Jordi

I've included a different picture of our new kitten.

We decided to name the new kitten Jordi..short for Jordin. If we were to ever have a girl, we would have named her Jordan. We thought our kitten was a girl, but I did a bit of investigating, and it appears that our new addition to the family is a boy. We are going to the vet on Friday to have a first check up and to get him micro-chipped. So I'm thinking that the vet will be able to tell us for sure. But I'm 99% sure it's a boy.

Jordi is such a funny kitten. He loves his toys, and we recently gave him an old soda can box to play with. We put a dangling toy in the middle and he loves it. Jordi also will sleep with us. In between our two pillows, he usually scrunches himself there. The first night, I put him in the utility room, just to give him some peace and quiet. Also to give our other cat Charlie some peace and quiet too. But the second night, I brought Jordi to the bedroom, he scampered off, but then came back, and snuggled in between us. Jordi slept in the same spot last night. It was quite funny though, yesterday we were looking for Jordi because we couldn't find him. I went into the bedroom, and he was sleeping in between the two pillows, with the stuffed duck my mum gave me. It was such an adorable picture.

I think Jordi is still a shy kitten. Him and Charlie still don't get along really, but Jordi is getting more brave. Jordi and Charlie used to just hiss at each other and stare at each other from across the room. Now, Charlie will see Jordi and watch him, and when ever he gets close, she'll hiss and growl at him. Jordi used to arch up his back and hiss back, but now he'll sort of growl, and arch up...but he'll start purring. It's quite funny I think. I'm hoping Charlie and Jordi will get along eventually, but I'm not sure how Charlie will fare.

First day of freedom

Well, technically, Saturday was my first day of freedom. And might I say how stress free I've been since Friday night?

My last day at work was sad, and exciting. Unfortunately on Thursday I woke up with a massive headache. Then Friday, I woke up with a pretty upset stomach. I think the reality of me quitting and being unemployed was sinking in. But Friday was good. I was able to have a "team" lunch to just have a chat and relax. Friday arvo, we had a small "afternoon tea" and I got a great card, and a gift voucher. I spent a lot of the day saying goodbye to people. I know I should have been doing my work, and I still did (I only had 3 pieces of mail left in my mail tray).

I woke up Saturday morning, at 7:45...I could hardly believe that I was actually up. But I woke up, and sat and wrote a bunch of thank you emails to everyone who I felt made a positive influence during my time at my job. It gave me time to reflect on just how important the friendships I made, and just how I may have impacted others. I know with working for a big company, it's hard to get close to people...but I did that.

I woke up this morning, and was sort of sad...knowing that I wasn't going to work. But I was happy that 1) I could sleep in and 2) happy I didn't go to work, after hearing about the shooting in the Melbourne CBD. I would have been already at work (as I am an early riser), but all day I kept thinking "I hope people at the other office are okay."

Part of me is excited about trying to find a new job, but part of me is already stressing. Finding work is such a daunting job, especially trying to find a job in a different country. I was fortunate enough to get the job I did, because a friend of my partner worked at my job, in a different department. I will be very grateful for the job and experience while at my job, and I thought I would be there for a couple of years.

This "friend" of my partners, that referred me to my last job, told my partner I should have asked for a transfer to a different team. But the team wasn't the problem or issue, in fact, FAR from it. It was the work load, and the high expectations I put on myself. I sort of feel like this friend made me feel like I was "copping" out and "quitting." And maybe I was. But I was seriously unhappy. Maybe I've been unhappy for a number of reasons, and it wasn't just the work pressures. And maybe I should have stuck it out, but I tried. And unfortunately it didn't work out.

I know there are a lot of jobs out there...it's just a matter of selling myself. I know I have to have more confidence in myself too. I tend to lack in that department ::snickers:: I do think thou, that part of me is stressing about finding work because I don't know what it is I want to do. I mean, I know I want to go back to social work and working with other people. But the social work/human services department is a bit different here.

I feel like all of my jobs have just been "jobs..." but nothing in terms of a career move. When I came back from Australia in 2002, I got a job in social work. But I got the job, with the idea that this wasn't going to be a long term job. It was going to be something that would give me work experience until I could move to Australia. I was hoping that my last job would have been a job I could really grow into.

Awww, I better stop, before I get myself all worked up. I told myself I'd relax this week...and I need to do that ::laughing lightly::