Kicking back in the wet

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It’s been raining all week and will continue to rain for the next few days. There’s nothing really to do except sit inside all weekend and do nothing, apart from eat, drink, watch TV and strain my eyes via a PC monitor.

To be fair, that’s an accurate description of most of my weekends, irrelevant of the weather. Usually though it’s a choice. When it rains your hand is mostly forced.

Regarding eye strain, I now have two sets of glasses. One for work and one for home. According to the optometrist, my vision is first rate but my eyes focus too hard when I’m looking at screens. This has literally caused me headaches for months. Wearing the spectacles seems to be making a difference. Thank you, Specsavers.

Really not that much more going on. It’s been a bit of a grind week by week with no real excitement, I’m afraid.

I’ll think about it some more and see if I can make an inspirational update.

Learning the process

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Greetings.

I’m currently on a training course for work. It’s for the ITIL framework. No, I don’t expect any of you to understand or care what I’m talking about. Anyway, it’s interesting and it means I don’t have to go into my work office all week!

Marika and I went to the Future Music Festival last weekend. It was decent but felt too short and getting there and back was a total nightmare. In the end it was still worth it as we fit to see Die Antwoord again and even New Order, who naturally played Blue Monday! Yay.

I’ve been doing P90x, the workout regime, for the past 5 weeks. I’m not even halfway through it yet but I’m seeing and feeling the benefits. I just wish I could do proper pullups. Actually I just wish I had a place to simply attempt to do them. Our flat is the least accommodating exercise centre.

I bought a Scanpan grill pan and some other cookware last night just before bed. Regular price was about $1200 but I’m getting it all for about $300. Thanks, online shopping.

My Tintin collectors book arrived yesterday, too. Haven’t opened it yet but looking forward to it. The original two comics that I haven’t read are in this volume. Very exciting.

Time to go back to class.

Slayed the dragon, bought a beast

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The St George accounts are all cancelled. I even BPAYed the $0.99 that snuck on as the last transaction thanks to the Android Market. I haven’t gotten to the stage where I dramatically cut up my remaining credit cards yet. I’m actually a little worried that now I’ll be removing so many cards from my wallet that the sleeves may be too loose to hold the remaining cards. They already tend to slip out frequently so I guess I’ll just have pad it with fat wads of cash.

So, yep. It’s been about ten years but St George is gone.

Now that our finances are more consolidated, I decided to finally purchase a new PC (ha!). I’ve been creating quotes and reading up on various parts for the past month or two and ultimately got to the point where I just wanted to bite the bullet. It’s a gaming rig and I had to buy basically every single component as new, besides my mouse. That means things like Windows 7, a keyboard, a 24″ screen and a tasteful black tower case. It’s too bad the front fans have bright white LEDs built into them but at least it’s under the desk so I don’t notice. It runs almost silently, even when I’m cranking everything in high detail. Mad PC gamer bonars.

What will happen to my old laptop? It has served me well over the past two years as a good composite machine. I had to rely on it as a desktop replacement and as such it’s a bit bigger, heavier, hotter and noisy than what most people tend to go for these days. I’m considering converting it into a media PC and connecting it to our TV. Since it’s on wifi there’ll be nothing but a power cable and HDMI cable to get it working. I’m a bit concerned that it will run hot, but I think if it’s mostly just downloading/streaming/replaying/decompressing it shouldn’t be too bad. Maybe a few spikes here and there, but whatever. I should probably clean it out first though and get it feeling crisp again. 2 years of dicking around with any home PC tends to lead to a lot of bloat.

In a decisive Sunday afternoon administrative move, I’m backing up my iPod to the new machine. There’s a lot of songs on there and whilst they’re well formatted and tagged (I’m a tight arse when it comes to naming conventions and file management) I don’t think I play that many of them. I’ve had this one for about 4.5 years, since my last one was lost/stolen from the bar under the hostel. Thanks, Dave,  by the way. It’s got a lot of tracks on there that I used to play to set the “mood” in the hostel. To great applause, mind you. I’ve lost track of the amount of compliments I used to receive from my DJing, even just during the day. Probably about 4 people.

Since I hate using iTunes and have purchased all of my songs through different online vendors and formats, I can’t just sync it and pretend it’ll magically work. Manual management it is, then! To be honest it’s a lot faster and I anyway can’t stand Apple software. Fuck off, indeed.

Anyway, I think that having a backup of all these bad boys can’t hurt and it might lead me on another music binge. I definitely need some fresh material even though I haven’t been listening to much music lately. I suppose the only times I have been putting anything on is for things I’ve already heard/know. That’s not adventurous enough, is it?

That damn dragon

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My phone call just got cut off whilst I was trying to cancel my credit cards. Not all of my credit cards, just the ones with St George. I was about to be put through to the credit card department of wizardry when all of a sudden the muzak went silent. It’d taken so long to get to that point that I didn’t have the personal fortitude to start again.

It might be easier just to do it in person. On the weekend. God.

To make things more irritating, a new 99c payment went onto one of the cards. I’ll have to work out a way to pay that off as well, first. I think they can send a cheque for the remaining balance but odds are they’ll charge me $10 for the luxury. This all could have been averted if they let me close the credit card accounts last weekend. That was when I had my transaction accounts shut down but apparently the wankers in credit accounts only work during business hours, leaving half the job done.

Enough of that.

Happy new year.

Ok, now that’s done.

Oh, and merry Christmas.

We’ve got a new car. It’s a 2011 Hyundai but we’ve called it Das Auto. Club Korea is growing bigger at work. There’s almost a fleet of us. It’s a nice shiny, silver manual and it needs a service. A service and a clean.

I want to buy a new PC. My laptop isn’t cutting it any more when it comes to my exquisite gaming taste. Basically I’m sick of having to run everything on shitty graphical settings. Life is hard, I know, but it shouldn’t be this hard. I actually tried to raise a quote with one company just before Christmas but they never got back to me. I think I’ll try one more time. It’s the shortlisting of parts when you build your own computer that puts me off. I really don’t want to have to think about what I want, but I know I need to.

I’m still walking to work. At least once a week at the moment. The weather’s been pretty kind lately so I haven’t turned up soaked in either sweat or rain for a while. I’m sure my co-workers appreciate this more than I do.

Last night I had a night on the couch with Marika. We drank wine and listened to various kinds of music. It was good fun, but I woke up with a headache. I could really expand on the whole sequence of events but I just can’t be bothered right now.

Thanks for your attention.

Impulses

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Hi there.

I just signed up for a new Telstra mobile plan, for the low-low price of $74/month.

Why? I don’t know. I just sort of kept clicking buttons. Now I have no idea how I’m even going to receive the damn handset they’re sending out, since I probably won’t be home and the post office is only open 9-5. Since my work hours are 9-5:30 (lately 9-7) this could be a problem if they want photo ID.

Well, I guess these problems come up when you act on impulse. Obviously I had an urge to update this blog, as well.

Let’s see.

I got my tax return back and so did Marika. Hopefully I’ll be in the system for next year so I won’t need to fartarse around. In the end something must have been updated, somewhere, because I managed to get it done online. Hoorah!

Winter is gone. Summer is coming. It’s like the opposite of Game of Thrones. Marika’s loving it while all the sensible types are complaining about the heat. I’ve got an extra special reason, as I am currently walking to and from work every day. I believe it’s approximately an 8km round trip. That’s right, no more car.

Well, the car will probably come as an impulse buy in the next month or two as well. For now, I’m trying to get a touch of exercise. Starting in summer with business attire isn’t the best way to start a good habit, though.

I bought some new runners, I think my old Nikes might have been from the 90s. I don’t even remember their age, but they’ve been donated to a charity/laugh bin in the shoe store where I bought their replacements. Matt took me down there for a look. It may be the first time I’ve actually bought shoes with an assistant giving me advice. Running up and down the street to see how they feel wasn’t a particularly flattering moment of the purchasing process, unfortunately.

So, with all this walking and new shoes (I wear the runners on my walk and swap into business shoes in the office. Cool, right?) you’d think I might even be losing some weight. Well, if you didn’t, I sure did. It doesn’t seem to be working. I’ve narrowed it down to mostly my rigorous beer consumption. All those liquid sandwiches are holding me back. It’s a shame to cut back, as they taste so sweet after a long day and a long walk in 30 degree heat. Back to gin and wine, then.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Yes, we went back to Eesti and caught up with whoever was still left in the country. The time went quickly but it was pleasant to say hi to all the folks. I made a trip down to Riga to see John which ended up on par with most of our other sessions. This time, though, we had live ammunition. I won.

It’s been about a month since we got back. Now Piia’s coming. Tomorrow. This is exciting news, for Marika especially.

I expect there will be more updates about that very soon. On her blog, at least.

Cornteeth; or, “why does the government not know who I am?”

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I can’t submit my income tax return at the moment. Apparently all of the “shared secret” information I have to offer doesn’t match up to the information recorded with the ATO and since I have no previous valid notice of assessment, my identity cannot be verified.

I suppose I’ll just have to call them and hope for the best. Thankfully, Marika’s return was submitted successfully online. One less headache.

The AEC sent me a letter stating that my details had been updated for state elections. Sadly, I can’t get any response from their online system as to whether-or-not I’m currently enrolled for federal elections. I could fill out their paper form and get everything updated, or perhaps I should just ring them, too. Convoluted systems.

Last Monday I bought 8 ears of corn. Now it’s Sunday and there are 4 left, apart from what’s currently stuck between my teeth. I’ve always liked it but I’ve never really bothered preparing and eating it before. Kind of like spinach and sweet potato. Seeing as how it’s a reasonable trade off between taste, ease of use and price, it could become a regular. Now I just need to learn how to cook.

Work is continuing. I’m still managing. I wish I had more interesting things to say, but it’s just work. I don’t think I really want to go into particulars in an online format, anyway.

Our flat is still chilly in the mornings, as is the rest of the country. I can’t wait for the weather to pick up… if it only picks up 5 degrees. Mid 20s and up is too much. I’m not looking forward to receiving our electricity bill. I guess it won’t be too bad as we were only here for 1 month of the quarter. Whatever.

Dad can walk now. He’s hopping around pretty well. The folks came around this afternoon to see our abode. All good. All standard.

Life’s flowing along rapidly for me these days. One minute I’ll be moaning to myself about how depressing Sunday afternoons are, then I’ll be amazed that it’s already 2pm on a Friday. I guess the daily grind hasn’t chewed me up completely. Yet.

Winter winds bring a little change

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Too fucking cold of late. Not impressed. Even if it’s sunny the wind ruins everything. Blustering.

In a cynical attempt to chase better weather, Marika and I have obtained tickets to fly to Estonia in September, returning in October. 4 weeks of paid leave. Yee-haw.

That paid leave will taste even sweeter now, as I’ve become the helpdesk team leader. Apparently it’s not a position worthy of the title “manager”. I think it has something to do with pay grades. Anyway, the role operates like a manager: I mainly do admin and all the real work is done by the team. I guess I’ve got a real knack for getting myself into situations like this. Look at the hostel.

So, no more little 2-seater car for me. I’m using dad’s at the moment as he is still unable to drive. He is, however, hopping around and building up the amount of weight he takes on his bad ankle. Each week he applies a little more pressure. It seems to be coming along rather well. He’s even lost a considerable amount weight which, aside from the obvious health benefit, makes it easier for him to move on his feet.

I don’t know what car I’ll end up getting. Marika wants a Volvo. I don’t really care as long as it isn’t stupid. Not stupid and easy to park. That’s the criteria, really.

I think I’m coming down with a cold. I’ve been feeling mildly achy and drowsy since Sunday morning… after being up until 3am the night before playing video games with Matt. I’m splitting the display onto our new TV (which looks sexy) so it’s easy to be a spectator. We’ve picked up a new fridge, too. eBay was too annoying. Thank you, Bing Lee delivery service!

So, yes, money has been flowing out faster than it’s been dripping in lately. Marika also picked up a new laptop recently, seeing as her old one was getting run down. Time to pay everything off and start trying to save again.

Hopefully our tax returns give us something to smile about. We still need to fill ours in. I expect the return should be fairly generous for the two of us. Generous enough to pay for our plane tickets. We’ll see. I’ve considered getting a tax accountant to do it for us but we don’t have any deductions except for private health care, but I think claiming that is a simple procedure. It probably won’t be, knowing my luck.

Marika’s birthday is coming up. I still need to go shopping! It’s hard to work out what to buy for the girl who has everything. Ha. Socks and underwear? No. Perhaps rum? No. I’ll have to walk around and hope for some inspiration.

I feel like I’m about to fall asleep sitting down. At least that might numb the dull RSI that I’m sensing coming up my forearms.

Bye.

I’m not sure what inspired me to do this

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But here I am. Typing.

It’s pissing down rain today. I could probably swim home. Home to our new flat in Artarmon. Yes, that’s right. We finally moved out. I’m living with Marika and Chandler (no relation to LeBlanc). It took 5 weekends stretched out over about 2 and 1/2 months but we finally succeeded with an application. We spent most of the past weekend moving in our furniture and permanently damaging my back in the process.

Another application that succeeded was Marika’s visa. We finally submitted it just before the ANZAC weekend. About one week after the holiday and $2700 later I noticed a rather battered and discreet envelope beside the front door. This was the letter that the immigration department had sent us to notify Marika that she’d received her residency. Now she can work unhindered and travel in and out of the country as she pleases.

Now that it’s sorted we’re planning a return trip to Eesti later this year. Details still to come.

Unfortunately only 2 of our 3 recent applications have been successful. I bombed out in the last stage of my Air Traffic Control recruitment process. I realised at the time that I’d made a few silly blunders on the day and probably did a lot better back in stage 1. I didn’t feel out of my depth but rather a little off my game. Either way, I didn’t perform well enough and received an email about 2 weeks later letting me know as such. Disappointing and frustrating, but there’s not much that can be done about that.

My current employment is going along reasonably well. I now have an offsider and we have a third engineer working in Queensland. There’s beginning to be enough work involved for it to grow into its own division but it’s not quite the time.

I actually spent a month as the helpdesk team leader. An interesting experience, although my role was mainly as a caretaker rather than innovator. All disasters were handled pretty well and I heard some rumours that everyone was pleased with my work. That’s good enough for me. Nothing fell apart, so I must have done ok. I’m back on the road again now though and definitely enjoy that flexibility.

Poker is still alright. I’m playing more for entertainment these days and am gradually building up my bankroll. I’m seriously considering cashing in 80% of it as there’s beginning to be a lot of talk about the Australian government clamping down on online gambling sites, a la what happened in the USA last month. The whole situation is ridiculous but I won’t go into it here. If they’re going to enforce restrictions here then I’d best get the money out quickly.

Dad broke his ankle a few weeks ago. He’s been wheelchair-bound and/or bed-ridden ever since. Hopefully he’ll be discharged (for the second time) at the end of this week. He slipped in the mud one morning and broke it in two places. He had a plate inserted and later removed after it became infected. We had ramps installed at the house and he’s relocated his surgery by amalgamating it with another practice. It’s forced my parents to consider selling up their real estate and expediting their retirement. I suppose sometimes people need a catalyst.

My new car is nice. Nice and small. With 2 seats. It’s very useful when there are 3 of us sharing a flat. That’s all I can think of for now.

Happy 11

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Greetings, fans. I hope your summer/winter has been temperate. Mine has been hot and sweaty, like a towel fight in a sauna. Playing outdoor table tennis doesn’t help.

Since we last conversed I am garnishing an extra $9/week after passing yet another certification. I’m also getting a car upgrade, to a small car with 2 seats and about 100km on its odometer. I hear it even has good air conditioning. I’m thankful.

Christmas and NYE were fairly tranquil. Small lunch with a roast (I don’t like roasts) on the 25th, bucketloads of sweat with a few mixed drinks and a midnight swim on the 31st. Marika’s first day body surfing at Manly beach on the 1st. She loved it so much she’s now determined to hit the waves every day. I’m sure she would if we didn’t live so far inland in suburbia. Sydney’s beaches have shithouse public transport options to boot, so driving is the only decent option if you don’t already live nearby. Bummer.

Big Day Out is coming soon. I’ve been very lazy with my already lax exercise regime. I’m using the festival as a motivator to start doing some training again. I have no natural chest. It’s bizarre. If I don’t target it I just end up with a belly and little nipples poking out above it. Methinks that last sentence is going to generate a few hits from Google.

Today we’re meant to be visiting the Terracotta Warriors, since they’re on tour. It’s not a band. You know, those statues from China. I’m actually looking forward to it. I need a bit of culturing up. Somehow, cornflakes over the Daily Telegraph each morning doesn’t quite enhance life with regards to inspiration/perspective/reflection/education. I’m not sure if a few sculptures will either, but it can’t hurt.

If anyone’s concerned, my pokering has been going very well these last few months. I’ve worked on my game a lot and grinded my bankroll to 3x the size that it was. I’ve taken a bit of a mental break from it this last week or so, mainly due to being distracted by the shitloads of video games I bought over the Steam Christmas sales. A few treats for myself, indeed.

Marika’s visa application is underway but not yet submitted. We’ve begun the paper trail. I’m not really worried about the application itself, I’m more worried about my procrastination preventing its quick completion. We’ve made up a checklist and thankfully it’s not a very long one, so I think we’ll manage.

I don’t know why I keep putting off updates in this thing. I blame the fact that I have to actually visit my site to login and post. I tried migrating to Posterous but the import function kept timing out and their support staff didn’t respond to any of my emails. Well, fuck them. For now.

I get writer’s block just thinking of these titles

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Prolonged journal-writing absences are my forte. If only I could be as consistent with other things in life.

I haven’t skipped for a while. I have been attempting to do some semi-regular weekly weights training but recently I haven’t been able to motivate myself to get out of bed and actually exercise. I still hate mornings. I do make the effort on weekends, when I feel I have more time.

Now that I’m back into the full-swing of the regular working week I’ve begun living for and looking forward to the weekend again. As always, it’s never enough time. What little of it I’ve had has been filled with either running around to things like family reunions or being housed in to avoid the horrible weather. I know it’s fascinating discussing the weather, but it has been rather insolent.

Work’s been ok. I’m pretty settled into my job now. So much so that I’m looking to learn a bit more in other areas. I sat an exam for an HP certification earlier this week and managed to grind out a pass. It wasn’t until after I’d received my results back that I discovered I’d been reading the wrong preparation material. That’s why all the reading I’d done for the previous week seemed so irrelevant in the exam. Anyway, I passed and that’s all that matters. I now make an extra $9 per week. Cop that.

The plan, now, is to do more and more of them. Not only do I get a payrise for it but it makes me feel smarter and more important. It’s also a good backup in case I don’t get past the future rounds of my other, unrelated application. I discovered I passed the first testing stage long after I’d already given up on it, assuming I’d flunked out. I’d already gone through the emotions of anger and disappointment, finally coming around to accepting my fate as a failure only to find out everything was ok and that I would have to wait another few months for the second stage. This is going to be interesting.

I would like to write more but my backside is losing blood and I need to stand up. Stay tuned.