Proof of Global Warming

I stole this from James' place. Despite the somewhat scary implications of the whole global warming/polluting the Earth issue, I find the image freakin' funny. I can't stop giggling.

Frustrations and Anger

I'm still firmly entrenched in my "mega bitch from hell" mode. I am just so cranky. Every little thing that doesn't go my way is eliciting a great big tanty from me.

One of today's episodes was work related. The computer tech (and I use that term loosely) installed a new computer in my office on Tuesday. Unfortunately though, she neglected to hook up the printer.

Now installing a printer on a computer is usually as easy as pie, but for some inane reason the organisation for which I work introduced a standard operating environment last year. This makes it damn near impossible to change anything on the computers without getting the computer tech to do it.

So this afternoon I wanted to print out one measly letter. I soon discovered that the local printer was not installed and because of the standard operating environment I was unable to install it. I then called down to the common room to ask if one of the aides working down there could slip a letterhead into the printer for me. I was promptly told to wait five minutes. What? Surely it doesn't take five minutes to lean over to the printer and place a letterhead in it. Geez!

After a few minutes I sent my print job down to the common room's printer. I popped down to the common room to collect my letter. It hadn't printed. Great!

To top that little frustration off, the aides in the common room were just sitting around chatting. Lawd knows why they had told me to wait five minutes before they could place a letterhead into the printer for me then. How lazy can a person be!

Since I was already in the common room, I decided to log on to one of the computers there. I retrieved my letter and sent it to the printer once again. This time it prints, however no one had bothered to inform me that the toner was running exceedingly low. Consequently the printed letter sported prominent vertical lines of faded ink throughout it.

I was then told that I couldn't put a new toner cartridge into the printer because they didn't want it to sit in the printer for six weeks without being used. *Sigh* What difference could that possibly make.

As an alternative, I sent the letter through to the photocopier (which acts like a printer) to be printed. Once again it didn't print. At this stage I was mumbling obscenities under my breath. How could such a simple thing as printing out one sheet of paper be so long-winded and difficult?

Thankfully, as my obscenities became increasingly louder, one of the aides approached the photocopier and kick started it for me. I finally had a perfectly printed letter in my hands. Thank goodness for that.

By the time I made it back up to my office, the computer tech, who had witnessed my tantrum in the common room, was sitting at the desk installing the local computer. Why is it that things don't seem to happen until a rage has been flown into? There must be a better way.

The worst thing about all this is that I hate feeling so angry all the time. I find it so difficult to try to keep my crankiness in check. Once upon a time I would never have behaved like I did today. It's so out of character for me.

Anyway, there is only one more sleep left until the end of the school year. Unemployment here I come. Woohoo!

Photo credit: stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site

Barriers

It's Wednesday and that means I made my usual trip into the semi big smoke for my pdoc appointment. Unlike last week's trip, today's drive was uneventful. There were no wild storms to tentatively navigate through and I didn't even catch a glimpse of a cattle road train. What bliss!

I decided to throw my camera in the car this time. Virtually all year I have been traipsing into the semi big smoke for my weekly appointment. As can be expected, I have come to know the highway and its surrounds like the back of my hand. I've often thought that it would be nice to stop along the way and snap off a few photographs. Today I finally did.

The above photo is the result of the stop I made today. It's taken just off the highway at what appears to be a rest stop for semi-trailers. In person it is quite a pretty view. The rolling hills are incredibly green for this part of the world due to all the recent rain. Despite the closeness of the noisy highway, the area elicits a sense of peace.

During the drive home this afternoon, my mind wandered back to this particular photograph. The image suddenly gained more significance. I was looking through the cattle grid to what could have laid before me at one time. However, there was and still is a problem. Grids, by design, are barriers for livestock. It is impossible for them to pass through. There I was, standing before the barrier. The promises of peace and perhaps a life worth living were within sight. These promises are unattainable though. The barrier can not be crossed. The promises are therefore nothing but a tease.

A Quickie

Just a quickie of a post tonight because it is seriously past my bed time. Here's hoping that I wake up in time for work tomorrow.

I've had a really good day. (OMG, I think that is the first time I have ever written those words in my journal!) Shortly after arriving at work this morning, I discovered that my dearest DP (yes, the over-sized Nazi herself) was not at work. Best of all, she is not at work tomorrow either. Woohoo! I don't have to deal with her until Thursday. How lucky am I!

Consequently, I had a fantastic day at work. I sat up in the office all day helping my coworkers work on a movie that we have been making since we took the kids on camp a month or so ago. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

Since arriving home from work I have kept busy as well. I had completely forgotten about the whole end of work/Christmas thing until my boss mentioned to her assistant something about remembering to bring in an item for my coworker and I tomorrow. I instantly thought, "Oh my gawd, I've forgotten about the traditional gift giving thing before work breaks up for the year". As a result I have been busily making up an admittedly quite sappy PowerPoint presentation thanking both my boss and her assistant for the support they have given my coworker and I throughout our time with them. My boss loves all this "technology" stuff, so hopefully she will appreciate the thought.

Anyway, it's definitely time for me to hit the hay. Only four more sleeps until I am officially unemployed again. Strangely enough, I can't wait.

Lazy Sundays

The picture to the left is a photo I took earlier this evening of two butterflies resting on a blade of grass in the backyard. With all the lovely rain that has been falling recently around my neck of the woods, these guys are everywhere. They make a far more attractive night time guest than the usual cane toads, that's for sure.

I've had an extremely quiet Sunday. I literally spent all day sitting in front of the computer surfing blogs. I couldn't be bothered to do anything else. I haven't even had a shower (yuck, I know). I just didn't feel like moving.

It's not that I am feeling overly down or anything. In fact, this weekend I have been feeling quite okay. I haven't had any dark thoughts. I've had very little desire to engage in any SH. For a change, work issues are not laying heavily on my shoulders.

The only whinge that I could possibly make regarding the weekend is that I was extremely tired yesterday and as cranky as hell. It didn't help that Hubby and I had to drive over to the nearest town to take our furry kids for their yearly check-up at the vet. Having two dogs, a cat and a frustrated hubby in the car certainly didn't make for a stress free trip.

Maybe because of all the garbage that has been happening of late I just needed a quiet day to do my own thing. Today has certainly been one of those days. I do feel better for it too.

What Was I Thinking?

I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it's just because I am fickle. Maybe I have way too much spare time on my hands. Maybe I was bored today and felt like a bit of a challenge.

Whatever the reason, I've changed my blog template yet again. I know it's only been two weeks since the last change. I loved the old template too. The pagan-inspired graphic was gorgeous. However I got to thinking this morning that it be fun to try tweaking one of the standard blogger templates. I would love to be able to construct my very own template, but let's face it, I wouldn't have the slightest clue as to how to begin.

After many hours spent searching the internet for a nice image for the banner and playing around with colours and the like, this is what I came up with. I don't think it is too bad for someone that didn't have a clue about what they were doing. Best of all, it seems to display quite fine in the versions of Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer that I have installed on my laptop.

The funny thing is though, just after I loaded the new template and republished my blog, I popped over to Blog Explosion to update my thumbnail. Lo and behold, I noticed a new comment that someone had left. It was extolling the virtues of the old template. Woops! Looks like I buggered that one up.

Not to worry. At least this new template has more of "me" in it. It certainly kept me busy for quite a number of hours.

Watch Out!

Eek! Watch out! I'm turning into the biggest B.I.T.C.H on the whole planet. I'm just plain old cranky with anything and everything that moves.

Poor Hubby copped my wrath almost as soon as I got home from work today. A work mate of mine was rushed off to hospital yesterday while I was in the semi big smoke for my pdoc appointment. I didn't find out until I arrived back in town.

While I was around at my boss' place last night trying to find out if he was okay or not, my work mate rang. Hubby took the call and apparently told my work mate that I would call him back when I got home. The problem was that while Hubby told me that my work mate had rang, he neglected to tell me that he told my work mate that I would return the phone call and he neglected to get the phone number. (I had been trying to call my work mate on his mobile all evening, but of course he didn't have it with him). Hubby didn't even tell me that my work mate was still in hospital until this afternoon.

Well, I just saw red. I ranted and raved at my poor Hubby for not telling me the whole story last night. I was so bad that Hubby had to slink back to his computer room to escape my tirade.

Lately it seems like I am firing at everything. I've replaced feeling really down with feeling really angry. Everything is annoying me. From the early Christmas shoppers at the shopping centre I visited yesterday to all the silliness that is still happening at my workplace. It's crazy! Enough already!

Photo credit: stock.xchng - the leading free stock photography site