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James
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James
Boxing Day
Cruising Yacht Club before the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
My work-a-thon continued today.
After working last night until about 10.30, I needed to wake up this morning at about 4.30 to head into work again.
After a restless sleep I woke at 3.30 and had a quick choice to make.
Do I turn over for a few more minutes and run the risk of going back into a deep sleep, waking up mid morning, or do I get up right away, and go straight back to work?
I’m a great sleeper. I can sleep on a 5 minute bus trip. I can take a 5 minute power nap at work and cope well.
I’m also prone to the “five more minutes” school of sleep, and then find myself waking up two or three hours later.
Knowing that propensity, I chose the latter option. Get up, go to work, I said to myself…
I needed to be at work early for a broadcast from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia ahead of today’s Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.
Despite the rain, there was quite a buzz at the Cruising Yacht Club this morning.
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- Cruising Yacht Club before the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
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- Cruising Yacht Club before the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
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- Briefing at the Cruising Yacht Club before the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
After coming home from work I hit the sack and slept soundly until about 5.00
Now that I’m awake, I’m wondering what I should do with the remainder of Boxing Day.
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James
Christmas Day
The late afternoon view from my office at work.
I’ve just arrived home from work, and it’s raining here in Sydney.
The weather bureau has been predicting heavy rain for several days. Some areas might get up to two inches of rain which is enough to cause flash flooding.
It’s also enough to cause significant road problems. I know this for a fact.
I remember working on Christmas Day in 1988 when I was based in Bourke.
I did a request show that morning and then hit the road with plans of making it home to Lismore by about midnight.
Unfortunately about thirty minutes the other side of Brewarrina, a massive rain storm appeared, seemingly from nowhere.
It was enough to leave my poor little car bogged up to the axels in the black soil.
And so on Christmas Day I found myself stranded in the middle of nowhere on a road which very few people were driving on.
In the end I walked to a nearby property, pleaded my case to the people living there, and made my home with them for a couple of days until the rain was over, and I was in a position to be dragged out.
Luckily, the people recognised me from the radio, and made me feel very welcome and happy. The spirit of giving and all that, I guess…
Thankfully, that road is now sealed. But there are still loads of those roads around Western NSW where the potential for getting bogged remains.
Many years later, I also found myself working on Christmas Day, though unexpectedly.
It was the year when I had been “dumped” (there’s no polite word for it) just a fortnight before Christmas.
I remember sitting at home with the blinds closed feeling awfully sorry for myself. Self-pity, thy name is James.
Mid-afternoon I got a phone call from my boss who, first of all, wished me a Merry Christmas and then asked if I’d been drinking.
“My goodness”, I thought to myself, “what he does think I am…?”
In the end, his question was rather more straight forward, as he explained he needed me to come into work to cover the bushfires.
As I’d spent the day inside, with the blinds closed, I was completely unaware the sky over Sydney was blood-red.
Within half-an-hour, I was in at work, thankfully distracted from the recent disappointment.
So yeah, for me Christmas Day is increasingly a day that’s associated with working and with severe weather.
Merry Christmas…
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James
Christmas Eve Informality
What I look like in shorts - taken at Brunswick Heads in 1990
“You’re looking casual today” was a phrase I heard more than once at work today.
As pretty much everyone has now gone on leave, and there’s just a skeleton staff around the office, I went to work in shorts, a t-shirt and thongs.
I knew there was “no one important” I had to deal with.
I thought it might send a good message of informality to the staff around the Christmas break.
And it’s also because it’s summer and it’s bloody hot.
I’ve been struggling with clothing to and from work for the last few weeks. Although it’s fine at work, it’s warm getting to and from there.
The tie went a few weeks ago.
I wore jeans a couple of times last week.
And then today today, I slipped into shorts and thongs.
I’m working a fair bit over the next few days, and so I’ve got at least three or four days ahead of me where I can be equally informal in my attire.
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Victor
Mmmm…thongs in the office. I’m sure there must be an OH&S hazard in that practice!
:-)
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Andrew
Brunswick Heads revisited? While I am sure you will get that, your readers would have to be of a certain age to understand. Must get the tapes out and have a listen again.
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James
Victor – We have a saying at work.. “It ain’t brain surgery. Nobody dies”… and so I’m sure this applies here.
Andrew – Do I remember it? Of course…
http://jamesobrien.id.au/2005/12/29/brunswick-heads-revisited/ -
Andrew
Ah, I have not had the pleasure of a visit to said locale.
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carol 6:23 pm on December 26, 2009 Permalink |
Myer and DJs open until midnight tonight – recommend complete avoidance.
James 3:37 am on December 27, 2009 Permalink |
I went back to sleep and then woke up at stupid hours.