Archives for March 2011

I keep a fairly tidy house and every now and again I have a purge of stuff but the refrigerator seems to be the last to get cleaned up.

In my photo a day project last week I got to the end of the day and realised I hadn’t taken any photos yet so I thought I’d document my fridge.

I realised, like Project 365, it’s a snapshot into my life with photos, invitations to parties, concert tickets and magnets.

I’d like to see photos of other fridges. Post it on your blog and link back here if you like. Are yours as cluttered as mine?

Do you have any questions about any items on my fridge? Notice the Hawaii Five-O knock off?

A couple of years ago I watched Oprah and saw her interview the woman who wrote ‘The Secret’. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie but I gather that the main premise of The Secret is that if you ask the universe for something and you really believe, it will come to you.

Just as I was finishing up in paid work my Sodastream stopped working. I love soda water especially when it’s hot and whenever I buy bottles from the supermarket I don’t always get through them so it can be a waste – let alone all the plastic bottles. However, when I fizz up my own water I don’t feel quite so bad if I don’t quite get through the bottle. I just add more water and bubble it up.

So, my Sodastream had stopped working and I thought I’d have to bit the bullet and buy a new one. If I’d been working I wouldn’t have thought twice about getting one as they’re not really expensive. But I had to really think if I could get one. I was talking about it to a friend and she said she had one she’d bought from the op shop for $5 and I could have it as already had one. She couldn’t leave it in the op shop for $5 so she bought it.

She’s now given it to me, and with some new Sodastream bottles – it’s working an absolute treat.

Today I asked my friends on Facebook if anyone had a pair of size 8 football shoes as my son’s grown out of his and he’ll need a new pair for the next season coming up.

But a friend commented on my status update saying he didn’t have the boots but he’s got a mountain bike that he’s giving away that would suit a 10-15 year old boy.

I bought the bike my son still has for his third birthday and he’s completely outgrown it so the offer a mountain bike is too good to refuse. Because it is apparently a very good bike we’ve been asked to make a donation to a worthy cause. Unfortunately there’s so much disaster happening lately that it won’t be hard to choose and I won’t be able to donate much because I’m not earning any money at present but I’ve saved myself a bucketload.

Does asking the universe for things you need work for you?

PS: the photo of the flowers above doesn’t really have anything to do with the content of this post but this hasn’t flowered for a couple of years so it was great to see it this year.

As I enter week five of unemployment I still hover between feeling positive about my lack of work situation and feeling negative about my lack of work situation.

I had the joy of going to Centrelink last week and I nearly burst into tears when they told me that due to my ‘liquid assets’ I am unable to claim Newstart Allowance for a number of weeks. See my liquid assets aren’t as liquid as having a bunch of accessible cash hanging around in the bank and it annoys me that I’m forced to use up this money that I have to get out of term deposits because I was ‘let go’ from my last job.

I’d had plans of taking three or so months off when I wanted to, to do some travelling or something but now I’m being forced to take some time off because I haven’t got a job. This is why I’m trying to be positive because all too soon I’ll probably be back in the workforce and if I don’t enjoy this time off then what’s the point?

On a positive note I have been promised a contract for 12 hours work to research and write an article for a magazine which I’m looking forward to. I’ve also put in my first ever quote for a copywriting job for a research brochure. That was really hard because I’ve never had to do such a quote before and I didn’t want to over or under quote. I’m still yet to hear about that.

I don’t know if the work from home lifestyle is for me. I think I would go mad if I didn’t have other adults to talk to during the day so I’m trying to plan some catch up time with friends during the day which is working to an extent. (The image at the top was taken when I met a friend for lunch.)

In the meantime I read about job hunting and look at job advertisements. Some useful articles/blogs:

• They really want to hire you. Some basic tips for how to present yourself.
• InterviewIQ – job hunting intelligence
• Avid careerist

We spent most of the weekend at The Surfer’s place and went swimming both days. That was during the last few days of our summer and what a strange summer it has been here.

Firstly it didn’t get hot much at all. Unless March comes and bites me in the bum with a heatwave, we usually have a heatwave in January or February but apart from a couple of hot days and hot nights it didn’t really happen at all.

I know Perth and Sydney have had some heatwaves but these passed us by, not that I’m complaining. We’ve also been lucky to miss out on cyclones and floods.

I notice the days getting shorter and the weather getting cooler and I wonder what the heck happened to summer this year. Hopefully next summer for us won’t be as traumatic and we’ll also get some warmer weather, not too hot for too long mind.