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  • Working through Christmas

    Got to love Christmas week!

    I’m wearing jandals to work! The general atmosphere is just really light hearted and fun, the end of the year is in sight and there’s even Christmas trees to add to the festive spirit.

    Although the 24/7, year round nature of the industry can be a pain it’s a boon for me this year; the hours are definitely needed. It was very hard last year being forced to take two weeks off, and then not ending up going away! Two weeks spent at home doing nothing, coupled with a car accident made for a pretty lame break.

  • Facebook and different generations

    Facebook is a really interesting topic to ponder. Just listening in to conversations at work got me thinking about how differently I perceive it, and use it, compared to slightly older people. I’m talking maybe late 20s to early 30s, and older too.

    Basically these ladies were lamenting the posting of photos on FB (of them, put up by others). They’re all very polished, groomed women and are always looking their best, especially out and about and at functions. But not everyone looks perfect all the time; by the end of the night your makeup’s wearing off and your hair’s a little wild and you’ve been dancing unabashedly and are a little worse for wear. And they were none too happy with some pics posted on FB of them that they thought were less than flattering.

    It really worried them that they couldn’t control this aspect; that others could post stuff about them without their permission. One of them also complained about old schoolmates posting photos of when they were young and awkward (but weren’t we all pretty dorky to some extent back in the day?). I have photos on FB from primary school (posted by someone else) but I really don’t care. I did not enjoy my school years, but thankfully as time passes the bad memories fade. I just look back and laugh. I think it’s hilarious! We’ve all changed so much. I think it’s cute and it’s great that those pics are up there for us to look back on one day.

    Although I’m not much younger than these people I guess it’s quite a different mindset, and they are after all in much later stages of life than me. I guess if you’re in publishing or media or politics or have an otherwise high profile, you have to protect your reputation and guard your online identity as closely as possible.

  • I get why they use cheap industrial toilet paper at work. I mean they must go through masses of the stuff. Fair enough. But must they use industrial strength handwash? If we have to skimp, can’t it be on something else? I just find it really ironic that I wash my hands every couple of hours in the bathroom, then immediately have to apply gobs of handcream to offset the hideous, intense drying effect of the pink goo. Then back to the loo, using the industrial strength detergent, and another application of handcream. I mean, it just seems so pointless! Wasted time, energy and money.

    But apparently the whole building is closing at 1pm on Xmas Eve, so that’ll be nice – a half day!

  • Why I want a house of my own

    I really, really want my own house.

    Is it weird that I browse ‘properties for sale’ on trademe when I’m bored? When I am still in uni, don’t have a hell of a lot saved, want to travel in the next few years and don’t even have a licence? Lol. Occasionally, to be more realistic, I look at properties to rent, but the sale section is my indulgence. It’s my guilty secret.

    I am perfectly aware that it makes NO sense to be even thinking of buying anytime soon. No downpayment. Want to travel. May change jobs….so need to be flexible and able to move. The boy needs to get out of debt and establish some savings. I probably will get a car at some point (shudder). But I really, really want a place of my own…and I can’t help myself. It doesn’t help that prices are almost affordable now and interest rates tumbling. I haven’t looked at the mortgage calculators recently (definitely not since the cash rate started falling) but I assume payments would be more manageable than earlier this year.

    Why do I want to own a house? As much as rent is way cheaper than mortgage payments, and it’s putting a roof over me for comparatively little, that’s still over 5k a year in somewhat ‘dead’ money. When things break I want to get them fixed not because we have to but because we WANT to. I want windows that open properly and don’t stick. I want hall cupboards and a real closet in my room. And a dishwasher. I don’t want to be constantly eyeing up every little thing and thinking oh no, that’s going to come out of my bond. Every speck on the carpet, paint chip, whatever. The plywood panel on the front wall of our house is damaged. I don’t know how when or why it happened, I just noticed it one day. and I know that we’ll have to deal with that.

    And when we find out there’s a water leak I want to get that sorted promptly, not faff around for months while it worsens and we have to foot the bloated council water bill. When he gets back from his break I’ll have to inform him that the wallpaper in our lounge is cracking and peeling majorly and we probably have water damage…..not looking forward to that. We’ve had no issues thus far, but this is a big thing and I’m sure he’s not going to want to shoulder that. But frankly, it’s a structural thing and we are not responsible. He was pretty good about paying for the cracked shower base (when the PM he had at the time told us to pay for it) so hopefully this too will be okay.

    Ever since the dramas of our last flat I know how selfish, greedy and ruthless landlords can be. I’ve learned. As much as our current one seems nice, I know we can’t trust him – especially when it comes to move out time. He’ll want to recoup anything and everything. He raised our rent on us for no reason – when rents are actually holding static or falling…and, I’m pretty sure, tried to con us with that line about his friend being willing to pay an extra $55 a week!!!

    There’s just nothing quite like living in a place that belongs to you,IMO.

  • New Years!

    I can’t decide what to do for NYE. I have 29-31 off and can probably get the 1st off (or do a half day say in the afternoon). But what to do? Obviously it has to be low-budget, and in Auckland or maybe just out of (we could make a trip out of it). I’ve been combing the net for events but nothing is standing out….Hmm…

  • Wood Pellets – A Smart Choice For Fueling Your Wood Stove

    Wood pellets hаvе bесоmе mоrе аnd mоrе popular аѕ fuel fоr wood stoves іn recent years. Thеіr popularity stems frоm a number оf reasons, nоt thе lеаѕt оf whісh іѕ thаt wood іѕ a renewable energy source – unlike оthеrѕ like gas, coal аnd heating oil.

    Wood pellets wеrе invented іn thе 1970s following thе oil crisis оf 1973. Thеу wеrе a logical solution tо a problem thаt faced nоt оnlу U.S. citizens, but аlѕо home owners аrоund thе world.

    Wood pellets аrе a byproduct оf local sawmills. Thеу аrе produced using untreated sawdust аnd shavings – leftovers frоm thе cutting оf logs іntо boards аnd оthеr basic materials mаdе frоm wood. Shavings аnd sawdust аrе dried tо eliminate аlmоѕt аll moisture, thеn compressed undеr high temperatures аnd pressure. Thе result іѕ a 5-10mm pellet thаt іѕ rеаdу tо bе burned inside a woodstove.

    Thоѕе thаt аrе accustomed tо using wood pellets wіll know thаt thеrе аrе varying degrees оf pellet quality. A poorly manufactured pellet саn bесоmе loose аnd саn еvеn crumble causing іtѕ burn tо bе lеѕѕ thаn efficient.

    A high quality svenske træpiller provided by dkbrænde contains nо additives оr binding agents аnd burns lоng аnd hot. Ligin, a natural constituent present іn wood, іѕ released undеr thе heat аnd pressure оf thе pelleting process.

    It іѕ Ligin thаt actually binds thе small particles tоgеthеr tо fоrm thе pellet itself. Thе best pellets аrе mаdе frоm hard woods ѕuсh аѕ oak, оr frоm a mixture оf hard woods. Pellets thаt produce lеѕѕ thаn 1% ash реr ton аrе considered tо bе premium grade, аnd thе best pellet money саn buy.

    Wood pellets hаvе proven tо bе good fоr thе environment аѕ wеll. Emissions frоm combustion аrе lоw compared thе burning оf traditional logs оr wood. Lоw emissions makes thе burning оf wood pellets іn urban areas especially attractive tо wood stove owners.

  • Nearly paid off!

    I cannot wait to have my bed paid off! For someone who seems to be financially sussed, more or less, this was my worst decision ever. It’s on an outrageous interest rate, and they keep sending me ‘offers’ in the mail (which funnily enough have increased exponentially in the leadup to Christmas…suspect??!) It’s a total waste. They are colour printed cards, wrapped in plastic….much like the insane packaging on PR products sent in at work, I can’t stand to think much is wasted for the sake of marketing.

    I should probably ring and opt out, but it’s too much trouble…only a couple of months to go, and come to think of it I haven’t had anything from them for a few weeks. No mailers telling me I’m preapproved for a laptop for 4 years at 20 a week.What a privilege! The boy spotted one of them once, a flash phone caught his eye and so did the $20 a month payment. I had to admit it was a pretty good price, too, which I didn’t like to admit. Until we saw it wasn’t actually a monthly payment…it was weekly. Ouch.

  • Paper (and virtual) overload

    I really need to get more organised with my paperwork. My bank statements only come monthly but I swear those buggers are arriving more like every week. Plus the boy’s, so double that amount. Bills. Letters from uni. Insurance letters. And more.

    Bills tend to join the clutter on my desk and float for a couple of weeks until they get paid (always on time, naturally). Bank correspondence does too, piling up for a few months until I have a fit, get out my hole punch and file them away. I really should have a more streamlined process…like, intrays or to do trays…but these are just such small things, surely it doesn’t warrant a full on filing system?

    I now have a clearfile for important docs (although a lot of my older ones are still lounging around in my top drawer, unorganised) and a folder for bank statements and the like. Of course, that involves sitting down and hole punching every sheet, etc. And I’m going to run out of space in them soon! Not too sure if I can chuck some old ones to make room, or just start a new one. I think I’d better start a new one, because you never know when you need old bank statements (online only lets you go back 6 months).

    Dealing with email is a little harder. I’ve started unsubscribing myself from things as they come. I can’t bring myself to unsubscribe from all my travel alerts though…one day I will be seriously looking to go abroad and they will be useful then! Stuff like Portmans and Glassons I’m on the fence about, cause I like to know about sales when I’m looking for something (but that’s not often at all).

    We’ll see how it goes, I guess – I hope to have a clearer inbox this time next week!

  • Reflections

    Thinking back to yesterday, I’m extremely proud of the boy for keeping his cool, managing to impress the judge in a rapidly deteriorating situation. Then again, it’s what he does best, unlike moi. Not one of my best qualities. In fact, I have very few redeeming qualities, and I think it’s good that I can step back objectively and see that! Either that or tomorrow morning I’ll come back and delete this paragraph….

    As he calmly explained, we used to live on Rata St, and he had pulled out of the drive and driven away a hundred times before- why would he lose control on this one, dry, night? And why did they only take statements from the other side, and not him? And why on earth did they send him home? Dodginess.

    Which….brings me to my next point! I have very little faith in our police force left. I base this on his experiences with the police, which my default are mine also. I did also have a brief brush with them when I left home (a rather upsetting episode, which is thankfully long gone), and was rather unimpressed with one of the cops that day. But then again, it’s understandable, how many teenagers in a snit has he had to deal with? If only he knew this time was different. I’m just grateful I got out that day.

    Although I feel that on the whole our police have terrible attitudes, it’s not really that surprising. Cops who ask if you have a licence, and are surprise that you do (or that it’s not suspended/revoked). If you have a job. I guess the majority of people they deal with fail on those counts more often than not, so no surprise that they get jaded, really.

    And I’m amazed at how the people who work in the courts can stand it. The lowlifes that pass through there! No respect for themselves, let alone others. One idiot (would describe him, but can’t really, had to be there sorta thing) came out after being sentenced. The clerk(?) lady asked if he had any other outstanding fines, and how much? Seven….and a half…GRAND, none of which he was paying. She gave him the slip with his new fine amount on it. He walked off wordless, screwing the paper up in a little ball as he went, then tossed it away.

    I wanted to kick him in the nuts.

    People like that are a waste of space.

    Back to my topic. The time the boy stood up for one of my friends after my high school talent quest (where we won second place thankyouverymuch), and ended up arguing with a cop and getting arrested. The charge was obstruction, along with two or three other made up charges – something like rioting or starting a riot or inciting a crowd. See, how do they come up with this? There’s being inflexible but doing your job within the guidelines. That’s understandable. Fabricating charges is another ballgame. Using your power for kicks isn’t cool. Maybe you want to assert power over a big stocky Westie who is larger and probably stronger (although rather unfit) than you. I don’t know, whatever. I’m with Rage Against the Machine on this one….

    But once they found out he was Army, they pulled all the extra charges, thankfully, and rightly so. It’s amazing just how much discretion they have. I could understand the judge having full discretion, but these were just run of the mill officers.

    So he finished his community service, and all was well; diversion meant that was the end of the matter. Until he was pulled over months later and told there was a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court. Yeah, that’s right. The Sallies, or someone along the line, failed to report him as having completed his hours and he was down as needing to come back to court for not completing the requirements. The same thing also happened one night as I walked home from work and he and his friends were in the carpark by our apartment block. Cops were cruising around, same story, warrant still out. I had just had a very long day and was none too impressed, and protested. How could he have shown up  in court if there was no notice given that he needed to go? And why, oh why was this bloody thing dragging out nearly a year later!

    So off to court we trundled, me with my notes cramming for my exams, and the judge apologised, and sent us home. Took all of two minutes. They confirmed there had been a mixup and it wasn’t his fault. All this faffing around, him having to take time off work, UNPAID to attend court, and of course, it’s NZ, so no compensation.

    And of course, this whole drama of “careless driving”, reached on the word of one party only – despite the fact the cops had every chance to do that one right.

    Yeah, I don’t appreciate their bungles, especially after this last one.

    After all our time they’ve wasted and stress caused, is it any wonder I don’t think super highly of them? I hope one day they can restore my faith in them. But until then…

  • Getting tough on truancy

    Who else thinks the Nats’ plan to fine parents up to $3000 if their kids wag school is preposterous?

    I hope that like the current law it’s one of those things that goes ignored – apparently it’s $1500 max at the moment, but who ever enforces that?

    $3000 is ridiculous. It’s excessive, it would put a dent in basically anyone’s budget, and odds are the families of repetitive truants aren’t well off. They can’t, and won’t pay $3000. If you’re living week to week, aren’t saving for retirement, struggle when your car needs registering every six months, or breaks down, you’re not going to have a spare $3000 sitting around to part with. Blood from a stone, and all that.

    While I totally believe in strong parenting – it’s your choice to have kids, you and you alone need to look after them, if you can’t provide the necessities of life, you shouldn’t have had them – and instilling good values and work ethic, the fact is your children are not you. You can’t control them. You can try. You can do your best by your kids, but sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you want. There are limits to what you are responsible for. If your 16 yo stole a car, went for a joyride and totalled it, injuring or killing someone else in the process, would you be held responsible for reparations?

    Frankly I think there are worse things than skipping school and certainly more important social issues for our govt to focus on. The economy. Serious crime. You know the kind of thing I mean.

    Some kids are just out of control, and fining their parents is completely unjust, unwarranted and will achieve nothing. I don’t know what those kids need. Discipline, obviously. Maybe boot camp is appropriate there. But you can’t hold parents reponsible for absolutely everything. Some people can be reached, and they can be redeemed. Others fall through the cracks and some are too far gone to help.