Moving stuff about.

We're moving posts about a bit. Hey! Did you know we have many other journals where we put even weirder and more multiple stuff? You can ask for their addresses if you like.

Trying to keep to the 'relatively normal' mandate of Wants A Cracker then... our life is bumbling along. In the interests of rent reduction we have been buying many household goods. Mannie is likely to talk about her new 9 piece saucepan set at Put the Kettle On at some point soon. Gray bought a TV. It seems to work. We're almost ready.

In hindsight I don't think we should have agreed to such long notice at work. Trouble is finding it very strange to be at a place she loves and has worked so hard to make, and having to reply to enquiries about 'her' job. And there's the way that no matter how clear we are about exactly why we are resigning people (everyone has an opinion in Bugsplat) project their own stuff onto the situation and even when (as they usually are) they are trying hard to be sympathetic the consolations are confusing and remind us that there is no chance of actual understanding. Except from former managers of the Bugsplat Visitor Centre. They get it.

Other people who (like us) have had chronic health issues assume we are resigning because of that, people who (like us) dislike Mr and Mrs Manky will rant about them and even get angry with us for having let them get to us, people who (like us) are paid sub-standard wages will talk about that, people (like us) who work in customer service will bitch about the stupidity and arrogance of 80% of the human race.

We appreciate the sympathy but it's exhausting and none of it helps.

We love you, Kylie.

Order of the White Star - awarded to Ms Trouble.

Merry Christmas.

Here's my gift to any users of Microsoft Office 2000 who have suffered, as we have, due to the relentless reversion to US English. If you have this program you may (like me) have spent many hours trying to solve this. So many dead ends. So many chirpy little assurances. So many disturbing rants to google.

Our suffering began 18 months ago when Trouble started work and first used the program. From mild irritation to deep, paranoid despair about evil tentacles of US cultural imperialism; there were times when we took it all a little too personally.

This is what finally worked for us.

1. Go to the Start Menu
2. Go to Settings
3. Go to Control Panel
4. Go to Regional Options
5. Go to Input Locales
6. Set as default Australian English.


Trouble : Just to be on the safe side, I (Trouble) deleted the US English option.
At that point there was a message about not being able to do that until the program restarted, but once it did restart all was very well indeed. Spell check is once again ON. I'm not sure if deleting the option of US English is a necessary step but I'm not taking any chances.

*yawn*

It's 9.30am, but I don't have to be at work until lunchtime today.

We'll be working until the end of January; apparently that's how long it's going to take to advertise, interview, select and handover. So we're not out of work yet.

Quick Poll: Should Trouble at Work become Trouble out of Work?

Also, we have some (wacky, multiple) news at tricks.

Ask for links if you need them.

Love in a box.

In the interests of rent reduction we've been replacing the landlord's furniture, crockery & cutlery etc. Washing machine... check! toaster....check! vacumn cleaner ....check! kettle...check.

Still to go - a fridge, some tables, some beds.

On Thursday we drove to SeasideCity and bought lots of stuff (see above) some of which we added to our load at the removalists, which arrived today.

From Hearttown came five tea chests, four book boxes, one bed and one picture.
From Seaside City came a dining room table and six chairs and a bookcase.

I found a cassette tape from the CJC enquiry. An interview with Mr Holt and Mr Holt (no relation) of the Criminal Justice Commission. Gosh. I still remember the sea breeze consoling my shoulders and the cold concrete table and the way I felt like I was in a Twin Peaks homage and knowing it was useless even as I answered their questions. Mr Holt and Mr Holt (no relation) and me. On tape. What a relic.

And then there's all that love from long ago. And the activist's handbook from Jabiluka. And the t-shirt (Mahogony Gliders don't take sugar) and there's my grandfather's war medals and my grandmother's pearls. Precious. Relics.

There's a mix tape (of course!) and a brooch, and a boxed set of Winnie the Pooh. There are paintings and posters and scraps of notepaper and the handwritten epic poem we wrote in the early nineties and my uniform that I was supposed to give back and ...

How I miss you tonight, you people who know me from years ago.
So much love, in a box.

Beginnings and endings.

Things have been rather tumultuous here at Polly HQ. We've just handed in our resignation. Things got really horrible at work - too horrible. The kind of horrible that requires a fair bit more than $12.75 an hour. It was starting to affect our never too reliable mental health.

Trouble is at a bit of a loose end, so we bought her a bright green office chair. She likes to sit in it, and spin around. It seems to be keeping her busy. There's also been all the fun of draft and fantasy resignation letters. Most entertaining so far - a photocopy of our bottom with "Kiss It" written on it in "Cherry Blossom" lipstick.

There's been a bit of talk about going back to Sugar, the novel we abandoned when it failed to win the Vogel Prize. The bright green office chair will probably come in handy for that.

And speaking of creative projects - congratulations to the Beast & Ms Wonderland.