So it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to update this thing, but what else are cold Sunday afternoons for, right?

This week was my first week at a permanent, full -time job. Yes that’s right, after about 10 months, including the last 6 months in one position, I have moved into permanent work. After a relatively uneventful but slightly sad goodbye, I’m now working at a specialist cancer hospital as a pathology secretary. Although I’ve just started, feels like I’ve been there for weeks. It’s a positive atmosphere, as most people want to be helping, whether directly or indirectly with the patients. As always, it’s hard to get the hang of the things asked of me; also, I went for the job even though it specified answering and directing phone calls. People who know me, know that I don’t handle phone calls well, particularly when I don’t know who it is. Thankfully though, I’ve managed fine so far, and if all else fails, stick them on ‘hold’ and get someone to help!!

In seeking and succeeding in getting this position, I’ve finally accepted that I will not be able to study full-time from now on. However, I’ve recently been looking at Open University courses, which would leave a lot of flexibility for me to still learn. Besides this, it’s been highly recommended for me to take a medical terminology course to help my job – although I am picking a lot of it up very quickly. I often spend the few minutes spare I have a day (what a change, I’m used to having most of my day free!) looking up words and understanding what I am reading and typing. I find it fascinating.

To complete my first week at a new job, last night Kat, Kath and myself went to see Adam Hills doing a live show. This was my first time seeing him, and I was almost crying with laughter most of the way through – especially when at the beginning of the second half, they tried to move the lights out of people’s eyes. Thankfully I didn’t cry though, as they were recording the entire show for a DVD. And we were in the second row, behind some people, and down the row from some other people that Hillsy spoke to a lot. And were therefore filmed a lot. So look out for us on that when it comes out at the end of the year. Fingers crossed for the extras called ‘Beryl’ and ‘Blinded by the Lights’!!

Anyway, going back further, I just had my 19th birthday. I had a ‘family’ meal with my housemates on my actual birthday (being a Monday) which was most enjoyable. I had the day off work, so I’d been to the city to take photos and picked up some cake from the Cheesecake Shop (the first time since about 2003). I then had to sit and wait for everyone to come home until I could eat it!! The following weekend I had a small party with friends, and we made some cocktails – most of which were a bit iffy, but the frozen margaritas were the best! We had bought apple sour to make appletinis (which, by the way, are delicious), but also made frozen margaritas with it. The result was delicious and dangerous! A fun night was had and not too much mess was made. Thankfully I don’t think there are any photos hanging around from that night.

With the money I got from parents and various relos, I bought a scanner with which I can scan my photo negatives. I’ve had much fun with it so far, and it was relatively easy to set up and understand. I went for the Epson V500, although I had been looking at the V700 too. The V500 won out because I doubt I’ll shoot much medium format in the future, so I don’t need all the options that the V700 provides – and the V500 is about half of the price. I’d highly recommend it, it does very good quality scans and is so straight forward that even I worked out how to use it on my own.

I’d like to finish this entry with a series of amusing events that have occurred to me in the past 2 days. It all started with the kitchen door handle falling off in my hand yesterday afternoon. Twice. It’s never shown signs of being loose, but it just came off when I shut it! This morning, I went swimming. I handed over my membership tag and they scanned it, and the computer crashed. Swimming went fine. I caught the tram home, but one stop away from mine, it broke down. The brakes locked on everybody had to get off.

Now I’d like to just make a little side note here about how slow some people are. Our tram breaks down, and after a few moments we’re all asked to get off as it won’t be going anywhere soon. So most of the people get off and start walking. However, a small number of people get off the tram and walk back towards a tram that pulled up behind our one. They had smiles on their faces that said, ‘Oh we’re the smart ones here ho-ho-ho’.

The tram that’s pulled up behind another tram. One which cannot move. Therefore, the one behind us will also not be going anywhere soon. This is making sense to you all, yes? So these people think that by getting on the second tram, they’ll somehow overtake the broken down one and keep going on their merry way. Trams can’t really reverse into 2 lanes of traffic to get onto the other set of tracks, where other trams are coming through frequently. It gives you hope that you’re not that stupid after all when you see people like that.

But anyway. I wasn’t far from home, so I walked. There was a taxi slowing down to find a house number, and as I walked past it, the engine made some loud bangs and started smoking, and the taxi just stopped. I sped up to get home without breaking anything else. I understand it wasn’t me that did most of this, but it just feels like it when nothing else exciting is happening!

27. A Shite History of Nearly Everything – A. Parody

One of those bits-and-pieces books that can be read while waiting for Windows to try and fix itself or the router to connect. Some interesting bits, but needs to be long. My thirst for random facts has not been satiated!

It slightly reminiscent of the ‘Uncles John’s Bathroom Readers’ series, which have a random fact at the bottom of each page, with some articles of different lengths. Except this book did not have the ‘extended sitting’ section!!

26. Ecstasy – Irvine Welsh

As this is a book of three short stories, I thought I ought to review each separately.

1. “Lorraine Goes To Livingston” – Is an intriguing story of betrayal and revenge, which is believable but surreal. It started slowly but as the story progressed, and featured more exerts from the story being written by the character, more was left to the reader’s imagination as to what happened and how it concluded.

2. “Fortune’s Always Hiding” was another touching story. Reminiscent of my recent read ‘Black Widow’ with regards to rightful revenge being sought, the emotions touch true. Although this was short, I reckon it could work as a full-length novel. Obviously Welsh didn’t feel the same way.

3. “The Undefeated” is inspirational gives perspective of a ’straight’ person and an ‘e’d up’ person – on the same events. How they see other and their time together is comical yet quite sad, as they both have a distorted sense of reality, whether from chemical or emotional changes.

Thumbs up on this book.