Sunday, November 15, 2026

Sunday Journal




I’m up early, 5.30am. I make coffee.

I read the news as I drink my coffee. Nothing is all that interesting, just something to do while I drink my coffee.

There is a 3rd male English comedian trying to stop his name being published due to sexual assaults on women. Mona in Tasmania has started an only fans page to try to save old growth trees in tassie. King Charles releases a music list and jokes with Elton John that they are both still standing.

Sams up at 8.30am. He makes more coffee. I make Vegemite toast.

10am. Sam cleans. He even vacuums, which is my job, thanks, I presume, to our new vacuum. We should get a new vacuum every week, in that case.

We both have showers before we head out.

12:35pm. We take Otto for a walk to get lunch.

We walk up Gertrude Street, both dressed in shorts and hoodies, you wouldn’t exactly call it warm though. In fact, the sky looks more lie rain than sunshine any time soon.

12:45pm. We enter the Carlton Gardens. We see a duck with a clutch of ducklings heading across the lawn to the pond, they are very cute. Otto doesn’t see them, which can only be good.

Sam quizzes me all the way on what we’re going to eat?

“Do you want to walk to the Victoria Market?” he asks.

“If you want,” I say. “I don’t mind.”

“But the sky kind of looks like rain.”

“Yeah, sure, it is grey.”

“Do you want to eat in Lygon Street?”

“Yeah, sure,” I say.

“Do you want duck fried rice?”

“They serve that in Lygon Street?”

“No, Victoria market.”

“I thought you said the sky looks like rain?”

“Yes, yes it does look like rain.”

“So, aren’t we going to Lygon Street?”

“We could have duck fried rice and you could bring what you don’t eat home for lunch tomorrow.”

“At the Victoria Market?”

“Or, we could eat Taiwanese.”

“At the Victoria Market?”

“No, Lygon Street.”

“Oh, sure.”

“You could have beef rendang Laska and I could have fish Laksa, and we could swap, half half.

People are posing for photos in front of the big fountain in front of the Exhibition Buildings. They invariably get that dumb posing for photos look on their dumb faces.

“Half half, you know I am food possessive and hate half half.”

“Oh well suit yourself,” said Sam. “Duck fried rice?”

“Victoria market?”

“Yes.”

“It does look like rain though.”

The white roses are growing out of the top of the yellow daisy plants, not that the yellow daisy plants are flowering.

12:55pm. We’re in Lygon Street ordering food.

The son is starting to shine, and while we love a son shining, I’m talking about the Sun shining.

I order beef rendang laksa. Sam orders fish laksa.

We sit on those big dumb lounge chairs in what sun there is, which Sam doesn’t think are very practical for eating.

Our meals come quickly.

We hadn’t been eating our meals when the rain started to fall, so we move tables under shelter.

People continue to walk past.

1:27pm. We’re heading home. It’s raining a bit but not much, hardly enough to even notice.

1:31 pm. We walk through the Carlton Gardens.

1:47pm. We’re home.

Charlie is mopping the atrium floor so we are trapped in the study for a short time. Sam is the first to walk across Edward’s clean floor. Otto follows soon after. So, I stop feeling mean and walk across the floor too.


Sam tells me I should go to the gym. I so don’t feel like it.

I re-write several more of my journal posts from 2014 to fill in missing blog posts for my 22nd, 23rd & 24th April 2014 blog, because I like doing it.


4:07pm. After lying on the couch most of the afternoon, I decided I really could go to the gym, I just have to get up and go, so I get ready and go.

It’s raining outside so welcome to the gym in the rain. Yay.

My friend, one of the dog guys is on the bike next to me. I hate that. Good thing he decides not to speak. That suits me just fine. I don’t want to talk much when I am at the gym.

I listen to Rolling Stone No 1

The big tall queen with the very long legs and the small black shorts is in the gym trissing about.

There is a nerdy accountant type. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t mind nerdy accountant types, I could hardly say that, but this is a clearly conservative, quite plain, nerdy accountant type.

After I finish on the bike, I do Lat pull down

I’m now listening to Aftermath. Old Rolling Stones, it is all I have been listening to lately.

Then Cable pull down & Chest press. I accidently set the weights too heavy on the chest press, stupid me.

Inclined chest press with dumbbells - I only do one set as I kind of feel I may have strained something in my chest doing chest press

Goblet squats

Knee curls

Kettle walk

Planking

4:49pm. I leave the gym. My dog guy mate is still ploughing away on the exercise bike, don’t really know why. When I glanced across at his controls when I started on my bike it already said 35 minutes, so not really sure why he is doing so much bike.

It’s raining.

I have a shower.

5:04pm. Good Peugeot time, I’m back on the couch.

The rain continues to fall.

Sunday is nearly over.

I take ibuprofen for the potentially strained chest.

I so don’t want to go to the office tomorrow.


Saturday, November 14, 2026

Manager. Lawyer. HR




I was telling my mate, Matt, about my recent troubles with our pathetic HR team.

Matt laughed and said, "You know what they say?"

"What?" I asked.

"If someone is 100% honest they make a good manager. If someone is 80% honest they make a good lawyer. And if someone is 20% honest, they are good to go into HR."

We both laughed... because it is true.


Friday, November 13, 2026

I Got To The Gym




I finally got my lazy arse back to the gym. Yay! (A good way to take my mind off the bullshit I am going through at work)

I mean, it is not like I don't have enough time in the week to get myself there.

It is kind of self fulfilling, if that is the right expression, that is if I don't go, it tends to develop into a whole period of not going.

Going makes me keep going.

The more I go, the more I go, if that makes sense. Gotta remember that to keep up the momentum.

Sam always gets onto me about it, but he doesn't say anything for health reasons, he pesters me for financial reasons.

"If you are not going to go cancel your membership."

I'm going to go, though. That is my default setting, even if it doesn't pan out to be that in reality.


Early afternoon, I take Otto for a walk.


Thursday, November 12, 2026

That Same Old Chestnut




3pm. Wednesday. Boris and I have a meeting about handover on Wednesday afternoons, as she feels that she is sometimes left unaware of what has been going on, and what the outstanding issues may be.

The meeting quickly becomes about HR and our communication. My communication, specifically.

Boris, apparently, is getting criticised for not managing ‘the problem’ effectively.

I have to deal with this dumb as a box of rocks HR dope in Sydney. And because HR are essentially the exec’s police, they have all the contacts in the upper echelons. 

I have bought this on myself, setting myself up for criticism with sending snippy emails to this junior moron. Stupid me. It effectively takes any heat that she deserves straight off her and onto me. The message of her incompetence is lost in the smoke screen of her complaining that I am being mean to her. Stupid me, I have fallen into the archetypal, bitchy HR, self preservation, trap again, yet again. These bitches learn from each other early.

I must do better, as it puts blame on me rather than the problem of this stupid HR twat. And the fact that senior HR people, The Ponytail and Fishface are not training their junior staff, instead leaving it up to us to effectively train them.

It is my weakness, I cannot stand morons. If I have to deal with one, I am always caught out. Again, stupid me.

If I send professional emails, as hard as that is for me to do with a complete dipshit, this problem just goes away. Grrrrr! Stupid me.

Who is the bigger idiot, if I keep falling for this?


Tuesday, November 10, 2026

They are the Greatest?




An America Youtuber said. I’ve already went to the lawyer. That person is not alone. I hear it all the time, from Americans.

They use disappear in a weird way. They disappeared him.

They use drug instead of dragged.

These aren't isolated instances, these are quite wide spread.

Is that what the education system in, what they would call, the greatest country in the world, is like? You know, crap?

Funny. No matter what they say, Australian's know that Australia is a pretty great country. Would we say the greatest country? Probably not, because we are not American.


Monday, November 09, 2026

Monday In The Office



 

My day in the office. Yay. We're going to discus my holidays at 10.30am. They told me to take leave, as I have too much leave accrued. I didn't really want to, but once I thought about it, I thought I'll take the summer off. So, I've put in for 2 months off. Yay. There is some drama about who is going to fill in for me. Whatever? What do I care. I'll be on holidays.


Sunday, November 08, 2026

Car Show Sunday



















My car club show is today, my annual event with my gay car club. Time to get the Peugeot out, spruce it up and give it a run.

You know, I'd probably do more with them, if Sam and I weren't such homebodies no a days. I must organise to go on some car rallies, as I used to love car rallies once.

Anyway, at least it isn't raining, like last year when it got cancelled due to poor weather.

The day turned out to be a nice day.