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| Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 | | 10:11 pm |
Some Correspondence
To those of you living on the moon, today the 85-member Federal Liberal Party voted 42-41 to replace Malcolm Turnbull with Tony Abbott. This has several issues most notably that 42 plus 41 equals 83. That means if Fran Bailey (who was ill) or the disbelieving informal voter expresses an opinion, it's all messy again. Regardless, I feel it is necessary to share my views with various involved parties. Hence: Dear Malcolm Turnbull, For what it's worth, I don't really think you lost anything today. When the Libs are comprehensively beaten in 2010, you'll have credibility, a higher profile and a reputation for putting your money where your mouth is. I'll consider voting for you in 2013 anyway. Regards, Dear Joe Hockey, I try to admire what you did. Patch the party up, don't go back on your word re ETS and I love the idea of conscience votes. I think there should be many, many more of them - that's why we elect so many senators and MPs. But the columnist (Michelle Grattan?) from The Age is right. A major party really should have a position on an ETS. The middle path is just not going to instill confidence in the Liberal party and makes me worry if you really are bright enough for the job if you see that as the solution. Regards, To Tony Abbott, Just so you know, as a politically aware 30-something who grew up in Camberwell, who distrusts and dislikes trade unions, who earns above AWE, I am EXACTLY the demographic the Libs need to win to get anyway. I will NEVER, EVER, EVER vote for you. You are a selfish, moralistic, offensive man and if the Libs choose you as a leader, then I can only mourn that the party is apparently regressing to the 1940s since you're at least ten years behind Howard and he was embarrassment enough. Regards, Dear Judith Troeth, Julian McGuaran and various other Liberal senators, Please strongly consider forming a cabal of seven, defying Abbott and voting for the ETS. You really can't tear the party any further apart or expose it to more ridicule so there's no real harm in doing the Right Thing. Regards, Dear Liberal Party in general, Do you realise that in the next federal election four states do not have a Green Senator up for re-election? That means if in any of those states (which include Vic and SA), one in six voters want the Greens, the Greens will gain a senator. Also, no state has fewer than 3 coalition senators up for re-election? Which means the libs can really only lose senators, the greens are very likely to gain and if the greens do lose a senator it will be to Labour in WA. At the very least Victoria will oust Fielding and install a Greens candidate or possibly Labour. End result... next time around Labour don't have to negotiate with you. They'll have enough votes with the support of the Greens. Can you guess what happens to the ETS if the greens are the negotiating partner? Also, see my earlier letter to your chosen leader. Regards, Dear World, I reserve the right to rant further on the subject of Tony Abbott at a future date. The cretin needs to be pulled down. Regards, | | Monday, November 30th, 2009 | | 8:53 pm |
Wow. Two wins in one day.
I knew things were going to get better this week but I wasn't expecting this. Not that today was perfect. I've gone from an 8 minute commute (including time in the lift) to an hour and forty-five minutes which means I left the house about 7am and got home just before 8pm. It's tiring but it's only 12 days so I'll cope. Also, my contracts for the new job still haven't arrived but I'm not worried just yet. But I did enough whinging last week - this is a good news story. Win 1: This morning TAC HR emailed to let me know they had considered the two page form I submitted in July and conceded that the large tumour in my right lung DID meet the criteria for a "serious medical condition" and I was therefore granted 30 days additional sick leave for any absences related to said condition. I don't really know why it took five months for the approval to come through but I've decided not to question these things. (The only question that my doctor didn't answer in the textbook fashion for acceptance was "Will this condition result in death if not treated promptly" to which she wrote "uncertain but likely".) This means I get back the 8 days of annual leave I used up back in July when I was working part-time due to post-surgery fatigue issues and also that I don't have to use annual leave tomorrow for my CT scan. Net result: An extra 8 days of accumulated leave added to my redundancy payout and I don't have to feel guilty about taking all of tomorrow off rather than bolting down to Geelong for an afternoon. Win 2: The evening, my uber-boss asked for a quick word. There is only one answer to this request and given I was really distracted and unproductive last week, I was faintly concerned. However, he then revealed that the "market review of salaries" had occurred and HR was now of the opinion that I was being underpaid for my role. It's not a big payrise - about 3% - but it is backdated to August and is applied to the 10% bonus I get tomorrow and the 17 weeks pay I get in the redundancy payout in three weeks. I feel like I should possibly, you know, work hard these last two weeks in gratitude but that seems like a lot of effort so I'll probably just take the money and run. Net result: I get an even bigger bucketload of cash over the next three weeks than I was expecting. I choose to call it a good day. | | Friday, November 27th, 2009 | | 3:55 pm |
Why can't the world be the way I want it to be? or What the libs should do
So I think I'm about to hit peak stress. I have 24 hours before the moving people come and I'm nowhere near packed. I'm jumping through the get-a-new-job-hoops which is good because it means I don't have to keep sending out resumes but bad because things MUST be done this week. I'm juggling a whole bunch of things at work, none of which are terribly urgent. (This is worse than when things are urgent - give me a tight deadline and I'm focused with adrenaline and good at prioritising. Give me a bunch of amorphous tasks that should be done and I tend to drift.) I think the potential for a family explosion this weekend is high. I'm exhausted because I don't sleep well when stressed and my favourite coping method - find a good book and immerse myself in it - is not really solving anything. Also, I work with an idiot who can't even argue well and is silly enough to call me darling in the same sentence when he asked if I was going to hit him. (I was trying to swat a fly at the time so I even had a weapon of sorts.) Therefore I would like to share with you my opinion about what the federal liberal party should do. If you're unaware of the crisis then never mind - you clearly have no awareness of politics so this will make no sense. Please note that my plan is a long-term plan, will send them to the political wilderness for at least five years and will require some politicians to be honest. I'm not suggesting any of these things will happen - except the five years of wilderness thing which seems to be inevitable. Basically, I think they need to split. I think people who like Abbott, who believe that climate change is not serious and the will of electorate can be ignored on this issue, who believe that the euthanasia laws and civil unions need to be overturned and that the Real Australia consists of white hetero couples with kids, a yard and dog etc need to call a spade a spade and announce the creation of the Australian Conservative Party. They can join the Nats and have tea parties with Steven Fielding. Meanwhile the depleted Liberal Party can once again own their name and stand for small government they way they should, the way Turnbull and Petro Georgiou and Judith Troeth do it. The stand that says the govt is only there to correct market failure, create a decent legal system where everyone can understand the rules for doing business and makes sure more people don't impinge on other people's rights and otherwise leave people alone. I realise most people reading this still won't vote for either the Libs or the new Conservative party but let's face it, most of you can barely bring yourself to vote ALP as a second preference from the Greens. On the other hand, I would be able to stomach voting for the liberals for the first time in years and - I suspect - so would lots of other people especially under the age of fifty. That first election when they went up against each other and realised where on the spectrum most of the electorate sat (as opposed to be people who can be bothered paying to be Liberal Party members) would be very educational I think. Plus I would never have to explain to another American why our socially progressive laws are blocked by the Liberal Party. I'm seriously considering writing to Turnbull and saying that I admire what he tried to do to the Libs and if a true liberal party is ever created, they should drop me a note. (And if this is impossible-to-read-illiterate-ranting, I apologise. I'm having a bad week.) | | Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 | | 12:40 pm |
And this IS the short version...
It’s just over four weeks until my last day at TAC.
It’s just over two weeks until I hand my apartment keys back.
It’s just under two weeks until my fun morning at St Vincent’s for CT scans etc.
It’s ten days until the moving people come and pick up all my stuff.
It’s two days until my next job interview.
It’s one month until I see the specialist again and find out if the tumour has stayed gone.
I have a headache. This might be because my hair is up today but is probably because I’m not sleeping at all well.
I have persistent low-level nausea which might be because I’m not eating all that well but is probably due to stress.
I have a couple of projects at work that I started because the initial investigations were fun and my expertise but now the code needs to be cleaned up, checked and put into production.
I have documentation and handover material that needs to be written but isn’t. I should send off a couple more job applications this week.
I should pack more stuff.
I should to book the carpet cleaners.
I should finish testing my changes and send the results off for UAT.
I should write the notes for the staff reviews that need to be done in December/January. I need to remember that I’m getting movers in and if things aren’t perfectly sorted, I just add more to my credit card bill and they will make it work.
I need to remember that if I don’t have time to clean, I can hire people to do that too.
I need to remember that if I don’t get a job, I use some of my payout and go on a summer holiday.
I need to remember that I’m leaving in four weeks and not everything will be done. I want to just wake up and discover the date is December 19 and everything went fine. | | Friday, November 13th, 2009 | | 8:35 pm |
Sometimes it's the oddest things
So I know there's lots of things still weird and unsettled in my life right now. I'm in the midst of moving, am job hunting, am trying to do my current job in such a way that if I leave in three weeks it's all fine plus I have to keep at least two days in December free for medical check-ups. But my life has been weird for so much of this year that I'm getting pretty good at repressing. Until something throws you out of the general busy-thinking-this-IS-normal mode. There was an item on our corporate newsletter this week - corporate blood donation, everyone is encouraged to register and they're looking for "floor captains" to go around and whip up enthusiasm. I took a moment and realised that I hadn't donated blood in ages so clicked on the link to "express interest". And then I realised that I can't. I was barred from blood donation for twelve months following surgery and even if I could get around that, donating the week before my specialist appointment (which if I'm really unlucky could send me for more surgery) would be a Really Poor Idea. It's weird which restrictions seem to bite. | | Saturday, October 31st, 2009 | | 12:46 pm |
| | Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | | 6:48 pm |
To Do (because this worked so well last night)
- Dishes (because putting everything but the wok in the dishwasher and wastefully running it when not full totally counts) - Put rest of the laundry away - Ironing (now less important as next couple of work days a likely to be warm) - Read - Apply for a job - Start packing/sorting stuff from study - Re-arrange books (not really suprising that this got done) (Any similarities between this list and last night's list are purely coincidental and in no way reflect my extreme laziness and distraction.) EDIT: The predictable items are still outstanding but that's what weekends are for, right? | | Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | | 5:56 pm |
To Do (preferably tonight)
- Jog - Dishes - Put laundry away - Ironing (getting really important) - Eat - Read - Work stuff (no more than 30 mins worth) - Apply for a job - Start packing/sorting stuff from study | | Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 | | 11:30 am |
What to do... advice please!
I have two dilemmas.I have been advised that asking the Internet won't help but I don't believe it. I think the Internet knows all and will furnish me with answers because that's what the Internet is for. Hence: Question 1 - When should I move? I start paying rent in Melbourne on November 14, my last possible working day at TAC is December 17. I think my two best options are November 14 and November 28. Moving earlier means it is done, I'm back living where I want to live and I have more time to clean my apartment. Also, with five weeks to commute I can surely attack my To Read shelf properly. If the commuting really drives me insane, I can always bring a mattress back down and stay here some weeknights at a pinch. I'm not actually paying the rent down here so money is a lesser factor than normal. Moving later means I have more time to pack, I only have to commute for 3 weeks max and I have longer living in my own apartment. Question 2 - Should I attempt Nanowrimo (writing a 50,000 word novel in November)? The last few years I have failed at it because I'm just not that good at writing when I'm supposed to be writing. However, this November it occurs to me that I will be busy applying for jobs, packing, moving and getting fit. When I'm supposed to be doing things like that, I'm really good at writing lots. So do I attempt it because I have a higher chance of succeeding this year or do I avoid it because I should spend my time writing job applications, moving etc? What say you, cyberspace? Current Mood:  hungry | | Sunday, October 18th, 2009 | | 10:11 pm |
Let's Celebrate Progress
So a little while ago I was feeling seriously overwhelmed and borderline depressed. I'm not saying I'm out of the woods but sometimes one needs to re-clarify. Done - The Wedding of the Brother - Turning 30 - Actually celebrate a birthday - Finding a place to live - Starting to jog - Organising my redundancy (mostly) To Do - Move - Find job - Get fitness back - Six month check-up The find a job one is obviously the big one but it's also the one that I don't have a hard time limit on. I mean, obviously sooner is better but I won't be destitute if I have a couple of months of unemployment. I need to remember that. | | Thursday, October 8th, 2009 | | 11:12 pm |
Ethical Question - The Aftermath
To complete yesterday's story. He signed the card badly. He did not contribute to the gift. I did not say anything directly. He did go to the morning tea, proceed to eat more than anyone else then take some of the (not overly abundant) leftovers back to his desk. He was also heard to say something along the lines of "free food... you have to take advantage of it." When we went out to lunch, three of us chipped in cash. He pocketed the cash and put the total bill on his credit card. No issue except he didn't tip and I know we all in an extra dollar or so because that's what you do. For the record, he is not the office PA. He is on a professional wage as is his wife. 50 days and I'm out of there. | | Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 | | 6:17 pm |
Ethical Question
I have a four person team as in myself and three direct reports. We sit in the same block of four desks, work quite closely together etc. One of my reports is leaving. Her last day is tomorrow. As per the rules, I went out and bought a card, passed it around and called for donations for some farewell flowers. (It’s usually a gift but in this case, she’s moving overseas in a week so pretty sure she doesn’t want more possessions.) A number of people on the floor have contributed – usually $2 or $3. I put in $5 plus purchasing the card. Of the other two in our team, one gave me $5 while the other has given nothing. He has sat next to her for more than a year. Do I pull him aside in the morning and demand money or do I just acknowledge that he fails at social interaction and give up? | | Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | | 12:26 pm |
Dilemma or how healthy do I need to be?
(Yes I know I'm at work and was whinging about how busy I am. But I have a "remote processing in progress" issue right now and am bored. Hence, rant/dilemma) Historically I ignored all those rules about reducing salt intake because I was considerably overweight and I figured why worry about salt when it's not my major risk factor for heart heath. I mean, if I was serious about avoiding heart disease and stroke, I'd eat more vegetables, eat less take-away, exercise more and come somewhere near a BMI of 25. The logic was shaky but it was there and salt made food tasty without adding too many calories. It occurs to me that the logic is even shakier now. I'm not saying my weight or diet is perfect... but it's not that bad anymore. Now the two biggests risk factors probably are a lack of fruit and vegetables in my diet and high sodium intake. (Given family history, my concern isn't totally irrational BTW and I am rapidly heading out of the "youth" demographic.) So should I try and give up salt? | | Monday, September 14th, 2009 | | 10:36 am |
Not tragic, bureaucratically stupid
So Anna Bligh (Qld premier and first woman to be elected as a state premier in Australia) thinks the case of Tegan Leach and Sergie Brennan is "tragic" ( http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/bligh-steers-clear-of-tragic-abortion-case-20090913-fm0w.html). No it's not. Tragic is when someone dies. Or suffers such devastating injuries that their life is effectively over. What happened here is that two people, at 19 and 21, with the agreement of their families decided not to be parents just yet and terminated a pregnancy before it got to the three month mark. This would have been legal if they'd seen a doctor and done it surgically. It would have been legal if they'd seen one of the 17(?) specialists who is allowed to prescribe RU486 in Australia for the purpose of triggering an abortion. The only thing that made it illegal is that they got the drugs overseas via his sister and took them without medical supervision. They have not been charged with illegal importation however. I'm not saying that's smart - if I (or a teenage girl of my acquaintance) wanted to terminate a pregnancy I would absolutely think a medical consultation was in order. But given she survived with no major health complications, it's not tragic. The charges they face carry penalties of 7 and 3 years respectively for the crime of not going to a doctor. That's stupid. And really crappy and I'll go march in protest if there's a suitable opportunity. But it's not tragic. Especially not if the Queensland courts apply a modicum of common sense to the case. Current Mood:  cranky | | Sunday, September 13th, 2009 | | 9:47 pm |
I keep waiting for jogging not to hurt
or In case anyone was wondering part 2: Handy tip about exercise. Spending February to mid-May doing very little aerobic exercise followed by the rest of May in bed then June and July limiting exercise to slow walking and August to low impact exercise means that jogging in September is deeply unpleasant. And the worst of it is that I have to do it. If I don't get lung capacity back by December, there's no telling what my respiratory specialist will make me do. (I don't think any more surgery unless something also shows up on scans but a bronchoscopy and probably more drugs a definite possiblities.) I can't quite work out how I feel about this. Being unable to run due to severe back pain was theoretically annoying but it meant I felt no guilt for sitting around watching DVDs instead of exercising for three months. Now I have to make time for exercise and running still hurts - just doesn't hurt my back much. Doesn't quite feel like a win but I suppose it will get better? | | Friday, September 11th, 2009 | | 5:00 pm |
Maybe I could get a job editing job adverts?
Because clearly there aren't enough people doing that job properly. My favourite from today was:
"Are you up for an exciting challenge? Well this exceptional opportunity lies with a dynamic organisation, seeking a brilliant Disputes Credit Officer!"
Seriously. Skip the hyperbole, include a salary. The poorly written ad goes on to require "Negotiating and liaising with key state holders to minimising returns"
Not sure that's what you want your debt collector to be doing. | | Thursday, September 10th, 2009 | | 7:28 pm |
| | Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 | | 7:35 pm |
Er... no. And I expected better from theage.com.au
So normally I avoid the "Ask Sam" blog on theage.com.au like the plague. The female "Ask Sam" one anyway - the male Sam occasionally has an interesting point. Before today, I thought the female one really does belong in a trashy magazine. Today I clicked on a link that led me to an article on having a fling. Moderately annoying, I can usually live with it. But then I read this line (advice to men for embarking on a fling.) "When women aren't expecting a fling, they might not have their legs shaved. If this is the case, she will probably refuse to get naked with you. Don't be afraid to tell her you like women au natural. Most of the time, she'll believe you." I really don't know where to start. So far my reactions are: - If a bloke assumes the only reason I'm not sleeping with him on a first date/first meeting is because I haven't shaved my legs, reassuring me that he doesn't mind will not win him points. - If I really wanted to sleep with someone, I'm not going to worry too much about hairy legs. If he cares too much about that, I don't really want to sleep with him. (Which is not to say I actually practise what I preach. Despite any ranting I may do, I generally don't wear skirts/shorts with hairy legs.) - The whole "Most of the time, she'll believe you" sounds like you're encouraging men to lie and mislead in order to get casual sex. And also seems to assume that most men do mind hairy legs, but are willing to overlook it for no-strings sex. - Is she suggesting that a girl needs permission from a random bar pick-up to have unshaven legs? I'm so tempted to write a letter to theage.com.au editors. And I'm not even interested in the whole debate. Current Mood: annoyed | | Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 | | 6:29 pm |
Plan for Tonight
Make changes to resume as suggested by helpful recruitment agent
Make notes about unhelpful recruitment agent so I don't apply with him again if possible Pack for trip to Melbourne tomorrow Strip/re-make bed Generate dinner somehow*
Do dishes Catch-up on sleep Apply for another job*
Read* Watch Crime and Punishment?
*Standing items for all future To Do lists | | Sunday, August 30th, 2009 | | 5:22 pm |
Dear VicRoads, I try to respect speed limits, I really do. Even the roadworks ones. But I'm struggling when I'm driving from Geelong to Melbourne and get asked to slow to 80km on three separate occasions, for several kilometres each time and I see no sign of roadworks. No workers. No trucks. Not even a traffic cone or a pile of gravel. If you want me to slow for roadworks, please do something that looks like roadworks. Regards, Dear Campbell Brown (and by extension the rest of Hawthorn FC). I might possibly take your complaints about Matthew Lloyd's admittedly high, fractionally late bump seriously except that you're such a thug. Seriously. You have no credibility on this issue. On that, everyone else can lay off Lloyd as well. I may not scream injustice if he gets suspended (if Franklin gets a suspension then Lloyd probably should as well) but really... think about the circumstances. Regards, Dear self, How is it you still have dishes from last week sitting around and yet as soon as you got home, you found 15 minutes to re-arrange the bookshelf. Come to that... why did you just bring ten books into the house despite the To Read shelves showing no signs of becoming a To Read shelf yet. Regards, Dear weather, Thanks for holding off on the torrential rain until I actually got inside. Now I have the perfect excuse to skip jogging and settle in with tapestry, laptop and TV football. Current Mood:  chipper |
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