New appointments:
My little sister has just been employed at her first job, a music store. Despite her being one of the youngest and least musically hardcore people at the interview group, her sunny disposition and the cheap cost of junior labour seem to have worked in her favour. If this leads to her wanting to get those large holes in her earlobes, I picked it first.
DW has been offered a position with the state ambulance services, after a long and arduous selection process. He won't start until next year though.
Turkey plans changed: Destination Burneo! Orangutangs, mountain climbing, snorkelling, beaches. I'm excited. Ok, it's not booked yet, but H and I are both pretty certain and confident. Cheaper airfares, a tour that's more inclusive of what we want to do and fits between semesters, relatively safer area (if you don't count jungle fever, I guess). (Real question: what is jungle feature? Can you catch it in Burneo?)
Although some people claim to need study days, etc, and others are working at their supermarket storeman jobs at 5:30 am tomorrow, I'm going to DW's house soon to hang out. This prospect has brightened my mood. Now I'm going to eat some soup.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Something else
I think I must be becoming one of these elusive 'morning' people. Lately I need to complete anything worth doing before about 8 pm, the time at which my brain seems to put on flannelette pyjamas and tuck itself into bed for the night. Unfortunately my outer self has to often remain present and functioning past this time, which is rather awkward.
I had a segue here involving the word 'strategy', but rewording of the above paragraph has seen the disappearance of that word (feel free to insert it somewhere in your reading). Nevertheless, my point is: I need a freaking strategy to get through the next 5 weeks. I could launch a torrent of whiny explanation as to why my uni schedule is so unfair and has resulted in me having less than the supposed 'minimum' study time before my biggest scariest exam, but nobody cares that much, and that's pretty much the gist of it there anyway. GIST. Remember when that word had could be used innocently in a sentence without bringing to mind academic arguments about what constitutes THE GIST OF NEGLIGENCE? I don't.
Happiness, but with a tinge of something... else:
Being presented with 'a smo gift!' of chocolates while proof-reading and correcting grammar on a Chinese lady's nursing assignment. Happiness, because: CHOCOLATE. The gift made me feel a little guilty and spurred me on to be all the more stringent with my under-the-table editing work. However, I sometimes I have a tinge of doubt when checking these international students' assignments, because, well, how far can I go? Adding a forgotten 's' to a verb, sure, but what about paraphrasing an entire sentence? Do I stop at 'understandable, if oddly-phrased', 'could have a nicer style, but at least sounds like a native speaker' or a level at which I would submit in writing for myself? (which would be 'SUPER AWESOME', naturally). However, the fact that my level of involvement was decided by the presence of Sweet Oz branded chocolate kisses pretty much shows how much thought I put into that moral dilemma tonight.
Being repeatedly asked by the American guy to go out with him and his mates, or to join them while they drank and played cards on the balcony. Happiness, because he's funny and I'm not going to complain about the attention of a cool guy. Something else, because... I'm a little awkward when it comes to balancing this out-of-work socialising with guests, how late could I stay, what with my parents picking me up from the bus stop, clearly I wasn't dressed for going out on town, etc etc. He said he would give me money for a taxi home if necessary, haha. Anyway, one of my friends was in town for a politics meeting and happened to pick me up, so I didn't end up joining him. I went out to the balcony to say goodbye though, and then kind of wished I hadn't because I just wanted to stay out with them as they smoked and joked and chilled out. I'd gone out to join them for a minute as a social gesture, but to be leaving straight away just made me feel even more anti-social. To top it off, the guy is now moving to the other hostel with his friends, because they get a cheaper rate, and I didn't realise until after they had gone that I could have offered them the cheaper rate too! My call! Durr. The main reception girl is much more social than me, I feel, and I kind of don't want to be the cold one. Having said that, normally I have no qualms turning down social offers because the guys are kind of... feral... but this one I actually got along kinda well with. Oh well. He said he'd come back some time to say hi, so maybe if he does I'll shout him and his mates a little deal. They did say they liked the atmosphere of our hostel better.
Hopefully I can get some time off work soon, both jobs. My boss, in a discussion that highlighted many of his typical qualities (confident assurance, managing to avoid making concrete promises, and oddly sexual phrasing) breezily told me to just provide him with the dates I wanted off and he'd be look at 'massaging something into place'.
I had a segue here involving the word 'strategy', but rewording of the above paragraph has seen the disappearance of that word (feel free to insert it somewhere in your reading). Nevertheless, my point is: I need a freaking strategy to get through the next 5 weeks. I could launch a torrent of whiny explanation as to why my uni schedule is so unfair and has resulted in me having less than the supposed 'minimum' study time before my biggest scariest exam, but nobody cares that much, and that's pretty much the gist of it there anyway. GIST. Remember when that word had could be used innocently in a sentence without bringing to mind academic arguments about what constitutes THE GIST OF NEGLIGENCE? I don't.
Happiness, but with a tinge of something... else:
Being presented with 'a smo gift!' of chocolates while proof-reading and correcting grammar on a Chinese lady's nursing assignment. Happiness, because: CHOCOLATE. The gift made me feel a little guilty and spurred me on to be all the more stringent with my under-the-table editing work. However, I sometimes I have a tinge of doubt when checking these international students' assignments, because, well, how far can I go? Adding a forgotten 's' to a verb, sure, but what about paraphrasing an entire sentence? Do I stop at 'understandable, if oddly-phrased', 'could have a nicer style, but at least sounds like a native speaker' or a level at which I would submit in writing for myself? (which would be 'SUPER AWESOME', naturally). However, the fact that my level of involvement was decided by the presence of Sweet Oz branded chocolate kisses pretty much shows how much thought I put into that moral dilemma tonight.
Being repeatedly asked by the American guy to go out with him and his mates, or to join them while they drank and played cards on the balcony. Happiness, because he's funny and I'm not going to complain about the attention of a cool guy. Something else, because... I'm a little awkward when it comes to balancing this out-of-work socialising with guests, how late could I stay, what with my parents picking me up from the bus stop, clearly I wasn't dressed for going out on town, etc etc. He said he would give me money for a taxi home if necessary, haha. Anyway, one of my friends was in town for a politics meeting and happened to pick me up, so I didn't end up joining him. I went out to the balcony to say goodbye though, and then kind of wished I hadn't because I just wanted to stay out with them as they smoked and joked and chilled out. I'd gone out to join them for a minute as a social gesture, but to be leaving straight away just made me feel even more anti-social. To top it off, the guy is now moving to the other hostel with his friends, because they get a cheaper rate, and I didn't realise until after they had gone that I could have offered them the cheaper rate too! My call! Durr. The main reception girl is much more social than me, I feel, and I kind of don't want to be the cold one. Having said that, normally I have no qualms turning down social offers because the guys are kind of... feral... but this one I actually got along kinda well with. Oh well. He said he'd come back some time to say hi, so maybe if he does I'll shout him and his mates a little deal. They did say they liked the atmosphere of our hostel better.
Hopefully I can get some time off work soon, both jobs. My boss, in a discussion that highlighted many of his typical qualities (confident assurance, managing to avoid making concrete promises, and oddly sexual phrasing) breezily told me to just provide him with the dates I wanted off and he'd be look at 'massaging something into place'.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It takes all sorts.
Regretting: Complying with the 'suave' 16-year-old "I don't suppose your number would be too much to ask?" when signing his football trip teddy bear.
Glad: Flirting aside, that I won't see them again til Sunday.
Sudden shock: After checking the computer system, realising that I will actually see them again before they leave, damnit.
Recent thoughts:
'Well... if they can't even manage to google 'Adelaide Tuesday night' then they don't deserve to have fun.' (Note: Adelaide's reputation was saved, and I directed them to PJs comedy night)
(On the topic of what to do with a very large massive, probably stale, lettuce and white bread baguette given to me in kindness by an Irish lad) - 'Its a waste to chuck it. I don't want to take it on the bus. Or eat it. Perhaps I could give it to a homeless person -*mind jumps to V* -Nah, he wouldn't eat it for fear of germs.'
V stood behind the barred-off counter and chatted with me while I closed up yesterday. Last week, I had inadvertantly let out something like a... shriek... when I looked up from counting money to glimpse his withered form on the other side of the desk. Strangely, I think he feels like we have more of a bond now, after I offered like 'being in my own little world' as an explanation.
"That happens to me too. Sometimes I in the kitchen. Wiz my back to the door. And someone come in, and I don't see him, and he say something - ask me a question, or something, you know. Same thing happens - You ok now?"
I'd like to know more about V - how he came to be living here, for instance - but if I asked straight out I think I would make him angry and scare him off. Last night he mentioned a law lecture at Flinders that he had gone to some years ago, out of interest. What kind of guy who reads law stuff for fun and goes to university lectures lives in a hostel dorm room when they are, what, 70 years old? I guess, the same kind of guy who carries slices of bread in his jacket and spreads newspaper down on his floor to eat, who has secretive requests for rubber bands and tape, and whose hands are raw and shedding dry skin from continual washing. That sort of fellow.
Glad: Flirting aside, that I won't see them again til Sunday.
Sudden shock: After checking the computer system, realising that I will actually see them again before they leave, damnit.
Recent thoughts:
'Well... if they can't even manage to google 'Adelaide Tuesday night' then they don't deserve to have fun.' (Note: Adelaide's reputation was saved, and I directed them to PJs comedy night)
(On the topic of what to do with a very large massive, probably stale, lettuce and white bread baguette given to me in kindness by an Irish lad) - 'Its a waste to chuck it. I don't want to take it on the bus. Or eat it. Perhaps I could give it to a homeless person -*mind jumps to V* -Nah, he wouldn't eat it for fear of germs.'
V stood behind the barred-off counter and chatted with me while I closed up yesterday. Last week, I had inadvertantly let out something like a... shriek... when I looked up from counting money to glimpse his withered form on the other side of the desk. Strangely, I think he feels like we have more of a bond now, after I offered like 'being in my own little world' as an explanation.
"That happens to me too. Sometimes I in the kitchen. Wiz my back to the door. And someone come in, and I don't see him, and he say something - ask me a question, or something, you know. Same thing happens - You ok now?"
I'd like to know more about V - how he came to be living here, for instance - but if I asked straight out I think I would make him angry and scare him off. Last night he mentioned a law lecture at Flinders that he had gone to some years ago, out of interest. What kind of guy who reads law stuff for fun and goes to university lectures lives in a hostel dorm room when they are, what, 70 years old? I guess, the same kind of guy who carries slices of bread in his jacket and spreads newspaper down on his floor to eat, who has secretive requests for rubber bands and tape, and whose hands are raw and shedding dry skin from continual washing. That sort of fellow.
I was just reassuring a spaced-out American guy that we would move him from room 1 next Monday.
"Once we smelly lot are out," said a member of a football team who was at the counter.
American dude shook his head. "You have no idea."
I smiled. Perhaps I had some idea.
"I had a clown in my room!" said the American, and repeated it again for the footy guy who didn't grasp the literal meaning. "A clown was staying there! ...I'm scared of clowns!"
The idea of waking up between V and that grinning face-painted Korean amused me greatly. I secretly love it when all the oddballs are forced together.
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