Oprah is gone!

It seems a little silly to me- that a country would spend so much money on trying to impress a TV host.  Not only that, but a bunch of the people would go silly in the head just to see them.  Oprah has left Australia!  While some of our deluded citizens are thrust into a state of mourning, I say "Good riddance!"

I fail to see the necessity to pander to a persons every desire.  Why would the leader of a country feel it is so important to be seen smiling next to a television personality.  It is ridiculous- I am ashamed of the way we must gravitate towards fluff and bubble, and not see the real issues (like border protection, and how to stop these boat loads of illegals making a run for our shores.)

In all honesty, I think our country has gone mad!

Any way, please feel free to check out this website, if you are in Australia especially!

Jim

I Like Guns

Guns.  You either love them, or you hate them.  You think everyone should have them, or you feel no-one should have them.  They are either a murderous weapon, or they are a means of protection or food gathering.  All in all, most people seem to fall into one of two catagories- the gun lovers or the gun haters.

I am, most assuredly, in the first of these two catagories.  I had my first gun at 16, as soon as I was old enough to get my firearms licence in New Zealand.  I enjoy hunting furry little animals that are considered a pest (I really am a Green's worst nightmare), and even eating some of them.

I am a proponent of the "Right to Bear Arms", something sadly lacking in the countries of Australia and New Zealand.  It seems that the only people down here that are allowed to have any sort of weapon, are the criminals!  In New Zealand it's even worst though, as the Police don't even have guns (usually).

In my opinion, when you allow the criminals to arm themselves, while forbidding the law abiding citizens to hold arms for protection, you are inviting trouble.  For every shooting, the Govrnment strengthens the firearms law (forbidding even more law abiding citizens from holding a gun, but still allowing any and every crim to have whatever weapon they wish).

I was asked what I would do if someone broke into my home while my family was in it (buy the Police Officer interviewing me for my firearms licence application.)  I suggested that the person would not live through it, if I had time to deal to them.  If I could unlock the gun cabinet, assemble the rifle, retrieve the bolt, unlock the chamber containing the magazine, unlock the ammo cabinet, load the magazine, load the gun, and then shoot the intruder, they would be dead.

The Policeman suggested that if that ever happened, I should drag the body into the street, away from the scene of carnage.  He also recommended that I put a couple of rounds into the ceiling to show intent to warn, not kill.  I might of just buried them.

So, you may consider me a Red-necked, Repuplican styled, conservative, narrow-minded, pig.  However, I am really just your ordinary family man who wants the right to protect myself and my family.  Can you really begrudge me that?  Come on Australia- get rid of the over stated gun laws, and let us look after ourselves- the crims will get the message eventually (hopefully some time just after their numbers have dwindled.)

Jim

Do we care?

On TodayTonight this evening, a story was aired about a woman who claims she was attacked by a store detective.  The claim is that she was roughed about by the man who grabbed her by the wrist, and yanked her around.  Apparently she suffered $80,000 worth of damage to her wrist and thumb, and has tried to sue the company employing the man (Best & Less clothing store.)

Now, I don't condone violent behaviour, however I find it a little difficult to believe the story- having worked in the capacity of a store detective in the past, it is not very likely that one would actually assault a client of the store, due to the risk of this very thing!

The story may have been credible, however, it turns out that people have developed a "boy who cried wolf" sentiment towards this lady after the revelation that she has a history of such claims.  Okay, so most people, some time in their lives will have justifiable cause (at least one time) to bring a lawsuit against another person or business (most will never take the opportunity due to not realizing the situation has that sort of ramification), but when you have had seven such claims within twenty years, c'mon!?

Add this to the video surveillance the company's private investigator captured of the woman using her wrist as normal, her credibility takes another dive.  Her daughter should have kept her mouth closed- she stated that her mother was just one of those clumsy people that accidents happen to.  Why should businesses (and ultimately those who shop with them) have to pay for some woman's clumsiness?  Really?

Australia is heading down a slippery, slippery slope of lawsuit overdose.  It won't be long that we will have a similar situation to the USA, where people file ridiculous civil action suits over nothing (or worse, over injury due to their own stupidity.)  Oh! I do dread those days.

Jim

Schoolies Sacrifice

There are parents whose children are drunken, good for not much, useless bums.  These same parents are at a loss as to why this is the case, and in some cases, there is little indication in family life as to the cause of a child going so far into drunkenness and debauchery.  The you pick up today's Sunday Mail newspaper, and things become crystal clear.

Schoolies has arrived.  The time of year when all the graduating Year 12's head to their favorite beach for a week of "Schools over for ever, let's party."  Now, I am not opposed to our young people celebrating the end of an era in their lives- by all means, send off the years of school and study, and bring in the new life of responsibility and adulthood, but there must be a better way than schoolies.

I read today of Police pleading with parents to not visit their kids half way through the week to drop off a continued supply of booze to their underage kids.  Now, I don't drink alcohol (unless the odd dose of medicine counts), but even if I did, I would not give it to my children.  I especially would not drop them off at some hotel with a case of the stuff, and then return a few days later to make sure they had enough to get blind, rotten, drunk and obnoxious!

Come'on parents, wake up to yourselves.  We wonder why our kids are going "off the rails", and doing stupid things, but we haven't observed our own actions, and how they may be creating an avenue for them to not only "jump off the deep end", but to have a run up to the cliff.  We are providing the skates they need to reach the end- then we want to sue someone when our kid gets hurt or killed.  Wake up!

I say "go the Police", lock the whole darn town up if you have to!  Slap all the parents giving the booze out with supply to underage fines. Let's show these school leavers that they don't have to go all out on the drink to have a good time- and lets seem them get to the next stage in life safely.

Jim


Photo courtesy of Perth Now

Amazing Substance

I have always known that Apple Cider Vinegar is good for you.  Splash it on your face for acne, rub it on a sore joint for relief, drink it for anti-oxidant properties.  But I came across this article today which suggests drinking an Apple Cider Vinegar beverage will assist you to loose weight!

I don't know how accurate the science is, but hey, a bottle of vinegar is on a couple of dollars, why not give it a try!  Not much to loose there - except possibly some fat related weight!

Anyway, my eldest is singing in church tonight (assuming he doesn't get stage fright!), so a very exciting milestone for us.  I can't believe he has grown up so fast- it seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital.  How time flies.  I remember older people would always say that time seemed to be going faster and faster, but could never really understand how that could be.  I get it now, that is for sure!

As a duty of care to the author of that article, here is the url again: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/vinegar-clinically-proven-to-destroy-fat/.

Ciao,

Jim

Justified Delay?

While driving to Gladstone this morning, I was travelling at 100 kilometers per hour- precisely, according to my GPS (only 2km p/hr different to the actual speedometer).  I wasn't in a hurry, I had plenty of time to get to my first appointment, and I try to not speed anyway (especially after I recieved a fine some time ago)!

Travelling at the speed limit is not easy when you have a whole line of traffic behind you, just itching to get past.  There is the temptation to sneek up past the limit, just to prove you're not a complete pain in the rear!  But no.  Today I chose to stay right on the limit, and with no small justification, it seems.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/1254/qld-police-get-10-fpv-typhoons/

When the Police are our with their radar, they will usually pick on the front of the line.  That would have been me, however, as our convoy of about seven vehicles approached a straight stretch of road (with no passing lines, I might add), a group of three roared past.  A particular van stood out, as it was sign written with the business name and information of a local locksmith.  I simply shook my head in disgust, and thought, "you idiot's."

About three kilometers further down the road, I negotiated a bend, and beheld a wonderful sight!  A little red and blue light was flashing up in the distance, and even from my vantage point, maybe 500-700 meters away, I could see that it was that van that had been stopped.  If he was still doing the same speed as when he passed me, the likelyhood is that his vehicle would be impounded!  Serves him right, I say.

So, do I feel bad about holding up all that traffic?  Not on your life!  If they had just stayed behind me, doing the speed limit, the cost of their drive would not have increased by at least $200.

Spider Surprise

There are so many deadly things in Australia.  Snakes, spiders, cars, trains, trucks, people, diseases, and more.  Anyway, I was running (yes running) through the Mount Archer National Park a few weeks ago, and came face to face with the specimen shown in the attached photograph.

I was running downhill at the time I encountered this little beast, and with the kinetic energy, along with what I assume must be a Newton's Law of Physics (the one that says, "when a fat guy is running down hill, it is hard for him to stop!," this spider very nearly had enough food to last it's entire species a life time.  While I did not actually fall over, I came close to imitating a baseball player sliding in for home base.

Funny enough that i was running down the hill, funnier still that I had to stop in such a hurry, I then had to find a way past the stinking thing!  Every time I came close, it would rear up with its two pair of front legs and bare some vicious looking fangs in all their glory.  Needless to say I was a little unenthusiastic about fighting with this thing- whose web was strung up right across the path, mind you.

In the end, I succumbed.  I found a big stick and wiped away all the web I could comfortably get to, and squeezed past at a flying run.  I don't much like crawly things, and ones that bite even more so!  Anyway, I learned my lesson- and now will take a big stick on each run through the park I embark on.

Ice Cream Disaster

In the eyes of children, a disaster can take on many different forms.  The most horrible of which would have to be licking your ice cream, then going to lick it again, only to find the ice cream part is now on the floor!  What a catastrophe.

This very agony unfolded before my very eyes this afternoon when an unsuspecting daddy took his little girl for an ice cream at Wendy's.  They were walking back past my Solahart display in the Gladstone shopping centre, when he stopped to look at something.  When he turned back to his daughter, her ice cream cone was empty and the ice cream sitting pretty in a pile on the floor!

Being the conscientious father, he would not allow aforementioned little girl to pick up and continue eating the offending rainbow.  Now, many children would become hysterical at seeing their precious treat being dumped in the rubbish.  Not so this one.  Her melt-down was the almost silent kind- not a tantrum, more of a cry of anguish.  It was enough to melt even the most rigid heart of stone, therefore daddy dutifully went off to purchase a replacement scoop to go atop the now naked cone. 

I couldn't help but notice, as they once again strolled past, that the little girl had her fingers firmly planted right into the ice cream!  No more accidents like that one, I dare say.

After watching this little drama, I couldn't help but observe closely the spot on which the previous ice cream scoop had landed, expecting someone to go head over heels on the slippery mess that was more like rainbow coloured milk by this time.  The center cleaners took their sweet time in arriving to mop it up, but alas! no one required the assistance of a concerned shop keeper.

Rain Time Driver

Having lived in New Zealand for so many years, I have grown accustomed to rainy day driving.  It rains most every other day over there, so if you can't drive in the rain, you just can't drive.  Rockhampton is not so!

I am not certain that any inhabitant of Rockhampton (especially if they have been here for more than ten years), has ever really contemplated the difference in vehicle handling that becomes apparent when the roads have slicked up!  Really- I have almost decided to start a company- L2DITR2D (Learn 2 Drive In The Rain 2day).  i think I could make a killer profit- except that Rockhamptonians are under the impression that they are fantastic drivers, which they would be, IF THEY WERE DRIVING ON THE ROAD COMPLEELY BY THEMSELVES!!!!

Anyway, now that I have ranted about terrible drivers, I will share some more spectacular news.  The family of six in which I now reside, will immenently become a family of seven.  Without a doubt, this is a wonderful thing, and I am very excited about having a new life within my clan!

As I write this, an electrical storm is blowing in.  Thankfully I have a mostly indoor job these days, and the rain does not affect my ability to work.  However, rainy weather does seem to cause people to think less about buying solar products- roll on the sunshine!!

Jim

Has God Forsaken Our Land?

And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.

 Ezekiel 9:8-9 

It seems to me that every day there is more news about a natural disaster of some description.  Christchurch- a massive earthquake, the same size as the one that struck Haiti, destroys half the city.  Victoria- flooding has placed many houses under water.  Hurricane Igor, and Hurricane Karl, fires, flooding, earthquakes- it seems like a world under attack!  But it's not.  More likely it's a world under judgment.

We are seeing the same attitude in people today that Ezekiel saw all those thousands of years ago in the people of Israel and Judah!  A feeling that God has left the Earth, forsaken it, and does not see or care what it going on.  An attitude that says, "we can do what we like, because God will not see it anyway."

Let me remind you of a passage of Scripture that will show you that no matter what we do, God will see, and he will not be turning a blind eye:

Psalms 139:1-24
1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13  For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19  Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20  For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21  Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22  I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God is everywhere, and the time of his coming must be soon.

Jim

Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Something I heard on the radio recently made me stop and think about this.  I was wondering about the manifestation of this fruit in the lives of Christians, and what it means if this fruit is missing.  I believe that if a person is 'Born Again', then there will be some sort of manifestation of that in their lives.  I am not saying that they will suddenly become the great Christian who can do no wrong, what I am saying, is that, in some way they will be different.

The difference may just be a nagging when they are doing wrong- at the point of Salvation, the Holy Spirit begins to dwell within you, so you have an additional conscience poking you in the heart when you know you are doing wrong.  Maybe it's a sudden desire to make things right with other people, or maybe the activities you enjoy just loose a little of their gloss.  Whatever it is, there will be something.

As a person grows in their relationship with God, there ought to be an obvious change in their lives.  This is shown to us in Galatians 5, when we read what the Fruit of the Spirit is.  I wonder how many of us (myself included) are showing some, or any, of these fruit?  A Christian should have an underlying joy in their lives- even in times of sorrow and hardship.  A Christian should be gentle (I don't mean soft, there is a difference between being a coward, and being gentle,) humble, and slow to anger.

After reading Galatians 5, I started to wonder about the world of Christianity in today's day and age.  I was wondering if we exhibit these Fruit of the Spirit, or is their no difference between us and the world.  Do our Facebook posts honour God, or when our children read them in years to come, are they going to be ashamed or hurt by it?  I have, in the past, been guilty of some harsh words, but I know, when it comes down to it, our actions will typically be a representation of our walk with God.

I hope this will encourage you to think about what your actions are saying concerning your walk with God, and how the Fruit of the Spirit is reflected in your life.

Jim

Gashed Up- The Final Chapter

I have promised to end this saga soon, and this is it.  The final post has now arrived, so all you dotting grandparents of Christian may finally rest easy.  So, to pick up where I left off...

You should realize, that when I say, "I leaped out of bed" I am talking about a not very comfortable, little green arm chair thingy, that fold out to a stretcher bed about one and a half feet wide.  I tell you, if you think Christian was the one suffering, you have another thought coming- he was being waited on hand and  foot!

Charli arrived right after breakfast (not that we got breakfast, what with the pending operation, and all) with all the siblings to say "hi" to Christian, and pandemonium broke out in the room.  Thankfully we were still the sole occupants.  Just before the bedlam arrived, the surgical doctors all traipsed through to look at and oooh, and aaah, and poke a little at Christians nose.  We were told that a surgery time was not yet known, but, "we will get back to you."

The Nurse came in and gave me a hospital gown- you know, those things that don't close up at the back!  Poor 'ole Christain.  Right after bath time we learned that 10:00 was the most important time of that day.  Charli left the kiddies with Tracy (Perkins), and we sat and waited.  I had to step out briefly, and missed the procession down to the operating theater, but soon found Charl's waiting there.

Two hours.  He was gone two whole hours before we heard the screaming from down the hall, through the "swipe card access" doors.  It didn't take long for the nurse to come and get me to pick him up.  He was screaming "Muuummmama, Muuummmama" but it appears that Daddy would do.

Within an hour of coming out of Recovery, our little bruiser was playing football in the ward, acting like nothing was wrong.  He did finally get to eat though!  Yay!  Everything was great, we were just waiting for the release, then we were going home.

Surprise!  "Mr. and Mrs. Hartley, we think it is best if Christian spends another night here so we can have him under observation."  I guess that a two year old having his first General anesthetic is not exactly a 'do it and get out' sort of job.  But life goes on.

I tried to convince Charls that I would stay the second night, but she wouldn't hear of it.  No way.  So I vacated the little half bed, and went home for a sleep on our nice big bed (with no nurses waking me up constantly), and left Charli to the pleasure of a 'great nights sleep,'

Well, the story pretty much is finished.  His recovery has been great, if it weren't for the be red line down one side of his nose, you would never know that anything had happened to him.  Our Christian is a great little trooper!

Thanks for stopping by, I trust you were enlightened about little Christian and his nose duel.  Feel free to stop by now and then,  you don't have to not come just because Christian is now on the mend.

Jim

Gashed Up- The Saga Continued Just A Little Bit More

After being poked and prodded, held down and jabbed, poked and prodded some more, and finally being admitted to the children's Ward, we thought we would have a little relief- some time to relax and let the little man sleep.  Not quite.

As we made our way up the elevator to the sixth floor, we were wondering what was going to happen.  Neither Charli nor myself expected him to actually be admitted to hospital.  Yeah, he nearly cut his nose off, but a full-on stay in hospital (with hospital food)?  Surprise!

Bed nine.  I will never forget bed nine.  There were four beds in the room, two of which were already occupied.  There were four "parents chairs" in the room, four of which were occupied.  My son was place next to a little Aboriginal boy, whose "parents" were taking up two of the said chairs, while the other two were taken up by a little girls daddy and his feet.  This guy didn't even pretend to give up the foot stool chair, but wouldn't look at me either!

After admission, Charli and I decided that it would be best if she went and relieved our baby sitters (thanks Chris and Tracy), and get the rest of the little clan sorted and fed, and bedded down.  This was not an easy thing for her to do- leave her injured little man.

Within about an hour of being admitted, the little Aboriginal boy next to us was relocated.  Yay! Chairs, space, quiet, all in one go.  We found out later that he had been shifted to the infectious diseases part of the Ward.  Not so cool.  Within another hour of that, the girl across the room was discharged, leaving us with a four bed room all to ourselves!

Dinner that night was party pies.  Christian got two, I got two, but the rest of the food wasn't really all that edible, so he started right in on the custard and jelly.  I, on the other hand, waited until my dear wife arrived with McDonald's.

Christian went to sleep very soon after dinner was finished, and was sleeping fitfully, when Darren and Tracy Christie arrived to see how things were getting on.  (We were preparing to enjoy a beautiful BBQ lunch at their house when the accident occurred.)  They got past the nurses by telling them he was my adopted brother (which is true! we are both Christians, therefore, brothers), and it was good to have them stop by.

It felt like every hour, but I'm sure it wasn't, that the nurse came by to check his vitals, administer his antibiotics, and generally wake him up.  Each time the curtain whipped back, I leapt out of bed to hold his hand and comfort him.  Inevitably, I would end up laying in his bed for about twenty or thirty minutes after each round.

This is the Third installment of the story, and in order to not have too long a blog, I have decided to stop there for now.  We are nearly at the end, and I promise that the final chapter will be written with the next post.  I hope you are enjoying reading the drama that has unfolded in our lives, and trust you will continue to pray for Christians healing.

Jim

Gashed Up- The Saga Continued

At the end of my last post, I promised that I would share the remainder of the story of my son's fight with a concrete path.  So, read on, and you will find the story- as remembered by me, of course!


As soon as the paramedics arrived and looked at him, they said, "this will be a trip to the hospital!"  Now, this is exactly what I was expecting, however, with three other children, the logistics were a little stretched.  Thankfully, we were amongst a group of people who were fast becoming good friends.  My wife and I decided that I should go with him in the Ambulance, as she would be more able to calm the others, so off we went- the first of my children to take a ride in an ambulance!

As we departed the scene, Christian set up a howling that could wake the dead.  Then, after calming down, we pulled up at traffic lights alongside a silver car that looked just like ours.  Well, the little man was convinced that this particular car was housing him mummy, and would not lie still and quiet for some time.  The trip to hospital took maybe around 10 minutes.  During this time, Christian successfully screamed, slept, lay awake, screamed again, and slept again!  All in a day's work.

Once we reached the hospital, the blood was still flowing.  You know head wounds- even the tiniest cut will bleed, and bleed, and bleed!  So here we are, fresh from a Bar-b-Que at which we hadn't had a chance to eat, probably that was a good thing though, and we got to sit in the Emergency Department for a good long time.

We were not given a bed in Emergency- they were kept for the more serious cases- like drug withdrawal sufferers, and people with seriously screwed up broken stuff- we got to sit in the middle of the corridor where everyone could stop and stare at my little child.  I am almost certain that I could see their mind thinking, "how could you let that happen to your child? you terrible parent!"

The poor little guy hadn't eaten since breakfast, now he was basically fasting.  They wouldn't give him anything to eat right away, in case he needed surgery.  So, we waited, and waited, and waited- you know how emergency departments can be, until finally, a doctor came to see us!  Now, the Doctor was a nice enough guy, but he was not content to just look at the wound, no, he had to poke it, and prod it, and pull apart the two halves of it to look right down inside- not easy to watch. Especially when it's your own child!

Anyway, this concludes part 2 of the continuing saga of my son's accident.  Come back later for what should be one or maybe two final installments.  Thanks for coming by.

Jim

Gashed Up

As a parent of four pre-school children, a child crying is a very common noise to me.  When one of my children starts to cry, I do not automatically drop everything and run to their side.  If the child starts out with a horrific, terrified, type of screaming, then yes, I will immediately make a beeline for wherever they are.  But if the crying is that of one who has had a toy forcibly removed from their possession, I am less likely to raise the alert level to above a mild yellow.

Prepping for surgery

It was the second type of crying that greeted my ears this past Sunday.  A crying that did nothing to alert me that something drastic had happened, I nearly didn't respond at all, except we were at a lunch gathering with a whole bunch of people, and I didn't want a major disturbance.  I am afraid that I still had that major disturbance. 

Little Kiddie number Three in Mummy's arms, waiting to see the doctor

The scene that greeted my eyes as I rounded the corner of the house, was that of my little boy with blood streaming down him face.  Now, if it had been coming from a blood nose (actually exiting the nostril,) then I would hardly have been perturbed.  It may have been just a little squabble between a couple of the kiddies, but no.  There was blood exiting from a nostril, but it was the blood gushing from a slash across the nose that stopped me in my tracks!

While a volunteer in the New Zealand Fire Brigade, I underwent intensive emergency response first aid and primary care training, but do you think I could recall what I had been taught- with my own child standing there, screaming, with blood literally all over him?  We did what we could while waiting for the Ambulance's arrival.  Praise God, they were very fast!

To  find out more about what happened, check back here soon for the remainder of the story.

Jim

NCIS

Some people go home and watch television.  Others will listen to the radio.  Still others will just watch a movie.  Me?  I go home and watch t.v like a movie.  Due to the lack of quality in television shows, we have opted to watch out television on dvd.  More to the point, NCIS- the full season times 5.  They were on special one day so started buying them.

At first my wife didn't thing she would be interested.  But after just one episode, she was hooked!  Now, instead of wasting time watching some reality junk t.v, we can spend an hour or two watching high quality special agent shoot 'em up action!  Much more appealing.  Anyway, last night we started in on Season 5, so in the not too distant future, I will need to fork out for Season 6 (the last one they had in stock, and only one they hadn't discounted), just to keep the addict in with a fix.

Anyhow, more will come later, as I still have not talked about the new iPhone 4, and can't wait to let you know what i think of it.

Jim

Solar Stuff

Yay!  Four sales came through today.  Now, that may not seem like a great many, but when your product sells for between $3,000 and $50,000, that is plenty.  Only one more this week and I can start getting some commission!

It would be an interesting study to see how much electricity the nation of Australia is saving by using Solahart hot water systems.  Without a doubt it would have to be plenty!  Solar energy must be one of the fastest growing industries in Australia right now- it sure helps having a Government throwing money at it to speed it along.  Probably won't last long, what with a new Government likely later this year (I hope!)

If I owned my own home, and had the capital, I would install a grid-connect solar power system.  The power company pays you $0.44 per kW hour you export, then you buy it back for just $0.2135 per kW hour- how can you beat that?!!  Spend enough on a PV system and you'll never have to work again!

Anyway, I got my new iPhone 4 today.  First iPhone I've had, so will write about it later.

Jim

Continually Dreaming

As a child grows up, they are going to have so many different dreams of what they are 'going to be' when they grow up.  Fireman, policeman, nurse, pilot, astronaut, and the list goes on and on.  How many times has one of your children told you a different profession three or four times in a week?

No different from any other child, I have had my fair number of dreams.  Only, for me, they haven't stopped evolving.  I'm not sure that a week goes by without me telling my wife some new idea, or a new job possibility that comes to mind.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you are my wife), the vast majority of these dream never amount to reality.  So many things that I am certain I could be good at, convinced that I would 'make it' doing, have gone by the junk pile.

I mentioned that I would love to run for Mayor.  I have said this before, with a very luke warm response.  This time, however, she said, "Go for it!"  Wow.  I never thought I would hear that from her.  I guess she has resigned herself to my wandering ambitions.  For real, though, I am seriously considering the jump into politics for the future.  Maybe when I am ready for a job change.

What's Not Working- the Sales that just won't happen

I love sales.  I love to make sales.  I love selling the product.  I even actually enjoy talking to the people I am trying to sell to.  I have the product I am selling on my roof, and I believe everyone should have one.  Why, then, am I not getting the number of sales I need to get my commission?

I have a good salary.  I get to use a company car and phone, and I don't have to sell a certain number just to get paid.  But all the same, I would still like to make the minimum quota for commission.  Five.  That's it!  Five measly products, and I can't seem to reach it.  Several weeks in a row, and I still haven't received a commission.  I actually reached five in a week, but I don't get the commission until number six.

Why?  Am I not under enough pressure to perform?  Am I soft and lazy?  I work long hours quoting.  Maybe people prefer our competitors cheaper product over our better product.  Maybe if I was on commission only I would be like a gun dog after the birds- barking at my prospective purchasers until they caved and paid up straight away.  But I am not like that.  I hate when a sales consultant is like that to me, so I will not be like it to others.

Maybe my quotes will start coming in soon.  You have to give some people time to think, right?  I hope so.  Any tips for a newbie salesman?

Thanks,

Jim

New Ambitions

Without change, things will stagnate. There have been many changes in my life lately, both great big ones, and little tiny ones. The greatest of all these changes, and something that many people will never experience, has been changing the country in which I live.

There is so much more involved with moving to a new country than just getting on the 'plane. I mean, when you look at the situation carefully, you will find that it is your entire life that changes. Yes, you have a new house. But beyond that, you must realize that that is not all. For me, I have had to start all over again. Yes, I still have my same clothing (some of it anyway), and yes, I still have some of the same belongings- I still have my family, but nothing else is the same.

I have a new job. I sell and install solar hot water systems, along with grid connected solar power systems. My new boss would have to be the best employer I have ever worked for! That is saying something, as I have had about 10 different employers since starting my working life just twelve years ago. I also have a new car. It's a heap of junk FORD Falcon, starting to die, to small for my family, and just rubbish- but I could afford to buy it for cash, so it is filling a need.

Almost everything about my life is now different than it was just six months ago. I have a new life, and I am looking forward to the changes and challenges of the future. As I journey along this new pathway, please join me from time to time as I share the sights and sounds, the ups and downs, and the dreams and ambitions that flood my life.

Thanks for stopping by

Jim