The daily yak ...

Once more unto the fray.

So the upshot of the fiasco yesterday is that I will have the rest of my pay on Wednesday next week. They are claiming I should have had another form put in - as though they did not have two weeks to phone me and say "Were you aware you needed another form put in?" That is what the fax machine is for, is it not. Sigh.

Well it is finally going to happen. There are races scheduled to be held at Randwick tomorrow and the old person is going. Finally a day of peace and quiet, without having my afternoon interupted by having to look at what is on the idiot box, what some stupid bird is doing or what dreadful thing the daughter is alleged to have said or done. The joy of anticipation!

I shall luxuriate in making some Christmas cards, maybe one or two presents. It is afterall, that time of the year, and my present moneyless state precludes a grand shopping spree that the daughter would like. Sunday the old person wants to do his Christmas shopping and since he has not go the slightest clue, after all these years, of what to get anybody, it is a whiney, please come with me and help me choose. But that is Sunday, and I have Saturday to enjoy first.

And I must dig out all my stuff that I might need for the Take it Further Challenge. I think some of my fabric stash will need ironing. I will also have to fix it so that I can upload pictures. Better ones than the two I already have on this page and my horse page. There you go.

Good Day/Bad Day

I have had one of those days. Sigh.



I had an e-mail from SharonB of In a Minute Ago welcoming me to the Take it Further challenge which I am going to post about on Bilum. At the beginning of each month, starting in January, Sharon will blog about stitches and themes and we are to make a textile art piece of our own choosing within that parameter. We are to give a weekly progress report (with pictures - gulp) on our blog (or in flikr if we prefer).

This is a fairly big commitment for me, but I am hoping it will be a catalyst for me to get organised. I still will have my studies at TAFE and work. I will also blog as many days as I can too, because I believe it is important to do so. So I will have my time cut out for me.

What I have to do, is work out how to cope when problems come up. Coping with anything is not my best skill, so I have to prepare for problems well in advance and work out probable scenarios to not let them get me so depressed or totally drop out. this level of organisation will help me later on in my life as well.

On the bad side (grrr...)

I have been working full time for the past two weeks. The lady who I jobshare with fell and broke her knee bone. The Boss asked me if I would mind as what I do is fairly important at this time of year. It is a higher position that I was in previously. I could hardly refuse, and with Christmas coming up, the extra money will come in handy.

So when I checked my account this morning, I have been paid for six days, not the ten I actually worked. The Boss assured me he had submitted the papers on the same day I had given them to him. I have no reason to doubt him, he is a good person and has always treated me fairly.
So I tried to get hold of HR. No one there was answering the phone. So I tried the union. No one was responding there either. Finally HR told me I wouldn't be getting paid for it until next payday. No amount of discussion was going to change her lazy mind. So as the union still didn't respond, I ended up contacting the ACTU. The managed to get hold of my union and they managed to get hold of a delegate at my work. (Funny that). Anyhow, the delegate said he would get it all fixed tomorrow. I sure hope so, but I never hold my breath ...

Refreshing afternoon

It is not often I get to speak to a horse breeder. This afternoon, I had arranged to meet a lady at the Airport to fill in some time before her plane left for interstate. We just talked horses all afternoon. It was lovely. It was also very insightful. This is a woman who clearly loves and cares for her animals. She would never let one suffer, has kept quite few lifers rather than risk putting them with someone who may or may not look after them properly. When their time came she had them mercifully put down.

Because of some controversial issues that may be coming up in the next few months I am not going to mention her name, but I will say this, I think with people like her in good positions in the Arabian industry that it has a very good healthy future.

It is great to find another person as passionate about a subject as one is oneself. I would say this lady had as much passion as me, and perhaps more. She is a bit older than me, and has been breeding longer than I have, so obviously knows more as well. It was a joy just to spend some good time talking with this lady. That everyone should be so lucky.

Daily Blog

One is supposed to blog daily, so they tell me. How do you work out what to blog about daily.
Well, my course is finished for the year, so I will attempt to do it every day if I can think of something to say. Okay, if I can think of something to say that isn't complete sarcasm and nasty of something.

I will also get in and do more about photos on the site as well. I have joined a challenge and will be detailing it on Bilum, my craft blog. That will be fun.

We have a video camera on order, so we might even look to youtube.com for some entertainment for you as well.

Goodnight.

The Martians have landed ...

Yes they have. Just because Kevin Rudd looks like an Earthling, doesn't prove that he is.

He is our brand new Prime Minister. So as such he is worthy of respect and do not throw tomatos at him. Hitler would cry to see such a perfect specimen of Aryan proportion ... okay let's not go down that path.

The Labour Government has been declared the winner of the Election, Mr Bush has congratulated him and comiserated with his "little mate" John Howard. And so the world moves on. For us in Australia, he informs us, it is a "new page". [You can leave it blank (yeah, right), you can write neatly with something to show at the end, or you can scribble all over it.]

As I said in my previous post, all this would be fine, if Labour was not in bed with the Greens. They are supposed to be going to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Like this is a good idea. Oh, and definitely no nuclear power plants. U-uh, no way, never. It is okay to sell uranium to "trusted" overseas countries, but use it beneficially for Australia? Ha.

Oh, and he is going to work in the "National Interests of Australia", i.e. defence here at home, a look at what resources we are sending where and what is going on at the other end. i.e. China and its so called lack of "human rights". That is another path if you go down it, you will be sorry you did. But hey what would I know.

So what is he going to do? Hey you tell me, and we will both know. I have my doubts after Peter Garrett said things will change once the Labour Government get into power. Okay they are in power - now what? It isn't as if we can know and it isn't as if all of us will eventually benefit from knowing once we do.

Social democracy. That sounds awfully like an oxymoron to me, but I am reliably informed it is not. I believe it is just Communism/Socialism with a fancy Politically Correct new name.

99% of what is "wrong" with this country is that there are not enough trees. Likewise for the rest of the world. All that pollution is screwing up our thinking, funny chemicals acting in our brains. Why else would a nation cut off its nose to spite its face? Will the Greens make it a point, like Bob Hawke did, to plant more trees? Let's not get silly here. No the Greens agenda is not really "Green" as in plants, oh no, the Green's agenda is to point out problems and endeavour to get rid of them. Not try to solve the problem or come at it from a new angle, no just get rid of it. Like five million other people on the earth. And cut down the number of animals. Animals fart don't you know, and all that methane being let into the atmosphere just cannot be good for the atmosphere.

I always remember being told as a child when you point your finger at someone, look down and see where the other three fingers are pointing. Those three fingers tell you the truth.

Okay, I seem to be developing a bit of a vendetta here about the Greens. I have been asking myself why this is so. Well, years ago, before being Green was "fashionable" there were plenty of people warning about this stuff, but they were mocked and geered for their warnings. Now it is fashionable, well, sure there is no mocking and geering, there is no real "tree hugging" and there is no passion, compassion or realism.

Sustainability is a key factor in my thinking, not eliminating a problem, so much as changing the definition of a problem. Diversity is another key, because diversification when worked with sustainability allows more cross solutions to problems to eventuate.

Pointing out a problem with no viability for solution is a waste of time. If you don't like something, you have to ask yourself what you are prepared to do to change what you don't like into something you do like. Something as simple as: "Someone left an item on the ground outside". Okay, so pick it up. "It isn't my item so why should I pick it up?", because it is bothering you more than the person who dropped it. Otherwise ignore it. This is not a constructive situation. It is a nuisance situation developed by a person used to being a complete pratt. So if you are not prepared to go in, roll your sleeves up and take care of business, bugger off and let other people get on with it or don't say anything in the first place. Or you might go and find the person who dropped the item in the first place, nicely ask them if there was a particular reason the item was where it was (you never know) and if they could help you by picking it up. The old person does not get gipped too much because he is an old person, but when played out by adult Politicians there is a serious problem.

A complete Political Party of complete Pratts is a big worry to me.

oh, and Kev, don't forget you did promise to do some extra stuff to Tigers Stadium. Wouldn't want you to forget something of National Importance like that, Mate.

cya

Vote Early, Vote Often Mark 2

So like a good Ozzie citizen, I was up at the crack of dawn, fed the horse, checked my e-mails and surfed the internet for a while. Then the old person came along demanding his breakfast. I wont nauseate you with the details of the old person and breakfast, so I will skip that part.

Then the old person says it is time to go and vote. The first major decision of the day, is where to go to do this. Usually it is the first major decision because it is the first major "discussion of the day". Here? No, over there, but I want to go here, no you don't there is no one there, go over there. No, yes, no, yes ... well you get my drift. Hey we have got it down to such a fine art we don't have to hit each other over the head.

So we go to a primary school that is not where anyone knows us. This is best I think because it is the only time we get an audience that is the equivalent of "captive".

Did I tell you I just love all the political spruikers outside the polling stations? I do, indeed. First find a Labour victim. Hello mr Labour spruiker, er, hello. Tell me, Mr Labour spruiker, are you aware that Labour is in bed with the Greens? Yes, they are. And so you consider this a good thing do you? Yes, it is a very good thing. Then tell me, Mr Labour spruiker, the Greens are committed to reducing the population of the world to 1 billion people. How are they going to do this? and I walked away. Then I start asking the old person. He has been going on for months and months how only insane people do not vote for Labour. The old person has not got a clue. He even admitted he hasn't got his glasses with him so he cannot see the form properly to read the candidates and their party. Good one, old person.

So we stand in line baiting each other and giggling and being silly as we always do. It is an election ritual. Then he says I am an embarrassment to be with. Okay, and you're not?

So we get inside, and get our names marked off. As she hands me my papers she says "Have you voted elsewhere?" Now part of the reason we were waiting in line was because it was before 8.00 am when they open. So how the heck have we been else where to vote? So I ask her, "You mean to tell me I can go somewhere else after this and vote again?" \o/ \o/

I voted. Yeah, I marked off the right boxes, very carefully so they don't think it is a donkey vote. Hang on you lot, donkeys can't vote.

Dump the how to vote junk into the recycle bin.

Outside, I say to the Labour spruiker, "Enjoy you time in the Gas Chamber". Too young and too stupid to give it a second thought.

Came home to be accosted by her ladyship the ex-racehorse demanding to be let out and fed a carrot ... just another election Saturday.

Vote Early, Vote Often

Sorry its been a while. Just life sometimes gets in the way of life.

So tomorrow we go to the polls and elect ourselves a Government, a Federal Government. There is not alot of talk about layers of Government, but we don't have an especially large population and therefore do not really need three tiers of Government. Alas our Colonial past has left us with just that. I barely know our present local Member, his name is Pat Farmer. I think he was some sort of Marathon runner in a previous life, and I think his wife passed away. I know he is Liberal (i.e. an incumbent) and that he is a good guy.

The Labour Party has promised to add to Tigers/Wests football stadium. Like this is a great social benefit to me and mine. This will prevent little babies from being murdered by their parents. Ah, yes, a bigger and better football stadium. Where ya gonna park? I mean ffs.

Something that demeaning has got to reflect something about the Party. All they will really do is put the Unions into a better position in the workplace; they will demand better human rights in China before they can have any more of our resources, which China can probably source cheaper from probably Africa, ffs. They will recall the troups from Afghanistan and Iraq - like that is socially responsible as well. No, if they get in Australia will go to Hell in a handbasket.

Plus they are in the Greens' pockets.

Now my understanding of the Greens is that their ultimate goal is to reduce the population of the earth to one billion people. What I really want to know is how they propose to do that? What are you going to do with the 5+ other billions? They also have a goal of fewer domestic animals. There is some animal rights/liberationist thinking with that one (is that woolly thinking at all?). What will happen to all the other animals? Will they be encouraged to become extinct? Companion animals have been proven to be of health benefit to humans but you will not be able to keep companion animals. Keeping animals is a form of slavery, don't you know?

Who are these fools, where did they come from? Why don't they go back there? FFS.

Okay, the Liberals are a bit over liberal with their freeing up of the economy and shitting on workers, and they do say that if you don't like your present job, there are enough vacancies you can get a better job. Is that right? The daughter has loads of TAFE qualifications but she can't get a job. Maybe if she went to the city she might, but while she has been promised child care for after school, it has not been forthcoming. Why the hypocrisy?

Who do you vote for? For my money, I am looking at the Independents. None of the above have done particularly well by my books and their promises sound more like whistling in the wind.

Cicadas and other noisy things

I am one of those people, who for some reason, feel like my brain is scrambled where there are loud noises. I have been like this since I was a little child. I can hear sounds lower than most people as well. I also have a super keen sense of smell. Maybe I should have been a perfumier's nose.

Most everyday noises do not bother me, and the occassional loud bang is got over quickly. However, at the moment there are billions of cicadas in the trees around our house and they are making quite loud cicada noises. It is so loud that I cannot hear anything when I go outside, and, as I said, I feel like my brain is scrambled and I cannot think of anything. It is very frustrating.
But the cicadas themselves are very beautiful. I have seen a few this year and I can't decide what sort of insects they are, guess I will have to resort to google.

Although we have had a little rain, about 30 mls, we could still use some more. Fortunately there have not been too many thunderstorms and no hail (touch wood as I say this). The mare will go down to the back but will not go into the stables. The problem appears to be that the old person was mowing down there, and she could hear the lawnmower. She could not see the mower, however, so did not know what the strange engine noise was. So she is a little spooky and as I said, will not use the stables. Even the open one, which is strange as she loved it last summer. Maybe she still associates the area with her son and she misses him.

Elections are soon, I think two weeks, and the mud slinging is heating up. I have almost stopped watching the television news, I do not read the political articles in the paper and avoid spruikers wherever they are. There will be spruikers outside the primary school we vote at, so I will work out a little comeback for them. I know they are only volunteers and doing what they think is right, but you have to be pretty dedicated to volunteer to be a spruiker for a political party. I can't bring myself to be downright rude to them, however, a cutting remark entertains me.

If you are a spruiker be warned.

I have two assignments due for handing in within two weeks so I have to sacrifice blogging time for them. Once they are done I will be back to learning more about blogging. Maybe even feel confident enough to fiddle with the html.