It's a Christmas Miracle!

After being unemployed for 15 months, sending out countless numbers of job applications, and (surprisingly) having four interviews in the last month... I have FINALLY managed to get a job!  I'll be working as a casual Accessioning Assistant at Peter Pal Library Supplier!

The best part is that it's a job in my chosen field, utilising my Library Technician qualifications again after all these years!   I'm really excited to get back into it.

There are a few minor downsides, though.  

The big one is that they are based at Shailer Park, which means having to drive around 90 km a day (round trip), at a cost of just under $45 per week in Gateway tolls.  Then again, I would probably have driven as far as the Gold Coast for this job.  I only started today and Steve is already grumbling about all the extra mileage that's going to be put on the car.  It takes around 45 minutes to get there in normal peak hour traffic and a bit longer coming home, thanks to crappy traffic around the Nudgee area where the old and new Gateway arterials merge.  Oh yeah, and the next two years worth of roadworks from Boondall to Deagon. *eye roll*  It might even be time to invest in -gasp!- an automatic car.  Did I just say that???   When I got the train into work in the city, it took 42 minutes, not including the time it took to drive to the station or the time it took to walk down the street from Central.  At least this time I'm in my own car, with my own music, my aircon, and no sweaty weirdos can sit next to me and try to engage me in conversation.  Winning!

The only other thing is that it's 5 days per week.  I'll be working 8.30-2.30 Mon-Fri.   I would have preferred longer hours over fewer days, but that can't be helped.   At least I will be home early enough to still get to the bank and post office in the afternoons if I need to, and Cheyenne won't be home by herself for too long after she gets home from school.

Starting this week has put a bit of a spanner in the works for her school holidays, though.  There won't be any spontaneous trips to the beach or anything that requires vehicular transport, but she has a bike and at least she can still catch up with friends or veg out around the house watching YouTube and Catch-up TV - what more could a teenage girl ask for?

On the whole, my hours will work out very well once school goes back, and I pretty much avoid the worst of the afternoon peak hour traffic, so the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

On another note, I've been waiting all this last term to finally be able to get a sleep-in in the mornings.  Now I have to wait just a little bit longer, until the week between Christmas and New Year.

Oh well, bring on the first paycheck!  Ka-Ching!

School's Out!

The first year of high school is finally over and six whole weeks of holidays beckons.

After getting a good report card, Cheyenne celebrated by hosting a sleepover with three friends last night.  Due to our current limited space due to the larger van taking up extra space in the garage, there wasn't really room in the rumpus, so they slept in a tent in the backyard.

A previous attempt at a tent sleepover ended up in several girls frightened of night sounds in the backyard, and a last minute relocation indoors.  This time they actually stayed in the tent.

A fourth friend came over today for a swim as she'd been unable to attend the sleepover. She changed schools last term, so they haven't caught up with her for a while.

It's good to see the girls enjoying their holidays.