Discussion Thread 🦕 Tuesday 8 July 2025

Got the details for the funeral for my old colleague. I'm going to go, even though I haven't spoken to him in years and years, since before COVID even. He made working at Computershare tolerable - guaranteed to make me cry-laugh with the jokes and witty comebacks he had for the micro-managers there😂 taught me how to handle those managers when I took over his role.

It's the least I can do I think, pay my respects and remember how he made me laugh so hard.

That's a really lovely to go about it. Hopefully there are lots of great stories and laughter shared.

Good news: test results came back, i am not a pencil

Bad news: noro

No longer a lead-ing citizen so?
hugs from a distance
I suspect young mr seagoon has had noro, he is miserable

Someone used just about all of my butter in the work fridge! I'm probably more annoyed that they left the tiniest little scrape in the corner instead of just throwing it out the container.

How rude on both accounts!

Wake up early and refreshed, get dressed, drive to the train station.......bus replacement service.

So back at home in trackies and debating whether to chuck a sickie.

Gotta love the old bus replacement switcharoo.

Was meant to catch up with a friend at 3. Last night she changed it to 3:30 because a new update for a game she's playing is out. Whatever, that's fine. I tell her to text me when she's leaving so I can leave then. She's fine with that.

I decided to leave earlier and get there at 3:30, because I have a jazz playlist I want to listen to. But it hits 3:30, and she still hasn't texted me saying she's left. She sends me a picture of her game asking which option I liked more. I asked her if she's left and she said no. She does live a 5 minute drive away from where we're meeting, so I guess that's not too bad. She is apologising profusely. Now it's been 15 minutes since we were supposed to meet, and she said she has to brush her teeth and wash her face. She is nocturnal because of her (undiagnosed but probable) gaming addiction.

Am I overreacting? I am pissed off even though she's going to be 20 minutes late, but it wasn't because of something like traffic or PTV issues. She could control it. Last week she also pissed me off because she's unemployed and using her dad's money. She said, when buying food,

"It's not my money. I don't care."

I need new friends. I downloaded Bumble for Friends today. Hoping I can get a group of people together and make at least one friend from there. I need friends that don't trauma dump on me or are selfish.

Please report on how BFF goes! I just looked it up and am disappointed to be told I can't be friends with guys. This is dumb.
- I tried it and it was basically a free hook up app for gay guys. No one was looking for a platonic friend.
- I will!
  I thought you can be friends with guys. I've seen some on there.
She is apologising profusely.
But not actually doing anything about fixing her behaviour? That's crappy, you deserve better than that. Even if you had waited for her to text to, she's still leaving you waiting when agreed on a time and then chose to game. And the rub salt in the wound by sending you a picture of said game.
Sorry, that makes me very angry on your behalf. You are not overreacting, she is not respecting you.
- Next time I will wait for that text before leaving, but the fact that she sent a time.
I've had friends like that. They alleviate loneliness in the here and now, but it doesn't pay off down the track.
- Yeah absolutely.
I’d be pissed as well.
Excuses excuses excuses, I can’t really be ok with that
Her attitude is basically if it’s her skin or responsibility then she can shrug it off and do whatever she wants.
FYI https://www.reddit.com/r/bumblebff/comments/1bhy7xz/this_creepy_man_wont_give_upkeeps_making_new/
Be careful as you don’t know who you’re meeting. Anyone can pretend to be anything on the internet.
Also still be cautious as even if the person is a girl looking for friends, because there’s a reason some of them don’t have any.
- Cheers. That is true.
  I think a lot of the time, at my age, people fall out with their friends or just become more isolated, as everyone goes their separate ways after studying. I know a couple of people who met some of their closest friends from there and they've just gone overseas together. But I will be cautious.
“It’s not my money. I don’t care.”
omg, this is like the opposite of what an average person would think and say
does she earn her keep at home or is she a princess?
because a lot of people, like me, don't work but work their butt off at home to earn their keep
- Yep she helps her dad out with his business.
  We ended up playing video games, and one of them I am especially bad at. She enjoys spending time with me just hanging out, but if she plays with someone who has a lower skill level, it works out better for her.
What are your hobbies? Can you find hobby groups and then friends within that?
- My hobbies tend to be more solitary and at a beginner level. I'm thinking of joining a run club once I get better at running. Also want to try DnD.

"Oh hey, sorry I'm going to need the rest of the week off. My cat is having seperation anxiety."

Edit: I had my first random endorphin rush today. And my first real laugh in a decade.

Felt great :)

this is awesome 😊

There is a package waiting for me at my front door. Now I just have to wait 9 hours until I can go home to get it!

Edit: now there are two packages!! What an exciting day.

I know how to describe what's happening.

My life feels neglected while I was taking suboxone. Now I'm awake and it's like "where is everything?".

It hurts a bit.

- Thank you ❤️
  It makes sense and the analogy is accurate. There is a panic to make up for lost time as quickly as possible.
  Which can't be done, which then turns into frustration and sadness.
  You've given me a lot to think about, thank you :)

I went to Hobbiton yesterday. AMA.

Did you have a second breakfast?
- Yes.
  I always have a second breakfast. I wake very early and have a very light brekkie, then sleep again, wake and have a second brekkie.
  Today it was a little cornflakes and milk then second was some toast.
Did you go into a Hobbit house? Not sure I did that when I was there.
- Yes, we went into a house, not Bilbo's house but another. It was very beautifully made and furnished. It wasn't that small as I think it was made for tourists, not as a film set.
Did you take lots of pics?
I'm glad you had a good time!
- I took some pics. Not many.
What was your fav thing? Which part did you geek out over the most? Were the banquet staff in theme or just casual? Did it feel tacky or genuine? Was it crowded?
- My favourite thing was the night walk with lanterns through the village.
  Geek out? The biggest geek out was seeing how the paths of the location was designed to take good pictures .
  And how props were just everyday things that were personalised for the movie. For example sets of kitchenware that were all different but painted to look like a set.
  Banquet staff in casual.
  Not tacky. I think the people who got most out of it were deep fans.
  It was super crowded. We had four geeks in costume, I sat with them for drinks and they were so nice and so very very happy to be there.
  I felt a little patronised but then I have to remember most people are not super geeks
  the location itself is being slowly consumed by the New Zealand tropical environment
Was it cool and awesome?
- Yes and yes.
Was Gandalf there?
- No.
Did you acquire a spoon?
- No. I acquired a stein from the Green Dragon.

Seeing the newly released Erin Patterson evidence, like photos of dehydrator with mushrooms in it, and mushrooms being weighed, and her trying to leave the hospital despite being told her life was at risk, and having zero concern about her kids being at risk; makes me wonder why the jury deliberated for so long. She knew what she’d done and confidently knew she hadn’t served herself or the kids any.

So my bet was she got off and I lost that one. I owe everyone 50c :(
They probably dissected every lie she told. That would've taken a hell of a long time.
I saw those pictures of death cap mushrooms being weighed today and I was thinking - did they mention that evidence during the trial reporting?! Because that seems like pretty damning evidence.
- They did - the defence brushed it off as "she was just interested".

Muting people on my Insta excessively posting about being in Europe. I’m happy for them and all, and yes I’m jealous, but I don’t need to see daily stories & every-other-day profile posts about your trip.

I need to liven this place up a bit.

What would be the worst gift someone could give you?

Me: Tickets to a musical.

A Mariah Carey Christmas special DVD
- Fuck. Imagine getting that for Kris kringle.
- Upvote. Upvote. Upvote.
I once got a pair of Donald Trump socks. Complete with a little turf of hair at the top. They were part of a "Shit Present" gag gifting thing, but they were the most awful and was so happy to swap it for a book of dad jokes.
- 🤮
  They needed to be buried at cross road somewhere far far away.
One Christmas an aunt gave me a ceramic oil burner cork with some wick through it. Just the cork and wick. No oil. No bottle. I was about ten. Straight to the op shop.
Today I guess an ex rocking up with the gift of a child.
More locally, hoppy hipster IPA beers. I like plain beer: aldi blonde, Heineken, corona, Carlton dry.
I was highly unimpressed with being given a calculator and apron for the next school year. Also a 20+ year old hairdryer. A hot pink thong (hilarious 🙄). And a cheap bench mixer bought in a January sale so it had 2 weeks warranty
I did like the kitten
Lifetime supply of fanta
(I can't metabolise it, my stomach rejects it instantly. Along with anything I've eaten in the past 24 hours)
Sunscreen lol
- Don't laugh dude, skin cancer among darker skinned people who think they're good is actually a real problem
Rollercoaster or theme park tickets
Bottle of Johnny Walker Red (or any JW bottle). Shit's barely fit for human consumption.
- 😂
Karaoke Machine
- Yeah, useless these days especially when can project the lyrics on to the telly and hook your mic to a set of computer speakers like a fucking pro.
All you can eat tickets to a baked bean festival
- I wouldn't mind that as long as there's toast to go with.
I know having received them.
Gold class movie tickets and gift vouchers for David Jones/Myers.
- Why are these the worst?
I got given a calendar with spelling mistakes in it once (Temu). Some other gifts:
top with random anime on it that neither I nor the giver knew (her mother bought it)
an avocado (I actually used this one)
live laugh love Kim Jong Un banner (best gift ever)
two chickens, which lead to my chicken eating hiatus. Dad gave them away after a year because mum said they shit too much.
toilet paper with puzzles on it
things to do while you poo book by "Hugh Jassburn"
- things to do while you poo book by “Hugh Jassburn”
  Push? Grunt? Consider more fibre in your diet?
An expensive, gourmet coffee cake. I really hate coffee.
I was given such a cake at work many years ago and felt obliged to eat a piece to be polite. They meant so well. It was so revolting.
- I'd step on people to get a gourmet coffee cake.
a religious cult book or religious cult leader portrait
a book of happy motivational sayings
a house next to my MIL

What a horrid day to have to venture outside.

Aight so it looks like this whole workshop thing is going ahead but now I have no idea what to quote. All sorts of insecurities popping up. It's a ~3 hr in person workshop with 50km return travel (30-40 mins each way) for about 3-4 professionals. It will be mostly hands on demonstration and troubleshooting, not much prep or materials required. I might need to look into a couple of the app's functions I haven't explored much but that would benefit my job as well so I wouldn't count that time spent.

I'm thinking I should be compensated at least the equivalent of what I get paid for a whole day of regular work (inc. super), since I can't do my regular job the entire day, and maybe a 25% loading. That's 600 rounded up, no GST. Hopefully that seems fair?? I don't feel like enough of a grown up to ask for this, but fuckit. I can try

E: ugh I forgot I'd need to pay 32% personal income tax on that. Or 15% if I chuck it in super... 600 is starting to sound very justifiable

If you're invoicing a corporation I'd go for a cool $1000.
- Woof, I did originally think 600 would be a minimum but an hourly rate of 133 (or real billable rate of 250/hr) is probably on par with what many people running workshops for companies do. I will definitely have a think.
Don't forget you have to prep the workshop (it will take longer then you think, just to learn the app yourself and make notes on how to walk people through and good demos). and maybe do a followuo (email a summary or something). If it takes 6 hours to prep a 3 hour workshop + travel then you are ~12 hours time. 90-100 bucks an hour is cheap for most trainers . I would go for 1000 as a baseline
Of course this totally depends on the value to the customer? Non profit or micro biz or then yep 600 is fine. Is it for giant mining company with bucks to spare - they won't blink at 3000.
Also if this is the sort of thing people do training for have a scout online and see what others charge for similar training
- Also noone will laugh at you for 600. If that's what your gut says it's ok
- Fair points, I luckily don't need to learn that much about the app myself as I use it a lot at my current workplace (I was approached precisely because I have experience with it). I was intending on keeping it fairly loose, just a few key points on a whiteboard and then demonstration and troubleshooting/answering questions. I could tie it in with another question they have which I said I didn't know how to resolve with the current app but I could look into it and charge them for it...
  ...okay so uh full disclosure it's actually my former workplace (minus very difficult people who are no longer there) that wants to engage me. Yes, my current bosses are amazingly ok with this idea lol. I think my ex colleagues asked me because they know I'm 100% familiar with their existing setup (I did most of it) and therefore how best to translate that to this app. I won't actually create the setup for them, apparently they're most of the way through it, but help them figure it out themselves.
  They're now part of a rather big org and gotten the green light from higher up, so they could afford a chunk, but I also don't want to work that hard or set up high expectations! That said, everything is inflated these days. I shall have a look at what those pros are charging for similar services and adjust accordingly, great tip.

It’s cold tonight, I can feel it.

Yeah, I could feel the draughts a whole room over 😭
- Electric water bottle saves the day!

Goodnight all ❤️

Night night!
Goodnight. May you have sweet happy dreams. 😊

I had too much coffee... several hours of indigestion and burping later, I'm still wired and tired, deep in rabbit holes over what constitutes an employee vs independent contractor for the purposes of superannuation guarantee... and how to word contracts so as not to hand over IP or be stuck in exclusivity classes...

Getting my daughters room painted tomorrow. Any advice on what to use to hang pictures, etc on the wall? I want to avoid using blue tack or anything that could pull paint like it has this time around?

Own or rent?
- Own
Anything you use will damage the finish eventually
What material is the wall made of? How heavy are the things you want to hang?
- It's plaster. And just posters and other paper stuff. Nothing heavy.

Just catching up with some world news

😞

Windy.

I thought the house might blow away at some points. There was definitely a lot of rattling coming from everywhere.
The morning dog walk was quite short this morning. I'm not sure if all the wind brings extra smells for Mr Woof or if it blows them all away, but he seems fairly unperturbed by the wind. Maybe because he's low to the ground it doesn't hit him as much. It does give him a very streamlined look instead of his normally fluffy cloud appearance.
Pretty yucky heading outside for a site visit just now, thankfully the rain's not here yet...
Making for a few cranky people around the office today!

I'm thinking tonight might be a risotto night.

I stupid forgot about the rice being in the rice cooker being on warm and left it all night.

Least to say 1 serving of rice was lost :(

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

Full English breakfast please. Include the mushrooms. I trust you.
- 🍳🍳🥓🍗🌭🍄🍄‍🟫^🍄^🍄‍🟫🫘🥔🍅🍞☕️
Combination soup please
- 💿📼🍲
I'll take the Friday special please - extra friday-ey
- 🍫🥩🍜

very windy tonight 💨