So I have woken up this morning sick AGAIN... I'm trying not to think about it too much, but I'm pretty sure I have the same infection back that I had last time. What the heck is up with that?? I hardly ever get sick but this is the third time recently so I'm not having a good run. I think it's the stupid night shifts that are doing it to me.

Recently I blogged about work and the decision to change jobs. After some careful thinking I decided that initially it's not sensible to quit and look for something brand new- we do have pretty generous working conditions under our enterprise bargaining award, probably not something I would easily find again at this stage, such as 6 weeks annual leave per year (I guess being a public servant does have an upside now and then). And, putting it in to perspective, I think I just feel burnt out and my body just can't manage night shifts anymore. So, last week I put in an expression of interest to transfer regions.

At the moment I work in the Southern region in supported accommodation for people with severe and multiple disabilities who require high-support care. There are more community houses opening up in the Northern region due to the "devolution" of Strathmont Centre (an outdated accommodation facility where many people have been institutionalised for most of their lives- it's finally being given the heave-ho therefore residents need new places to live) so I've put in an application to transfer. This would be great as: 1) It will mean that I don't have to do nights anymore (at least not on a regular basis); 2) The shifts are 12 hours long which means I would have 7 days off per fortnight; 3) It's a permanent full-time position, which don't come along very often; 4) We're thinking about moving a bit further North anyway to be closer to James' work and my Nana who lives in a Nursing Home waaay out North who I hardly get to see anymore. There are several positions available, working in one of 4 brand new, purpose built homes with residents who have needs very similar to the needs of the people I work with now. Realistically I have a good chance of being accepted due to my qualification, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The woman who I submitted my expression of interest to called me at the end of last week to tell me she'd received my letter, but also encouraged me to think about applying for positions higher up such as a Program Coordinator position and the position of Shift Supervisor. Unfortunately I just didn't have time to apply since we did not have notification of these positions at my current worksite, therefore I had only 1 day to write 2 x applications and update my curriculum vitae... but more positions will become available in the near future. I'm technically not qualified to apply for the Shift Supervisor training at the moment anyway as even though I've completed the degree I'm not enrolled in the specific Shift Supervisor training. I've decided to apply to do this though, as even though I'm not 100% sure I want to be a Shift Supervisor (see previous blog entry where I discussed doing my manager's job for 2 weeks!) I figure it will be an added qualification and something I can utilise one way or another if I chose to stay with my current employer. So I'm feeling excited about that; the first time I have felt even vaguely enthused about work in quite a long time. The positions are due to commence in January so if I get accepted, hopefully I'll be able to finish where I am in December, then take a month of annual leave, then come home and go straight to my new job! I hope it works out, otherwise I'll be back to the drawing board.

There's the update on my work at the moment!

There's nothing new to report with James right now, he's still just cruising along! The other day he told me he was beginning to feel stressed out about the upcoming trip to the US... I just had to enquire as to what exactly he was feeling stressed about, since I had organised the itinerary, booked the flights, organised the travel insurance, updated my passport, booked the cats into boarding for a month, asked our landlord about our rental payments while we're away while he had done...? He just looked at me and laughed. Yeah, it was kind of hilarious :-) He hasn't mentioned feeling stressed since. He's doing really well at the moment though. Although he wouldn't admit it, I think he's pretty happy at work- he never complains about it and seems to look forward to going. I'm really glad for him, it's nice to see him happy and settled.

On a sadder note, our good friend Matt's Grandfather passed away in San Diego on Sunday, so he has had to take a quick trip back to the US to pay his last respects. We'll definitely miss him while he's gone, especially James! The four of us (with Emily) usually hang out at least a few times a week, so it won't be the same without him here. Emily is staying back in Australia so hopefully the time will pass quickly for her! We have a few things planned for this week, so that should be fun and hopefully take her mind off things for a while.

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I found these pics and decided it was about time I posted them... some of the "wildlife" we find around here!! The first pic is of a huntsman spider, though not dangerous, they sure are ugly!! And they jump!! GROSS! And as is their want oftentimes in the spider fraternity, after mating, the female eats the male!! The second pic is of a gecko, a little lizard who we get a lot of around here. When under threat, they drop their tails as a decoy so hopefully they manage to escape unscathed! Our cat at work unfortunately brings in a lot of gecko's minus their tails... the cat's finally outsmarted them! The third pic is a female redback spider. The females are the only ones who have the red splash. This particular redback is probably the biggest one I have ever seen (which may or may not be significant since I do try to avoid them!). Redbacks won't kill you but they do have a very nasty bite. We generally get a lot of them around here as well. I saw it right by the back laundry door, grabbed the camera and told James to put his finger by it so you could get a size perspective... this is as close as he would permit his finger to get!!