Journal Entries
A workplace whinge
Posted Dec 19, 2003
It's bad enough that I have a non-job, working with a bunch of misfits, and that I've been knocked back for two other jobs in the last week. No, the issue of the week is Workplace Safety. My office has been infested by swarms of bees. I'm allergic to bees. I've been sitting there with a can of insecticide and increasing paranoia, killing insects every few minutes and failing to get any work done.
It took my employers a week to arrange for the bees to be removed. They had to bring in a crane to remove 5 hives from the upper levels of the building - the bees were coming in through the (defective) air conditioning system.
The crane blocked off the exit of the local bus interchange, causing a bit of trouble, but the real problem came when the building next door caught fire... It's a pity the bees didn't get smoked out.
Anyway. I threw in the towel (I have a spare towel, it's OK 
) and left for the day, but then I got caught in one of the (defective) lifts that either slam on you or don't let you out or don't want to go up or stop 4 inches lower than the floor.
While all this was going on, a senior staff member managed to hurt herself on a cupboard door. She's now had the doors removed from all similar cupboards in the building. That puts it all in perspective; it's OK to have me surrounded by potentially lethal insects, but naughty cupboard doors have to be removed immediately. I can't help thinking that this senior officer should have been asked to demonstrate exactly how she got her head stuck in a cupboard, and then she should have been offered remedial training in handling rogue furniture...
End of rant. Thanks for putting up with it.
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Dec 19, 2003
On being slack...
Posted Dec 10, 2003
I thought it was too good to be true, managing to add to the journal two days running, and it was. House-guests can be very distracting.
Since the last entry, I've been to 3 pubs 
, 5 bars , 2 cocktail bars 
, 2 cafes, 2 restaurants, and gawd knows how many shops and markets and things. No wonder I'm feeling drained. But at least my guest had fun. She's gone back to Adelaide now, and I'm broke, and back at work, and I'm resenting every minute of it...
In other news - well, there is no other news, really. Just a hangover that won't go away, and a vague recollection of promising to go to Abu Dhabi next September. It's as good a place as any, no doubt.
The thing that matters, though, is that my ex and I have been getting along better in the last week than we have at any point in the last four years. This does mean a lot to me. There's no chance of a reunion as such, but that doesn't bother me. It's just so nice to be able to build a lasting friendship to replace the much messier situation that went before. It's the first time I've managed this, ever, and I'm proud of it.
In the interests of balance, I should mention that we have been drinking absinthe cocktails during the last few days. That might have something to do with the general mood of bliss.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Dec 10, 2003
Second entry - I'm on a roll....
Posted Dec 3, 2003
Well, after all my wittering on about how fabulous rain is, it bucketed down on Melbourne overnight and flooded bits of it. I'm guessing there's a few damp people down there who wouldn't be interested in such rhapsodies right now. Fact remains, though, Canberra could still do with a bit more rain...
But enough of that. I'm in a mild panic about a job interview. It's not for a while yet, but I just heard about it so it's preying on my mind. I hate interviews. I'd rather be at the dentist having a nice root canal or something. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the dentist for a while. Maybe I should see the dentist after the interview and make a day of it.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Dec 3, 2003
My first entry. Gripping stuff.
Posted Dec 2, 2003
This is my first journal entry, and it's right on course to be all about nothing. I don't have a lot to say right now; I'm just trying to dull the memory of a very tedious day writing mind-numbing technical documents for a set of end users who either won't read 'em or won't understand 'em. If it comes to that, the whole project is likely to be scrapped...
Are you yawning yet?
Let's change topic. It's raining. And about time, too. Apart from a decent fall a fortnight or so ago, we haven't had rain like this - rain that forms real puddles and drips off trees and gets in your shoes and manages to land right on your freshly-lit cigarette and send up a tiny puff of steam - since February 2002. After a break like that, you forget just how good rain can smell and how much fun it can be to go and stand in it. I probably looked like a loony standing out there, but most of the neighbours were outside too, so nobody's likely to complain.
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Dec 2, 2003
Ivan the Terribly Average
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