Fri 01: New Year's Day. Hello 2010, hello new year, hello new decade. Hello to New Year's resolutions - often made in haste and broken fast. I'd like a crystal ball (or a time travel machine) so I can see into the future. Just a short-term loan of one would be nice (but I need it by 1600 today) so I can get tonight's $AUD30 million Lotto results. I even have a ticket - if that helps. Monday (04 Jan 2010) I will check my ticket at Warwick and (probably) get the message: 'Sorry - Not a winner.' I am supposed to feel okay - because my loss helps the local community. Enough waffle ... today was a NICE day. Did 4hr 27min at work, dropped in and saw Mum, Ian and Brian at number 5 before heading home to rake leaves and have a nap.

Sat 02: A 9hr 27min day at work today. While it was a long day, it wasn't a busy day, just a tiring one. Quite warm outside, but my bus had good air-conditioning and I was nice and cool. Very tired by the end of the day. Drove home and Tracey made us both a nice chicken stir-fry. Had that with her - then an early night.

Sun 03: Very warm outside today in Perth, with the temperature exceeding 30ºC after 0830 today. As I update todays entry at 1630, the oiutside temperature is 32.8ºC. Fortunately, I havent been out of doors all day - preferring to spend it inside in air-conditioned comfort. I haven't done much, apart from create a webpage of funny pictures (Warning: Not all the pictures are PC). Back to work tomorrow after having today off. It will be an interesting week - the same shift from Monday to Friday, which starts just after 1100 (11am) - so I can have a sleep-in and get my shopping and paperwork up to date (he says, hopefully!)

Mon 04: Talk about a day building to a climax ... if ever there was a day, today was it! A broken sleep last night, but I managed to get away on time and visit Mum and Ian before starting work. Picked up my bar stool (which was kindly repaired by Ian - many thanks) and headed to work. A steady morning and a quiet afternoon and early evening. Quite warm all day (39ºC today, my son tells me in Perth today and the same forecast for tomorrow). On the way home, police prevented me turning right onto Beechboro Road, forcing me to travel to Lord Street and the drama didnt stop there. It took me 54 minutes to drive home - a process that normally takes 18 minutes. The cause: a massive bushfire that threatened homes close to where I live. I have made a link from my home page - but you can also read the story here.

Tue 05: Hooray - I feel good today - I actually got a few things done. Over the weekend, I made a To Do List. Things which need doing - they are not all urgent - just things which have been neglected lately. Today I managed to cross a few off the list. I did the same shift at work today - it was another hot day - so I am tired but happy tonight.

Wed 06: I had big hopes for last Saturday night's $30 million Lotto draw - so much, in fact, that I spent $10 million of my winnings beforehand (fortunately, just on paper!). Not to be ... 18 first division winners received $1.66 million each. I got $0. Looks like I will have to keep working. The weather was milder today - but quite humid. My stomach is not 100% at the moment - I feel a bit nauseous so I am going to try and stay away from dairy products for a few days.

Thu 07: Day 4 of the same shift - I am getting it down to a fine art now. Weather is milder. I weighed myself after breakfast (of oats, banana and semi-skim milk) and I weigh 97.5kg (down from 99kg two days ago). I want to get down to 80kg - but I will be happy with 90kg by the time I head overseas in 8 weeks' time.

Fri 08: Let me start by saying today was an 'interesting day.' The morning, before work was interesting. Nothing I can say publicly - but it had a positive outcome. The afternoon - at work - also interesting. That section will be a 'watch this space' as things could get really interesting next week. Sorry if that's a teaser - you will have to come back next week and see what transpires.

Sat 09: Late start today - I don't finish until after 0100 (tomorrow) - so today's entry will be early. I have reached Level 202 in Bejeweled 2 (with a score of 31.45 million). I have been stuck on Level 25 in Oil Cap Pro for over 12 months now. My 6yo washing machine died - it was cheaper to buy a new one than repair this one - so Troy and I went to Fridge & Washer City in Morley and bought a water-efficient washer. Then it was off to Woolworths for supply of fresh fruit. Lunch was at Subway. Finally - a 7.5hr shift at work - finishing at 0110am Sunday.

Sun 10: Despite finishing work after 0100 today - I was up by 1000 (10am) - breakfast of oats, banana, a drizzle of honey and semi-skim milk. I mowed the front lawn. Troy gave me a hand to replace the car radio aerial, which snapped off last week - and was temporarily replaced with a coat-hanger (which worked well). What I thought would be a 10 minute job took around 2 hours! It involved removing the front, left hand side wheel and the left wheel panel - plus assorted nuts and bolts and screws. Troy was patient and persistant and the job was finished. I then vaccuumed my car and washed and dried it - looks good now. A bit sunburnt - took a while to get to sleep - but slept well.

Mon 11: I have had better days. Went to work - good shift - nice low-floor Mercedes bus. Nice tuna and salad lunch at number 5. Home to have a nice Lean Cuisine meal. I know I am slowly losing weight - I now need to motivate myself to use the exercise bike, which is gathering dust in the spare room at home.

Tue 12: the same shift today as I did yesterday - so I knew what to expect. The weather is warming up (in WA) gradually - in the eastern states it is very hot - Melbourne (Vic) had an overnight minimum of 30ºC last night - the highest on record. Tuna and salad again at number 5, followed by a brief nap. Very relaxing.

Wed 13: The weather is warming up - fast. Around 35ºC today - I will be wearing short pants to work from tomorrow. A pleasant morning (with the exception of 2 customers who incurred my wrath). A nice lunch at number 5. A steady afternoon - interrupted by a nasty 3 car collision in Whitfords Avenue, which kept emergency services occupied for 4 hours and caused major headaches for Transperth passengers. Troy made dinner tonight (roast chicken loaf, broccholi, cauliflower, mashed potato and zucchini. Thanks - quite yummy and a nice change from Lean Cuisine meals.

Thu 14: Quite a tiring day today - I am still not used to the heat. An old Renault this morning, a nice lunch and nap at number 5 and a steady afternoon. Tracey promised to have an early day - but was still working by the time I got home tonight. Troy was at a poker game (as usual). My boss (Sharon) is back from her holidays this week and has nearly caught up on her paperwork. She promised me I will know when my 2010-2011 financial year holidays are scheduled by the end of next week. I can hardly wait.

Fri 15: Hooray! Only 7 weeks (49 sleeps) and I will be in Thailand. That's my carrot (on the end of a stick). A hot and tiring day today - I dont know how I would have survived without a good sleep at number 5 at lunchtime. I was exhausted as I arrived home tonight. I dont start work until nearly 1500 (3pm) tomorrow at Joondalup - so I will get as much sleep as I can tonight.

Sat 16: A good sleep last night - but woke around 0630. Toast and coffee for breakfast; then tried to update my Nokia mobile phone. When it was taken to Nokia in Perth for repairs, they returned everything back to Default (factory settings). I lost my maps, contacts, messages, landmarks etc. Not happy! Tracey took the phone back to Nokia yesterday - but they refused to reload the maps (or admit they made an error) as they said I had the wrong memory card with the phone. Incorrect! Looks like I will have to visit Nokia myself next week. I have better things to do with my time - but its pointless having a GSP phone that cant do GPS! Off to Joondalup today to do a shift for them. ###UPDATE: Tracey looked at my phone for 2 minutes and realised what the problem was: the memory card needed to be initialised again - after Nokia 'restored' my phone to factory settings. Result: My GSP works fine, I have my Landmarks and Messages. Thanks Tracey!

Sun 17: Day off. I was going to visit Wanneroo Showgrounds for their Swap Meet (which starts at 0630), but I didn't wake until 0830 - and with the Perth having its hottest day in 2 years (42.9ºC), I decided to stay indoors with the air-conditioning set to COOL and HIGH. I played around on Facebook for a while, then did some research and finally did my washing and helped Troy do some housework. Tracey and I had a meal at a local Chinese restaurant.

Mon 18: Another hot day for Perth. The official maximum temperature in Perth City was 42.4ºC today, at 12.30pm. I had an old Renault bus this morning and nearly suffered heatstroke. My plea for an air-conditioned bus was granted and I had a more pleasant afternoon. Home to unwind - a Lean Cuisine meal and an early night tonight. I have updated my work Roster and I will be updating my home page (My Weight) tomorrow.

Tue 19: News, news, news. A lot of it today. I know the suspense will have been killing you (not literally, I hope!), but I have only lost 100g over the past week - I had hoped for more - but realised that my weight has reached a plateau (by eating sensibly), so now I need to start exercising. I have had a lot of excuses - I am too tired, its too hot etc - but I will start tomorrow morning - when I wake, before I shower and get ready for work. Another 40ºC plus day again in Perth (40.8ºC). I dislike the heat - give me c-o-o-l, please!!! It's also Pat's birthday today (a friend of Mum and Ian). Nice lady. I hope you have a lot more (birthdays), Pat. I drove an air-conditioned Mercedes bus all day today - but even with a nice lunchtime sleep at number 5, I was very tired tonight. I managed a Lean Cuisine meal and updated my Roster - to reflect all the remaining shifts until I start my holidays.

Wed 20: Some people call today HUMP day - It took me a while to find out what they meant. Actually, what they are referring to is midweek - the Monday to Friday working week - with Wednesday being the 'hump. Get past Wednesday and it's downhill to the weekend. Cooler but humid in Perth today. A nap at number 5 and a nice dinner cooked by Tracey tonight (lamb chops, peas, corn and pasta) and another early night and I should feel better.

Thu 21: This is day 1 of 2 consecutive days of 'early' shifts. I start work at 0630 and finish around 1545. I was lucky to catch my boss for a minute and found out when my 2010-2011 holidays are allocated. The results: Two weeks of paid holidays, followed immediately by a week of unpaid holidays, starting 22 August this year. I also get a week of paid holidays starting 20 February 2011. I went to see my Doctor after work today - got another bunch of prescriptions (scripts) with repeats for my heart and cholesterol lowering medications and came home exhausted. I need to get a fasting blood cholesterol test done fairly soon.

Fri 22: A reasonably pleasant day today - did the same shift as yesterday. Tracey kindly dropped off my prescriptions at her work (my local chemist), so I was able to pick up a month's supply of medication on the way home from work today. Amy made us all a nice roast chicken and vegetable dinner (thanks, it was yummy). Early night tonight as I have a long day tomorrow.

Sat 23: A long and tiring day today. In the middle of the day (1100 to 1400, 11am to 2pm) I attended Path Transit's Traing School at Morley Depot and learnt about Conflict Resolution and Services for the Disabled. I was amazed to learn that 1 in 3 people using public transport services in Perth has some form of disability - either physical or mental. Home to unwind - and to get ready for tomorrow - when a busy bee will take place as Troy and I have another rent inspection due shortly.

Sun 24: Day off today - so I tried to sleep in - but still awoke when the sun came up. Out of bed at 0700 and had some oats and a cup of coffee for breakfast and then started raking leaves, mowing lawns, pulling out weeds and edging (the lawn edges). I was helped by Tracey, Troy, Leslie and Peter (Junior). Troy fired up the barbecue and we has a nice meat and salad meal for lunch. A restful afternoon, but I found a serious flaw that would have crippled my website from 01 February 2010, so I spent the afternoon rewriting a lot of links. All is now saved!

Mon 25: A very tiring day today - had a nice tuna and salad lunch (thanks Ian) and an hour's nap at number 5, but I barely made it through the second half of my shift. Mr doctor wants me to have a fasting blood-cholesterol test (and a few other tests), so I will try to schedule them ASAP. Finally picked up a plant for my garden - watered it and will plant it out tomorrow.

Tue 26: Australia Day. Day off. Not a very inspiring day - I did get a lot of rest. Despite starting (okay, minimally) on the exercise bike, I have only lost another 400g. The only activities of note were planting out the rosemary herbs that mum and ian donated and washing and polishing my car. As I update todays entry, at 18.18 (6.18pm local time), I had no plans to attend the Lotto 2010 Skyworks (fireworks), staged on the Swan River, at Perth city. But - Tracey came home at 1940 (20 minutes before they were due to start). We headed off to a local high point and watched the show. Then it was home and bedtime.

Wed 27: My back and neck are both sore - another thing for my Doctor to check up when I see him next. I am planning to have my fasting bloodcholesterol test this Saturday morning - then visit a couple of markets. A nice lunch today (created by Mrs B) at number 5. Also received a welcome email from one of Vassana's sons - we will probably catch up with each other in Thailand. I also phoned Vassana's sister in Khon Kaen to make there I will be met when I arrive in just over 5 weeks from now.

Thu 28: I am getting really excited about my visit to Thailand. I am fine-tuning a fair bit already as regards what I am going to wear and pack and where I am going to stay. Naturally, I am very flexible. A pleasant day at work - although the temperature is starting to climb again - 35ºC today and 38ºC tomorrow. I might even wear shorts to work.

Fri 29: I haven't said it for a few weeks but today was definitely a TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) kind of day. Looking back (having finished work, had dinner and a cup of tea) it was balanced (the number of assholes v nice people). Glad to have this coming weekend off - I need tomorrow off for my blood-cholesterol test and a bit of shopping.

Sat 30: Day off. A reasonably productive day today. Troy is injured (groin-strain, possibly an inguinal hernia) - it's work-related, so he should be covered by worker's compensation. Tracey is also not well. I went and had my fasting blood-cholesterol test at Western Pathology's Balga site. Very competent staff - fairly painless. I was told my results should be available after Tuesday morning. I need to make a Doctor's appointment for later this week. After that, I brought in, folded and put away my washing, changed my sheets, remade my bed and vaccuumed my room. I bought a couple of souvenir presents on eBay - they should be here in a week or so - plenty of time before I head OS. I may have a haircut this weekend and head off to the Markets tomorrow.

Sun 31: Day off. Two consecutive days off in a week (plus the Australia Day paid holiday), so this has been quite a relaxing week. A 'productive' day today - Tracey and I went to a couple of local garage sales first thing this morning, then we went to number 72, where Julie (my ex-wife) gave me a haircut. After that, Tracey, Dale and I went to Wanneroo Markets. Its the first time in years that I have had the time to have a relaxing wander around and it was time well spent. Then it was home to do some gardening and finish tidying the house ready for Tuesday's rent inspection. Back to work tomorrow - recharged and refreshed. Less than 5 weeks until I start my holidays - let's see if I can keep focussed. As an aside - here's a couple of YouTube links I was sent today: The first one is amazing. A giant eagle picks up and carries off a sheep (or maybe a mountain goat). The second one is the funniest thing I have ever seen on the Internet. Tomorrow is the start of February - and the last month of the (southern hemisphere) summer.