The "To Do" List

Today's "To Do" List

Prepare for Interview
Go over ads on Seek from Friday/Monday
Investigate new Super company
Fix Temping CV
Prepare for Masons - Masons 7.30 pm
Finish book group book - prepare questions
Gym
Sort flat for inspection
Arrange a run with Jase and Roger

I look at this and just go HMPH!.

Sorry I've been quiet for a bit - lots has been going on over the last week.

First up, the Tassie job didn't come off, but I have two second interviews with consulting companies this week. Today's will hopefully go well - it's a company I'm interested in working for.

Secondly, there's been too much going through my head to really formulate a real blog. When my head runs over like that I tend to go to ground or hit the gym to work off the stresses.

Thirdly, I've had a house guest who seems to take up a lot of my time. Blarney's cat, Maow Maow is staying with me for three weeks. I believe that Maow Maow is really my cat and I just loan him out to Blarney and Barney - we're the best of friends, me and that cat. One of my favorite things to do is cuddle the cat - love cuddling the cat! He likes to sleep on my stomach as I watch television. He doesn't complain about what's on. So spending time with Maow Maow has been a priority. I love that he purrs when he gets picked up. I don't like that he uses my feet for a chew toy at 5 am. He's great cat.

So, working through this "To Do" list.

Prepare for interview

Done the worst of this last night - now just have to arrange clothing (power suit and comfortable clothes for after - theres no way I'm spending the day roaming around in a suit if I don't have to) I also have another interview tomorrow morning for another consultancy firm. Something will come up soon.

Go over ads on Seek from Friday/Monday

This goes without saying. Trawling through the job ads is a way of life at the moment. Not my favorite thing to do - and this will be done at the career consultant's office to give me a bit of separation from home.

Investigate new Super company

Something I've been meaning to to for the last few months. Find a decent superannuation company to put my money in that is not going to eat the funds up with stupid fees. I've got some ideas, just need to make a few calls.

Fix Temping CV

Along with looking for a "proper" job, I'm at the stage where I'd be happy to go temping - answer phones, file, type - anything to get a bit more money coming in, the rent and bills paid and for me to stop spending my savings. It's not an easy job market out there at all but temp work can bring rewards - little stress, some financial reward and a bit of sanity. So that is Plan C - though I'm hoping something comes from the interview today. I'm interested in the company. The first interview was a stunner and I got through their two hour test the other day.

Prepare for Masons - Masons 7.30 pm

Ah, we have a big celebration tonight at Masons. We're getting a new Grand Poobah. I get a new job to do around the lodge. All I will say is that all you need to know about Freemasonry can be collected from watching The Flintstones and Happy Days. I have my two packets of Tim Tams to take for supper. Not that I can eat them. I always feel completely out of my league when it comes to supper. It's like you've been put in front of the best CWA spread ever - and here I am with my Tim Tams. I'd have made yoyos but I've been busy, and the risk of eating half a batch is too tempting.

Finish book group book - Prepare questions

The book is finished, just have to do the questions. This one has been plaguing me a bit. It's my book choice and I have to run the session. There has been a bit of dissent about the book too, which bemuses and bothers me in equal measure.

The book in question is "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi. It is a memoir about a woman teaching English in Iran through the revolution of the 80's. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and put it up for the club because 1) it was about a book club, 2) it had some interesting subject matter and 3) I'd had a number of people recommend it to me.

I love my book group, but I'm very aware of the subtle differences in the group. We're a mob of very intelligent women ranging in age from their mid-twenties to one member who is sixty. We are all very different in our reading tastes - everything from crime and vampire novels, to Russian Literature to modern intelligensia - we all have very different tastes.

In this group, books are chosen at the end of each year when each member brings two books along to champion. The books are voted on, every member given 25 lollies on which to distribute how they wish. You can't vote for your own books. The guidelines we have are that the books should be of literary or good popular fiction standard, preferably under 500 pages and preferably not autobiography. In any given year there are going to be books you love and books you loathe - and some people will get pretty passionate about books - like for me  - Anne Bronte's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall"  - should be burned. And why didn't Anna Karenina jump under the train in the first 200 pages?

However, it is a democratic process, you have to take the good with the bad. As I said, you have to take the good with the bad (hmm, just started next month's book - and that cat book is a dog...)

Nafisi's book is a memoir - certainly not an autobiography - there's a rather large difference between to two genres. I know very little about the author's personal situation and views. I know a lot about the general situation. It's very much non-fiction - something we haven't really done before.

It's going to be interesting.

Strangely, we have three non-fiction books on the list this year, the others, "Cleo" by Helen Brown and Kate Holden's "In my Skin". The person who put these books up for consideration was asked to reconsider as they were autobiography, but she stood firm - the latter one inparticular should promote some good conversation (I agree with that - great book)

I'm still a little tentative about tomorrow night's book group - maybe after this foray into these books we make it a rule "No autobiography and non-fiction" rather than just the clause, "Avoid autobiography."

The great thing about democracy - you have the right to complain all you like.

Gym

Goes without saying - will fit this in after job hunting and before masons.

Sort flat for inspection

Why is it when you start doing you're not supposed to be doing and you get a call from the landlord saying you're having an inspection. Joy. I have a no pets clause in my lease. I don't have a pet - I just mind other people's pets. Maow Maow is going to stay with Auntie Kitt for the night while I try get rid of the traces of cat hair he's left about the place. My kitchen is spotless, he place is tidier than usual. The landlord will see that I'm not running a meth lab, harbouring 20 Chinese students, keeping a heap of smelly rubbish or having an illegal flatmate and will leave me alone. I will talk to her about the fact I'd love a new oven, the bathroom ceiling needs painting and the possum in the roof is still causing me grief and that will be it.

A very pissed off Maow Maow will be collected from Auntie Kitt after dream group the following evening. That is if Auntie Kitt will give him back.

Arrange a run with Jase and Roger

See what they're up to tomorrow lunchtime. It's been a long time and I reckon it will be a good foil for an 8 am interview in the morning.

So yeah, there's a bit on my plate - better get on with it.
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Project Pandora Update Day 29

Current weight: 87.8 kgs

Four weeks in to this project and there are some noticable differences in my. I'm beginning to get told that I'm looking good by people - which is lovely, humbling and rather satisfying.

Four weeks in and I'm used to the 1200 calorie limit on food. Some days I go a little over, most days I'm about right.

Four weeks in and I've managed to keep up the exercise - I'm not quite doing what Michelle Bridges asks of me, but its not far off. I pull the over 40's card some days. I'm happy to kill myself three days a week and exercise moderately for the other three days. I'm doing enough, but I don't feel like I'm over doing it. I'm old - I have to be a little kind to myself.

However, Saturday was milestone day. We were requested to do something out of the ordinary - and by this, Michelle Bridges meant do some out of the ordinary exercise. I was asked to do a timed run - a fun run. I took up the challenge.

I met up with Trin and her friend Maeve to do the fitness test first thing Saturday morning. I ran with Maeve on her kilometre run - she did a great 6.40 - fantastic for someobody who's just started running. Trin did extra well - 5.40 over the kilometre - a decent 30 seconds less than last month. I ran my kilometre after that.

Five minutes ten seconds!!!! Like how did that happen? An average speed of nearly 12 kilometres an hour!

59 knee pushups later it was decided I had to do grunty boy pushups instead. I managed 14 in the minute. Like what the? Didn't do badly on the wall sit (2 minutes 15 seconds). Only the abs and the reach test need work.

Then it was off to see Pinochet, who decided that punishing me on the cables would be a fun thing to do. He was under instructions to leave my legs alone - I had this fun run later.

Then the fun run. Three years ago you would never get me saying the words "run" and "run" in the same sentence. I haven't run properly, like done a timed run since the Williamstown half. One of the Biggest Loser Girls organised this. Tentatively, I put myself down for the 4 km run - with the intention of running what I could - not being too fussed. I've really only just started running again so I know I could walk/run the distance along the Maribyrnong without blinking.

I ran the whole course in 27.02 by my watch - 27.05 official time. Thrilled with that. It's my best time over 4 kms.

I haven't run this far since Williamstown.

And I am extremely proud of myself.

For the next fitness test in a month's time I want to see if I can get my kilometre sprint time to under five minutes.

Still, I'm very chuffed with myself. (Did I mention he next day I made it to Pump class and did the 1000 Steps again - though not with my top weights or in a really fast time...)

Pand