July 2013, when my job has finished, is looking a lot more comfortable now. Or at least having a sense of direction.
A few posts ago I wrote about deciding to apply for university entrance for post-graduate study.
Like many, I have my emails feeding to my smart phone, and was expecting to see an email offer on any given Wednesday, since post-grad offers are made on a weekly basis on Wednesdays. Add that all other communications with the tertiary admissions centre have been via email, I do not think this was an unreasonable assumption.
But a wrong assumption.
I got an old-fashioned letter in the mail on Thursday. How exciting it was to see that logo on the envelope - with a tinge of doubt that my past academic record wasn't strong enough to secure me an offer.
"I am pleased to inform you that you have been offered a place in the Master of Accounting at Flinders University commencing in Semester 1".
Yippee - I got in. This is my 4th university offer (yes, I like collecting bits of paper, just not the debt that goes with it), and it's still as exciting as the first.
Semester 1 I'll probably do one or two subjects, depending on the time-table which is released in about 6 weeks.
And when my current role ends, I can either try and find further part-time work, or shift to full time study for a while.
And when I graduate in a few years time, I'll have a full set of parchments - at least one from each Australian university in our state. I don't know why I like that idea, but I do.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Eat the Freezer Month
When I moved into my house, one of the first things I bought was a second hand upright freezer. We managed to find the same model that my dad has (and must have had through a lot of my child hood), and they're both still going strong.
One blog I read, The Year of Less, does a 'month' as part of their move to a simple life. Last month was 'eat your pantry' month. This month the writer is reading a particular passage of scripture each day. They also do daily activities tossing excess hand whisks, plastic storage containers and sorting through clothing - you know, those things with the inexplicable ability to multiply like rabbits in your cupboard when you're not looking.
My pantry is ok (mental note: check supplies for Christmas baking...), but my two upright freezers really need to be emptied.
Yesterday I defrosted the inside freezer. The outside one is newer and thankfully doesn't need defrosting.
And once again I decided that I really, really need to knock down the contents. I do this every time I defrost.
Some of the contents was tossed due to freezer burn, but I have a lot of ready made meals, or partially made meals in there.
And broad beans I froze from the garden last year. This year's crop is already close to picking. Prombles*.
Since J and I ate the soup that defrosted yesterday as it was well and truly stuck with frost that I had no choice but to let it defrost along with the freezer, I figure an 'eat your freezer month' is in order.
Hopefully I can then consolidate to one freezer, and bring the newer non-frosting one inside and put the frosting one outside as the back-up.
So the plan is to use in a meal at least one thing from the freezer a day for October.
*this spelling is intentional. A long-standing joke from a friend's English teacher mum who had a student once write 'I have prombles with my spelling'.
One blog I read, The Year of Less, does a 'month' as part of their move to a simple life. Last month was 'eat your pantry' month. This month the writer is reading a particular passage of scripture each day. They also do daily activities tossing excess hand whisks, plastic storage containers and sorting through clothing - you know, those things with the inexplicable ability to multiply like rabbits in your cupboard when you're not looking.
My pantry is ok (mental note: check supplies for Christmas baking...), but my two upright freezers really need to be emptied.
Yesterday I defrosted the inside freezer. The outside one is newer and thankfully doesn't need defrosting.
And once again I decided that I really, really need to knock down the contents. I do this every time I defrost.
Some of the contents was tossed due to freezer burn, but I have a lot of ready made meals, or partially made meals in there.
And broad beans I froze from the garden last year. This year's crop is already close to picking. Prombles*.
Since J and I ate the soup that defrosted yesterday as it was well and truly stuck with frost that I had no choice but to let it defrost along with the freezer, I figure an 'eat your freezer month' is in order.
Hopefully I can then consolidate to one freezer, and bring the newer non-frosting one inside and put the frosting one outside as the back-up.
So the plan is to use in a meal at least one thing from the freezer a day for October.
*this spelling is intentional. A long-standing joke from a friend's English teacher mum who had a student once write 'I have prombles with my spelling'.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
School Ties
Friday night I attended my 20 year Australian high school reunion. Or as Mr Trifectagirl used to say 'Girls College'.
Thanks to facebook, many of us caught up a number of years ago, but this was a mile-stone reunion that far-flung classmates made the effort to travel back home to attend.
Watching the interactions at the reunion and the noise level from the chatter that hasn't decreased with time (seriously, how did our teachers cope??!?!?), it felt like there hadn't been 20 odd years since we were all in a room together. Including those of us there that left the school before the end of high-school, or came in later years.
It was really wonderful to see how successful we've all been in whatever we've gone on in life to do - professional careers, personal interests, personal lives and parenthood.
Parents often consider how the school they select for their children can contribute to their child's future success - class sizes, facilities, choice of subjects, extra-curricular opportunities, final exam results, university acceptances, and so on.
Although this was and is a good school on many of those criteria, getting together got me thinking.
Maybe not only the reasons our parents sent us to this school contributed to our indivudial successes later in life, but the thing that is simply luck of the draw - the fortuitous mix of personalities, skills interests and talents that our class was.
To the ladies of SDPC Class of '92 - congratulations on all we've achieved so far, and here's to every success for the next 20 years.
Thanks to facebook, many of us caught up a number of years ago, but this was a mile-stone reunion that far-flung classmates made the effort to travel back home to attend.
Watching the interactions at the reunion and the noise level from the chatter that hasn't decreased with time (seriously, how did our teachers cope??!?!?), it felt like there hadn't been 20 odd years since we were all in a room together. Including those of us there that left the school before the end of high-school, or came in later years.
It was really wonderful to see how successful we've all been in whatever we've gone on in life to do - professional careers, personal interests, personal lives and parenthood.
Parents often consider how the school they select for their children can contribute to their child's future success - class sizes, facilities, choice of subjects, extra-curricular opportunities, final exam results, university acceptances, and so on.
Although this was and is a good school on many of those criteria, getting together got me thinking.
Maybe not only the reasons our parents sent us to this school contributed to our indivudial successes later in life, but the thing that is simply luck of the draw - the fortuitous mix of personalities, skills interests and talents that our class was.
To the ladies of SDPC Class of '92 - congratulations on all we've achieved so far, and here's to every success for the next 20 years.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Grabbing Opportunities
Along with dealing with Mr Trifectagirl passing away, while he was sick the program I work for was given 12 months notice of closure.
With all of this, the time feels right to make a bit of a career change, or at the very least build on the study and work experience I have.
So, after discussing options with a number of people, this morning I submitted my application to go back to Uni to study accounting commencing January or March (depending on which program I get accepted into).
Now to wait for the acceptance letter...
With all of this, the time feels right to make a bit of a career change, or at the very least build on the study and work experience I have.
So, after discussing options with a number of people, this morning I submitted my application to go back to Uni to study accounting commencing January or March (depending on which program I get accepted into).
Now to wait for the acceptance letter...
Saturday, 15 September 2012
3 & 6
Yesterday was three months since Mr Trifectagirl passed away. The day itself was ok - if you count the aftermath of being up all night with a vomity toddler and changing cot sheets every 3 hours overnight as ok.
It was the day before that I struggled with. We overslept. The entire house. Including the cat. That should have been the first clue that it wasn't going to be a great day. With the late start, I opted to take a 'me' day from work while J was at child care. There were a few rough periods during the day, generally when I was alone with my thoughts while driving or making dinner, rather than trying to get other stuff done or chatting to people.
Monday will be six months since his birthday. Six months since he got sick.
I miss him and this plain sucks.
It was the day before that I struggled with. We overslept. The entire house. Including the cat. That should have been the first clue that it wasn't going to be a great day. With the late start, I opted to take a 'me' day from work while J was at child care. There were a few rough periods during the day, generally when I was alone with my thoughts while driving or making dinner, rather than trying to get other stuff done or chatting to people.
Monday will be six months since his birthday. Six months since he got sick.
I miss him and this plain sucks.
Monday, 10 September 2012
I'll need to tell...
On Friday I took J to our Royal Show for the first time (screaming disaster and a whole 'nother post) and happened to bump into Mr Trifectagirl's friends R and his wife A.
The Show is an agricultural event with horse competitions, animal competitions (beef and dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, birds - the whole kit and kaboodle), baking, arts and crafts competitions, farm machinery (for sale. Who in the city has need for a combine harvester??), various small-scale food producers, a barn-yard nursery for the youngsters and then side-show alley for the screaming teenagers. Since schools rotate on having a day off for 'show day', I figured it was the show day for one of the schools their children go to, so they'd come along to the Show.
Turns out the family was there as the two children were competing for the first time in the harness pony competitions. So we wander back to meet up with his wife and the rest of 'Team Tink'.
As we watch and down coffee to warm up, the kids come 4th in their first classification.
Mr Trifectagirl would have been so thrilled for them, and more so with their follow-up success with coming first in the next classification they competed in, and their daughter taking out the title for best junior baker!
It's taken nearly 3 months, but this was the first really strong sensation of 'I need to tell Mr Trifectagirl when I get home, he'll be upset he missed it'.
The hard part was remembering he's not here to tell.
The Show is an agricultural event with horse competitions, animal competitions (beef and dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, birds - the whole kit and kaboodle), baking, arts and crafts competitions, farm machinery (for sale. Who in the city has need for a combine harvester??), various small-scale food producers, a barn-yard nursery for the youngsters and then side-show alley for the screaming teenagers. Since schools rotate on having a day off for 'show day', I figured it was the show day for one of the schools their children go to, so they'd come along to the Show.
Turns out the family was there as the two children were competing for the first time in the harness pony competitions. So we wander back to meet up with his wife and the rest of 'Team Tink'.
As we watch and down coffee to warm up, the kids come 4th in their first classification.
Mr Trifectagirl would have been so thrilled for them, and more so with their follow-up success with coming first in the next classification they competed in, and their daughter taking out the title for best junior baker!
It's taken nearly 3 months, but this was the first really strong sensation of 'I need to tell Mr Trifectagirl when I get home, he'll be upset he missed it'.
The hard part was remembering he's not here to tell.
Monday, 3 September 2012
Father's Day Gift Box
Yesterday evening, Father's Day, I started clearing out the boxes I finally retrieved from the storage lock-up. The plan is to chip away at it by doing a couple of boxes a week.
Of course the first one I open contained Mr Trifectagirl's day-planners, which also operated as a very sporadic journal.
Since they go back to the early 1980s (including some school diaries!!) they're something I can't ditch. At least not yet. There's too much of him in there that will be useful for J to know his dad.
I also have a project idea brewing, but it will be a time-intensive one. And is simply added to the end of the queue of project ideas I wish to undertake.
So much for the plan of going through and getting rid off stuff. At least box #2 was more successful on that side - I didn' keep anywhere near as much of that.
I like that I made this discovery on what would have been Mr Trifectagirl's 2nd Father's Day. It wasn't really a sad moment, but a heartwarming one.
Of course the first one I open contained Mr Trifectagirl's day-planners, which also operated as a very sporadic journal.
Since they go back to the early 1980s (including some school diaries!!) they're something I can't ditch. At least not yet. There's too much of him in there that will be useful for J to know his dad.
I also have a project idea brewing, but it will be a time-intensive one. And is simply added to the end of the queue of project ideas I wish to undertake.
So much for the plan of going through and getting rid off stuff. At least box #2 was more successful on that side - I didn' keep anywhere near as much of that.
I like that I made this discovery on what would have been Mr Trifectagirl's 2nd Father's Day. It wasn't really a sad moment, but a heartwarming one.
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