Taken near where I live.
It wasn’t this dark when I took the photo, but as I didn’t have my tripod I shot the image a faster speed than I think I wanted. I think it works a bit better in terms of scene and mood.
The suggestion of encroaching night is overt. Whilst there is a high level of darkness in the image, colour still holds a prominence and draws the eye.
I hope you enjoy.
I was going to write a bit earlier but I had to calm down as I was really angry regarding what I’m about to write about.
So the company that I work for is cutting hours again due to, essentially, “not enough hours to go around” (I’m paraphrasing a bit here, but that is the specific reasoning). Finally, after many months of their trying, they’ve effectively putting the contact centre employees under the poverty line. A few problems with this one.
The first being that we can’t apply for JobKeeper as, whilst many industries are suffering, the one I work for (or at least the company) is doing quite well when it comes to generating profits. They’re benefiting quite a fair bit off of people having more available time due to COVID-19. Means we can’t get JobKeeper.
On top of that, for various reasons we can’t get JobSeeker either. I know a few of us are looking for work elsewhere, but of course work is both numerous and sparse, so finding a job is quite difficult at the moment. Could very well happen, but might not.
How it feels is that the place is taking advantage of the situation to keep us working there. I don’t know as to how true that is, but what the service levels and profit reporting suggests is that the company is doing more than fine enough to give us more hours and thus more pay, but won’t.
I feel like I’m just blowing hot air at the moment, but this stuff really pisses me off. Obviously I have personal stakes in this matter (hence looking for another job), but what grinds my gears is that the company just actively refuses to look after the call centre staff.
Earlier in the year we saw a lot of people get fired as supposedly that was what we wanted. We didn’t want to see people get fired; we wanted more hours. We were then told our jobs were not safe, and then our hours were reduced.
I really wish I could state which company I work for, but to be honest I don’t feel safe doing so. I don’t think I’ll be investigated or anything like that, but I do think that if, by chance one of the managers came across this blog and saw the name mentioned, then it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out as to who I am and that could risk my employment, because right now I do need a job until I get onto another one.
Well, I need to have more money coming in so I can survive, but yeah.
So a big company is treating a section of its staff quite poorly. So what? Happens all the time. Problem is that it shouldn’t. For us, we’re getting slammed at the moment and we’re having our hours cut. I think that’s fucked. I’m sure that it’s happening with other companies turning a profit.
Whilst it’s disappointing, it’s also unsurprising behaviour.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 14:16:51
I had to keep stopping as I was trying to stay calm whilst writing this.
Feels kind of weird to write as it feels like a “poor me” thing, but, well, I felt the need to write about what was happening.
Written at home.
Taken around the same time as these two.
I like this shot as it seems like a progression from in relation to the prior two splash images. I also like how there’s a few splashes readily identifiable. Among all the noise they still come through (somewhat) clearly.
This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week.
I suggest checking out Leanne’s photography, as well as checking out what other people submit.
A lot of what people are submitting will likely end up here.
I hope you enjoy.
There’s a tingling going on and it slowly moves, but surely soon it will surge forward as it finds itself in a new form of life and begins to express itself in new and different ways.
Off the inside of the body it jumps and onto the skin and slowly, yet surely peels off as it needs to find a way to break free from its containment. It’s a pulling sensation but soon it is free and floats off to wherever it needs to float off.
During this time it then realises that it has no control of where it is going and needed to reach a state where it disappears once more, but now that can no longer be achieved as it was through the pulses and rhythms of the body in which it was produced and it was in those of which it was obligated to return. As it no longer can, it is now posed with a problem. It can no longer grow or shrink. It has detached itself from itself, or something like that. In any event, the tingling finds itself in a state in which it cannot exist as its existence is reliant on its cessation of existence.
However, unable to control where it is moving, it finds itself trying to come to terms with the conundrum in which it finds itself. After all, what else can it do? And so its thoughts turn inward.
It ruminates on its life and existence and what it is to tingle. There are answers and it explores the fond memories that it has gained upon its journeys and spread. There are many, though they can never be relived.
The tingling thinks of all that is, was, and what may be. It thinks of all the lives it came across and all of the others that it knew. These were all moments lost, though in one way or another they inevitably would disappear.
And so it resigns itself to its current fate and floats on, floating through space and time and through different phases and dimensions when it just so happened that perhaps, by pure chance the most fortuitous thing happens, thus allowing for some form of advantage for the tingling. It almost seems as though it was some sort of pure form of destiny that allowed for this to happen, but of course there was no preordained path. There was no fated pathway that required following. The tingling is saved from its situation.
By the greatest of unplanned actions, the limb from which the tingling broke free from passes through its area and right onto it, thus allowing the tingling to return whence it came. It is saved.
Now that it is safe it can go back to doing what it was doing, for what it considered to be enough exploration for one era was certainly enough exploration for one era. Soon it is to fade away, but perhaps it will see itself return to existence once more.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:47:22
With this, I thought I had some sort of idea. Early on it hit a point where it was pretty much done and so I dragged the wrapping it up out.
Written at home.
Alright, so today is going to be a writing of something that perhaps I’ve covered in the past, but still needs to be said, or something. I don’t actually know if it does need to be said, but saying it is the thing that today will happen.
Self-doubt is a horrible thing that can be crippling, but it can also be a good thing if used as motivation to see things through. Using it as motivation can be difficult, but it can be done.
Anyway, that’s all I had to say, really, though perhaps I should keep on going at this point as I’ve already come so far.
The last few weeks I’ve slowed down in doing things by quite a bit more than I thought I would. The plan was to pick up the pace as I now have all this free time so I need to make the most of it. However, unsurprisingly I’ve become more and more lazy about getting anything done. It happens.
I think the main issue is (other than general procrastination, of course) that I often doubt my ability to write and make stuff, which isn’t uncommon by a long stretch. Right now I’m doing my best to push through it as everything is building up.
Feeling burned out on things doesn’t help but… well, yeah. I need to push past the self-doubt and keep on going forward.
Right now what I’m trying to do is challenge what I think about my ability to get things done. See if the notions hold up and all that. Not so much trying to be confident as confidence is something that needs to be built from the ground up and all that jazz, but just see if I can see if what I’m feeling is correct or not, which is a weird thing to think as I know that it’s not correct (well, certain parts of it anyway). I know that I can push past it, but of course the knowing doesn’t override the feeling most of the time and so that is why I need to challenge the challenge and try and put it somewhere in the past; for a while, at least.
It’s also that it ultimately doesn’t matter if I’m crap at doing something or not so long as I’m enjoying what I’m doing and being productive about it. I want to be productive again. I miss it terribly but of course the only way I can do that is by working on it and pushing past all the crap that I’m telling myself. It’s not going to magically happen, so right now it really is time to apply a lot of effort and grease of the elbow and get to it and start doing the things.
Well, that’s all I have to say about the subject at hand. For some it is the same and for some it is different, but for all it is something that, with time, can be worked past.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:01:38
More personal stuff that I’ll probably not think about fondly some time down the track.
Oh well.
Written at home.
Been getting distracted all day. Need to find the focus that I need in order to get to the end of this, though I’ve only started. Very difficult to tell at this point if I’ll reach the end.
I guess the only way to find out is by writing all of this out and seeing what the whole thing is like by the time I’ve gotten to the last words, though realistically I’m not going to read over this once it is done. That may be a bad thing. It may be a good thing. There is the possibility that instead of either of those, it will just be a thing and nothing more or less. Could be worse I guess.
Well, I think I really should just get on with it and instead of trying to find the words that form the sentences, I should just find the sentences that create new words.
What am I saying?
I think that realistically all I’m trying to do is come up with something, but I’ve been lazy and I haven’t been exercising the brain and I’m feeling feverish and all I want to do is rest, but I need to get at least one thing done before the end of the day. Well, other than the other things I’ve gotten done, that is. Still, I don’t feel as though I’ve done much. I probably should’ve written this morning. Writing in the morning is often something I do and thus it usually is when I end up producing content, or so I say.
Well, it is a true statement, but… anyway…
So I’m sitting here and I’m trying to work out the words that I’m going to use, but really I’m doing my best to not think at all and just write and perhaps this really isn’t the night for it. Perhaps it was the day for it but I spent a little too long doing a little too little, though at the same time did a few things that needed to be done, though not enough of what I wanted to do, though that’s the way it goes sometimes and now I’m just rambling along and hoping for the best but we all know that that won’t necessary achieve anything. Oh well. Could be much worse.
I guess that on the plus side of this, I’m getting something done that involves words of the written variety (as opposed to other forms of words) and that is something, and so long as I keep on going, then I’m sure that I will get somewhere and I will get something done and I will find a way to reach the end of this, of which I don’t know right now if I will reach, but I’m sure that with enough time and effort I will, or something.
Anyway, with that all said I really should get ready to go to bed. It is late in the evening and I want to sleep soon.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:17:31
This is not good writing, but I felt a strong need to write.
Written at home.
Taken whilst wandering about near home.
I don’t feel as though this is the best photo I could’ve taken. I’ve issues with how I’d set up the focus, but on the flip side the overall softness works with the petals, I think.
The flower looks rather pretty and flowing in a sense. Its shade being uniform helps to bring more attention to stamens.
This is my submission into the one hundred-and-second Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.
The theme for this one is “One Single Flower“.
The challenge is hosted by four people and cycles weekly:
Week 1 – Patti
Week 2 – Ann-Christine aka Leya
Week 3 – Amy
Week 4 – Tina
This one is guest-hosted by Cee. Next week is hosted by Patti.
I recommend giving the challenges a go and seeing how you interpret each theme. I also recommend checking out what other people are doing to meet the challenges.
I hope you enjoy.
It’s an interesting time to be alive right now, but then again, it always is an interesting time to be alive, depending on how interesting you find certain things. That may not be the best opening sentence I’ve ever written, but it feels like the best opening sentence I can come up with.
So today I’m going to have a small whinge, though it may not turn out that way. We’ll see what happens.
Alright, so my ear thing was cleared up last week. Did the medication thing for a week after a doctor’s visit tried to flush out what looked like an obstruction and that failed. It was black and had some sort of fungus growing on it. Got rid of the fungus but the black thing remained, hence the meds for a week. Then went back last week to flush out the black thing, which did end up dislodging. It was a broken bit of earplug foam. Whole lot of wax came out with it. Also left me feeling a little dizzy and ill for a short period after. Dizziness subsided pretty quickly, though illness took a few more hours to pass.
I was put on a course of antibiotics for a week as the membrane in my ear was dull in appearance. Fun stuff, but if it helps, then it helps.
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling rough. It took me longer than usual to wake up, though I had stayed up late the night prior. Soon what felt like a fever in my forehead made itself apparent. I improved over the day, but the fever kept coming and going.
Eventually when it got to the evening I checked the leaflet for the antibiotics and rechecked the possible side effects. I’d checked them a few days prior but didn’t pay much attention.
One of the side effects is a fever.
Today is the second day I’ve had this on-and-off fever as well as the last day I need to take the antibiotics. I’ve been feeling a little ill in other ways but otherwise feel pretty fine. No weakness, no slowing down and still quite mobile. I’m feeling rather certain that right now all this is is a side effect and it’s not getting worse, but it’s not the best time to be dealing with this.
Admittedly it’s very little to deal with. There are significantly worse things out there that I could be going through, but I am feeling a little bit concerned. Right now I’m just waiting it out and seeing what happens. Once the antibiotics are wrapped up, this could easily go away. However, if it does get worse then I’m heading to a medical centre. Not worth the risk, though right now it’s a bit of a risk just sitting here and waiting it out. I think that sentence makes sense.
Anyway, I think I’ve gotten across what I wanted to say. A bit worried, but confident I’ll come out of this feeling fine.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 12:42:92
So dealing with this isn’t fun, but there are people going through much worse. Hopefully those that are come out of what they are dealing with as best as possible.
Took a bit longer as I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was writing. It’s the most unambiguously personal thing I’ve written in a long time. Some of it is okay, some could’ve been better. Oh well.
Written at home.
In this shot I really like how the clouds work with the sky. Despite the transmission tower’s appearance, there’s something rather pleasing about the sky overall I think. Maybe it’s actually due in part to the transmission tower and the trees.
The tower feels… well, not baleful, but perhaps ominous. Not sure. It certainly sticks out quite well.
There are a couple of park lights in this shot, though it’s mostly the light sources that are visible.
This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s TPM photo challenge for this week.
The theme for this challenge is “During Isolation What did you do?”.
Well, I did what I usually do, which of course involved taking photos. I’ll keep doing what I usually do.
I suggest checking out Leanne’s photography, as well as checking out what other people submit into the challenge.
You can find the challenges here.
I hope you enjoy.
I don’t feel as though I got good shots of Zia McCabe when The Dandy Warhols were here last year. I missed a few opportunities so I did the best I could with what I ended up with.
I think this is the best shot I got of Zia as it’s the most balanced light-wise.
I do like that this shot doesn’t quite feel like a gig photo. It shows someone smiling, looking rather happy, but as there’s a synthesiser in the way you can’t if anything is happening. Zia could be standing there doing nothing; she could be playing the synthesiser. Maybe a tambourine instead.
I hope you enjoy.
Stupidity Hole 