anyresemblance

Still here

I borked my phone - or rather Telstra did by dropping their network during my IOS upgrade - and it died and would not even restore factory settings.  Of course, the next appointment was two days hence but I did what you do and rushed to the apple store even though just before closing and they are always very helpful and squeezed me.  The child behind the counter managed to restore the phone and while we were waiting for it to load "you have a LOT of apps, don't you" (which surprised me because, doesn't everyone?), I asked her about my ongoing sideways photo issue.  She was baffled.  Which was both reassuring and annoying.  She said maybe it was the browser which sounded as helpful as turning the power on and off.  Anyway, it's an ongoing saga of which photos place the right way.

Ned is turning into a right minx.  He climbs trees and then cries to be lifted down, gets on the garage roof and gets his paws grubby in the guttering.  And eats. And eats.  The vet said he was putting on weight too quickly so he is on limited rations - and we have to feed the older cat separately as he tries to elbow her away from her food.  He purrs and purrs, though, and still loves his favourite game of jumping out on Charlie and trying to hang on to his tail.

Work is worky.  I've been trying to reframe my job to be the one I really want it to be.  We'll see how that goes.

 

Paper nerd

A lot of my work involves using digital tools but I am keen fan of pen and paper.  I have having a notebook that has inferior paper or stapling and have to have the right pen that writes pleasingly.  In a current project, I suggesting creating a A6 notebook to record light bulb moments for our target audience.  I then spent an inordinate amount of time explaining A6 paper sizes to US colleagues and converting metric to imperial.  In the end, I took a photo and used my hand for scale.

This one is Clairefontaine, a new brand to me, but long established and I can report nice paper quality.

Here comes the sun

Work is terribly stressful and I am exhausted.   I was worrying that we had not had an electricity bill for 4 months but then when I checked I'd had one with a credit back in December.  Still, I called the utility company and she said one had been sent last week for $8 (since Australia Post changed the postal system, letters take for ever to arrive).  $8? how come so little, I asked and she replied that I had $350 solar rebate.  WTF, I didn't even know there were solar panels on this house.  After I got off the phone I went out in the garden to look up at the roof and I am pretty certain that either a) I have the best disguised solar panels in the world on my roof or b) there are no panels and they have mixed up the accounts.  

 

Aloft

It's the balloon festival and instagram is full of delightful shots of the balloons floating across the lake.  Despite living within 500m of the lake, my own photos this morning showed several black dots, the kind of photo where I would be explaining "that one on the left was a parrot, really, you just need to enlarge it a bit..."  I'll spare you the details.  

It was grateful for a public holiday and a slow day.  I did  a big favour to someone who it may be politic to have grateful to me.  Then I did a call where I was a bit testy.  Let's hope that doesn't set the tone for the week.

 

We Were The Young Americans

Why I have not watched The Americans before?  Probably because we don't have amazon streaming services here but I just watched  3 episodes on the plane (sadly, not including the pilot so I was sort of in catch up mode) and LOVE it.  I even love all the early eighties fashion.  

The flight was fine though I honestly wondered if I would get to JFK on time.  I swear the taxi drive took the most convoluted route even though it is a flat fare and I was nearly shouty with him.  Anyway, got there in time but then lord, it is hard to be patient and polite with the most doltish of the TSA agents who all seem employed at JFK.  I am sure most of them do their hardest for crap wages but there is always one with a stamp or manning a line who seems like the stupidest person in the world.  If you're going to have a process, can you have one that works with speed and efficiency?

I got back to Sydney to discover my Canberra flight is cancelled.  Sad face but could be worse.

 

Comfy chair

The restorative properties of a good night's sleep and a half day off.  I cabbed it down to East 17th street to return the Eileen Fisher emergency granny pants to Nordstroms.  Say what you like, US retail return policies are better than any where else I encountered.  Thank god I never had to wear them.

Then I strolled over to Sephora and the giant wish lists.  I stopped at the Guerlain section to buy a mascara as they smell so good and got pounced on for the makeover.  I didn't mind as I was wearing no make up and had plenty of time.  I like the natural good but ouch, I walked out with way more than I intended.  The walk of many blocks up 5th avenue allowed me time to mull over impulse shopping and I returned more than half the stuff in the 5th avenue store.  I still kept the Guerlain mascara, primer and bb cream.

I saw this chair in Anthropologie.  There was a lot less stuff in there from when I went with lala in December.  Kind of disappointing, I was waiting to be enchanted by little easter vignettes but there were none.  The chair was an emerald velvet though which will fit right in my imaginary New York loft.

Now I am heading the airport with a light heart as my upgrade came through.  Bye New York, swell as always but can we be more consistent with seasonal weather please?

Head for business

It's been a weird week.  My luggage finally caught up but it is unseasonably warm.  I packed for wind chill and people were sitting outside dining at 9pm last night in balmy low 20 heat.  My coat and boots are probably surplus which is the reason I packed a large suitcase and not carry on in the first place.  Gah.

I had dinner with friends last night on central park.  My friend has an apartment I envy.  It's not flashy but he has wonderful paintings, wide windows with beautiful light and 6th avenue laid out below him and a doorman I envy.  We all assembled our fantasy life there, of course.  I'm not sure how to fit the dog in the picture though  I see lots of people with city dogs and taking them places I wouldn't imagine in a million years, like Nordstroms.  I can't picture David Jones with dogs.

Is it really still Sunday?

It's Sunday night in the airport lounge in LaX. I've now been traveling for 36 hours.

The rebooked flight left Sydney 90 mi ute slate dismissed the rebooked connection and am now in the red eye to New York. And my luggage is still in Sydney.

I had a choice of 5 hours in the airport lounge it something else so I called my boss who told me to take a cab to Santa Monica, but some clean clothes and look at the ocean. I took her advice. The girl at Aesop gave me a ton of free samples and I bought uniqlo heat tech. I really hope luggage will catch up but can cope if it doesn't as long as I don't have to step outdoors.


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Long haul

I was up at 5.30 this morning to finish packing and in a taxi by 6.20am.  This is going to be longest Sunday ever.  I didn't get an upgrade but the flight is not busy so hope I might get an empty seat next to me.

When I get home next week, I am unpacking all the rest of the books - they either come in or get donated.  I have too much stuff in my garage.

Do not adjust your set

Farmers market, dog walk, yoga, mani pedi, packing, dinner and theatre with friends, more packing, early alarm.


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