August/Sept Report
"Wake me up when September ends" - Green Day
I can write better on a train than I can on a plane
The seats on the plane are too close together, and I don't get enough room to hold the laptop far enough away from my fat tummy to read it clearly (bad eye sight doesn't help!)
The flights to Sydney are too short to really justify even getting the laptop out
The train trip into Melbourne is better, I can start to write as soon as I sit down, and the trip time is unpredictable but always more than 35 minutes.
On a train you never know which stations will be used. Sometimes it is an express trip, and sometimes it stops all stations
Today the train isn't even going to the usual destination, but it still gets me pretty close to the office.
Since the Sydney project was completed,(six weeks ago) I've being feeling a bit empty and lifeless. To address those feelings, I took a week off, but with Dee at home, I ended up being just as busy as ever. In fact we did so many things, I now feel like another break to rest from my rest. I sent a note to a friend about what I did. Here is an excerpt:
first weekend = Sat was Kirby's soccer in Geelong, Sun was Kirby's Soccer final and presentation BBQ in Drysdale (slightly out of Geelong...in the pouring rain.
Monday = lots of housework, then shopping, then into my garage to build a part of our ever extending shelving/storage system. A trip to Bunnings was required later on, 'cos Dee picked up a bargain at Spotlight of a couple of Roman blinds, which meant that I would have to paint two window frames (and all the sanding she*t that goes on before hand) before the blinds could be put up.
Tuesday = lotsa Cursing and swearing as I built a rickety structure over our stairs to allow me to get at the window from hell that needed its frame painted and blinds installed. Back to Bunnings for special tool to drill in screws and more a bit of a wander about. Tuesday afternoon, back to Geelong for Movies (Charlie and chocolate factory), a bit of lunch, a hair cut, and then the girls Parent Teacher meetings (about 3 hours worth, 10 teachers, 20 minute chats)
Wednesday, = Paint dry, blinds hung , Shelves constructed and stacked with more junk, out to the garden to continue cleaning out the years of built up weeds and dog poo behind the garage, followed with a trip to the tip. Drove Dee into town for her job interview, killed a couple of hours, drove home.
Thursday = Spent all day buying an investment property (Too easy) It's in Werribee and not yet finished and is better than our real house. Now all we need to do is wait ten years for it to double in price.
Friday = More gardening, young cat back to vet for more surgery, another trip to tip, more house tidying, and four hours of ironing (still not finished)
Saturday = big day in the Garage, decided to move one shelf from one side of garage to other, but it took all day to move all the other crap about to achieve that goal. Installed an old PC with MP3 player and plugged it into an old home theatre system in garage so I now have 5gb (5000 songs) to choose from when I'm pottering about in there. Crazy = yes
Sunday = more ironing in the morning, (business shirts) over to Prahran for lunch with my nephew the chef, so it was a quite day
Monday = got up real early and went to work.
As one can see, I thought we'd squeezed quite a lot of things into the 'rest'
The past week at work was an effort to brings things back to normal, with me struggling to get my filing back into shape and begin to record the business spending again in a file that I can build the next budget. I have my major purchases lined up,and this week I'll work on the services such as telecoms and data accounts.
I made a two day trip to Sydney, and I'm pleased to see the office settling into a routine and looking like it's being that way for ages.
I have a full team at present, and they are all working well. All I need to decide now is who to appoint as my senior Systems Guy. I want to know who could be my 2IC in the future.
Dee is still at home and not really looking for work as yet. We are OK money-wise for now, but we will need to slow down a bit soon. I think she will start looking in earnest after Casey heads off to Thailand in late October.
Over the past weekend, I spent most of Saturday down in Geelong killing time while Casey went to a birthday party with her school friends. I took in a bit of shopping, buying a couple of CDs (School of Rock soundtrack, Best of Beach Boys, Platters and Drifters, a lot of classic songs in that list) I also saw the movie Sky High, which is a bit of a hoot. I just couldn't get into being by myself, which was unsettling for me. Saturday night I just played around on the computer and watched the TV with Dee, who was very tired after working with Mary all day. On Sunday, I cleaned up the kitchen and vacuumed the house, while Dee did the same to the car, I then took the trailer to the tip and threw away the last of the dog compost from the last year or so. In the afternoon, I painted the hand rails for the stairs.
What am I Reading: Glory Road by Robt A Heinlein. An all time classic for me. I lost my original copy years ago, and find a perfect replacement whan we were in Geelong for the girls Parent Teacher day. I also picked up a second hand Anne McCaffery and a Larry Niven that I'm looking forward to reading.Glory Road is a great yarn, bring all sorts of literary characters together, with Heros, Princesses and monsters villains, written in a first-person style that I enjoy. I'm also glancing at "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" to try to jog myself up a bit. I wrote and thanked people the other day, so at least I'm trying.
For work I'm reading Susskind's Transforming the Law, and Maister's True Professionalism. Both these books hold important information for my to bring into the office. I really want to knuckle down and finish understanding these books.
What am I Listening to: Lots of 70's stuff, regressing to my formative years again, plus the girls haven't asked for any Green Day CDs this month. Have been trying to rip all our CDs into MP3s but I keep finding more as we tidy up the packed boxes.
What an I Playing: Not much. there is a new Diablo II ladder running, but I'm taking the long view this time, building a Enchanter, and Singing Barb, and a pure Summinoning Necro. I'm in no rush. I also have a Shocking Paladin in training.
What exercise do I get? : NONE, apart from walking up stairs, and housework. I'm fat and I don't like it. This is a wake up call for me. Spring is here, and I should be back on the bike.
Lots more another week. Cheers
I can write better on a train than I can on a plane
The seats on the plane are too close together, and I don't get enough room to hold the laptop far enough away from my fat tummy to read it clearly (bad eye sight doesn't help!)
The flights to Sydney are too short to really justify even getting the laptop out
The train trip into Melbourne is better, I can start to write as soon as I sit down, and the trip time is unpredictable but always more than 35 minutes.
On a train you never know which stations will be used. Sometimes it is an express trip, and sometimes it stops all stations
Today the train isn't even going to the usual destination, but it still gets me pretty close to the office.
Since the Sydney project was completed,(six weeks ago) I've being feeling a bit empty and lifeless. To address those feelings, I took a week off, but with Dee at home, I ended up being just as busy as ever. In fact we did so many things, I now feel like another break to rest from my rest. I sent a note to a friend about what I did. Here is an excerpt:
first weekend = Sat was Kirby's soccer in Geelong, Sun was Kirby's Soccer final and presentation BBQ in Drysdale (slightly out of Geelong...in the pouring rain.
Monday = lots of housework, then shopping, then into my garage to build a part of our ever extending shelving/storage system. A trip to Bunnings was required later on, 'cos Dee picked up a bargain at Spotlight of a couple of Roman blinds, which meant that I would have to paint two window frames (and all the sanding she*t that goes on before hand) before the blinds could be put up.
Tuesday = lotsa Cursing and swearing as I built a rickety structure over our stairs to allow me to get at the window from hell that needed its frame painted and blinds installed. Back to Bunnings for special tool to drill in screws and more a bit of a wander about. Tuesday afternoon, back to Geelong for Movies (Charlie and chocolate factory), a bit of lunch, a hair cut, and then the girls Parent Teacher meetings (about 3 hours worth, 10 teachers, 20 minute chats)
Wednesday, = Paint dry, blinds hung , Shelves constructed and stacked with more junk, out to the garden to continue cleaning out the years of built up weeds and dog poo behind the garage, followed with a trip to the tip. Drove Dee into town for her job interview, killed a couple of hours, drove home.
Thursday = Spent all day buying an investment property (Too easy) It's in Werribee and not yet finished and is better than our real house. Now all we need to do is wait ten years for it to double in price.
Friday = More gardening, young cat back to vet for more surgery, another trip to tip, more house tidying, and four hours of ironing (still not finished)
Saturday = big day in the Garage, decided to move one shelf from one side of garage to other, but it took all day to move all the other crap about to achieve that goal. Installed an old PC with MP3 player and plugged it into an old home theatre system in garage so I now have 5gb (5000 songs) to choose from when I'm pottering about in there. Crazy = yes
Sunday = more ironing in the morning, (business shirts) over to Prahran for lunch with my nephew the chef, so it was a quite day
Monday = got up real early and went to work.
As one can see, I thought we'd squeezed quite a lot of things into the 'rest'
The past week at work was an effort to brings things back to normal, with me struggling to get my filing back into shape and begin to record the business spending again in a file that I can build the next budget. I have my major purchases lined up,and this week I'll work on the services such as telecoms and data accounts.
I made a two day trip to Sydney, and I'm pleased to see the office settling into a routine and looking like it's being that way for ages.
I have a full team at present, and they are all working well. All I need to decide now is who to appoint as my senior Systems Guy. I want to know who could be my 2IC in the future.
Dee is still at home and not really looking for work as yet. We are OK money-wise for now, but we will need to slow down a bit soon. I think she will start looking in earnest after Casey heads off to Thailand in late October.
Over the past weekend, I spent most of Saturday down in Geelong killing time while Casey went to a birthday party with her school friends. I took in a bit of shopping, buying a couple of CDs (School of Rock soundtrack, Best of Beach Boys, Platters and Drifters, a lot of classic songs in that list) I also saw the movie Sky High, which is a bit of a hoot. I just couldn't get into being by myself, which was unsettling for me. Saturday night I just played around on the computer and watched the TV with Dee, who was very tired after working with Mary all day. On Sunday, I cleaned up the kitchen and vacuumed the house, while Dee did the same to the car, I then took the trailer to the tip and threw away the last of the dog compost from the last year or so. In the afternoon, I painted the hand rails for the stairs.
What am I Reading: Glory Road by Robt A Heinlein. An all time classic for me. I lost my original copy years ago, and find a perfect replacement whan we were in Geelong for the girls Parent Teacher day. I also picked up a second hand Anne McCaffery and a Larry Niven that I'm looking forward to reading.Glory Road is a great yarn, bring all sorts of literary characters together, with Heros, Princesses and monsters villains, written in a first-person style that I enjoy. I'm also glancing at "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" to try to jog myself up a bit. I wrote and thanked people the other day, so at least I'm trying.
For work I'm reading Susskind's Transforming the Law, and Maister's True Professionalism. Both these books hold important information for my to bring into the office. I really want to knuckle down and finish understanding these books.
What am I Listening to: Lots of 70's stuff, regressing to my formative years again, plus the girls haven't asked for any Green Day CDs this month. Have been trying to rip all our CDs into MP3s but I keep finding more as we tidy up the packed boxes.
What an I Playing: Not much. there is a new Diablo II ladder running, but I'm taking the long view this time, building a Enchanter, and Singing Barb, and a pure Summinoning Necro. I'm in no rush. I also have a Shocking Paladin in training.
What exercise do I get? : NONE, apart from walking up stairs, and housework. I'm fat and I don't like it. This is a wake up call for me. Spring is here, and I should be back on the bike.
Lots more another week. Cheers
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