bennelong time coming

So yes, we have a new government. Little Johnny not only lost the election, he also lost his own seat of Bennelong, so he wouldn't be in the new shadow government, even if he was planning to stay. After two elections watching in horror and wondering how Australia could be voting this government in again, I finally get to say goodbye to John Howard and his band of unmerry men (steal from the poor to give to the rich) and their terrible decisions on education, industrial relations, immigration and pretty much any other portfolio you could mention.

The Howard government is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it'd be pushing up the daisies! Its metabolic processes are now history. It's off the twig...it's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!
THIS...IS AN EX-GOVERNMENT!!

As for our new prime minister, Kevin Rudd (pictured here with Australia's first female deputy prime minister, Julia Gillard), we'll see. I like him so far, but I need to see some commitment to the promises they've made before I properly embrace him as the new leader.

but enough of these quasi posts

Youtube is fun, but time for some real news from the life of chosha. Today, after several long weeks of waiting, I finally found out I was successful in getting a level 5 position (I was officially a 4 before, though I've been acting at a 5 level for several months). So, basically, same job, more money, a little more responsibility. Exxxxxcellent.

And while I'm blowing my own horn (would that sound dirty if I was a guy?) let me just add that there were several positions on offer, but when they ranked the applicants I came first! They said that both the application and the interview were impressive. Pretty sweet to know that even if there'd only been one job, I'd have gotten it anyway.

So yeah, feeling very buoyant at the moment. Elated even. Yah me!

internet banking just got a whole lot more convenient

I've been quite lucky with competitions throughout my life, especially those on the radio. But up until this month I'd never won a competition where I had to answer a question in 25 words or less and I've often wondered what the secret formula is to cracking one of those. Well, I finally did it. I had to say in 25 words or less why internet banking is convenient.

And here is the glorius result, an LG 42" (106cm) plasma screen TV:












I can tell you now that it looks a little out of place in my lounge room full of (nice, but) secondhand furniture, and anyone who sees my car before they see my TV is going to think I have my financial priorities way out of wack, but it is the most fun prize I've won in ages! No more tiny widescreen movies across the middle of my square 51cm screen.

Fun fact for the week is that these big TVs actually use a lot less energy than the smaller traditional style, which means that watching TV and movies in huge, glorious colour is helping both my budget and the environment...bonus!

when there's a drought on...

...nothing can rain on your parade. In fact, here in Canberra, we're likely to have a parade in honour of the rain and specifically pray that it gets rained on. So you can imagine my delight to see this:

What's that you ask? It's the forecast for the next week for Canberra. AND we've just HAD four (five?) days straight where it rained every day. We even had two (nice, non-destructive) storms this week!

Bring it on, Rain Gods! We'll take it all and dance in the puddles!

boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Something so cool happened this week! *gleeful clapping*

Unfortunately it's a secret so I can't tell you. ^_^

But don't despair! All will be revealed in a week or so.