of cats, cars & kilos

A few of you have asked how my new job is going, about the cat, my health goals and transport to/from work and so this blog will be a 4-for-the-price-of-one progress report!

Previous Blog: I started a new job today

I’ve worked 40 hours this week and I am absolutely stuffed! How do people work full time as well as have a life these days? It is a bit of a shock to the system to suddenly add 40 hours a week to my otherwise charmed existence. I am so knackered by Thursday and the weekend is all about recovery!

I’ve had 2 weeks in my job and it is going well. It is a great job so far. Writing for this team is quite a new skill as the information is gathered from various resources such as user acceptance testing scripts, system specs, policies, business rules, and recreating scenarios on the system (which I am learning as I go). I’m finding it different to previous roles in that I just can’t go and ask someone a simple question, but have to trawl through documents to try and find stuff out – then interpret – the information. Once I have a process as accurate as I can get it, I then have to set up a workshop with a few high-level users who will give me feedback so I can go and refine it again. I haven’t done a workshop yet, but I expect to within the next week or so. My first BP (business process) is written, I have to mess with the formatting so it will upload to the next system, and then I will workshop it. Once I have my head around all the various info gathering places, and have done my first workshop I will feel a lot more confident.

Previous Blog: The hell that is public transport

This week I drove myself to/from work and parked in a car park nearby for $4 a day which is a great price. It’s been raining this week too so I was real glad I didn’t have to battle the ferry/bus system. I think the car theme is going to continue. Of course I can always use the ferry/bus if necessary, but the flexibility of taking the car is much, much better. Also I have flexible hours so having the car makes it easy to wiggle with the start/finish time every day.

I also need exactly $4 of change every day as that’s the only way to pay for the car park, and I also learned (the hard way) that I have to buy the parking ticket from the proper machine (even though there’s no sign) otherwise the ticket doesn’t indicate that paying before 9am gives me the early-bird all-day park. This cost me $8 on the first day but I’m into the groove now.

Previous Blog: button of success progress report

Due to the energy consequences of working 40 hours a week my exercise routine has suffered. I was trying to maintain it until I got ‘run-down-headache’ syndrome, mouth ulcers and a coldsore – all signs that my body needs rest. So I have to listen to my body and rest while the headache passes, and just back off slightly on the strength routine expectations each week, so that instead of backing off, I can build the intensity gradually as my body accustoms itself.

But my weight has slid in the right direction. This morning the loss since early January is now at 3.2 kilos. This means that my metabolism is still working. Learning new things boosts metabolism because it’s taxing brain-energy. My jeans are feeling more comfortable to wear now.

Previous Blog: one seriously pissed off cat

A day after the previous worming-tablet episode, Meyles found a coughed-up, soggy, half worming tablet under the coffee table. Still, the cat has been barf-less, so my attempts at feeding him tablets must’ve worked! However... Hugo (the half-puma feline) also got a good dose of ear mites which caused him considerable angst, with much shaking of head, scratching and even more irritability than normal (if that were possible). So Meyles got him some ear drops which he did not enjoy by any stretch of the imagination and after which he was creeping around the house with his tail down with a look on his face like a total victim - pissed off but powerless. After punishing us by not talking to us for a night, he started to feel better and is now sucking up once again looking for attention, so all is normal for now.

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