Author: Melissa

This has been an interesting week, the pressure has been on from several fronts and I’m having to take some very deep breaths and try to see the lighter side of it all.

The extra work from Melissa is becoming taxing, particularly since there have been speed issues on the network (upgrades in progress) and we have been handling a few extra complaints. In addition to this Melissa is wanting to launch new services and I haven’t had time to update her web site. I’ve made time to do it this evening – about halfway done.

My hosting services have been down this weekend while my provider has been performing upgrades. One site was not restored at the same time as the others – so I’ve spent most of the weekend chasing this up and placating the site owner. I noticed it came back online around 2.30pm today, but a few hours later all our sites were down again! Up again as of about 20 minutes ago, and counting..

I have another week and a bit to go before Gayle (from my other job at the hospice) goes on holiday and leaves me in charge! Thank goodness the volunteers are old hands and will hopefully help prevent too much of a disaster. I have to stop the mindset I have about not being cut out for the job, and just get stuck into it.

Hubby has been grumbling about his job too lately. Yesterday he had the brilliant idea that we should both become lighthouse keepers on some island. The alternative is to win the lotto and never again have to do things we don’t want to do..

He came home the other day with some DVDs to add to our collection – some old comedy classics, Dave Allen and Dick Emery. Gave us a bit of temporary cheer 🙂

I’m working one and a half days on the phones for Melissa these days, and handling the email enquiries that come in over weekends and Mondays. Combined with the two days a week I’m working for the Hospice it is keeping me busy. There is enough variety and contrast with the work to keep it interesting.

Hospice sent me to a local govt sponsored Grant Writing workshop last week. Was very informative and motivational. Each year in Australia there is a combined total of $10 billion available from various sources, including all levels of government, corporate and philanthropic organisations.

Grant money is there for the asking, you just have to have a suitable cause, plenty of initiative, creativity and perseverance. It also helps to imagine yourself in the place of the grant maker who is assessing your application, keeping in mind they have to read through hundreds, if not thousands of other grant applications! It doesn’t take much for an application to get the flick, if it doesn’t meet the minimum specs.

Surprised myself last week by finishing a uni assignment with plenty of time to spare. Not a testament to my time management skills I’m afraid, just luck I think. Matter of fact I am frantically trying to catch up with the course work, and another assignment is due at the end of next week. They’ve put these two assignments too close together.

Luke 17:11-19

Of the ten who are healed, one, a Samaritan (and therefore a despised ‘outsider’ to the Jewish community) returns to Jesus praising God in a loud voice. We are challenged not only to acknowledge the healing power of God in our lives, but to recognise God’s blessings in unexpected people and situations.

Jesus healed ten lepers in today’s Gospel. Only one (ten percent) came back to say thank you. I, too, have received many blessings from the Lord – indeed, all I am and all I have is gift! How and how often have I remembered to thank Him?

– Fr. John Conway

It’s my blog’s second birthday today!

Forget about the past, you can’t change it.
Forget about the future, you can’t predict it.
Forget about the present, I didn’t get you one.

I was checking out this Luminosita blog on LiveJournal (out of curiousity, since I used the same name for my own blog on Blogger). There I discovered a link to this personality test.

According to the test, I am an idealist. I never thought of myself as that but a lot of the description rings true, it seems reasonably accurate. I will have to get H to do it and see what it says about him!

The Idealist
You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.

In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings.

At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual. When other people don’t get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak.