So life has got significantly better since last updating.  I got head-hunted for a job!  Yeah Baby!!!  Well, maybe not head-hunted, but still I got offered a job through word of mouth.  Explanation – The Whanganui Regional Museum’s Collection Manager was on parental leave, and the Curator Contacted Susan Abasa (Museum Studies Lecturer) and asked if she knew of anyone local who might like the contract covering leave.  She said my name, I was contacted, I went for an interview and started 2 days later.  Sweet!  It’s only temporary from now until Christmas but still, it’s Collection Management experience in a really good museum.
I cannot believe how well it has all worked out.  I spoke with my bosses at CorpLogistics as I didn’t want to leave them in the lurch.  I asked how they would feel about me doing three days here and two days there while I worked out a months notice; and they came back and said do 4 days there and 1 day here until the end of October with overtime on the weekend if necessary.  How sweet is that!  Very considerate.  The Museum were more than chuffed with that, as they just really needed someone there ASAP, so the deal was struck.  Then on my way to my first day there I stopped in at Shell to get some gas, and found $25 sitting on the forecourt.  I did my usual look around to see if anyone wanted to claim it but there was only me and one other guy who pulled in after me so the money wasn’t his, so I used it to pay for petrol J  Then, I had a good chat with the Director of the Museum, and she offered me her spare room if I needed somewhere to stay.  Seriously, just falling into place.  And there’s a big part of me that is waiting for the bubble to burst and for it all to fall apart.  But I’ve signed the contract now, so it’s final!  Yay!
I am however a busy little bunny working two jobs and rehearsing for a play.  I am playing Saxophone for the MUDS production of ‘Cabaret’, which is great fun, but we have rehearsal at night and it makes for a long day, especially when rehearsal won’t often finish til after 10pm.  It makes it a bit of a challenge when my alarm goes off at 6am the next morning, so I can be ready and on the road to Wanganui by 7am.  Then finish work at 5pm, drive home, pick up my sax and music and get to rehearsal by 6.30pm, rehearse til 10 or thereabouts, go home, have something resembling dinner, and try to calm down enough to get to sleep.  Phew!  But, the show is on in the first week of October so it won’t be busy for long.  Oh, Saturdays are house-work day because I live with 2 boys who don’t clean, and then Sunday is shopping day and more rehearsal in the afternoon.  Seriously, need more hours in the day.
Jamie has quit his job at Mao.  Well, kind of.  He’s handed in his notice but he doesn’t know when exactly he’ll be finishing up or what he’ll be doing afterwards.  Tina’s shit has just got to him too much so he’s calling it off.  Hooray I say for getting out of there.  Seriously, there was too much crap in his way, and she just won’t listen to people’s ideas.  She’s one of these people that runs a restaurant but won’t cook the food unless she likes it.  In that industry you cannot have a cook who refuses to touch black pudding because she doesn’t eat offal.  You cook what the people want to eat.  But she doesn’t see it that way.  Fucking child.  Plus she was putting too many barriers in Jamie’s say and not letting him make the changes he wanted to make (even though he was supposed to be ‘head chef’ and have full creative control under the conditions of his contract) so he handed in his notice.  He explained everything to Rick who immediately kicked Tina out of the kitchen, but Jamie’s still leaving.  He sais he would stay until the middle of October to allow enough time to find a replacement, but Rick has asked him to stay to the end of the month – so he can achieve monthly goals and have a holiday.  How pathetic.  But Jamie has agreed.  Part of me is really scared (and pissed off) that Jamie will stay on there and it’ll be another case of him throwing his toys and getting attention from the bosses.  Part of me is really happy that he’s quitting and knows he really deserves a holiday and is in full support of it.  Part of me is angry that he is quitting without having anything to go on to, and even though he has a whole lot of holiday pay to cover is rent while he’s unemployed, I’m freaking out a little about what’s going to happen when that money runs out and he’s got no job to go to – I doubt my pay will cover both of our rents while I’m commuting every frickin’ day.  But on the whole I’m happy he’s out of there.  And I just really hope that he stays out this time.
What else.  My back is still playing up.  I really must get around to getting is x-rayed, like I was supposed to 6 weeks ago.  I finally finished the crosstitch I was working on for Dad’s birthday and have framed it, looking good.  I’ve also started the HUGE vampire one that will take me years to complete.  Rather exciting.  Mum got laryngitis but is on the mend now.  Rebecca and Derryn are engaged and I’ll be maid-of-honour on the big day!  Yay!  Not til Jan/Feb 2011 but it’s still something fun to look forward to.  I’m planning the hen’s night already…
I think that’s it for the moment.  Nice one.

Up at 9.  Prepped some apples and put them in the dehydrator.  Showered, breakfasted, tea-ed, etc.  Put on a load of washing (clothes), set the dishwasher, made biscuits, made a cake.  Hung out washing, put another load on (linens).  Emptied dishwasher, hand-washed all dishes that couldn't go in dishwasher.  Swept and vacuumed house, but could not mop floors as the bucket is still in the ceiling.  Cleaned the bathrooms (yes, multiple), cleaned the kitchen, put new linens on the bed.  Hung out second load of washing, put a third load on (towels), and iced cake.  And it's only 3pm!  And my energy levels are still low after being ill.  How productive is that!
Now hopefully I'll be tired enough to leave Kelly's early tonight and not feel guilty about it.  It's Therese's birthday and she having a Thai dinner followed by drinks at Kelly's place.  I'm skipping the dinner as I don't have any money, but joining for drinks.  Well, I've just finished a course of anti-biotics this morning and don't want to impact on their effectiveness so I won't be drinking, but I'll be joining in the festivities.  Kelly, however, is pissing me off something chronic at the moment so I think I'll be wanting to leave a bit earlier.  She's just so selfish and blinkered and wouldn't know what compassion and understanding were if they slapped her in the face and I'm sick of listening to her prattle on about people because she doesn't like the way they live their lives.  It's none of her freakin business.  Seriously, as a friend yes, you're entitled to your opinion, but you don't damn someone because they had a child out of wedlock (Rebecca), or moved in with their partner of only 3 months (Tash).  Lord, I hate to think what she's been saying about me behind my back.
Anyway the husband wants the PC so time to skedaddle.

So I've once again remembered this thing exists, and have once again reset my password.
Update: Wellington wasn't the kick-off I thought it was going to be.  The job turned out to be a bit naff and my boss, the control freak, wouldn't be happy with me spending some time in other departments to learn new skills and expand my repertoire etc.  The contract was coming to and end and I decided not to apply for the permanent position as it wasn't where I wanted to be in the Museum sector, and my boss made id plain that she'd be pissed if I applied for the job, got it, then continued to look for work elsewhere.  Coincidentally, Jamie's old work in Palmy begged for him to come back and offered him a pay rise to do so, so we are back in Palmy.  He started working there under "new conditions" that were discussed during negotiations, but things are just back to the way they always were.  Tina is being a controlling bitch and resisting almost all changes Jamie suggests; the other staff are not as interested in going the whole distance and only do the minimum their job requires of them, so Jamie overworks and gets no credit for it; and I have to put up with the same whinging from him evey day when he decides to come home.
Things for me aren't working out so well.  I spent 3 1/2 months unemployed - seriously, applied fro half a dozen jobs a week, and it took 2 months just to get an interview with someone.  That someone was the Hawke's Bay Museum.  I had the interview with them on 8th May, and was rung a week later to say I didn't get the job I applied for, but would I like to be offered first right of refusal on another one they had coming up.  I said most definitely, as I really do like HBMAG, and was told I'd have the paperwork to look at within 2 weeks.  It's now 23rd August and I've seen nothing.  I keep getting told 'just a few more weeks' but I'm seriously starting to wonder if they're just stringing me along.  I guess time will tell.
In the meantime, I've worked for a month at Bennetts Campus Bookstore, on the phones helping poor lost students order their books 3-weeks into semester.  Then I started a job researching a project for a logistics company, which I'm still doing, but hours are very variable.  I also spent a week on Jury Duty, listening to a trial all about a man's inappropriate relationship with his step-daughter.  Oh yeah, one of 'those' trials.
And now I have a strep infection and feel like utter shite.  Seriously, I haven't felt this ill in years.  Ugh.
However, not all is bad.  My friend Rebecca has had her baby, gorgeous Georgia Grace, who is adorable.  It's good being back in Palmy and being closer to all my friends, but it's also made me realise how far I've drifted away from some of them.
I spent with weekend at my parents place last weekend.  Mum was helping out with a play so Dad and i went to see it: the stage version of 'Are You Being Served?' and it was good.  Very entertaining.  I also cleared out all my stuff from the sleepout - oh dear lord I had a lot of crap stored there!  It was awesome going through everything though and wandering down memory lane as each new items brought back new reminiscences.  Oh, how poetic.  Twas very cool spending time with Mum and Dad too.
So that's my life in a nut shell for the last few months.  Hopefully I get a full time permanent position soon.  Hopefully I feel better soon.  now I'm back to bed to watch DVDs and remember the times I had energy.

So it's been a while.  I have no excuse, I forgot all about it.  Even forgot my password, how embarassing.
So I'm in Wellington now.  I'm loving my job.  The boss is still a bit of a Hydra.  It's swings and round-abouts.  Sometimes she's in a bearable mood and we joke and laugh, other times she's in a god-awful rancid mood and I'm actually afraid to talk to her.  It's been getting a bit boring at work recently - I've got the important takes nively managed and get through all my important work by 11am, then spend the rest of the day inputting old proposals, which is the lowsst ranking of my tasks.  Data entry, oh how I love thee.  I've really wanted to ask for extra duties but have been too afraid to say anything for fear of having my head bitten off and handed back to me semi-digested.  However, I managed to craftily indicate that I was running out of things to do so next week she's going to sit down and give me a few things more.  It's crazy though, she keeps complaining to anyone who will listen that she's so busy, but every time I ask What can I do, she says nothing, she's got in under control.  She's so self-important, I swear she thinks the place will fall down in a flaming heap if she doens't turn up.  But I am still enjoying it and appreciating my introduction to the Museum industry.
Home life is going very well.  I'm feeling really close to JAmie, it's great.  He's got a job now and works 4 nights a week which means I spend a lot of time at home alone and don't get to see him as much any more, but it makes me really appreciate the time we do spend together.  He started out as a kitchen hand, then helped out a bit with cooking a few dishes, then 3 of the chefs left so it's an instant promotion for him - all in teh space of a month!  I just hope it's not too much too fast for him.  He seems to be doing ok though, just tired, but handling it all well.
I've started a bit of a fitness boost - rediscovered pilates and yoga-lates and doing that on a semi-regular basis.  And I'm really trying to walk to and from work most days, and kind of succeeding in that.  I'm just not very comfortable with how I am any more and feel I need to do something about.  Sure, I still splurge on the occassional chocolate bar, but I'm exercising way more than I used to and feeling really good about that.
Our landlady is on at us to buy the apartment.  She said she needs to sell it by November, which is cutting it really fine, and keeps aking if we want to buy it, and she would be happy to wait for a while if we'd just help her out with mortgage payments, and would we consider rent-to-own, and how about we buy it together?  Seriously, I don't know what part of 'No' she doesn't understand.  Yes, it's a nice place and it suits us at the moment, but I really miss having a lawn and an outside washing line, and I don't want to end up stuck in a little rat hole for years on end.  Every time we talk she keeps saying 'if you change your mind...' and I'm just thinking all the time, no!  I think Jamie would be keen on it, but he sees where I'm coming from.  I know it's a good entry into the housing market, and after all these future renovations are made it'll go up in value significantly, but I don't know what I'll be doing for a job in March when my contract runs out, and dont' want to be defaulting on mortgage payments.  And I also don't see the point in buying a place that I still have to pay rent on - the building is built on Maori land owned by the Tenths Trust, and the owners have to pay the body corporate 'rent' to give to them.  And, they can put this 'rent' up every 8 years.  Last time if jumped from $900 for 3 months, to $2,000!  What's it going to go up to next time?  PLus I don't want to end up in Rosa's position - owning a flat and depserately trying to sell it but no one will buy it.  So anyways, I've started checking out what other places are available just in case someone does decide to sell it.  Oh, and Rosa has also said that if we help her to sell it, i.e. host open homes, we'll get a grand when it sells.  We'll see.
Wow, big whinge.
Dad went in to hospital opn Thursday to have the second operation on his right arm - first operation was on the left arm last year.  He's goe weird bone growths that dig into the muscles, and had torn his rotator cuff too so got it all fixed up and had some early arthritis blasted away.  He's not too happy about having to take so much time off work, but happy that it'll be fixed and pain-free soon enough.
Things have been quite tight money-wise recently.  Had a couple of big bills to pay, then had to get a seatbelt replaced in the car for the warrant, and now the car won't even start, joy oh joy.  I'm just gettign really tired of not having any money.  I need new shoes, new jeans and a hair cut, not to mention summer work clothes, and I haven't been able to buy anything for the last 5 people who have had birthdays recently, and it's Jamie's birthday next week, and my overdraft to pay off, and my bank loan to get rid of, and I need to go to the doctor and get the pill again (a different kind this time, as my body is going loopy on this one again).  It's all getting a bit much.  I'm actually thinking about trying to find a second job.  Maybe one weekend day at the Warehouse, or a waitressing job a couple of nights a week.  Something to help relieve the stress.  Lotto tonight was $25 million.  If only I bought lotto tickets.  But then I'd just wake up tomorrow wishing I hadn't bought the ticket and had my $15 back.  Oh well, things will get better soon.
Ah, mysecond glass of wine.
I'm gettingquite lonely here too.  I haven't managed to join any clubs or anything and am really missing spending time with friends.  It wasn't so bad when Jamie was at home every night, but now with him gone most nights and Saturday days, I'm starting to feel a little stir-crazy.  I've got a couple of 'mates' at work, but not the kind you text for coffee on the weekends.  Must join clubs!
But, things are going good on the whole.  Loving it.  Yeah.

This is my last day at 018 and there are no words can adequately describe just how happy that makes me feel.  As of 3.30 I know longer have to put up with vacant people not knowing what they want.  No more answering the phone and having customer say "Are you there?"  Of course I am, I just answered the phone didn't I?  No more "I need to find a J Smith somewhere in NZ."  No more "Can you find me a 24 hour locksmith in Auckland."  No more "love/dear/sweetheart/good girl/darling or my girl."  No more, I say!  I might even put in for time out and head home an hour early.  Mwah-ha-ha!
I went home an hour early yesterday as well and bought a pair of shoes on the way, only to get them home and discover that the buckle was broken.  I have to return them today and see if I can get them replaced.  I also have an appointment to get a hair cut, and have to cash a cheque, and Dad is coming around to pick up my old bicycle.  Too much to do in a short time, so I think an hour off is called for.
We have found a flat!  At last.  I was getting very worried for a while.  It seemed like every place we tried for had been taken within hours of it being listed.  But luckily we managed to find one, and the landlady is even in Palmerston North so I saw her on Wednesday to sign the tenancy and give her the bond.  Sorted!  And she's lovely and likes me too.  Bonus!
Jamie has now got my flue, poor man.  He must be feeling bad - he called in sick to work this morning and he never calls in sick.  We had a quiet night last night and got out some DVDs.  We got 'Sweeney Todd' which was OK but the music seemed to be all over the place and the whole thing just rambled along really.  And we got 'American Gangster' which was brilliant!  Very good indeed.
Dinner on Monday was nice.  After all the fuss on sunday night Jamie even joined us for a few drinks after dinner.  We had dinner at Mao Bar then a few drinks, and then moved on to the Celtic for a few more with a different crowd of people.  It was a good night, but I was a little sad at leaving them all behind.  Still am really.   Jamie took me out for dinner on Wednesday night.  We went to the Gallery and it was lovely, even though we spent most of the night talking about bills and budgetting.
I have sold my old bed for $355 on TradeMe.  Awesome!  They picked it up yesterday and I have a cash cheque to deal with today, and promptly go and spend on shoes and hair cuts.  Ah, I'm a woman, I'm allowed.

So I've started to gain the feeling over the last couple of days that it's a very exciting time to be alive.
There's that really creepy thing with the monkey where they managed to implant electrodes into its' brain which allowed it to operate a robotic arm, which poses a few interesting questions (i.e. there were no shots of the back of the poor things head, so how do the wires actually get in there?  It might not be pretty, let alone subtle.  And does it operate on subliminal thought or do you have to actually consciously think "I want my arm to pick up that marshmallow" before it'll move?  I mean, what happens if you're in an argument with someone and your subconscious things "Man, it'd be great to slap them right now"; would the arm do it, or do you have to tell it to do it?  You know what I mean?!?  And how the hell to the engineers tell a robotic arm what thoughts to obey and disobey?)  It's all beyond me, who gave up science after 5th form, but no doubt they'll get it sussed.  But it's really exciting - losing a limb no longer means being lopsided for the rest of your life.  And people like my aunty who doesn't trust herself to do fine detail work because can no longer feel anything on her fingertips as diabetes had cut off the circulation, maybe they can get robotic hands?  Sure they still won't be able to feel anything, but they'll regain the fine-point use of their hands maybe?  It's all a bit science-fiction for me, but very cool nonetheless.
And I love that the world is coming together, albeit slowly, to help reverse global warming.  China is on a rampage to stop using plastic bags - they use 3 billion a day!  I try to not use them either, I've got quite a nice collection of those canvas-type reuseable bags which I love and say no when they offer me plastic bags at the supermarket.  It's a really optimistic feeling knowing that it's a world-wide movement - countries all over the globe are working towards making this world better - reducing carbon footprint, using reuseable products and resources, recycling.  Oh, it's great!  There is hope after all.

So I had my life threatened at work yesterday.  Yup.  I got to work at 5.30 and got given the phone number of this guy who'd been repeat calling since 3.30am, and was told that if I get a call from his number I have to warn him and disconnect the call.  What do you know?  Five minutes later his number comes up.  I just hung up on him.  Got him again three minutes after that as there were only a couple of us on the queue and he told me not to hang up, so I said "I've been instructed to disconnect this call, good bye."  He keeps ringing.  I try hanging up on him, talking to him, being polite, telling him to stop and he keeps ringing.  It's incredible.  The call centre fills up with other CSPs and still I get him at least twice an hour.  Sometimes he's polite, other times he's in tears threatening to kill himself if we hang up on him, then I get the call where he says, and I quote: 'I am going to track you down and kill you."  Yup.  So I hang up on him and go straight to the team leaders and tell them, and they laugh.  "Oh he's at that stage is he?'" I just stare at them.  "I just had my life threatened at work" I say, and they say "OK we'll put a note around telling the CSPs to transfer him to the support team.  I say again, "He just threatened to kill me, can you not just cut off his phone?"  They say no, there's no point.  I shake my head and walk off and then it hits someone to ask "Are you ok?"  I turn around and say "No I'm not, I just had my life threatened and I'm pissed off at having to deal with death threats at my work."  They just stare at me as I walk back to my desk.  Nothing gets done about it.  I know there is no way this guy can track me down and/or kill me (it was an 09 number so he's Auckland or Northland somewhere), but still, he threatened to kill me and there was no support or back up for me.  Fucking ridiculous.  And then of course I'm nervous and feel sick every time my phone goes in case it's him again.  I get him a few more times that day and he's still ringing in when I leave at 2pm, but he doesn't nut off at me again.  Part of me was hoping he would, then I would have just walked out.  I shouldn't have to deal with that shit at my job.
Nothing was done about it.  They said they couldn't cut off his phone because it wasn't in his name.  Even though he was threatening violence?!?  I don't think so, that's abuse of a telephone and is grounds for instant disconnection.  So they called his mother and spoke to her, said he was abusing the staff here and she needed to control her son (even though he was about 30), and she would either hang up on them or put the phone down and leave it.  Fucking ridiculous.  So I'm going to talk to my team manager about it today and if they haven't done anything about it I'm going to the police after work.  I should not have to deal with that.  He hasn't called in today but if I get him I'm walking out.  Bugger that for a joke.
So anyway, I went to the book sale yesterday afternoon and only bought 2 books.  Rather disappointing really, but at least I didn't spend too much money.  They had the usual collection of fusty old tomes that have been hiding away in peoples' garages for decades, some interesting ones, but on the whole not worth spending a couple of dollars on as they'd fall apart in your hands.  Twas fun wandering through and seeing what there was though.  I'm just gutted I'm on a budget at the moment, I had to avoid the 'priced' section with the better quality books.  Still $4 for two books isn't bad.

Yup, had a wee bit of a sob again last night and slept in this morning so I'm at work with eyes so puffy I feel like I'm squinting.  I bet I look fantastic!  I arrived home after work last night to discover a letter in the mail box from Te Papa where I'd applied for a contract job, saying thanks but no thanks.  This on top of a similar letter from the Otago Museum, yes, the one I really wanted, arrived last week.  And on top of a job interview I had at Noel Leeming on Tuesday that I thought went well, and arrived home to find a rejection email in my inbox waiting for me.  Seriously, it took me 5 minutes to walk home so they must have already had it typed up.  So last night Jamie went out  for his bowling tournament and I had the house to myself and lost it a wee bit.  Here is where I would usually say at least  I feel better, but I don't.  I feel pretty hopeless to be honest with you. I had another job interview yesterday afternoon for an administration position and they're calling people back for second interviews this afternoon, but she said the decision would be made yesterday and I haven't been called so I think that's a no (bugger because it was a $40K salary).  And it's not just that I can't find a job, it's every time I don't get a job it means I'm stuck on 018 that little bit longer.
I pressed the snooze button on my alarm 4 times this morning, all in my sleep.  It went off at 5am and I turned it off thinking it was going off for the first time at 4.20am but no, my brain was sound asleep and my body was snoozing the alarm to keep it that way.  So it was a quick dash through the shower and a cheese sandwich for breakfast in the taxi on the way to work.  I've asked for time out this afternoon, I'm just knackered.  Fingers crossed.  However, my shift at work is changing to 7am-3.30pm soon, so that should makes thing a lot easier.
I am so tired,  I'm tired of people asking me when I'm going to get a job.  I'm tired of putting effort into job applications that aren't getting me anywhere.  I'm tired of people asking me when I'm going to have babies, when Jamie and I are going to move away from Dave, when we're buying a house.  (Read: when are you going to sort your life out?).  I'm tired of the assholes I deal with at work expecting me to be a psychic and never thanking me.  I'm tired of being the only one to cook and clean and do dishes and the laundry at the flat.  And I'm tired of complaining about the same old stuff.  I'm so freaking tired.  I think I'm a bit depressed at the moment.
And then I feel like a right cow for bitching about these things when other people have such bigger problems than me.  Therese's sister has cystic fibrosis (she' already lost her brother to it) and has been in hospital on oxygen for the last three weeks - not a good sign.  Rebecca is pregnant and needs to find a flat and move in with her boyfriend which is great news on the one hand, but was also unexpected and thrusts instant family on the two of them.  And in the face of this I whine about my job?
But it's not all bad.  On Wednesday Jamie, Dean and I took Michelle (their mother) and Jim (step-father) out for late Mother's Day lunch.  We went to Valentines which was average, but then all went bowling which was awesome!  I love bowling.  And I really like my in-laws.  Jim scares me a bit but Michelle is lovely.  Even my brother-in-law is cool.  I've been very lucky there.
Jamie and I are thinking about moving to Wellington for the better job opportunity market.  He's got friends and old work mates down there so will be able to fall into a job, and there have been 5 call-centre jobs advertised very recently.  Yes I know it's not my ideal job, but being there also exposes me to more museums that will hopefully take me on as a volunteer and help to boost the experience section on my cv.  I'm still thinking about it.  I don't want to move down there expecting things to change but have them remain the same, only to end up more depressed.  Hey, at least there will be more shops there right?!?  We shall see.
And this weekend there is the Red Cross Book Sale, an annual event involving a wrehouse of second-hand super-cheap books, woot!  And there's also the Women's Expo, which should help to boost confidence and the woman-power factor.  Yay!  I still have to work, but I'm meeting up with the girls when I'm done and we're going to peruse the events.  Should be good. a

OK so I finally decide to apply for the team managers position only to discover that applications closed last week.  Bugger.  Oh well, I've just spent the last hour writing application letters for two other jobs, one museum and one sales, and hope to hell that something comes through.  I still haven't heard back from Otago which is really disappointing me - I was really hoping to get that one.  But they have only just done the history check (I always ask that a copy be sent to me and that only arrived three days ago) so there is still hope, but I'm afraid to check the letter box in case there's a rejection letter in there.
I finally got around to seeing the gyno again.  I had my appointment yesterday and I am so incredibly pissed off about it - I had to pay $180 for him to give me two words of advice: "eat muesli."  Essentially, my hormones are fine and everything inside was pink and healthy when he went in there so it's not a gyno problem, but he thinks it's my bowel.  There's some hormone (prostaglandine I think if anyone's interested) that encourages the uterus to spasm and get rid of the stuff inside, but apparently this hormone can linger around or be produced mid-cycle, at which time it is absorbed by the bowel and sends that into crazy rhythms.  So he asked what I have for breakfast and I told him a  smoothie he looked slightly horrified and told me to have a bowl of muesli with two tablespoons of all bran and 6 prunes.  Slightly over-the-top I feel but I'll try the meusli and see how it goes.  It's so stupid though, why did he have to drag me in there to tell me that?!?  And charge me $180 no less.  Not to mention I'm not irregular in that department anyway, but he's the specialist so he should know what he's on about.  I'm just a little embarrassed at freaking out about problems again only to be told it's diet related, and having to pay extortionate amounts for it.  Grrr...  h, and also I'm just one of those unfortunate women that gets breakthrough bleeding.  Yeah, that's ok for him to say.
So I was upset when I got home and Jamie and I had a bit of a fight.  I say a bit because it only lasted 45 seconds, but we don't fight often so that's worth mentioning.  All got sorted out but again, it leads me into my rant about how tired I am of being so tired and grumpy all the time and taking it out on people who don't deserve it.  I have requested a meeting with my TM today to see if I can change my shift start time, but I don't know how successful that will be.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, getting up at 4.15am is slowly killing my soul.
What else to report on ...  I went over to Mum and Dad's on Sunday for Mother's Day and gave Mum and dragon puppet I found on TradeMe.  I felt bad giving her a second hand present but she loved it!  Her face lit up when she saw it and she kept playing with it for ages too, even showed it off to the kids when they came around.  I love giving people presents like that :)
So Jamie has had enough of Mao Bar.  Correction - He loves Mao Bar, loves cooking, loves (most of) his work mates, but has had enough of his boss and her complete lack of business knowledge.  Every time he suggests something (i.e. a new dish or alteration to the menu) he gets shouted down and told he's not the boss or his ideas are laughed at, yet when the kitchen runs out of chicken or teaspoons he gets told off for it.  He gets told to leave his personal issues at home, yet the managers have screaming domestics in the kitchen.  Or he gets told to leave early to reduce wage costs, but when on his days off the other chef (who is also the manager) hires extra people to work in the kitchen so she can sit in the office smoking and playing solitaire on the computer.  Uh-huh, double-standards much?  And whenever he talks about this to her she says "that's the way I am so deal with it."  So on Sunday night I stayed up til 11 helping him write his resignation letter (i.e. "you might want to remove the swearing dear, it's not exactly professional).  He's threatened to quit a few times because of the stress his job causes him, but he's always been talked around into staying.  I know he loves it but it's not good for him, and now I learn that he's having a meeting with the boss again this afternoon to talk about it.  I'm afraid he's going to stay, which is going to stress him out even more.  We'll see how it goes.

Yay it's Friday!  Well, kind of.  I know it's a Monday but I have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off so this is my Friday and it's very exciting.  Woot.  OK so here's the thing, I wrote this on Monday and then my computer had a fit and lost everything so I sulked abnd refused to type it all up again.  And then when I logged in again this morning to update my journal it asked if I wanted to revert to the saved draft.  So voila!  Two updates for the price of one.  The red colour is this morning's updates topping up on events of the past few days...
I walked to work in the rain again this morning.  Very cool.  Actually it was borderline freezing!  Must be getting close to winter, which is also very exciting.  Man I must be having a good day, I'm saying positive things.
So, Jamie lost his wedding ring yesterday.  He discovered it when he went to bed, then got up and ransacked the house trying to find it but no luck.  However, he was rummaging around in the wood pile and did empty all the ash from the fireplace so it could be in there, but the dark last night prevented him from looking for it.  We'll have a hunt this afternoon and hopefully it'll turn up.  Gutting.  It was a little bit big when he got it but he thought it wasn't big enough to slip over his knuckle, turns out it might have been.  I felt so bad for him, he was so upset last night.  I'm not actually all that bothered by it.  Yes it's frustrating and it's another expense to buy a replacement, but it's not like he lost it on purpose.  The way I see it, he's lost the ring, which is a symbol, and he hasn't lost what it stood for.  He's also upset about it enough for the both of us and I don't want to get angry and make him feel worse.  I can see why he's so upset about it though, I'd be beside myself if I lost mine.  It might also be at his work as he takes it off there to stop losing it in a muffin or something.  Fingers crossed it turns up.  I've already decided that if we need to buy a replacement I'll memorise my vows again and say them while giving it to him.  How cheesey/cute is that?!?  I don't need to memorise my vows again as he found it on Monday afternoon in the wood pile.  It had slipped off when he was getting some wood in.  Now I have to buy a smaller ring for him to wear in front of his wedding band to stop it from slipping off again, or a chain so he can wear it around his neck instead.  It's odd, I wasn't too upset about him losing it, but man was I relieved when he found it again!
One of the team managers at work is leaving and my TM told me I should be applying for the new position.  I thought about it but I just don't know.  I'm not planning on being here for all that long and I don't want to have to waste their time and money training me up only to have to find another replacement when/if I leave in a month.  But then again being a TM will get me off the phones and it would be more money, and having Team Manager on my CV would look a bit better than another customer service position, so I don't know.  I'll think about it over the next couple of days.  I was flattered that he asked me though, he said I was good at what I did and also had the skills and personality to do it.  Lovely.  I've since decided that if I don't get an interview at the Otago Museum I'll apply for the TM position.  Still haven't heard anything...
I had a really disturbing call yesterday.  A lovely old lady rang up wanting to get the address for a friend in Blenheim but he had an unlisted number so I couldn't give it to her, and she started crying saying how she was ancient and felt she didn't have much time left and she had a card to send him before it was too late.  I felt like such a bitch as I'd been really impatient with her to start with, and then she cried.  I ended up having a bit of a cry when I got home too.  I'm too empathetic.  I need a shell, or to learn not to care so much.  Had another cry on Monday afternoon.  Feel a bit better about the whole thing now.  I seem to be crying a lot at the moment, can't seem to stop really.
I also have to go back to the doctor.  My guts are really hurting and I feel like I've been kicked in the uterus.  Which is frustrating and expensive and I'm pissed off 'cos they said they'd fixed whatever it is.  One my friends has also just found out she's pregnant and that's got me wondering again about whether all these problems are affecting my ability to have kids, and if/when etc.  I am going back to the gyno next Wednesday to have a chat and see what it could be.  $125 later!  But I do get it reimbursed from the medical insurance people.  I hope it gets fixed soon, I really don't want to have to deal with this every 6 months.
Oy!  But I do have health insurance so at least I don't have to wait for months on end and risk having my appointments postponed with all these strikes and bullshit going on.  Whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?!?
Anyway, it's not that bad.  It's Friday and it's raining and I get paid on Thursday.  Could be worse ;)  Having said that It's now Thursday and I've been paid, actually I think I've been overpaid, bonus!  I'll check my payslip when they get around to giving it to me and see what it says.
Also, yesterday Jamie and I finished painting Mum and Dads' roof.  Well, almost.  We couldn't finish up the ridges as it was threatening to rain.  But Jamie fell off the roof!  Mum and I were inside chatting (I'd finished doing my bit) and heard this rumble down the roof, both froze then ran outside.  Freaking out!  Jamie had stepped on some wet paint and slipped off the roof.  Man I've not been that scared in ages.  I didn't hear him say anything so thought he'd landed on his head or something, but he managed to land and do a para-roll thing so he didn't hurt himself.  Then he sid it was fun and he wanted to do it again.  Scary.  At least he's ok, and at least he landed on the grass not the concrete.
Also,  I feel sick.  My stomach is doing crazy flip-flop-turn things and my head hurts.  Has done since last night.  I might go home early.
Good god this is a huge post.  Enough!

It's been raining here for almost 24 hours now, and it's awesome!  I love the rain.  Sitting at work and watching it blur the image through the window, curling up in front of the fireplace and reading a good book thinking about how cold it is outside, snuggling up in bed and just listening to it pound on the roof.  I love it!  Plus I walked to work this morning it looked safe so I didn't take a jacket, and it pissed down when I hit the square.  I had an umbrella but was still nice and damp when I got to work.  It's the first time I've arrived at work happy in months.
Anyway, reading Reader's Digest as I do between calls, I found a really cool quote:  "The opposite of love isn't hate - it's indifference.  And if you hate me, that means you still care."  Sure it was said by Marcia Cross on Desperate Housewives but I thought it was very true.  I can relate that to a few things in my life at the moment.  For example, I feel bad about my attitude towards my flatmate but it's not because I hate him, it's because I'm indifferent towards him and I'm not used to it.  I usually either love or hate so it's odd feeling so indifferent.
There was also another one: "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it."  By comedian Jonathan Winters apparently.  Not bad.  I get tired of people who sit there and complain that life treats them rough and nothing ever goes their way, yet they do nothing to try and fix it, they just sit their hoping that someone will walk past and hand them the perfect life on a silver platter.  No time for that sorry, get off your ass and make your life happen or suck it up and deal with it.  That makes me sound like a bitch.  If you're in a situation where things aren't working out and you've genuinely tried to fix things then yes, you have a right to complain.  But if there is a solution and you just haven't taken it, can't be bothered, want someone else to do it for you, then you can get off my planet.
Says me.  Wow, Freudian moment approaching: I need to fix my life.  I really need to find a new job, preferably a museum job, and sort out my finances.  No more sitting around waiting for enough money to fall into my lap to pay off my overdraft, I need to start saving.  Time to be proactive.
Oh my god, I'm going to read this in a months time and think I was drunk when I wrote it.  Honestly, I'm sober.  Maybe a little sleep deprived, but sober and taking life lessons from Reader's Digest.  Oy-vey.

I've been at work for an hour and a half and half and I've already sworn at 9 people.  Not so they could hear me of course - I put the phone on mute or wait until they've hung up before letting rip - but that's how much I am growing to detest this job.  Let's see, I've had a request for a tow company anywhere in Auckland; that gym in Hamilton ('cos there's only one); a long lost cousin that moved and didn't leave a forwarding address so could be anywhere in New Zealand.  I've been called love, sweetie and good girl, which I hate - you don't know me so don't use endearments on me, and 'good girl' is the most condescending thing anyone can say to me over the phone.  Yeah, cos I'm just a silly little girl who's only good for finding numbers for people too stupid to use a phone book.  Not too mention the people wanting overseas calling codes or wanting to make a collect call, neither of which I can do and they won't believe me.  All in an hour and a half.  And people wonder why I'm such a bitch?!?
Oh, just had a new one - the conspiracy theorists that want the call free number for radio stations because they've got a story of national importance that will make New Zealanders change the way they see the world.  Uh huh, they probably found a worm in the back garden.
On the up side the sunrise this morning was absolutely stunning!  All purple and gold with shots of crimson streaking the sky.  That's the advantage of working at stupid-o'clock on the 6th floor - beautiful views.
Apart form the usual whinge about work, everything else is trudging along nicely.  I had a letter from the Otago Museum saying they'd received my application and were in the process of shortlisting.  I took that to be a good thing as it meant they didn't throw my application out already.  Jamie and I had a good talk about it last night and we both feel good about moving to Dunedin.  It's down the back end of the country and miles away from the people we know and love, but we both know people down there anyway so it won't be too much of a shock to the system, and hopefully I'll be on a reasonable wicket so we can still return to the north occasionally for visits.  I'll have to in August at least :)  I've had a look online at a few flats down there.  They're a bit pricey but I've found a few that would be good, nice and central and not too expensive.  We'll see.
I've barely seen Dave recently, he's had the flu so has been hibernating in his room trying to get better, and first day he felt better he disappeared to the pub anyway.  It's not that I don't like him, I just can't be bothered any more.
I've discovered a mildly disturbing pattern - As Jamie and I both have Tuesdays off Monday night has been our going-out night, where we usually end up having a few drinks at Mao Bar and socialising with the regulars there.  Only thing is, neither of us are particularly happy at the moment and we both get a little argumentative when we drink, so for the past couple of Monday's we've just ended up bickering at each other.  Nothing major, the usuall stuff about work and the flat and everything else that bothers us, but it's just a little frustrating going out, having a good night, then ruining it by nit-picking.  Something to be aware of this coming Monday.
Good god, what a huge post.  And it's the same stuff I keep complaining about in my other posts.  Man, I need something exciting to happen to liven things up.  Maybe a job on Otago...?!?

I am tired, on so many levels.  First, this whole 5.30-2 thing is really starting to get to me.  I've been in bed at 7.30 for the past two Saturday nights; how sad is that?!?  I mean, really.  Work is shit.  I still haven't been paid either, but they've told me that everything owing to me will be in my account tomorrow morning.  I hope so, if not I'm not turning up.  I'm not working there for free, I have bills that need to be paid.
I am also tired of people asking me when Jamie and I are going to start having babies.  Here's the thing - I don't even know if I want kids.  There was a time when all I wanted was a couple of sprogs.  But having said that there was also a time when all I wanted was a tubal ligation.  Now I honestly don't know if I want kids at all.  Part of me does, part of me doesn't, and until one of those sides takes the majority I won't be having any.  Also, I need to sort out my career first so if I do decide, it's not going to be for another couple of years yet so just sit back and be patient.
Finally, I'm tired of people asking me when I'm going to get a museum job.  I'm trying already!  What more am I supposed to do?!?  I have applied for so many jobs this year I've lost count, and I've had 1 interview out of the whole lot.  That should show people just how tough the museum job market is: Very.  I don't have any experience either so I'm right at the bottom of the list, and people just don't understand that.  I'm flattered that my friends and family have such a high level of faith in me they believe I can get any job I apply for but it's not that straight forward, and the more people ask me about it the more useless it makes me feel for not having found one already.  Just leave me to it and I'll let you know when I've got one.
I need to find a job, any job.  I'm so grumpy all the time and have no patience or tolerance for anything that pisses me off, and the list of those things is growing daily.
On the upside I have ANZAC Day off and will be going to dawn parade.  Should be good.  I'm also having a few friends over tomorrow night for photos, gin, and girly chats so that should help to boost my spirits somewhat.

Oh my god, I'm in the worst mood in the world.  It starts out when my alarm goes off and I'm so freaking tired it's a mission to get out of bed.  Crawl my way out from under the duvet to discover that my back has started to hurt again; that'll learn me for stopping the anti-inflammataries.  Get to work and log on to a pc only to find that it won't let me log into the programme we use at work.  I tell my team manager who tells me to find another work station.  Move onto another pc to discover the same problem, tell TM again who tells me to reboot the computer and if that doesn't work we'll have to sacrifice a goat or something.  Finally get stupid pc to work for me and end up on the phones 20 minutes late.
The most stupid callers in the world.  All of them, raving idiots who expect me to be a mind reader.  The call of the day went a little something like this:
Me: Welcome to 018, how can I help you?
Dottery old woman who shouldn't be allowed to use the phone: I need to get my chimney cleaned but the number I have doesn't work.
Me: Ok, where are you calling from, I'll find the correct number for you.
Woman: I'm calling from here.
Me: Thank you, but where is here please?
Woman: In my home.
Me: Yes, but this is a national call centre so what area do you want to me search for you.
Woman: Well right here of course, I don't want one somewhere else.
Me: Thank you but I do not know where 'here' is, whereabouts are you please?
Woman: Right here.  I'm calling from my house.
Me: I cannot see where you are calling from and I need to know the area you live so I know where to search.
Woman: Well, locally of course.
Me: Yes, thank you, I will search locally, but what city is that please?!?
Woman: Right here in Rotorua of course.  (with a 'silly little girl' tone in her voice. bitch)
Fucking seriously!?!  Some people are just so stupid sometimes.  And I swear all my callers were like this today.  Not knowing what they wanted, not understanding that I'm not a miracle worker, not realising that the one call centre services the whole country.  I hate my job so very, very much.  I was almost in tears at my station today.  I raised my voice at a few of the customers and totally threw all concept of good customer service out of the window but to be honest, I don't care.  When somebody rings up and they want that bar that's now a cafe on the street just of Victoria in Hamilton but don't know what the street or the cafe is called, they get angry at me when I tell them I cannot find it.  "What do you mean you can't find it, I thought you guys were supposed to be helpful?"  "I'm sorry but we have minimum search requirements, the name is one, and and I'd be more than happy to help you remove your head from your arse so you can see the real world any time you want."
And you know what made it so much worse?  I wasn't even supposed to be working today!  I had the day rostered off, but there was another woman who wanted the day off to go to Wellington and babysit her grandkids before they moved to Australia so I said I'd cover her shift for her.  With every idiot I had to talk to I just kept thinking, I'm not supposed to be here, there's aren't supposed to be my customers.
Luckily the day went pretty fast.  Then I get home to an empty house and binge on chocolate as I am want to do.  Now I feel guilty and a little bit sick.  I still haven't heard back from the interview in the Hawke's Bay and I'm starting to get really angsty about it.  I really want this job for three reasons: 1 it's a start in the museum industry, the beginning of my career if you will; 2 it's get me out of Sitel/Teletech; and 3 it gets me away from living with Dave.  If I don't get it I'm going to be so gutted.
I had a bit of a rant last night.  Dave keeps putting sharp knives in the dishwasher cuttlery caddy with the blade pointing up, so when people like me who load and unload the dishwasher reach in to put something in the rack, they end up cutting their arms on the pointy blades.  Ouch.  So I march into the lounge and say "when people put sharp knives in the dishwasher can they please put them in with the blades pointing down so others don't get cut!"  Dave laughs t me, and Jamie make some comment about not looking at what I'm doing.  I storm off and Jamie eventually comes out to talk to me.  Seriously, Dave is so cavernously vacant sometimes I wonder why he isn't blonde.
My back is still really sore.  I want to go and have a bath and relax but am afraid to get in in case I can't get out again.  Also, I've started cramping and potting again.  Yay, more doctors bills!  My sisters wife-beating-mongrel-mob-member-two-time-inmate boyfriend gets out in November and god knows what that's going to do to the family.With the chagne of management at work we all get a pay out from the old company and I'm expecting a couple of grand, but with all the bills I've got to pay off there's going to be no money left.  Aargh!

Man, what an awesome day!  I think the fates of shopping are on my side - I've bought $355 worth of stuff today and only paid $45 for the lot :)  It started out with going to Briscoes to attempt to buy a valance for the bed.  I was given a $40 voucher at work (they're running big incentives there at the moment to get people to turn up) so thought it would be a good opportunity to get one.  I turned up there to discover that they're having a huge sale, and found a king size fleece electric blanket that was $140 and was now half price; $70 minus the voucher left $30 to pay.  Score!
Next move was on to Farmers to try and find another duvet cover as we still had $100 of vouchers left over from the wedding.  Managed to find a nice one that was $150 reduced to $50.  Score number 2!  With the remaining $50 voucher I remembered that Jamie wanted a new wallet so I found one for him for $35, then found a shirt that I liked for $30 so I only had to top up the extra $15.  Oh yeah!  I'm seriously considering buying a lotto ticket...
It's been an ok week.  I've worked heaps though; I swapped my Easter weekend shift so that I could get St Patrick's Day off, which meant that I had to work 10 days in a row.  At the time it seemed like a good idea, but by day 6 I was getting a little angsty.  Plus I managed to do my back in again.  I've never been in that much pain in my life!  It took me at least 20 minutes to walk home from work last Friday night, which is ridiculous as work is only 4 blocks away.  I just couldn't move.  Got home in tears and freaked Jamie out, then spent the night sitting up straighter than ruler with a heat pack strapped to my back.  Felt a bit better on Saturday morning but by the end of the day I was in tears again and I had to get Jamie to take me to the doctor at 8 o'clock at night, I just couldn't take it any more.  The doctor lay me down and got me to stick my legs in the air etc which hurt like buggery and made me cry harder, but established that I'd strained my back again and the muscles were in spasm and I hadn't slipped a disc or pinched a nerve or anything.  I got a shot of voltaren in my hip, and was sent home with enough ibuprofen, codeine and norflex to fell an elephant.  It's still a bit niggly but at least I can walk properly now.
I also called in sick on Wednesday - party cos my back was sore, partly cos I needed a break, but mostly because I HAD A JOB INTERVIEW AT THE HAWKE'S BAY MUSEUM!!  YAY!!!!!     So fucking excited!  It's for a 9month contract, largely data entry stuff but it involves going through the archives and computerising the records, which sounds a little mundane but I don't care because it means that I've actually had an interview in my field, and if I get the job (which I'm really hoping for) it means I've got my foot in the door, and I can get some experience, which will lead on to further museum jobs and the start of my career.  Oh yeah, again!  I've haven't heard anything back yet but they said I'd know within a few days, so I'm picking I'll either get a phone call or a letter on Monday or Tuesday.  I'm vying for the phone call.  I don't know if Jamie and I will move there or if he'll stay here and I'll be commuting up every week, but we'll sort that out when we know what the outcome is.

I am sick.  I have been sick since Thursday.  I have a chest/sinus infection and it wont' leave me alone.  I went home half way through my day at work on Friday and spent the day wrapped up in bed, then had a really bad night and woke up feeling worse Saturday.  Went in to town to get the tyre on the car fixed and get easter shopping done, then came home with double vision and fell asleep on the couch holding a cold wet flannel to my forehead.  Another bad night on Saturday and on Sunday I gave up and went to the doctors, was prescribed antibiotics and decongestants and spent the rest of the day, again, wrapped up in bed.  Have today off work with a chit but not feeling too much better to be honest.  Very tired, very sore, coughing like my life depends upon it.  Should go back to work tomorrow but don't want to, partly cos I'll still feel like crap and partly cos I just hate my job.
Anyway, I had to giggle at the doctors when he prescribed me pseudoephedrine (spelling?!?) and said "yes it is the stuff that P is made of, you can try and sell it if you want but you probably won't get much as it's only a few tablets."  OK, so my doctor is prescribing me drugs to on-sell to P-addicted solo mums.  Nice one, doc.  The main thing that is getting to me is the headache - my entire face and head hurts, even my teeth for goodness sake.  I'll get better, but it's certainly taking it's time.
As for the whole job thing, one of the recruiting agencies in town is referring me on to a office administration position in town.  It sounds pretty cool, and I was flattered when one of the job specifications was "must have an adaptive personality and get along with everyone" and they thought of me, but part of me wonders if it's worth it.  I have also applied for a 9-month contract with a Museum in the Hawkes Bay that I really want and am slightly fancying my chances for.  It's only data-entry but it involves working wiht historical documents and I think it would be a great entry-level position for me to kick off with.  Here's hoping.  As for the office admin one, I remain eternally hopeful that I'll find a museum job soon, so I don't know if it's worth applying for other jobs in town if I'm only going to stay with them for a short while.  Having said that, Sitel if driving me insane.  I hate it with a vengeance that makes me ashamed.
On the good news front, I have bought a new cell phone.  My old one was dying and I've wanted a new one for ages.  Managed to score a Motorola Razr V3X for $160 so I'm chuffed (rrp $250 - here's to being a Vodafone valued customer).
I am officially over living with Dave, our flatmate.  Twice this week he's come home drunk from the pub and cooked the meat that I've taken out of the freezer to dinner for Jamie and I the following night.  He doesn't remember.  One lot was pork and one was steak - seriously, how can a man cook and eat 3 pieces of steak in one night and not remember it?!?  I am starting to hate him.  He drinks every night, comes home with takeaways or eats whatever he can find, falls asleep on the couch with the tv going, leaves his rubbish and the dishes everywhere, and I'm sorry, if you're squeamish please don't read the rest of this sentence - how the hell is it possible for a man to defecate so that particles of faeces get stuck on the rear underside of the toilet seat?!?  What the hell?!?
He is filthy, lazy, and although he sits there and complains about being single and not having enough money or work, he will do nothing to try and improve his situation.  No, I do not hate him, it's that I've lost my respect for him.  Our tenancy on this flat ends at the end of April and I need to talk to Jamie about moving out.  I know his argument will be that living with Dave is not that bad as he pays the extra on the power bills etc (as he should with 2 pcs and a server going 24/7, not to mention falling asleep with the tv, lights and/or heater going) and that there's little point in getting a place to ourselves when we may likely be moving away when I get a museum job anyway.  All of which are valid points, but the end of the matter is that I cannot stand living with him any more.  It's always me that has to clean up his mess, and if I wanted someone to tidy up after all day every day I wouldn't be on the pill would I?  I actually think he's starting to get to Jamie a bit as well.  We'll see how the conversation goes.
I don't think I have anything else to report on.  Oh, I did just buy Diablo II and tried to install it on my 7-year old laptop, which has now fallen over completely and won't do much of anything.  Anyone need a paperweight?

First of all there's the ever present fact that the people on the other end of the line don't know me and will never meet me and they somehow interpret this as permission to say whatever they want to me, knowing full well that I can't say anything back to them unless I particularly want to be fired. I get the swearing, the obligatory cough as soon as I answer their call, the sob stories of long lost relatives who moved and didn't pass on their new number or the bastard friends that didn't pick them up from the airport, the screaming domestics in the backgrounds as people ring up for the local women's refuge, not to mention the tirades on red-tape bureaucracy, the evils of Telecom and their monopolisation on the market combined with a complete lack of effective customer service. Newsflash people, Telecom isn't a government corporation and hasn't been for at least 60 years. Live in the now!  Then there's the endless stupid requests I get from people:
* can i have the number of michael in auckland.  Ah, which one?  Even if we had the ability to search by first name there are thousands
* i need the number for 018.  You just rang it Einstein.
* i need the number of my cousin but i don't know their name.  Wow, really close family, huh?
* can you recommend a good towing company in auckland?  No, fuck off.
* i need the number of every Harbott in NZ.  Yeah ... good luck with that.
* (very drunkenly at 3.30 in the morning) can you tell me where I need to be?  No, but I'd certainly love to tell you where to go!
Seriously, they're all fucking idiots who don't know how to spell and are worse at NZ geography than I am.  Also, this job has proven to me that Aucklanders really do believe that Auckland is the only city in NZ - they never specify the location of the number they want.  Never.  And when I ask they reply "um, Auckland?!?" like how dare I even consider the possibility of another city within their hearing range.  Fucktards.  This is where I would usually say "but it's not bad money" or "the good calls make it worth while" but neither of those are really true.  It's $15 an hour which is reasonable, but not for the amount of shit that we have to put up with.  The good calls are few and far between, and although I do get the occasional very appreciative caller, most of them don't even bother to say thanks.  I feel like an automaton there, and it's killing me.  Walking to work I can feel myself sag as soon as I see the monstrous lump of concrete we work in, and by the time my shift finishes I just want to cry.  I did not spend 7 years at university and earn a $65,000 student loan to be a fucking phone bitch.  But I can't find anything else.  The other jobs I've applied for I don't hear back from, and museum jobs, the ones I really want, are few and very far between.  Not to mention the fact that I don't actually have any experience so it's a huge risk for someone in that industry to employ me anyway.  ANd the great thing is, it's getting worse!  People are leaving 018 like rats from a sinking ship.  The job is going to be over soon and shipped overseas so people are finding new jobs now, which means less people on the phone, which means longer waits for the callers, which means grumpier customers, which means an even more depressing job.  People are so bitter there and it's making the environment poisonous.  I need out.
Wow, that was a big rant, but man do I feel better!
Apart from work things are going good.  We got our new bed and I think I'm pretty much used to it by now.  I had the day off today which is nice - the day always seems so much more pleasant when I don't have to go to work.  I am however depressed with money, and specifically the lack of it.  I don't have a wedding to save for anymore which means I should have a lot more cash in my hands, but it doesn't seem that way.  I still have to have my dress dry cleaned which is going to be about $150, and I need to get the disposable cameras from the dinner tables developed - 7 cameras at $17 a pop is not cheap.  My cellphone is slowly dying, inside and out, and the new one I want is $170 which is really cheap, but still out of my price range.  My laptop is pretty much an effective paperweight now too and I want to save up for a PC but god  knows how much that's going to set me back.  And I need to have my $2,000 overdraft paid off by next year too.  I have however just bought new shoes and a new pair of sunnies which I needed and that made me feel better, and let me tick of two items from a long list of 'things to buy.'  I feel like such a whiner.  I am appreciate of the money that I have, and I guess my downfall was making a list of everything I want.  I'll get it all eventually.  I think I'm just being impatient and wanting it all now.  Patience is a virtue, and I think I need some practice at it.
On a completely different tack, Jamie and I have been toying with the idea of going to Australia.  We've heard the lifestyle over there is supposed to be good, and the money too.  Jamie had a chat with a chef from over there who said the market is wide open for chefs so he could go over and find a job in a day, and a damn good paying job at that.  He's got a close mate in WA so would like to go there, or Cairns apparently.  I don't know how I feel about it.  It would be a big and exciting move, but I don't know what the museum market is like there and I don't want to end up over there and working in another call centre.  I'm keeping an eye on it now to see what comes up.  We'll see.
Also, I've hurt my back.  It'll get better though.
OK this is a really odd post.  Probably the most honest and open post I've written, but there's my soul open for inspection.  Make of it what you will.

So, this is my first post as a married woman. It's going well so far. Jamie andI had an awesome honeymoon - threw a tent in the back of the car and went for a tikitour around the North Island, very cool. We spent the first night in a hotel in New Plymouth and I ended up breaking one of the venetian blinds, but we fixed it with a hair pain and haven't been contacted about it since so I assume they haven't noticed yet :) Oh, and we also had to drive through a cyclone to get to NP and that was possibly the scariest experience I've had in a car to date. Freaky.
We were going to camp out on the beach the next night but the weather was still schmoo so we drove to Taupo and got a hotel for the night, right across from the lake, and it had a spa - which we needed after climbing Paretutu (a very steep and rocky hill) that day. For the record, rock climbing is scary but eh adrenaline rush when you hit the ground again is great!
From there we went to Jamie's uncle's place just out of Helensville. He's semi-retired and owns a lifestyle block that we liked so much we stayed there two nights. Very peaceful, and it was a 5minute drive to Shelly Beach which is an awesome swimming beach, assuming you get the high tide. From there we went to our new favourtie camping ground in Uretiti and christened the new tent. Went for a swim at the beach, and we discovered that if you take a right-turn on the beach you get the nudist section. We did a mean day trip from there up to Cape Reinga and back, which was pretty and the scenery on the roads was great, but 11 hours in the car was a bit much. Camped at Uretiti again, then went down to Puhoi for the night to stay with my Grandparents who were housesitting. Puhoi is great! Jamie and I have decided we could live there quite easily, it's gorgeous!
From there, back to Helensville to stay with Jamie's uncle again, then back home. One the whole a thoroughly awesome trip and a great start to married life.
Then we got back and both had to go to work. Jamie got a bout of gastro and I got a battle on my hands with work who short-paid me in the middle of my honeymoon. And, the bed that we ordered with the Farmers vouchers we got for wedding presents was damaged in transit and would be delayed another week as they had to order another one. But still, I love being a wife and am very happy :)
I had a job interview this morning with Harcourts. I really need to get out of this job. I am at work at the moment working the stupid shift of 10pm-6.30am and have had two escorts agencies already. Heaps of taxis too. But it'll be over soon. It just sucks that I wont' see Jamie much while working this shift, cos whereas I finish at 6.30 he's just starting. Oh well, it's only for a couple of nights.
Apart from that, things are great. Very happy. All good. Chuffed. ANd now the boss has just handed around chocolates so it's looking to be a good shift :)