Author: Melissa

Last photo of Darcey, 27 Jul 2008. He and his sister Phoebe were born 7 Sept 1995 and lived with my parents all their lives. Both euthanised 20 Aug 2008 due to old age and health problems. RIP little buddies.

Lately I’ve been composing cover letters, resumes and selection criteria statements for job applications and I feel good. The process of writing about myself, selling my skills and abilities, listing examples which back it all up, has really reinforced a positive self-image.

Another confidence builder I’ve been experiencing lately is my volunteer work at the dog pound. Lately we’ve had a couple of very strong dogs who have been quite naughty and difficult to handle. I’ve faced the challenge by being kind but firm with them, and the approach has worked really well.

At work this week I am busy writing grant submissions. The usual negative self-talk (“I can’t do this”, “it’s too hard” etc) is noticeably absent. Instead I’ve been thinking “I can do this” – and have made some real headway with the work.

It’s such a good feeling, I wish I could bottle it!

The local paper has produced a swathe of part-time admin jobs recently, so the project this weekend is to revamp my resume and send off some applications. I’ve been doing a bit of research on the net about how to make my resume more effective. I was intrigued with this one on Youtube:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKQUYFSz6o8&hl=en&fs=1]

Some helpful sites:

• Lifework Transitions – Career assessment exercises
• Career Monster – Resources for admin job seekers (where I found brainybetty.com)
• Career Strides – Really excellent sample cover letter and resume

Since a couple of the jobs are with government departments and follow a stricter format, I purchased a couple of e-books by Vanessa Jordan, discovered via my Google-based research. They’ve proven an excellent investment. Vanessa has sat on selection panels, so she knows exactly what government departments are looking for. I thought I was pretty cluey, but there are some very practical tips I would not have thought of and I am very pleased with the material I have been able to prepare as a result of following Vanessa’s helpful guidelines.

Jo amused me yesterday with her comment about having “Harry Potter burnout”, as she has read J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter books so many times over. I’ve heard some news about the final next movie Half Blood Prince, the release is going to be delayed until next July. A lot of disappointed fans out there who were looking forward to the November release.

Jo and I went and saw The Dark Knight at the cinema yesterday. Although I’m not a huge fan of super hero movies I thought this was worth seeing. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was particularly brilliant and thought provoking – the baddie even other villains are wary of.

The story, like the title, is dark. Batman and the Joker are two of a kind at opposite ends of the morality spectrum. Both outside the system of law and order that holds back a reign of chaos. Each character is grotesque in his own way – Batman will do anything to preserve the system, the Joker will do anything to bring it down.

Sound was an effective device used in the movie – when Batman landed a punch you could almost hear the villain’s bones crunching. The thing that most struck me though was the vocal change when Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) switched to his Batman persona. When he donned the batsuit, Wayne put on a deep, husky voice with menacing undertones.

Jo reckoned this was a big improvement on the old TV series, where Batman and Bruce Wayne spoke exactly the same way (bit of a give away to his secret identity). However I couldn’t help seeing this Batman being turned into a parody of TV ads for Fisherman’s Friend and Butter Menthol throat lozenges.

A nice surprise in the movie was Michael Caine as Alfred, Wayne’s faithful butler and “accomplice” – a far abler assistant than Robin could ever be.

Ludelle mentioned this morning the recent cruel attacks on magpies and koalas in Brisbane. Get on the internet when I get home and sure enough the story is on front page of BrisbaneTimes. A group of men aged in their twenties, nailing birds and toads to trees, and stoning koalas.

Since I’ve been helping out at the dog shelter I’ve heard a lot of stories about neglect and mistreated animals but this is just horrifying. What makes people have such little respect for life?