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Architecture Job Search

I feel really sorry for my friend. She’s just finished six years of study to become an architect and now she’s really struggling to get a job. It’s such a competitive industry and it’s really hard to break into if you haven’t got experience under your belt. But, how do you get experience when no one wants to give you a chance? It’s an impossible challenge and it sets young people up for failure (like a lot of things these days). 

Back in the old days, people would be able to just walk straight up to the top commercial architecture firms and say they were looking for a job. It was that simple. If you looked the part, seemed eager and wanted work, you got work. Nowadays, you need to have five years of experience by the time you graduate just to get an interview. My poor friend – I feel so disheartened for her. It would be so hard to be in her position. 

I work in a different industry to my friend, one that is also really hard to get into but not as hard as beginning work as an architect. One of the main issues with trying to get a job as an architect is that it’s so competitive. Seriously, my friend is up against candidates that have worked or interned at the most established residential architects Brighton has to offer. Yes she’s done six years of study and she’s incredibly talented, but when you have on your resume that all you have done is study and someone else has on their resume that they worked at the best residential architecture firm in Brighton, it’s kind of hard to compete.

I hope my friend is able to get her foot in the door somehow, somewhere. She’s worked so hard and she deserves recognition for her work. I’ll let you guys know how she goes.

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Sailing The Seas

The next thing I need to do in order to prepare mine and my wife’s boat for our trip up the coast is to get the snapper racks checked over. If we need new snapper racks then I want to know now because I don’t want any of them breaking and then my wife and I are unable to feed ourselves when out in the middle of nowhere. I think I might purchase new stainless steel snapper racks from Melbourne before we leave just so I know for sure that my wife and I will be able to catch fish. My wife and I are much better fishers than we used to be (thankfully). We wouldn’t have been able to travel by ourselves in a boat for weeks on end if that wasn’t the case. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing where our travels will take us. We have a destination in mind, likely somewhere on the Queensland coast that is a happy medium between a beach holiday and a rainforest holiday. Doesn’t that sound incredible? We’re about to be living the dream without a care in the world and I am so looking forward to spending every moment with my beautiful wife. She is my world and even after all these years I am more in love with her than ever. I am so thankful that I get to spend every day with her doing what we love together. Sailing the high seas might not sound appealing for most people, but it’s the best thing that could ever happen to me.

I’m glad I got a professional boat catch installation performed on our boat last week. As I said in my last blog post, I don’t want my wife and I to drift away when we’re supposed to be in a harbour somewhere. I want to wake up every morning and know exactly where we are.

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Mum’s Nursing Debate

‘How is this helpful again?’ I frowned, flipping open the pamphlet for the hundredth time.

‘How is it not?’ Sabrina asked excitedly.

‘Well, it’s expensive… isn’t it?’

‘Not massively,’ she shook her head. ‘I think you’ll be surprised.’

‘Why isn’t that in the brochure?’

‘The price?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged. ‘I’m interested in this community nursing provider servicing Adelaide patients because of their pamphlet-designing skills.’

‘Well,’ I sighed, tossing it onto the kitchen counter. ‘I’m just not convinced.’

‘Right,’ she said quickly, rushing over to slide into the stool next to mine. ‘What are you worried about?’

‘Community nursing?’ I screwed up my face. ‘What does that even mean?’

‘It’s just like, nursing outside of hospitals and stuff,’ she said. ‘Don’t focus on the terminology, focus on how much help it’ll give her.’

‘She’s gonna hate this,’ I said with a sigh. ‘As soon as we bring up the word “nurse”, that’s it, we’re out of the will.’

‘Since when do you care about the will?’ Sabrina joked.

‘I’m telling you, that creepy painting at the back of her closet is worth something, there’s no way my sister is getting it.’

‘Right,’ she rolled her eyes, grinning. ‘Noted. Now back to this—’

‘What’s the NDIS?’ I interrupted her.

‘What?’

‘I kept seeing it on the brochure,’ I said, reaching out to grab it again. ‘Says that they’re a reputable NDIS provider over and over again.’

‘Just means they can help people on the NDIS,’ Sabrina explained. ‘Have you not heard of the NDIS?’

‘I don’t follow politics,’ I shrugged.

‘That’s not actually a character trait,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, it’s the government program to make sure disabled people can get all the help they need.’

‘Ooh boy,’ I chuckled. ‘You want to throw the word “nurse” and “disabled” into one conversation with my mother? What you’ve just outlined is the cause of your death.’

‘She’s not that irrational,’ Sabrina protested.

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Tattooist Retreat

‘Reach inside yourself,’ the monk chanted slowly, his soothing tones drifting effortlessly through the temple. ‘Find your inner calm.’

‘Ow! Son of a—’

I gritted my teeth in pain as the tattoo needle stabbed into my skin again and again, ignoring the withering looks from the disciples all around me.

‘Find your inner calm, friend,’ the monk at the head of the temple said, kindly.

‘Easy for you to say,’ I glared. ‘You’re not getting tattooed by a sadist!’

The acolyte standing over my back with the traditional tattooist needles didn’t say anything to that, but I’m sure his inner serenity was rolling its eyes at me.

‘Pray, friend,’ the monk stood up and walked towards me on bare feet. ‘Why did you come to our holy place, if not for this ritual?’

‘I didn’t know it was going to hurt so much,’ I complained.

‘Pain is merely the last vestige of the inner shadow, wrenching itself free from your body,’ the monk bowed his head and clasped his hands together.

‘No, pain is the nerves in my skin telling me I’m being butchered by an amateur!’

The monk cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow at me.

‘I assure you, Zhong is one of our very best. He has, in fact, tattooed me on several occasions.’

‘An honour,’ Zhong bowed his head at the monk, who reciprocated the respectful gesture.

‘Well, he’s not as good as any of the tattooists who design inks in Brisbane that I’ve been to,’ I frowned, getting to my feet. ‘They’ve never made me hurt so much I’ve seen God.’

A low rumbling went throughout the room. Even the ever-composed monk widened his eyes slightly.

‘What?’ I frowned. ‘I’m not allowed to leave.’

‘Please, leave if you feel you must,’ the monk gestured for the door. ‘But before you do… would you share more of your holy experience?’

‘My holy what?’ I looked around, confused. ‘Oh, that, it was just an express—’

‘What does the face of God look like?’ a woman next to me asked, eyes wide.

 

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The Best Films

You know what I think is cool? Art. Art in all forms. I especially love 2D art, and visiting museums and galleries to get access to all of this cool art. I also love going to art shows to support more underground artists who are perhaps not as well-known. My best friend is one of these underground artists. She paints abstract pieces and hangs them up in a warehouse for people to see with a small fee that ultimately pays her rent. It’s an interesting business model.

I’ve also been following this 2D animation company operating in Melbourne for a little while. They do some great work, and make some awesome short films that they post on the internet. I’ve been in contact with the owner of this company and apparently, they want to host a screening for the first time and see how it goes. I think that’s a brilliant idea. They’ve already got a decent following on social media and most of their fans seem to be local, so I can imagine a lot of them turning up for the event especially if there’s free food.

They’re a bit hesitant because they’re a small company and there would be a lot of planning and potential costs involved in hosting such an event. They’ve thought about transitioning to corporate video production because it has the potential to earn them more. I mean, I’ll support them no matter what they do since their team is filled with really kind and talented people, but I am partial to the 2D animation since that was what brought me to their company in the first place and has held my attention for the past couple of years. I have a friend who does catering professionally, so maybe I could ask them to help with the food challenge at a slightly more affordable price than usual? I shall find out!

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Nets and Knives

Before I can react, a hole opens on the underside of the ship. There’s a scraping sound, and a thin metal claw unfurls and drops a net over me. I’m trapped. I scream and thrash, but it only seems to dig the grooves of the net deeper into my skin. Even as the metal claw retracts and I am drawn into the belly of the ship, I can hear the gasps of the mermaids still cowering on the coral fields. None of them reached out to help me. They wouldn’t dare to.

This sort of sailboat print design hasn’t been seen in centuries, but everybody knows the legend of the giant squid. This ship belongs to the humans who almost single-handedly brought us to extinction. And I have just been captured by them. When the hatch slides closed beneath me, I am plunged into darkness. I start gasping for breath. I’ve never been above the surface before, so this is the first time I’ve ever breathed ordinary oxygen. Suddenly, rough hands draw me upright and a tube is shoved over my face. Fresh water floods my lungs. Now that my most immediate problem is taken care of, I gather the courage to look up.

Around me stand five humans, all with identical looks of shock on their faces. They each wear coats with the same giant squid design that is painted on their boat wrap vinyl. I’m not sure what to do. I can’t move my arms because of the nets that surround them. My fins won’t work without water. Instead, I simply stare at the humans, hoping that the expression on my face appears braver than I feel. One of them has some sort of timber and metal contraption that I’ve seen littered on the marine floor before. A knife? They reach out and use it to saw the net off my body. With my arms freed, I growl and rub at the welts on my skin. One of them smiles sadly and apologises to me. Then, I am shoved into a chair.

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Getting Free Stuff

It’s kind of crazy how many free things you can get when you ask for it. Or how many people are happy to help when you need it. It’s a nice aspect of humanity, I guess. I always try to repay those favours as a token of appreciation. One time, my neighbours volunteered to feed my fish while I was away on holiday, but they also cleaned my entire kitchen and left me food for when I came back. That was super nice of them. I volunteered to walk their dog each morning as a way to thank them.

I also received advice on the benefits of a kid’s eye test from my local optometrist after I booked my own appointment there. I’m a pretty loyal customer, and it’s nice to have that loyalty appreciated with important advice. The information about eye tests is for my twin children, who are both school age now and probably should have their eyes tested, since they haven’t had a test since they were toddlers. It’s a typical test, conducted at an optometrist’s clinic with one of those charts that has the letters and pictures on it. Adults use letters, but the pictures are mostly for children.

Our particular optometrist is an expert at performing eye tests. Located in Bentleigh, and born and raised here, so she always tries to give back to those in the area. I want to give back to her in gratitude and appreciation for her advice on eye tests by continuing to use her services. It’s no problem for me, since she is truly very talented and thorough.

I’m wondering if I can start getting products for free, or at least at a heavy discount. Maybe I can become best friends with my local bakery and get free bread every day. That would be super useful since my family goes through a lot of bread. I’ll even settle for the scraps they don’t use at the end of the day.

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Neighbourhood Remodel Watch

‘Have you seen this?’ I gestured out the window for my son Jason to come and have a look. He rolled his eyes – obedient to every teenager cliché he could find – and joined me at the parted curtains.

‘What am I looking at?’ he asked with a sigh.

‘The house next door,’ I pointed. ‘They’re moving building supplies in!’

‘So?’ he frowned. ‘Why do we care?’

‘Because it means they’re going to start remodelling!’

‘I hate to repeat myself, but why do we—’

‘Because it’s probably going to be loud!’ I interrupted. ‘And obnoxious.’

‘How annoying that must be,’ he said, shooting me a pointed look that I didn’t get until later that night.

‘I know, right!’ I cried.

‘It looks like it’s just tiles and stuff,’ Jason squinted at the construction van. ‘So it’ll just be a bathroom remodel or something.’

‘A bathroom remodel? Near me?’ I shook my head. ‘Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen a good bathroom remodel?’

‘Didn’t we get ours remodelled like three years ago?’ Jason frowned again.

‘Oh yes, but that was terrible,’ I waved his question away. ‘Your father designed it himself, so it’s never been good.’

‘Fair enough,’ Jason nodded.

‘I wonder if they’ll let me come have a peek at their plans,’ I pressed a hand to my mouth.

‘Why would they let you do that?’ Jason frowned. ‘Do you even know them?’

‘Of course, I know them!’ I insisted. ‘I know all of my neighbours.’

‘Oh yeah?’ he raised a suspicious eyebrow. ‘Name them.’

‘What?’

‘Name the people that live in that house,’ he pointed. ‘First or last name of either of them.’

I squinted in silence for a second, flipping through my mental Rolodex.

‘Maybe I can pretend to be one of their professional bathroom designers from Melbourne and sneak in that way.’

‘Mum,’ Jason groaned. ‘Why do you have to make everything so difficult?’

‘I don’t make everything difficult!’ I protested.

‘Then leave these people alone!’ he shook his head, walking away.

‘I will, I will,’ I called after him.

Maybe if I make them a pie…

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Future of Boats

Rylee wouldn’t cry today. Cole had been gone from her life too long for that, and the body they were sending out to sea wasn’t even his true one – merely a copy. There was a sadness in her heart, but also a relief there too. Maybe now she could truly move on.

“Do it,” Rylee told Maphira.

Her sister released the boat latch, then stood back with Rylee and Vai. Maphira wrapped her arm around Rylee’s neck, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. They stood together and watched as the aluminium box began to sink into the water of Port Phillip Bay.

“So, this is it,” Rylee said. “This is the end.”

“Care to say a few words before we head back to the bait boards for the wake?”

Rylee nodded. “A day hasn’t gone by that I didn’t think of Cole, since he left my life. He was a strange guy, obsessed with utes and their toolboxes, but he also had a kind heart that made him so easy to love. He has been, and will continue to be, missed dearly.”

With that said, the three of them headed for the bait boards, where Vai and Maphira had set up a platter of egg sandwiches, party pies and fairy bread. They ate for a time, completely silent, simply taking in the sunlight that shined down on them.

Finally, Rylee decided to break the silence. “So, I assume it’s back to the marine welding shop. Close to Melbourne, there’s plenty of demand for boat welding, so you must be quite busy, Mai.”

“Yeah, seems like it. I think people are a bit sick of mechanics these days, so a lot more people are travelling on boats. Great for business, not so great for my life being peaceful and quiet.”

Vai smirked. “Maybe the next crazy group to take over the world will be a bunch of marine welders. We better watch out, Rylee – Maphira might end up being their leader or something.”

Maphira laughed. “If I start an evil group to take over the world, you two will be my first recruits.”

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Thinking About Plumbers

Being any sort of tradesperson must be really hard work. I don’t envy them in the slightest. Long days, tough conditions and really tricky problems to solve makes for stressful work – the type of work that if you’re not careful, could take years off your life. The reason I’m thinking about this instead of doing my own work is that there are commercial gas installers at our office right now.

I’m watching them fix the gas (I assume, I could be wrong because I have no idea about anything related to plumbing) and I just don’t know how they’re maintaining their morale. It’s extremely hot today and they’ve been standing under direct sunlight for hours. I’m feeling the heat and I’m just sitting in my comfortable private office with reverse cycle air conditioning. I feel really bad for the gas plumbers, if I’m being honest.

I wonder if they’re looking forward to the long weekend just as much as I am. I assume they are, if not more. See, this long weekend is going to be great because if you take an extra four days of annual leave, it works out that you get eleven days off in a row. How great is that? I saw that would be the case on the very first day back at work this year and immediately took those four days off. I needed to get in early so that I had guaranteed time off. 

I wonder if it’s as competitive to get time off for employees of hot water repair companies servicing Melbourne as it is for general office workers in Melbourne. Maybe next time I get up to make myself a coffee with our fancy coffee machine I’ll ask the commercial plumbers if they’re looking forward to the long weekend and whether they have time off or not. I hope for their sake they do because working when most people have holidays would suck.