Day 1

Well, I've finished day 1. It saw me get through some basic stuff. But the biggest news is that the place is a veritable rabbit warren. All we need now is rabbits. Interestingly, when I went down to the security dude in the basement, I noticed a phone number on the wall for a dog-catcher... Interesting. Rabid dogs racing through the hallways, bared teeth, leaving a path of glistening slobber; I can see it now.

At least my photo id is better than my driver's licence photo.

Sam and Mel's wedding

I spent last weekend in Adelaide for Sam and Mel's wedding. So there are now two Mel Nugterens, but the confusion won't last long as the original Mel Nug is getting married in, I think, 39 days (according to her mother).

Anyway, it was a rather large family event, with converging on Adelaide from all over Australia and New Zealand. Of course, there was a very Dutch flavour too.

I was very well looked after - billeted out to family friends and then I shared in the aftermath with Mel's parents.

The reception was great - the gift of dance was used delightfully, while the speeches were a real mix of light-heartedness and emotion and the cousins performed some musical tributes to the happy couple.

Not being a camera person, I think the best bet is to wait until we get some posted on Facebook...

Job Details

So, I finally landed a job. It's in the renewable energy section of Hydro Tasmania Consulting, mainly focusing on wind energy, and doing consulting work for Roaring 40s and the like (not sure who exactly "the like" is.). So, they want me to start straight away, so my sustained holiday is coming to an end - which is a little sad. But I've got a job doing stuff that I'm interested in, which is not necessarily what I'd be doing if I'd got a job earlier. So I thank God for that.

I was meant to be going to Perth for the start of next week for a site visit with Rio Tinto, but I've had to withdraw from the process. I would have loved, if nothing else, to see the mine and get a feel of how it all works up there. I suppose it's a bit of a mystery to me. But that's life, and things have fallen into place really nicely. So time to celebrate.

Pfft

Have you ever noticed that you're running up a gruelling hill, the most horrific grimace plastered across your face and you run past someone, just out walking the dog or taking their kid for a walk in the stroller. And they're always frowning. But as soon as they see you, all of a sudden they brighten up and pull out this massive grin.

Taking pleasure in other people's pain... it all seems a bit harsh really.

Another Interview

I've noticed that it's all the hard, non-curriculum things about uni that you talk about during an interview. It's about all the difficult people you've worked with, about the tough assignments that don't add up the way that they should and about the insanity of the work load a fortnight after mid-semester break. And because you have a piece of paper which says Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, it means that you have a happy ending, and so they're all happy.

But, you're still not guaranteed a job because you don't stand out, or you do stand out, or you have wavy hair, or heaven forbid, curls.

Meant to be in Perth next week doing a site visit to the Rio Tinto mine in the Pilbara, and then I hear back from Hydro about my interview. It's all happening, as they say.