OCD

It is both amusing and frustrating to watch someone with obsessive compulsive tendencies. I can see how it effects work productivity, but I don't want to say anything for fear of offending them, especially because the quality of work produced is great. I know they could work faster, though, if they didn't obsess over everything being perfectly straight, lined up to the millimeter. I'm not sure if they notice me watching as they tap on in-trays and tape dispensers, but I see and hear it. The only real issue I have with it is when we're clearly busy, yet lining things up seems to take a priority.

My dilemma is: do I say something? To them, to the manager?

I also wish to mention that Jesse is currently a pirate. He has somehow grazed his eye (how do you do that??) and is now wearing an eye patch. It amuses me more than it worries me.

Letters

Yesterday I rediscovered the joy in letter writing. It felt good to sit down and compose a letter in my own handwriting to a couple of close friends. I know they will feel excited when they receive them, as I do when I receive mail that doesn't require a payment.

It made me think about how much we have lost the art of handwriting. My hand was quite sore after writing the letters, and I took a few breaks. I do a bit of hand writing at work, but definitely not a lot. Writing was an important learning step in our schooling, but now, with computers being taught from such a young age, are the next generation learning this skill?

Dean Koontz

I have been reading a few Dean Koontz novels lately, and have been enjoying myself quite thoroughly. The last four I've read I've barely been able to put down. They are thrillers, and a bit different from the normal type of novel I read. They are all based around the mind; manipulation, enhancement, supernatural and psychic abilities.

One I read was False Memory, about brainwashing, and how a highly reputed psychiatrist was able to gain complete control of people's minds and make them do his bidding. Given his egotistical and sociopath tendencies these tasks turned into murders and suicides. It is only once our main characters start noticing segments missing in their own lives and sudden onset autophobia (fear of yourself) and the apparent suicide of a best friend (who had sudden onset agoraphobia), that suspicions are raised.

It made me think about mental illness. Mental illness is spoken about a lot more often than it used to. Yet, in my experience it still isn't discussed a lot. Perhaps it's just me, and the circles in which I socialise, are sheltered, but I feel like it isn't. As I'm reading through the book, I vividly imagine what the characters are going through and feel the fear and confusion they are going through (the sign of a good writer and my active imagination). I imagined feeling her autophobia, I imagined my life if I had agoraphobia; it would be horrible, and unbearable.

In False Memory the signs of the mental illness were obvious; panic attacks and extreme behaviour. But it was the little things that led to the discovery of the underlying reason.

I am recommending Dean Koontz's books at the moment. So far, in the last 2 weeks I have read 5 of his novels. False Memory, By the Light of the Moon, Fear Nothing, Sole Survivor and Odd Hours (I will finish this one today).

Quick Update...

Wow, it has come to my attention that I haven't posted a blog in a long time. To be honest I haven't really felt motivated to write anything. This last week I have been sick with a virus, starting last weekend, when I was supposed to be with Rosie at her Tupperware party. Monday I was off work, Tuesday and Wednesday I managed to get through the days, and Thursday - Sunday I was confined almost exclusively to the house. I got through 3 hours of work today before being sent home. Hoping to make a whole day tomorrow. It has made me realise how awesome Jesse is, always with a hug, a kiss, and a word of encouragement.

Anyway, on Sunday Jesse and Collie flew to Melbourne and drove back with our new car - a 2003 Corolla Sportivo! So now we can stop putting so many km's on the Mini to avoid dropping the price even more - do you know anyone who wants a 2002 Mini Cooper, ad's up on carsales.com.au.

What I have to look forward to at the moment is Jesse birthday weekend in Renmark - it's going to be awesome fun! We've had a great lot of responses and I'm super excited. Anyway, this is all I can manage to write for now.

Phone calls

I had an interesting thought the other day about phone calls. For some people they can be scary, daunting, not knowing what to say and dreading freezing and not being able to answer a question or think of something to respond. For others it is second nature, an essential part of their working life.

I remember back to when I was in high school, scary to think that it was 5 years ago. I recall hour long and more phone calls with friends after school and/or after dinner even when I've spent all day with them. Since finishing high school this seems to have changed, and I wonder if it is just me. Instead I am able to see what my friends are up to every moment of the day via social networking. It started with MSN, instant messaging, then progressed to MySpace, then Facebook, and in the future it might be Twitter and Google+ or something else that is developed.

So now, in the age of social networking, have we lost the skill of a social phone call for the sake of a phone call?

Weddings

It seems as though weddings will frequent our friendship circle on a regular basis in the coming months and over the next couple years. On Saturday I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in Rosalie's wedding (she was a bridesmaid in mine). For the middle of winter, she couldn't have had more perfect weather. It was a beautiful sunny day (albeit with a top of 14*C so it was freezing still), but in the sun wasn't as bad.

The day went (from my perspective) perfectly. Hair and makeup were done in plenty of time, the flower girls were all well behaved. No one tripped walking down the aisle, the bride had her voice back, the boys were wonderful gentlemen, and there were plenty of Mann jokes! Despite the pain of frozen and defrosting feet, shivering through the bridal party photos, it was good fun.

The reception hall looked so good too! It was so much nicer than it had been for my 21st, and (no offence to my mother) but the food was so much better!! For a cocktail style reception there was so much food - all of it delicious. Rosie put together an amazing day, and I hope she was pleased with how it all came together.

Books from shops?

It may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, especially for someone like me, who will read almost anything I get my hands on. But yesterday I went into an actual bookstore and bought books. Normally I buy them online because it's cheaper (or Big W and Kmart). I source them from both within Australia and from the UK. It was good to go into a store and browse through the books on the shelves and buy books and authors I've never heard of to see what they're like. I even bought a book of selected poetry from a poet I studied in Year 12 at school, my English teacher would be so proud.

It was the highlight to my day, which included a doctors appointment to get a new prescription, a trip to Transport SA to change my name and address on my licence, and then as I got home and started the dishwasher and washing machine the power went out. Oh joy. But it came back on in time for me to cook dinner.

Our housewarming last weekend was good fun. It was great to catch up with everyone that was able to make it. Luckily it was fairly easy to clean up the next day. Glasses in the dishwasher, rubbish into bags, empty bottles in for refund & recycling. I'm getting the hang of this dishwasher business.

This is really quite a trivial post.