Boo hoo! Sore foot, downtrodden heart, and other maladies

My Editor-in-Chief aka Dad is commissioning me to get a move on and blog something or else... I'm fired? Autumn is arriving in Perth. The cool, crisp air drifts among the gumtrees that shroud the Darlington Range which make up the Perth Hills. It greets us in the morning, filling our lungs with almost painful freshness and it creeps into our beds via sneaky drafts at night. But the flannel sheets and velveteen blankets are out and the ugg boots and pj pants are on as this familiar chill hints at things to come. It is only a warning for now because the days, shorter as they may grow, are still gorgeous and the weather is unseasonably warm. This time last year I was taking surfing lessons in unpleasantly windy, drizzly conditions. Tonight, as I write this, the sun is setting in warm, theatrical delight over Scarborough Beach, putting on a show for onlookers at the terraced lawn of Cottesloe Civic Center, bathing the clouds in a red and purple glow as it sinks behind Rottnest Island into the Indian Ocean.



My foot is wrapped in a tubular shaped ace bandage. Ah! Relief at last. As I made my way home to Missouri a few weeks ago, I had a stopover in New Zealand that left a lasting and wonderful impression of Auckland on me. Not only will I remember the cozy, quaint, New Englandness of Devonport in Auckland, the amazing city views from Mount Victoria, the Maori cultural exhibit and dances at the Auckland Museum and the desire I was left with to return someday, but my short time in New Zealand also left a pain in my right foot that has lasted almost six weeks! I don't even remember what it felt like to walk normally without any pain until today. Thank you ace bandage.



As for my heart, there is no bandage that can cure what ails it. Let's just say leaving Missouri at the start of a beautiful spring with two sobbing parents regretfully sending me back to Australia was the least favorite part of my trip home. I had such a good time being home and seeing all my friends that I almost regretted my return to Australia too. In addition, I have begun my job search again, both here and in the States. It is always a daunting and disheartening task. I have applied for temp work, admin, bank teller, magazine sub-editor, and finally, tomorrow afternoon I have an interview for a temporary part-time office assistant position which would make me a glorified receptionist. On the upside, the draw card for me at this job is that it is with a publication and I will be working with journalists, so it could be just the break I have been looking for. If anything, I will have a steady income even if it's only for short time and more money in the bank than what I am currently bringing in with my two hospitality jobs. I will keep you posted on this turn of events.



I also signed on for a "free" online HTML course today to learn how to design and create web pages. The more jobs I research the more I realize I want to work in the online environment, perhaps as an online content editor, producer, analyst, etc. My Masters thesis afterall was blogging - an as yet undefined journalistic product of the World Wide Web. It's in my bones. As for this "free" course I'm starting, I'm still waiting for the hitch. We'll see what tomorrow brings! See you then!