EXCHANGE INTERFACE

Well, today I have a headache. This afternoon.

...Oh wait, I could take painkillers!

...If I can find any. Hm.

eta: took a painkiller and still had a headache. Went looking for some potato chips (I had a yen) and had a few and...no more headache!

I don't know if it was the salt or if it was the panadol, but I'll take it!

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Something spattered across the kitchen ceiling today - or in the last couple of days. Whatver it is, sugar soap is not bringing it off with a cursory scrub. We might end up needing to repaint the kitchen/dining ceiling! But I will go over the ceiling more thoroughly tonight.

TO DO
- clean ceiling
- put up chairs for cleaners tomorrow
- write 400 words

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Still feeling like I have a respiratory issue - which, I guess I do. I just hate the feeling of it.

I have some old antibiotics (expired 2020) which need to be taken back to the chemist and I am seriously thinking of taking them. I've taken expired painkillers before, and...well, let's just say that was a bit trippy and I am not eager to be doing that again.

Should just contact the doctor and ask for some more antibiotics, though. Although I do have the ones I got from Mexico...

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I definitely need more sleep. I need to get to bed around 11pm, just lie down and let sleep take me. It usually does when I just lie down.

Damn. The headache has come back.

Connection's been dodgy all day. *sigh*

Just as I was getting some work done, too.

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Weather's going hot in the next week - late 20s, early 30s (which makes it mid-80s to 90F, I believe) and not much rain. I'm trying to prep beds for winter, but it's a bit tricky when the weather's hot and dry.

Hm. Maybe I need to get a frame made for that double sink that I always intended to use as a rinse-off bay for stuff I picked from the garden...

But there's also the wicking bed I want to set up on the front porch, to shield both the porch and the study from the summer sun. And the permanent run I'd like to make for the chooks. And the annual tree-trim that always ends up being a little too late. I gotta dig out around the apricot, so it has a fighting chance, oh, and spray the backyard trees. I think a borer has gotten the backyard apricot, which is bad news. Then there's digging up the fig in the chicken yard and planting a citrus in there, and maybe planting the lychee or the other apricot in the yard as well...

So many things to do and plan, so little time!

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Did my nails super-fancy for the first time in months. I think I just have to keep doing it every second week, then cleaning it off and keep going.

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Cleaners came today and I picked upenough things off the floor that they could vacuum and mop around it and it's so nice and clean!

I love a nice clean house, I just don't have the time/energy to do it myself. It's a lot.

I keep on intending to update the travelogue, and then something else happens which I have to post about.

So: it looks like the client and the project management wants to re-hire me. However, they have to get it past the contracting department of the company I'm with. I was told this morning that I can almost certainly get at least 3 months, and although the project would prefer 6 months they might not be able to get it.

So, yay for probable continuation, even if it's only a brief stay of execution! One less thing to have to negotiate right now...

I should make it a priority to list One Work Thing That I've Learned per week for the next 13 weeks, by which time I will have a list of my skills for my CV when it needs updating. Right now, it hasn't been updated since 2020.

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Saturday I went out boating with a couple of friends. It was an utterly gorgeous day, the water, the sky, the weather, the sun... It was so good to be out on the water with the warmth of summer, and swimming about.

Sunday I had a few permie friends come by - we're trying to build more community/social events, and one of the things was getting people around "just to help out with something". So I had a wheelbarrow that I'd frankensteined from two half-broken ones and needed some help to assemble. I could set it all up, but the instant I touched anything to try to bolt it together it went kersplat. There's also a lawnmower that wasn't working.

So I asked for assistance from my permies, and had three friends ride in to help (one of them literally came in on his bike - absolute trojan). We got the wheelbarrow sorted, the lawnmower started, and I got some advice about the western windows and the incoming sun which is heating the house in ways that we really don't want going forward.

Their suggestions for the western side of the house mostly involved "put a verandah there". Which, yes. Unfortunately, I am not made of money. (If I could get another 3 years on this project, sure we could do that...)

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It's been raining quite a lot the last 24 hours. Right now, it's not quite bucketing, just a steady rain.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my "food prep exec dysfunction" and "argh tidying/sorting" posts. Your answers and suggestions were helpful and I am going to try to take them.

I suspect that the reason for the sudden bout of exec dysfuction is "mild depression/anxiety" brought on by the lack of company in the house, and just me and my thoughts and the various house issues that I'm facing without my sister to whack me out of it.

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Anyway, I got pizza last night, and 1 large sized pizza with 8 slices will cover me for four meals.

I've ordered some ready-made meals to arrive on Monday, hopefully I can divvy them into boxes that can just be dumped into a container and heated up.

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The 'new' 2ndhand lounges have arrived and they are...LARGE. As in, larger than I expected and possibly larger than the last lounges we had! But most of that size is actually couch space, and the cushions and the backs are removable for cleaning. And they're pretty much what I was looking for when I was hunting for couches - configurable and cleanable. They also have feather pillows inside the back and arm cushions which makes them really very comfy.

4 units are in an L-shape in the lounge, and I have the 5th unit in my study. It's going to sit between two bookshelves, and with another shelf over it. That's going to be the 'storage wall' but also the lounge will be somewhere for B1 to sit while I'm WFH so we're all in one room, saving energy. Theoretically, anyway.

The lounges do need 'feet', though. I'm just in contact with the company who made the original lounges, but they only seem to sell the feet in plastic now - at least on the site. However, I called the company and they said they have a small number of the old metal feet, so I'm trying to source those.

I mean, we're not roughhousers, so the plastic feet would probably suit fine, but if you can get the longer-lasting option, why not?

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I have decided (with the advice of my bible study leader) that the cracks in the house are probably settling, due to the weight of the windows. It was good to talk to him and get that concern reassured. I just needed someone to tell me that the house wasn't going to fall apart, and he was practical and went through the 'worst case scenario' and reminded me that their house had issues with subsidence and everything and he fixed it.

J's a bit like a big brother, really - wisecracking, smartass, kind of similar outlook and personality, but also practical and pragmatic and reassuring on matters like this.

But it is a little disconcerting actually hearing the cracks happen.

Now, the big concern is the shifting of the clay under the house, and the ground cracks which I can't see under the lawn grass. I would like to find someone who has a "pipe camera" who would be willing to look at the extent of the holes. Is it a really long crack across the clay lens or is it a few small holes, or is it a series of them? Does it look like it was caused by drought-rain cycles, or is it vermin tunnels?

The guy who came to look over the house looked at the major hole we could spot and suggested infilling it with soil. Actually finding clean soil (would really rather not have, say, lead or heavy-metal tainted, especially not in a space where I want to eventually grow vegies) will be another job entirely. And then filling up the hole? Oof. My compost would be bad, though - high volume of organic matter in it and while that absorbs water really well, it also decomposes very well.

The house inspector hasn't contacted me since he left, hasn't invoiced me for payment, hasn't sent the report. I mean, I'm not really particularly worried, but it would be nice to hear from them.

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My work contract has just renewed! Six months, same daily rate. Now, I have to apply for six weeks of vacation time in December and both reassure everyone that it's not all going to fall apart while I'm away, while also making sure they don't think they can do it without me.

I'm pretty sure that my value in the team is more in communications than in technical - I'm good at explaining the differences betwee technical and business understanding, and generally pretty personable. People seem to like that, even in IT departments.

But it's keeping the job that's important to me. Also: I hate job-hunting. Also, if I can keep this for another three years, it might be the longest time I've ever been employed by a company!

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B1 has decided to extend her holiday by a week if she can get in contact with her travel agent back in Sydney. Which is good! Except that I miss her. But that's no reason to drag her back here! And I've been gone for really long periods of time before (heck, I'm planning to be away for six weeks at the end of the year) so I can't talk.

I still miss having her around, though.

I don't much like the new 'Systems Architect'. Apart from feeling that he's vaguely pushy (he gives me 'icky' vibes, even over the phone/internet), I don't like his style.

We're going to be having a half-hour meeting every morning to update a spreadsheet to track our work.

Every morning. Half an hour. Updating spreadsheets "to track work".

*sigh*

A workplace is made or broken by the people in it. I mostly enjoyed the last three years, the work, the people. But the people I like interacting with have left or are leaving, and I'm not sure I really want to work feeling like I'm under the scope for another three years...

*grumps*

Have not read candyheartsex gifts yet - so sorry, creators o' mine! Looking forward to it, 100%!

Anyone wanna guess which fic is mine?

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Thought of the Day re: abuse in churches

( church abuse, hierarchy, order, and The God Who Sees )

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Lot of religious stuff happening around my sections of the internet. Revival in Ashbury, KY. He Gets Us campaign during the Superbowl. Australian federal laws shifting around 'Freedom of Religion'.

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In personally ginormous news: I am contemplating looking for another church. Haven't started the search, but just contemplating at this stage.

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Oh, and it looks like work maaaaay have shifted back to 'only talk about things if you have something that needs someone else's attention'. Today's meeting took less than 15 minutes! UNHEARD OF.

Spoke to an account manager at the contracting company: contract renewed.

They wanted a year. I foolishly asked whether we had the job contract (for the work the entire team is doing) for the rest of the year. "Oh, yeah, we'd better not make contracts for job contracts we haven't yet won."

Anyway I have a job until September (six months, plus the six weeks they'd need for handover if we don't win the job). They did ask if I wanted to go permanent, but it was desultory rather than intent on bringing me over the line. Which, whew. I like the work and the pay of this job, and yes, it's frustrating not being paid, but also it's REALLY NICE to be able to just take a day and apart from the inconvenience to the customer, not fret about having to appease the HR rulemongers. (No offence to HR rulemongers, but sometimes I just want to take six weeks unpaid leave and GO TRAVELLING.)

That's something of a relief, too. I mean, we were nearly done on the mortgage before we decided to replace the windows and, well, that and the solar upgrade is pricey...

Both my immediate supervisor and the project manager have resigned from the contracting company that I've been working for over the last 2.5 years.

CRAP.

I don't know the reasons behind it, but it's a bit concerning that both of them are going at the same time. Also, another of the guys who used to 'manage the team' while IS and PM were away (on rare occasions) resigned and left last week. Don't know who's going to be taking over in their absence. Apparently, the company running this project is going to be looking interally for people to do the job. Could be good, could be bad.

On the plus side, I don't have to feel bad about telling PM that I don't want to become permanent. He was pushing quite hard for it when my contract was renewed in July. On the minus side...that might mean I'll be out of a job come January. Which I honestly won't feel quite so bad about with IS and PM gone since a large part of my enjoyment of this project has been their manner of supervising. They're hands-off when it comes to my work, and they listen when I speak and take advice in my areas of expertise. I feel respected, and that my work is appreciated.

Finding a new contract, though? That'll be something else.

Anyway, I guess there'll be a couple of months during which I'll hopefully have time to take stock, work out what can and can't be done, and what my finances look like.

Oh, and it's time to break out the novel!

Again.

>.<

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Tired, but at least I'm not floaty. Just as well, though, because I've got a game of summer competition hockey on this evening from 7pm, and I'm way unfit.

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Trying to NaNo again - not sure I'll make it this year, too much going on as usual.

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The garden is overwhelming me. There's so much of it - and a lot of it is the sort of stuff that is growing wild and crazy...and spreading. Also: rats. *makes face*

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All right, back to focus on work.

Dragged myself out this morning for a run. It. Was. Not. Fun.

2.7km running for 1.5 minutes interspersed with walking for 2 minutes, 5 minutes warm up, 5 minutes cool down.

URGH.

I also have a PT session tonight - stretching and strengthening, because I've decided that I need to get back into anaerobic exercise and not just aerobic. So weights, stretching, strengthening, and the best way to do that for me is in-person and with other people. We'll see how the training goes.

Also: summer hockey starts next week! Tuesday night. I'm in a team that's playing 7:20 and possibly one that's playing 6:30, too. Just a good run-around.

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This morning I watered everything - crap, the water dripper is still on. Gotta go turn that off!

Watered things in the front yard, watered things in the backyard. The water tank pump is working but I haven't been able to connect the dripper system timer to it. Job for the next few days. It'll take that long to get all the connector thingies running.

Otherwise, the bank issue is still an issue and that needs fixing this morning. It's gonna be a busy day...

Wait, it's already gone.

Trying to nominate for YT. Trying to imagine what I'd like. Which characters in Melanie Rawn's casts of thousands? Do I want S.W.A.T or Tokyo Crazy Paradise? Should I take a punt on Spiderman Ultimates or just give up? Has anyone nominated the 500 Kingdoms yet? I want someone's take on JoJo of the Rainfire pack! But I also want the courtship of Danae and Talen from the Elenium!

ARGH.

It's actually almost impossibly tricky to pick something that at least a couple of other people know and are willing to write, let alone want. *sigh* Also there is the perennial problem (not just YT) of, even if there are people in my fandom, they don't want the characters or relationships that I do. I know, YT doesn't require relationships. But still.

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Otherwise it is the Mid-Autumn Festival throughout Asia. I want to make mooncakes and have bought a ridiculous amount of ingredients towards that end... Whether it will get made this side of Christmas? *shrugs*

Honestly, I just kinda want to cook for people. I think there's something psychological in it. Comfort food, but also comfort company.

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Work is kind of quiet right now, with perhaps the exception of a go-live that is...probably happening this Sunday. Some Sunday work was always to be expected in this job. It hasn't yet clashed with hockey, we might see how that goes in the next year...

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I feel like I've forgotten how to transition scenes at some point. I don't know when to skip over the detail and when to draw the complete picture. I can plot a gripping story from go to whoa, but which bits to do sweepting strokes and which bits to pick out with a fine-brush? That's hard.

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I need new icons. Or, at least, different ones. I don't like all these ones anymore, and I need a better selection.