Wednesday, July 29, 2009

This Is So Totally Me Right Now

...and my reactions to my current home computer problems.



Although, I must say, I did pick up a few pointers to try.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

5 Things About The Week That Was

  • Home computron still hasn't gone in for repairs yet. Working 2 jobs for 6 days a week has meant that I haven't had a chance to get into the Apple store yet. They had better really be geniuses when I get there, let me tell you.
  • I am really enjoying working 2 days a week at the yarn store... sore feet, nutty customers and all. Yes the pay is crapola, but I've been genuinely having fun working retail again and the occasional nut adds a bit of spice to the day (and throws all the lovely customers into sharp relief). Nobody has challenged my y-chromosome based knitting authority yet, in fact I've so far made some nannas twinkle with delight, pushed the Courthouse Hotel pub knitting Sundays to some right-on sistas, and even got to serve (I wish) a truly, truly hot male knitter. Yes I have his phone number (for stock holding purposes) and no, I won't abuse the privilege. Sadly.
  • Speaking of knitting, I've been wearing my new scarf almost constantly since I cast-off on Thursday night. Loving. It. I made this! Common sense prevailed, after a brief internal battle I decided not to wear it to bed.
  • Hung-over today. I went to a party with young James O'Brien last night, and as the party was only 2 streets away from my favourite leather bar Manacle, of course we ended up there about 1am. Oy. (Yes the above mentioned scarf was on and looked lovely, even if 'art fag' isn't my usual Manacle look.)
  • Of course, as you would expect my next destination is a pub, but this time for Sunday knitting. If only I could entice Hot Male Customer to join us?... and suddenly we're back at knitting, boys and booze. Such is the week that was.

Hey, Is This Thing On?

I just visited my local library for my weekly bout of free web surfing and annoyance, only to discover that their computers are all down. Let me tell you, nothing gets the denizens of my local library computer area (Sniffing Man, Aggro Hiker Lesbian, Tutting Frau & Borderline Homeless Or Maybe Just Hygenically Challenged Guy, to name but a few) annoyed like deprivation of their free internet access. Oh the wailing and the nashing of teeth... and I always thought libraries were supposed to be quiet places.

It's funny how some people react to a change of circumstances. An older Indian chap walked in not longer after the librarians had explained that a power snafu meant that their would be no computers for you! today, walked up to the row of seriously off computers, read the Out Of Order signs, then proceeded to walk along and tap the keyboards of each one. So I (helpfully) told him that the computers are out of order.

Yes, they are out of order.

Yes, I am sure.

Yes, the librarians did in fact tell me so.

Yes, all of them.

Oh yes, I am most definitely sure.

30 seconds later I heard him asking the librarians. I guess my natural air of authority just doesn't wash with some people. Whatever. This man was having serious comprehension issues that the Universe somehow took away the free computers. 15 minutes later, while I was browsing the stacks, he was at the counter asking "Will there be computers tomorrow?". The librarian started out with a reasonable, justifiable, estimation that given the problem was a) diagnosed and b) rectified, there would probably be computers tomorrow.

No, she can't guarantee it.

No, it isn't definite that there will be computers tomorrow.

No, they aren't sure why at this stage.

No, she can't say for sure they will be working tomorrow.


Until finally she gave him what he wanted.

Yes, there will be computers tomorrow.

Everyone has their limits.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Your Weekly Update

Ugh, sorry that posts have been so few and far between of late. The home computron is still dead, mostly because I am now working 2 jobs and haven't had time to take it in to get fixed. Yup, in true me style rather than no job I now have 2. Feast or famine. All or nothing. No shades of grey here baby, I got your black... and your white.

As well as temping 4 days a week I'm now also working as a shop girl in a yarn store. Butch! It actually pays even worse than the temping does, so for working 6 days a week I only come out a little ahead. But hey, it has a few factors in its favour, a) temp work often dries up without much warning, and should that be the case then I always have the yarn store to fall back on, b) yarn!, c) STORE DISCOUNT. The trick will be not to spend more money on nummy, nummy yarn than I am actually earning. Working in the store has been more fun than I expected, even though only having a 1 day weekend kind of sucks.

Mind you, having to work early on a Saturday morning didn't stop me from going out on Friday night in the company of a whole bunch of men of the homosexualist persuasion. Hurrah for the 'bears' night at The Flinders Hotel! I didn't get to bed until after 2am, but managed to rouse myself surprisingly well the next morning. Yes I did nearly faceplant into my dinner at some friends' house last night, and once we repaired to the sofas I was a heavy lidded gonner, but the point was I soldiered through. Curiously, 20 years ago I was working in retail and having late nights clubbing, followed by early mornings standing moderately functional at a cash register.

I guess some things never change.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Checking In, And Not Checking Out

Hey there! Computer still dead, but despite a possible, almost, no kidding it was that close brush with potential death (or at least wounding) myself, I'm still here. It has been a curious week.

Adding to my list of new experiences I was working on a file archiving project in a bank branch last Tuesday when it was held up by a guy with a sawn-off shotgun. For reals! I was working in a little office off the main banking area, so when I heard a scream, a loud crash and then all sorts of commotion, it took a little while for me to figure out what was going on. My first thought was that a car had mounted the footpath and struck the glass sliding doors at the front of the bank, but when I stuck my head out of the office and saw people cowering behind desks I decided to jump back into the office kind of sharpish. Beckoning a young couple who were standing confusedly just outside the office to come on in and join me out of the line of sight. There was commotion, confusion, a few more screams and it wasn't until the police showed up very soon after that I found out the bang was a sawn-off shotgun being fired.

Long story short, for want of anything else better to do I went back into the office and finished my work. Can you say strong work ethic? The rest of the day was a strange combination of finishing up my work, waiting around, being questioned by police, dodging the media outside the (now closed) bank and listening to the senior bank staff tell tales of other robberies. There is a particular sort of jollity, camaraderie and bravado that seems to come after a shared scary experience like this. I left after giving the particularly cute bear cub of a police officer my phone number (strictly for professional reasons, you understand) and just as the counsellor arrived to speak to all of the bank's staff.

The rest of the week was rather less dramatic and a lot more pleasant; dinner with a friend, more archiving work at some other thankfully unrobbed bank branches, some quiet nights in trying to figure out if/how/when I could claim Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (kidding!) and then a lovely weekend spent in the mountains with some knitting buddies visiting from New Zealand. The weekend was fun, gorgeous scenery, great companionship, heaps of knitting by the fire and even a sock finally cast-off! If my computer was working I'd post some pics, but until then imagine mountains, limestone caves, a bunch of us bundled against the cold and the smile of satisfaction that somes with a finished sock.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Short Break

I decided to download and install the latest software updates and security patches yesterday for the Mac laptop I'm using, in part to see if it helps the problem I'm having with it crashing. It seems I've overwhelmed it. It now freezes part way through start-up and won't go any further. PC users are used to the Blue Screen Of Death, but I have to tell you the subtle grey on grey Mac screen with the Apple logo replaced by a circle with a slash through it (like a No Smoking logo) and the little endless spinning doohickey is just as dispiriting. Technology hates me. So I'm off to the grand Apple store today to see what they can do, and more importantly if they will do it for free.

In the meantime it's back to internet cafes (you should see the keyboard I'm using... ugh), and so my recently sporadic updates are likely to be even more sporadic in the short term. Hang in there gentle reader, as soon as I bend technology to my will, instead of the other way around, I'll be back!

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Alchemy

While I've been sitting at home with my cold, or waiting for the phone to ring with offers of highly paid and fascinating employment, I've been knitting. There is something so therapeutic about the gentle interplay of needles and thread. The rhythmic click and clack, the unwinding of some more yarn from a ball or spindle, the feel of the yarn as it slides over and through your fingers. While I've been staying in and trying to gently shepherd my precious (as in scarce!) financial resources, knitting has provided a useful barrier between me and daytime tv.

Dumb tv is only half as dumb if you're only half watching.

Even better if you hit upon a project that grows like Topsy, instant gratification knitting! Two thin Japanese threads, one a slubby silk and the other a silk wrapped stainless steel filament, held together and knitted on chunkier 5mm needles. 20 stitches wide in simple garter stitch and going like the clappers!



Knit. Turn. Knit. Turn... A long, long skinny scarf with asymmetrical ends to be wound around and around, with a beautiful drape but a curious texture and heft from the stainless steel thread. A scarf that says part art fag and part this wearer knows their Rei Kawakubo from their Yohji Yamamoto. A scarf in haiku.



Not exactly spinning straw into gold but there is some sort of alchemy at work here. Stainless steel into fabric. Who would have thought?

Thursday, July 02, 2009

5 Things About Thursday, 2nd of July: Somewhat Whingetastic Edition

  • My house is fuh-reezing. It's a cool, sunny, windy day but inside it's got to be something like 5 or more degrees colder. In summer I promise to come back and read this post, when I'm enjoying how cool my house is.
  • No work this week. Very little work last week on account of my cold. Not working has it's charms but I am so broke I daren't even look at my bank account.
  • I'm having computer issues, the laptop I was kindly given on long term loan by a friend has taken to shutting down without warning. Frequently. At times, constantly. Time to visit the genius bar at the Apple store methinks.
  • I'm knitting up the Japanese silk and stainless steel yarns I bought recently into a long, skinny, lacy scarf and I'm loving the results. I'll post a photo once the project has progressed a little further.
  • My cold has gone. Adios to my second cold of this winter! The other thing that seems to have gone [touch wood] is the restless legs problem I had that stopped me from sleeping properly. After about a year of paying $134 a month for the meds, I weaned myself of them about 6 weeks ago to see if I could do without them. Miracle! I'm still sleeping through the night, with no sign of the problem returning.