It is day two of my New Financial Year Resolution diet, and it sucks. I am craving all sorts of stuff that I wasn’t even eating last month, simply because I’m not allowed to have it this month.

I am acutely aware of how dumb that is.

So you can imagine my relief when I found my soulmate on YouTube today, thanks to Dooce…

• Funny Stuff , Health & Fitness
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There’s something inspiring about a new month, and I like making resolutions (even if they don’t last forever!). Here are my goals for July:

1. Take my multivitamin and asthma medication every day
2. Lose 3kg
3. Find a new job

I’ll be pretty happy with myself if I can achieve all three!

• Health & Fitness , Life
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One year ago I boarded a plane in Brisbane, with two suitcases and my dog. In that short time Melbourne has become just as much my home as Brisbane ever was, and there’s still so much more to see. I am certain that I will still be exploring and experiencing this city for many years to come.

In many ways it is more “home” than anywhere else, because of the path I’ve forged for myself and the people I’ve chosen to share it with. Melbourne has been my own little frontier, and finding my place in it has been a real adventure.

Happy anniversary, Melbourne.

Harry’s first night in Melbourne - looking a little bit sad after his first plane ride

• Life , Melbourne
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Part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days challenge

The people at my workplace are AFL fanatics. One of our sales managers can tell you the score of any Carlton match ever played, who kicked the winning goal (and in what minute), who was announcing the game and where he was personally at the time. It’s really fun to quiz him on the details when he’s taking a trip down memory lane.

As a Queenslander I didn’t really register that Aussie Rules football existed - at least, not until the Brisbane Lions started to win a bunch of Grand Finals. I’ve never understood the game, and never really cared to.

But when you live in Victoria all of that changes. If you are affliated with the wrong team (or worse - have no affiliations at all) you’ll find yourself completely ostracized. The coffee guy will secretly switch you over to decaf, your coworkers will stop greeting you in the morning, and perfect strangers will cross the road to avoid looking you in the eye. There’s no better way to scream “I’m a tourist!” than to utter a word about Rugby League or Union in this state.

When Tim and I moved to Melbourne my uncle presented us with the merchandise of our suburb’s team. It was an act of great personal sacrifice, but he recognised the importance of this rite of passage. We are yet to see our own team play a game, but we have been to two AFL games now - one at the Telstra Dome (Essendon vs Port Adelaide) and one at the MCG (VIC vs The Dream Team).

It was a really cool experience, especially since we were able to get seats in the Medallion Club for our first ever game at the Telstra Dome. However it is worth pointing out the embarrassment I felt when my boyfriend had to loudly explain what was happening on the field in his American accent. Is it just me, or does everyone run everywhere in AFL?

• 101 in 1001 , Life , Melbourne
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The Top 100 Australian Web 2.0 Applications list was published in BRW this month, and today I spent some time browsing what was on offer. I found it a fantastic resource for discovering new web applications, and especially for the Aussie-related content.

Here are some that I found especially useful or interesting:

3. Red Bubble

Website: http://www.redbubble.com/

Person/Company: Martin Hosking/ Peter Styles/ Paul Vanzella

Description: Art gallery and creative community where artists can upload art and sell it in many formats. Over 100,000 items sold in 71 countries in the first financial year. Has raised $3.7 million in funding.

I’ve had an account at RedBubble for some time, although I haven’t really been active there since setting it all up. It’s definitely something I’d like to invest more time in though, you can check it out here.

13. Remember The Milk

Website: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/

Person/Company: Emily Boyd/ Omar Kilani

Description: Web, mobile and IM shareable to-do lists with features including location. Over 500,000 users globally.

15. StreetAdvisor

Website: http://streetadvisor.com.au/

Person/Company: Jason Spencer/ Adam Spencer

Description: Residents rate their streets and localities on criteria such as public facilities, noise, and neighbourly spirit, and write reviews. Users earn ’streetcred’ and ‘local experts’ are appointed. The primary focus is on Australia, US, UK and Canada, but it has been launched in many other countries.

You can read the full list of 100 Web 2.0 Applications here. In order to be eligible for the list sites had to be true web applications (rather than static web sites), significantly Australian, innovative and provide true value from participation.

There are lots of news, business, sport and lifestyle related sites out there with already established communities that I didn’t know about. Maybe you’ll find something in the list that makes your life a little more streamlined, or helps you to connect with other people who are interested in the stuff you like.

Either way, it’s really encouraging to see such success and innovation coming from the Australian web scene. Plus, it gives me extra stuff to do on the tram on my way to work!

• Australia , External Sites
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I made my first real cold-weather purchase today.

I bought mine in black, with a grey/white faux fur trim. Honestly though, I could have bought the same jacket in army green and blue!

I saw these earrings in the store today too, but there was no price on them and I guess I assumed they’d be a bit pricey. According to the website they’re down to $25, which is so awesome that I’m going back for them tomorrow!

I have to be careful with which metals I wear in my ears, but at that price I’d happily re-make them with silver hooks.

So it was a very successful day. The Witchery sale is really, really good this year… please send money.

• Life , Melbourne
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My phone’s inbox filled up today, so I’ve just spent a few minutes backing up my text messages on my PC. Sometimes it’s fun to look back through old messages and be reminded of the dumb stuff my friends and I talk about, and tonight was no exception.

Most of Tim’s are best taken out of context…

Your dog is a wreck when i come home without you

Today I’ve seen 3 people with eye patches, none of whom were pirates.

Hey i like your boob

Well excuse me for buying you nice things

Do blind german albinos turn you on? Cuz if so I’ve got the perfect guy for you

I’m a great boyfriend, you jerk!

Got your stuff and it didn’t make my penis fall off or anything!

I wonder what girly crap I’d asked him to pick up for me that day? ♥

• Friends , Life
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Strange fact: Tim showed me this video tonight, and I knew straight away that I wanted to share it with everyone here. But moments before publishing it I was reminded of a post I read at MetroDad today, in which he said:

This video reminds me why I love traveling around the world so much. It’s because getting to intimately know people all over the planet always reminds me that, deep-down inside, we’re so much more similar than we are different. It’s something we should all strive to remember every day.

I was reading his site from work, and because I didn’t have any sound I didn’t play the video. Fast forward a few hours, and I was seeing it through a different channel.

The world is getting smaller. And this video is good proof of that.

Here’s another video, along the same lines, by Matt Harding.

• Cool stuff , External Sites , Videos
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Sorry for bragging!

• Life
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My computer has terminated the little agreement we had, whereby it turned on when I needed it and then I used it for stuff. I came home the other day to find that it has more or less fried itself. It’s funny how much bigger and uglier a computer looks when it can’t even tell you the weather anymore.

So I’m basically counting on the fact that my hard drives are fine, and that I haven’t lost the trillions of photos, documents and music files that they’re holding. I have no reason to think that every component is broken, so for now I’m assuming that they’re okay. Fingers crossed it’s just my video card, and then business can go on as usual. It’s just that all the waiting and expense really sucks.

I wrote all about it a couple of days ago on my LG Viewty, which was really cool and liberating until the moment I hit the “Publish” button. Doing that logged me out of Wordpress and I lost everything I’d written. My dream of blogging from the tram isn’t yet a reality, but at least I can steal Tim’s laptop sometimes.

Meanwhile, I can check your comments from my phone, so tell me something good. What’s new with you?

• Blogging , Life
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I had grand plans for the Queens Birthday long weekend. I was going to check out the Camberwell Markets, spend some time on Chapel St, clean up the house for next week’s inspection, job hunt and blog a whole lot.

Instead I spent the entire weekend on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and drowning in my own snot. Aren’t you glad I spared you detailed blog posts this weekend?

Last Thursday night I felt like I was coming down with something, but pushed myself to go to the gym anyway. I was greeted by the Personal Trainer from Hell, but left there feeling so good that I actually ran home from the tram! I was pretty sure that I was going to feel a bit stuffy for a day or two afterwards, but didn’t expect that it would develop into a full head cold.

I only managed to make it through half a day at work on Friday before waving the white flag and going home.

Since then the weekend has just been a blur of cold & flu tablets, 4-hour “naps”, bad daytime movies and ginger tea. I can tell that I will walk into the office tomorrow morning feeling like I never left, and I feel completely ripped off. At least this will just be a short week.

Last week was notable in a number of ways. Firstly, I have made the decision to leave my current job, but to do it slowly and wait until the right thing comes along. It’s amazing how much easier it is to get out of bed in the morning having made that decision, even though I don’t know exactly when I’ll resign. To say that I was feeling “trapped” is an understatement, so it’s nice to feel in control again.

I’ve discovered that I am not capable of pointless, passionless work. I’m pretty sure that I couldn’t have done this job for much longer even if I was on double the salary - it’s just too many hours in a week going down the drain. I need to know that I am helping people, or doing something meaningful… that my effort is contributing to something that makes somebody’s world better. Or failing that, I need the time and resources to be doing something outside of my work hours that makes a difference.

My current job leaves me without time, money, meaning or passion. That makes it pretty easy to leave behind.

Justine took me to see a preview screening of Sex & The City last Wednesday night, and it was so good that I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I’m glad that I ignored the hype and saw it without any expectations; I loved it.

Afterwards we grabbed a hot chocolate at Groove Train, and chatted about all of her wedding preparations. The girl is a wedding machine - in two weeks she has designed her ring, picked the dress, found a dressmaker, venue and a new house and set the date! She’s planning to have the first “set and forget” wedding in history, so that she can just forget about it all and turn up on the day.

Newlyweds everywhere are reading this and shaking their heads, but if anybody can do it Justine can!

She has asked me to be maid of honour at her wedding. I accepted, after a short period of negotiation in which I asked to be known as her Busty Bestie instead! (Still waiting for that t-shirt, lady…)

Despite the lack of posts here lately I have been making progress with my 101 Things in 1001 Days. The next few posts will be devoted to catching up on my list and ticking off a few more boxes!

While I catch up, leave me a comment and tell me what’s new with you! Did I miss an important post of yours during my hiatus? Tell me what’s happening in your life, even if we haven’t met yet!

• Friends , Health & Fitness , Life
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Before I write about anything else, I want to publicly congratulate my beautiful friends ???????? ????? ????????Justine, Adam and The J-monster! They are on their way to making their little family official, after becoming engaged last week on a secluded Tasmanian beach.

Wishing you three all the best for a happy and full life together, and looking forward to all the excitement as you plan your wedding! x

• Life
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Remember that scene from Run Fatboy Run, when Dennis finally begins training for the marathon, and the only reason he doesn’t stop is because Mr. Goshdashtidar is following him on his scooter and hitting him with a spatula?

Well, right now I need a Mr. Goshdashtidar in my life. Somebody to remind me that I am neglecting some important aspects of my life, and to keep the spatula just a few inches from my butt. But since I don’t have a crazy Indian landlord with a scooter and kitchen utensils, I thought I’d write about it here instead.

I’ve decided to embrace the start of a new month by making some positive changes.

The truth is that I’ve been in a bit of a slump for the last couple of months. I’ve been working in my new job for a few months now, and the situation there has become pretty hard to bear. I’m lucky enough to share my role with a girl who has become a good friend, but she’s the one oasis in an otherwise miserable workplace.

Things are going well in other aspects of my life, of course. Tim and I have gone from strength to strength, our little dog has adjusted to his new life really well, and Melbourne is still an incredible place to explore in our free time. We’re slowly making new friends in this city, and I think both of us are now feeling completely at home here. I feel lucky to have so much good stuff happening in my life.

But in many ways this job is ruining me. It’s a job where I really don’t get any personal satisfaction whatsoever. I don’t leave at the end of the day feeling like I have achieved something. I don’t derive any enjoyment from the menial tasks that I do, because they contribute very little and somebody else gets the credit for them anyway. I don’t get to help clients or coworkers in any sort of meaningful way. I don’t have any opportunity to extend myself and grow as a person - every day is exactly the same as the day before.

All this would be bearable if I was making more money, because I could be making better use of my free time. I could focus on saving up for a new computer to replace the one that is breaking, or the hot air balloon ride that I am dying to take someday soon. I could treat myself to a kickass all-day breakfast whenever I felt like it, or buy myself a couple of new shirts for work. The sad reality is that my salary covers my bills - and nothing more. Living month-to-month is just something I have to do right now.

The long-term plan is to use the “experience” that I am gaining to ask more of my next position. When I took this job I had just come out of a long period of self-employment, one that gave me very little to offer in an office environment. I am surviving all of this by reminding myself that it’s not forever - there is more out there and next time I can have it. It’s the short-term plan that has left me stumped, and caused me to neglect myself and the stuff I care about.

So for the last two months I’ve been undoing all the hard work I did at the beginning of the year with my diet and exercise. As you’ve noticed, I’ve badly neglected this blog. I haven’t been writing in my paper journal, haven’t listened to any new music, haven’t sought out or created any art. My workdays just drain me of energy and creativity, and even the desire to take care of myself properly. It really can’t go on.

So I’ve made a few decisions…

Firstly, I’ve decided to use part of my workdays in ways that benefit me personally. I might start by writing in my paper journal in my lunch hour, and using quieter parts of the day to plan/write blog posts. I’m still not comfortable blogging from work, but I can at least email them to myself and publish them from home. I have zero remorse in using work time for personal endeavours, since my workplace provides me with so little. My work will still get done.

Secondly, I want to start making my lunches more often in order to cut out some of the bad stuff I’m eating. I’ve been finding it really hard to eat well with the onset of Winter, but putting it in the “too hard” basket isn’t an option. From now on, Sunday to Thursday is dedicated to eating well - no matter what. That means less bread, rice and potatoes. More salad, maybe with soup. The plan is to eat my biggest meal in the middle of the day, and better plan my meals at night.

Thirdly, I need to get more exercise. It’s dark when I leave for work in the morning, and dark again when I leave the office. I start work at 8am, and it takes me an hour to get there. Exercising in the morning is basically not an option, since I am already getting up at 5:30 just to make it out the door on time. I need to find ways of exercising at night, even though it’s dark and cold and I just want to fall into bed.

Fourthly, I really really need to get stuck back into my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I’ve actually managed to cross a couple of items off my list in the last couple of months without really trying (I’ll write about these in a later post), but I’ve stopped using it as a tool for keeping me on track with my goals. I’m looking forward to getting that positive momentum back in my life.

And lastly…

This blog has been a really big motivator for me, thanks to the comments and emails that you guys send me from time to time. It certainly wasn’t a deliberate decision that caused me to stop writing here - just a general case of “the blahs” that made it seem too hard. I’d like you guys to think of yourselves as the wooden spoon hovering right near my butt, and giving me a bit of a slap if you notice me falling off the wagon.

With that in mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave me a comment with any ideas you have for making these changes. I’m particularly interested in hearing how you eat well in Winter when all you can think about is potatoes and steak and pasta and ohmygod did I mention potatoes?

• 101 in 1001 , Blogging , Health & Fitness , Life
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Saw this ad at [ embodiment ], along with some great commentary about the devices they used to make it such a successful commercial. It definitely sucked me in!

• Cool stuff , TV/Movies , Videos
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Thanks to the few people who sent me concerned emails today when they noticed my site was looking screwy. Something broke when I upgraded to Wordpress 2.5, and it took about an hour to get everything running again. It’s funny how it only takes 10 mins to upgrade Wordpress 4 out of 5 times, but the exception to the rule is always a massive shitfight.

Anyway, I’m so far quite impressed with the latest version, except for two things. The first (minor) annoyance is the ugly colour scheme, which will no doubt be tinkered with further down the line. The second issue is a bit more serious, and I imagine it has affected other bloggers out there even more than me.

The first sign that something was wrong was when my 101 Things in 1001 Days page led me to a 404. None of the other pages were broken, so I assumed that something was screwy in my database. Strangely, I could edit the page without any problems from the Wordpress Dashboard, so I knew the page itself wasn’t damaged.

Further experimentation has led me to believe that this version of Wordpress cannot handle numerical URLs properly. Here’s the URL of my 1001 Days page:

http://www.scarletwords.com/1001/

I experimented with a couple of other pages, changing their “page slug” to numerals. Here’s what happened:

http://www.scarletwords.com/elizabeth/harry/
This URL performs well.

http://www.scarletwords.com/elizabeth/123/
Changing the previous page slug from “harry” to “123″ confused it into displaying /elizabeth

As far as bugs go, it could be more serious. However, I’m in a situation where /1001 happens to be the most linked-to URL on my website, and changing it would be fairly damaging as far as traffic is concerned.

Workarounds include setting up redirects and updating all my internal links (which is a big job, as I link to it often in posts), but I imagine that this is beyond the scope of some of the more popular blogs. I’ve decided to live with the 404 error for the next day or so while I try to investigate a real solution.

It should be noted that URLs with number and letter combinations work fine, such as my 100facts page.

Has anyone else come across this bug? Heard of any solutions? I’ll update this post later with any information I find.

• Blogging , Website news
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