24 October 2014

Kitchen Update

I had an unexpected day off today, so I rearranged the kitchen. Except for possibly the first six months, this is first time in the 12 years we've lived in this house, all of the kitchen is in the kitchen. I moved things around to mimic the planned, new layout (original post). In simple terms, I moved the fridges out from the wall, put the long, narrow(ish) cupboard behind them (yes, behind them), and moved one of our small, floating cupboards. Maybe some before and after photos might help (or maybe not).
This is the before. The photo is taken from the dining room looking into the kitchen. The stove is just off-shot to the left.
And after. Taken standing back just a little further. The fridge are in exactly the same position - just pulled forward about a metre (3 foot).
Before. The fridges in their corner, pushed back against the wall.
After. The same corner, with the fridges pulled forward and the brown cupboard pushed in behind.
The cupboard is significantly deeper than the planned shelves in the final layout (about 45 cm compared to the planned 30cm).
Before, looking from the sink to the back door. Note the brown cupboard, microwave, blender and coffee machine all sneaking into the dining room space.
After, looking towards the back door (somewhat obscured by the fridge). What I can see (even if you can't) is that there is no 'kitchen' in my dining room.

03 October 2014

Job Hunting Ironies

For every job interview I prepare thoroughly. Research the company; if a recruitment agency I check their website for clients or industries they work with. I have a list of questions to ask, my references on hand. I dress up - skirt, heels, make-up, hair. I leave myself at least 1/2 hour more than I think I'll need for travel time.

Today is Friday. Hubby's day off, school holidays. My de-facto dad asked if I could track down a grave site for him and take a photo. Something to do with tracing ancestors. We planned the outing for this morning. Not being sure how much trekking through the cemetery would be required, we prepared for walking - shorts, sneakers, hats, t-shirts. Thankfully, being spring, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a shorts sort of day, so I wore long pants.

After hiking all over the cemetery and finally deciding the grave site didn't have a marker, we headed for home. On the way, the phone rang. It was a recruitment agency who I had applied with about a month or so back. They have a 6-week temp position, starting on Tuesday. Would I be interested and could I come in for an interview?

"Um ... I'm actually 5 minutes from your office, but I'm not really dressed for an interview." (Hot, sweaty, trackie bottoms, sneakers, old company t-shirt, no make-up, hair doing who knows what.)

"No problem. Come in anyway."

Went to the interview, sat an Excel test, started for home. Got a phone call on the way home. As long as my references check out ('cause I didn't have their details on me) the position is mine.

All that wonderful advice out there on how to impress in an interview and land a job? Well, it's all great, I'm sure, but at the end of the day, life will be what it is, and sometimes it just wants to mess with your mind.