Using up the last of my leave today.

Yeeha!

Kind of surprising how often I reach for my phone to check on reddit when I've got a spare moment. I deleted the shortcuts so I'm not following through with the habit, but dam is the urge still there to go waste time. Only been a week so far but I feel it's had more of an impact than quitting booze or weed.

Booze and weed are just plants and chemicals. Social media had been designed to get you addicted
It’s so hard especially when rl is boring or not going well. Just be persistent and gentle on yourself because social media is hard to cut down on or quit

Well there you go, a random rock melon (I think) in the flower patch. Never had much luck with them in the past but since I have no idea how it got there it'll probably work out.

This hot weather is perfect for them. I used to grow them in EBrunswick on the north facing side of a shed that got sun all day, up a trellis. Just keep the fruit off the ground, plenty of water and drainage at the roots but none on the leaves and they should ripen up just fine. In the right spot they're easy - bloody impossible in the wrong spot. You might want to prune off any little fruits as they won't have time to swell and ripen before the cool weather sets in, and may hold back the big one.
that is cool 👍
- Normally it's rando tomatoes that pop up but I'll take the melon :)

Development out the back. They built a fence (a few of them) Looks like good work and this doesn't really impact me as it's the neighbours' place but..

Far right post. Neighbours' fence is falling over and the blokes that built the new one for the development put the last post at the angle of the fence that's in the middle of collapse. lol.

Keeps the rabbits out
Anything to avoid doing a little extra work lol
Lol 😂 our side fence is on such a lean that when the neighbours got a side gate put across the end of the driveway they had a triangle shaped piece put against the fence 😆

New rug has arrived. Cat ownership claiming in process.

Fight for it, claim it back!
- Do you suggest rolling on it like an idiot or pee?

Thanks to all the people who replied to my wall of overwhelm yesterday. I listened to a podcast about intuition vs anxiety, and I realised that a lot of it is just anxiety. My intuition hasn't really been strong on this. I am going to appraise this as a challenge and am excited to get out of my comfort zone :) if this doesn't work out, that's when I'll worry.

so proud of you, you can do this 🐱
Vent away. And trust yourself. You got this. It's very easy for others to give advice on things they don't have to live through.
I think it's important to have a little bit of self belief and faith in yourself and to back yourself.
I like that approach you've taken and hope you find success in whatever decision you choose.

I really wish the BOM hadn't taken its radar offline for the next few days.

Hrmm says it's off but still working here.

2nd last week of work....my engagement is nearly negative

Managers still ask me for stuff but it's all along the lines 'If you can be bothered it'd be great'

Still leaving on a high note!

I have just come to the realisation that the personal challenges brought on by climate change makes it harder to cope with the enshittification of politics and massive corporatisation

who's got the energy to fight fascism and google when we have heat waves , cyclones , flooding, etc

I'll still do it but i'm tired already

Not much wave action tonight but was lurvly out there tonight.

Here's a cloud instead.

is it just me or does that cloud have lovely kissy lips and eyes?

I have gymed, in THIS. Kill me

I drank a beer, in THIS. Kiss me
If that didn’t kill you, nothing will
I walked to the corner and back (4 houses down) and that was enough for me
That's impressive. Good work!

I'm incredibly moody and I hate it.

The cool change couldn't come fast enough.

I ended up in a major fight with my overlocker this morning, but I am one step closer to finishing my project to shorten the sleeves on my work jacket. I was so agravated by the process of rethreading a broken lower looper I had to take a break in order to maintain my sanity.

Once that is out of the way I get to start on the cushions. Hopefully Miss Meow won't try to help too much.

Edit: sleeves have now been shortened. Miss Meow has thoroughly examined the sewing room, and after unexpectedly falling into a box she expected to be landing on top of she has decided to shun the area for a while.

I reckon an overlocker could get nasty in a fight. I'm glad you didn't get your face overlocked.
- the big danger is getting one's fingernail sewn
  it's surprising how deep that needle can get
seriously, I would love an overlocker, I reckon me and miss seagoon would get so much use out of it even if to just mend clothes
- They can be great, but you can do pretty much everything with a normal sewing machine too.
- Aldi have them occasionally and they're not bad.
- I got a Singer tiny serger off eBay years ago. It doesn’t have the built in cutter - you have to trim things first. But it was more affordable and takes less space than a full sized overlocker.
  Edit: They seem to be much more expensive and less available now but maybe there are still mini alternatives
After many years of being frustrated at both mine and my mother's overlocker I have discovered that if you need to rethread one thread, you need to do them all at the same time. Don't ask why, it makes no sense to me!

I watched The Substance. Whaaaaaat did I just subject my eyeballs to.

I had no idea what the movie was about or even the genre going into it, thought it was a thriller, it was not. Made me squirm in parts but overall I enjoyed it and Demi was awesome in it.
Fuckin wild hey. I really enjoyed it.
That was my reaction. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
That movie gave me nightmares. It was pretty disturbing.

My dinner was outstanding

Bah, boss is away on a busy day. Looks like I have to make up for doing nothing yesterday.

sky pretty

It looks incredible

Heyo

👋🏼

Last night's exhaustion nap also fucked me up, couldn't sleep till 2am. So, so tired this morning and had a plumber appt at 730am but he was missing a part and has had to go to Bunnings... no chance of me getting to site early today to beat the traffic ._.

If I had cods they would've sweated off by now.

Just a tease of rain while being sound bombed by thunder at school pickup.

Desperate for a cool change.

Raaaaaain

The library has been bountiful. I have returned some books, and left with more than I came with.

Dammit.

Cool change seems to have arrived early here in Fitz. 22degrees and as long as the sun stays hidden I'll be happy.

Apparently the gods of weather hate me as I'm in gym gear and it's starting to spit

Feeling sad as… I wish I had the space and physical ability to be making a big garden and building shit

I would have dragged those free pallets I saw home and built Melbcat a palace

Do what you can to the fullest. In a small garden I would be doing something I know I can do and that is pretty much guaranteed. Otherwise it's just heartbreak.
It’s hard when you have the ideas but not the health to do things. I’ve been there, and it can be so frustrating. Hugs. But also, a small example of why it doesn’t matter. I’m lucky enough to have outdoor garden space. But sometimes life gets in the way, or the weather, or tiredness; and weeds go crazy and plants need pruning and it’s an unkempt jungle. But my few indoor pot plants? I water them weekly, pull off any dead leaves, and take care of them. I enjoy them just as much as the outdoor space, enjoy them more often, because I see them every single day and it brightens up my space. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Small things can make life nicer just the same.

You are cordially invited to take a look at Saturday’s weather.

I ask again: where is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness?
Look, can we not
no.
Noooooooooooo
I'm gunna focus on Monday instead.
I plead ignorance.
Methinks it could be the final beach day for the year.
I'm going camping this weekend and taking a heap of kids. Die from heat Saturday, extreme fire danger, hot nights, then a downpour on Sunday. Should be interesting.
It's not quite enough to justify cancelling on a lot of people, but I'm watching the forecast very closely.
At least Monday looks nice and normal.
- I can loan you a big festival esky if it'll help. I think it's 80litre, maybe 100.
- I wouldn't, personally. Unless I was staying on the beach.

In-person interview this morning. I'm running on about 3 hours sleep and my hair's not behaving. We'll see how this goes.

Edit: and I've arrived and noticed a stain on my dress. Maybe it'll be a bad dress rehearsal, great opening night deal?

devil may care hair looks great though.

Okay, the nap fucked me sleep up. Ima have a coffee, read a few SCPs, and then study.

What's an SCP?
- "The SCP Wiki is a collaborative speculative fiction website about the SCP Foundation, a secretive organization that contains anomalous or supernatural items and entities away from the eyes of the public — or so it may appear.
  The wiki is a collaborative effort made possible by the contributions of hundreds of authors."
  https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/about-the-scp-foundation
  There's approximately 9000 entries follow the SCP format, on top of the countless tales/short stories set in universe. I prefer the standard SCPs over the tales.
  All under creative commons, no one owns anything, it's just a collaborative writing site!
  There is no canon besides what the authors want to establish. It's been my favourite website for 16 years, the site is 17 years old. I remember when there was only Series 1, and now there are 9 series! It's fun to check back every now and again to see new entries!
  https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-173
  This was the very first SCP, it was posted to a 4chan board over 17 years ago, and people just ran with it. It's hosted by wikidot now.
  Have fun exploring!
- Sane Clown Posse. They've matured.

Is anyone else's Fluffball having a hard time with the weather?

yes
the giant fluffiness that is Ted is sleeping and lying around more than usual
- Ah OK. I was worried about Gibson (I'm taking her to the vet for a check up tomorrow anyway), but she has been very lethargic.
Mine was lying in her bed in a sunbeam but has now moved near the cooling. Hopefully Gibson just temporarily melted

Seems like a big shake up of DT job sitch atm.

It could be worse

DT=?
- DT=?
  Old habits etc. :)

I came prepared with a jacket today! Me - 1, freezing office AC - 0. Feels ridiculous wearing a jacket when it's so warm out.

Do you work with middle-aged women or perhaps larger size men?
- Haha not really, perhaps someone in this demographic installed the system and set the office temp to Antarctica thinking we'd all like it.

Had to pull the pin an hour earlier than I normally would at work because with two consecutive nights of very bad sleep and all the heat and exhaustion I just couldn't do it any more (and we'd come to a natural point to stop for the day and not start a new section).

Please for the love of all that is holy I hope I get a good night's sleep tonight. I also found out my thesis/presentation are due a lot earlier than I thought and although I'm applying for special consideration I'm a bit anxious that I won't get it all done in time after all. Or I'll have to take more time off work I guess

Not gonna stress about it right now. Right now, is cold shower and brain blackout time.

Underrated part of long weekends: short week afterwards. Three day week for me!

I am SO excited for invincible tomorrow night. I think it could be my favorite show at this point. If you are still sleeping on it dont.

Last week's was brutal. I wasn't ready. This one looks intriguing.
Prime has been serving some bangers this year. Invincible and Reacher have been great.
- I've listened to all the Reacher audiobooks. The series are a pretty good adaption for cheeseburger lots-of-fun action. The Tom Cruise movies aren't bad action movies but a core component of all the books is that Reacher's massive.
I haven't caught up with it yet.
So many amazing shows on tv at the moment, this is the golden age of television. ☺️
- At least the bread and circus is good while everything goes to shit.

So I was looking to jump on the protonmail train. I wanted to get an email that was basically my name, but given I have quite the generic name this has proved not possible. Are there any other similar type providers with the same rep/reliability/stay-aroundedness?

You might find it a challenge with any company if you have a very common name. Maybe variations adding in other words could work (like calhoonmail, or contactcalhoon)?
I've signed up for the paid service which gives access to more stuff, and also allows me to use my own domain name. So my address will now be portable, and I have multiple addresses along the lines of mail@myname.website
I also had very generic name issues. Tried a dozen variations with no luck. Periods, n underscores n abbreviations n partial initials. No luck.
I understand generic names are a pain in the proverbial (Boyo has a hell of a time with police etc checks), but unique ones pose other problems. I'm much more net searchable than I would like.

hairpulling has commenced regarding internets has commenced

Been quite a journey
- really earning my pay here 🫥
  I've got my accounts, took a lot of convincing providers I'm not a troll or a bot
  now to make sure I remember how to log in 😵‍💫
  people really don't like vpns, do they
  even tho every single provider or social or what ever company advertises security as a big selling point ...🙄

DUNDAAAAAAA

I need to find some wood to create a shelter for the cats so they can get dinner.

Kennels come up pretty often on gumtree/marketplace freebies. Even just a sheet of something like ply or corrugated against a fence as a lean-to is better than nothing.
- Good idea. There should be something in the shed I can use.
  Cheers :)
Any free pallets being given away locally?

Even a bare bones rectangular frame or lean to with a corrugated plastic sheet on top could work
Edit: Depending on budget and space there are also covered chicken coops that can have the doors left open. I had been looking at them to use as a catio
For portable options there’s a pvc pipe frame and a tarp https://au.pinterest.com/klevercages/chicken-coopsrun/

Now that the temp has dropped, I think every dog in Thornbury is out pounding the pavement with their owners. And the sky is rapidly blackening. Rain, please rain.

It’s decided to rain where I am with some thunder strikes. Doesn’t sound too heavy though.

Beep Beep 🚚
🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍈🫐🍓🍇🍉🍌🍒🍑🥭🍍🥥🥦🥑🫛🍆🍅🥝🥬🥒🌽🥕🥐🍠🫚🥔🧅🥯🍞🥖🥨🧀🧇🥞🧈🍳🥚🥓🥩🍗🍖🫓🍕🍟🍔🌭🥙🧆🌮🌯🥗🍲🍜🍝🥘🍛🍣🍱🥟🦪🍥🍘🍚🍙🐠🍤🪼🦀🐙 🍗🥮🍢🍡🍧🍰🧁🥧🍦🍨🎂🍮🍭🍬🍫🥜🌰🍪🍿🍯🥛☕️🍵🍺🍶🥤🧋🧃🥂🍷🥃🍸🍹🧉🔋

My skylight is highly tympanic

Thankyou for teaching me a new word
- 🥁🛢️🥁🛢️

Nice little storm over work, that was fun!

The zucchini don’t look in good shape. One or two plants might be almost dead, another is trying to rally with male flowers but they might be on their way out.

The pumpkins are really responding to being given liquid fertiliser more frequently so I’ll have to keep that up. They’re getting hit by powdery mildew and whiteflies though so I’ll spray and have ordered sticky traps. I might try the homemade ones while those arrive.

I think I hurt my back lifting a full watering can weirdly :(

Pallbearer are playing Maxx Watts tonight if anyone can brave the heat. I'm too sick on top of everything else to even think of heading out

Oh hey I know of that band! The sorrow and extinction album! I cant doom anymore though unfortunately.
- Their subsequent albums have been good too. I watched them at the Northcote Social Club last time they were here. It's great they're growing but a hard sell to go all the way in the city when it was so hot

It's so nice having decent weather.

That cool change was brilliant, after accidentally spending an hour walking in the heat.
- Even waking up to normal weather today is brilliant.

Good morning everyone. 😘 Have you had breakfast yet?

A slice of toast with seedy peanut butter 😋
- I hope the peanut butter is feeling better soon.
Bohemian breakfast
Not yet, but I will shortly. There are cornflakes, yoghurt and peaches awaiting my pleasure
Good morning, only a coffee up till now but that's normal for me.
Tub of yog and 2 coffees. But a bunch of grapes are waiting on me in the freezer - will suspend them in lemon/lime/bitters cordial for this afternoon. Hydration is a must.
Bacon and egg muffin and a strong flat white 🤌

anyone here on vodafone? My boost sim runs out next month and now that Vodafone have solved their regional issues (by stealing someone else's network) I'm curious to hear what its like, specifically in Melbourne where boost is... lets be real not amazing since the 3g shutdown.

Plan on switching to Vodafone from Boost in the next day or two, thanks to that $150/365-day prepaid plan myself. Will let you know if it's a super terrible experience, but I'm based quite centrally.
- Cheers that'd be awesome. Yeah was debating that but sadly the boost sim is still good till mid April so I dont really want to waste those couple of weeks. Hopefully they do another one next month.

It tried to rain as I was driving home but in the distant east to south east I could see lightning lighting up the sky.

Thought it was my imagination at first but 2nd strike confirmed it.

trying to sort out my accounts is like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx3sOqW5zj4