Well now...it's been quite a while

Look what I found while noodling around online...my dusty old blog!
It would seem it has been precisely an entire year since my last post, perhaps I should commit to merely posting on an annual basis for it seems that is my natural pattern.

Looking at my last post I can say that yes I achieved the goal of my dream job and what a year it has been since I formally started in the role, I have been very busy and challenged and learned things about myself that I both liked and disliked.  It has been rather an exhausting year and this week I think I have hit the wall in terms of energy and inspiration and am listening to my body and having some quiet time scheduled in for myself next weekend.

This is the time of year where we reflect upon the year just passed and think about the new year coming.  I am not a fan of New Year resolutions as I feel they are a means of setting yourself up for failure and are generally too broad and sweeping to be of any value.  I am a fan of setting achievable goals and working towards them.  I have been busy at work this year and have been working at consolidating my role and understanding the parameters and carving out my niche but I have not had a goal this year and have felt a little adrift as a result.

The things I wish to do in the new year of 2013 are as follows:-

1. Plan and pay for a holiday, most likely a cruise of some description, I am extremely good at paying things off but utterly rubbish at saving for things, it would seem I need the whip of debt hanging around my neck to motivate me for if I have disposable income within my reach my overwhelming urge is to dispose of it quickly.

2. I want to learn something new, I am a big believer of life long learning and it is a cornerstone of my role at work and it is a natural fit for me.  I love the quote attributed to Dorothy Parker - Curiosity is the cure for boredom, there is no cure for curiosity.  What that something will be is unknown but I also believe when the student needs it, the teacher appears or something to that effect.

3. I want to resume cycling as a sport and recreation for me.  My poor old bicycle is gathering dust in the garage and languishing for lack of use.  I have avoided activity for a long while due to fatigue issues and painful sore joints but I have realised that this is creating a vicious cycle of stiffness - pain - no activity - more stiffness - more pain etc. I am better when I move steadily and calmly and regularly and when you do something you enjoy well the endorphins released take care of most of the pain.

4. Lastly I want to educate myself about my finances, I don't like thinking about money and it's various associated activities, in fact, it makes me very anxious and nauseated just thinking about it.  I have no problems paying bills and using my money but I know I waste it and I don't use my income to the best of its ability.
I want to use my Simple Savings membership to its full capacity and get myself organised so I am no longer stressed by the unexpected white good failure or sick animals requiring vet bills.  So I am going to structure a budget for myself and plan my expenditure as far as I am able to.  I know it is not the done thing talking about money but I like talking about it and hearing how people make economies and stretch a dollar into two.  I don't want to know about income levels or anything personal about quantities of money but techniques and recommendations about budgeting, savings etc.

These I feel are achievable and measurable goals with defined outcomes and I believe I can manage these without being overwhelmed and giving up.

PS I will probably post a little more frequently now that I have dusted off my blog but I won't make promises that I cannot be sure to keep

Well I think I have found something I lost a while back...

I think it is referred to as "Christmas Spirit", as most of you know I have had a fairly dim and grim view of Christmas for quite some time.

I took some time to think about why I didn't like Christmas and hadn't done so for a long time and realised that I was allowing other people to colour my view of Christmas due to their past poor behaviour. So I made a point of relaxing and just enjoying being in the moment and, as a consequence, had a thoroughly lovely Christmas day being with various family members and friends that I love very much.

This is a relief to have found my missing Christmas spirit since it will make an annual even far less of a chore and endurance test than it used to be for me. Who knows I might even put a Christmas tree next year or at the very least a wreath on the front door.

Well now it's been awhile....

Almost a year in fact since I last posted on my neglected blog. There has been a few reasons for this neglect but mainly I have not been in the mood to blog because I was struggling with very low energy levels and just couldn't think clearly about anything.

The low energy levels was revealed to be caused by enduring Obstructive Sleep Apnoea for probably many many years of my life. This has been alleviated by the introduction of 'Darth' in my life - a CPAP machine that forces air up into the places it needs to be and ensures I receive a proper nights recuperative sleep. I am experiencing other health issues mainly quite severe joint pain so I will be seeking the skills of a knowledgeable medical professional to enable my body to heal itself.

I am awaiting the offiical notification that I have successfully completed the requirements of my Graduate Diploma in Information Management. I believe I have but until it is in writing I am will remain somewhat anxious about the final results. This gives me the piece of paper that says I can have the job I already have but it also places me in a good position to apply for my dream job of Senior Librarian when it is recruited early in January 2012.

This is assuming that the position is recruited in a straight forward manner, but I suspect the position will be made available for people to transfer at level and I know of one person who would be interested, which would then make the position open at another library which I would apply for and hopefully get but I really truly want to be a part of the new library at Carindale which is going to be something special, so I will truly be on the horns of a dilemma.

These are the two things that are foremost in my mind at the moment, getting my body to sort itself out and let me do the things I want to do like go back to dancing and enjoy more physical activities and getting my head clear about my upcoming application for the impending vacancy mentioned above

Until next time

50 things - No.13 - Time spent with friends.

Well that's why I haven't posted in so long I've been doing exactly that, spending time with friends. As time has passed I have developed a wonderful circle of friends whose company I enjoy very much. Since I have purchased my Thermomix - which deserves a post all of its own - I have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and feeding my friends happily on the output.

I have friends from various areas of my life and most of them have met each other and they all seem to get along nicely. It is interesting as for many years I never mixed and matched my friends because I thought they may not get along, I don't know why, I get strange ideas in my head at times.

I feel so much more confident in being with my friends because I know they choose to spend their precious recreation time with me when they don't have to.

Oh I wish I could go back to my teenage years with the knowledge I have about people and redo a few things!

Till next time

What an interesting day I've had....

I clippered the long hair off the head of a dear friend today.....how did this come to be, I hear you ask.

Well it started like this, a friend of mine Kath decided to challenge societal conformities and shave her head bald and at the same time raise money for Australian Cancer Council. Kath has done a remarkable job of raising money for her chosen causes of Australian Cancer Council and the Premier's Flood Appeal (due to the recent savage flooding of Brisbane). Kath put in the assorted structures for fund raising and then set about organising her support crew, of which I was one. I drive, Kath doesn't so I was always happy to be designated driver to the chosen locale of "Operation Baldy".

Then we were pottering about shopping or having coffee and she asked me to be part of her "pit crew" and assist in the shaving of her head. Now anyone that knows me generally doesn't want me anywhere near them with sharp instruments as I have a chequered history of accidental injury to myself with sharp instruments!

I was delighted to be asked but for the safety of Kath I elected to be the "macro" shaver and the other pit crew member Kylie (who is an aspiring medical student) was the "micro" shaver!

So Kath's hair was bundled up in a low pony tail so we could snip it off and then I could start clippering, well my first shock was how long it took to actually snip off Kath's pony tail, yes it was thick but I think my scissors were a bit blunt, cause I was scissoring away but only a few strands at a time were coming off. We changed scissors and then it started to happen a bit quicker, but it still took a good few minutes to cut her thick pony tail off. Then the clippers were handed to me, now I have NEVER used clippers and was worried about nicks and scratches so I took it very slowly. We did a number 3 grade clip, then down to number 2 and finally number 1 clip. Lots of photos were taken at each step.

We lathered up Kath's scalp and Kylie commenced to shave Kath's head, we were both surprised at how hard it was to start shaving someone else's head, you don't have the tactile feel that you do when you shave your own body parts so you are removed from how it felt then you had the worry of nicking the scalp! By the end there were a few tiny nicks due to Kylies efforts to ensure a very very close shave!

The amount of hair that was clippered and shaved off was amazing, and let me tell you it got EVERYWHERE! I now know I could never be a hairdresser as hair gets in the most annoying nooks and crannies of your body and it's bloody itchy!

I was very impressed with Kath's handling of this momentous occasion as I was fully expecting a lot of tears and emotions with the falling of the hair but no there were no tears,just exclamations of amazement and wonder!

I was delighted that Kath is blessed with a noggin that is shapely and can rock a bald cut in a very sophisticated manner!

Unlike my good noggin which I fear rivals Mr Potato Head for lumps and bumps and misshapen shape. Nevertheless I have decided that at a time right for me I will shave my head bald as it is one of things on my "bucket list". My hair grows quickly and abundantly so I need not be bald terribly long if I regret it.

A very interesting day all in all.............

What is a gift?

This time of year, people get mighty hung up on what to buy people they love in order to demonstrate their love for them or to conform with societal expectations...I was having a chat with an old friend Dawn and she said something that really resonated and agreed with my inner being. She was talking about her new fella who had asked her about what she would like for Christmas and she stated that she wanted an experience rather than an object. She was quite adamant that she had all the things she needed with regards to jewellery, gadgets, and things. She just wanted experiences with those she loved and liked not STUFF. This I thought was a fabulous idea and I wish to take it on board and make it a rule for me and mine.

I want the gift of your time! I want you to take me out for a coffee, or a picnic or have me over for a board game. I don't need nor want stuff given to me. I am in the very fortunate position of being a white western woman with disposal income that can buy exactly what she wants, when she wants (most of the time)

I do enjoy the majority of gifts given to me, they show talent and intuition about me when I unwrap them. But the people I love and wish to have around me more than they are, I just want their time to spend with me. I want to talk and laugh and enjoy their company without fretting that they have spent money they can ill afford on me.

This coming year I want to spend time NOT money on my loved ones - Time is precious and ever decreasing, this I want to lavish on my loved one and I want them to lavish on me in return

I got sidetracked...doing my 50 things

Life got very busy there for a while so my postings were put aside, so, ahem, here is the continuation of my top 50 things, now where was I...

Aah yes time spent with friends

I count myself very lucky with my friends, they come from all areas of my life and bring joy and happiness every time I meet with them. Sometimes they challenge my thinking and behaviours, sometimes they make me laugh until I cry and other times they just make me cry with them during a tough time for them. I love my friends dearly for they each bring something to me that I need and I hope that I bring something to them that they need.

I used to stress because I had friends from work, friends from Karate, friends from school, friends from dancing and friends who happen to be family that I couldn't have them all over at the same time because they wouldn't know each other, well a friend sorted me out on that count when I wanted to instigate a board game afternoon and I was fretting no one would come or no one would feel comfortable because they didn't know each other, well I worried for no reason. I invited those of my friends who I know like board games and its gone off great guns since.

I now feel confident enough to host an open house on Boxing Day afternoon and know that my friends will enjoy themselves whether they just chat amongst themselves or play board games or eat food that I make out of my Thermomix.

After all its only taken me 38 years to get to this point but I've always taken my time about these matters!