "the usual" when we make sushi for supper.

Excerpt from Letter of Notification of Appointment of iPod

I hereby notify yourselves that I shall heretofore become thereby frustrated whereby I shall with immediate effect anull my interest therein, whereby I shall hereinafter go postal, which, on behalf of myself, I trust is acceptable to yourselves.

The aforementioned iPod, without which I would go postal, is hereby appointed as maintenance manager for my sanity.

Wedding to-do list

I thought it'd be good to type up the 'to-do' list, so that a) I can see what still needs to be done and b) it'd be a record of where we were at this point with all the planning.  There are 88 days left!

August

Nails/tan/beauty treatment

Travel insurance

Contract

Exercise!!!

Favours

September

Visas

Forex

Vows & ceremony

Ring cleaned

Seating plan

Menu, cashbar, canapes

Menu, seating plan card stationery

Music

Transport to wedding

House-sitting/someone to feed the fish and water the plants

Confirm everything with everyone!

October

Get rings made

Hair highlighted

Make-up trial

Sound equipment

Meet photographer & decorators to finalise details

Buy favours-contents

Make copies of all vital documentation for honeymoon

Go to dentist and hygienist

Arrange payment and return of items hired

 

Apart from the above list, G still has to sort out outfits with the bestman, we have to chat with his parents and my mom about proceedings, have to book some things to do on the honeymoon.  We've already booked all the flights, the hirecar, accommodation as well as a tour-card.  Also, I have to buy nice clothes - suitable for an Aus summer!

 

SO MUCH STILL TO ORGANISE!  So exciting!!

 

*disclaimer:  I'm blogging via email, so the layout of this post might be WONKY.  I will have to patch it up some other time.

Inspired

I have been reading old posts on S's blog - reading about her wedding preparations and stuff and I'm inspired!

Yesterday we went to visit 2 jewellers. We've picked out ring designs but aren't 100% sure which metals we'd like but I think we're sorted now!

The first jeweller was recommended by my boss's daughter who got married last year sometime. He seems nice enough and gave us quotes for different metals for the ring designs we have chosen. We were intending to go to a factory-shop place (set of factory shops - not quite a mall!) afterwards, but decided against it because it was the last Saturday of the month (after both paydays!). Apparently this place is busy enough on a NORMAL Saturday so we decided instead to go visit another jeweller who was recommended by an ex-colleague.

This guy looked at the other guy's prices and told us that they were wonky - also when I told him I was considering platinum because it won't scratch, he told us that platinum isn't as hard/scratch-resistant as it's made out to be (it's a sales-pitch). He gave us prices for both our rings in white-gold (18 and 9ct for mine and G's respectively) and they are much better than the other guy's prices. So it seems we have found our jeweller!! I'm so relieved. He says he can make them in 1 day for us, so we aren't in a rush now to get them made. It would be nice to get it done and ticked off the list asap but it's good that we don't have a cut-off rushrush date.

So it now seems that everything is on track. The huge things have been organised, now it's smaller things which must take place closer to the time. The invites have (99%) been mailed off. The bridesmaids and I went to meet with the dressmaker. She said if we wanted we could use this next month as a get-fit/lose-weight month so that she can take our measurements again. It's all so exciting! And I probably mentioned about 5 times already but I have my shoes and jewellery sorted!

It's 21:35 now, and G is busy playing an 'escape game'. Dude is chattering away to himself and the fish are chilling in the tank. Altogether a happy home :D This weekend has been rather relaxed - after we met with the 2nd jeweller, we went for lunch at a nearby restaurant. It was empty apart from us for the first while - we'd evidently 'beaten' the lunchtime rush - but after a while other people came in as well.

After a YUM lunch, G and I went for a stroll on the beach across the road. It was GORGEOUS on the beach, the wind was icy but otherwise it was really relaxing and so enjoyable to be there with nothing 'on the cards' to be done that day which we should rather go do than waste time on the beach. We usually end up doing 'necessary' stuff (like meet with jeweller/wedding plan/stuff like that) and then spending the rest of the weekend doing chores and wasting the rest of the time sitting on the internet. It was so nice to get out of the house and be 'timeless' for a moment! I hope that we can do more of that kind of thing from now on - wedding-rush is on track so we should have time!

Anyway that is all for now - last week was really stressful and I'm so glad it's over! I am going to re-count the days left til my last day at work here... I really can't wait O.o

GI Joe!

Strange bossman

Hbbm is funny at times... I think he is becoming more soft as he gets older.  Apparently he used to be very scary and would shout at people a lot (including in front of people in a meeting in the boardroom)...

Yesterday was an example of his oddness:

He called me into his office saying "... I've got a problem... there's some brown on the screen... dunno... how to get rid of it or something?"

It was the stationery/background of the email he was replying to.

"ahh, so nothing sinister... I was just worried".  At least he found the reply button this time!

He also has a biscuit on his table next to his keyboard... it's from Friday teatime.  Yum. %-)

A bit later on, he called me into his office to ask me to help - he's got himself into a bit of a loop.  He'd evidently replied to a sent item instead of a received item and merrily emailed himself!

And then, the best bit:

He appeared at his office door (perpendicular to my desk), and showed me his trousers stitching had come apart below the one pocket, saying that he'd have to sticky-tape it from the inside.  He goes into his office, and I hear him moving stuff, probably looking for the stickytape.  He comes back and says "don't come in here now, else you might see something embarrassing..!"... he goes back in, comes out again and laughingly says "just letting you know that there's no lady coming in through the other door, ok??".."ok give me about 3 or 4 mins" and goes back in, closes the door and I soon after hear that RRRRRRRRKKKKKKK sound of a longggg piece of stickytape being pulled and torn.  Eventually he comes out and shows me his handiwork (he seemed rather chuffed with himself)!

Today has been quiet.  I think I overheard hbbm and the other department's not nice boss chatting, and I think hbbm said that he's thinking of retiring because the money just isn't worth it anymore.  He's nearly 70, so that's completely understandable!  I'm really holding thumbs that he retires next year or after, so that I can safely work here until it's time for us to make our moves!

Our wedding + honeymoon plans are coming along nicely!!!  Can't wait!

Contemplation

I think I'm a sensitive, reactive creature. Emotionally sensitive and things affect me which really shouldn't have any impact on me at all.

I will blog about 'usual' stuff now and see if it inspires me to blog more 'thoughtful' stuff hehe... I have so many thoughts in my head right now, and they just don't want to come out!

Things have been busy. The invites are almost 100% sorted - gotta get addresses for a couple of people and then send them off in the post. A few we will hand-deliver. They really do look lovely :)

I have been BORED out of my MIND at work lately. For the most part, all I have been doing at work is filing. I am so bored and frustrated because (as always, where filing is concerned), it is never-ending! Just when I see the end in sight which would be when that dude's filing cabinet is empty, HBBM has urgent (shit) emails to type to people in Mauritius "BLAAAAAAA BLA BLA it's urgent they leave work 2 hours before we do blablabla hold-my-hand-I-can't-TYPE! wahhhh... " and then other work which prevents me from maintaining the upper hand on that filing and then it goes awful again. WHY THE HELL AM I STRESSED OUT ABOUT FILING - jees, is that my sole purpose in life??

All day, at work, I think/mull about the things I COULD be doing at home, useful, NOT-pointless stuff (unlike what I get to do at work)... and every evening, after spending the entire day doing 'nothing', I can't even do those things I had been wanting to do because there's always SOMETHING. Always washing up, or washing, or SOMETHING. Every evening. Same thing on weekends. It's Sunday afternoon now, and almost the entire day yesterday was spent doing chores. So - when is there time to have fun hey? Yes I've griped about this before, but it never changes.

I went through my clothes yesterday, doing a cull, if you would call it that. A long overdue sorting through of clothes. Removing clothes that no longer fit or things I just haven't ever worn in the past CENTURY. It was quite strange. I now have a rather incomplete wardrobe because nothing much is left. It was so strange to dig out the old stuff. Old tank tops, button-t-shirts, quite an assortment of tops basically. They were such a reminder of certain timeperiods, and I felt such a sense of loss. A time which I can't get back, a time which wasn't fully experienced, or not quite fully "lived". Such vivid reminders of particular days, things I would wear with the outfit, feelings and expectations and moods of that time. I guess life is a series of periods, each with their own expectations - and they are rarely fulfilled. Or is it just me? I wouldn't actually know, but it always feels that way.

I suppose it's that problem of reaching +-25 and wondering "so what have I achieved?"... or how much have I grown and changed in the past 10 years. I don't really know. If I think back to those times, in a way, nothing's changed. In another way, so much has changed. I guess I'm still the same person, just living in different circumstances.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling, disappointment perhaps. I guess a person is excited about what is coming, future things, plans, but when they happen, they aren't as huge as they were supposed to be. Being 'grown-up', not that big a deal now is it. Now I get to worry about my hands, how dry they are and wrinkly and stress about how old they are already looking when they really shouldn't! Or how none of my clothes really fit anymore, how they fit me 100% for such a brief time for about 6 months about 2 years ago. It feels so unfair. So when am I going to have that 'carefree' time, where I'm at my best, most beautiful, most impactful, most lovely? Most up-and-coming, perfect? Has it passed already? Why?

I'm so tired. Feel like sitting up on my cliff-top, alone. I'm so sick of ... everything really. Getting home, and there are things to do. Getting home, and hearing the neighbours and their F***ing KID! Like, ENOUGH! ENOUGH damn it. I'm TIRED of hearing them slam their front door EVERY SINGLE TIME they leave or come home. SICK of seeing their car pull up after they've been out, hearing that DAMN CHILD singing BARNEY theme or HAPPY BIRTHDAY...!!!!! Sick of having to constantly be aware of things, like "the washing basket is full/the washing up needs to be done/the bin is full and needs to be taken out/the house needs a clean/things are needed from the shop/the windows need to be closed cos it's dark or raining/my hair needs a wash/my nails need to be cut/WHATEVER!!! I'm so tired of everything now. I'm SICK of doing PERSONAL work for hbbm. Typing up letters regarding the PAVEMENT plants outside his HOLIDAY HOME!!!!! Damn it, damn it all.

I feel fed up... people. I'm fed up with everyone it seems. Mom told me about aunt+uncle, how they fight, argue and taunt each other enough to get themselves into a rage, enough for the one to hit the other because the other challenged them to do it. Their kid stands by and witnesses it. Sick of it... mom not being home, running herself into the ground being OUT of the house when the house needs sorting out and getting into order - she told me how excited she feels when going out on mobile-home holidays and how sad and upset she feels coming home... And people...! I'm tired of it all. I'm tired of how it upsets me. I can't not be affected by it but it's driving me mad. A friend of mine in the US says I should 'change what you can, but things you can't change, forget about'. Easy, it should be. I'm tired.

There's too much to do. I have so much I WANT to do, for fun, recreation, but there's always something else that *should* be done instead. I want to stitch or play games, but I SHOULD go through old magazines and toss them out. I should scan photos in, I should finish the other x-stitches (gifts), I should EVERYTHING. Too much. I'm tired.

News from another planet

Friday was funky! I phoned the PC shop and they'd got their delivery of RAM and so we were able to go buy 1gb each of 667MHz laptop ram! YAY!! When we got home after going out to buy the ram, we plugged in the ram chips and voila! They worked first time! :D I'm now sitting happily with my spiffed up perky laptop. Love this thing! :D

Friday rocked too because I phoned the traffic dept, held on a while and got put through to a cheerful sounding guy at 'collections'. Bang on time, my license was ready, 8 weeks after my test just as they said it would be. Yesterday morning G and I went to fetch it and it's a 100% correct, *my* driving license (my photo, name etc). Just a pity that I'm going to have to apply for a new one in about 4 months' time!!!

Yesterday we also popped in at the aquarium shop. I bought a heater (but found out that the one I thought was broken is in fact still fine), some yum (HURLICIOUS) mealworms for the fish (HURL HURL they're so revolting!!! not freezedried, just kinda... dead in the tin).

Cleaned the tank a little while ago. Still love my fishtank! Gorgeous little fish! It's going to be sad leaving them behind when we move. I will be able to look forward to buying a whole new setup though, and once we get fully settled down I'd like to try my hand at a marine aquarium.

We're busy with the invites now... there's still quite a bit of stuff to organise. I think we're on track though. Later this month the bridesmaids and I are heading off to meet with the dressmaker for measurements and stuff. Eeek!!

I really wish weekends were 3 days long. I don't see what's wrong with an 8 day week. I don't mind working 5 days, but the weekend being 2 days is too short. I'd love a 2nd Sunday so that I can just relax and NOT do anything I HAVE to do, because all that would have been done the day before. *sigh*

I stitched a bit a couple of nights ago. Here's GI Joe as he is now:



I don't really have much else to blog about. My head was full of thoughts and inspiration the past few days and now that I sit down to blog, it's all gone.

I just looked at the fishtank from where I'm sitting and I can see the male congo tetras showing off how manly they are, puffing and prancing and challenging each other. They're such narcissists! :P I think the reason everyone in the tank is showing off is to redefine *their* space. I moved all the floating plants around so I probably changed the "territory boundaries". The hatchetfish are probably going to 'fight' with each other until the plants grow/move back to where they were.

Cosmic imbalance

Strangely enough, this year seems to be one of imbalance or dischord.

It's unfortunate because our wedding is this year and a lot has been achieved already this year so far.  I got my drivers' license, got moles out, etc... long-term things.  The wedding plans are going well, the honeymoon plans are going well too.  But then other things are going wrong.  Very wrong.

Some occurrences this year:

My budgie (living with mom & sis) died earlier this year.

Sis bumped mom's car with her car - broke the headlight on mom's car - expensive to fix and it's still not 100% sorted. 

Sis & mom's arguing/situation.

Sis's work shit:  govt dept did a job-satisfaction survey and no one is happy. Solution?  Tighten the contract wording so that no one can change jobs. Sis's library has 4 members of staff (including the cleaning/book-repair/non-counter working lady).  1 of the 3 counter-working ladies is resigning.  HOW THE HELL CAN YOU RUN A LIBRARY WITH 2 MEMBERS OF STAFF??  Sis is stressed to the max which affects everything.

G's sis's dog was kidnapped by her ex... from her new home (rented).  Luckily she had bought a puppy just a short while before.  She moved back in with their parents and then G's parents' dog passed away (on G's bday).

G's sis was in a car accident (no injuries), car was a write off but insurance paid out.

G's folks have to move again.

My sis was in a car accident (no injuries).  Car 1 slammed on brakes, car 2 slammed on brakes, sis slammed on brakes but didn't stop in time and hit car 2 which hit into car 1.  Bad enough?  Sis's insurance writes the car off (it's an old citi golf)... and will not pay out because one of her tyres had a bald spot which "would have been the cause of the accident".  Her insurance will not pay for car 2's repairs either.  What now?

I dunno. Just felt like blogging that.  Nothing much is going on these days (bloggable)... Work is the same, driving me crazy with lack of stimulation and excess of boredom.  Wedding preparations are taking place.  Honeymoon plans.  Sorting through old junk.  But I'm not feeling particularly restful or "happy".

Dude

Such a beautiful Little Dude! ♥

131/361

My countdown as of today stands at 131 and 361.  131 days left til the wedding, and 361 working days left for me here.

The weekend was fun - went to the house that M&J were housesitting.  The dog + cat there are weird.  The dog doesn't play with a ball or toy like that, she plays with PEBBLES.  Large driveway/plant bed pebbles.  And she plays with the cat - biting him around his entire head.  Very strange.  It's a very nice house though and we had yum pancakes.

Saturday G and I caught up with the chores, and then G read and I sorted through my box of papers.  Getting there, slowly but surely!

On Sunday I drove to mom's house and G and I hung out a bit with sis and got stuff down from in the ceiling.  A whole box of teddies, my box of cars, my luggage set and some other odds and ends.  It's going to be fun sorting through them,  I will clean all my cars, probably wash all the teddies but it might have to wait til summer for me to do that because they will need a long time in the sun to dry!

I then drove from mom's place to G's folks' place.  Was very enjoyable.  I felt a bit "eek" at first but it went very well.  On the mountain pass I took (on both trips) I drove at about 50kmph because of all the tight bends and my not being so used to the car... but then when we went on straight bits I went faster and left the cars behind me way behind! 

I had my first road-block too!  There was a road-block near G's folks' place, in front of the police station - there are a few bays along the road there and I was directed into the front one and I was trying not to hit the traffic officer or mount the kerb and I must have tipped the brakes a little hard coming to a stop.  I grinned like a doofus at G and wound the window down and the traffic officer said "hi there license plskthx" so I handed my big goofy temporary licence paper out the window.  She looked at it and said "you just passed your license recently...:)" probably wondering wtf I was doing driving an Audi... buahahah!!  She walked around the car, probably checking the numberplates, came back to the window and handed my licence back... said "have a good evening - and next time a bit less hard on the brakes".  Hehehehehe!!

We spent quite a while at G's folks' place, and when we left it was dark and VERY misty!  So we had a nice slow drive home.  G got stopped at the same roadblock but the guy just said "do you have your licence sir?" and as G began to take his wallet out of his pocket the guy said "no no, don't worry, you do have it?" "yes" said G.  "Are you sober?" "yes, definitely" "Ok have a good evening" and that was it!  Strange...

I really want to finish with those papers now, and get back into stitching.  Golden Ice is very neglected now!

Oohhh, in other news, when we got home from work on Friday, I popped out of the car to check the letterbox.  There was a puffy envelope in it, addressed to me.  A friend in the UK had posted me a cross-stitch chart and some fabric she had left over from when she did the design.  I'm going to stitch one for my mom and one for G's mom :)  Get them framed and present them to them before the wedding.  It's going to be SO FUN!!

Ok I have a PILE of filing to do so I'd better get to it - yay only 361 days left!

Uhhhhh

Once again I have a post titled "uhh".

Hbbm isn't at work til 2pm today, and I'm doing filing which I haven't been able to do until now.  It's quite a lot.  I must admit I've been "taking it easy" and listening to my ipod while filing.  Hbbm didn't leave any work for me which makes it easier.

One small problem though - I don't FEEL LIKE FILING!  I guess I never do :P  Right now I feel like doing other stuff like wedding planning... little things like that.  Hardihar... little... maybe to the company it'd be little but it's our WEDDING for heaven's sake, it's NOT a small thing.  Large enough for one of the bosses to take the day off in preparation for his daughter's wedding tomorrow... will I be able to take time off like that? HAHAHA... ummmmmmmmm well probably not?  Because I'm using my leave for honeymoon... I'd have to put in for unpaid leave for the Friday before the wedding.. yay.  Unpaid leave, my favourite!

Ok anyway, I hope this blogpost works better than the previous one.  It seems that when I put in a blank line in the email it converts it to two in the blogpost.  Will check it out later.

The night before last we clipped Dude's nails again... we haven't played with him much lately which isn't a good thing.  Poor neglected Dude.  He had a lot of fun that night though!  Well, nail clipping was fine this time again, except for his two inner back toes.  They were very long and his foot wasn't positioning properly on the perches.  Now he should be fine.  With those toes G had to hold him in a little blanket (he doesn't like the nailclippers around his butt evidently, but then, who would?)... for the other nails he sat on my finger and allowed them to be clipped.  Brave Dude :D

In other news - my sis had a fender bender yesterday.  She's alright, the car bumper, bonnet, lights and stuff are a bit damaged, the driver's side door doesn't open, but the car she bumped into was worse off - it was between two cars and being bumped from behind by my sis bumped it against the car in front of it.  Not good!  I guess things like that just happen so there's no point stressing about it.  Not that I can talk, not having ever been in an accident. 

I did have a dream, however, about driving off an EXTREMELY high bridge over a rocky river.  It was very freaky - G and I were in the car, driving around a wide sweeping bend and I suddenly realised that *I* was the one driving (I didn't KNOW?!) and that I should be buckled in.  I pulled the seatbelt across and took my other hand off the steering to buckle up and next thing the car hit the barrier and launched into the air.  I think G's words in the dream were "oh fuck"...  I was busy trying to decide whether it'd be better to crash down with the seatbelt on, or if it'd be impossible to unbelt myself and swim out if the car became filled with water... all that time we were soaring through the air.  I woke up before we actually crashed though.  MAN that was a freaky disturbing dream.

What's with that?

Ok this is going to be one of those rant posts :P  I don't recall ranting for a good while now so it's about damn time!

 

Sometimes, you just wish you could bash someone over the head.  Yesterday I had a moment like that.  Scenario =  Lunch time at the office:

 

I come into the kitchen, armed with my lunchbox (2 slices of toast) and tin of hot choc + mug.  I put my lunchbox down by the griller and I  say "I'm next!! :D" to a friend-colleague who is busy toasting her sandwich - she replies "there's no queue! :)" - so I go about washing my cup and making hot chocolate... I grab a knife out of the drawer and put it on my lunchbox, put my mug next to the kettle because it's still busy boiling, and get a plate out of the cupboard and put it next to my lunchbox.  Turn back to the griller area and this BLOB of a colleague from the other dept has jumped the queue.  She's plonked her lunchbox etc next to/around my lunchbox, and already put her sandwich on the griller next to my friend-colleague's sandwich!

 

I was SO annoyed that I just made my hot chocolate and brought it to my desk.  Went back, and it's still the same... like hello?  What is with that... jump the queue?  Surely ANY normal person would SEE lunchbox, cottage cheese, knife, next to the griller and ask "anyone in the queue?" just to make sure...?  But no, f*** whoever is actually waiting to use the griller.

 

I come back after going to the loo, and now my friend-colleague's taken her sandwich off the griller and someone ELSE had stuck their damn sandwich on the griller next to Madame Blob's sandwich.  By now I'm so annoyed I pick up my plate+bread, cottage cheese and knife and go and wait at my desk - I'd rather seethe at my desk than become enraged in the kitchen... but HONESTLY!!

 

After about 10+ minutes I go back to the kitchen and the griller's free.  The lady after Madame Blob is sitting on the chair next to the griller (which interferes with using the griller but that's another story altogether! see below) but thank god she's less than half the size of Madame Blob who usually plonks her ass there and will not move or move her stuff so you have to lean all over her food/awkwardly take the griller-grid off the griller almost tipping your bread out the other side so as not to knock her stuff.  ARGH!!!!!

 

Where the hell is your brain + consideration for other people?  Ok background - Madame Blob has pissed me off in the past by sitting essentially hogging the griller.  Her offering to plug the griller in and turn my toast for me is NOT going to help... to elaborate a little: the griller is like most grillers out there - it does not toast evenly.  To get evenly toasted bread you have to rearrange your bread slices.  So by offering to do it FOR me you just piss me off more!

 

Another rant, also a longterm one:

 

What on earth is the point of finishing the loo roll which is on the holder (not an industrial-style one like you get in shopping malls which are locked), and taking one from the backup-holder and balancing it on top of the empty cardboard still on the holder?  It is *hardly* a strenuous exercise: 1) remove cardboard roll from holder, 2) put new roll on holder, 3) take cardboard roll and put it in the bin when you leave the loo... VOILA!!

 

WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT CHANGING A LOO ROLL?  No, seriously.  I want an answer.

Clearing out stuff

This weekend has been great. Today is a public holiday. We went to G's folks' place yesterday for Pop-day lunch. I HAVE to get that recipe - chicken + veg on rice... yumMY!!

I've been doing some clearing out this weekend. I finally dragged out the packets of papers+odds and ends and boxes of junk and sorted through them. I now have a box of magazine pages I tore and kept over the years - have to go through them. I have a box of stationery/writing paper/stuff like that, and I have another box of odds and ends like slinkie, HP chocolate frog cards, keyrings and stuff. It is so liberating tossing out such a lot of stuff - for example I'd kept a softcover A4 book which was my matric geography project. Yay... wtf?

Anyway, I now have a clear idea in my mind what all I still HAVE. It is no longer this insurmountable PILE of junk. It's great because now that I have gone through it all, I have a better idea of what all I will have to take with us to Aus.

Next on the cards (after sorting through the box of magazine articles), is fetching stuff from mom's place. There are bags and boxes of toys and stuff that are stored in the ceiling cavity (and possibly, although I doubt it, in cupboards). THAT's going to be a challenge. Toys that have been kept ever since I can remember... games, books, puzzles, teddies, etc. I also have to fetch my dinky-cars (a BOX of them). I have a plan for them once we've moved to Aus. Basically a wall-display, like a printer's tray, with a space for each car, with transparent perspex doors to keep all the dust out. The cars are by no means in good condition, they were played with and left outside and some were even lost in the sandbox for a while, but I'm sure that a whole wall's worth of cars will make a nice, memorable display!

Anyway, there's still a lot of stuff to go through, but I intend on bringing all of my stuff to our place, even if they are in boxes and bags, because then at least I will be able to sort through them in my own time. I can't believe how liberating this all is! Preparing for the wedding is one thing, preparing for the honeymoon is another, and clearing out junk? Now that's a long-term thing but it's great... if I do it all gradually, there will be less stress when we have to move. Also it refreshes in my mind what all I have, and it makes having our own home in Aus more of a goal and not just a dream because I can envision where our stuff will go. I hope that our place will have 'display walls', which I can use to hang up Warpony, Heremia and Golden Ice. At the moment, we only have 1 display wall, so the latest completed cross-stitch goes there. Heremia is there now, Warpony has been demoted to another part of the lounge where he is all but neglected!!

What I want to do this evening is go through some pc games we have. I have Captain Claw, LOTR (seems to be the first one that came out), we have Sam&Max Hit the Road. I want to install them and give them a bash :)

I'm very frustrated about my laptop though. I'd kept a ripped copy of all my CDs on it so that I was able to listen portably, and now I'd burnt almost all of it to DVD so that we could play them in the car. ALL of it except for about 3gb has been successfully burnt and deleted off my laptop. The last 3gb for some reason refuses to be burnt. I don't know whether my DVD drive is giving trouble or whether it is Nero itself, but it burns perfectly until at the end it says "burn failed" (at the lead-out). I'm SO fed up because all I want to do is get rid of that 3gb of music! I cleared a lot of stuff off my laptop (pics, videos, music, docs etc), so it's all but empty now... but ARGH that 3gb..................................

I also want to buy more RAM for it. It's such a great laptop, but now as the programs update and everything gets suited to super-specced machines, the RAM is showing itself to be insufficient (512mb). I still love this laptop though, everything else is 100% with it :D

I think that's all for now... I'd love to do some stitching but I don't know how likely that is what with these games.. ;)