Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.
I’m cooking hash browns. If I could change the world I would insist that cooking instructions on food products be in a larger print. One step at a time people.
I take a photo with my phone then zoom in.
Hahaha. I don’t even worry about taking a photo. I just zoom in with my phone on camera mode after I’ve got cosy with the window.
What pisses me off is tiny white writing on a pale yellow background. I have to 1) put on my glasses, 2) stand next to the window or a strong light source, and 3) get out the magnifying glass AND I STILL CAN’T READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! I am all in favour of a minimum 10 pt typeface and a minimum standard of contrast. Or black writing on a pale background as standard operating procedure.
Yes yellow is the worst followed by orange and light green. I’ll add that sometimes the white printed writing is fuzzy.
Drives me nuts.
Growing up we used to microwave them in one of those blue cornflower pattern Corningware dishes. I honestly didn’t know there was any other way until I was an adult
Those corningware dishes are worth $$$$$ these days.
No way. Really?? Surely it’s the rarer patterns. I’m positive you can still buy those dishes new. My mum’s ones would be from the late 80s at the very earliest.
e: now I’m reading this article https://www.homestolove.com.au/your-corningware-could-be-worth-thousands-of-dollars-22737 and holy heck my mum definitely has the second one with L’echalote La Marjolaine - so many memories of potato curry in that. I don’t think she has the original lid though.
You need to raid mum’s cupboard.
I’ve already told my brothers I get first dibs on all her kitchen items. I know there’s a little skillet going back to the 1940s (not that it’s very good, it’s just got a lot of sentimental value - my grandmother owned it). But she always took very good care of her items, I’m sure there’s some classic pyrex dishes in there too.
Came home from op shopping and I’m starving, so I had a sausage roll. Will have more later for dinner. They are delish tho I think I made the tomato sauce a little too piquant, 1/4 tsp cayenne in 1.5 litres of sauce is HOT 🔥
Finds today include a beautiful sgraffito vase I’m going to use as vase to keep brushes in. A bunch of little spoons to mix ink with . A big murano style vase ( probably made in Thailand or Turkey ) a heap of LPs, including Hawaiian music of the 1950s , Yehudi Menuhin playing Delibes, and some silver earrings with cute lampworked owls. 👍 was a good day
I took picture of the vase. It was dipped in a dark blue slip glaze, dried, the pattern etched to reveal the white porcelain underneath and then fired
I like how you can identify vases. My knowledge is “that’s a bud vase and that’s for bunches”.
bud vase
hehehe
Fruit toast has been acquired. I accidentally turned the toaster TO THE MAX when cleaning it last time and switched it off just in time so it’s a tad burnt but all good.
Lots of margarine and/or butter will fix it right up!
got my tax return and some extra money, so mein liebe and I have rent, bills, cat food, and human food paid for. we have then treated ourselves to a pub meal, some beers and wine, and today a coffee and quiche.
feeling good about it all, things will get better. it’s nice to have a little splurge to keep our morale up though heheh
edit: i should have gotten another quiche, damn theyre so good
Nice nice. What sort of pub meal did you treat yourself to?
My work hasn’t uploaded their prefill data so I can’t do my tax return yet :(
I hate it when companies take 10,000 years to upload the prefill data. Like, I get there are legit reasons why it takes a while, but also, hurry up haha I hope they do it soon for you!!
We went to Victoria Hotel in Brunswick, got a jug of beer to share. I got the eggplant parma (which was fantastic), and mein liebe got the roast beef roll.
Also you just reminded me of the footy, thank you haha!
First time it’s been this late for my workplace and they’re no longer doing payment summaries so I can’t just type it in like I did last time.
Granted I’m not getting munch back, something is better than owing tax.
Eggplant Parma, hope it was nice. I hate eggplant!
Oh yeah. Don’t forget to watch the footy tonight!
Important game on tonight!
I’m getting teary eyed watching Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
Got teary eyed yesterday listening to music.
Is there a male version of menopause I’m not aware of?
It’s in the name though.
Menopause
…I’ll see myself out
Time for a Bluey Sleepytime rewatch
I know men go through their own version of PMS somewhat, it may be the flux of your testosterone. Or you may just be changing as a person and find certain things make you feel differently. Maybe it’s Maybelline 🤷
I’ve cried at movies before. And get super emotional with some music (frisson i think it’s called)
Past two days have been extra though.
frisson… Huh. I just learnt this term the other day.
I thought everyone expericed it. Turns out, many are missing out
@MeanElevator @bot001 GOTG3 is a pretty masterful tear-jerker, I was a bit surprised how much it got me! Can’t comment on the music though.
The music was my youth, loved it all.
I nearly bawled my eyes out for the walrus
@MeanElevator yeah, same, we must be similar age as the writers ;)
I have been told that part of the story was likely based on a comic called We3.
Team, I need some advice. My boss dumped on me yesterday that she wants me to fire an employee who has been with the business for 5 years, however she wants me to tell this employee that I made the decision to fire them and to not mention under any circumstances that she has asked for it to be done. I’m really not ok with this as I see it as me being thrown under the bus and being made to look like the bad guy, i think it also shows a complete lack of integrity and also cowardice on the part of my boss.
The employee in question has had some behavioural problems which have existed since he started years ago, but they only seem to an issue for my boss now. I personally don’t think that this employee has done anything severe enough to warrant termination and my boss absolutely doesn’t want to provide this employee opportunity to improve or correct the behaviour. I’m at a loss as to what to do, because I think if i am honest with this employee and tell them that it was owners decision to fire them, I will most likely be on the chopping block as well when my boss finds out. Everyone at my work is casually employed so I can be dismissed without notice. I’ve felt for some time that my boss is a covert narcissist or at the very least has a toxic personality and this pretty much sealed the deal for me. I feel like resigning over this but have no savings and will need to try and find another job. I just don’t know what to do.
I’d stay well away from that and write it all down with dates.
Yep I made a note yesterday. I know if i challenge my boss on it she’ll consider me unable to do my job and dismiss me so I gotta put a plan together.
Yep. Write it down. If they then do that, then file for unfair dismissal.
Definitely document and start looking elsewhere. That’s an untenable situation to be put in and I wouldn’t want to work for that boss for another day
@just_kitten @Outlier1031 agree. get your leaving plan together asap, that is a shitty thing to do, I’d talk to Fair Work about it asap, that kind of action is the job of a FULL TIME manager, not a casual staff member, regardless of your role. Get something about the duties you have in writing if possible.
Thank you. Yeah i saw straight through what my boss was doing when they told me. I think because I’m introverted and a respectful person people like my boss think i’m weak and will just do as told. i hate having to deal with people like this
Thanks, i’ve emailed very reasonable response being like ‘so fair work says’ and made it about protecting the business. Hopefully she sees reason. But i think i may have effectively checkmated her if she tries to give me grief.
Looking forward to hear what comes of it. I definitely think your approach of trying to protect the business first is smart. Fingers crossed she snaps out of it (I’d still start looking for jobs anyway if I were you…)
While it’s true that casual employees can be dismissed without notice, they can’t just be let go without following the correct procedures. I worked in retail for years and the way the company dealt with getting rid of people was to just decrease the amount of hours they got. If they wanted to actually sit someone down and say ‘you’re fired’, they needed to have followed all of the procedures, such as giving them written warning and putting them on improvement plans. Without that, the worker was fully within their rights to file for unfair dismissal. So before doing anything on behalf of your shitty boss, I would make sure that the procedure has been followed to a t. If any step is missing, or they’ve never given them a written warning (written, as well. Not verbal. There’s no paper trail for verbal), etc, then you wash your hands of that situation. Because if they choose to escalate it, it’s your ass that’s on the line, not your boss’s.
Are you even in an official managerial position that allows you to dismiss people?
So to clarify, I am the Store Manager and I report in to the director of the business who is the one asking me to do this. I absolutely agree regarding following the correct process. As I mentioned, the employee hasn’t done anything to warrant instant dismissal but has probably behaved in the way that warrants a sit down and verbal warning. It’s also behaviour that the owner has allowed to continue for 5 years without giving warnings verbal or otherwise, so the employee would absolutely be within his rights to go to fair work. I imagine the owner is getting me to do it so it’s my ass that stomped and not hers.
Yeah, I would just go back to the director with all all the fair work stuff and say ‘sorry not sorry I don’t want to be sued and I don’t think you do either’
Give them this link: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/ending-employment If it’s a small business, there’s a seperate checklist that they can follow, but it’s all still essentially the same.
Let them know that, if they have a series concern or issue about the employee, you can sit down with them and give them a warning and do a performance review, but even then, they have to be given a certain amount of time to work on the issue. Your hands are tied and there’s nothing that you, personally, are legally able to do
Thank you. I’ve emailed my boss and presented my objection in a way that is about protecting the business and suggested going 100% by the book. Hopefully they see reason. If they don’t listen, i’m going down the i’ll be liable route.
Is it in your job title to hire and fire? If not it’s not your problem.
Can you tell your boss you don’t want to do it? With whatever reason will resonate best with your boss. Your boss sounds like a rubbish boss. I once had to fire someone, and it was a hard thing to do, even though I knew it was best for the team. But I owned it and did it as respectfully as I could. No way should that be dumped on anyone else. Time to brush up the resume and keep an eye out if something better comes up. Stay in your job for the income until you are ready, but of course that depends on if your mental health can cope.
Yeah I personally think she is a covert narc there’s been a few signs since I started. I’ve had to fire people many times in the past but i always made sure to follow the correct process.
Holy shit. Don’t do it and get something in writing too if you can, like make your reply in writing rather than verbal but reference what you were asked to do. Sounds to me like the director isn’t just gutless but manipulative enough for you to be the target if the employee responds with aggression, legal action etc. I’d also bet that the director would stab you in the back and act all sympathetic to the employee.
Thank you. I sent an email to the director this afternoon outlying how the proposed course of action is a risk to the business and proposed performance managing the employee and making sure we have done everything right in the eyes of Fair Work. If they don’t listen I’ll then hit them with the fact I could be personally liable for not following due process and I’m not prepared to do that.
That is an untenable position to be placed in. I could not work for a manager who I can not even respect for owning their decisions. Yes they are fully prepared to throw you under a bus for their decisions, a gutless act. No you don’t have to put up with it. Look for another job, it may be a blessing in disguise and you may find a job with a boss you can actually respect.
I don’t know if I just have a friendly face or something but I got on the train (with seconds to pass) sit down in a 4x4 that was available but it had someone sitting on the other seat (I can’t sit in the 2x2 seats because they’re too tight). And my seat mate couldn’t stop talking to me.
She was very lovely and spoke about her kids and such, but I just wanted to listen to my podcasts 😔. I’m too nice for my own good 😮💨
Maybe they were lonely…
It’s certainly not always easy navigating the boundaries of what each person needs
Oh yeah. I mean I was friendly and replied. She was sweet and had an interesting day. But yeah I’m just like ugh wanted to listen to my podcasts haha.
I did show her where the bus replacements were.
You can always threaten to eat them. After all, you’re a shark.
🦈🦈🦈 chomp chomp
- Taleya ( @Taleya@aussie.zone ) 8•2 years ago
Yes hello mister gaiman, i am almost done my good omens rewatch, please commence with followup.
neil gaiman has been my writer crush since I read American Gods. I have his short story collections, I love him so much. As a young teen I wanted to be his goth gf haha
edit: i have his graveyard book and comic as well. sorry, im just an ancient Tumblr Neil Gaiman fangirl
- Taleya ( @Taleya@aussie.zone ) 5•2 years ago
I’ve seen a couple of adaptations of his works, but never got into his writing outside of GO for some reason. Just couldn’t click.
Farkin’ massive Pratchett fan though. I’m going into s2 with reservations, but willing to give it a shot, half of ep3 and the entire back end of Good Omens the series was created from whole cloth
I have loved Neil Gaimain since I was a preteen, but have missed Pratchett. I will acquire and borrow from Dad and Uncle the Pratchett books. I loved Neil since I was so young, being a millenial. But dad being Gen X loved Pratchett, so I should hit him up for those books, thank you kind friend <3
- Taleya ( @Taleya@aussie.zone ) 6•2 years ago
The Usual Suspects have ebook repositories of the entire Discworld series jsyk.
(I have an entire bookcase dedicated to Pratchett!)
I loved American Gods. My man just tapping him on the head with his hammer hit the feels
Owwwwwwwwww! Without thinking, I just picked up a cast iron Creuset lid that had come straight from the hot oven. I’m an idiot.
The tap is still running, right?
lol…I gave it a good run for sure
Last bad one for me was picking up a stainless steel saucepan. Gas was slightly of centre so had been heating the secondary handle. Ended up with Bacarat (reversed though) branded into my hand because I didn’t want to drop the boiling pasta water all over myself. Bloody hurt that one.
You. posted that on the day…?
or was it a remnant of a dream I had.?
Yeah, I think I did. Seems I’m retelling stores then hey…
I picked up a glass tube straight out of a furnace, it wasn’t glowing but it was bloody hot. A few hundred Cs. For a few weeks my hand looked like that nazi guy from raiders of the lost ark, seared into a grasp shape. It was fairly painful. Luckily no scars.
The danger of heat can’t be seen with eyes, it has to be learnt well for each situation.
Holy shit, that sounds awful. Glad you’re healed.
We have an unwritten rule in the house that anything in the kitchen that’s hot from the oven gets a towel or mitt thrown over it, but I should have known better than to assume. All good now.
Oh Jesus, I’ve done something similar without thinking.
Keep it cool, cold water and if you have aloe Vera that will help.
I think I got to the cold tap quickly enough to avoid any damage, still stings tho. On the plus side, I have no fingerprints on 3 out of 5 digits - what should I do with this superpower?
Well seeing as you don’t have fingerprints on some of your fingers you could get away with murder!
One day at a time. Peace of mind feels nice. A walk to the pride centre this morning should be good. I’m getting at least 6 or 7 ks walking every day sometimes quite unintentially so and I’m reaping the rewards. Losing belly fat and tightening the loose skin from loosing a ton of weight of last year. Finally cook my new stew today and do some aa. And of course play with the cats.
I have a new sense of absolute freedom now I’m working on sobriety. I’m glad it’s uncool. I’ve never wanted to be cool or a part of mainstream society and never felt like I was a part of it anyway. Always been queer as fuck and always been alternative. A misfit and a punk but I’ve lost the anger of punk while retaining the passion to change the world from my own place in it. I also accept that certain things I cannot change but have the courage to change the things I can and act.
My life is completely involved in positive queer spaces, from work to my aa home group to my volunteer work. I feel so much less alienated from them than I used to because I’m not in the queer party scene. It also wasn’t my scene. It’s restricive, mysoginistic and very much a monoculture. I had an amazing queer family once 20 odd years ago but it was smashed apart by the suicide of one of us and it’s when my substance abuse really took hold. I have brain damage from all the partying but getting my much needed oestrogen into my female brain is alleviating some a lot of it.
Oh, I’m going to the pride centre today too! I only really go there to go to Joy FM, but I should really just check it out and walk around.
Go and check out the bookstore on the ground floor, hares and hyenas. Its a really nice vibe there.
I had a zine published there (I don’t think it’s there anymore it’s been like almost 10 years). If I have time to kill before I have to go to Joy I might do that.
oooh, I love zines. Don’t really see them around much though these days.
Do you volunteer at Joy? I’m thinking about doing it. I’d like to keep djing, but not in bars. Obviously I wouldn’t go straight on air or anything but I have a bunch of community radio experience from a bunch of moons ago as well. So I could be useful, and I can walk there!
Sort of but not really. So like I am on the radio with a show that is on Checkpoint but I’m not volunteered with Joy, if that makes sense…
Checkpoint
Winner of CBAA 2019 Community Radio Award for Excellence in Innovative Programming and Content
Yes makes sense. Nice
I made toast this morning. Why is that significant? Because I used the last slices of a loaf of bread I bought which never happens, actually finishing an entire loaf. I also only ever buy bread maybe once a year… not sure why, I like bread. I just don’t buy it. Maybe because I never finish it? Not sure.
Anyway, I made toast this morning.
Now I’m looking at Google Maps trying to decide if I feel like going on a road trip/overnighter somewhere. What to dooooo…
Freeze it. Frozen bread is perfectly good for toast. Just make sure the bag is tightly closed.
I believe I still have 1/3 of a loaf in the freezer which I never revisited, possibly from 2021. I’m honestly ok with never buying bread though. Probably for the best if I limit my bread intake.
Oh boy. That nap was nice and good though I felt like I slept the day away :(
Also my washing machine is working after some fiddling around.
fingers crosses
While it works I’m not going to mess around with it again.
Meals have been prepped for the next couple of days. Now I need to make dinner. Cooking takes up so much time when you have to do it all in one block.
I slept like shit, but have the gym in half an hour. Ugh
I’ve got a headache from the way I was sleeping last night as well :(
Skipping bootcamp in favour of chilling in my warm bed a while longer before I have to get ready for online TAFE at 9.
Part of me wants a cheeky weekend breakfast but I think I need to have my healthy weekday option instead.
Too much comfort eating behaviour lately that needs to be unwound.