New Girl

This week, I started my new job.

Day 4 and my brain is overloaded and I’m feeling like I’m slightly out of my depth. They expect good things from me and I want to impress them. But it’s going to be hard work.

You also have the hard job of trying to figure out your place in the office, where the printer is (still not sure!), where the stationery cupboard is, what’s the lunchtime protocol, which mug belongs to which person – it’s an endless minefield!

But so far, work is good. The people are friendly, I’m slowly getting my head around things and with offices on South Bank, I feel blessed to walk by the Houses of Parliament every day, reminding me that I now call this amazing city home.

And thankfully (yet slightly strangely as well), nobody has their own mug. One less thing to worry about!

Last day at work

Today was my last day at work.

Goodbyes are not something that I handle well. In fact, despite my somewhat hard exterior, deep down I’m a big fat sook. Movies, weddings, leaving a job, saying goodbye to people. I’m absolutely useless.

It’s embarrassing sitting at your disk with a red snotty nose and red puffy eyes, tears streaming down your face. But here’s the thing, whether it’s your last day of work, your parents dropping you at the airport, or saying goodbye to a romance on the banks of the Thames – no matter what the circumstances, it is very, very hard to say goodbye to people you love, not knowing when or if you’ll see them again.

So apologies for the tears, but the fact is, I’ll miss you guys dammit.

Lent

This year I gave up chocolate for Lent. Partly for diet reasons, partly to prove that I could and partly because even though I turned my back on the “new” churches many years ago, I like to observe some traditions of faith.

I have an ongoing disagreement with one of my colleagues about this. When I mentioned that I was giving up chocolate for Lent there was much admonishment bla bla bla. Which I find frustrating on a variety of levels. For starters, it is inappropriate to talk about religion in the workplace. But more importantly, it is frustrating because I have never, told someone they were an idiot, or judged them, because their faith, or lack of faith is different to mine.

I don’t care whether you are an Athiest, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Jew or Buddhist (although never trust a vegetarian). Everyone has their own beliefs, no matter what they are. And whilst religion as a whole bothers me, and I know very well that The Bible, whilst having some (and I stress some) historical truth is really just an awesome story, nothing will shake my faith that God, in some form or another, is out there watching over us.

Because really, to go through life knowing that this is it? Without any mystery? That there is nothing happening when you die? No thank you.  

The iPad vs The Book

One of my esteemed colleague's iPad arrived today and the office 
population were all wetting themselves with excitement, cradling it 
like a newborn.

I'll admit I was impressed with its capabilities and it was kind of 
cool, however I still don't quite get it.

I'm not a technophobe, I enjoy new developments, but I also like 
tradition, and I figure why change what it is already awesome? Some deem the iPad the future of publishing.  I strongly disagree. And here are my (Purely from a Book/Magazine reading perspective)
reasonings:

1. Books are awesome

2. I don't see a lot of people being able to afford a $600 piece of 
equipment in order to read a story that they could purchase for $14.95 or borrow from the library for free.  YES it will come down in price as the technology improves and the innovators move on to the next best thing since sliced bread, but its still a significant lump sum of cash to pay.

3. The battery never dies on a book

4. You can't pass an iPad down generation to generation like you can a book.  My Grandfather passed on a leather-bound set of books to me, that look stunning on my shelf, that were my Great Grandfathers, and I'll pass it on to my offspring eventually as well if I have any.

5. It takes the fun out of gift giving.  Books are a favourite gift to 
give, for all ages. You can't write a personal message on the cover of a digital book, wrap it up and give it to someone.  I love opening up to the first page and seeing a note in their from a loved one, or when you find a book in a second hand store with a message of love to a stranger. One of the books that my Pa gave me has a note to him written from my Gran, on the occasion of his 21st birthday.  A digital book won't be passed through the generations because the technology will become obsolete.

6. I'm on a safari, staying in campsites where there is no 
electricity.  I want to read a story... how am I going to charge my 
iPad?

7. I'm reading a particularly thrilling adventure story.. it's 
suspenseful.. then all of a sudden Snape Avada Kedavra's Dumbledore. I slammed the book shut and threw it across the room in horror - If I had been reading this on an iPad I surely would have broken it.

8. I've finished reading my book and decide I don't want to keep it… 
I can't take an iPad book to the Op Shop or the book exchange to 
receive credit on a new book.. I can't give my old book to my 
neighbour to borrow or swap it with a traveller on the road.

9. I am in general a clumsy person.  I drop things a lot and spill 
things even more.  Technology breaks. As my lap top found out.

10.  You can't get an author to sign your digital book.

11. I like to read magazines in the bath, I take my iPad in with me in the bath, my hand are slippery, I drop it into the bubbles, my iPad is destroyed. I drop my magazine, I'm only out $5.95

12. I'm at the bus stop waiting for a bus, so I pull at my iPad to 
while away some time. A gang of hooded youths see me flash my fancy technology and think "she is of above average means".  Next thing you know I am on my bottom in the gutter whilst they run off with my 
handbag.

13. I have an intruder in my house.. I'm in bed and the closest object is my iPad (which is not heavy) I throw it at the intruder, it bounces off him.  I throw the Hardback copy of Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix or War and Peace at them, I startle them long enough to get away.  I throw the shorter Oxford English Dictionary at them and I kill them. 

14. I enjoy online shopping, but I don’t get nearly the same satisfaction as when I walk into a book store and discover something new.

So there you have it.. 14 reasons why I think the iPad will never replace the book. 

Generation Y – Not All Of Us Are Brats

I recently read an article on Australian Anthill’s online newsletter regarding Generation Y  which really made me ponder. 

Gen-Y bashing has been ripe in recent months and quite frankly I am tired of it.

It seems that the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers main complaints are our lack of work ethics and how we are difficult to get on with in the work place with some (quite frankly wanker) employees refusing to interview people in their twenties.

I am a member of Generation Y. Born in 1983 I am now 26 years old.  I worked hard in school.  At university I was either studying, or working.  Graduating at 23 I thought the world was my oyster.

And for the most part, it was. I have had the opportunity to travel and work for some fantastic companies. I relished my time working in London and whilst I did my fair share of partying I soaked up every ounce of knowledge that my co-workers had to give. How dare people say that Gen Y has no courtesy in the workplace? Sure, we may be opinionated but I for one have some manners.

Gen Y bratty and unwilling to work? Jo Nagle of Sydney firm Let’s Launch said that “They think it’s their right to have what they want, they’re brash and naive and they can really be like spoilt kids who say ‘I want a pony now, I’ve got four ponies at home but I want another one and I want it now’.

It now makes more sense to me that when I returned home from London in 2008 and was desperately seeking work, I managed to get 4 interviews out of the 373 positions I applied for.  It mattered not to employers that I had some fantastic experience, was hard working, loyal, honest and talented.  The fact that I was willing to work for less money in jobs that I were well below my experience level because I just wanted a job meant nothing. 

And it’s not just in the workplace that we are frowned on.  My parents have some friends who regularly come round for BBQ’s and the like. One of them actually had the nerve to say to me (or rather slur at me, glass of cabernet sauvignon in hand) – “Your in Generation Y, do you go write yourself off and sleep with people every weekend” (I’m paraphrasing").  Out of respect for my Father (and in fear of my Mother yelling at me) I refrained from asking him what he got up to during the Summer of Love and whether or not he dropped acid whilst listening to Jefferson Airplane.

Just remember Baby-Boomers, in the not so distant future you are going to need your Generation Y offspring to support you and pay for your nursing homes. 

In Defence of Miss Jones

I quite enjoy the occasional difference in opinion, and marvel at how defensive I can be.  I think it must be the ginger genes!

The other day there was a semi-heated discussion in the tea room regarding whether or not romantic comedies,  in particular Bridget Jones Diary, are wonderful or ridiculous.

My opinion on this is - 

1. They provide us with some escapism from our world
2. You are guaranteed a happy ending, and likely to come out the other side with a warm fuzzy feeling that all is right with the world
3. It gives single girls the hope that no matter how ridiculous or hopeless you are, no matter how many nights you spend in oversized pjamas drunk and singing “All By Myself”, things always work out in the end
4. It also gives single girls hope that even though there are many Daniel Cleavers in the world.. The occasional Mr Darcy will come and rescue you from utter despair

Yes Bridget Jones is ridiculous, but she (in my opinion) is also real.  Perhaps because I relate to all the horrible mistakes that she has made.  Perhaps because I have had my fair share of Daniel Cleavers, the dastardly cads who like to prey on vulnerable, loving girls.  Perhaps because I know what it is like to have an embarrassing yet loving mother, the awkwardness of having slept with a co-worker and the disappointment of realising that life isn’t a fairytale and sometimes you don’t have anything to eat but cereal and cheese.  Who hasn’t been caught out “in the moment” wearing really really enormous knickers? Or pretending you know more than you do at work?  

And what I love most about Bridget is that despite the fact the she is really ridiculous and “feels like an idiot most of the time” someone loves her.  Just as she is.  Which is what this ridiculous Ginger is holding out for.  

So I ask you dear readers.. What is so wrong with having a whimsical story concluding in a happy ending? Absolutely nothing.

Other People’s Children

Whilst I enjoy my job the vast majority of the time, there is one thing I am tired of.  Baby talk. 

It seems that all of the staff (apart from myself and 2 other girls) have all popped out kids not that long ago.  Hence our morning tea conversation is centred around children.

Which is ok some of the time, but lately it seems that there is ALOT of baby talk.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy the occasional baby.  There are some babies that I love very much.  What I dislike is pretending to be interested in other people’s children.  So your baby was crying all night?  That’s a shame, could you pass the milk? Your grandchild went on some birthday trip?  That’s nice, anyone feel like getting drunk this weekend?  No? Thought not. 

It’s like having to pretend to be interested in a cousin-that you haven’t seen for 15 years-wedding.  I feel like pulling a Blackadder and saying “Rats arse’s I have none to give”

Today a friend and colleague announced her pregnancy, which despite my rant pleases me and I am happy for her and her husband.  And she has promised to keep the baby talk to a minimum, which I shall hold you to Mrs N x

Crazy Health Nuts

For as long as I can remember, my eating habits have been the topic of much discussion in my workplaces. 

It all started when I worked at on Organic Foodstore when I was at University.  They tried and tried to convert me to organic this, supplement that, fruit fruit veg veg.  And after 7 years of working there I did not change.

When I worked in London my “London Mummies” as I like to call them (the lovely ladies who worked in my department) used to despair over my dietary choices.  However my dietary choices during these years of my life were mainly made on the basis of “what can I buy for 50p?”  In the end they bribed me with a star chart (I’m rather easily pleased) and I would get a star for every piece of fruit I ate. 

Now I work in a company where the directors are very eco-conscious, health conscious etc. I see my boss look at me in disgust when I proclaim that a Chico Roll is a tasty treat after a night out. 

But you know what – I KNOW perfectly well what is healthy and not healthy. I KNOW my diet is not perfect, but I am trying to do better.  I do not like fruit very much. I will at vegetables because I have to, not because I want to. My weekend diet of Vodka and chips suits me just fine. 

Yes it makes me a little bit fat, yes I’m sure that I’ve got mercury poisoning from eating tinned tuna (for CRYING OUT LOUD can’t we do ANYTHING anymore?). I don’t care!  I like delicious fatty tasty food. Preferably in pastry.  If I had my way I’d live on a diet of red meat and potatoes. 

So please stop pestering me. I am doing just fine!

The Desk Job.. How I Have Missed You!

Today is my second day in my new job.  I am loving it.

Over the past year I have really missed working in an office.  Office's are climate controlled, you don't have to deal with customers, wear a uniform (unless you have very mean bosses) and you have unlimited tea and coffee on tap.

There's stationary cupboards full of lovely new pens and highlighters, nice people to chat too and in this office, lots of shiny fancy Mac computers (which my PC oriented brain is struggling to adapt to - in fact I had to ask someone how to turn my machine on this morning).

The only thing my new office is missing (apart from not being close to a corner shop for the inevitable 3pm Coke and Chocolate run) is a selection of young single men to watch when one is need of cheering up.  But you can't have everything.

Miss Ginger: Super-Organised!

Oh the weather outside is frightful (it’s freaking HOT and STICKY)
But the Air-Con’s so delightful (BLESS Climate Control)
And since it’s too hot to go outside
Time to shop, Time to shop, Time to shop!

With only 37 Days left until Christmas, I am pleased to brag to you all the I have be super organised this year and completed all Christmas Shopping!

The only thing left to purchase is my Mother’s stupid bird feeder, which is too big to hide at the house, so need to find a hiding place first.

DAD – Tick; NEPHEWS x 2 – Tick; GODSON – Tick; BROTHER & SISTER-IN-LAW – Tick; ALL MY CLOSEST FRIENDS & THEIR OFFSPRING – Tick!

I’ve even managed to write all my International Christmas Cards, put stamps on them and have them sitting in a pile ready to post (but still need two addresses). 

Usually I have everything done by about the first week in December.. but this year I am on FIRE!  Mainly because I am broke and I have been buying gifts one pay at a time. Also because I have realised how much Sunshine Plaza (our local shopping centre for those who aren’t local) annoys me. You can never find a park, and it’s always full of teenagers, fat people and lesbians.

So I thought, “Clever Miss Ginger for getting everything done early” UNTIL I remembered that I will have to battle in the parking lot anyway as I work at the Plaza AND have volunteered to do Lifeline Christmas Wrapping this year. 

So really resistance of retail centres at Christmas is futile.

DAY/POST 6 of 365

You Don’t Like Me? Hmm.. I’m Afraid I Don’t Care

I have been in a particularly irritable mood the past few days, and whilst I will blame this on hormones the truth is, if I am honest with you (and if you can’t be in honest in a blog what’s the point in writing one?) I’m often grumpy, even when I’m in a good mood.

At work this yesterday morning I got very pissed off with one of my colleagues, who’s clear disdain for me is making my work life miserable.  For months and months she has bitched about me, saying I am only getting the extra work etc because I am friends with the bosses. I am friends with the bosses. One of them is one of my new BFFs, but this came after I got more shifts than her. 

If I was in an ACME cartoon, my face would be red and steam would be coming out of my ears, every time she mentions “favourites”.  Heaven forbid I’m good at my job!   Yesterday I was so worked up by her I actually had a little cry. 

But to be perfectly honest, whilst she drives me insane, her opinion of me matters very little.  I am younger and prettier, better at my job and have my whole life ahead of me, whilst hers is unquestionably probably half over.

There should not be this stigma that we have to be friends with everyone we know, that we have to like them and get along.  The world would be a very boring place (albeit more peaceful) if we did.  Without conflict in relationships and in the workplace, what on earth would people have a good bitch about over a bottle of wine?

DAY/POST 5 of 365