Job hunting

Wow does job hunting dredge up so many yucky thoughts.

So many jobs that list tasks that sound dry and boring and not at all what i want to do.

Or a list of tasks that I have no experience in doing. Or I have some, but not all, and you can’t help feeling you’ve failed if you don’t tick everything on what is realistically their wish list!

Or a qualification I don’t have.

Or I have the qualification but not the level of technical proficiency they are seeking.

Then there’s development and overseas jobs. At first blush: adventure! At the second: one day, I hope to have a partner, have children.  Is this running away from being a grown up? It is tossing away established friendships (not even romantic relationships) to do something that will be physically uncomfortable, and emotionally challenging? It’s enough to return to looking for a nice office job. With that pesky list of tasks I don’t warm to.

Verging at Church

During my time not working, I’m doing a lot of things I often wished I could do when I was full time employed.  One of those things is called verging.  It is the act of staying in the church during business hours, so it can remain open.  It also allows informal ministry to homeless, as well as people who pop in for a prayer or a look.

There is a formal roster, but I let the convener know I had availability until some unknown time, and would happily fill in should someone be sick or unavailable as a one off.  I mentioned this on Sunday, and not ten days later, I’ve been trained and done two shifts! Training is simply a tour and a guide to the keys and where different things are stored.  Given I regularly do flowers for the church, and have served refreshments after church, I’m pretty well versed on what is where.

Yesterday, I did an afternoon shift again.  I took in my phone, laptop and a magazine.  The laptop never left my bag, similar to the first shift. Yesterday’s shift had far more interactions – more people who asked for a sandwich or a coffee. It seems that the homeless know what services are where.  Others, come in for some quiet and come to see what’s on offer and when they see they aren’t the only one, are happier to accept the hospitality.

One gentleman, who I’ll call Sam, came in and asked if he could sit in the chairs beside me.  I welcomed him.  He was of a Catholic faith – our church is Anglo-Catholic, which to me, means we’re Anglican but you’d easily confuse us for Catholic with the details of our church – candles, copes, incense, Hail Marys. Sam admitted to mental health struggles with paranoia, but also indicated he worked in building and labouring and painting. He asked hundreds of questions – really deep, thoughtful questions.  Did I believe in Hell?  Would this person or that person go to hell? What about people who follow other faiths – do they go to hell?  These sorts of conversations I LOVE! I will admit that some of my responses were tempered by the conversations we had around men, whether they were more sinful.  I said, they are definitely more violent.  We reflected that more men are in prison.  So I didn’t want to have a response that I felt might trigger a violent reaction, given his disclosure about his mental health.

I realise that this time off work, it’s been golden. To have these chats.  To help the community.  To help those closer to me – babysitting for friends.  Dropping off excess meals to a friend with a baby. Baking again, and visiting friends. Working out. Enjoying slow coffees. Feeling entirely unhurried in life. But still contributing to my community and my society.  It’s quite lovely.

I think I have two blogs

I think I have ended up with a multiple personality blog, or at least, two or three versions!?  There’s one that includes .wordpress.com and one that just ends in .com

For regular readers, I posted two posts in 2019, and you all struggled to comment – how’s this post to comment on?

The new house to do list

I think I need a catchier name for the ‘new’ and the ‘old’ house.  Let’s call the old house the loft, and the new one… well, I’ll take votes!

I thought I’d share a snapshot of my Day 1 list (the day after move day), when I took the day off to ‘catch up’

Moving house aftermath – the list from the day after (opps and some random phone message notes… sorry, that won’t make sense!)

Now, for the list going forward. I drafted this post a few days ago, so there’s already some updates:

Generally

• complete the condition report for the agent
• start taking photos for the blog (and the condition report!)

Entryway

• oil hinges (pronto!)  canola spray worked a treat
• hooks for scarves Ikea seems most promising
• remove wardrobe shelf to get use of existing rail
• use large hooks on rail for coats and jackets – so far no luck at our big hardware chain
• location for big mirror (previously in the bedroom in the loft)

Bed 1

• buy hardware for bed head ledge Thank you to the bf for taking me to the hardware store on Wed night
• remake bedhead ledge (and modify as needed)
• maybe mount mirror here (if not in entryway)
• get power situation sorted with lamps, phones etc bought stuff on Wed night…
• plane door so it closes!
• buy more Ikea hangers so the BF’s things are all hung consistently (one of my ‘things’)

Bed 2

• rationalise all things stored here (in case we rent it out)
• get floating shelves fitted
• new desk?
• plug in lamp

Lounge/dining

• get approval to hang framed scarf
• reconstruct sofa
• reconstruct arc lamp
• place stools once the two above have settled
• rehouse the cleaning box (rationalise contents too) put it in the laundry cupboard
• plane floating shelf to fit adjusted location

Kitchen

• store condiments (maybe rearrange shelves/cupboards to get ideal location) <- I did exactly that, simple!
• find a storage place for manuals

Laundry

• get approval for a vacuum hanging apparatus?
• move dryer to floor – need extension cord The BF’s task for the weekend!

General stuff to sort out

• where to hang additional towel?
• buy (small) outdoor furniture & BBQ?
• buy new TV (& cabinet) as old TV been recalled

Rationalise/sell etc

• second washing machine
• second vacuum
• second microwave listed on Gumtree, should offer it also through Facebook to friends
• second mop
• second hand mixer and on and on…

So it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as when I moved into the loft.  I wanted to paint walls, and replace tap ware and all that sort of ‘big’ stuff.  So it’s definitely more manageable, but I have to resist the internal pull to get it all done ‘NOW!’  And this list says nothing of the ‘quirks’ I haven’t worked out how to maximize – weird walls, and centering stuff etc.  I took a bath for the first time since I was a kid last night, and I’m thinking ‘those hooks above the TV aren’t centered, they look weird, I need to fix that’.  Evidently I need more baths and less thinking about hooks!

This weekend should get a few more things ticked off, combined with a birthday dinner for my mother and a lemon meringue pie.  Yummo!

My house review

Today I’m moving house, so in light of this momentous occasion, I thought it time to shine a light on all the things I loved in my ‘old’ place.

When you select your home, you do so based on lots of factors.  Obvious things like number of rooms, location, proximity to amenities, and mostly: the price!  Then there are things that as you start to live in a place you realise you’re lucky to have. First, let me share with you my list of things I was looking for when I was looking to buy:

1. Close to public transport, as I don’t own my own car
2. Linen closet
3. Pantry
4. Bathroom with a window (compromised on this!)
5. No lift (keeps the fees down, also compromised)
6. Character – such as a loft, or oversized windows, timber or polished concrete floors etc
7. Close to amenities, like a grocery store

But here’s all the things that I love, and hadn’t even considered!

1. The double height bedroom railing makes drying sheets easy, so I don’t need a clothes dryer!
2. The hallway orientation allows me a landing station, and a great place to store all my outwear and accessories
3. Over sized kitchen drawers mean I can store more than the usual drawer
4. My carspace have two walls and a pillar keeps cars safe (even if it took a while to master parking in it).  It also makes storing things in the spot easier
5. I live walking distance to my grocery store, the GP, 3-4 friends, butcher, beautican, baker, green grocer AND an Op shop (thrift store).  I can also walk to church
6. The bus from the city stops RIGHT outside my door – so shopping til I drop is possible (why is the city so exhausting?)  And the train is only 3 blocks.
7. My bathroom makes it possible to use a tension bar, solving how to air out running clothes, hang things to be ironed etc

I’m sure once I settle into my new home, I’ll realise more things I miss about this charmer, but for now, these are the things I know, love and will miss!

Moving day tips list

Just a quick post to note what I think might make this move seamless, and then, I can come back and dispel the naivete next week, post move!

source: http://www.interstateremovals.com.au

• wear pants with pockets – failed at this last weekend, and spent my life asking for things out of other’s pockets, namely keys!
• label boxes on two adjoining sides – at least one should be accessible/viewable when stacked/moved then
• use as many uniformly sized boxes as possible – they stack easier
• consider a ‘car load’ for odds and sods – I have a list of what I think will be in this load
  • birdcages
  • lamps
  • magnetic notice board
  • ironing board
• keep cleaning and hardware products at the ‘outgoing’ house for the final touch ups
• make sure you have all the tools you need for your flat pack items (thanks Ikea, I have so much Ikea in my house!) – allan keys, shifting spanners etc
• create a list for the order of packing, starting with the least used items (like linen closet stock piles, out of season clothing etc)
• consider the order of stuff onto the truck vs off the truck, therefore, I’ll pack my entry buffet first, so it comes off last – in both cases, it’ll keep the entryway clearer in both homes.
• remember to have toilet paper (more than one roll!) at both houses.  Thankfully there’s a four pack left at the new home!
• as above, it’s useful to have scissors/knives for opening boxes and cutting tape at both locations
• work out a ‘food plan’ cause at some stage eating will be needed <- ekk something I’ve not done yet!
• roughly hash out what will go where (furniture items particularly, but you can get crazy and go down to cupboards!), and where ‘other’ stuff will go, such as all the boxes!
• spend the ‘pre’ move time getting things back to their rightful owners, dropping stuff at recycling centers or thrift stores etc.  The less the move the better! (I’ll be rehoming my bokashi compost box to my parents, my sewing machine, 1 microwave and a toaster to some friends in need, excess craft stuf went back to the Co-op, and I have a box to give the op (thrift) shop already)

That’s all I have for now…  I’ll report back!

As for picking a mover – well I’d have welcomed advice.  I feel like cheapest isn’t best.  But then how much is too much?  And what about insurance? Why do they all offer insurance, even though I have contents insurance, and they’d have third party insurance…  Just seems like a gorge for money – your thoughts?

Smile for you close up!

Wow… This was meant to publish last week (Thu 25 July), but it seems all the other changes, I failed to get it to publish! Thanks to everything else going on in my life, I’ve not been meticulously planning content, and preparing photos.  That’s not to say photos haven’t been taken of my new place though 😀

Moving plans

Here’s how things are tracking

• My place has had it’s professional photos taken (so it’s even more perfect that how you usually see it… No tea towels!  No hand towels! No soap by the sink!)

Kitchen

Living room

• The ad will go up today last Thursday (so excited to see it!)
• My open time is booked in (10am last Saturday)

Bathroom (evidently not cleaned :s)

• I’ll pick up the spare keys from my parents Wednesday afternoon (as I’m out that way for a meeting today) & drop them to the agent
• My friends are hiring a van (in the GoGet car share system here in Sydney) and will help the BF and I move his few possessions (this past Saturday!)

Dining area

• My strata manager has approved us to store the BF’s stuff in the ‘games’ room in my building (essentially a storage place/meeting room) for the week between him moving in, and us getting keys for our new place
• I’ve done my change of address almost everywhere I can think of, the majority were online, so super quick and easy

Bedroom, missing on bedside box from Ikea

I was getting all frazzled about the ‘hurry hurry wait’ situation, but I’ve now resolved I will commence next Saturday – in the afternoon, after the showing.  With that decision, I’m much calmer.  I think I can realistically get everything packed in 1.5 days, with moving on Monday. Of course, if my place hasn’t yet got a lease, I’ll move ‘half’ my stuff – the stuff I can take away from my apartment, but still give people an idea of space and furniture options.  Mostly everything in the cupboard and occasional storage like side tables and ottomans. Naturally, I have a prioritised list of what to move: from move now, to move last.

Career

In non moving news, I’ve also been told I start my new role on Monday today.  Just what a girl needs :p I’ll be working under (another) new boss.  Everything’s in flux in my office’s management, and I’ve liked my temporary new boss.  The new new boss, well, I’m not sure we gel just yet.  But it’s a learning experience.  I’ll certainly have a much larger amount of work to output (many more smaller jobs, whereas now I have a few large jobs… When I say ‘few’ I mean about 25, of which 5-10 are active at any one time ;))

Along with a new type of work, and output, I will also oversee the work of one person in my office, and a collection of people in another office.  The other office people won’t be working on my portfolio full time, but will help out to raise output.

Needless to say, I’ll have a few plates in the air in the next this week, between starting a new role, having my house open for inspection, and hopefully getting it leased, and packing and moving from my place to our new place.

I’ve always said I’d rather be busy than bored though!

View from the entryway

Oh I am SO excited to have had my place photographed by a pro, if you couldn’t tell! And here I was thinking (and hoping) I was modest… I’m not, I love my baby(house).

Maybe tomorrow I can share the ‘disaster’ photos of how it looks after absorbing some of the BF’s stuff.  It really isn’t that much of a disaster!