Getting set in my ways

10:45am 02 Feb 2012 73 comments

Flat hunting in Wellington with a small dog is always going to present a problem. It did this time last year, when I was looking for somewhere to live, and it does again.

I don’t think I’m too fussy, but the type of flats that seem prepared to accept dogs are not somewhere I want to live.

For one, I really do draw the line at sharing my space with rodents – and not of the pet variety.

I’m not about to shriek and stand on a chair if I do spot a mouse, but nor do I want to open the pantry door to find one inspecting this week’s shopping.

No potential flat has admitted to a slight rat infestation yet but that’s a whole different issue. I am likely to shriek and stand on a chair if I spot one of those. I’m not ashamed to admit it. And I rather think Percy would join me.

May I pat your dog?

10:25am 31 Jan 2012 98 comments

I think I might have missed a memo. When did it become okay to allow your children to pat strangers’ dogs without first asking if it was all right?

Yesterday, I was reading Donnelle’s entry in the parenting blog asking how to help her older son become more confident with dogs. It seems clear she is not one of the parents who turn a blind eye to random patting of strangers’ dogs, but her entry started me thinking about children and Percy.

Percy holds a magnetic attraction for children. Many – those who aren’t afraid of dogs, obviously - basically fall upon him in the street with cries of joy.

Percy endures little hands pawing at him with a stoic look on his furry face, without moving or complaining. I’d like to take the credit for this, due my stellar training and socialising him with everyone I could get hands on when he was a puppy. However, I think his acceptance springs from a lovely nature, not from anything I did.

And while Percy doesn’t much enjoy being mauled in the name of patting, he seems to like children, particularly ones who are gentle with him. I still have work to do on his habit of jumping up. He seems to have stopped doing it with me but his recent behaviour with my seven-year-old cousin (who absolutely loved Percy) demonstrated he’s not trained out if altogether.

When is education self-indulgent?

10:40am 26 Jan 2012 92 comments

My last blog raised a topic that I had not anticipated. As commenter Bob the Troll succinctly asked: "How many times can someone change career and retrain before they get painted as selfish and wishy-washy?"

I think, much as with Year 13 essay questions, we should discuss, and obviously I'll do so by reference to my own academic endeavours.

While I may well be selfish in other areas of my life, it did not cross my mind that further study could be considered so. Yes, I do have two previous degrees - one in media arts and one in law.

I have diligently paid back the vast bulk of my student loan, which was modest in the first place, thanks to working all through both degrees.

So the New Zealand taxpayer is not going to suffer at my hands, whether or not I require a loan for this year's study. After all, I have been a taxpayer myself for the last 14 years. I don't think I could be called a professional student by even the meanest of calculations.

Home from the overseas adventures

12:05pm 20 Jan 2012 39 comments

A belated welcome to 2012. I hope being back at work is not too painful. It’s been a while since my last blog and much has happened in that time.

Well, now I think about it, not that much has happened, but what has happened is major - I have come back to New Zealand.

Just before Christmas, it was decided my employment trial in Sydney would not be extended. I was not the right fit for the job and extremely bored. I’d also just received notification I’d got into the course I wanted to do at Victoria University, which I'd been mulling over for more than a year.

I’ll soon be heading back to Wellington, to start a graduate diploma in psychology, which I’m quite excited about. I’ve also got a job at Stuff again. It’s a case of back to the future, as studying and Stuff nightshift is a combination I’ve tried before. I’ll be busy, tired and very short of spare time, but as much of my family has commented, I like to challenge myself.

I don’t regret a second of my time away. I could throw around a few cliches about learning experiences and growth, but I’ll spare you that. Things certainly didn’t work out exactly as I had planned, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Except for the extra kilos I managed to put on – I’m working hard to get rid of those and get fit once more.

Percy's Christmas pose

09:00am 23 Dec 2011 11 comments

Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to shut off the office computer for a couple of weeks and schlep off to spend some quality time with family, which may explain at least a few glasses of the copious amount of alcohol consumed over the festive season.

And in honour of that season, I have humiliated my dog by cajoling him into posing for a special photo. So from Percy and I, have a very merry Christmas, stay safe, make sure you eat far too much  and we hope to see you here in the new year.