170519

Another day in paradise & the week has ended. Finally.

Pain every day. Pills less so. Whilst this is good, it is also indicative of my careful nature? After all, must get through this without emphasising the pain relief, or I will be a wreck at the end of this ...

Guess what?

Infinity has come to roost :)

281019 - day 22/40

Which part of "no" am I having difficulty articulating?
Trivial as it is, I really did not want any (more) coffee!
As per my weekly habit, bought an affogarto - albeit 1st thing. Faith then offered me a coffee, as I had bought a beer the other night & I declined.
Yet she still bought me one for morning tea!

171019 - day 11/40

Bad night's sleep! Awoke at 0150 & probably did not drift off again until 0400? Possibly should have got up for that glass of wine? Alarm went off at 0530, but managed to roll over & get about another hour. Pottered around, then realised where Geelong@Work was, i.e. up on McKillop Street. So caught an earlier bus in. On way to bus, saw a five (5) cent piece & thought about picking up the penny, to be lucky for the day. Except it turned out to be a silvery token :p
Got some new $20s :) Got a coffee at 'Hole in the wall'. Lashed out for a pork roll. Then headed up the hill, braving the scattered rain.
Got there & they were closed. But realised I was a bit early! So, stood around, just o/s the reception door, waiting for them to open at 0830.. As I was still waiting at 0840 & there was no sign of anyone, or recognition of me being there (+ discovered there was an option of catching an earlier train, so as not to be late for work), so pulled the pin & toddled off.
Irksome.
Missed the train by one (1) minute! In the quiet carriage, but two (2) ladies sat opposite each other & chatted. Loudly. Got worse when we came out of Tarneit! That sort of morning - how do you politely tell then to STFU? When it got too bad, just touched my token & thought of Niamh.
The only available spot was the tiny desk, near the counter door & so be it. Except that Allen came by - in the middle of a TIS call & told me to go upstairs. So changed my shoes, grabbed my water bottle & away I went. Ended up sitting opposite Sal, next to Ali.
Had lunch with Sal & Pneet, then Sonalee joined us. So it was lively for awhile. Then went downstairs, to collect $5 from Neil & show off the new $20. Also met Joe, the new boss? Did not have (morning/afternoon) teabreak, but I was a few minutes late, so just compensated accordingly.
Clients were not too bad; the support staff were - CON had provided statements & team had emailed back, saying that statements must show Victorian transactions. Except that they did - consistently. So, in my confusion, asked for help. Which was not forthcoming - in fact, somebody else then butted in, which was answered & then she just went back to what she was doing, muttering to herself. That sort of day.

161019 - day 10/40

Woke at 0250, but managed to get back to sleep. Eventually.
Excited to have opened a new pack of soap; bit of a butcher job on the shave, however.
Lacan suggests that Antigone was breaching the line of certainty, was directly looking for death & never had an intention to live. So when walled up, she had reached her level of statis, her equilibrium? Her very existence was of dissent - a child of disruption (Oedipus), who's death fulfilled the promise of restoration of rupture. The other suggestion is that Antigone represents a pursuit of an individual good - one that is not a social or common good, one that which has not been agreed by the community, but is in fact individually determined. Is this suggestive of arete - the pursuit of excellence in the individual? Although, that pursuit is towards agreed/social goods, however ...
Aeysha bought coffee.
Forgot my apple, so no morning tea; salad for lunch.
Walked outside & it was chilly.
Crazed clients - but not quite as directly so.
Although, some of the births were notable:
Child born 2016 & have been bouncing about since. F advised 02/17 of hyphenated name & M goes to JSC 08/19 to concur. Grandmother is on phone asking how this & that are done, e.g. attending childcare without BC - have to reply of need to ask M about that. Finally they just hung up on me! But still submitted escalation to follow up on;
Stat dec for sexually active youth did not provide much specific details, so F unknown was rejected. Talking to grandmother - who was so full of indignation, etc. & trying to be diplomatic about what details required. Finally, had to send her out of the room whilst coaching M; and,
Lady born 1959, but not registered. Yet looked at a younger sibling & she was listed as living issue. Really broadened my search terms & I reckon she is not the only sibling who has not been registered?
Actually did a priority application - submitted 16/10, but needed for 22/10, as flying back to Indonesia & require MC as proof to allow them to live together!
Forgot to ring Chris re meeting 17/10! Bugger - hope it all goes as expected ...

151019 - day 9/40

Awoke at 0430!
Decided to get up & get moving. So ironed some (7?) shirts :p whilst listening to Metallica on the radio.
No wonder I am tired now!
Train was full & got fuller at Lara - people sitting in the aisle, until some got off at Sunshine & Footscray.
Lacan has started to discuss Antigone. Already it is full of different references, indicative of a different education system, particularly with the reference to (Ancient) Greek words, with their particular meanings. Further, there is the presumption that the audience will understand where those meanings are derived from, as they already know the cultural allusions. There is a particular relevance in the way that the argument is developed in the speech, with the meter and pacing. It will be interesting to follow the development - one (1) more chapter/speech to go.
Gave the avos to Neil & said I wanted three (3) things:
Money;
To give one to Niamh; and,
Coffee!
To which he gave two (2) to Niamh & then replied that he had no $$$ ... worse, he was away tomorrow, so I will have to wait until Thursday for satisfaction!
Aisha threatened to buy me coffee, but didn't.
So, went off to Perk Up & bought my own - really felt the need for coffee today!
Calls were quiet to start with - which may have exaggerated the tiredness, for when I walked out for coffee, the thought did cross my mind that I could have survived without coffee? However, discretion won that round, as also realised that I would need it later in the day. Perhaps ...
Clients:
Applied for the MC of parents, advised several times to provide authority & POI. Finally, they send out letter of verification. She then sends in a copy of will & a letter signed by her sister - neither of which are relevant or of any use. Asked why not just M to apply & supply POI - she was 'sick' & in Italy. Apparently. Finally, she sends in enduring PoA doc, which names her. Refuses to redo application, however;
CON are so busy, but have so many discrepancies; and,
Discussing with lawyers what can & can't be done re the accessing of records for clients.
At lunch, walked up to the ATO shopfront to collect some hardcopies of ITRs. Except, it is no longer there! ATO really is cutting back on their personal services! Still, it was a nice day for a walk & to see what the new buildings/businesses have gone in since I last went over that hill. Surprising number of people standing around smoking, however ...
So sat down with Aeysha when I came back, to give some support, to provide some space to explore the corporate culture.
Sitting in the quiet carriage on way home & chap gets on at Footscray with a puppy. Which keeps yapping. Causing consternation to many of the other passengers - especially those who are trying to sleep ;)

141019 - day 8/40

Strange days. But survived.
Calls started quietly, but then increased in number & intensity. But there were periods during the day when there were delays with calls coming - odd.
One chap feared death & had to talk him through the process of getting a DC - he had a lot of trouble appreciating that FD would register the death &  as a part of that process ensure that a DC was issued. But what POI would be required by my wife, he asked?
There was another chap, who had spoken to in 09/19, that needed to have the matter escalated - for the 3rd time! the CON team seems to be quite disorganised in their approaches to applications?
Train got full(er) at Lara.
Niamh is suffering from the lack of sugar - already tired & irritable :p assured her that it is in reaction to her body adapting to changes & would get better. Soon ...
Had an affogato for morning break - better quantity of ice-cream this time! Indeed, it was quite a good little treat :)
Lunch was leftovers - a mix of couscous & buckwheat, veggies (carrots, fennel, cucumber, red onion, beans, garlic, etc.) & finely sliced waygu, which was then coated with lemon juice, salt & some herbs (e.g. thyme). Needless to say - but I will say it anyway - it tasted wonderful, full of flavour!
I really need to iron some shirts ...
Was quite warm today (25c), yet it rained shortly before departure! Just enough to settle the dust - good thing I got so much mowing, etc. done over the weekend?
Lacan was laconic (!) about Antigone - it is as if he sees things differently & is able to refer to other interpretations as if to support his own understandings? As usual, there are echoes in there, reminders of other times, where such things mattered ... there are also humourous asides, e.g.referring to the distinct hesitation of the audience to actually read the texts that he refers to!

111019 - day 5/40

Day five (5):
Quieter start to the day - well, in some ways. Caught bus into town, then went to collect mail & get some new $20. But, they did not have any! :(
Rang up BoQ later in the day & they did not have any either!
Was a rather chilly start to the day - blowing steam! Usual crew were on the bus.
Stared out the window for the trip - will  leave Lacan & Antigone for next week ;)
Turns out that there is a new character on Sesame Street, who's mother is in recovery for opioid addiction. Seems to me to be indoctrinal - get the children early, etc. However, it must be acknowledged that there is at least a perception of a problem in USA ... as wrong as that may well be? Perhaps the character needs investigation/consideration?
Went for coffee 1st up & then went out again with Aisha, to show her the option ... where we ran into Faith! Seems that 'we' have a cafe?
Started quietly, but there were periods of intensity - eventually I just started to grab calls to help out.
There is an intense feeling when they call through very cranky with you, but by the end you have them laughing & can hear the smile in their voice - after all, everything is resolvable! :)
Or when you resolve a difficult situation by addressing their specific needs - in this case, coming from a warzone & had not brought much in the way of documents. [Admittedly, this one had some TL assistance - but it essentially confirmed what I had been saying]
Had a few where the wrong person was on the phone, so could not discuss specifically, but discovering that everything was compliant, so sent out anyway :p
Did I mention this is the end of the week, that I have survived?
Should be a busy w/e if it all pans out!
Going to ride;
Buy some waygu;
Pick up the mower (& buy a line trimmer?) - then do some tidying of the garden;
Need to replant the Woollomei. Will try to plant some seeds too

101019 - day 4/40

Day four (4):
Train was emptier on way in - until Lara & then it was fuller than the day before.
Sat next to a chap who had no concept of personal space - elbows were out whilst booking travel tickets, tried to stand on my foot & leant in my general direction ...
Anyway, to keep having fun, I got up after the tree & was one of the 1st off. For once.
Almost as soon as I walked in, I was handed a coffee - which has subsequently blown my head off for the day!
Reading Lacan & he prepares us for a discussion on Antigone next time. Who apparently was the daughter of Oedipus!
Which led to a discussion about Oedipus, recurring cultural myths & urges. Also provided advice on DASP for Niamh - in the hope that she will disseminate the information to the other team members?
One customer was ordering historical documents (& not paying for P&H), but there were eight (8) applications which had been done incorrectly! Thought that would mean a lot of shells, but was able to palm off most of the work back to Applications :) Of course, Rio died just as I was starting to finish, so had to begin the search again for the records!
Indeed, it was 1430 before I got away for lunch! Mind you, by then the calls had died down, anyway - which meant no OT ... for a change :p
Which has meant catching the 1643 train - not quite as express, but still (relatively) full. It stops at Lara, so will be interesting to see how many get off?
Annoying schoolgirl behind me - be quiet, child ...
Paid for 2 x 40th anniversary shirts - unsure of sizing, so got L & XL ... see how that goes?
It has been cool today - overcast & windy, which has affected mood.
Want to stop for $20, but am going into town tomorrow anyway - or is it just 50/50? Might see how I feel when I get there.

091019 - day 3/40

Day three (3):
Coffee yesterday = wine when I got home!
Actually, mixed it with the last of the soda water & it tasted much better!
So, again the train was busier than the day before.
No dawlding outside, so got in & claimed 'my' desk. Asked if that is what Niamh preferred & she said I could not ask that! Then admitted that she did, in fact, prefer that ...
Aisha came over to ask for help, which turned into a long & involved saga - now she wants to buy me a coffee too! :(
Late lunch (1430) - just sat in the sun for a few minutes, eating my apple. Then went upstairs, visited people & collecting plastic sleeves.
Took them downstairs & rang Chris, at Geelong@work. Who said he had not called ... but chatted for awhile anyway & he has invited - actually, more like demanded - me to visit in person for a chat :)
Clients were mixed - some needing that little bit extra, with translating of the messages, by using different words, etc. Highlights:
One young (17 y/o) chap, just at the end, rang through & was rather aggressive ... until I told him that we were waiting for him to sign a form ... Anyway, took him to the form & directed him to email it back, markerd urgent - needs it by 01/11 for the security check at employment;
F phoned in to say that charged twice - rang yesterday & was told payment was outstanding, so paid over the phone. Then the BPay processed today. So put through a request to cancel the payment request. Advised him that certificate had been printed (& noticed that, although the applicant had their name back to front, nobody had noticed) ... But, theren were no notes - for either interaction! ; and,
Had a woman start crying when I told her that we had not quite finished yet ... Actually, that may have been more about the fact that what she had supplied (the credit report) seemed innocuous, to put it delicately - suspect that the DOB discrepancy was a factor.
Sat in the front carriage on way back - still really full (people standing), but emptied out at North & meant walking through the carpark ...
Got home & found a shopping trolley outside the house!

081019 - day 2/40

Day two (2):
Was a rough night, waking up several times & unusual dreams!
Managed to wake up (almost) before the alarm, however :p
Train in was busier, oddly enough.
Lacan was discussing the death instinct & suggesting the Freud was not wrong exactly, but misguided with the analysis? There was more about jouissaince, but a lot remains impenetrateable ...
Caught up with Jules o/s, so stopped to chat - hence Faith got in earlier to take the desk!
Niamh bought me a coffee ... which totally blew me head off - am still buzzing away!
Went to visit the 17th floor, gave a round of hugs & chatted with Sal.
Crazy example of disconnect at that place - applicant wants BC & they sent a DP. To the wrong address ... Allen says go ahead create a shell & we will discount it. Unclear note - are we not allowed to send BC? So go & ask assistance from Julie. Who refersto Chloe. Who decides that applicant should email 'caseofficer' - did not know we had such people - to get them to rectify the situation. Sit down to clarify some misunderstandings with her & she (basically) says 'too busy,fuck off' ... so, called applicant back & explained instructions.
Another memorable client now lives in WA, but had several name changes. So when ordered the BC was surprised that it showed birth & current names, as well as a tracking of the name changes. Not too happy with my explanation - I am not angry with you!
It was a day for long calls & detailled explanations - or was it the coffee?

071019 - day 1/40

Day one (1):
Crikey - bit hard to go back after so long, especially as I feared that I had forgotten stuff! But, then we (Niamh, Allen & I) went for beers after work!
Like ... WTF???
Caught the 2040 train home!
Mind you, that little indulgence cost me $40 ...
Could have I taken advantage of the situation, we will never know!
Other than that ... bit of trouble sleeping, so actually got up before the alarm :p
The walk to the station was methodical & cautious - especially as unsure of my endurance after so long.
Trip in was quite quiet - in fact, there were empty seats in the carriage! Which may have been due to school holidays?
DST has begun :(
Calls were consistent. Some exceptional, but nothing out of the ordinary - you deal with what you get & respond accordingly.
There was one (1) call, however ... he wanted to know how to be added on daughter's BC, so provided the details. Then he says:
daughter given to stepsister of M soon after birth;
has a fight with M, who then accuses him of interfering with other 5 year old daughter;
gets charged & put in remand for 18 months;
gets to court & judge justs throws it out, as unsubstantiated; and,
apparently the arresting police officer was having an affair with the stepsister!
Fortunately, got put on demand calls, so was able to pick out calls :)
Seriously, though, sometimes the calls are so repetitive - as Jayden says, there are so often POI and/or general questions!
Announcement just came over that track work = buses from Geelong ...
WTF??? :(
Had an affogato - 1st time the electricity had gone off! But went back & got it for lunch ...
Not as nice as the last one - not enough ice cream IMHO :(
A lot of pottering during the day.
Started in the middle seat - got there early enough to take my usual seat, but thought to leave it for Faith ... but then somebody else sat there!
So after lunch, because they had left early, I checked with Faith & then moved over - a lot more comfortable!
A lot of water was consumed - but then the door lock failed, so had to go through another door ...
BTW - this haircut makes me look like a confused Tintin ...