Like the Good Old Days

Published June 10, 2024 by helentastic67

Sometimes, I think I should revisit the earlier days of HellOnWheels when life was full, as if it’s not now and I used to do a Hot Off the press post.

So, I guess this is reminiscent of those days. Monday, usually a quiet day at home but not always. Had a video chat with a new carer agency. Proof that every now and again the stuff set in concrete moves and you need to ride the waves of change to keep the boat upright. Is that a good analogy or what. Note, not a question.

Dropped off an old doona, its cover and some pants to an op shop on HellOnWheels, local adventure and went to a business to break a note and drop off some takeaway coffee cups that my carers keep insisting on bringing into my home. Then for the weirdest drug deal ever. You know I don’t do drugs and even in my club days didn’t. So, I think this topic deserves its own post. Went to physio after running into said Physio at the local business in question. Gave him some smack talk suggesting to lessen the imminent pain he was about to cause his patients, to have a nice chamomile tea. He didn’t.

Tuesday had an extra four-hour shift with one of my favourite carers. I know like parents with their kids, you don’t have favourites you just love them differently. When the two Helens get together, we get stuff done. We even did a little local adventure. A regular lady I am friendly with in my travels noticed a different face out with me and asked if she was my sister? Sure, why not?

Admin Day, things were started, booked and we did a little real estate searching. Because, why not? I don’t want to kill myself enough already. Don’t ever look at properties you’ve lived in years earlier and look at the sale history, you will want to kill yourself.

Wednesday, standard chiro. Gave her what’s the term for the – I moved my practice to its new home gift. Was going to go with flowers but they die. Settled on orange Toblerone. The really huge box, I got one for me too and it’s already promised as orange Toblerone mousse in mid-February when some friends come for dinner. They are bringing moussaka, I made lasagna last time and they brought a delicious selection of tiny cakes. Crowd pleaser. It’s a good way to do a dinner party these days. Delivered a bag of my old well-loved Adidas Gazelles I used to wear prior to life with an AFO, those were the days. Gotta run fast to catch the other Helen.

They will find new homes with young refugees who want to play sport. Likely connecting that carer with that locomotion to donate food that is normally disposed of in the bin. I love connecting my people with my other people. Then went to the toy shop I mentioned previously. This brings us to the end of Wednesday, basically.

January has become the time of year I do spring cleaning, carers, businesses I deal with, services I use, take time off. People with children have lives dictated by school holidays, etc. So, I do stuff. Onward

Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe I’ll catch up on some data entry, that alone is a never-ending battle.

Calming My Mind

Published January 29, 2024 by helentastic67

Calming My Mind

Might be a surprise to know I once upon a time worked in Admin, I was that busy little admin person whose desk often looked like a bomb had hit it. My boss once wandered around to loiter around behind me. Bit like a Creeper. He seemed to be just checking out what the hell I had going on.

I had a splash back/divider between my desk and the next person and it was covered in lists, post-its. Sell kinds of things. The coral I had created around one desk so I could have layers of in and out trays. This boss I prompted this particular day with a grumpy “What!!!!!!” (Note, not. Question?) He dismissively expressed he’s not being impressed with what a mess my desk area was. I told him I knew where everything was, he only had to ask and I would put my hand on it. He disappeared and went back to his messy desk.

Occasionally during preparing for an audit another Satan member would pullout the clients files she had not been able to find. He would ask “Where is this file?” I would put one hand on my head, he would do this to take my hand off my mouse when he would “train me” how to do something on my computer so as not to put his hand on mine. And with my other hand I pointed to an overflowing in tray on his desk, he had neglected. The other colleague then mentioned the next four client files she’d been unable to locate. Again, hand upon head and the other pointing to his desk.

Later he would check the files, the referral, the notes and put post-its on each, then deposit them on my desk with instructions of who to contact, each potential host to send that client to that corresponding host to do their mutual obligation. Then, I would do the rest. I guess his desk was often an extension of mine.

Time for an Acronym.
MO, Mutual Obligation. Otherwise, known as Work for the dole. Damn it. Also known as WFD. We commonly nicknamed it Work for the coffee scroll.

On one occasion the Grumpy boss asked the office in general “What’s Frank’s number?”
I altered my sight of vision ever so slightly and read him out the number.
He had,
A) De-skilled.
B) Gotten lazy in remembering Frank’s Number.
C) He never questioned my messy desk again.

And before anyone feels they need to ask? Yes! I did feel like a trained monkey. I also could point out the location of his coffee mug to remind him where he had left it.

Yet, I’ve still not covered the post I had intended to write today. Always happens this way.

Daisy

Published June 21, 2019 by helentastic67

Daisy

Because I can’t help but mix it up a little, I’m not suffering OCD however, I am likely to circle back to other topics. Today’s post is about when people are in our lives for a reason, season or a lifetime.

So, once upon a time I worked at a large environmental company as an admin. Don’t get excited, I wasn’t an OH&S officer (that’s short for Occupational Health and Safety) let’s call her Daisy.

Whenever someone had an injury in the office, even so much as a paper cut and someone called out that they had hurt themselves, someone would call out “Daisy!” even though she was not located anywhere near us.

Rumour was, if you got a paper cut, she would bring you a tube of cream and I suspect she did a regular stocktake of the bandaids in the tearoom first aid. Paper cuts, big problem in admin, should qualify for hazard pay or just BYO bandaids.

However, at the time my boyfriend who lived with me, also worked at the same place as an Environmental Scientist. He was far more qualified in his work. But at home, Daisy followed us everywhere. If in the backyard I would be hanging my washing on the line, the garden hose curled out across the concrete, creating a delightful tripping hazard. One of us would generally call out “Daisy” and then we would share a little chuckle.

Daisy was a bit of a joke in the office. You all get her name was not Daisy, don’t you? Because one day on ‘site’ there was a gate to enter a site and Daisy had gone out to check on the ‘safety’ of the job. I suspect it was a disused petrol station or some such, which is what my ex worked on or ‘whatever’. Daisy should have parked outside the gate and entered carefully on foot or better yet parked and called out for the guys to escort her on to the site. But NO, apparently, she drove in and proceeded to drive all over the site.

But with the absence of the ex or the other people that were in my life at that time, the “OH&S chant “Daisy” has gone. Sadly….

I’ll share some more soon.

Today’s Lunch – 5th June 2019

Published June 5, 2019 by helentastic67

Today’s Lunch

Good Mental Health Day

Another week!

Actually, had Tuesday at home this week. Multitasking one-handed like a pro. Very good thing I have both a mobile and a landline as I used both at the same time to catch up on serious admin/organizing & negotiating. Also managed to write some posts ahead of printing and posting to my blog administrator next week.

Cleared up the trays that cover my coffee table and my couch. A calm mid-week lunch in my punchy-stabby day.

Today’s offering is a Bolognaise Arancini with side salad and my medicine.

And this, I don’t know what it’s called, but how could I not? And yes, I’m sharing it!

Cheers,
H

Friday’s

Published November 10, 2017 by helentastic67

Fridays

And this is why I love Fridays! OK, so it’s nearly 6pm and I just had ‘lunch’ and I’m yet to actually have my coffee/custard scroll perfect combo that marks the end of the week, but still.

Coffee and scroll

Had shopping with my carer today. Did a provisional shop and still justified buying some socks from the supermarket, got some meat from the butcher’s? (I ring on the drive over and order, so they have time to cut it up since I can’t).

Shopping

Did the standard, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, tour of my local small shopping complex. Clearly, not exactly like that, but butcher, baker, supermarket, Greek Deli, Chemist, maybe K-Mart, German Supermarket, fabric/craft shop etc.

Butcher baker and candlestick maker

Once home, groceries unpacked, lunch in over, water a few plants with recycled water from kitchen, sprayed the aphids on the roses, put away clean folded clothes, had to spot clean the floor and eventually I eat “lunch” and I hit the wall.

Unpacking

Now I’ve got the rest of the day, now 6.30pm to finish my ‘Admin’ (or what I call ‘Admin’) and check my email so I can put it all aside again until late Sunday night.

Just gotta get past danger hours, that time I really want to have a kip that is intended to last 30 minutes, but goes for 2 hours.

Kip time