Entries Tagged 'Random thoughts' ↓

Make it STOP!!

I can’t wait for all the guys around town who obviously don’t have moustaches normally to shave them off! I don’t know what it is but I reckon it’s really obvious which guys are normally clean shaven – they just seem to look uber-dodgy this month!

There are certain things you just expect in a grown up work environment when you resign. On the same project team within about 3 weeks of each other, 2 people have resigned and I’m flabbergasted at the response.

Firstly, the announcement:

Mine wasn’t a resignation per se but rather a decision to not see out my contract. As I always do, I discussed the pros and cons of doing this with my manager in an effort to make a decision. Whilst I was fairly certain that I was going to go, it was not decided at the point that my manager gave early warning to he who manages the IT program of work, as my possible departure needed to be added to a raft of other resource issues on the project. He, who is a self-centred show-off took it upon himself to go around the Melbourne arm of our project and announce that I had resigned. I was appalled! As far as I am concerned a possible resignation eluded to in good faith is a basic human confidence that he broke in order to buy allegiance with the aforementioned troubled project team by blaming my departure as the straw that broke the camel’s back. I went over his head and resigned on the spot in person stating that I refused to work for someone like that.

Secondly, the reaction.

When my departure was announced there was no reaction. Nothing. No-one either in our team meeting or afterwards said anything. No congratulations, no questions, no comments. So I felt pretty awful about the whole thing and still do. Completely ostracised. When the second person in our team to depart announced their resignation (today) the same stony silence fell. And this was probably even more of a surprise to everyone as the ‘leak’ mentioned above did not occur. I mean what kind of project team is this? Whether or not you like the person or are glad to see the back of them, you at least acknowledge their resignation.

I’ve got a dentist appointment at midday. I have not been consciously thinking about it but my body sure knows of the impending appointment. My stomach, bowels, bladder, body temperate, sweat glands, vision and concentration have slowly been getting worse and worse as the morning has worn on. God – who needs a week of nothing but fruit and water to detox – just make a dentist appointment!

And it’s only for a check-up!!

Out of the blue the Mister had a phone call yesterday from his barber hairdresser who abandoned him went on an overseas trip a few months ago. She was ringing to say that after hearing about our marriage that they had ditched their plans for a ‘traditional’ wedding upon their return to New Zealand and instead had got married at City Hall in New York while away! What an inspiration we are to others.

Look what we got!

All very exciting until we added up what we’ve spent on our credit card in order to earn enough rewards to redeem such a gift!

Crikey, does OSH really have the power to stop me having my chippie snack at 6pm when I work late? Are we really becoming a population of people that cannot think for themselves? Whatever happened to decent upbringingings where people knew they would burn themselves if they touched hot stuff, hurt themselves if they fell down a hole or become unhealthy if they ate only unhealthy food? It’s ridiculous!!

From stuff.co.nz: Vending machines on government hit list

Health officials may use health and safety legislation to control the content of the machines, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

The Ministry of Health’s annual Food and Nutrition Monitoring Report highlighted the importance of workplaces in setting eating patterns.

The ministry plans to monitor the workplace “nutrition environment” over the next two years, checking the types of food sold in canteens and vending machines.

The ministry report said that under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 employers were responsible for the health and safety of their workers.

“This could easily be interpreted as covering the food and nutrition environment,” wrote report author Maria Turley.

I had a random wonder yesterday if I could make a living/sustain a life as a Domestic Goddess for others. Despite holding down a constant 45+ hour/week job at the moment, I am already acting in this capacity in some cases. I know of www.girlfriday.co.nz but what I’m proposing is a bit more domestic, more personal.

I could take Domestic Goddessing on full time and do useful, helpful stuff for others like:

1. knit or crochet things for their friends’ babies or whatever knitted gift or personal needs they have
   
2. bake when they need to go somewhere bearing home baking
   
3. get postcards made
   
4. iron
   
5. wrap Christmas gifts
   
6. show them how to use their coffee machine
   
7. go to their house and cook for their dinner parties or help them plan menus
   
8. mend holes in jerseys and sew on buttons
   
9. do their personal accounts and spend trend reports – as long as they stick to my must-get-receipt regime

Actually, I have done or am doing all of this stuff for various friends already … I wonder if I could sustain it? Maybe something I could trial if I take a couple of months off at the end of this contract … if the Mister will not allow it … he likes 2 incomes. He’s saving for a Porsche you know (note: ‘Saving’  … refer to (9.) above!)

In our family, I drive the car. However, we are ‘looking after’ a friend’s Porsche for a few days, not my car of choice, so the Mister has taken charge. He’s the driver. Very interesting shift in family dynamics! After our first blat in it yesterday I’ve got a crick in my neck and he’s got a sore clutch leg. I’m told it’s all worth it to have a Porsche in your garage!

I don’t mind admitting that I always choose fiction for reading and movie-watching and whilst I do attend documentary/true story movies and watch the same on DVD when cajoled, I always do so not expecting to either understand or enjoy them. Then I saw Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. As many reviews and synopses of the documentary state, it is basically just a movie of his presentation about what global warming is and what it means for the planet i.e. he stands in a lecture hall and clicks through Powerpoint (or whatever the Mac presentation equivalent is) slides.

I have to say, I was totally affected. By the end of the movie I was wanting to shout at the screen and say “What can I do?” I was also very troubled by my selfish thoughts – not being spiritual or religious at all, and having lived through the death of my best friend, I believe that once you’re dead you’re dead. So whatever state the planet is in, is not going to bother me anymore – as long as I get my lifetime’s worth of a decent place to live. I really should not be admitting this, what will you all think of me? Also, I won’t have any children left behind and as parents tell me, the strongest bond you can have is with your child, so this also goes towards having no motivation to do anything for the next generation’s sake. However, my bond to the next generation is our urban family and I do care what happens to the planet and I don’t want our nieces and children of our friends to have to live in a world where countries are disappearing under water, where there are constant weather and temperature extremes and where the every day comforts of life are put in jeopardy. I’ve also come to realise that the actions of generations before me have made my lifetime on this planet what it is today – the good, and bad of it all.

Needless to say I have done a bit of soul searching and thought a bit about what my beliefs are – I usually sit on the fence with this kind of stuff but I have been so distracted and a little bit rocked after seeing the movie that I’ve been thinking a lot about what I can do to prevent the earth heating up any more. As a New Zealander, I think I’m doing pretty well (car’s tuned, energy efficient appliances, walk lots, only run the dishwasher when it’s full, use fresh food) but there are opportunities to do more (energy efficient light bulbs (but can’t in our current place), wrap the hot water cylinder, unplug  appliances and gadgets when we’re not using them, recycle, plant trees (although I think my parents have planted enough to cover our quota!), buy organic (if it wasn’t so expensive). It’s been a distracting week.

Is it nearing the end of WCC’s financial year or are all the holes being dug on every street corner around the CBD something to do with the gas pipe problem that started 10 days ago?