Saturday mish mash

Sadly, the wonderful camera I used to take all the photos on my Snapshots blog, has been dying a slow death - at such a young age too! I've had it less than 3 months, and it's started going out of focus, the shutter was slowing down, and the macro option was just blurring everything, so I took it back to where I bought it today.

At first, they didn't get the part of the conversation where I told them I would be giving it back to them and leaving with a different one. Somehow, one of the camera department guys overstepped the manager and said he'd help. I ended up paying $150 difference, which is more than I really can afford right this second, but overall, I got a $700 digital camera for less than $500, plus some extras thrown in for free - it pays to look like you're really distressed but trying to be calm about it. LOL, well really I am distressed because I can't really afford it now, but I didn't have much choice. I just have to learn how to use the damn thing.

I don't normally venture to the shopping centre on the weekends, especially not in the middle of the day. It always surprises me how many people are out and about. What I don't understand the most, are the people who can go in the morning and wander around all day. Don't they have better things to do? Like blog, ha! Where do they get all the money from to just go from store to store, impulse buying, and how can they do it every week? Or the ones who seem to be wandering aimlessly around, with no agenda....what's the appeal in that? Maybe everyone else knows something I've not been privy to so far. Whatever it is, I walked out of there without anything for my dinner and without any food for my cats. Clearly, mixing with the crowds and trying to figure out what they're all doing there, disables me from carrying out my own purpose for being there.

Thankfully, we have late night shopping here and I can venture out way after dark and do the things I need to do - with no crowds around. This is one area in which I'm going to suffer greatly when I move to Perth. They only do late night shopping one night a week, which means the shops are always busy. Just the thought of it makes me want to get there and stock up, nuclear war style, with jumbo packs of everything in a bunker, so I don't have to go out so often. Am I sounding agoraphobic yet? T says it's just that I am anti-social. Hmmm....

Speaking of T, I'll be flying over to Perth for 8 days on Tuesday. It'll be nice to see him, but this visit is also going to be the meet the family and friends trip. Not sure how I feel about that. I do feel a pressure to perform and to live up to their expectations of who and how I might be. T hasn't had a girlfriend for a long time, so I know I'll be under pretty intense scrutiny. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

I don't think I've ever done so much travelling in just a few months before. That's one good thing about working in a school....the holidays are frequent and a good excuse to get away while I can.

I haven't broached the subject of taking 3 months off work with my boss yet. I'm going to wait till late May at least, to talk to him about it. With my long service leave, holiday leave, and two sets of school holidays happening in those three months, I can't see it being too much of a problem. The asking bit is already worrying me, as much as I try not to let it.

In fact, a lot of things are starting to overwhelm me. None of them detract from the fact that I want to and am looking forward to going to Perth. It's the bit where I have to plan and get things organised, including finances and a job, that is getting to me. I operate so much better when I have less time to think. If I knew a month out that I had to pack up and go, I'd be fine. Knowing so far in advance, but not really being able to do all that much yet, but plan, has me over-thinking everything and driving myself insane. Somehow, I have to learn to stop that.

There was more oddness while I was driving about today, although not as odd as the wheelchair guy pushing himself backwards up-hill the other day. I drove to a camping store to look for something T wanted me to buy for him. I went in, looked around, asked for it, they didn't have it, so I left. Driving back home, a whole section of the street I'd driven down moments before had been shut off by police. I couldn't see what exactly had gone on, except that a police car seemed damaged at the front and another vehicle that looked like a construction site vehicle, with compartments for tools etc, was parked up on the footpath with all its doors and other compartments open, and there was stuff on the street. Not really too unusual......except that the entire block was shut off to traffic and there were about ten or so police cars and vans and policemen putting tape and markers all over the street. I felt like I was driving through some Law & Order type crime scene, but without the visible blood and guts. If it wasn't illegal to use your phone while driving, I would have taken photos to post here.

And just to finish off this Saturday afternoon bunch of much ado about nothing, a reminder to drop by my blog tenant via the link in my sidebar, before he moves out. Go on, click on the link. You'll be doing me and him a favour. :-)