Next time you want to clean your kettle...

Just tried something I remember my mum had told me and found some random notes on a website about it.... 

- halve a lemon
- squeeze half into 1 glass of water
- do that again (2 glasses)
- pour into your kettle
- boil

VOILA!

Let the kettle cool right down, including the element of course, and empty. If there is any scum left then wipe through with a small amount of bicarbonate of soda and a damp cloth. Rinse several times before using again.

Sooooooo good, no chemicals really required if you do this regularly instead of allowing the build up.

Really pleased. Simple.

xJ

Story time: The Corporate World...

(Originally 'penned' November 9, 2014)

Periodically I step back into the corporate world in the form of, well, what I have heard it referred to as is a 'professional temp'.  Luckily for me I have a long standing relationship with one particular Company that calls me in when either someone is on leave, it gets to a busy period, or they want to complete a research project.

So this week I have been back in the office, ultimately helping play catch up, and filling a hole left as sadly someone had a relative in a bad accident overseas and had to jump on a flight immediately.

This week has stemmed a conversation amongst those of us in this particular department I am working in, on different 'breeds' of workers.  I guess it is funny to categorise people in that way, but I really can't think of a better way to put it.

There are people that cruise along in their workplace and don't think of the flow on effect that their daily work has on the person next to them.  I have run across this multiple times in my previous life as a corporate lackie, along with the fact that nearly every job I have ever taken there was no instructions for.  Which opens up a whole new can of worms I suppose; the old 'what if I got hit by a bus' argument. Not that any of us want to be hit by a bus of course, however it begs the question, are people too busy in their day to document what it is they actually do?

When I worked in Corporate full-time, I actually tended to stay in jobs quite a long time... 4 1/2 years I think was the longest, in a job I actually truly loved with a great team of people who were like family. But the great powers that be in Government, back in the time when they never wanted to make anyone permanent and forced them to annually apply for their own jobs in a long-winded application (I'm talking 12 pages here), ousted me from my own job. They decided to pass it on to someone who I knew for a fact actually had no real direct experience in how we were developing this division of the Agency. I'm all for learning new skills but this was a little different.  They gave me four days notice that I was unsuccessful in my application to retain my own job and said 'there's talk of you perhaps wanting to stay on a little bit longer' (as they understood it was not much notice, or some such fuckery). I strongly replied 'I think it's more in my interest to go and find another job, don't you?'.  They wanted me to stay on and train the person. Well fair enough; I have done a myriad of training and hand-overs in my life, when moving sideways or upwards or whatever. But when someone actually decides to pull one over in you in that manner, giving so little notice, sorry but they're on their own.

I had a new job about 5 days after leaving that one.

I also had a Corporate relationship that was very toxic, and after 3 1/2 years I declined an offer from Management to simply take a break (I'd fallen down a staircase and screwed up my lower lumbar too, that didn't really help sitting at a desk every day).  I ended up over the few years following my departure often being poached when they found out, somehow (little birdies?), that I was in between temp jobs.  In this instance I had the power to negotiate - which was always received well - and make some small demands. IE. 'I can come for X period of time, but 2 weeks before I leave I want you to find me someone to fully train' or 'I want to work 4 days in December, in the new year I can go to 5, but at X date I must leave because I have a contract with Y.'

I do leave VERY comprehensive instruction manuals in any job I move on from, whether it has been a short fill-in project, or a longer permanent full-time job I have had. When I have been given the opportunity to hand-over properly I give training to the best of my ability, which I actually think I am quite good at.

(new notes 20 March 2015): Wow, this is actually pretty good I think. Anyway it goes a small way to explain as to why I moved from full time Corporate universe into Festival CarnieLand. As many of you know, I spent most of my extra curricular hours in those early working years volunteering for the excellent Three D Radio, clocking up ten years in total between 1994 & 2004. I also put my hand up to assist with many local events in Adelaide, anything from being a door bitch, to organising Three D's 21st birthday when everyone else had thought there was not enough time to do so. And after many years of sitting in an office, I applied for a job with Falls simply because I wanted an excuse to go back to the beauty that is Tasmania.

And the rest is history...
xJ

Trying to NOT suck so hard at sewing.... Part Deux...

This awesome shopping trolley that I have had and used for a while now, thanks to a delightful friend who picked it up at a yard sale for me, has always seriously needed something to stop smaller things sliding out the side...

Awwww.... poor trolley!
So naked.

Anyhoo, my mother very naughtily cut out the sizing I had measured instead of letting me do it! Naughty mum!

So she said she would teach me a 'french seam' as it is the strongest thing she was ever taught when she learned to sew.

But then she realised she had not calculated quite enough to allow for this so we had a gap - nawwwww! Balls!

Oh look! Here's some sweet sweet corduroy from the shed!

So cute, totally foreign.

That's BETTER!

Completed Mission 2 of trying not to suck at sewing! Huzzah!

It's a little saggy at the side I guess but when filled with groceries who gives a toss.
It totally does the trick, is removable and washable.

NB. There was an awful lot of swearing and laughing during this project.

xJ

Trying to not suck so hard at SEWING...

So I've had a few things sitting there in a giant pile being neglected waiting for mending or just general 'that's not quite right' kind of fixing... so have made some headway on that this past week!

I'm a big fan of buttons, I can't help but collect a myriad of them wherever I am on this planet. The little memories they bring back to me are just wonderful.  So I had used a couple of pieces of fabric I got in Japan in 2009 and dodge-ily attached them to coathangers. They were getting a little neglected and saggy so it was time to fix them for real.

Here's what happened:

All that was really required for this was for me to go to the hardware store and buy some (sustainable forested) dowel, the chains and keyring chain came from what was already in my parents stash of craft things.




 Yay! Now they are less saggy and more sturdy and YIPPEE!

More soon. xJ

Another day, another tape dubbed....

Talk about going into a time-warp! Yes I dubbed off video footage of some girlfriends and I on a cruise boat in early 1999, amongst other things. Hilarity.

One thing was for sure, I was ultimately miserable with my boyfriend at the time.  I also dragged out the last remaining box of random stuff (that I know of) in my parents house and have been going through old letters and such.  This included letters FROM said boyfriend, of which are all now in the recycling. What a joke, truly. You realise how far you came since getting rid of something so toxic out of your life.  So long ago *sigh*.

The tape also had really short bursts of footage from my old home just North of Adelaide. Friends doing stupid shit like discussing why christ was ultimately in smarties chocolate, and making a bunch of toys dance to random music. And failing at buying milk, apparently. It actually prompted me to look up a few people to see if I could find them in the social media sphere. I found a couple and sent them messages explaining what shenanigans I had found.

Still have a number of VHS tapes to go through, it is quite fun really. One tape I knew I wouldn't bother keeping but thought I would watch was very early season South Park.  I was feeling rather under the weather yesterday, a cold is trying desperately to get me but I won't let it!  So I slothed in front of the box whilst looking through paperwork and watched a half dozen episodes at least of that, then put the tape in the box with the others to go to the recycle place.

On the membership card challenge front (only a few days until the end of the month - EEK!), I put one for a nail salon in the recycling. Ultimately I tend to only do that girly stuff whilst in North America once I've destroyed my feet at a couple festivals over the summer there. Besides the business was actually pretty average and I know I won't go back.

I've asked the company I was querying AGAIN about their fair trade, workers rights, environmental practices. I'd sent them an email about it over a month ago when they queried what kind of information I was after. They never came back to me.  We shall see. They have about 5 days to do so or bye bye membership card.

I've downloaded the PDS and the other information from the Super fund I am most likely to switch to. NO investment in fossil fuels whatsoever. It's brand new. Some people might think it a gamble, but realistically, I'll be working probably another 35 years so sod it. I'd rather have a clear conscience than worry about if money will be there or not - at least right now.

Namaste.

xJ

SA Water Future Hypothetical

Hmmm... I still don't know how to react to what I saw last night.

Recently I watched the following film about how we are clearly doing things wrong.

Peak Oil was only mentioned once last night (by the moderator, the delightful Rod Quantock) and I wonder why we are still managing to ignore this.  It's why it infuriates me so much our Government is so backwards when it comes to renewables. Eventually things will start to run out, oil and coal are not reusable forms of energy, you burn them and that's it. Why is that so hard to comprehend?!

Currently the Australian Government are attacking the Renewable Energy Target, seemingly allowing some concessions for 'trade' if you believe a tweet by the "Environment Minister" Greg Hunt. I put him in inverted comma's because he is not doing the best job.

I am desperately trying to understand all of this. The fear, hatred and sheer confusion this Government is creating is completely frustrating. I want clear language, I want them to actually DO something, I want a Leader who can actually public speak, and a party who does not continue to play a blame game 12 months after they elected. You won, you fools, so actually work for the people you are supposed to serve, instead of playing he-said-she-said.

I'm so over it!
xJ

Yes, Julie, stop rabbiting on about Planet Challenge...

Okay okay so more on THAT tomorrow, however on to what we achieved in the last couple of days...
My mum volunteers at an Op Shop called The Caring Place in Morphett Vale, South Australia.

It's one of those true op shops too, where you can find stuff for 20 cents. I've managed to spend a whole $7 since I have been helping clean up there. (I cleaned up, cleaning up?!)
It's school holidays so it is closed at the moment but needs some love.

So with the combined forces of the lads from the "mens shed" (a club for men to hang and make stuff, really - like their own shed, but community based), we began!

We moved everything away from the walls in the main shop and the boys started painting yesterday...

So many things piled into the centre from the racks... if it falls over I will roll around on the floor with laughter I swear. We stacked pretty high!

 Here is their progress that we walked in on today!

Then we started to tackle the shed behind (there are three more rooms to this op shop).

Oops, forgot to get a full shot before I started <<<<<<


Haven't done the top shelf yet, but the only thing that lives here is boxes for people if they are purchasing a lot of things >>>>>>

I practiced my mad librarian skills on the bookshelves, all cleaned, all categorised! But for how long...

Before, again half way through... note the odd shoe mum found in the shoe racks. Shoe FAIL!
<<<<<<

All done!
>>>>>>>

The Caring Place opens again on October 15th and is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am - 3:30.

Come see how amazingly you can find useful things before it gets destroyed :)

One love.
Reclaim: Recycle: Reuse
xJ

Per-Tay-Ters

Notes on pertayters - or Potatoes in the Queens' English...

- If there's more than one 'eye on the spud you want to plant, cut it in half and allow it to dry out for a day or so. ie. Allow the cut section to form a layer otherwise moisture will get into it and rot once you've planted it and are watering and it just won't grow.

- when they start to grow, build a bank of soil around so only a very small amount of green leaf is showing.

More notes and photos to come on this one...

xJ

being on time, the typewriter, and the landline...

Been doing a lot of thinking about social media in the last month or so, sometimes completely avoiding it due to the fact that I had school assignments to finish.  Now that's done I've trawled it here and there, catching up on the happenings of friends, reading way too many articles and getting a good giggle out of political cartoons.

Several points of note:

It occurs to me that you possibly mean something to someone when they actually *don't* blab about your quite personal interactions in the social media sphere.  There are a number of personal interactions I could be referring to here - use your imagination - but I will give you an example to kick off the thought bubble:

I had a conversation with an old friend the other weekend, who I didn't personally know had a split with their partner (it had been a very very long time since I'd seen them in the actual face), that they were 'outted' via social media.  What they meant by that was that they hadn't discussed what was happening with their partner with their family yet; the other person involved changed their 'status' to simply 'single'; and all hell broke loose. I said 'Oh dude; I'm so sorry that happened to you'.  He doesn't use social media, never has, but she did.  Calls came from family around the world demanding to know what was going on.  I felt bad that this kind of thing could happen, because isn't that up to you? On YOUR time?

I suppose it's a respect thing. Do you respect another person enough to ensure that if you are going to proudly announce those types of things on social media by doing something as seemingly meaningless as changing your relationship status, you've actually checked that your other has had relevant conversations with those in their world first?!

Personally you can never quite tell with me when something completely outstanding in my sphere has happened, unless of course it really does relate to only me and doesn't involve someone else.  Such as I was truly happy to finish last assignments of the course, or sometimes when I have confirmed/won a new contract or am returning to an old one for another year.

I do, periodically, ask that other friends send strength to other friends going through rough times, but it's not like I would announce specifically what aforementioned rough time is; simply that some love and thoughts are passed in their direction.  If someone asks, that person has the right to tell them in reply; not me.

Now, the trolls. Oh the trolls. I admit, there has been some discussion around here about starting a website called "I enjoyed arguing with you on the internet (but here's why you are stupid)".  Like a fact-checker really, for the complete ignoramus out there, the ones who answer something you post on a social page with insults.  You know I'm fine to debate things with people, in fact I will totally revel in it, but the one's who respond with something like 'what a fat fuck' I have zero tolerance for.

If you're going to start an argument on some website, news, social or otherwise, be able to back yourself up without pulling the insult card.  Sometimes I have actually learned something from having a heated debate over a topic, or been sent a link to articles, etc etc. But when it's just as plain as 'you are an idiot, you should resign' blah blah blah when you DISAGREE with something someone says, just keep your hands away from the keyboard (idiot! hehe).

I've seen some of that, mostly on Twitter, lately directed at a Senator I actually really respect and support for she had put up a 'meme'.  The backlash was rife. How do you ignore that?! Being called stupid in the public social sphere?! I suppose it should be the old water of the ducks back; but as if that kind of blatant disrespect doesn't hurt.  In this case referring to 'oh but it was under Labor's watch'. And yes it was, however it is more about how international relations are dealt with under a CURRENT Government you numbnuts (see, here I go!).

So, why did I call this post 'being on time, the typewriter, and the landline...'?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  I did read something recently that pointed this out; but you know I feel like when we weren't so social media connected you used to turn up ON TIME for things.  I suppose that's pre-mobile phone really isn't it. When I didn't have a mobile phone (I was 19 when I first got one, and that was quite some time ago now), I called someone on the old landline, made arrangements and turned up somewhere on *time*.  It's not to say I don't now turn up on time to things, but I also can admit to finding it easier to be able to pull out of something if I'm simply not feeling up to it on the day. That's pretty awful you know, sorry friends.

*digression time* Though my excuses lately can usually run from a munty body that I'm not looking after very well (true fact; stupid spine), stemming from being too poor to be able to afford treatment on said munty body because of chosen career path change from 5 years ago when I was more able to hold money-fights.  You can usually tell. I'm more than happy to announce my own munty body goodness in the social sphere.

Sometimes I feel you can also see someones true colours coming out in their own 'avatar'.  Just a one-off throwaway can really reveal that.  Would they say what they say online having a drink with a group of friends?! Probably not, unless there's been too much wine flowing.

And advertising... ohhhh online advertising. You know I'm presuming that if I suddenly changed different parts of my profile, the advertising would really change around me. It seems to pick up pretty quickly on those kinds of things.  I guess that's why it's successful for some businesses.

And the typewriter?! Oh, the typewriter. Well, I did learn to type on one. It was electric, mind you, but it was still a typewriter. And they're making parents buy kids as young as 6 IPad's.  Reason number 412 not to procreate I say.

xJ

Do we really want a return to the Howard years?!

Early in the noughties, at least I think it was then, the second time Howard got voted in to power... I remember being at my boyfriends house at the time and the only person in the household rooting for that guy was my boyfriends sisters boyfriend (Bueller?!).

He actually came out of their room, where they were watching the telecast also, chanting "four more years".  

I'm pretty sure the rest of us opened beers.  For we knew that for us, low to middle income earners and students, that we were all screwed.

I mostly ignore polls in the media, especially the big media, because it's all owned by the same rich guy and seems rather biased.  And somehow I don't believe that Abbott would win an election if there was a vote today.  So far, not a single person I know has indicated that they support Liberal, the views of the party, and their absolute ignorance about things like climate change and providing their members with conscience votes on issues that may be important to their electorates (a prime example being gay marriage).

So if we think about just that for a moment... a Government that has policies yet doesn't let it's members choose to vote in either the Senate or the Lower House genuinely, and with the voices of their constituency.

Sometimes when I hear Abbott interviewed I get particularly worried. Here is a guy who has obviously never seen a documentary about water; conservation or use thereof.  Countries around the world are pulling right away from putting up dams, and yet this guy wants to put in 150 of them in Australia.  Who is advising this guy?! Obviously not a climatologist, scientist, conservationist, or anyone with any knowledge of the subject.

Growing up in South Australia, we always conserved water. Our State has always been the one that has suffered, being at this end of the Murray River. Cotton farmers are allowed to pull water out of the river systems at alarming rates in a country that is so baron and so dry and with so little agriculturally viable land.  My father piped the water tank into the laundry sink, as well as the bathtub, in the 1980's. Why do I remember this?! Because I almost lost a toe helping him install the pipe from the shed to the tank.  We would bucket water from the bathtub out on to the lawns when there had been little rain, and use the cold water from the water tank to half fill the tub or to do hand washing.  It absolutely boggled the mind when moving up to Queensland in late 2004 only to find people whining about newly introduced water restrictions.

I was thinking "what?! you're only just getting them NOW?" - when us Southerners have had to always think about it. At least for the last 30 years.

Ranting aside, I'm freak;n scared. I hope Australia does not make the wrong choice.

Our most important issue, in case you hadn't noticed over this summer period, is the violent change in our weather patterns.  Thinking about this yesterday; I don't recall these insane weather events happening throughout my childhood, and even into my teen years. And yet if you look at this summer, watching the news whilst they say "well there's 300 fires in NSW at the moment and 95 of them are uncontained..." you have to wonder... what's going to happen next?!

Can we not simply take the lead in a Green Energy Revolution?! Show the rest of the world how it's done. Push clean energy industries and make our exports again competitive ! Help the third world evolve, without the use of fossil fuels??!

I'm certain it can be done. But will Australia take up the challenge.

We shall see.

Stand strong, Australia.

xx

so... what's been happening then...??

well it's been an interesting couple of months that is for sure.

firstly, it's so much easier to make money here. Making headway on debt and had a new contract with the Garden of Unearthly Delights, met some wonderful people and worked hard. Still, the reigning champion of individual sales wants her trophy ;)

I started living in a place with some nice people, that was until one of them turned out to be a knob-jockey with no control over emotions. Look, if you ask me a question, I'm going to answer it. Simple. And if you can't take what the answer might be, then don't ask the question. That's the brunt of it without going in to any more detail.

I've lived in enough share houses to know that having someone scream at you for no apparent reason is just NOT cricket.

The peeps at work and the others I lived with were a great support to me during this time, and I thank you all.

In other news, stupid body has been flaring up again. It was almost as if it rejected a job where I had to sit down sometimes, then again I can't say I've been as active as I was being overseas so therefore body went RAAR. Had some more scans on my spine and hips and happy to say that actually it seems that what was a 'broad based disc herniation' is now less severe. It's still putting some pressure on nerves but not nearly as bad. So it seems it is primarilly muscular and I hope with some help from therapists, that body will be less munty in no time.

Moving all my crap outta my house didn't help I suppose, but there you go.

So it's the first time in my life I've had stuff in a storage unit, and that feels kind of okay, but it's so transitional - though I suppose I am used to that by now.

The most frustrating thing is knowing I can't currently get back to Canada in any other way except as a 'visitor'. Lame. Totally LAME. There was rumour that they would be upping the limit on ages for work permits, but so far it hasn't happened. Very sad indeed.

I regret coming back early nearly every single day. I guess because I know my friends in Australia will always be here, and will never reject my insane decisions to disappear to foreign lands... and it's the same for those in North America. But I feel way more connected to Canada than I do to Australia right now.

Further, trying to decide on which course of study to take and all is frustrating me. I have many doubts about my ability to stay focussed because I have trouble deciding on which things to focus on in the first place.

Some things never change though: I really like crossword books. Feels like it keeps my brain active.

Looking forward to seeing all my Melbourne friends very soon, off there Tuesday for another Melbourne International Comedy Festival version of SHENANIGANS and a new challenge working up at the Trades Hall.

Remembering fondly though those we have lost in the past year as I return there... Ash and Dori, you are sorely missed and nothing will ever be the same. Both taken from us too soon. We love you.

xJ

judgement day...

sounds like a bad Hollywood film... oh wait, that was independence day.

Sometimes I get this strange feeling that it's terribly hard for people to understand why I'm earning a living in the way which I have chosen. That includes family, though they do support it, sometimes it's pretty evident that I'm the odd one out.

Well to me, it's pretty simple. 13 years in what I always refer to as "corporate business" did my head in.

Now this isn't to say that I didn't have jobs that I didn't enjoy, the majority of them I did even if you do run into the occasional wanker (happens in any workplace, unavoidable); however I have to explain something. Being in roles that are more 'operational' than anything else, you know the day to day operations of a business whether it be accounting or student enrollments or publishing sales or keeping your sales reps on their toes, buying merchandise, buying stationery, organising a couriering system, booking travel, keeping track of bills (I digress... you name it, I've probably done it)... well this basically leaves you open to being trodden on.

For those that are further up in the hierarchy will barely consult you when it comes to cost cutting or changes in procedures, national frameworks and things that effect YOUR every day and not theirs. I had great passion for what I was doing - always. To get things done efficiently; to not be wasteful; to find the cheapest way to do something, the best deal; to be the 'general bringer of joy' in any tough situation.

But when you get shit on from above, like a giant crow crapping on your favourite jacket then squawking and flying off and letting you deal with the clean up, well the reality is I got jack of it.

I got sick of consistently having to clean up other peoples messes; sick of walking into jobs where they had assumed the person would never leave and so there were never any procedures or notes on anything you were responsible for; watching people get made redundant for no reason other than upper management screw ups or desperate scrambles to cost cut (oh yeah, that is screw ups); providing data you thought would assist, but in the end they didn't give a crap anyways. It was never my immediate Management I had trouble with.... it was always some imaginary douchebag up there on his or her little fluffy cloud pulling the strings.

Too. Freakn. Frustrating.

At times you know it's a great challenge, but when you are constantly banging your head against a wall - well, something eventually has to give. Usually your days become longer, the frown in your forehead more pronounced, and the liquor sometimes flows a little more ;)

There has been the odd occasion that I really have run into some nasty sorts in offices too. Like absolute insane asylum candidates. Alcoholics who decide it's a good idea to move in together after getting drunk and shagging one Friday after work, and then bringing every single argument into the office from then on in. Ex-secret service (not kidding) agents whose faces go bright red and start to peel when they get stressed. And customers who think it's okay to call and start their conversation with you by screaming down the phone (and I think I went through about 5 receptionists that year). Oh wait, that was all in the same job. Yes indeed, that was so much FUN!

Add sarcasm, stir.

There's just something about that routine too. Having the same hours every day makes me terribly complacent. I guess the 9-5 just doesn't really gel too well with me unless the content is something that I really really care about. It took me a number of years to work that out.

So I changed things. Started with one paid arts gig here and there, then two... then kerblammo quit all corporate realm and move to Canada. And what do I end up with?! Two jobs in things I like... a Hostel (meeting travelers from all over, never a bad thing - sometimes frustrating, overall enjoyable) and an old Theatre (be still my beating heart...).

I must admit on my first journey there, because of the cashed up situation I was in, I had the luxury of simply volunteering for a number of months - meeting a bunch of like minded people and exploring the new scene and new environment. However it did lead to three paid festival gigs in the following year and I thought "I Have Done It" - I'd even been headhunted once - on community / arts / music festivals in a foreign country. Like holy CRAP! Why did it never occur to me earlier in my life that it was possible to make a living off of this?!

Well who knows. Maybe it wasn't quite time. Maybe I needed to learn the lesson. Maybe I had that revelation of earning loads of cash often still equates to having eff all to show for it (except my intermittent jaunts overseas of course).

The abilities I have in an administrative sense absolutely help me every day, and keep me going on the in-between times (you know, winter...!) - temping's not so bad because there's generally an end in sight... and you know, I've got pretty mad admin skills if I do say so myself. Sort shit out I do...

but now I'm gosh darned determined to just bounce from Fest to Fest, no matter what the topic, check it all out.

All scenes, all mediums, in all parts of this beautiful world.

Now to finally work out the balance - my real purpose in life in 2012 I guess.

Find it, work it, keep it.

Balance, Repetition, Composition...

Sod it. I like the downtime between contracts; earning less money but getting more satisfaction (and actually, somehow, having more money at the end of it). Life's funny. Hardy Har. And that.

End thought.

xx

unpacking... duex...

well yes, although all of my stuff with the exception of a couple of boxes fit in my old car and was driven all the way from Bristanbul to RADelaide several years ago... well gee there still seems to be quite a bit of it.

Though I am the Tetris mistress from HELL.

Rant:

I've wanted a filing cabinet for years... maybe I felt like I could get more organised. And immediately a friend came to the rescue on that front after I mentioned it. "Hey, we've got one in the shed - it's been sitting there a couple years. We don't use it."

My friends, you ROCK my world! You ALWAYS come to the party somehow. The party, being mostly, doing awesome stuff for me for which I am eternally grateful.

So... said filing cabinet now lovingly filled with hanging files, named and all, with all of the festival related garb I've been doing over the years. This may seem like a small victory to many, but to me it's like FINALLY there is some HOPE that I can find things and not just put them in rad boxes and tins that I manage to find along the way.

New room, however, still slightly fuckified until I can get my old set of drawers out here. Been raining a bit so an open trailer and furniture ain't such a good combination.

Anyhoo... so how do I really FEEL about all of this? That's kind of undetermined. I like my new place to live and the people that are here. I'm excited about my new role learning about all things box office here.

But overall... kinda sad. Lost. Pining for Vancouver.

Todays word: Transition.

I was well aware of it, knew it would rear it's ugly head AND I know it sucks, it's just taking a little longer this time because the truth is, I don't know when I can get back there - and that is what makes it sad.

I admit to being mostly in hiding up until now. Slowly but surely catching up with the kids here in RADelaide which I'm enjoying. I just can't unfortunately promise to be always looking myself for the time being as things tick on and on in my head.

That is, of course, until next Festival kick off (very VERY soon) which will snap me right out of any procrastination and bring all my fun clothes and flair out of hiding.

Scarves and buttons and hats, oh MY!

xx

unpacking...

finding little bits of paper with notes written on them is always interesting...

here's an example:

Soul Coughing - El Oso "Blame"

www.naturalevent.com.au

"Wake in Fright" 1971

"Zombieland"

>myface>black fridays

volunteers - ocean care

paulo.... - letterman

Now some seem obvious, one seems incomplete. Oh well. best go hunting and see why I wrote these random things down!

hehe.

xx

Ah Hell...

Haven't finished my 2012 list yet. Well I've got a few hours left of January 31 to go so why not sort this out then...

RASP RASP

1. Clear Debt

2. Get Paid on at Least 10 Festivals (last year I aimed for 5 and did 8)

3. Volunteer

4. Practice Spanish

5. Travel to: New Zealand, Bali, Northern Territory or Western Australia

6. Read more books

7. Business Planning

8. Decide on Study

9. Practice Mexican cooking

10. Start and keep up with new weblog

11. Find a way to properly preserve all festival and music memorabilia...

12. TBC

x

FebFast

So my friend Frehd started a team. I joined said team.

Here is link to team: http://www.febfastfundraising.com.au/hairy_bins

Please head over and sponsor us on our mission to live healthily and support some great public programs across Australia.

We won't be boozing for all of February. I'll be attempting to stop poisoning my lungs as well. Ugh.

xx

possibly the biggest personal breakthrough yet...

a PAID festival job in a foreign country!

whilst that may not seem terribly exciting to any of you, to me... this is what i've been working towards. Granted, the people in this festival know of me simply because of someone I know... but that's how the cookie crumbles really.

It seems my now vast list of experiences sprawled throughout my CV is really getting out there, people can see what mixed capabilities I have and therefore, give me a shot.

And I don't intend to let them down. I know this role I will be taking on will be pretty huge for me. I may have brain overload in the first 24 of getting out there to the site, but as long as I have Redoxon (berocca for Canadians), earplugs, and candy, I'm pretty sure I'll be generally okay!

The other bonus with this, is that I will make decent money, which will help me get to Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon this year. Two things on my list, kind of, well I decided them kinda recently, but you know, why not eh?! They're in this hemisphere, and relatively close...

As much as I do despise this capitalist society in which we live, unfortunately we are all mostly reliant on it. It really is balls if you ask me. Costs of travel really are going through the roof, and whilst I understand why, I don't understand why at the same time.

Economics. Who can explain it to me in laymans terms?

And so, I guess the reality is hey, though I am almost always in some kind of doubt about myself and my situation, things really are quite fine. I am doing what I wanted to, I just get frustrated. sometimes.

People have often asked why I chose Canada and I don't really know. I didn't like the idea of the UK. Everyone I know that has ever worked and lived there has come back like a skeleton really. It's kind of way too 'grey' for me too. I'd love to visit there for sure, but living and working there I don't think I could do (maybe for a short time... Edinburgh Fest comes to mind!). Unfortunately with the age I am now, that ship has sailed. It doesn't really bother me too much.

I may, also, consider heading to hang with my cuzzy bros in KiwiLand at some point in the future too. Why not?! I mean, really, why not?!

It's all an experience, is my point.

Much love to you and yours, and to you, dear Universe.

xx <3

Respect.

in eight days...

or thereabouts, I shall be boarding yet another plane to head off over the great worlds oceans to somewhere I haven't been yet.

Recent experiences again fulfilling me however there was still confusion and hollowness in my being. At least I can say I've dumped smoking, and on a professional note, achieved what I had wanted to in my time back. Health wise not so much, but the knocking on the head of the smoking is the beginning of course. I give myself permission to eat unhealthy shit for at least a little while. That will stop very soon indeed.

Woah, slightly deep, okay so hey it's 1:08am. (At least that first sentence in the last paragraph!) I am contemplating the fact that I have about a week left in my home country before going exploring again, I know I am still pretty broke and therefore have to find work straight away once arriving, which is kind of shite.

More and more so lately I have wished beyond anything that money was not the object that we are all constantly up against.

And also further can't stop thinking about what actual aspect of festivals / performing / the arts I would really want to be in. Whilst never pursuing the 'on stage' part of my teens, somehow it is evident that it is there, wriggling away deep down inside. The fucking wimp pussy part of me thinks that just being the supporter (producer, executive producer or otherwise) of others is a wiser idea. Perhaps the idea of failure is what I dread.

Then again it's the old thing of if you don't try how the hell would you ever know.

Come on brain, stop fucking around and get to the point would you??!

Indeed.

xx

hmmm... perhaps this doesn't even make sense... RANT!

Mission almost accomplished.... well, you know, not bad i say. not bad indeed.

so my original intention was to return to Australia with the idea of making festivals my full time working environment. And who woulda thunk it?! It's actually worked.

No doubt there have been a few stressful moments. Playing catchup financially is not fun, lack of communication on some organisers parts also not fun. Train lines being disrupted for upgrades JUST as I arrive somewhere, floods, etc etc.

In the reality of it all though, I guess those things are minor. My main problem is, I guess, that I decided a while back the corporate world is not for me. However I have also always had a regular pay cheque. 13 years of regular pay cheques in fact, give or take a few months. And therefore when I am not 100% certain when the next one will hit my bank account, get a little stressed.

It's really unfortunate that my stress is about money, considering how non-capitalist my brain feels about our world and the universe.

It's certainly occurred to me the easiest way to fix that stress is to beat the crap outta my credit card and get rid of it. It shall take some time indeed, but it's a big one for me. Definitely high on my priority list. Once it's gone I really can fully relax.

Whilst I recognise that we get paid exceptionally well compared to some other countries here in Australia, I can also acknowledge that we get ridiculously ripped off with most things here also. I guess I've always known that but not taken it so seriously as now.

As an example of a 'local' issue: The big wigs of capitalism can argue all they like for a GST to be put on imported items bought online and all that garb, but the truth is... why can we buy something for $2.99 including postage from Hong Kong when it costs $25 in a shop here. Markup? Taxes? What the hell? So why wouldn't people just import items independently from overseas, via online shopping. Besides, a GST on something like that will only add another 30cents, so it's really not going to do much. They think they are losing out. Well I tell you what, I've never bought anything except a mobile phone from Hardley Normal anyways. Guess I'm less of a consumer than some.

It kind of makes me think though that perhaps, finally, with all of the news local and international and the natural disasters and all, people really are beginning to take stock. Perhaps they're donating their money and their time and even giving away items they discover they don't really need, rather than going in droves to buy new stuff. For some people this has always been normal, for others maybe it's a new revelation. I'd like to think it's making more people socially aware, even though occurrences lately are pretty disastrous on a human and a natural environment scale.

ranty rant rant. that's all for now. xx

ok so... it's almost time...

Yes. It's almost time to finalise my 2011 list and it's almost time to close this little travel chapter.

I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not really sure what I wanted to achieve here in Canadaland.

Okay so I kind of feel like I started out strong but then took a small step backwards again. This country really is huge and I feel like I haven't seen quite enough of it yet. So I will certainly be back, and if all goes according to plan I predict early May 2011.

Volunteering for the festivals when I got here was just amazing, met some great people, enjoyed the sunshine (and sometimes the rain), discovered more amazing music, and learned a couple of lessons...

like.... don't get so drunk that you give your cell number out to COMPLETE randoms!
well i guess a lesson learned is a lesson gained!!

Anyways, so if I had have stayed on that artsy path, the smart thing to do would have been to keep pushing to get paid arts based work here. But I didn't. I do kick myself a little for that, because it really has become more of my focus in the last two years.

I'm not saying that being in Banff wasn't fun, but I do think I should have left at the end of October like I had intended. It was great spending time with Leni the crazy cat and meeting the other fun folks up there. I still don't know how people do so much partying all the time, but I guess my idea of partying is slightly different somehow. Work 16 hour days at 3 day festivals, no worries! Too much to drink for me... results in a very long hangover. Well each to their own I suppose.

I have met some people who I feel are really important to me in both Vancouver and Banff, people that have taught me things, made me feel valued, or made me swoon. I could never forget any of them, and I hope to keep them in my life.

So back to Australia I will go shortly for the festival season and I will try, hopefully without fail, to do four months of arts based work and not have to fall back on any sort of lame temp job that I will end up getting stuck in for months and months like has happened in the past.

I do feel like I really need to concentrate on my health whilst I am back at home. Not that I have been feeling particularly bad (as in, don't panic or anything), but there are definitely still (stupid hereditary) things going on that are well within my control that I should be paying closer attention to. I hope with some advice and treatment back in Aus that I can start to do this properly and make some real life changes. Because it often does stress me out and sometimes makes me grumpy. And it's no way to be. By no means is it as bad as post-fally-downy-stairsy years, but sometimes it becomes uncomfortable.

Ultimately, well I'm still searching for the happiness within. I think we all are. And sometimes I feel like a stupid sad sack because I don't know what the ultimate happiness is or even should be. I mean who knows. I certainly shouldn't complain about circumstance because I put myself in the position I am in and only I can change it. We should all be wiser to remember that sometimes.

I guess I will know when I find it.

xx