I feel I am a little suspended, no Brian and Tezza, not suspendered, almost like I am looking down upon my life. Perhaps a sense of non reality......most unlike me to doubt myself, and this feeling has nothing to do with you Robert.
I put it down to working too many days in a row and not having a decent drink. It is the best way for me to make sense of things. I am going to tonight, in fact started already, so I can now write freely.
I haven't quite kept my blog up to its usual poor standard. Let me just write of some random events and thoughts. Sort of a blog catch up.
It all went wrong early in the week when I had to do what is known as a 'refresher course'. While it was not as bad as the same thing last year, I did actually learn something, even though it has no impact on work really. It was just interesting to me. Why I have to be taught how to do my job after doing it for 29 years, I am not sure, apart from my employer needing to spend a certain amount on training for each employee every year.
But truly, it was not so bad, and I caught up with an old workmate, Alistair, if you nosy types want to know, and we had a good giggle. Like when one person said that she found her work chair too hard, he said sotto voice and behind his hand said 'with an arse that size, I am surprised'. Such is gay humour. He used to be quite attractive, but has aged. I reckon I have aged better by a whisker, but then he is slimmer than me. Some skin types do better than others. Apart from a mention of the hotness of the boss of place we were in and what he was like when he was younger, we pretty well caught up on people known in the past and discussed our respective ailing parents.
Then there was the great public transport disaster of Thursday 7th of October, well my disaster with it. With some reflection, people put up with this every day. I just went into shock. But if I did, so would others and it not encouraging for people to use public transport. I have a vision that one day public transport will be a viable choice for the middle classes, and not just for your poor, your foreign, your young and your old.
I am also feeling some guilt about not doing enough, comparatively to my other siblings, in my step father's hour of need. Sister does not work and has been very good. Youngest brother has helped out a bit.
Brain damaged brother Acquired brain injury brother moved home so Mum would not be alone. They are all so much closer distance wise. I will do what I have to financially at some point. Even the Bone Doctor stumped up $200 for a medical test that got him on the road to recovery much quicker.
ABI brother asked if he could stay last (Sat) night ages ago. We said yes, but we should have checked the details. Normally if he stays, he arrives late afternoon. This time he wanted to arrive at 8.00pm. We had subsequently arranged dinner out to celebrate my forthcoming birthday. After some negotiations, he agreed to arrive at 10 to collect the key and we were home by then. He then walked into the city after walking here from the station to meet up with his football umpiring mates at a place called the Men's Gallery!!! R tells me he arrived home at 2pm and he looked very rough. But he doesn't drink, so just tired. He had breakfast with us and headed off back to town to get the train home.
He was lucky we were here in the morning to make him breakfast as we were supposed to be up, up and away on our third time lucky balloon flight. Cancelled again due to increasing north wind. I suppose the flight will happen, but R is regretting the day he ever booked the flight for my birthday last year twelve months ago. I feel pretty bad about it, as I did nothing to book the flight until about Feb this year. This it what R tells me. It is my fault. The weather hasn't been good for the last three times we booked.
R has a Facebook account and my nephew is one of R's friends. I want to see where Nephew is staying in Paisley in Glasgow using Google Earth. I wrote on Nephew's wall via R's Facebook account with one of my yahoo addresses to respond and Nephew has not sent me an email. So what if his Facebook page says he is going to Glastonbury for some music festival? I thought he was broke. He must have already spent the £100 we gave him for his 21st, or it was stolen on a beach in Thailand. The gratitude of the young.
I have finally finished transferring every video tape to dvd with the $200 machine. This machine is in R's bedroom and is not appropriate for him in the future, mainly because it is not a digital receiver, so I must buy something that it appropriate for him, but be damned if I will buy him a Tivo.
I am happy that, with the help of an online forum, I have now mastered the Toppy, the Topfield digital recorder. By gum it is good, once you know how to work it.
My XTube account was deleted. I am kind of pleased and I can start afresh with a new profile. But I was quite happy to have over 700 X Tube friends. Truth be told, I was well pissed orf, as much because I don't know why I was deleted. I would guess some copywright, copywrite, (which is it, I forget), infringement, but I am not sure how I infringed. Since I was up at 4am for the balloon flight that did not happen and could not go back to sleep, I used the next couple of hours to get back some friends with a new identity for me. In 12 hours, I am up to 30 friends.
Work roster is changing next week and I am supposed to finish work at 11pm Saturday night and start at 6am Sunday morning. I don't want to work early the following week anyway, but although management has to fix up the problem of me having no sleep, it has made things very complicated for me.
While on work side of things, I believe the Highrise is hosting christmas this year. Fine with me, but who knows if or when I will be working. I used to know well in advance from employer, but new world now.
I only managed to rustle up seven friends for my birthday dinner at the local. Given we had all caught up for the late Dame M's birthday the week before, not surprising I suppose. We had to leave early to go home for ABI brother to arrive and go to bed early for the balloon flight that did happen.
Dyke friend and her girlfriend did a walk around Albert Park Lake this morning to raise money for a diabetes fundraiser. We could have done it too, if not balloon flight hanging over us.
Marathon run up St Kilda Road too. Too crabby to take much notice. Did see an ambo below treating someone. There are much nicer ways to suffer pleasure and pain.
I needed a light bulb for my bathroom and R wanted to see the new St Kilda Beach boardwalk. We combined the two into an outing. There are problems with the boardwalk, I think. We caught a packed tram to St Kilda, and along the board walk, there is no delineation between cyclists and pedestrians. I was initially appalled at this, but actually, it wasn't really a big problem for pedestrians as there were a lot of us. We rooled, ok? What happens when it a bit quieter? I am old man. I like lines painted on the walkway so I know where I should be and where cyclists should be.
Next morning now.When we saw Little Jo last week, the third time she pulled my sunglasses from my shirt pocket, I firmly told he no. She ran to R and gave me the filthiest look. She forgot about it in a minute.
I am annoyed with myself as a blog mate asked me to find a critique of The Greens plan for Melbourne public transport and I did not bookmark the site and I cannot remember where I found it. Normally, I am very good a such matters.
I won't see R on my birthday as I will be at work.
The damn computer clock went back an hour on Saturday night. Why on earth would that happen? I can understand if it went forward as I avoid Bill's updates.
Right, better get stuck in and clean drips of wine, coffee, shoe polish and unidentifiable stains off the carpet that have accumulated over the last few weeks.
PS My Youtube account has been partly suspended for a month too, but at least I know why.