Todays admin meeting

I think I managed to get my manager to say F""" In fact, yes, I did. Should that be measured as sucess or failure? Anyway it was all about the lighting. After several tedious items it got to the lighting issue. And how people should turn the lights off and on when they go to meetings. So I said, and this was backed up by the Englishman - "why doesn't the Department install automated lighting like is installed in the toilets" The manager then said "for fucks sake its not that diffiuclt to turn off the lights on and off" I agree, actually. But then its not that hard to install automated sytems either as the Englishman supported me - as they have at Education and at Health.

Now heres the rub. Like talk to me about energy saving measures. I am the energy saving Queen. But do my colleagues know that? NO. Beccuase to them its all about political correctness. Oh please. Heck I go to work at the moment for free heating and lighting. Give me some joy!!!

What else did we discusss at the admin meeting:

• How many compressions it takes to giive someone CPR - appranetly its 20 or 30.
• Where the defribalator is located - this is important becasue one of the dep secs once had a heart attack.
• When people are going on annual leave
• Who will be monitroing international developments. I was pressured to volunteer for this task but resisted
• what workshops/conferences/people will be attending

I don't know, maybe having worked in Health I'm immune to taking the first aid stuff seriously - but actually I think its good advice, if there is an emergency get the people who know what they are doing involved.

zhello, I have risk factors for a heart attack. Should I die at my work place and you have read this entry, please note at my funeral that it was the admin meetings that casued my death and not the risk factors.

I hope, despite the odds of the attendance at the admin meetings, and the other risk factors that I have, I do get the privelege of dying of natural causes.

Fortunately the admin meetings only happen ev ery 2 weeks - I take credit for this. Its progress. But they should't happen at all.

Upshot. I think I am in the process of disenfranchising myself from my manager. Not a good career move - or maybe it is, if it want to keep it real and remember what it is important - other than free heating.

Apple Advice

If you order a Granny Smith tree from Clareville Nursery, they will ring you a week later and say it has arrived and is ready to pick up. So, um, why did I buy a dwarf Granny Smith from High St Plants at the weekend. Now I willl have two Granny Smith Trees. Well, .5 if I count the grafted tree at the back where the other .5 is a gala.

The quest for sustainability is not an easy one. I am running out of land.

Oh well, I like Granny Smiths. Real Granny Smiths. They are in fact my favourite apple.

And in fact my first memories of the Wairarapa are assoicated with long drives over the Rimutakas to get to Greytown in the May school holidays to pick Granny Smiths. This would be supplemented with a stop at the Greytwon Dairy factory and the purchase of pineapple cheese - which was sort of a version of a big block of real mild cheese with chunks of pineapple in - not that processed stuff. Well those memories take me back a good 30 years or so.

Anyway keep reading this blog for the next five years - and in that time I should due to my 2.5 Granny Smith trees have an abundance of my very own fruit. Looks like I will be digging up the side area by the house this weekend.

I have 3 more white roses to plant for Strongerlight and Morgues wedding (read civil union - but I am old fashioned and prefer the term wedding, even though I acknowldege the political importance of the civil union) - but will be posting seperately on the development of the white roses

Post Conference

I have spent the last two days at a conference at Te Papa. Thats probably about as good as my training will get I anticipate. It was an odd conference, which is not to say there were not good speakers.



1. On day one it was opened by the PM and about 4 Ministers of the Crown. each of them had previously been Health Ministers, including the PM - the transition for them to non health seemed to be easier.

2. When I walked into the Soundings theartre I kept looking for familiar faces, but there were none. Well, there were a few, including one man who now works for TEC who once worked for where I last worked, but I didn't really want to talk to him.

3. I spent day one dsicovering that the lady who works on the other side geographically of my team shares exactly my thoughts and frsutrations on certain ways my team and operates- the difference is she generally manages not to disclose her disdain. But it was a small hallelujah moment for me becasue she expressed basically withouth promptiing all my frustrations

4. Day two was spent with cowo 2 who does not share my frsutration, so I have not expressed it to her. At one point I wanted to say to her "f""" do you have to be so f""""n intense about everything". Like lighten up lady. Btw, she has seen the Rita Angus exhinition 3 x. I don't get that. whats it supposed to demonstrate?

5. Day two and I felt like I had confirmed I was defintely at the wrong fellowship meeting and in fact like I or the taxpayer was paying for a certain group to organise a cofnerence for people to play grown ups.

6. This is not to say there not some good speakers. The best was Janice Shiner from the TEC in her farewell speech. There were pics of the double decker bus her father drove in the uk - no 43. Buildings she once worked in the UK. Her at the airport. It was brillant and at the end everone sung Now is the Hour - but hello, did my cowos from my team who were there get it? Nope.





Tomorrow I return to work. The only good thing is my cowo who sits nexct door to me is equally as frsutrated as me. Its not particulary healthy but we have mock intense discussions about comparative analysis of tea houses down the terrace and coffee establishments - about how if we commissioning this research from our team it would never happen. It somehow makes it bearable to have this to refer to.



I've reached the 6 month mark now. Now I need to get serious about getting out. Thats what I kept thinking at the conference. Ther's lots of reason. My team dynamics, and dysfunctional work programme of my team but also the wider issue of actually, the subject matter doesn't rock my world. I need work I can be passionate about - even if its as John Key would say "aspirational".

Now I am going to make bread and butter pudding - its late (for me). I don't usally make puddings - but i need pudding therapy.

It is reputed I once made the best ever bread and butter pudding - and i think this is true actaully

Tax

Today I arrived home to a tax bill of $608.10 Just like when I've worked out a budget - and intend to stick to it. How can that be? I thought I payed my tax forthnightly PAYE - Pay As You Earn. Well it appears not according to my "personal tax summary". I have no idea who "Corporate Services - Wage Workers" are. But I allegedly worked for them the same time that corresponds with my current employer - unless thats what my current employer lists as - although I would suspect not as I am not a wage worker but a salary worker.
I read stuff at work and omg I realise I earn significantly more than most NZers. But I forget that because most people I know earn significantly more than me! Its all relative.

Anyway, I hope the IRD statement is wrong. I will be ringing the automated machine tomorrow. Trouble is, I suspect it may not be wrong. You earn more you pay more.

Today I saw a man in an office chair go skateboarding in his chair down Bowen St. He was out of his tree or out his chair or something -but I admired his desire to take the chair out of the office or something like that.

Random stuff

This is my 103 posting - why celebrate 100 when you can celebrate 103?!

Today I purchased amazing oranges from the Masterton Market from the man I buy my celeriac from. I said "did you grow these" . He replied "No this man next to me did" I said "in Masterton?" He said "yes, just up the road. Virtually no carbon footprint" I said " not in Spain then, wow they are amazing" and I purchased a big bag and they are amazing. Every week the celeriac man I have virtually the same conversation about celeriac, how to cook it and how it is amazing vegetable, and then he gives me a discount becasue I love cleriac! - so it was nice to vary our conversation. I'm still amazed at the amazing oranges.

Before I went to the markert I opened my gate. Due to the relatively recent security threat of someoone ruffling through my car it now has a very sophisticated her secruity system in place. I close the gate and put what was supposed to be sculpture but broke into two pieces across the middle. I slab of concrete. I heave it off and the gate opens.

As I was doing my heaving and looked up and saw a lady that regualrly walks my street. She wears a coat and is clearly exercising. She must live somewhere near me. Quite close I think. I've seeen her a few times but she must be back in town. I'd like to talk to her becasue I think she could be a potential Carterton friend. I even know here name (becasue hello I am actaully a well honed brillant stalker). I'm not really sure how to approach her though. It probably would be ok to call out her name becasue everyone does know it. Perhaps I will just need to spend more time in my front garden. And then one day I can either comment on the weather - or she could comment on my garden....its Georgina Beyer. I don't just want to talk to her becasue she is well known, i'd actually like to talk to her becasue I think she would have interesting conversation. But maybe that does link in with being well known. Maybe I could start walking on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Right, I am determined I will find a way to be introduced to her. But hey, shes's also actually my neighbour - I'm just not 100% which house but it is either in my street or the next street.

Tomorrow

I do the hardest thing on earth. Face the truth - as KM as in Katherine Mansfield once said. And I am determined I will - face the truth and a certain shadow that haunts me.
Its not my day, but its my momment to face the truth/or a few truths actually. I know this will make me stronger. It will be hard actually, but it will also be healing.