Stuff...

I'm filling in time (can you tell?) waiting for the plasterer to turn up. He said he'd be back this morning to sand back his fine work. Rather him than me, but I can't paint til he's done that.

The big news that I haven't blogged about so far is that I have a new job.

No more road/rail safety for me. Did you guess that was what I did? Well I don't anymore. So make sure you bloody well drive safely, don't speed, do up your seatbelt, don't drink and drive, rest when you're tired, put the cell phone down, and STOP at level crossings. All right?

I left that world with a heavy heart, but the new job is a great opportunity. So off I went to save the world from something else. There were heartfelt farewells that moved me to tears (but I'm a soppy kinda girl I guess), a gorgeous clock and photo frames, very nice letters of thanks from important people, and then a welcoming ceremony (a mihi whakatau) at my new place which was beautiful and humbling (me? they're talking about me?).

It was weird being the newbie, going from being the expert surrounded by friends, to knowing sod all, surrounded by strangers. So after 5 weeks of getting settled, sorting out my chair and the printer drivers, reading everything ever written about the subject in question, and getting to enjoy the company of some great new people....they seconded me to another job.....for 18 months. Which is a long time.

So now I've been at new job no. 2 for two weeks. And again, dealing with figuring out where to get off the bus, what to wear, who to have coffee with, plus how to deal with two email addresses, and two diaries. I thought scoring new job no. 1 was pretty stunning, but new job no. 2 is going to be fabulous. I have a gorgeous office with a great view. There are high profile movers and shakers filling my days (and turning out to be just lovely to be hanging out with) and best of all there are deeply philosophical and academic questions to be researched and debated and written about. I am, quite frankly, pinching myself, this is a dream job for a policy adviser in this little city. It's a bit of a bugger that I can't tell you what it is, but we don't blog about work, no we don't.

Is it any wonder I'm feeling a tad worn out and weepy today! I should've gone swimming, but I was saving my energy for painting, which will be an all day/evening effort. I shouldn't talk with that handy man into the wee small hours either.

Bloomin plasterer still isn't here, so I'm going shopping for tiles and test pots. You may be called upon to decide the paint colour.