Sore Eyes

I've got sore eyes today. It's really annoying to have sore eyes. I don't feel like writing anything with sore eyes.

I've been to two optometrist and an eye specialist and they say there is nothing wrong with my eyes.

Fuck the eye professionals. Um? Er? What am I saying? Fuck them for not fininding something wrong? No, I'm not saying that. Ha ha. It's good there is nothing wrong, but frustrating at the same time when my eyes are still sore.

I'm now going to put on my heated eye mask and contemplate life.

Hot Friday

It was hot, summer is here. I took the dogs walking early, before it got hot.

I walked into town to pay my rego, it's a club permit so I have to pay it in person. It was due on Monday, but I am going to have a lot to do Monday, newly back at work and the Xmas wind down approaching like a steam train. (I'm not really sure why I used that analogy?)

It was hot walking into town.

There were lots of people, as you might have expected. (cost of living crisis, any one?)

When I got to VicRoads I said I wanted to renew my rego and the fat boy on the front desk gave me a ticket and I sat down and waited.

Eventually, my ticket was called up, but when the guy on the desk saw it was a club permit renewal he sent me back to the fat boy on the front desk to get a club renewal ticket. I went back to the guy afterwards, but he said he couldn't do club permit renewals so I had to sit and wait all over again. Grrrr!

Sam asked me to get him a game at JBHiFi with gift cards. Sam buys gift cards when they are on sale for 10%, usually, but sometimes 20% off, so then he gets his purchases 10% cheaper, even 20% cheaper. He is organised like that.

A handsome JBHiFi boy served me, he didn't know how to process gift cards though.

I was looking for the Rolling Stones reissue of their Black & Blue album, but Bourke Street didn't have it.

Then I walked to Melbourne Central JBHiFi and looked for the Rolling Stones CD there, but they didn't have it.

So, it really is just an online purchase, which is weird for a band like the Rolling Stones, but that is what they said it was right from the beginning, so there you go. The problem is my online order from the release date of 14/11/2025 still hasn't arrived. Grrr. They sent me an email at some point claiming stock shortages, so...

I bought mango iced tea and drank that as I walked home. It was nice once I got to the park and all that grass. I dictated some more of the short story I have been writing, Sticky Buns, into my phone as I walked home.

It is still hot. Otto has his head rested on my foot as I write this.

Thursday Off After Returning to The Salt Mines

First day off after returning to work.

I did absolutely nothing, except doing lotto and hoping.

I collect Gordon Parks, mid 20th Century American photographic images. Americans should still be hanging their heads in shame for the segregation that existed in the 40s & 50s and earlier. It is kind of unforgivable.

We ate Char Kway Teow for lunch

I collected Martin Parr, late 20th Century Irish photographic images. Happiness and humour radiates in his photos.

We took the dogs for a walk in the sunshine.

We got food delivered. Pad Thai and mango drinks for each of us.

Bullshit Training

I am cleaning out my 700 emails, I see I have to do the Workplace Behaviour Training, in fact, apparently, I am way over due. Oh. Gotta do it, can't have those insurance premiums going up.

It is bullshit. Like everything else coming out of HR, it is bullshit. They should be called BS, not HR.

So, I put the video on run, on mute. Hopefully it will stop when the questions need to be answered.

I don't engage in any of the dubious behaviour. I, hopefully, don't have any contact with any of my colleagues, working from home.

Chuckle, there was that time when I was young and stupid and I got really pissed at a work function and I touched young Errol up. He was pissed too, nyr, he didn't seem to mind. But, that was the only time, I swear.

I caught the video 1.5 minutes before the end and hit complete, and I was recorded as having done the training. Lovely.

The PonyTail

Oh groan. What is the first thing I see when I sign intros morning? A missive from The Ponytail in HR.

It has come to my attention, blah, blah, blah, blah…

Oh, ah! If there is a problem, just refer the people involved to the people who can fix it, and stop making a huge drama out of nothing. 

Justifying my job. Justifying my job. Justifying my job.

I wrote four shorts stories, and rewrote just as many while I was on holidays, how gorgeous that was. How lovely, and real.

Oh, perhaps I could resign and get a job as a barman to earn pocket money and I could return to the story writing world permanently? Perhaps.

But, you know, who's going to employe an old barman? It was different when I was a barman in my uni days. It was exciting. Max and I were your gorgeous barmen types who the chicks used to hit on. 

"We come in here because you two are so good looking," they used to say. [even if I say that myself now] 

Pity the ladies didn't know that Max and I were too busy hitting on each other. We never really did get down to screwing each other, we were too, oh, I don't know what you'd call it? Too young and naive.

It is such a nicer world, home writing stories, than the concocted drama that is the fuel for HR to run on.

Ah, Ponytail, how I have not missed you, not for a millisecond. What was I expecting? Nothing, I wasn't expecting anything, but on the second day, first thing. Big exhale.

On Holidays?

I'm sitting at my work desk. I have deleted 500 emails, still a few hundred to go. Grunt. I have nothing else to say. 

Our team Xmas party is on today, I had the good sense to say no to that weeks ago.

Kill Me Now

Sunday, before I go back to work tomorrow. Grrr! I don't want to talk about it. Boo Hoo. I can't believe this day is already here. What happened? Eight weeks went so fast. I don't want to go to work tomorrow, well, switch on my work laptop. No, I don't. I don't want to do that. I'd throw a tantrum if I thought it would help.