New Year.. More Books

So it's a new year.. but nothing has changed. Work, kids, uni, weight loss. More books :)

I currently have a pile of about 10 books waiting to be read (some being re-reads *). My aim is to record when I start & finish each book.. mainly for my own purpose.. which is to actually figure out how many books I will read in a year.. which I know is a few!

To date I have read(Starting 25/12/2011):
Designated Targets - John Birmingham*
Final Impact - John Birmingham*
An Indecent Obsession - Colleen McCullough
The Drop - Michael Connelly
Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger

Currently reading:
11.22.63 - Stephen King

I got a whole stack of amazon gift vouchers for Christmas & am awaiting the arrival of some more books to add to the "to be read" pile, including all of the Charlie Parker mysteries (bar 2 which I already own) from John Connolly.

To Read Pile(not including books currently ordered from amazon)

Life Without the Boring Bits - Colleen McCullough
Without Warning - John Birmingham*
After America - John Birmingham*
Angels of Vengence - John Birmingham
The Burning Soul - John Connolly
The Reversal - Michael Connelly
Hiroshima & Nagasaki - Paul Ham
Foriegn Influence - Brad Thor
The Lovers - John Connolly*
The Whisperers - John Connolly*
Blue Remembered Earth - Alastair Reynolds (on pre-order)

I had originally designated 2012 the year of re-reads.. but obviously a few new ones have snuck in! However, once I am done with this pile & also with the books coming from Amazon.. I am going to work my way through Alastair Reynolds & then through my rather large apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic collection..

Watch this space....

Futility

I have come to realise that someone somewhere in this department does not like me. There is a job going here, which I have applied for. It is essentially the job I am already doing, but is the next level up. It has been widely acknowledged that I am already performing at and above this level. I am responsible for managing capture in a team where I  am the lowest paid/ranked member. And no doubt, whoever gets this job, I will be the one training and mentoring them. I know, not because anyone has told me, but simply by way of where I sit (and can therefore hear) that there were 11 applicants for this job. They have been instructed to only interview the top 3. Guess what number I am? 4. Simply because I don't have a STUPID PIECE OF FUCKING PAPER THAT SAYS I CAN DO THE JOB I ALREADY DO AND HAVE BEEN DOING FOR 8 FUCKING YEARS.

Chances are, I am probably better qualified to do the job because I am already doing it. But that doesn't matter. Because someone has decreed that I don't get an interview. Pisses me off. not much I can do either because if thats what HR has decided, even if I appeal that will be the answer I get. And its perfectly alright.

Think I might start looking for a new job, closer to home. I am going to walk out the door & take all of the knowledge I have built up & to hell with this place. Another example of the govt making it deliberatly hard & losing good staff in the process(which costs them even more money).

Things I hate..

Number one hate.. Job applications.. they suck. I know I can do the job, that's why I am applying.. I am already doing the job, so why do I have to apply? It sucks.. I hate it. The gut churning fear that you didn't say enough or gulp, way too much. Then the dread that drags you down, when you start worrying about getting an interview.. especially when you are already doing the job!!! Double gulp. Did I mention I hate job applications?

One good thing of note..  I passed my unit this semester... yay :)

Holidays

I am a jealous person, I see all these tales of people going off on these awesome holidays. I always say, one day that will be me. Sadly, it never has been. I have been on 3 plane based self funded holidays. All to the same place. Melbourne. Don't get me wrong, I love Melbourne (hence the reason I keep going back!) so it was no hardship. However, I have NEVER left the country. For people who live in Europe or even America, this is hard to believe, but I can't just get in a car & drive to another country from here, hell getting to another state takes a good 2 days (of non-stop driving).
  So, I have started planning.. because obviously with a mortgage, 2 kids in a private school & not earning bucket loads of money,  it takes some planning & saving. But where to go?

I have it narrowed down to 3 options:
1) 3 weeks in Melbourne (the other halfs bro lives there) & on the Gold Coast (theme parks!)
2) 3 weeks driving around New Zealand.
3) 6 weeks in Holland/Lithuania/UK.. yes, I said Lithuania!

Why Lithuania I hear you asking? Well, I just read this book called "From Russia with Lunch" by David Smeidt. he decides to go on this pilgrimage to Lithuania to find out more about his Lithuanian grandparents. To cut a long story short, it has inspired me to want to visit the country. I would prefer to go to more off the beaten path places, because I think sometimes, you get a better sense of a country & its history if it hasn't been beaten half to death by a billion tourists. And there are defintely some stories which inspired me, like the Japanese diplomat, based in Vilnius, who probably saved more Jews then Oskar Schindler in WW2, yet is totally unrecognised, except by the people he saved. As well, to visit somewhere like the Hill of Crosses, which sprang up from so few, I think will be something that I will regret not experiencing. So it is off the beaten path we go.. in about 5 - 7 years :)

Oh & for those who may be wondering, the UK & dutch parts of the trip are my own pilgrimages to see where my family has come from.

Another 2 cents...

So.. I usually check out the wiki main page to see whats happening in the world.. and because their articles of the day are usually quite interesting. Today however, I was actually about to vomit. The article was all about "The Human Centipede". For those who haven't heard about it, basically it's a movie about some sick fuck ex-doctor who decides to sew three humans together mouth to anus. That's my 2 second synopsis (I will say here & now, I have not & never will watch this movie).
  
My first point refers to the writer/director... what the fuck? How sick are you  that you would make a movie based on, by all accounts "a joke" and the work of Josef Mengel. The fact that someone would further glorify someone like Mengel who did attrocious things to Jews (among others) well, it defies belief. I am all for artistic expression, but seriously, where is the art in this kind of movie? Really? There is no art in something like this.. not for the majority of us who count ourselves as "normal".

My second point goes to the two sequels. Ok, the first movie was financed by people who didn't know what they were financing (I am giving a HUGE benefit of the doubt here). But the second & third? Backers had to know the kind of twisted shit this movie spat out the first time. But they give the guy MORE money to make it even more depraved & explicit? UNBELIEVABLE. I understand there is a market out there for this kind of crap, but seriously, why give the sociopaths & psychopaths of this world ideas? The second movie is based on this very idea.. giving some sick fuck a great (NOT) idea...

I add this to the SAW movies.. my point being, how can a normal person even THINK that creating this kind of horror for the purpose of making money ok? There is so much horror in the world, why add to it by taking it to an even more extreme level? It scares me to think that there are people out there, who will think these movies are cool & try to emulate or even copy them.. It's a scary scary thing. I think that Britian had the right idea when they originally banned the sequel from release. Such a pity they didn' keep it on the banned list. Why help these sick twisted individuals (because I am sorry, thats what they are) make money?

Interesting Read.. and my two cents

Back on 1200 cals doing the Shannan Ponton Challenge... oh the joys.. can't say I am being super strict with it, nor am I doing the exercise as prescribed, simply due to a lack of time! I am hoping being back at work will make it easier to manage to the intake, but only time will tell. Have lost 1.1kg this week, meaning I need to lose another 700g to get back to where I was pre holidays! I didn't gain wait on holidays.... that happened when I got home!

I am currently reading a book I borrowed off my good friend about the Panther/Big cat myth/truth in australia. It poses some interesting reading and I think is well balanced. Where scientific evidence has shown that some of theses animals are in fact freakishly large feral cats of the domestic variety, they clearly state it. It does however, have me questioning the truth of the matter. I suspect that evolutionary pressure has probably caused feral cats to increase in size, but to the extent of being as large as a lion or puma? I am not so sure! Given the minimal amount of regulation regarding animal importation early in Australia's history(and a campaogn to enlgish up the country by introducing familar plants & anmals), I would guess that big cats have been introduced (either accidentally or deliberately) to the country. Whether they have flourished however, well, I don't think there will be a conclusive answer any time soon. The fact of the matter is, is that there is ALOT of undisturbed open country out there for determinedly reclusive animals to hide in. I dare say the question won't be answered until human expansion forces their paw & they are forced into more urban environments, where hiding is harder.

But thats just my two cents worth.. do I think there are exotic bog cats out there? well....

Holidays!!

Been on holidays for a couple of weeks! and now I am back at work :( 
I am also an aunty again & I lost an uncle.. the circle of life continues!
Holidays were great, gave the diet a break & pretty much just ate what I wanted (&drank!) and miraculously didn't put on weight. I suspect however that I have lost weight as I am REALLY bloated from the onset of TTOM.. the joys!
Exam next week.. then no uni for 3 whole months!! WOOHOO!