The Entrepreneur

Remember the window guy who got me blushing like a teenage girl?

Turned out that looking good was his best asset. We constructed the building according to 'Angelo's' advice, but when he came back and looked he said no, they couldn't work with that. Geoff (my partner and the builder) declared him a 'nuff nuff', assured me he had no idea about building and our search for a new window guy put us back about four months :(

After a couple of quotes and meetings we now have a guy - perhaps not a model - but who certainly knows what he's talking about.

So it was with some surprise last week that I opened an email Geoff had forwarded me from   'Angelo' (yes, I did change his name to protect the guilty!) with an unrequested quote. It was now at least 4 months since he'd said he couldn't help, and now he had great pleasure in submitting plans and a quote for.... drum roll..... $70,000!!! Laugh!! (Only because we're sorted, I confess, otherwise I may have wept.)

This wasn't just out of the ballpark of what he'd originally estimated, it wasn't even in the same galaxy! We'd have to put one of the kids on eBay for that. Ridiculous!

I emailed Geoff back suggesting he'd enjoy declining that one. He did, politely. And we assumed that was the end of it, but hell no! Here's what he got back!!

Thank you for you [sic] time in this matter and look forward to a day we can do business.

On another note, i also market a travel club, our product is called 'x' 

(I've removed it - I can't take on that kind of responsibility!)

We customise amazing holiday packages at a wholesale price

Price Pledge - 100% best price on the market or you go for free!

(Website link also removed - message me if you really, really want it!!)

I would love to know your opinion about our club, once again thank you for your time.

All I can say is I hope his knowledge of travel exceeds his knowledge of building....

Maths

I kinda like maths. I was okay at it at school and even now am fond of some decent data and stats.

I'm also aware of the tragic stat that says 47% of Australian don't have the literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills to get through everyday life. (My spelling might just put me in the category, so I'm not judging!!) There was also a news article recently that employers are fed up with appalling maths and literacy skills leading to work littered with errors.

But is it any wonder when popular TV programs like Sunrise, serve up numbers like these??

Frankly, I was horrified.

Is there anyone there at a presenter or producer level who looked at those numbers and yelled WTF???

By my reckoning, once you've saved 100% it's free - so how the heck can you save up to 5714%??

Did they have the Year 10 work experience kid doing the sums? Even then I'd expect a kid above Grade 6 to know better.

Shame Sunrise, shame.

(BTW, FYI the savings are, from top to bottom: 83%, 70%, 80% and 98%)

The person working out these equations clearly sees maths like this:

Need a laugh? Pop into the vet.

When I say 'laugh', I don't mean that slightly hysterical, nervous laugh you involuntarily emit when they tell you how much you owe them - because if you have a pet, that's axiomatic.

I seriously believe the veterinary clinic has been overlooked as a sitcom opportunity, evidenced by one of my pre-Christmas stints in the waiting room. Picture this:

A heavily decaled station wagon, with palm trees, tropical flowers, blue skies and a Paradise Pet Resort branding rolls into the car park. An extremely large man dressed in black pants and a black shirt with the resort's logo embroidered on the pocket heaves himself out of the car and lumbers in. It would have been so much funnier if he'd talked in  Little Britain-type camp voice - he didn't but you can pretend.

Good morning, he says to the girl behind the desk. I'm John from the Paradise Pet Resort.... I have a booking for Tipsy and Mr Pickles.
Ah! she replied. Yes, Tipsy is here but I haven't seen Mr Pickles this morning. Let me give his owner a call and see where he is.

She catches one of the nurses as she goes past. Could you get Tipsy ready to go to the resort, please?

She then makes the call and it's clear she has to leave a message: Hi, it's Chrissy from the vet, just wondering if Mr Pickles will be here shortly? His transfer to the resort has arrived and will be leaving in about 15 minutes. If you could give us a call that'd be great. If he doesn't make it this morning, there's another transfer on Wednesday. Thank you.

As Tipsy was brought to reception in a cage and unceremoniously slid into the back of the car, no one was laughing, everyone was very serious and business-like. You'd think they were transferring guests at The Mirage in Fiji.

Is this what they do at a cat resort??

There does seem to be an unspoken competition for who can give their cat the silliest name (and surely 'Gary' is up there) but I don't think I could have those kinds of conversations without at least a little giggle. Perhaps they're all immune.

As I was leaving, a lady came in with a small child; We're here to collect Sizzle.  Of course they were!

Essential Summer Reading

How's your summer reading going?

I've ticked two must-reads off my list so far; my car's manual and Jane Austen's Persuasion.

The first was quite the revelation! I didn't even know I had fog lights, but now, should I ever find myself in fog, I know I have them... and how to switch them on! I've also resolved the pesky issue of a side mirror that's always on the wrong angle - apparently I'd inadvertently set it like that as part of my seating preference. Who'd have thought? Anyway, if you get time, it may not be well crafted and there's certainly no great use of language but reading about all the buttons in your car can turn out to be a pretty good use of reading time.

Just to break things up, I also read Persuasion. Elle's doing English Literature this year so I said I'd read the books too, because as you know, I have an opinion!

The first 20 or so pages were heavy going, I concede, but much like watching a Shakespearean film, after the first bit your brain seems to miraculously adapt and you're away! I actually quite enjoyed it, but not having 'studied' a book since I was at school, it'll be interesting to see if I can answer any questions other than who ended up with who! (It's okay - no spoilers here just in case you're chomping at the bit to read it!)

Next on the list is Richard Flanagan's Wanting. I've only just started and it's already harrowing.

But... I am already feeling very smug as I've spotted the connection! They both have one-word titles. Surely that's it??

Old dog.

I'm so sick of that cat Gary, I'm moving on to another topic for now; old dogs. And by that, naturally, I mean me!

So can you teach an old dog new tricks?

If I was a dog, this really could be me!!!

I was contemplating exactly this as I practised my tennis serve last week.

Elle and I had 10 lessons over a few months late last year and even the coach said that what would really help was not more lessons, but more practice putting what we'd learnt into practice. Let's see how that goes in 2016! But while I was trying to serve with a grip that felt very unfamiliar, I did wonder how much you're expected to take out of lessons. I was told a lot of things over the 10 hours and I'm not convinced I retained that much at all.

We had a ski guide for half a day in Japan a couple of years ago. I'd previously avoided ski lessons. I know I'm pretty crap and about as stylish as baked beans on toast, but I'm also okay with that. I'm 'comfortable'. So it was a bit of a surprise when the guide turned out to be much more instructor than expected. Still, it did make me think a bit harder about technique although again, I'm not sure I retained a hell of a lot.

Last year I had my running technique reviewed in the hope I could lift my pace. I'm now quite the expert on the theory - but sadly, my practise isn't much improved. I know what I need to do and frankly, being a heck of lot fitter would probably be a good start!!

And finally there's rowing. Not exactly the kind of sport you can pop out and practice on your own, but with an hours intense coaching every week or two, I think that's the one activity that I have shown some significant improvement - or maybe it was just relative to where I started?!

Have you had lessons for anything? How much did you take away? Please share!

The Gold Plated Cat

Gary is ginger - sort of gold - which makes sense given how much he's about to cost me.

In fairness, so far he's been a cheap ride. He was gifted to us by neighbours heading OS, he's happy to eat Aldi cat food and aside from immunisations and a bit of arthritis, his medical expenses have been minimal; until now.

He was looking very ordinary after the recent heatwave. In truth, over the last few months, he's been eating like a horse but getting skinnier and skinnier. 

Geoff: Do you think the cat has cancer?

Me: Maybe. But he seems happy enough. 

His lack of health on the weekend could not be ignored. I wasn't even convinced he'd see Monday.

Anyway, I did take him to the vet who ran through the options - including euthanising him. But if it was just a thyroid problem, that could be fixed and apparently we'd get a few more years out of him. To determine that he needed to be admitted and popped on a drip and have blood and urine samples taken. How much, I asked. I'd already decided if it was hundreds, I'd say yes but if it was more, goodbye Gary. Naturally it was something like $965. Damn it!! 

The vet added if he needed to stay longer, it's $3-400 a day. $3-400??!! The most expensive hotel I can find on LastMinute.com is only $338 a night - and that's at the fancy-pants casino - not in a very small cage at the suburban vet next to a big dog.

Sass and I visited him this morning and he has perked up considerably. She was so relieved. Here they are.

The vet rang before with news. I can't even decide if it's good or bad. I'm torn. It is his thyroid and possibly a little something else - but treatable with a tablet or two a day. Great, I said, should we pick him up? Of course it's not that simple. They need to keep him in for a few days and monitor him while they get the right level of medication - at $3-400 a day!!!! And if he has to take a tablet every day, we'll have to take him to South Australia with us - an 8 hour drive. 

Yep - the joy of Christmas.

Neat and tidy.

After two years in planning and Elle's 16th birthday party, the shed was demolished and construction of the new shed began. That was four months ago and it's still not close to being finished.

When I say 'shed', it's a sizable project with a new garage downstairs and a loft-style space with bathroom upstairs. But it'll always be known as the shed.

I can get a bit antsy when things are in disarray but they've reached monumental proportions.

Not only is the backyard a construction site, the garden has been razed to a dust bowl (or a mud bowl depending on the weather), the deck has the clothes line precariously strapped to it and the lawn mower and other essentials are stored under plastic at the back door. It's worse than camping.

What was the backyard....

Not thinking Christmas lunch will be on the deck this year!

Inside, things aren't much better. The TV, hi-fi and speakers all need attention. I'd like to get NetFlix and ditch Foxtel but the TV is only working through Foxtel. The man has finally been and we're waiting for a new amplifier, so in the meantime, everything's been left pulled out from the wall so wires can be accessed and I can grow increasingly agro.

Some parts of the house are in serious need of attention - the floors need sanding, the kitchen has seen better days and the bathroom is dire. I've had the plans drawn up so the plan is to finish the shed and then keep going to renovate the house. If I have the will.

It's all so bad that on the weekend, I decided to attend to one of the few parts of the house I could bring order to - the front garden. I chopped, I weeded, I raked and mowed - and was rewarded with a very tidy, manicured and satisfying finish. At least something was under control!

In the middle of the mowing I was interrupted by Geoff and Elle - complaining, yet again -  that the wifi was on the blink. I called Telstra who could, incredibly, diagnose moisture on the connecting wires from the call centre (amazing!). The technician rocked up today to confirm they need to run a new wire from the street to the house, which requires them digging up the front lawn!

Aagggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!