The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Falling out of the Blogosphere for long periods is never intentional.  It’s weird how life sort of gets in the way.  Unusually I actually have a number of valid reasons for not blogging – generally being somewhat tired as a result of being gainfully employed again and having limited internet connection.  Perhaps the last statement isn’t entirely true and I should amend that to having other, better things to do than log on (which is very unusual for me because the internet used to be my lifeline).

Having disconnected yourself from cyberspace for such a long period of time means that when you do get back, you have a whole lot of catching up to do.  Despite the fact that a blog appears to stand still, life never does.  My catching up revealed that two of my favourite bloggers have finally come out of the We Fell in Love With Each Other closet.  Kyk and Dolce – honestly, it makes sense that you guys got zapped by the little bastard in a nappy.  I can only imagine the conversations… when you get around to it. 

At the risk of sounding self-obsessed, permit me to say, “Back to me now.”

As the title suggests, things have been a bit of a mixed bag as life invariably is.  Time is limited so this entry will deal with The Good.

Part I:  The Good

Moving back up to the Monetary Capital of our odd little part of the world has proven to me that I still have my Katt-like knack to land on my feet, despite being dropped face up from 14 storeys off the ground (I’m equating 100 kms to one storey of a building).

The goals set for myself involved getting a job before the end of January (and the end of the money) as well as finding a place to stay that didn’t involve a cardboard box under a bridge on the M1 highway.

At the very least I cannot claim to be living in a cardboard box under a bridge or anywhere else for that matter.  With the help of The Highlander and Teddy Bear, I have been stayed in abodes that have solid roofs and walls which is an incredible plus point in my book.  A soggy cardboard box and unusual neighbours didn’t really appeal to me, not to mention dodgy campfire stories.

And, probably most importantly, I found a job just as the money ran out.  Judging by the e-mails and words of unencouragementI received from numerous sources supposedly close to me, finding a job in these ‘terrible economic times’ could be equated to trying to find a drug free SAA flight.    Tossed in with the salad of unencouraging words of advice was the sage old adage, ”These days, it is not what you know but who you know.”

Consider the following:  a) yours truly, removed from the job market for six years so ‘what you know’ is pretty much a dead floater in the water, b) yours truly removed from the Monetary Capital of SA for six years so, ‘who you know’ is pretty much a dead floater too.

So, in the interests of striving for a Goldstar on My Forehead, I would like to blow my own horn and say this:

1.  I got a job before the end of January – my goal date.

2.  I got a job after going for one interview which I got after responding to an online ad (no, you pervert, not that kind of ad – I’m doing legal stuff).

To the individual who threw the “It’s not what you know but who you know” speech in my face, at possibly one of my lowest moments…. neener, neener, neener.

If you would like to know what kind of job an ex-city-ex-farm girl gets, well, it’s simple, really.  I’m a shop girl.  I work in a shop.  No glamorous titles, no corporate outfit (yay!), no impressive looking business cards (although there is talk of this).

Surprisingly I have realised that city life is very similar to farm life – you get exposed to nice people and strange people.  The only difference is that in the city, there are more nice and/or strange encounters.

Despite all the ups and downs and moments of self-doubt over the last few months, I can say this.  I am really enjoying working again, and for the most part, I really enjoy what I do.  To top it all off, my employers are wonderful people.  What more could a girl ask for?

Well, a Houndus Maximus would be nice… but life has to have its share of heartaches I suppose.

Generally, life’s good with the moments of perfection sprinkled on the top.