my aims for the year, despite being vague are coming along not too badly.
it would be unseemly of me to say too much but i attended a birth earlier this week, my first paid one, finally! a healthy baby born with a minimum of fuss at a most convenient time of day. i was happy enough with my role in proceedings, there were things i might have done differently but the thing about birth is that they are all different and there are no second chances.all up it was a good day.
i took the kids on a five day trip to tasmania in january. i regularly have some difficulty getting them all to get out of bed and dressed to face the day, they prefer to loll about in pyjamas while my blood pressure rises and it was no different away from home so my blood pressure was skyrocketing much more quickly with new places to explore. there were a couple of frustrated tantrums from me but altogether we had a marvellous time. there was fish & chips on constitution dock, best in the world vanilla slice at Ross and a cornucopia of beautiful things at Salamanca markets. we also visited a number of historic sites which i really enjoyed although the girls claim that they hope never to see another historic site. ever.
i went to the cinema this week on cheap tuesday and saw "The Book Thief" which i liked a lot and i have started an online course about acupressure and the philosophy of traditional chinese medicine (TCM) as related to pregnancy and birth. it is a short course of about 10 hours and i can see that i am barely even scratching the surface. to really understand the intricacies of TCM must be a lifetime's pursuit, almost a spiritual practice. or maybe i am overstating, suffice to say that it is fascinating but complicated!
my yen to drive a clean car, or as i should put it: drive a clean car more often, is going along not too badly. i suppose i am behind the times but i have discovered the automated car wash, available for just eight or ten dollars and taking only five minutes, so much easier than lugging buckets. i think i love automated car washes! of course the freshly washed car brings rain effect still applies so i still drive a rain specked car and the local fruit bats still leave their legacy on a car parked under a flowering tree ........
perfection is unattainable, isnt it?
talking of cars, the weather is way too hot to be sitting in a hot car with an irritable learner driver and sweat dripping down my back so the driving lessons will have to resume when the weather changes, there's only so much i can take!
just a random closing thought: have you noticed how many bloggers define themselves by their location?
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
ten things
there seems to be a slow moving meme happening on facebook where people list ten aims for the new year.
lets see what i come up with:
lets see what i come up with:
- i have two births to attend this year. lets hope i fulfil my aim to make those mums feel nurtured and supported as well as prepared for motherhood. i would also like to add a few more births to the list.
- do a cheesemaking course
- usher, cajole and support another child through the HSC
- teach the same child to drive
- cultivate one or two new habits toward health
- less facebooking, more reading
- leave my comfort zone regularly
- watch more movies
- drive a clean car
- carpe diem
Your shoes shall be iron and brass; and as your days, so shall your strength be.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
donor services...aka kylie does data entry
i've picked up a bit of casual work and if i had read the massive envelope full of stuff HR sent me i would probably know that there are some kind of regulations about confidentiality. i haven't (yet) read it but i'll cover my butt and not mention names.
my chief occupations are opening mail and taking people off the mailing list of a large charity organisation. that sounds easy enough, right? well there are about 1000 envelopes per day returned to sender which all have to be opened and the intended recipient taken off the mailing list. in my very rough estimation the backlog is somewhere near the 7000 mark and i manage to slog through them (estimating optimistically) at a rate of about 150/ day. should they choose to keep employing me and should i choose to stay i can anticipate taking some time to get through it all!
i haven't worked for money in a couple of years so it's novel to be back at the coal face and its all a bit of an adventure, not least because i am obliged to take the bus, two buses actually, to get there. i haven't really travelled on buses much since my school days and what a different view of the world they offer! i have seen a lady feeding pigeons (why?) a very large backyard sheep and a very small dog habitually hanging out the window. who knows what other treasures are out there?
the mail that comes in is mostly standard stuff but occasionally someone takes the trouble to put a wee sticker on the envelope or write a quick message on a donation slip and how i like those people! then there are the letter writers, i am touched by the letter writers: their thoughts are usually not particularly relevant to what we are doing but they have taken the trouble to write and they have the faith to believe that someone is interested, their faith in humanity is greater than most and their motivation is, too. the other thing that i love is seeing the bank cheques and money orders. it takes serious commitment to organise either of those things, not at all like the convenience of phoning or making an internet transfer. there are quite a few people who are willing to make the effort to go to the bank or post office to get a cheque/ money order and then post it. those people impress me. the people who write shaky copperplate and are probably well into their nineties impress me too, they are obviously old and possibly dont have a great deal of income but they donate faithfully.
i wonder about the folks who write " my mother is *insert age* please stop mailing her"
dont get me wrong, i uphold their right to decline mail and i have just applauded the elderly donors but i cant help mentally asking those correspondents "why does charity end at old age?" or i might imaginarily ask "so how come 97 is too old but 96 wasn't?" then there are those who write "charities keep asking me for money" well, i understand that its overwhelming but do you want to be taken off the list or do you just want me to know that you are tired but you made the effort all the same?
every day can be an education if we are willing, cant it?
my chief occupations are opening mail and taking people off the mailing list of a large charity organisation. that sounds easy enough, right? well there are about 1000 envelopes per day returned to sender which all have to be opened and the intended recipient taken off the mailing list. in my very rough estimation the backlog is somewhere near the 7000 mark and i manage to slog through them (estimating optimistically) at a rate of about 150/ day. should they choose to keep employing me and should i choose to stay i can anticipate taking some time to get through it all!
i haven't worked for money in a couple of years so it's novel to be back at the coal face and its all a bit of an adventure, not least because i am obliged to take the bus, two buses actually, to get there. i haven't really travelled on buses much since my school days and what a different view of the world they offer! i have seen a lady feeding pigeons (why?) a very large backyard sheep and a very small dog habitually hanging out the window. who knows what other treasures are out there?
the mail that comes in is mostly standard stuff but occasionally someone takes the trouble to put a wee sticker on the envelope or write a quick message on a donation slip and how i like those people! then there are the letter writers, i am touched by the letter writers: their thoughts are usually not particularly relevant to what we are doing but they have taken the trouble to write and they have the faith to believe that someone is interested, their faith in humanity is greater than most and their motivation is, too. the other thing that i love is seeing the bank cheques and money orders. it takes serious commitment to organise either of those things, not at all like the convenience of phoning or making an internet transfer. there are quite a few people who are willing to make the effort to go to the bank or post office to get a cheque/ money order and then post it. those people impress me. the people who write shaky copperplate and are probably well into their nineties impress me too, they are obviously old and possibly dont have a great deal of income but they donate faithfully.
i wonder about the folks who write " my mother is *insert age* please stop mailing her"
dont get me wrong, i uphold their right to decline mail and i have just applauded the elderly donors but i cant help mentally asking those correspondents "why does charity end at old age?" or i might imaginarily ask "so how come 97 is too old but 96 wasn't?" then there are those who write "charities keep asking me for money" well, i understand that its overwhelming but do you want to be taken off the list or do you just want me to know that you are tired but you made the effort all the same?
every day can be an education if we are willing, cant it?
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