More of the same

So the last few weeks have been more of the same. I get up super early, I walk the dog and go to work. The weather has turned foul, there has been no blue sky in over a week and one morning was so wet that my clothes got soaked through and the water leaked from my legs into the tops of my shoes, so despite being waterproof they filled with water by the time I got home and I could feel it sloshing around my feet. Luckily the heavy rain stopped after that, and this weekend it has been mostly dry so I finally got washing done. Work is good, I am enjoying what I do, the science I am reading about is very interesting, but the work will only last until June. I came across a good job to apply for earlier this week, at Vic Uni, and when I asked my manager if I could use her as a referee she told me that she had been hoping I would be one of the team members that stayed on till the end in June. However, job security is more important so of course I applied anyway. And almost immediately I got called up and invited for an 'informal chat', before they make the shortlist for the interviews, which are hopefully next week. I think the chat went well, but then everybody's chat might go well so who's to say what the outcome will be. I was supposed be called within a couple of days but considering it was already Thursday, I am not yet ruling out that I will be called tomorrow. But if not, I guess I'll just have to keep looking. Finger's crossed though, would make a short working week even better.

Not much other news in my life right now. Working a proper job makes me appreciate the weekend more. I still haven't got my car back - it's probably ready but I forgot to call on Friday, and the mechanic is not open outside of working hours so I will have to make a special arrangement to pick it up one evening. For the time being, I am terribly poor but I will at least have work at the MBIE long enough to get back on top. Hopefully something to follow on from it soon enough too. Seeing as I didn't win lotto this week a new job is the only hope I'll have to ever live in a better place or drive a better car, or buy all the nice clothes and shoes I see on my bus ride through the city every morning. Actually I might put up with having flatmates and a damp house in order to have more spending money. We'll see. I feel bad for the dog, when I'm working all day; I think she needs a friend.

New Job

Ok so I have been completely busy and exhausted since returning from Invercargill. Being down south was a good break, but not really long enough to do everything I wanted to. When I got back, I went straight to my new job, and have been trying to get there for 8.30 am every weekday morning. Which means I get up at half 6, get out the door as fast as I can so I can take Cher out for nearly an hour. I get home, have a superfast breakfast and shower, then rush out to the bus. Today I had to run the entire way up the hill to the bus stop, and it nearly went without me but someone must have said something to the driver because he stopped after just pulling out from the curb and opened the doors again. Then I was absolutely puffed and couldn't find my bus card, but I think the bus driver forgave me.

My job is nothing more than I can handle, what I find hardest is not having any independence. Even outside of work I have so little, because I have such limited time to get everything else done that my free time isn't really free time at all. The job itself took almost a week to really get started, because our databases weren't up and running - so it's actually not so bad that I took most the first week off! Now what I do is take a research proposal, read the abstract, put some data into one of our computer systems and use it to find reviewers that match the proposal. Then I get them approved. Soon, when the rest of our computer systems are doing what they should be, I will start emailing these potentials and hopefully enough will say yes. Unfortunately, when everyone has said yes my job is over so it wouldn't be so bad if a good number of them said no. On the other hand, when the job finishes I can go back to half days at Te Papa and more free time. Until I run out of money. Soon I will go back to job hunting actually, try to see what I can get lined up.

For now though, I'm at work 8 1/2 hours a day, I walk the dog for nearly 2 hours a day, I have no car for at least another week so every time I need food it's a half hour walk down the hill and back. My housework is lagging so nobody should come to my house. But at least I get to see the sunrise most mornings, and I am walking faster so staying fitter, and I have no time to blow my new paychecks with shopping. This job will last long enough to get my finances under control, despite wasting money by crashing my car. Plus finally tonight I have just a little time to myself and am on the couch watching tv with the dog. Who lets me know how much she doesn't appreciate being left home everyday by jumping in mud puddles like this one:

And now for some good news...

So yesterday morning I was still feeling pretty down and out on account of the whole car crash thing. To make myself feel better I was writing a cover letter for another job and I had just finished it, when I got a phone call. Now did I mention that I had a job interview this Monday just been? Well I did, at the MBIE, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The job was one of four being offered to assist in the process of finding reviewers for the scientific research proposals that are sent in to try get government funding. So while the interview went well and there were four positions going, I wasn't really thinking about it too much because they had a lot of people to interview (so they said at least) and I didn't want to get my hopes up. But yesterday I got a phone call saying that they would like to offer me one of the positions! It begins in the first week of March, so I was a bit worried when I reminded her that I had said in the interview I will be away that week - but something will be worked out despite my missing the training period. It's only a four month contract, but it's much better than what I currently have and is a big step in the right direction. So I felt pretty good after that. Then, to make things better, I dropped by my local panelbeater and showed him a picture of my poor car, and he reckons it'll only be 500 to fix it, which I can surely do after a couple of months on a better wage. So while it would be better if the car didn't need a new bonnet and bumper, it could be worse. Now all these ups and downs have left me pretty exhausted so it's off to bed for me.

Bad day

Today has been far from a good day. It started well enough, in fact the week in general started pretty well, on account of getting a job interview. Today was hot and after work I was planning on making the most of it, getting home and getting out with the dog. But then I crashed my car and that pretty much spoilt my day, my week, and probably my next few days too. I came out of the work carpark into 5 o'clock traffic, and was trying to change lanes so that I could drive the quiet way home and not on the busy one way system. So I looked over my shoulder to see if there was a gap, and when I saw one I quickly turned into the next lane. Unfortunately I was busy looking at the next lane and didn't see that the line of traffic I was in had stopped, so the left front of my car hit the back right corner of the van in front and shunted it into the car in front. I got such a fright, and then the car didn't really want to drive to the side of the road. I pulled it over as well as I could, and then ran back to get the bit that had fallen off, then rushed to the other drivers to reassure them that I had 3rd party insurance and that I was really sorry. Luckily they were so nice, and tried to make me stop worrying and just take a minute, because I was pretty freaked. Both the other cars were fine, there were some small marks on the back bumper of the van but he didn't care, was on his way to the airport, and the other lady asked for my contact details but only to be able to text me later and make sure I was OK. Both said their cars were fine and not to worry, so there'll be no insurance claim and it's only my car that I have to worry about. Now I don't have insurance because it didn't seem worth it for such a cheap car - considering that I have had a minor crash and now a real one in less than a year, maybe it would have been worth while? Because the car is probably a goner, I doubt I'll be able to fix it, it won't be worth it. So now I have a busted up car parked outside my house (my brother drove it back for me after pushing the fender off of the wheel, lucky he's here), and life will be that much harder for the next while. I have enough to get through the next few weeks, and I can only hope that I get a new job offer within that time. Or win the lotto. The job is more likely I guess.

High time for a good rant

With the PhD being over now you'd hope that I had run out of things to rant about right? Well I actually have a whole new lot of things to rant about these days and today it has come to the point where I need to let some of it out. The main thing is actually my flatmates. There's also the fact that finding a new job and making the right career move seems nearly impossible and in my current job I don't make enough money or get enough hours so I'm getting pretty worried about making ends meet. But really the reason I am dissatisfied and pissed off a lot of the time is because of my flatmates. When I moved here I had to find somewhere to live fast, and I was lucky enough to find somewhere that would let me have Cher and is nice enough. But then I had to find flatmates fast, and several suitable candidates couldn't commit. By the time these two came along I couldn't afford to be picky, I wouldn't have been able to cover another week of the rent by myself. However, they are first of all a fair bit younger than me, though the youngest is not the one that bugs me most. I don't think they've ever flatted before or had to do proper housework. They're not really that friendly, like the one is in her own way, but the other at worst seems a little hostile and at best indifferent. I am subletting to them and in order to get people in when I was getting desperate I lowered the rent, but I don't think either of them realise what a ridiculously cheap rate they are paying. I have done my usual thing of sometimes baking and cooking for everyone but nobody else has bothered to do the same. And most importantly, they don't take responsibility for keeping the house clean. The younger one does when I remind her, and they are both capable of cleaning the kitchen, but they don't seem to notice that the bathroom needs cleaned or that they are showering in grime and mold. I mean, when I got back from Ireland there was actually a clump of black mold growing around the shower drain. And then there are the huge disgusting clumps of long black hair that need to be pulled out of the shower drain all the time. See why I need to rant?

So at the top of my priority list right now is keeping to a budget to ensure I can continue to pay the bills, and finding a new living arrangement. As it is, I could ask my flatmates to leave as I am subletting and we have a 4 week notice period agreement. But I am not confrontational enough to be able to ask them to leave. Plus that would put me in the same situation as at the start. I can't afford to live on my own and if I could, I would be better off still flatting so I can save a decent amount of money. Which leaves me with the option of first finding someone new to live with, then finding a new place, then giving notice to my current landlords and flatmates, then moving. It's a good plan I think. To start by finding someone and making sure we get along - so this time I think I need someone closer to my own age, perhaps also new to Welly but not necessarily. Someone with some similar interests and likes and dislikes to me. Someone who wants to be sociable sometimes but also do their own thing a lot of the time. I would like to find someone like who I lived with in Ireland, but a little less depressed and anxious. The next question is how to find this person? I was thinking of putting a trademe ad up, and also asking round my friends, see if anyone knows someone who is looking.

My next priority is to get a new job. Thing is, it's really slow going. not many jobs come up that are suitable, with a lot coming up that a too senior or need much more experience than I have (mine being none). I applied to be an analyst at the Ministry for the Environment and I would really like that job. I applied to be a writer for a website called 'I fucking love science' but I think that one is a push as I am overeducated for their budget. There is a job going at the zoo but I think it is too senior again, and that they will get loads of applicants from all over the world that have zoo and conservation experience. There is an editing job but it is way out in Upper Hutt and doesn't have a great rate of pay, and probably not a lot of opportunity for advancement. At the museum I can hope for some professional development, and intend on introducing myself to the writers and publishers some time soon, but they have made huge cutbacks in the last couple of years and there is not much money left to spare, so the chances of a good job for me opening up are pretty slim.

So now I am done ranting I'm a bit exhausted, think I need to go hide away with my book and forget about all my problems for a couple of hours.

New year, same old

This week Cher has needed two baths after rolling in poo. But we also went to the beach a couple of times and she spent ages in the water, while I went back to my old habit of collecting sea shells and pretty stones and bits of sea glass. On our walk the other day we found a baby tui fluttering on the ground. At first I was worried that Cher had grabbed it out of the air and hurt it, but the parents were flying around squawking so I reckon it was too young to fly at all and had fallen from a nest. I couldn't see a nest to put it back in though. It was stuck under  branch so I had to pick it up, so I had a good look at the little thing and I reckon it had at least one broken leg. In the end I had to leave it because I don't know anything about saving baby birds. Luckily I still got to save a little animal that day, because on the way home I found a hedgehog in the gutter about to try cross the road, despite it being day time. So I picked it up and put it in the bushes, and I hope it was smart enough to stay there and not try cross the road again.

At the moment I am applying for jobs with various government ministries. First the ministry for the environment, and then some others. I think what I really need is a job where I can sit at a desk, read stuff, understand it, write stuff and talk to people. Basically some proper intellectual stimulation would be good. Not to mention to earn enough money to not be worried about stuff and to keep my car in good working order. It needs a new cam belt, which is way more expensive than I anticipated. In the meantime though, I have nearly finished preparing my next academic paper to submit, and I got an email about my PhD conferral, so hopefully my degree will arrive in the mail in the next month or so. Then I'm going to try find a nice frame to put it in, because what's the point in having it if I can't see it right?

For now it's a friday evening and I'm about to make a yummy dinner, and hang out with Cher for the evening because she gets lonely when I'm at work during the day. She doesn't even play with her toys, as far as I can tell she just sleeps in my chair until I come back home. Silly sad dog. 

Happy New Year

So it has been 2014 for a week and the new year is just as hectic as the last. I have so much to do and never enough time to do it. Today I took my car in to get the warrant sorted after getting all the little (and not so little) problems fixed - but would you believe that it just the last couple of days one of my headlights has blown a bulb! So still no warrant, and as soon as that is sorted the rego is due and I need a new cam belt. So my car is causing me no end of trouble, and on top of it all it's dirty, both inside and out, and I've not time to clean it. So then, if I didn't have enough problems, Cher has a sore eye, and I just hope I can get her a vet appointment first thing tomorrow because it is weepy and bloodshot and she is keeping it closed, so it must be sore and uncomfortable. I hope she is OK. It is more worrying than last week when she had an upset stomach and had an awful accident all over my living room floor. Lucky I don't have carpet. Nice image right? Bet you all enjoyed that.

For me the new year itself was pretty good, much better than mine usually are. I had a really good Christmas too, even though I worked right through both I managed to have a good time, eat nice food, relax some, spend time with new friends. I finished the academic paper I was working on and sent it on to my supervisor. Now there are plans for yet another. I have some jobs to apply for, and surely more will pop up now that it is the new year. One day at work I was talking to some visitors and got into a conversation about my academic background and where I want to go with it - next thing the guy says his work, and environmental organisation, will be hiring in the communications area soon, and that I shouldn't apply because the manager of that section is an ass, but maybe I want to look into it anyway. So you never know, maybe working at the museum will pay off. Until then the museum is still good, though I really need to be doing something that uses my brain more. Today I was very helpful when someone wanted to find out about a science event for his school holiday programme kids, then after the person in charge came to chat to him I stopped her and volunteered to help. At least I might get to do a bit of science education instead of directing people to the exhibits and bathrooms.

And I think that's it for me in the first week of the new year. Today the fancy art exhibitionist we have on reduced all the shop prices to 50% because it's closing in a few days. So I bought a jigsaw, haven't done one in ages. This evening I'm going to make muffins to feed all my work people tomorrow. Blueberry and banana. Cher has just started rolling onto my computer so I guess it's time to feed her. She is being very clingy, I think because of her sore eye. Oh, and here is a picture of my cute little Christmas tree, which I took down today: