Asleep on a Train

My life keeps getting more interesting. I spent last weekend down in Geelong, with Dee and the girls. Dee has embarked on a side venture, pushing plastic kitchenware via the party method. All good fun because she has had a large collection of this type of product for as long as I've known her and it was only logical that she became a disciple at some stage. Last Sunday, she had arranged for one of her long-time uni buddies to host a party, and we all went over to the friend's place, as we had been invited to stay for a BBQ afterwards. Sunday was a stinky hot day. Being a social event, on a Sunday, we had planned our week due to my need to fly up to Sydney the next day. All good. The party was a quiet affair, with Dee having a couple of sales, which is good as she gets started in the biz, and while that was going on, I made small talk with the host's hubby, who also works in Technology. His views are firmly fixed as to what is good and bad in these areas, due to his position...

You never know where you will find an Interesting Conversation. I took the Substitute bus Geelong to Melbourne; as opposed to the normal train, due to repairs on the track. Sitting beside me was an 81 year old man. I put down my book on Knowledge Learning (a book review is coming) and decided that this morning I would talk to him rather than pretend I was asleep. After all this was not a train. He was a retired engineer from Nestles. Born in Perth he had lived most of his life in Warnambool. He has been looking after his wife of 50 years (51 in May :)), who is in a wheel chair and is losing her control of her body. He told me that she was still smart but trapped inside a body that is slowly failing. That day, he was on his way to Dubbo zoo. His daughter had come down from Melbourne to relieve him from his caring duties, and told her dad to have a break. Going to a zoo 1000 kms away sounded like a good break! In the space of an hour we discussed the human condition and injustic...

What a relief. After the month of turmoil, changing jobs, buying a car, Christmas and birthday, and cutting up my credit cards and canceling my overdraft, I was down to my last $100 of real money. I was paid last night and this morning I quickly moved funds into my savings and bill paying accounts before the money burned a hole in my virtual pocket. I still have a long way to go before my head surfaces but I want to be on top of my spending by the end of the year. This means living frugally and saving vigorously...not something I've been good at in the past. As for now(this week), I will pay the balance of the car repairs and next week I will sort out the Stamp Duty owed to Vic Govt...or yeah, I owe the taxman too -sigh- Not having credit is forcing me to priority's what needs to be dealt with and at the same time keeps me focused on the daily issues as well. I can now show myself that I'm spending too much on lunches and I'll need to find alternatives to th...

Tomorrow I start my new job. I will be contracting to a law firm as the IT manager, and I'm very nervous and excited. This is a risk for me, but I go in with my eyes open. The past week (Christmas, Dee's birthday and New Year) has been spent with my family, whom I have a great love for. Our Christmas was quiet and controlled, as mentioned previously, and the time leading up to the 29th was spent quietly potting about our homes. For Dee's birthday, we went on a dinner steam train from Queenscliff to Drysdale return. It is a sunset trip and takes about an hour there, an hour at Drysdale to enjoy the countryside and a spit roast meal, and the return trip was enjoyed as the sun when down over the Bellarine Peninsula. You can learn about it here http://www.bpr.org.au/ Dee and I spent some much needed time working in the garden at Niagara Way. I managed to pull most of the weeds from the front, and we have tidied up the side of the house as well. Casey went to Canber...