Wake Up

Woke up late this morning; 8am. A quick scramble from bed to wardrobe to bathroom had Lilly and I out the door a mere 15 minutes later.
No breakfast.
There's a mandarin in my bag which I'm trying not to squash, but I don't think it'll be enough. Looks like I'll be eating out again, at least once today. I can't help but feel I'm wasting money.
It was colder than I expected when I was rushing out the door this morning. I wish I grabbed that jumper I was deliberating over. Oh well.
I wonder what work will be like today?

Listening to Melvins + Lustmord - Pigs of The Roman Empire (album). I'm on a bit of a Lustmord stint since watching the Tool Schism and Parabola DVD singles that I picked up last week. I want the Vicarious one, now. And maybe some Lustmord while I'm at it.
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Not Sure On The Job

I don't have to leave for the job until October, so over the last few days I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about it.
I'm still not sure. I've been trying to get a hold of some of the people in Qld about jobs, and filled out a competency exam for one of them, but the lady to contact is busy right now, and the competency exam one is too soon to know.
So I want info soon, and don't want to commit to Perth until I have it.
This means it's still not a definite for Perth. And I think with the wages they're offering, I will prefer the East Coast.
So there you go.
Maybe Perth isn't the opportunity I thought it was going to be.

New Job

So it looks like Lilly and I will be packing up and moving to Perth for a job.
I applied for a job with a company called Geoforce a few weeks ago (Mart told me about them), and they are desperate for people, so the fact that I don't have a degree in geophysics doesn't matter. In fact, they have even given Leanne a job.
So that's why we're both moving.
Now. I still have some things to decide.
First of all, it's going to bring a whole new lifestyle. Living on the West Coast means not seeing my friends and family for extended periods of time.
The job works on a two weeks on, one week off roster. The advantage of that is that I have a week off to travel (and visit friends) every two weeks. The disadvantage of it is that I have to figure out where the hell I will stay during that one week off. Do I pay rent for a place I'm only going to live at 1/3rd of the time? But, of course, I don't have to pay for food during those two weeks, so I'm at an advantage there.
But the big decision... it's a pay cut, and it will take me a while to work up to the same pay level I was at during my time at TC.
So is it worth it?
Is the experience worth the sacrifice?
Will the job be worth anything (it isn't strictly in line with my degree) in terms of career? i.e. is it a career path I want to follow?
So I'm going to call some of the jobs I applied for in Qld today, and see what they are willing to offer me. If they offer wages closer to $60k, then I will probably take them.
The $45-50k at Geoforce won't be enough to convince me then.

Wardens Love It

Doin a job for Safe Installations this morning. We stopped at a petrol station and I noticed a gaol warden get out of a Rodeo with the number plates AN-11-LY
Ha ha. That's how wardens like it!
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...and stay out!

Wow.
I mentioned earlier that I entered into an argument with my manager about hours being worked up.
Well, I called my recruitment agency Monday morning complaining, and asking if I had any legal standing to demand pay for the hours I worked. I also asked them to remain discreet.
Come 4pm, my manager walks over and asks if he can talk to me outside.
He tells me that my recruitment agency called, and that he has decided it is in our best interests for me to not come to work anymore.
Officially fucking fired.
What a fucking child. I dob on him and he retaliates by firing me.
What a fucking cock.
I guess I shall recall the full story here.
So.
We are contracted for 80 hour fortnights. Last fortnight I had to stay back and extra 5 hours because of meetings running overtime and having to get stuff prepared for meetings.
These extra hours were able to be "saved up" to go toward the APEC summit compulsory day off in September. Not really a problem.
Except on the Monday I was sick, so I figured that these extra hours should go toward that day instead. I figure it's within my rights to get paid for hours that I have worked.
So I hand in my timesheet last Friday, and my manager says that he won't sign the timesheet with 77 hours on it - that I have to resubmit it with only 72 hours on it.
He tells me this during morning tea. I say that it's illegal, and that I will call the recruitment agency about my rights.
He leaves shortly after to go back to his desk.
I decide to go tell him that I didn't want to butt heads over it, and find him emailing the recruitment agency telling them that I will be calling soon. Fucker.
I decide that it wasn't worth arguing with him about the timesheet and yield; I resubmit the 72 hour timesheet.
After leaving work, I decide that I have a fucking right to get paid for what I have worked, and call my recruitment agency and tell them about his bullying and illegal policy.
Unfortunately, Maria (she who is in charge of TC) wasn't in, so I talked to Amy about it. She agreed, and even said that she knows what my manager is like. She left a note for Maria to call me on Monday morning.
Come Monday, she hadn't yet called. I called her. She was like "Oh, I was meant to call you!" Yes you were, Maria. Why didn't you?
So I talked with her about it, and she was fucking useless. She asked if I wanted to jeopardise my job over it. This shouldn't jeopardise my job, but I said yes - that I was sick of the mis-management.
She said she'd have to talk to her manager about it, and would call me back.
Come 4pm, my manager walks over and asks if he can talk to me outside...
Fuckwit.
So I pack up my stuff, send a goodbye, fuck you email, and head over to the pub with Josh and Leanne for a pint of Old.
So, there you go.
I'm going to visit my recruitment agent, find out what exactly happened. I'm also going to call workplace relations to find out if it was legal a) to pay like that or b) to fire me like that.
Fuckers.
So. I'm now a free man... restricted only by what meagre money I have paid off of my credit card and by what money I have coming to me.
I am applying for jobs this week, although I didn't today because I was down at Newport, and won't tomorrow, as I'm heading up to Newcastle for the Black Sabbath concert.
Wish me luck.

Yet Another Weekend Up At The Hunter

What is it now? 5 weeks in a row? I don't know... but I've been up at The Hunter every weekend for while now. I suppose it's good that I get use out of it before it sells... if it sells.
But it was good weekend.
Mike, Leanne & I went up for a smoke.
We were on clouds, we became planes, we flew through the air and across the hills, waving at the little people...
Indeed. Fun.
We ate too much, though.
Altogether too much.
I need to start eating better. And probably exercising, too.
This shall happen this week.

I am seeing Black Sabbath with Ben this Wednesday. We're seeing it in Newcastle (Bogan HO!), and as such, I've taken the following day off of work. It's funny; I hate work, but I hate taking days off work because we don't get paid for them. I actually entered into a bit of an argument about not being able to work up hours for days off with my manager on Friday. I'm trying to find out if what they are doing is legal. The lady at my recruitment agency isn't very helpful, though.
Sigh.

Coffee

Coffee fucks me up.
That is all.
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Best Half an Hour of My Life.

Holy cow.
First, Josh shows me the drunk guy with itchy nuts video, and as if that wasn't enough, Josh then pulls out a mutated double banana. As soon as I get the chance, I'm posting the photos on Flickr.
Stay tuned for updates.
Holy cow.
EDIT: Here are the photos.

Listening to: Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows - Eldorado (strangely upbeat song by them/him/her/it - it was originally a poem by Edgar Allan Poe)

Bored and Sick of Work

Man. I'm so over TC. I'm sick of it all. The people, the work, everything.
Definitely time for a new job.

The Cross and The Hunter

Not a bad weekend.
One of Tristan's mates (Cam) came up from Melbourne for a few days, so the two of them were keen for some time on the town. It also happened to be one of Tristan's acquaintances' birthdays, and she arranged for Tristan + 3 to be on the door of some club in The Cross. So after work I went home, got ready and was dropped off at Tristan & Belinda's by 8:30pm.
We then drove out to Balmain to meet Ross and grab some drinks. The others grabbed some noodles (I'd already eaten) before we went to The London for some Golden Ale. Ross & Cam also lost at pool. Cam seems a good bloke. Awesome tattoos, and good taste in metal. One of his friends knows Devin Townsend from Strapping Young Lad (and many other projects). Fucken awesome.
So, after pool and drinks, we caught the ferry to Darling Harbour, and couldn't help but stop at the Squire's Brewhouse. I had some IPA, but shortly moved onto Scotch & Coke.
If you want, you can follow the night's progress on Jaiku to the left.
Anyway.
After those drinks we decided to head to the cross. Got a cab over. We weren't immediately allowed in because the three others were wearing sneakers. Actually, that wasn't entirely the reason, coz there were plenty of people in there wearing sneakers, we just weren't cool enough. But Tristan called his friend, and she came out and let us in.
The Cross is a funny place. Full of little bars that are full of people who are full of themselves. The place really wasn't that much different from any other place I've been to - no real reason to keep it elite.
Anyway.
The brother of Tristan's friend was mental for Jaegerbombs, and was up for a challenge, so he bought me one. Unfortunately, he'd been drinking for a fair bit longer than me, and was kicked out before I could return the favour. I feel a little bad, but I honestly don't think he'll remember anyway.
So we stayed at that bar for a few hours. I got nicely toasted. A little while after that I got fucking wankered.
We skipped out sometime around 2am maybe.
I wanted pizza, but we ended up going to a titty bar. Was kinda cool - I like tits after all. They had porn on the TV. We sat around there for a bit. Cam bought a round of beers. We drank the beers - some Coopers flavour I'd not seen before. It tasted like shit. About half way in, we noticed that, in fact, it was non-alcoholic beer. What the fuck! Those wankers! Cam was furious. I tipped mine onto the carpet. We left.
I remember seeing Ross about to hop into a cab, so I joined him. We went to George St. 3 Wise Monkeys was closed. So was some other pub... Cheers maybe? Anyhow. We met up with some guys that went to Ku-ring Gai High. They knew a few people we knew. I drank some more. I was very drunk. I lost at pool.
We then went home. We got a cab back to Ross' and Leanne (bless her) picked me up. I got to bed at 6am.
I woke up at about 1:30pm, drunk. Not just tipsy... drunk. It was embarrassing to have to talk to Leanne's parents when they knew I was drunk. I helped Allan move my old wardobe down to the street coz it was council clean-up. Within 10 minutes some scavenger had come along to pick it up. Allan told Leanne and I that the guy thought he could get $120 for it, when we talked to the guy himself, he said about $30... so I don't know what happened there.
Michael Kirk Patrick is back in Sydney, so he wanted to go out. But because I was still drunk, there was no way in hell that I felt like going to a pub that night.
Leanne's friend, Sal, was up at the Hunter with some friends, so Leanne was keen to go herself, and looking forward to some relaxation after the previous night's drinking, we decided to go up.
So, I felt bad once again not seeing Michael Kirk Patrick, and am determined to meet up with him for dinner some time this week. Maybe Hardeeps... I wonder if he likes Indian? Hardeeps would be good.
So Leanne and I headed up to The Hunter; I sat drunk in the passenger seat, moving between energetic and hung over.
Leanne and I had a lovely night in (we cooked lasagne), and visited Sal et al the next day. We met them at Tambourlaine Winery. I like that Winery. We bought Jenny (Leanne's Mum) a bottle of rasberry liqueur, as it was her birthday the day before. We had lunch at Oscars in the Hunter Valley Gardens. It was all very nice.
When Leanne and I got back to my place, we decided it was so lovely there that we would spend another night (as we are tempted to do every Sunday afternoon). So did.
This meant setting the alarm for 4:10am (to beat the traffic).
We ended up loafing in bed until 4:50/5am, but before leaving to go to Sydney, but I still got into work by 8:15am, so no real drama - and because it's Monday morning, I was the second one in.
I feel tired. I think I will need coffee today.
Josh isn't in yet (will he be in later?) which means I will have a lonely lunch... sucks.
So, there you go.
My weekend, including drunken shenanigans...

Stupid TC

What the hell!?
I get into work this morning, and there is an error report on my desk.
Now, every fucking time I complete a round of editing, there is an error report. No matter how many times I tell people not to change certain things they change.
But you know why? People don't change them. They change because the system changes them. The design of the system is so retarded that it will change the data, and not notify anyone.
This project is fucking doomed. It's fucked and retarded and will never fucking work.
And I'm fucking sick of it.

First one

Woo! I was the first one in at work this morning (at 7:15am). There is usually a woman here who gets in at 7am, but she's on holiday for 5 weeks, so I was the first in. I had to turn the lights on and everything. I'm still the only one here.

Ready to Quit

I am so fucking over the shit that is TCrud.
I am ready to quit.
I am looking for new jobs this week; TCrud can suck my arse.
I'm sick of the shit, I'm sick of the policy changes, I'm sick of the arrogance, I'm sick of the condescension, I'm sick of the old software and I'm sick of it's feeble implementation.
Fuck you, TCrud, I didn't go to Uni for this shit.

Nothing to do

There are no ads to do.

This is good, because it means I can do other shit.
This is bad, because I am running out of other shit to do.

I'm going to read my book (Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts).

(A little note here - if you intend to ever read this book, don't read all of the wikipedia site... shit.)


EDIT:
Out of interest, here is a history of the author:
The fact file on Gregory David Roberts.

* Born June, 1952, Melbourne, Australia
* Founder member, Anarchist People’s Liberation Army, 1969
* Union activist, Builders Labourers Federation, 1972
* Founder member, Australian Independence Movement, United Front Against Fascism, 1973
* Student Leader, Melbourne University, occupation of university Council Chambers, 1974
* Student Leader, Black Week Aboriginal Activism Movement, 1975
* Marriage break-up, loss of daughter in custody dispute, beginning of heroin addiction, 1976
* Armed robberies with toy pistol to support heroin habit, end year 1977
* Capture and imprisonment, 1978; Escape from Maximum Security Pentridge prison, 1980
* Helped by motorcycle gang, BLF Union, & revolutionaries to escape to New Zealand, 1980
* Fight conservation campaign to save sacred Maori mountain, Mount Maungahiha, 1981
* Escape from custody (twice) in New Zealand, end 1981
* Arrive in India, beginning 1982

FROM 1982 to 1990
* Six months in remote Maharashtrian village, learn to speak Marathi language
* Live in Bombay slum, establish and operate free clinic for slum dwellers
* Imprisoned in India for 4 months
* Recruited by Bombay mafia, training in currency crime, gold smuggling, passports
* Gunrunning operation to unit of mujaheddin fighters in Afghanistan
* Wounded in action, evacuated to Pakistan, recover and return to Bombay
* Appointed controller mafia forgery unit, write short stories, published in popular series
* Passport smuggler to Nigeria, Zaire, Iraq, Iran, Mauritius, Sri Lanka
* Establish casting agency for foreign extras in Bollywood movies, act in movies
* Arrive in Germany, work as singer, establish rock band, receive recording contract
* Manhunt by European police, escape custody in Italy & Switzerland, escape to India
* Act in Bollywood movies & TV dramas, establish travel agency in Bombay
* Passport smuggling to Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Nigeria, Zaire, Mauritius, etc.
* Break with Bombay mafia council, freelance drug smuggling missions to Europe

FROM 1990 to 2004

* Captured Frankfurt, 1990, imprisoned in Preungesheim prison with terrorists, 1990-91
* Teach myself to read & write German, win concessions, extradited to Australia, end 1991
* 2 years solitary confinement, 4 years mainstream prison in Australia, begin novel, 1991-97
* Develop philosophical and cosmoogical model, "Resolution Theory"
* Released from prison, begin novel 1997, end parole 2002
* Sell rights Shantaram, in USA (St. Martin’s Press) & UK (TimeWarner Books UK)
* Publish Australian edition of novel, Shantaram, August, 2003
* Tour Australia, New Zealand, Europe, UK, Ireland, Hong Kong during 2004
* Sell movie rights to Johnny Depp, Brad Grey, Graham King, Warner Brothers, October 2004
* Sell Italian Translation rights to Neri Pozza, October 2004
* Begin writing screenplay for movie version of Shantaram, October 2004

My "job" Pt 2

I'm working day shift! Which means, that I AM actually working :-)

I went to see Steve on Tuesday, showed him the ad that said that we were hired to do day or night shift according to our preferences. I also told him that I would leave if I didn't get day shift. He was a bit annoyed as this wasn't the information that he had told the recruitment agency to advertise (and I also doubt the recruiter had been telling him the truth about the ad) but he was gracious enough, and told me to wait until the afternoon... at which time he told us all that we would all get our initial preferences of day or night!

So yay!

None of my closer friends are doing day shift, but some of them may change. And hey, I don't really care - we'd have to sit at different workstations during the day anyway, and I'm not about to do night shift.

Interestingly enough, I've found out that I work 7.5 hrs during the day while night shift work only 6 hrs and FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF PAY. Crazy! So essentially I get 7.5 hrs worth of money more than them a week... which is grand.

Chilli Challenge II

So, disappointed with the results of the last Chilli Challenge, but impressed with the taste and size of the meal, Josh and I decided to to a Stagg Combo for lunch yesterday. I stuck with the tried and true Stagg Dynamite and 5-Bean-Mix Combo, but Josh decided to try Stagg with Baked Beans in Ham Sauce (it actually tasted pretty good, and I will have a go sometime soon).
I must say that the after effects were fantastic. Much above what we experienced after the first Chilli Challenge.
Fantastic.
I'm still under the influence.
Leanne loved it.

O-oh...

...I just broke the head off a key that was sticking out of a filing cabinet at work...

I haven't told anyone yet. I hit it with my thigh as I walk towards the printer, then smashed it again (clean off) when I walked back...

The bottom of the key is still in the lock.

Damn new glasses disturbing my depth perception.

I'm embarrassed.

RIP Coffee Plunger

RIP Coffee Plunger
Originally uploaded by JadeMonkee.

Farewell, fine plunger. You have been good to us. Unfortunately, your weeping wounds have spelt your end. You were a fine plunger, and your replacement is no competition. In fact, because of your fine sealing ability, we will continue to use your plunger part - in reality it is only your body that has been replaced.
Your spirit will live on.

My "Job"

Ok, so I have a job.
Some of you will not know this. Some of you will not care. I myself do not care that I have a job.
It is a crappy job.
I make ads. Very silly ads.
I use very old programs that are only one step above Microsoft Paint.
I do not appreciate a five-week training module that pays me less per hour and in which I do nothing except purchase food and wonder if anyone would notice if I masturbated at my desk.
I have two trainers, one of whom uses the word 'dubious' a dubious amount of times per day.
In the four weeks I have been here, we have done a solid 10 hours of actual work. This would be ok if the rest of our time was spent larking, but it's not. I have to pretend to pay attention for 8 hours a day, to information that is handled poorly, repeated too often, and given out too slowly.
I am boredom personified.

I was hired as one of a group of ten new recruits, some of us to work day shift and some of us to work night. I opted to work day shift, but upon starting my training (which is during the day) I found out that all ten of us were actually hired to work night shift. Five nights a week. For only $1 more an hour. Bugger that!

If I were to work night shift, not only would I would waste all day sleeping, but I would never see Simon or indeed anyone at all beyond my work friends. As Simon would not want to stay living at my house when I won't ever be there, he would move out... to Newport I suppose, which would make seeing him even more difficult. (Also, it wouldn't be entirely wise to move out together as my job is not stable enough for the long term). This is not what we want.

Yesterday I went to see Steve, who organises the shifts. I asked him if I could work days as the recruitment agency had told me (and everyone) that days would be available. I was denied, and he tried to tell me that "sometimes people get flustered or nervous during interviews and they don't quite listen properly... and they get the wrong impression about the times they work." What a cockmonkeyed thing to say. I told him that everybody had been not only given that impression, but told outright that day shifts were available. But still he fobbed me off with the excuse that there are no desk spaces free during the day (despite the fact that 5 minutes prior to this discussion we had attended a farewell afternoon tea for two day shift workers).

So my plan is thus: Next monday (I finish my training on Tuesday) I am going to go talk to Steve again and tell him that I will be quitting if I cannot have day shifts. I don't quite expect him to capitulate, but I may as well try. I am also going to give him a printed copy of the seek advertisement that recruited us, to confirm to him that all ten of us were not simply "nervous" during our interviews. We were misled by the recruitment company (to what real purpose? I assume it was a mistake on the part of the recruitment agency rather than the company as at makes no sense to knowingly hire people who can't work night shift as you're then paying for training for no reason. On the other hand, the recruitment agency could have made the mistake on purpose, as they THEN get to hire MORE REPLACEMENT workers, and thus make more commission...) and I am going to tell Steve as such.

So yes. This is my "job".


On the brighter side, Simon is taking me out tonight for my birthday (which was a couple of days ago). Yay! I'm really looking forward to it.

Typical

MKP just found out he has been posted for Sunday, so he won't be able to attend on Saturday night. On top of this, my manager just told me that I can't take Friday off because I will need to supervise the Premier Mapping.
Yeah.
What a great weekend.