Daily-Column

Lunchtime today, I found Kinokuniya. The little story goes a little something like this. So it’s 1:05, and I’ve finished the lunch I brought from home. Good food, but eating at the desk is just one of those things that keeps you thinking about work, not relaxing. I ate at the desk because there’s a microwave in the kitchen, but it’s one of those tiny bar-kitchens and you pretty much only have the option of sitting back at your desk. So anyway, I try to think of a way to spend the next 40 minutes without going straight back to work, because that’s what I’d done the last two days and it wasn’t what you’d call fun. I remember that I’d said to myself I’d find Kinokuniya in Sydney, so I idly google and find that it is at 500 George St, “The Galleries Victoria”. That’s right opposite the Queen Victoria Building, a designer-filled “mall”, but to say mall is to insult it. It’s classy. ...

I’ve just seen this pile of book-type things dumped on my desk because the intern who had them has finished up, and I’m the next person in line that these things are relevant to. It’s the “training materials” for our course. And I swear to you, it is the size of at least 3 A-K Yellow Pages. And it’s not complete - I can tell there are things that are missing because there’s stuff like “vol 2” and no corresponding volume 1. ...

Heads up y’all: I will be in London from September 4th to October 27th. I’ll probably go on a trip through Europe right after, but because it’d be nearly winter I’m thinking to keep it shorter than I was originally thinking, and then pop back in Melbourne for a few days or a week, which hopefully will be after everyone’s finished exams. The reason being, of course, that starting on the 4th means… my 21st will be on the other side of the world to where I’ve lived my whole life. Kinda scary to say the least, but muchos excitement too. Then when I get back I’ll have my much-delayed party, about halfway or near the end of November, before running back to work up here. Still, that whole deal is more than half a year away, so I can put it at the back of my mind until it springs sideways at me somewhere in August. ...

Having my nose blocked, all the time - Melbourne has a class of pollen that go above and beyond the call of duty, making my life bloody miserable. Being able to breathe freely is a vastly underestimated privilege The bloody weather - I think there’s only been one day here in the last 3 weeks (gods, has it been that long already?) that I’d say was sub-par weather, and we’ve had a range of weather here. Don’t have to carry a jacket with me at all times on the risk of a cold snap. ...

No-one ever tells you, up front, that the first few weeks on the job are going to be boring. That you’ll get given no work, and you’ll have to sit there and fill the tedious hours, trying to make it look like you’re actually doing something while all you’re really doing is twiddling your thumbs. Computers are useful for acheiving this, and having three screens doubly - indeed, tripley - so. ...