all this, AND she can type fast too

went for something a little different with my hair colour yesterday.

i likey a lot. i take a rather cavalier approach to my hair, and i always like to try new styles and colours. i figure it's just hair and that if i don't like it, i can change it or wait for it to grow out. i understand others don't share the same view and that's cool!

i apologise in advance for 1) the state of my windows, and 2) looking like a beet, but hey - at least the sun was out!

from the side

from the top

cheesey smile

and the all-important pout

well, that pretty much covers every angle. i'm totally in love with it. can ya tell?

so i won the 'blue' section for the photo of the month over at wine on the keyboard. not bad for a first timer! this month's theme is 'captions'. not my strong suit, however i'll enjoy seeing what everyone else comes up with.

and then there was my first job interview since 1908.

i should start by telling you that OVERALL, it was an incredibly positive and uplifting experience. i started by filling out a myriad of forms; declaration of health and safety, declaration of criminal record (or lack thereof), declaration of ACC (accident compensation corporation. that's what we have in place of suing the skin off each other). then there was a declaration to declare that everything i had previously declared was true and correct.

sheesh, how the workplace has changed in the last 20 years.

then there was a spelling test, word comprehension test and proof reading test. ace, ace, ace. then i got to blow them away with my freaky fast typing.

123 words per minute. oh yeah. they went mental. i was all like 'well, it's my thing. what can i say.' i did think they were going a little OTT until i saw the woman next to me test at 27 WPM (ooops).

then i was tested on MS power point, excel and word and now have a rating which is very cool. i was tested on excel last which was my worst result. i should point out that i had been 'testing' for 2 hours, i was late to pick up kids from school and i REALLY needed to pee, so my concentration was a little 'off'.

the interview itself was very interesting. they work hard to work up a profile that best suits the work they have on offer, although my interviewee did NOT get herself off to a great start. she takes one look at my CV and says 'i see you haven't worked in a reeeeeeeeeeally long time.'

once i resisted the urge to leap across the table and bitch-slap her clear across the room, i mumbled something about babies and 'investing time in my family'). my now-working mother-of-2 girlfriend told me to say that!)

i discovered the next day that employers are prohibited by law to ask outright why a candidate haven't been working, so her statement was really a question in disguise. just like dr phil says. on reflection i think it's rather amusing and all a bit redundant. 1+1 should make 2 - it's all there on my CV!!!
to tell you the truth, i hadn't realised it was all going to be so complicated! i didn't assume i would walk into a job - well, i didn't know WHAT i thought really. anyway, i'm glad to have started the process and will probably make appointments with a couple more recruitment agencies and take it from there.