Monday, March 20, 2006

Latte Swaffing Wanker of a Whinge

I've been bereft of motivation, in a haze since returning from the NT. Politics, housing and career all leave me unable to make decisions and motivated to do nothing more than turn up to work when necessary, go for long walks with beloved, and read magazines.

What's to say about politics? It seems worthless. There isn't a role for 'exposing' impropriety in government dealings, it's all out there, nobody cares less. If Watergate happened in Howard's Australia not only would the offending minister be safe in their job, it probably wouldn't even dent their approval rating. Every rightwing commentator has been proven wrong twice over on Iraq, but each time they shift the posts and keep pottering on as if no, they really didn't support the war because of non-existant WMDs and no, they never really expected Iraq to settle into peaceful democracy and, well, it's all still for the greater good.

At least one significant theorist has abandoned the neocon illiterotards.

Labor will change nothing fast and Beazley is obviously intended to be a caretaker until the next election is lost and some messiah has dropped from the clouds to save it. The Greens and Democrats have both been firmly told that they are irrelevant by the electorate, but both continue to mosey along rather than reinvent themselves as anything credible.

Houses in our area have started to sell for an average of 25% above their listed price, and most passable places are now creeping over the half million mark. I feel like buying a caravan and pissing off into hermithood.

And career, well, I've got no options and several. I have 3 potential leads which lead in 3 completely different directions. How different? Try journalism, policy, and courtroom lawyering. I have to consider them because I'm only on a rolling short-term contract here, but I know if I set my heart on one then I won't get it anyway. So I wait, see if anyone's interested before I make a decision as to whether I'd go for it.

I know it's a pathetic latte swaffing wanker of a whinge. Life could be a hell of a lot worse. But it's the sense of having no control over any of these things that affect you so profoundly that is most depressing.

Normal posting about to resume, I hope you are all well. Feel free to whinge about pathetic things that get you down and drain your motivation...

7 comments:

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Sounds like post-barra letdown to me. Great posts about the spiritual voyage; inevitable that you would feel back in the limiting daily grind when you got home. Give it a week.

(And if M&M turned their furry backs on you in disdain, as my cats are wont to do when I have been away, that would only have made it worse.)

phil said...

Hey mate...as a confirmed flat white drinker I still hang about with a lot of latte swillers so I understand your dilemma. Also I have fairly recently switeched roles (within the same organisation) from policy (6 years) into program delivery with a bit of strategic analysis also required. My quite unsolicited advice is to go for something where you can point to an outcome, no matter how small/irrelevant/ illogical. Helps you sleep better, I've found.
On politics: bah! We are ruled (aah, federally) by a pack of morally bunkrupt, lying criminal incompetents and at state level, the spin is starting to outweigh the substance too. I recommend medicinal applications of whatever takes yer fancy (easy in your case, I would imagine). I also go and whack the guitar - very healing and I don't give a stuff what the neighbours think.

BwcaBrownie said...

yep, I agree with Russ, Pav's and Phil on all counts.
Dare I point out that every single thoughtless voter who brought us to this moment, is exactly the same as those who allowed/ignored the genocide in WW2.
They don't read, or think, or analyse - they just go out and vote for the nice neat man with the nice neat wife because they want their world to stay noice too. A pox on 'em.

phil said...

Actually, Armaniac, I think Russ is on the money. I genuinely get sick of thinking the same stuff, reacting in the same way (eg shouting at the TV, Mrs VVB gets extremely pissed off at that behaviour), writing the same stuff. For various reasons - that may or may not be valid - I'm not active politicslly so blogging is my way of 'contributing' (hah! 'maintaining the rage', or whatever!). But it's all got very depressing.

R.H. said...

If you've got a choice, why not follow the career you can most put your heart into. Journalism seems the best choice.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry - everyone goes through these feelings. It's very easy to become dissillusioned about politics and one's career. However never give up trying and hoping things will improve.

I'm a fan of just trying something to see what happens (that's how I ended up in my current role and it just keeps getting better, even though at the start I thought it was terrible). I know people who really enjoy working in a court. I think it can be very interesting and fulfilling.

Journalism is a rather hard and nasty game. I think it would be similar to politics. I think policy might be quite frustrating. At least in a court you will be working for inspired people. However whatever you do, it will be a new experience and you will learn new things and meet new people.

Julie Delpy's character, Celine, in 'Before Sunset' said that she used to become frustrated with the huge problems of the world. Then she decided to find smaller problems that could be fixed and starting fixing them (eg. clean water in a small community).

As for real estate - that's just so hard. However keep looking and something good will come up. Good things do happen to good people. Never give up.

Anonymous said...

Take a step back and think about what you really want to achieve in life.

You're in a good position because you have choices. Embrace them, says I sounding like a silly hippy.