Day 277: Life goes on...

Day 277 (9 Sept) Monday. The work continues.

Breakfast, at 6.12am

Despite the result over the weekend, nothing much changes with the daily routine. It's off to work, breakfast at 6.00am, classes as usual. My cafe parliament mug is my favourite, a reminder of my time working in the Senate many years ago, but on a day like today, well of course one drinks from the cup of parliament...

in traffic, at lights, stopped,
at 6.12pm

An uneventful drive up the coast was complemented with an uneventful one home in time for orchestra rehearsal, it being a Monday and all. Nice to have that to look forward to, at the end of the day.

Day 276: A new era, wishing upon a star.

Day 276 (8 Sept) Sunday. New era.

Reading and listening,
at 6.12am

With a change of government comes all sorts of thoughts. At 6.12 this morning, that included reading...trying to think about the results and listening to commentators on the radio talking about the results. 

I'm a bit of an election paraphernalia hoarder at the best of times but this one was quite interesting for me given I live in the electorate of the now former prime minister. I sense this won't be the end of it for us good burghers of Griffith. Knowing Mr Rudd, a further stint in opposition will be out of the question and I expect another run at the polls within months. 

The end of the day,
at 6.12pm

By the evening, I continued to be enchanted upon the evening star, just like yesterday. Except, today in the new era, different. 

Through the letterbox, darkly

Day 275: And...it has come to this

Evening sets in, a new day awaits

Day 275 (7 Sept) Saturday. Federal election day.

Starting the day, at 6.12am

And so, after a fairly tumultuous few months of implosive ALP in-fighting and leadership tensions, election day has finally arrived. I have a lot to do: clarinets at 10.00am and later in the day, I'm rostered on at a polling booth to hand out material on behalf of the Union. We're taking the education cuts right up to the government. 

So an early start, the light in the backyard is just starting to come through...and at 6.12am, it's all looking quite pleasant out there. 

Time to pack up, at 6.12pm

Rehearsal is its usual fun then it is home to rest up before the arvo on the booth then to a night in front of the screen awaiting, watching, analysing and reading the results.

On the booth with colleagues

At 6.12pm, we were packing up, taking home all the paraphernalia, it's a little dark. The night sky just a few minutes before, at 6.09pm, was a pic waiting to be taken. All went OK on the booth, pleasantries exchanged as usually happens. Called in to a friend's place on the way home, to watch events unfold. 

The Liberal Party won. Kevin Rudd, former prime minister, was re-elected to his seat here in Griffith. More to come...

Day 274: The day before...

All about Deakin, Alfred

 Day 274 (6 Sept) Friday.

Breakfast, at 6.12am

Early specialist appointment to ensure that all I am doing to help prop up the medical profession is proceeding along nicely thanks very much...I prefer to go early, it gets it out of the way and the propensity for my specialist to be on time diminishes as the day proceeds... (I guess that can be important, if there are serious things to discover). 

Still, even though a small sleep in is warranted after a late night, it never quite happens that way. Breakfast is served, at 6.12am.

During the day, a lovely surprise in the form of a book written by one of my former professors in Japan. It's a book on Alfred Deakin, timely given the election is tomorrow and I've recently bene reflecting on the period of the last decade of the 1890s as critical to Australia's political development and Alfred Deakin was a part of that. It will be interesting to see it from a Japanese perspective. 

Through a glass...
at 6.12pm

Evening, at 6.12pm, and I am at home, with time to sit and contemplate much ado about politics, including this recently published text on leadership. So read, I must, for tomorrow there be an election.

Cheers.

Day 273: The election draws near...

Political acts

 Day 273 (5 Sept) Thursday.

Lunch at breakfast,
at 6.12am

Teaching cuts across any reasonable eating time (as usual) and at 6.12am, I was multitasking again, making lunch while breakfast cooked. I suppose I could have just as easily been watering the bonsai or on the computer...such is this record of my life, but there you go, aiming for a little variety. 

On the way to work as I approached the car park, I noticed someone had pasted posters over all the candidates' corflutes overnight, demonstrating the general displeasure with our political system. This electorate, Fisher, has been witness to some particularly poor examples of the political process as well. The sign said: 'Vote for us we will definitely disappoint you'

Naturally I tweeted it, as a public service.

Post-lecture, at 6.12pm

The end of another lecture and back in the office, at 6.12pm, to complete a range of tasks before leaving. Tomorrow is another medical appointment and the day after is election day: the days I really enjoy. 

Until then, there's marking to be done and another late night run down #theBruce.

Day 272: Work, bookended by, work.

Day 272 (4 Sept) Wednesday

Get going, at 6.12am

Now we are well into the semester, there is little shifting from a very set pattern, timetabled as it were, from Monday to Friday. At 6.12am, there were some final adjustments to be made to today's lectures while, at 6.12pm, we had moved on to the next chapter in the Dower text, one that looked at images of propaganda during World War Two. For some of the students, it was the first time to see these sorts of images and to engage in what could be, at times, a challenging discussion. They did well.

We also had a school meeting, the last bastion in the corporatised university, for collegial supportive decisionmaking. Well, no, not really anymore. There's usually someone from on high telling us how to do things and we shall brook no dissent. For this is what has become of the modern university...

Dower discussion, at 6.12pm

Good thing I have a late finish to the evening and a long drive back down the Bruce Highway...one could get angry otherwise.

Day 271: A little rain, a long day.

Day 271 (3 Sept) Tuesday.

A little rain, at 6.12am

A wet start to a long day. Union matters take up a good part of the morning and individual student research projects in the afternoon, very intense. 

The dull reflection of the rain-soaked timber makes a sort of picturesque start to the day at 6.12am. The bonsai still needs watering (not enough in the way of rain to disturb it) while the breakfast cooks. 

By 6.12pm, it is time enough (just) to be looking over and doing last minute revisions to notes for classes still to conduct this week. It is really the only time one gets to do this type of work. 

The office, at 6.12pm

A clear run home at least this evening, with the usual Caboolture pitstop...it's become part of the routine.