Tuesday, September 12, 2006

More Jibber-Jabber

Two weeks ago it was shorts weather and everybody said, just like every year, "well, that's winter done". Past 4 days its been about 12c with storm after storm coming in from the South. Except for Tassie, there's nothing between here and Antarctica and winter southerlies are mean and wet. Tomorrow we could get wind from the west, the red center, and the temperature will jump 20 degrees. One thing I like about Aussie weather is it is always extreme. No rain for two years then floods. Freak windstorms as random and deadly as tornados. Mix in a bush fire and you've really got something....firestorms so big they send embers 2okm ahead of the main front to start more fires. This is a continent where the plants, animals and weather conspire to repel all invaders. The Aborigines aren't too keen on them either.
Working with the boss over at his house again today. Playing Let's Make A (too) Complicated Spreadsheet. I will try to user-friendly it after he finishes his part and emails it to me which he was supposed to do 2 hours ago. Key to a good spreadsheet, the golden fleece, is to fit the fucking thing on one page at 100% by resisting all suggestions, requests and demands to add "just one column that tracks some obscure thing important only to me". Tomorrow I get to go down the coast to visit one of our supplier's factories and see how they do things. Yesterday I was running the panel saw in the factory. Next week I go on four days training down in Sydney costing them $550/day plus accomodation and meals, as well as my normal wage. The new job is not at all boring so far. Haven't set foot in what I was calling my office last week.
A re-run of The Cosby Show was starting the other night, you know the opening credits where they all dance?. I called Person 4 and said "You know Raven on All About Raven? That's her on TV when she was about 5" to which Person 4 replied "hmmmm. She was smaller". I'm not positive, but I think she was being sarcastic. I'm so proud.
Person 4 was in trouble at school again, part of an ongoing feud with a little psychopath in pigtails. Talked to her tonight about it and told her there were two options, avoid the girl thereby ensuring there will be no chance she is implicated in anything requiring a teacher's attention...or punch her in the face. But, she must also take the consequences of punching her in the face including big teacher trouble and the chance it doesn't go her way and she gets a shit kicking. Her choice, just be sure it's worth it. When I was 10 I fell off the roof after being told repeatedly to stay off. I was only bruised and got no sympathy, but I also didn't get an "I told you so" either...I'd made my choice. I want her to always take credit for her accomplishments just as she should always own up to errors - though it requires bravery at times, she will be respected for it all the more. And if she ever decides she has good reason to punch a kid in the face, I will support her all the way and hold her hand while she pays the consequences.

8 comments:

Ghetto Photo Girl said...

You're a really good dad.

And, in an effort to maintain her reputation as a little girl not to be messed with, I hope she punches that girl in the face. A lot.

exile said...

tell her to punch the kid in the face right before the teacher walks in the room.

if she times it right she can win the fight without getting hit her self

that's how i used to beat up girls in school

SkookumJoe said...

ok, I'll pass that on to P4...except I also always tell her people are full of advice, but are rarely there to help if it goes to shit. So you make sure the decision is yours, not somebody else's

exile said...

skook- so you're say'n you want me to help her beat up a little girl? hmmmmmm...

isn't that what we have baboons for?

SkookumJoe said...

baboons are naturally afraid of little girls, you'll have to do it exile.

Ghetto Photo Girl said...

What good is a baboon army if they're afraid of little girls? Shouldn't we be building an army of little girls instead then?

Anonymous said...

I think they'd be too volatile to work with, Exoterica. Kind of like nitroglycerine.

SkookumJoe said...

also little girls lack to upper body strength of a baboon