I've been away for a while, but am now returned, and happy to be home. The conference that I went to will be the subject of a later diatribe, but I felt the need to get my feelings about Marcoola Beach Resort off my chest. If you intend to stay on the Queensland coast in Australia any time in the next few years, you should probably read this so that you know why NOT to stay at Marcoola Beach Resort. It really is the least professional place that I, in my extensive travel expereince, have e...

I just had the epiphanous realisation that, although all people have a mind of their own, they can choose not to exercise it. I'm perfectly serious. I had always just assumed that people who did what other people were doing just because other people were doing it actually didn't possess their own mind, but were actually borrowing someone elses. Or, more accurately, were networked into a master brain mainframe where their actions were controlled by one mind. (I read a lot of science fictio...

There's this one woman in my office who, whenever something ridiculous, unjust or frustrating is mentioned in her presence, commits the unjustifiable sin of saying, 'Well, that's reality, get used to it.' You know the person I'm talking about: the one who has resigned his/herself to the negative side of life. Possibly one who marched against Vietnam or something like that, and concluded that their say doesn't count. The one who has resigned themselves to their lot, and doesn't believe ...

It's not really that bad, but my 22nd birthday is coming up, and that signals the end of my excuses for frivolity and general dopeyness. People will now expect me to behave in accordance with the unwritten rules of the emotionally suppressed and boring It's hardly my fault that I'm a bit daft. I am suspecting that I actually have fibromyalgia, because from what I have read, there are some strong correlations between problems that I have been having and fibro. Anyway, that's not the p...

Contronyms are words that are their own antonym, ie cleave = to separate AND to adhere. Just thought I'd share.

This little taxpayer isn't happy. Defence has a contract with Serco, who provide our caterers, cleaners - and our media facilities. Their employees are really quite nice people Fair enough. Serco thus has a monopoly on defence media requirements. Not quite so fair. Especially when you consider the quotes for poster production - this is without a backing board, by the way, just the little piece of paper with your info on it - in comparison with quotes from other companies. For e...

Today I was required to give a small talk, only about 30mins, to some guy on the defence graduates program, about my research. So I got up there, armed with a poster and a copy of my paper, and manged to not just talk about how, why and with whom we experimented, but I even managed to cover methodological points, such as determining standard deviations! This statistical victory is significant for me, because statistics is the one thing that I forever have to ask for help with. To be abl...

My supervisor just gave me some truly terrible news. She sent me an email that had come around about the colloquium, and someone dobbed me in as being a potentially interesting speaker for the divisional colloquium. I was partially hired, you see, on the basis of my being unafraid to perform. Having directed a cabaret worked in my favour. But this is different. This is me, getting up there, pouring out my months of hard work and anxiety and triumph, ME being on display. Me and my scie...

So, last night my friends Apryl, Rose and I went to our first Pilates class (and it was great, absolutely fantastic), and when we were gorging on pizza afterwards Apryl came up with this idea: That we should start a wedding planning business. No kidding. We have Rose the accountant for the business side, Apryl the archtect for interior design and lighting, and me there for co ordinating everything and maintaining the mental health of the bride and groom as their parents drive them...

One of the nicest things about my workplace is that every so often, the people who have had a birthday in recent months bring cake for all to share, and the division gathers and feasts at afternoon tea time. It's just wonderful Not just because I love cake, although that too is true, but because it brings the division together to socialise in a way that we don't often get the opportunity to do. Let me explain LOD is spread over three buildings, so we rarely see the others unless we...

This is great, because since selling his photography studio last year he's just drifted from one crappy job to another. FINALLY he's landed, and he seems pretty happy about it. I'm glad that he's found a new place to settle, because there's something satisfying about imagining my father wearing a tie and going to an office and working with people that he likes at a company that he's revved about. And I like to think of my father being semi normal! Apart from his music, I haven't seen ...

Did anyone else find 'Secret Window' slightly disconcerting in the wake of 'Pirates of the Carribean'? I know that it's a testimony to his wide range of acting abilities, but when considered in relation to 'Once upon a Time in Mexico,' doesn't it make you wonder a little bit? Just a little? I mean, the characters that an actor chooses to play says something about that actor (ie the distasteful Heather Graham, the delightful Billy Crystal, etc). But now Meg Ryan has gotten on the bandwa...

Grievance of the day: Supervisors The honeymoon period has been over for a while, but in the absence of any extreme discomfort in my new job I simply thought that it was the sign of a perfect fit. Until my supervisor returned from her nth holiday to take over my paper and tell me that my discussion (not entirely written by me) is wrong. Let me offer you a word of advice. Never, ever listen to anything that a researcher says about their work. Research data is the most easily manipula...

Piquant observation and issue of grievance of the day: Whistling. Everyone does it. Everyone hates it when someone else does it. It's insidious, like a virus. Once one person starts, it seeps into the atmosphere of teh building, and before you know it, half of the building is whistling snippets of their favourite tune. Then, to your horror, you find yourself whistling along too... I love music. I don't even mind humming. There's just something about whistling that really bother...

Gone are the days when the only way you can get a message to the masses was by newspaper publication (or any other kind of publication). Stepping into the 21st century, I, too, am embracing the way of the future, the blog revolution. What follows may or may not be interesting. The people mentioned are real. The soap-box issues are real. And my hair colour is real. Just in case there was any doubt. It's honey blonde with natural highlights, for those interested parties. Thrust into the ...