tired?

gotta have another lolcat

4 this and 4 that…

OK – it’s a WORDS day today…even though there are always enticing lolcats to want to put up instead.

first, is this which i came across at another site. i came across it at this site: http://inpursuitofwholeness.blogspot.com/ , but i think she got it from this site: http://fabulouslyoutthere.blogspot.com/

4 Jobs I have Held:
1. Ballet dancer
2. Front desk cashier at a 5-star hotel
3. Registered Nurse for a Salvation Army ‘down&outs’ hostel
4. Barista/Coffee Shop Manager (in Glebe, Sydney)

mind you: my list of diverse (and seemingly contrary) jobs that i have held, could go on and on…

Here’s 4 more:
1. Foster Carer
2. Bottle shop (liquor store) attendant
3. Alcohol & Drug Authority Counsellor
4.Cinema usher (at Sydney’s most beautiful heritage theatre)

AND 4 more! :
1. Funfair Ticket Seller at an all-day Rock Concert event
2. Board Member for local Cat Haven (voluntary)
3. Performing Arts Critic (Dance)
4. Manager of a new age crystal and motivational tape shop at Neals Yard in Covent Garden: during which time, I sold gift items to Kylie Minogue (who was “taking them home – Australia- for Christmas”, and a motivational tape to (Sir) Anthony Hopkins, who was preparing, that day, for his big opening night ‘comeback’ performance – starring in the west end musical ’Monsieur Butterfly’ – for the same evening.
4  movies I can watch over and over: (now this is harder…)
1. The Castle (Australian comedy)
2. Black Narcissus (very old B/W)
3. Bugsy Malone (kid-gangster movie)
4. … run out of ideas. 

4 Places I have lived:
1. Sydney (Cremorne Point, on the harbour: beautiful)
2. East end of London (NOT so pretty!)
3. West end of London (only a certain amount better)
4. Stanford University campus (a wonderful exciting adolescence, i.e. NOT a student there, just a family member.)
4 Categories of TV Programming I enjoy:
1. anything funny
2. insightful documentaries
3. Oprah & Dr Phil
4. lightweight current affairs

4 places I have been on holiday:
1. Tenerife
2. Bali
3. Symi (my favorite)
4. Lake Tahoe

and 4 more (I know I am cheating, but the memories are good):
1. Oahu
2. Tilos
3. Washington DC
4. Dorset

4 of my favorite dishes:
1. anything with smoked salmon (but i know farmed salmon is a no-no…)
2. miso, sashimi , tempura and teriyaki
3. yummy fresh bread!
4. risotto

4 websites I visit daily:
1. my Hotmail
2. One in a Million
3. my own (this one)
4. various (see Blogroll)

4 places I would rather be right now
1. in bed, alone or otherwise (it’s cold…)
2. at a nightclub, if it was late enough, which it’s not
3. in the pool or at the beach, IF it was hot
4. hawaii 

Try this exercise yourself – you might surprise yourself, like I did, by remembering that you DID have a life…

Africa!

There is a dot in AFRICA! how cool is THAT!?!

once again don’t have time to post, so sharing a cheezburger lolcat with you.

i am a little concerned that i have not yet figured out how to link the pics back to their source, so that everyone gets appropriate credit. if YOU know how to do that, perhaps you could tell me, via a comment?

because i am between ISPs, i have not yet set up my new email addresses. so, if you email me (unless it’s to my hotmail) you won’t actually get me, until i take care of that – could be a few days, at the rate i am going…

keep happy and i look forward to actually WRITING here soon. 

WHO i wonder, is the person in africa?…

and i wonder how long it will take to get a dot on south america?!?

isn’t the internet just fabulous ???!

Flossing

OK – been missing, due to ISP changeover.

Now sorted and will be talking soon.

Great to see those red dots all over the globe.

CAT skan?

the gang

too many words/too few pics

& 1 more thing.

i remembered one more thing that got me going this past week: neighbours chainsawed the 3 street-trees, down to the trunks. no foliage left. obvious intention to remove the rest ASAP. i rang the council, belatedly, when i realised that they have no right to do this, i.e. it’s illegal/street trees are common property. these are the ONLY street trees left in the street – no idea what happened to the others – but i like trees. it looks so stark without them.

ranger said it would be dealt with. a week later, the chainsaw starts again, so i ring back. no action taken since my first phone call - and all they are offering me now is an opportunity to “talk to” someone else. i get angry. chainsaw ripping away in the background… all they offer are excises, and more chitchat. i want action. NOW.

i have to settle for a vague assurance that “matt is on his way, but who knows how long it will take – he’s busy elsewhere at the moment”. to my knowledge, matt never showed up all day, nor since. TODAY, must phone again and insist on action. meanwhile, one tree stump has been entirely removed. 2 left…

gotta find a new broadband and phone provider today – signed a 2-year contract with optus, then 2 months into the contract, they send me a letter saying that the cost and the conditions are changing (cost going DOWN??? - no, not likely!) – and that i have until may 22 to opt out WITHOUT A CANCELLATION FEE, if i don’t want to accept paying MORE for the deal i contracted into… how can they do this? *I* couldn’t change MY mind while under this contract – and charge THEM a cancellation fee, if they didn’t want to go along with me… how tiresome the world has become, in terms of business practices, complications and (lack of) accountability.

looking at internode, iinet, westnet…anyone got any suggestions? need landline as well as broadband (but not mobile – i like that to be prepaid).

there must be more things that happened last week . but this is enough. must make a list to prioritise. today: email the child at her school address. send her link to funny cat puc website (cheezburger). find an affordable housewarming gift for above/below-mentioned coffeeshop manager, who moves into new rented house today. walk big dog. visit family of one of the funeral-people from last week – look at family pics and make appropriate noises of interest, sympathy and respect. have caught up on my blog reading, last night: enjoyed that. should get stuck into pruning trees and bushes, so that waste gets picked up by council – may or may not get to that. MUST complete obituary: waiting on one of my students to return the coppelia program to me (contains a couple of relevant dates, that i need). teach at 4pm, so hopefully student/s will return it, then.

various other odds and ends to tidy up… better get on with it. thanks for ‘listening’!

please note: found some new funny blogs, this morning – see blogroll. the only one i’ve added so far is Overheard in New York – check it out – you’ll get a laugh.

more catching up…

OK – what else happened? i am trying to get it all down, …so that i can prioritise what to focus on, NEXT. i’m a bit scattered mentally, at present.

should have paid the rent last thursday, but found out i was overdrawn at the bank - first time ever in my life, because i am usually so scrupulously careful about such things.  it cost me $60 in fees - OUCH! – but could have been worse. sorted out a short term solution.

received email from ghastly new york employer, firing me, and telling me that he would TRY to pay me what he owes me, “within a month”: don’t have a lot of faith that i will receive anything – but need it. i did some online research for him, but he was a very poor communicator, and clearly has an anger management problem!

received a book, to review, today – from DANCE BOOKS in alton (UK). very impressed because the post only took 3 days, and its only 5 days since the request was put in, via the magazine that i write for. must thank dance books, personally, even before i read it. THAT’s something to be grateful for. 

bills, bills, bills,… climbing my way through the pile.

got some new online work – potentially -in online medical ‘research’: as in, information gathering. keen to give it a try, but not sure about the tax situation: must give thought to this. otherwise, may NOT be financially advantageous.

choreographing a couple of ballet solos at present, and finding it comes quite easily: feel very pleased, after all these years, that my many years of accumulated experience and skills development has reached a point where i can see that i have a facility, in an area that i care about, and have always had high regard for (choreography).

went to west australian ballet’s ‘coppelia’ last week, and enjoyed it. fortunately didn’t have to review. it’s looking a bit passe now (forgive me for not remembering how to do an accented e) – but was still very enjoyable, and fabulously performed. also, there were improvements, notably in the lighting. encouraged my students and their families to see it : they enjoyed it too.

enjoyed meeting a couple of the dancers afterwards, who i felt might be willing to be email correspondents in future – anonymous or otherwise, when it comes to print credit/blame – with regard to my reporting of company management issues. this was pleasing because, having been a dancer myself, i know how critics are perceived by dancers (BADLY!) and was surprised at these particular young dancers’ politeness, straightforwardness, and – apparently – willingness to be in touch. time will tell whether they follow through, but it was promising.

what else? received some money from my dad! – he had a small lottery win, and wanted to share it: how kind. must phone him and thank him. he can’t be bothered with online correspondence, so won’t see this expression of gratitude. although i need to spend the money on the rent, i feel i want to buy something which uniquely represents his gift, so must think on that. maybe a new mobile phone: sick of being annoyed by the one i own at present.

called the RSPCA to dob in an old friend – now a drug dealer – whose very old (and HUGE) dog was injured in a dogfight last week, but who hasn’t taken the dog to a vet, because she supposedly “has no money”: as always. RSPCA thankfully followed through (rare!) and dog is now at the vets, with drips and antibiotics and sedatives for the abscesses on its head. 

the owner?: bumped into her at the supermarket on saturday evening: she immediately challenged me: “did YOU call the RSPCA?” i looked her straight in the eyes and said ‘no’. 

 she says vet won’t release the dog after treatment, until $700 bill is paid in full : i would like to help her out with bill, but don’t think i can find anything to spare at present. DON’T feel ‘guilty’ or responsible for her bill – just know that it’s a lot of money for her to find, so would like to help. animals can cost a lot: it’s scary when you love them and aren’t financially well off.

gotta go, in a minute: kid coming for private (ballet) lesson. still haven’t had lunch (it’s 3.30pm). still haven’t remembered all the things that took up my attention in the past week, and contributed to my present scattered mind state…must EAT. more later.