The most boring job in the world

Driving 10 hours straight down to Daylesford recently was immensely enjoyable, but the thought did cross my mind that I would go absolutely bonkers if I had to do the drive up and down the Hume day in day out. Being a truckie must be one of the more boring jobs in the world.

It got me thinking: what is the world's most boring job?

It's all subjective, of course. What I might find intensely boring might be nirvana for another. For example, I did fleetingly think to add 'mother' to the list because you can't tell me that singing 'Easy Silence' every night for 1356 nights isn't boring... but there are good bits too, so it didn't qualify.

For me, the short list is basically composed of any job where you're not required to think a lot, the work you do is monotonous and you're essentially on your own all day:

truck driver
car park security guard
tennis umpire
crane lifter
data entry

I might also add 'personal trainer' because I find exercise so intensely dull and imagine it must be mind-numbing having to watch someone else do it. There's also that guy on the Colourbond ad whose main job appears to be watching metal rust... the equivalent of being paid to watch paint dry?

What do you think the most boring job in the world might be?

[Cute guard peg dolls by Abbey of Aesthetic Outburst]

Not visiting, drowning

I'm writing, I'm posting (always writing, always posting), but I'm just not getting around to visit many blogs right now. I hope you will accept this lovely picture I've found as my apology. It depicts myself as I perform graceful acrobatics whilst slowly drowning under my work load.

As soon as I can find a spare second in my crammed life, I will be over to catch up with yours'.

x

[Image found here. Please let me know if this is your image so I can credit your loveliness.]

That entrepreneurial thing you do

A little part of me has always wanted to open my own business. Doing what, I'm not exactly sure, but maybe a children's party service, maybe a cafe (not just a virtual one!), maybe really throw it all in and open some kind of gardening business. There's a romance in doing your own thing that really appeals to me; a great satisfaction in providing for yourself.

That's the little part of me.

The big part of me realises that entrepreneurial I am not. I have neither the stamina nor the self-discipline required to run my own show. Plus I'm much too needy; who would praise and compliment me for a job well done if I worked on my own? I couldn't rely on grouchy customers, surely?

That hasn't stopped my head from being turned by those Huggies 'mumrepreneur' grants (and not just because 'mumrepreneur' is just such a lame word). Have you seen what they're offering? $20,000 to help five lucky mummas realise their small-business dream. Imagine! I've been thinking up grand schemes for weeks, conveniently forgetting with every single dream that I am still myself and $20,000 isn't gonna change that! Although, now that I think about it, $20K is a whole lotta praise, right?!

But what about you? Do you fancy yourself as an entrepreneur? Could you imagine opening your own business? What would you do? I know many, many of you lovelies already do and I would be very interested to hear what made you take the leap and just begin.

[Image via weheartit]

When I grow up I want to be a something...

The temperamental climate at work has meant that I've been thinking about my 'career' a lot lately. I say 'career' because I abandoned the notion of a Career the instant I clapped eyes on my firstborn. While once I thought 'climbing the ladder' was a purposeful and interesting way to spend my time, nowadays I have a job and I'm happy with that. But sometimes I think 'coulda, shoulda, woulda...'

I'm 'in advertising', I used to be 'in marketing' and then at one stage I was 'in PR'. What I really want for the Tsunamis is that they be A Something.  A plumber, a delivery driver, a doctor, a farmer, a zoo keeper, a researcher... just A Something. A Something that has a bit of meaning, that's a Career, a Vocation.

At my work the expression 'we're not saving lives' is often raised to try to quell the hysteria that builds when we are behind on our mega-urgent, mega-important drop-dead oh-dear-god-are-we-going-to-make-it  deadline... to put an advertisement into a newspaper. (Hmmmm... I wonder what the neurosurgeons say when they are equally as Stressed Out with Very Pressing and Important Matters?)

I'd like the Tsunamis to be able to say "Me? Oh, I'm A..." and launch into a riveting account of their day doing something important. "I saved a woman's house from flooding" or "I helped birth a baby elephant" or "I introduced three new people to the artwork of Bugalugs".

Maxi used to want to work in a museum but now he wants to be A Film Maker and make films about animals (or Zhu Zhu pets judging by his debut film which wrapped about a month ago and is currently in editing). Cappers wants to assist Maxi to make films about animals (not surprisingly she used to want to assist Maxi at the museum). But in her spare time she wants to be An Artist. The Badoo is practicing to become A Kickboxing / Headbutting / Martial Arts Expert. She's but moments away...

Do you have aspirations for your children? What do they want to be when they grow up?

[Image by Ben Heine]

Phew

A quick note to say that I appear to have escaped the cut and I won't be made redundant. It's nice to know I'll be part of a new team in the next couple of weeks... where or what or who I do not know.

But, onwards and upwards.

Thanks everyone for your fab support via comment and email. It means a lot to know that so many of you are in my corner.

[Image by Noor van Krimpen-Winckel]

There's a storm coming...

Things at work are pressured lately. There's a major restructure happening which means that our large advertising and marketing team of 100 will merge into different areas of the biz. Many of us will be made redundant or asked to apply for new roles elsewhere in the company. Some of us will stay where we are and take on a different sort of role.

It's a pretty scary place to be, as you can imagine. We are all facing a massive life change and things will never be the same again. Everyone deals with change so differently and there is sadness, anger, depression and bewilderment. Seeded amongst the understandable despair there are the annoyingly cheerful people that you just want to slap for being so bloody optimistic.

Oh colleagues, I apologise wholeheartedly, but I just can't help myself.

I'm a Pollyanna well practiced in the art of denial.  My heart says 'I'm worried and scared and anxious... what if?', but my head answers 'you can't worry about something you have no control over'. You just have to wait for the verdict and then plan your attack. No point coming up with answers to scenarios that may never happen. Save your energy and spirit and just get on with things, treat yourself and others kindly and reassess your options when you really know what's going on.

So, I won't worry until I know what I need to worry about... that's, ah, why I can't sleep a wink and the suspense is eating me for breakfast...

Are you a born worrier or a born optimist? How do you manage big changes that are beyond your control?

[Artwork 'The Premonition' is by the Flickerees]

Things I learned this week including that it's possible to be too stylin'

We're off on holiyays this weekend! A whole week of... well... much the same really. But in a fabulously fun and new location (more on this on Sunday). And I don't have to go into the office, so that's well worth celebrating!! Look out for some fabulous guest posts here in Maxabellaland next week, all writing on the theme of 'what my children taught me about myself'. I can't wait.

This week I learned a few things worth noting...

1. It is possible to be too stylin'. As much as I eagerly anticipated the launch of Fleur Wood's Food Fashion Friends ( I love all three of these things!) , on closer inspection I found it to be oh-so-very over-styled, forced and pretentious. The thought of sitting down to dinner with those fabulous... ah... well... wankers put me right off my food. Did I miss something? Perhaps it's a diet manual?

2. Finance types really do seem to think that we can predict the future with all this 'forecasting' business they insist on. Scoff, life is too short to plan, my friend, I may live like a gypsy but I don't carry a crystal ball. Sorry, what was that? You're paying me good money to know how to do a budget forecast? Oh. I'm right on top of that, Rose!?

3. I care about the fate of the Bali Nine. I appreciate that drugs kill and what they did was illegal and that they knew the punishment before they committed the crime. I know that. But the thought of these young people being gunned down by a firing squad makes me want to curl up in a ball and weep for the loneliness of a life half lived.

4. I don't like spending nights away from home for work (I almost wrote 'on business' but I didn't want to join Fleur's wanky gang). I sort of knew this already, but here I am in Melbourne, away from my family and I'm missing them so very much. Which is a shame as I know I should appreciate the fact that my job gives me a night away here and there to myself... but indeed when it all comes down to it, the Missing seems to be far more important than the Myself.

5. Under no circumstances should you put more than two Eclipse mints in your mouth at the same time. Danger, I repeat, danger. I can still hardly talk my mouth was that numb. (I notice a few of you heading off to find the Eclipse mints... danger, danger! Oh, does no-one ever listen to me!?)

Did you learn anything new this week? Have you ever been a bit too zealous with the mints and lived to regret it?

[Image of Fleur Wood's Friends Food Fashion via The Kitchen Inc]

Things I learned this week including the existence of sigh macarons

1. There really is no business like show business. Especially at the circus.

2. The 1,2,3 method of disciplining Tsunamis really, really works. I only just acknowledged this. We've been using the method (1 = reminder 2 = warning 3 = consequences) for over a year and just this week I suddenly realised that these days most of the time I don't get past '1'. A reminder of what good behaviour is all about is all it takes.

3. When 1,2,3 fails, there is always 'putting on my cranky pants'. If you're at your wits end and the kids are mental, putting on the cranky pants ("I'm putting them on right now", "no, not the cranky pants", "yes, those cranky pants are coming out of the cupboard and my leg is going...", "nooooo don't put on the cranky pants, Mum!") is a great way to diffuse a mess into humour and it actually really works. Of course, when the cranky pants do go on, mum has to be really, really cranky to make the whole thing work. Those pants are the biz.

4. The number one reason why people are unhappy in their job and don't feel empowered* is because they don't feel heard. Listening and showing that you understand a grievance is all it takes to make people feel better about their jobs, even if you can't fix the actual grievance. I think this is something we can bring to the home front too... Talk to me, I'm here for you and I'm really interested in what you have to say...

5. Macarons are everywhere. Everyone is talking about them, eating them and making wedding cake towers out of them. I had never even heard of a macaron until this week (although, are they the same as the Italian macaroon of which I have eaten ample?) I fear for my 20 year diet...

6. There are some emailing lists out there that you join for life. No matter how many times you hit 'unsubscribe', their little email shows up right on time. Are you listening, BandT magazine???

7. Just-turned-two year olds can leap from the top of a bed onto the floor and land neatly like a gymnast. Thank god.

8. Many people out there really do want to just wallow in their misery. I'm not talking about depression, I'm talking about whinge, whinge, whinge and nothing done to change their situation. Makes me frustrated and heart-broken.

9. It's National Tree Day in Australia on 25 July.

10. Tumblelogging is superfast blogging, a cross between twitter and traditional blogs. Check it out at tumblr**.

Tell me, what did you learn this week??

* I actually hate this word with all my heart and soul and I'm sorry I used it.

** Although, should you choose to do so I will not be by your side. My life is far too slow for tumblr. I am already struggling with the pace of twitter. They are like trying to have a conversation at a party.

Oh and don't forget to join in The July Chronicles: What's on your fridge? Linky open until 31 July.

This Saturday I'm grateful for... smeary petroleum jelly.

Here in Maxabellaland, Saturday is traditionally a sport, shop, sort the clothes, sweep the floors, strangle the Tsunamis (insert other 's' words here - no pun intended) kinda day. But on Maxabella loves... I thought it would be grounding to make Saturday my 'grateful' day.


This Saturday I'm grateful for...

1. My colleagues. They make me laugh. We have more 'in jokes' than an episode of Desperate Housewives. We probably have more metaphorical serial killers to dodge as well.

2. Vaseline. It's such a good old fashioned staple and I don't know how anyone gets kids through cold, windy weather without it. It just smears so well and little faces shine with love and happiness (note: this could just be the Vaseline.)

3. The A4 page that accompanied Maxi-Taxi's school report and explained, mostly, what the hell was going on with all those ticks and all those boxes and all those woooords. We think he's doing okay. We think.

What are you grateful for today?