QOTD: 

What excuses would you have if your employer gave you everything you asked for to get your job done?

Listening to

I work in an open-plan office during my day-job. Most of the time most of us are "heads down" and working quietly; concentrating on what we need to concentrate on. Sometimes we need to speak to each other and do so in quiet tones - or at least try to - aware of the quiet of the floor. Sometimes though, noise will bubble up in those shared team breaks in the rhythm of that comes with shared office spaces. These bubbles of noise don't always coincide with mine so I've started wearing headphones and listening to rain to help minimise noise. Not every one likes white noise but it works for me and rain, in particular, helps to get me right into the groove of work. (I used to use a cat purring but that is so last year.) Only trouble with listening to rain is the discombobulation when leaving this sound-scape to a sunny warm November day; but I get over it.

Watching

Tonga come so close to advancing in the Rugby World Cup (RWC). Tonga has never been a contender in the RWC and yesterday they played England in the World Cup semi-final. For the last month the streets and cars of Auckland have been festooned with Tongan flags fluttering their support of Tonga's bid. Sadly they lost to England 20-18 in a controversial finish that will live in infamy. If you were in Manukau over the weekend and wondering why the traffic was so amenable, it's because everyone was at Mt Smart Stadium cheering Tonga with all their hearts. To be honest, I don't think Auckland's infrastructure could have handled Tonga winning yesterday but I still really wished they had.

Reading

Look it's just not happening. There is no reading going on here.

Making

Today I am making a couple of the final decisions needed to start the process of making a new kitchen. This "new kitchen" has been 22 years in the making and I am on tenter hooks thinking that now, in the very last few hours of this process, something will derail it and it won't happen. The few steps left to take are: choose handles and knobs; confirm bench top material; pay deposit. Pray for me please.

Working on

Ms Fox Woods and I have been communicating via video. Sending what we call #vletters to each other each week. I've been loving it, especially the "receiving Fox's #vletters" part. I feel that I, in particular, still have a lot to learn about communicating and hope that our Monaco Video project will continue into the New Year and for quite some time to come. I listen to Fox and she is such an incredible interpreter of interesting things she's read or uncovered. Between my memory and my intellect have so much to learn from her. If you'd like to tune in to find out what interesting things we talk about check out MonacoVideo.tv

Thinking about

Next year. I'm not wishing this one away but the restructure at work has fallen in my favour and I'm so excited for what we can accomplish in 2018. I can't tell you any details (even if you were interested) until it's official in December but it's all I can think about at the moment.

Maintaining

Rabbit health. Lady had two operations - one on each ear - after a chronic ear infection was detected. She's been inside so long I think she's become an inside rabbit. She's litter trained herself, taken over the dining room as her own. I can hear her ripping newspaper in the dog crate (her "cage" though it's always open) which is one of her favourite hobbies she works very hard at most days.