Firstly, the diverse section is defunct. It was all just taking up space & not really necessary (even though the same thing can be said for the whole site!).
Secondly, there are new photos to be seen. I've added a new shot of the Pier hotel from the beach side & a bunch of photos taken at a halloween party.
My farewell from the Golf Club was good, even though a little wierd.
I survived the presentation & speach, ending up with a really nice leather briefcase from the club & a couple of bottles of scotch from the greenkeepers & one of the members.
I ended going to dinner with a couple of members & Dave & Holly from the office. I still don't understand how we ended up going along, because it was fully paid for by a member I have only said hello to in passing! Poor young Holly had a friend turn up during dinner who was given the third degree by the same member. She learnt more about her friend than should would of had she dated him for six months.
The rest of the night was spent at the Grand hotel. Nearly all of the catering & bar staff turned up after working for a function at the club & the last of the stayers departed at 3am. A top night.
I went back to the Golf club on Sunday morning to pick up the rest of my things & hand back the keys, only to be confronted by the general manager. He knows he is a despised man & proceded with the comment of: "Rumour has it that you're leaving because you think I'm an asshole". I think I laughed it off at the time. Really, how do you respond to such a comment, especially when it's true!
With less than a week to go at the Golf Club, I’m at a bit of a cross-road. This page has been up for a year & a bit, but just in the last few weeks, posting hasn’t been the easiest thing to do, time wise & information wise. I want to keep it up & running, but only time will tell.
I’ve noticed in recent times, that a lot of bloggers are shutting up shop & ending their journals. Maybe it’s just that time of year when everyone needs to focus on the end of year & put a few projects to the side. Perhaps, I’m suffering that same ordeal.
This website began, from a need to be creative. Working within the title of an Accountant submit’s you to the stereotype of being ruled by facts & figures without the ability for thinking outside static boundaries. I think I fell for that stereotype & lost sight of life outside work, hence the need to build, write & create something.
It has worked in making me think different. Having immediate thoughts locked down, gives a degree of reflection that can’t exist otherwise. I‘ve been able to write more songs during the time of the web page & it’s definitely helped to get some issues off my chest. I think a fair bit clearer & see things more openly which can only be beneficial.
So, where do we go from here? The new job starts on Monday & by the sound of it, I’ll be working rather hard for the first few months, which will be good. The cost of that will probably be my writing here. Hopefully it won’t be the end of the site, but that is a potential outcome. From what I’ve seen, ending a website is not the easiest thing to do. The page either ends with a final entry & no further updates or the page gets wiped & all links return the dreaded “404”. With any luck, there will be some good events which come out of working at the Pier Hotel & there will be plenty of stories & photos.
Based on the stats that this site collects, a few user friendly changes need to be made. Although it (seems) to work all okay in higher resolutions, the majority of viewers out there are using 800 x 600, which really isn’t helpful when photos are being displayed.
The final result is I really have no idea what happens from here. There may well be less posting for a while, but a revamped site should result. Stay tuned….
Well, it’s been more than a week since I even thought about this page.
A fair bit has happened, so here goes the memory recall….
Last Wednesday saw the resignation of our receptionist, Alison. I don’t think I’ve even mentioned her here, but now she’s gone there’s no risk. Alison got the job for her looks only & the GM never looked above chest height & I’ll leave it at that!
Alison lasted four weeks & simply couldn’t do the job & wasn’t interested for that matter. Spending the whole day making personal phone calls & writing emails made it difficult to teach her anything. She irritated the hell out of me & I imagine a few others as well.
Sitting in her seat at present is Holly. Holly was the other finalist for the job & the candidate everyone chose other than the GM. Thankfully, she was only doing temp work & was able to start on Monday. As I thought from the interview, she is perfect for the job & will do really well.
My job is to be filled by someone without experience & with minimal qualifications, which is primarily to save some money, but is also a kick to the teeth. I just don’t think someone without any working knowledge will just step in & know what to do. Not my Problem! (that should be my motto for the next couple of weeks!)
On non-work related news, we have quite a few ducklings being moved around by their parents. I’ve seen a few ducks trying to cross roads, with a bunch of little guys huddled together waiting to cross. Unfortunately, some of these crossings aren’t successful as my sister witnessed. She had to avoid a duck on the road, only to see the car behind her impact it. Apparently, quite a few little ducklings ran in different directions in distress. Isn’t that the saddest story?
I always get fooled this time of year into thinking that maybe, just maybe, I’m not going to get hayfever this year.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been watching people walk around with blood filled eyes & a tissue in each hand. Up to Friday night, I had been breathin’ easy. That was until…..
Outside on the patio with the barbecue blazing, I felt that first nasal tickle. From there it was all downhill.
I’ve tried every hayfever relief known to man. Pills, nose sprays, eye drops, herbal treatments. They all work for a time, but the old immunity is good at making them worthless.
So far, the Friday night has been the only attack, but I’m sure there will be many more to come.
With every listen of the Something for Kate DVD, I get inspired to write more music myself. I never thought that the stress of changing jobs would effect the way I play & think, but it seriously does!
The amount of stuffed up fingerings & inability to think about a song is so frustrating. I can’t seem to hear what I’m playing properly. It’s not a case of volume, it’s a case of hearing the future notes & knowing where the fingers are supposed to be.
I admit that I didn’t know much of their work, so it was a bit of an impulse purchase. The good part about listening to a radio station such as Triple J, is the variety of music they play. Their playlist is not solely made up of officially released singles, therefore you hear some music that would never be played by commercial stations. Therefore, I actually knew far more of the songs on the DVD than first thought!
I invariably compare all music DVD’s with U2’s Boston show, which is the cream of the crop, & although the recordings of Something for Kate were not done intentionally for DVD, the quality is really good.
They’ve included gigs from the Triple J studios, a VH1 show, the Big Day Out & a couple of acoustic tracks. From major rock show to intimate/solo settings, the music fits nicely.
Extras on the disc include ten music videos for their previous albums & a documentary of the bands recording processes.
Well worth a look, even if to have playing in the background.
My replacement at the Club is to be someone with very basic qualifications & absolutely no experience. From everything that has happened, this definitely makes me feel as though the last two years have been a complete waste of my time.
I’m certainly not helping with the recruiting process & I thought about making a few notes for whoever takes over, but they can work it all out for themselves. That sounds rather vindictive, but in the face of things, I had no help when I started, so why should someone who will have no idea about the job be spoon fed.
I’ve spoken to the Captain of the club & although my reasons for leaving stem from my issues with the General Manager, he is willing to put aside the GM’s mistakes & support him in every way. For someone getting paid $96,000 per year, I generally think he should know his shit!
