adventuresofanaussieragdoll

Well, it’s just over a week since my last post. So I am going to try to post here on a more regular basis. Mind you I have said that before, haven’t I?

Well my mood has improved a bit this week. Not massively, but a bit. I applied for 8 jobs on Wednesday. I am only required to apply for 6 jobs per fortnight. Some fortnights I have applied for up to 16 jobs per fortnight. We’ll see how things go.

It’s still difficult. The constant applying for jobs and only rarely being called for an interview is very soul destroying. I had an agency tell me last week, as feedback, that I didn’t have formal qualifications. I pointed out that I have Business Administration Certificate III and Business (Legal) Administration Certificate III. To which he responded that they have people straight out of high school with Diploma qualifications. I then pointed out that they wouldn’t have almost 40 years work experience to back up those qualifications, but I do! It’s just another example of the ageist attitudes that some employers have against people like me. They can’t see the fact that we can do the job, that we have not only the qualifications but that we have the practical work experience required in order to do the work. All they see is that we are over 50 (or in some cases, over 40) and so they don’t want to know. They think we can’t do the work and they won’t even try. Instead they employ the young person who won’t stay at the employer for very long. Maybe a year or two at the most. I am happy to stay for 10 years. This would put me at beyond retirement age by then. But I want to get to Long Service Leave again before I retire. But the longer it takes the longer past retirement age I will be in order to achieve that goal.

My weight is fluctuating again. Sigh. This is another reason I want a job. I could then reactivate my gym membership and then go for a swim a few times a week, until my weight comes down to a more reasonable level so I can do some more strenuous exercises.

The clutter is not under control. I still don’t have the full motivation to deal with it. I am thinking about asking my Relief Society President for help. But I just worry about that. The last time I had help (many years ago), things were done that I didn’t agree with and things were thrown out that I needed (a refund cheque that I hadn’t have a chance to bank yet, for one). So I am a bit hesitant to ask for help for that reason. But the thing is, I can’t find my passport! The last time I definitely know that I had it was in December, a couple of weeks before Christmas, when I went to an employment agency at Burwood for an interview. I had it with me to prove I an an Australian Citizen and eligible to work here. So I know I had it then. I have a vague recollection of putting down somewhere in the house and thinking at the time, that I would leave it there for a short time before putting it away in a more permanent place. I am hopeful that that vague recollection is right and that it was after the Burwood interview. It’s just that I can’t find it at the moment. I have searched in the logical places, but I can’t see it. So I am hopeful that I have just put something on top of it and it is hiding here in the house. Besides, I like the wallet that it is in. It was a gift for my 21st birthday (many years ago now) from a friend before my very first overseas trip. Plus, my very expired Canadian passport is also in the wallet!

If I don’t get a new job soon, I may just have to tell my Superannuation find that I have ‘retired’ to access my money. Then I can get the things done around the house that need to be done. Like the peeling paint on the walls and ceiling in the kitchen/dining room and the bench tops which are lifting in places. Both bedrooms need painting, and the ceilings in both bedrooms need professional work because of the water damage, including the mould on the ceiling in the master bedroom from the 1999 hailstorm. There are a couple of other things I would like to do such as rewiring the house and tiles on the floor of the toilet and laundry… and maybe in the kitchen area……. Ideally I would like to get rid of the carpet and polish the floorboards. I have Cypress Pine floorboards which I know are in good condition (and termites hate them) and they would look good if they were exposed. Problem is, I don’t think there will be enough money to do everything. I also will need some of the money to pay the balance of my trip next year (and some spending money). Sigh. So the priority areas to be targeted are kitchen/dining room, the bench tops and the bedrooms and the trip. Once the house is fixed up, I could then look at having someone come live with me to help with the bills. The condition the house is in at the moment, that it not really an option. Problem is, the house is not in a condition to be able to ask someone to pay to live here and I need money in order to have that work done, which I could get if someone was here…. The definition of a Catch 22, I think. Anyway, I need to get the clutter under control first. The painter wouldn’t be able to get to the walls at the moment. I can’t do the work myself, because I have 9ft ceilings in this house, with decorative cornices, so it needs a professional who will have the equipment and skills to be able to do the needed work.

Well, I think that is all for this week. Talk to you again soon.