Deb's Blog

Why call a plumber when you may not need to!

Morning Ritual

This morning when I woke up and toddled off to the toilet, as most people do first thing. I noticed that when I flushed, the water rose to a level a lot higher than normal then disappeared down the ‘S’ bend.

After working 5 years for the Engineering and Water Supply, and receiving many calls from concerned customers about their blocked drains, I knew that this was not a job that required a call-out fee from a plumber.

Efficiency

I got on the phone and rang United Water who were very prompt and efficient in sending a crew out to deal with my problem.

They unblocked the main sewer in the road and hey presto, heard a glug in the toilet, and no more blocked drain.

Flush Away

So now I can flush the toilet again and do not have to worry if the water would actually rise above the toilet bowl and onto the floor.

So, if you should have a problem like this, it may be worth ringing the Water Board first. In the majority of cases you may not require the services of a plumber.

Cheers

I bit my nails till I was 20 and the only reason I stopped, was because I wanted nice nails for my wedding.

I remember how I taped sticky tape around the top of my fingers and kind of moulded them into the shape of nails. I can still see me parading around the house touching everything and pretending they were real. How pathetic.

I decided that I was no longer going to chew on my nails like there was no tomorrow.

Peeling and Splitting

There was a problem with this though, as my nails started growing to a nice length they would peel and split and were extremely soft.

Somebody had once told me to rub petroleum jelly into the skin just below your nail base every night before bed, and leave it on overnight.

I started this nightly regime and hey presto my nails started getting stronger.

Today my nails are quite long and strong. I do not wear gloves when working with water and my nails do not break when they become transparent from too much soaking.

Typing

I did have to file them down not so long ago so that I could type, because they were so long they were hitting every key on the keyboard except the one I wanted.

So if you are having the same problem give it a try.

No Acrylic or Gel Nails

People are constantly commenting on my nails and I can tell them that they are real – no falsies here!

Cheers

You definitely need self esteem for this job.

Many years ago I worked for The Department of Consumer Affairs

I worked there for a period of 8 years in various different capacities. My first job was that of a clerk, where I would write up consumer complaint files for the Investigation Officers, so that they had enough information to start actioning the complaint.

My second job was that of telephonist. This was a very busy job as I could be answering up to anywhere between 500 – 600 calls per day. That’s a lot of talking.

Reception Jitters

Then came my third position. I was asked if I would like to become the Receptionist for the department. I actually hesitated at the thought of taking up this role and stressed over it for a whole weekend. Everybody was telling me to take the job and that I would be good at it. So I did.

The thing was, I am a happy person and did not know how I would handle dealing with so much negativity. You see, the thing with this job was that the people coming to this office were not ‘happy chappies’, you were always dealing with disgruntled people.

Ooohh!

It was not a department where the customer would walk in a say “Ooohh I love the product that I have just purchased” or “Ooohh the service I received from …… was fabulous” or even “Ooohh the contract I have just signed was in simple plain English, so much so that I didn’t need anyone to help me decipher it.”

First Day

My first day was shocking. I was so nervous, I think I smoked a packet of cigarettes that day (that was back in the good old days when you could still smoke in the office). I was stuttering my words, shaking like a leaf and absolutely terrified. Totally unfounded but a real fear.

I slowly became accustomed to angry people. This was a bit of a shame actually because it became part of my daily life and hey, who really wants to have those vibes around you everyday.

One day in particular I was dealing with a particularly obnoxious customer when I said the fatal words “Look I am JUST the receptionist”. Well, all hell broke loose as a couple of my work colleagues heard me.

They came up to me and told me that I was never to say those words again. I was not JUST the receptionist, I was the face of the Department, doing a very difficult job and doing it very well.

Self Esteem Eroded

In that instant I realised that I had put myself down. There are enough people in this world ready to erode your self esteem, so why on earth would I do it to myself. Pretty silly if you ask me now.

I have never used that term or anything like it since that day. It is something that I am totally aware of.

I stayed in this position for a further 5 years before becoming an Investigation Officer myself in what was known as the phone room (Sin Bin) trying to resolve complaints over the phone before they proceeded to go any further. So It seems I had come full circle – I was still answering phones.

In my last job at a glazing company there were a couple of people that would ring in and say “Hello it’s JUST …..”. I kept telling them that they are not just ….. and they should announce their name only. They are still saying it and that is their choice.

Recommendation

So, a word to the wise would be, do not put the word JUST in front of your name or job position when you are talking to someone.

Remember you are a worthy person, do not let anybody undermine your self esteem. May you never say this four letter word again.

Cheers

Debberdarls

How to download .pdf, .zip, .mp3 and and other files on the Internet.

Step 1 – Alternate Click

Alternate Click Menu

Right-Mouse Click on the download link and the Alternate Click Menu will appear.

Step 2 – Save Target As

From the Menu, select Save Target As… (Windows) or Save Link As… (Mac).

Now the Save As Window will appear.

Step 3 – Save and Download

The Save As Window will allow you to browse to the location on your computer where you want the file to be downloaded. Simply browse to the location on your computer where you want the file to be downloaded, then click the Save button.

Save As Window

After you click the Save button, the file will download to the location on your computer previously selected.

Welcome to DelightfulDeb.com ..

I sincerely hope to be posting shortly – actually I will be as soon as I can get my head around all of  this technical jargon stuff.

I knew I was technologically challenged, but I didn’t realise how much so, until I built this page with a lot (and I mean a LOT) of  help from Ed.

Ed calls my hands sexy hands because everything I touch, I f@*# up.

He’s right, I can lose a page or perhaps some tabs on my screen without even knowing it.  I will admit that I have absolutely no idea, but hey, you have to start somewhere, and I am starting at ground level – well maybe just a bit under ground level.

So stick around and watch me grow from a seed into a flower, maybe even a tree one day.

This is not a learning curve for me.  Absolutely no curves here, just straight up.

Cheers.

Debberdarls