Holding Pattern

It’s Tuesday. I don’t deal well with Tuesday at the best of times. However, today I have the added distraction/frustration of waiting for the (real) estate agents to confirm we can move in this weekend, and hoping to get a call about a 2nd interview for the job I want.

Not dealing so well with the waiting, the holding pattern. Just want these things to fall into place, now, so I can get on with the other things I’m supposed to be doing.

So this is me, a bundle of anxiety in the corner waiting for the blessed change to come through. Desperately wanting stage 2 to start. Soon.

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Edit:

Well, one holding pattern removed, and one added. we were rejected for the property we applied for, because we’re both working on contracts, so we were deemed a risk for rent default. However, they also would not accept a guarantor and did not contact our personal references, or take into account that we’ve never defaulted on a rental payment. Really, really frustrating.

So, back on the finding a house treadmill 😦

Really unhappy, frustrated and grumpy.

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The international society for the reduction of the word “also”

I’m increasingly annoyed by the over-use of the word ‘also’ in reports. It seems to be cropping up in so many of the reports I edit. ‘Also’ should be used to indicate a further point to topic under discussion. It should not be used to introduce a completely different but vaguely related point. It is not a filler word, it actually serves a purpose and just confuses the reader when it is misused.

For instance:

“In 2007-08 the program to encourage the increase in red lollipop production reported a 60% uptake by target companies, which resulted in 10567 red lollipops on the market compared to last year.

Also, a website was developed to encourage member companies to discuss their choice of stick length and the plastic wrapping around the lollipop” [1]

That also, in there, is not necessary, somehow it makes the second paragraph, about design specifications relate the first one on member composition. We have a consultant that we frequently use that seems to insist that the word “also” should be included once per page, and at least 4 pages of the report has to include it more than 3 times. Either that, or they need a really good copy-editor (maybe their London Office is hiring?)

There’s a certain pedantic and somehow poetic joy I get from editing, and you can generate some incredibly bizarre rants. This has been one of them

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Citizenship Test

The example questions for the citizenship test came out this week. Listening to the Hack report on them I suspect I’d be one of a few people in this country that could actually pass it, but then I have an infants teacher for a mother, and a father who thought that a general knowledge of Australian history was a good thing. Oh, and I was a girlie swot in primary and high school.

The Age carried this satirical piece today, which is a much better indication of Australianity [1]. Or at least that particular brand of Australianess that we affectionately refer to as Ocker:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/08/28/1188067108372.html

Get ready for a good giggle!

[1] yes, I am making up words, since it’s a madness to think that there is one way to view our culture. Or any culture… even a small village has a sub culture. Unless it’s the one in Hot Fuzz.

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