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Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I need to come clean. It won’t be pretty. I haven’t made the most of my time as a bum. This realization hit me shortly after I was scheduled for my first real interview (thank you Steven), not counting my interview for a painting job with a smaller angrier Howie Mandel, and not counting my get to know you at Michael Page.
First, the stuff I did do.
I have slept in almost every day I’ve been here, including today, all the way until 8 am. I have gone to bed before 10 pm on at least 3 occasions. I actually stayed in bed for 19 hours once. I took the train for free to Auburn station one time (this is characteristic of the unemployed, right?). I’ve whined about no one giving me a chance and how much I have to offer. I wrote some gibberish on my laptop and then reinstalled Windows without making a backup - so that doesn’t really count. Also I’ve been super depressed and almost no appetite. One time I only ate one sandwich for lunch and a half a glass of diet coke.
Now, the stuff I didn’t do.
Strike one was already mentioned: Sleeping in till like 11 would be better. Adding pizza crumbs in the beard would be even better. Actually I don’t even have a beard. I don’t even have facial hair right now, unless you count some pathetic sideburns that barely reach my tragi (that’s tragus plural). We’ll call that strike one and a half.
Okay so I wrote a little gibberish, but I never went back to it and worked on it until some good ideas started to hit. How am I ever going to be a writer and apply my love for the right word, the right phrase, the right metaphor if I never actually write anything? What no one tells you is that it takes some diligence and it’s not easy. Making stuff up is HARD! On the other hand, I could start with what I know, i.e. not making stuff up, just describing things, events in my life, or events in other people’s lives. Anyway, writing organ is flaccid.
Strke three is not going running, or going for hikes, or other athletics which I have plenty of time for right now. We’ll I finally put on my running shoes for the first time today. And don’t tell Sharole, but I only actually jogged for 60 seconds, max. My sister in law even donated a running style stroller - actually running stroller sounds like an oxymoron, so it would have to be a rapid baby wheeler, RBW for short. Have not wheeled any babies rapidly with it yet. We did use it when we went to Katoomba for the winter festival, though, so rather than zero out of ten I give myself 0.5.
Strike four is not taking control of the kids’ upbringing. It’s hard enough to raise disciplined kids in one’s own house, but in the house of two professional grade grandparents, it’s even more difficult. The definition of grandparents of course are those people who have already been mean to their kids, who are now grown up, so now they get to be as nice as they want. Unfortunately this is a recipe for spoiled brats. The kids still aren’t potty trained, for one, and for two, TJ still isn’t thankful enough for his food, and Gigi still overdoes it in the “I’ve been rejected so I’d better howl and cry my face off” department, and, well, William is okay, but I have to get there first or he gets milk before baby food and I’m stuck spoon feeding a baby with a full stomach. Seeing as how I’ve got nothing better to do, I should be all over this.
Now, the excuses:
Strike four actually contradicts strike one. How can I sleep in if the kids are up at 6:30 every friggin’ morning. It’s almost impossible to get the kids’ day started on the right foot if their father is off riding unicorns across clouds made of melted wax and Campbell’s soup cans (I hope I didn’t just randomly come up with something out of the chapter titled “Sehr Disturbung” from The Interpretation of Dreams.).
Strike two kinda takes away from the whole I’m unemployed thing. Wouldn’t working on my writing start to feel like a job??
About strike three, well, the whole reason for being athletic is because I was bulging towards a size 36 only 4 months ago. Now I’m totally in a 32, so it kinda takes away the whole reason. Depression and loss of appetite helped in that regard. Also strike three contradicts strike one, and one and a half, because it would just be silly running along at 11 am sporting a fur face. Like, why are you acting all yuppie when you’re obviously unemployed!? People would probably start yelling at me about Forrest Run or some gibberish like that.
Suddenly I’m not so sure I want a job any more. I haven’t fully capitalized on my joblessness yet.
Sharole and I both share a love of architecture and design, and this TED talk on the topic is really very good. Now, how to put these words into practice…
The speaker’s website. The speaker’s wikipedia entry.
Also, related to architecture but mostly unrelated to Daniel Libeskind, some pictures of architecture.
In case you’re wondering if your bookmark took you to the wrong page, worry not, it’s still us. I changed the theme (it was time) to atahualpa and I’ll be changing out the big middle picture in the heading if I can.
Comments/gripes are welcome…
On Saturday just gone, Toby the kids and I were invited to a baptism for a child of record. An American family baptism, yep we have an American family living in our ward. The girl to whom’s baptism it was called me up during the week and invited us personally to attend which we accepted and then she said good can you bring a plate of food. No specifications given.
I went the easy route and decided on a cake and a Betty Crocker mix to boot, love those  When it came to making in, I came across a decision that needed to be made. Upon looking at the selection of pans I noticed they were all round. So then I went in search of a square glass pyrex, to which I found.
I sat both cooking pans in front of me and went through the process of which one is better. Pro’s and cons. In the end I decided to go for the square one. I felt it would cut up nicely for more slices to share it around, than a round cake.
When it arrived time for food I noticed several cakes were made I guess many people see it as easy. I also noticed that they were all round cakes, except mine. Before too long all the round cakes were eaten up and mine barely touched.
The American wife came up and asked me if I baked that cake I said yes, she said I thought so because it’s square, it’s very American. At that point I thought to myself, oh that’s right I really struggled when I first moved to America to change over to square cakes.
Toby was real proud of me having converted to the American ways. I got a kiss and a cuddle. He was also glad we got to bring most of it home with us.
It was delicious!
 V’s 
So which do you prefer, square or round cakes? Is there a psychic behind why we pick a certain shape food? and is it truly linked to the country we grew up in?
Sharole has just been working on a post, so that is coming right up. But while you’re waiting, we haven’t had a word of the day for a while, so here it is.
Our dear bishop (that’s a Mormon ecclesiastical leader like a pastor) is an avowed conspiracy theorist. I’m not sure yet how deep it goes, but he is entertaining to listen to. I think anyone who believes strongly about something especially something different is almost always entertaining, unless it’s business suits. I really don’t think I could be made to be interested in business suits.
Anyway he was very passionate in describing a book he’d read, called Vril: The Power of the Coming Race. You can read the whole thing on Google books, just click the link. Apparently, many people take this Vril thing quite seriously. Vril is a mystical energy substance which can be controlled by an advanced human race called the Vril-Ya, who live under the crust of the earth. The wikipedia entry is quite extensive.
Starting with the vril, one can then be sucked into discussions of flying saucers, conspiracy theories, and occult religions, not to mention the Nazis, in an Indiana Jones sort of way. Vril believers would absolutely agree that HItler was into the occult and actively looking for mystical power sources.
And then there’s the tie-in to the lost 10 tribes who live under the north pole, who are going to come out and rejoin us in the last days. But that’s a discussion for another time.
In other interesting related info, apparently its author, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was the coiner of such phrases as:
“the great unwashed”
“pursuit of the almighty dollar”
“the pen is mightier than the sword” and the infamous incipit
“It was a dark and stormy night.”
I hope the book gets made into a movie someday, with Sky Captain styling, or even Equilibrium/Æon Flux, but definitely NOT like what they did with Lost in Space (although the movie was okay), King Kong, or more recently, The Land of the Lost (ugh! I haven’t seen it, but I’d have to be in a Talladega NIghts type of mood).
Ever since I got my new camera, I seem to see little picture moments even when there really aren’t any. I’ve been trying to get better at choosing the right settings for the light, choosing the right angles for the shot, and I’ve also been working on actually getting the shot through patience.
  
I’m sure the family has gotten sick of me pulling out the camera for no reason, but how else am I going to learn how to get a good picture, eh?
That last picture looks like it should be an ad for something… hmm
For all you folks back in the US of A, down under it is winter time. Up in the (blue) mountains where we’re living with the in-laws, they have a Festival every year, which is like a big huge block party, with events, music, face painting, and so many people dress up for the event, even the regular folks.
There was a section at the community center for kids to play with dough or color, or play with toys. We went there first, and thankfully we got in before there were too many people. When we went past there later (thankfully the building had a parents room as well, for changing the babies), it was pretty jam packed.
Sharole and I went to listen to a band called Dirty Lindy, a rockabilly/swingy band, and they were really good. I missed all the swing dancing I used to do, and it made me want to get back in the swing of things.
There was also a really good bad that was celtic irish-y with fiddles, very toe tapping!
Here’s some pictures of the kids etc. I didn’t have my fancy camera, just the A540. I know you’re disappointed.
      
And this one is for Aaron and Kathy: I finally got some dim sum!! They were serving it from a street stand. Ever since Aaron and I drove around Chicago looking for dim sum, I’ve been wanting to try ’sum’ but had no idea what it was, or where to get it. It turns out it’s a doughy cup, with chopped up cabbage and meat, and boiled - I think.
Now Sharole is whipping up some pasta thing for church tonight. It’s supposed to be a karaoke night, sounds interesting.
We are now the owners of a 1993 Toyota Camry Stationwagon. Grey in colour with a purple undertone We paid a whopping $3200. We’ve been told these Camry’s are good cars and keep on going forever, lets hope so at 155,000 kilometres. Seems an old lady had it last. That said the last car I had after an old lady actually earnt me money, so I shaln’t complain.
 At this point I should mention that I never expected to be an owner of this type of car in my life. But alas, thus the time has come. We are a family of 5 and just fit in, with some space in the back for strollers etc….. It fits our budget for starting from scratch and will keep us humble.
I picked her up on Friday and couldn’t help myself, by making mention to the car yard employees that I was astounded, at how they had no regard for their workplace by littering cigarette butts all over the ground everywhere, is it really that hard to make a bin available to put them collectively in? I said what ever happened to pride in your workplace. Not much came back in response! A few shoulders strugging. Lets just say the car yard employees went right along with the price range they were selling, cheap!
 That said I feel it’s important to learn to love her, I mean him and give Earl the love and respect he deserves so he’ll treat us well and take car of us whilst we have him. I don’t know why but normally I think of cars as being female, but this car is definitely a man.
Today whilst TJ and I were out on errands we made a stop at a pick-n-take store, where I managed to pick up two small screw covers that were missing from the passenger side doors arm holders and a switch/button for the radio/cassette player (all free), yep she’s still got a cassette in her. I am tempted to see if it still works. I still have some of my old tapes.
Anyone remeber “Bounce Back” a Mormon advertising tape given out in Australia at least in the 80’s, love that tape. It actually came up in conversation since I’ve been home and my sister is already hassassing me for a copy of it. My very first cassette was “the Nolan Sisters” it was a compilation of songs from various artists song by them. I guess I’ll have to wait till the shipment comes in to give those a go, I will make sure to start with a tape I don’t car about first, just in case it gets chewed up. I did price getting a more modern cd player put in, but just for a point of reference for now, not exactly a priority, the radio works. I learned today from the radio that you can claim all your kids schooling needs as a tax reduction. I made a note to tell Toby that one so to be make sure we do it when the time comes.
 
Earl allows us the chance to break out and visit friends, not harrass my parents to get places and just get some plain old independence.
Yep Earl’s his name!
Actually, the hunt has been on, for a JOB.
I finally landed my first interview, but it’s not what you might expect. The job ad was for a painter, not for the CEO of Telstra. Still, the woman said the pay is something like $800 a week before taxes, and which includes some money for travel or something or other. I can’t really hear on the phone here at the Frater’s so I just take my best guess and repeat back to the person on the phone. I just hope I have the right address and so on.
 The job I would actually like to have, that of project manager, has been so far not exactly a bowl of cherries. The recruiters and the HR folks that I have sent applications to, and then followed up with on the phone are all very emphatic that my work experience couldn’t possibly translate into the kind of person they’re looking for. One woman put it like this, “in today’s work environment the employers are being much more picky in who they want and don’t want since there isn’t a lot of hiring going on.”
Just Great.
Unfortunately, I can’t really work in the same line I was in before, since most defence jobs require citizenship and some sort of security clearance. The fact I had both in the States is really not overly useful. I really wish I had been able to find an exchange program for doing a swap, with all the approvals and paperwork hashed out for me, but I didn’t have the resources, didn’t find any such opportunities and thus, here I am.
My latest manouever has been to remove references to the navy and military work, and keep the descriptions of my former job more general in nature. That way I could maybe be considered for other type work, such as rail projects, systems development projects, and who knows what else.
Maybe even banking.
I tried to go through the temp agencies which Sharole was so positive for, and it turns out they really just want admin people, and I’m still not even qualified for that.
Thankfully, we have completed all the steps to getting money from the government so we’ll actually be able hand some money over to the in-laws while we are crashing their place.
Stay tuned, we now have wheels! Sharole just went down today to pick up our new rubber treaded beast!
As was mentioned before, Rory was a great help to us during our move. He also got a chance to see some of Australia, which I’m sure he enjoyed. But as with all good things, they come to an end. He flew out this past Monday, the Queen’s Birthday.
   
We got an email from him this morning, he had a very nice flight home and is now back in Utah safe and sound.
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