Being a Lady of Leisure (or what it's like job-hunting in 2013/14)

So, after six and half years in the job, I packed it all in at the beginning of August.  Given my skills, I thought that I was going to have a bit of a break and then get a new job relatively easily.

Ha.  Hahahahahahaha

I've averaged an application a fortnight and get an interview for about 50 percent of the jobs I apply for.  I've been down to the last two applicants for at least 5 of the jobs I've interviewed for.  But not the last one.

It is really hard to keep motivated.  My garden is still a disaster zone (I do not have green fingers except for weeds) and my house still needs organising.  But the list of jobs that I was going to do "someday" is being worked through.

The service club I belong to up here are getting good use of me - the more I get done now for them, the less I have to do later. 

So what else can I do? 

Signing on for unemployment was significantly easier than I expected, but then, I did make sure I had all the paperwork they required when they needed it and had everything together for them.  The staff have been so helpful.

But the dole, which is now called the jobseekers allowance, is not a huge amount.  I need a J O B.

As it sits, I have three jobs that I am waiting on either a second interview or a final decision - nothing of which is likely to happen before the beginning of February.    Certainly, it is taking a lot longer than I expected. 

I still back myself though - I am happier and healthier than I have been in a long time and whatever happens is meant to happen.  I'd just like to have a job sooner, rather than later.  And I'm sure the bank manager would appreciate it too.

Whiskers on kittens and warm woollen mittens

these are a few of my (currently) favourite things:

Songs:
Feel this Moment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jlI4uzZGjU) - Pitbull and Christina Aguilera (gotta love the Aha song mixed in on this)
Just Give Me a Reason (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jlI4uzZGjU) - Pink ft Nat Ruess
My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkIWmsP3c_s) - Fall Out Boy,

Books:
I'm loving that I can get lots of books free on my iPhone, which means I always have something to read.  At the moment I'm reading "Surrender" by Donna Malane.  It's great to read a New Zealand-based story and be able to recognise the places being written about.


Bargains:
Mum is, as always, the auction queen and managed to get 3 (count 'em, THREE) pairs of never been worn, still-in-the-box Kumfs (end of lines) in my size for $100 - this is usually the price of one pair at their end of season reduced sales.  Given that we'd been at the Zeira (new name of Kumfs) outlet shop the weekend before and I couldn't find anything I liked for under $230, 3 pairs is an absolute BARGAIN. 

Easter is nearly here!!

Yikes!

Here we are, first quarter in of the year nearly done...I must be getting old, because time is not just flying by, but it's making my head spin as it does it.

We are officially in drought here in the North, along with pretty much the rest of the country...the few light showers we get are merely enough to tease the weeds into taking off.

I've managed to keep the first resolution I made about not buying chips - harder than I thought it might be...as for the gym?  Yeah, nah.  And organising?  Well, that's an ongoing deal.

New Years was pretty traumatic, as the cat was injured on NY Eve...typically it happened at 10pm on New Years Eve.  A week later it was obvious that he was injured so badly that his right eye had to be surgically removed.  While he is much better now, he is still a bit scrawny and scraggly - it hasn't affected his balance too much though and his latest trick is to wake me out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night by patting me on the arm with his paw.  He conveniently forgets to put away all of his claws when he does this, so it is a rather disturbing way to be woken up!

January also saw Mum and I doing a road trip from Riverton (near Invercargill at the bottom of the South Island) back to Auckland.

In Dunedin we stayed at Larnach Castle, where we also got to have dinner in the castle itself.  While the room and dinner were great, the shared facilities needed work - far too reminiscent of the primary school bathrooms when I was a child!

The next night we stayed at Jo Seager B&B at Oxford, just outside of Christchurch.  What a contrast to Larnach Castle - the B&B was stunning.  The room itself was in a French provincial style, with the most comfortable beds we slept in during the trip.  It was odd visiting Christchurch, as it was the first time I'd been there since the earthquakes - so many gaps and empty sites...life is returning, but it's going to take a long time.

We then went to Blenheim and stayed with cousins that we worked out we hadn't seen in around 20 years - kind of scary to think it had been that long and we all agreed we need to catch up more regularly.

After a calm crossing on the ferry, we had a night in Wellington (with a stunning dinner at Logan Brown restaurant) and a night in Taupo with very uneventful (thank goodness) driving during each day.

Gotta say, I love road trips!!

Happy New Year 2013

I'm still trying to work out where 2011 went and here we are, 2012 all over, rover and into 2013.

So, I don't make resolutions.  Because I don't keep them - they are more like wishful thinking than actual things I might have a shot at achieving. 

So I found the list of what I wanted in a house, written about 2 years before I moved in to this place.  The list that matched in pretty much everything.  Which makes me wonder.  If I write down what I want to achieve this year, maybe I'll actually make them happen this year...I think I'll stick to three...and I can always revise them later!

So what do I want to resolve to do in 2013?

1  I resolve not to purchase chippies to eat unless I am getting them to share. 

I've been rather bad this year at buying chips and dip...quick and easy to eat, but really not particularly healthy.  So this year, I will not buy chips to eat on my own - only to share with others.  (See, not a loophole, but realistic and I won't miss out (or feel I'm missing out) completely).

2   I resolve to go to the gym at least once a week (52 times this year).

I know I'm supposed to go at least 3 times a week, but that doesn't always happen.  So if I can commit to at least the equivalent of once a week, it will at least be much better than what I'm doing now.

3   I resolve to get my home sorted

I have an office and a spare bedroom that are currently in a state of flux.  I have so many ideas of what I can do with them, I just need to get on to it...it's a case of finding a place for everything, either in my home or in someone elses, by donating it.  I think local charities may do well out of this.  And the rubbish/recycling guys.

So that's my resolutions for 2013...anyone care to share their own?

Weed. Weed is bad, mmmkayyy?

Well, Summer is here (you can tell from the rain and humidity) and that means spending more time outside.  The lawns are done today and the laundry is flapping in the breeze on the recently restrung washing line (thanks to my landlord).  I have a large rosemary bush planted at the base of the line, which is great when I hang out my sheets to try on a breezy day, because when I put them on the bed again, they smell like rosemary where they have brushed against the plant during their time on the line.  Nice.

But.  The garden.  It's tiny.  There's not a lot to it.  At the moment it is the home to a lot of grass and weeds.  I know that weeds are theoretically just plants growing in the wrong place.  But to paraphrase Mr Garrison,  weeds are bad, mmkkaayyy?

I think after I have finished decorating the Christmas tree and vacuuming the house, I may have to make a start on the weeding.  I am not a natural gardener.  Sigh.

It's amazing what you find when you go through old paperwork...

So I knew I had a lot of stuff that needed to be shredded before I could biff it all (old bank statements and the like) and it was interesting to find some stuff that dated back more than 6 years (as well as to fill up 10 shopping bags with shredding - thanks for the loan of your shredder, Mum!).

Six years ago, I was working as a PA and in my final year of part-time as a legal executive (equivalent to a para-legal).  The job was coming to an end, in that I had done what I could in it and knew that it was time to move on.  The plan was that I was going to move overseas (to Melbourne, Australia)...being the geek that I am, I had a folder with lists of what I needed/wanted/had to do/arrange to move to Aus.

The other day, I found the folder and the first list in there was what I wanted in terms of a place to live.  Of the 15 items on the list, my current house (which I moved into four years ago) has 13 of those requirements - the only two missing were a gas cooker and air conditioning/central heating - neither of which are a major concern here.

Which makes me wonder.  Maybe if I make more (very specific lists) of what I want from the universe, maybe I'll get what I want.

I think I might start putting together my wish lists....I don't bother with New Year resolutions, but I have a birthday coming up and maybe I could have a new birthday year resolution....

Why do you need to see me cry?

You know, sometimes I really don't get it.

Apparently, I need to show my emotions more so that people know what I am really feeling.  WHY?  I don't understand why you need to see me cry or get really wound up so that you have "proof" that I do have emotions.  Can you not simply accept that what I say is exactly what I mean?

And you know what also gets me?  I'm sitting here watching a cooking show and it really grinds my gears when the presenter keeps going on about being "good" or "bad" with his food.  Food is neither good nor bad and demonising it does nothing to help anyone.

Also, why does my cat feel the need to knead me all the time.  I really am not an unbaked loaf of bread. 

Sigh.

Yep, it's rant time again.

At least there was enough fine weather this past weekend that I could mow the lawn.  And a long weekend this coming weekend is awesome!