my new toy

While trying to kill time before Regeneration last Friday, I wandered into Target to have a browse around. The thought came to me to have a look upstairs at the electronics section because I had been thinking (for a while) about getting a piano keyboard to try pick up a new hobby. So I did. And I saw something that caught my eye - a 61-key keyboard, complete with stand, adaptor and packed with different handy features for $29.88.

Bargain of the century.

I talked to the guy about it and made sure it wasn't too good to be true - and thank God it wasn't. Apparently it used to sell at $299, but had been reduced over and over again to the point it was so cheap and it was re-shelved as a result! He also told me it had a full guarantee.

Thank God hey?

So I've been tinkering away at the little thing and I really enjoy it. Sure, it can be quite frustrating when I stuff up, but it is quite satisfying to get things right too. Once again, like all my other phases, let's see how long this will last. At least if I give up, the initial outlay would've been less than a fancy meal at a nice restaurant huh? I can live with that :D

welcome back

My computer came back from the computer-doctor (by which I mean the son of my dad's friend) the other day and though it's got a new body (which I was told was necessary) and though some programs are missing and need to be re-installed, it's good to have it back.

It was hard not having access to my music, photos, files, and other things like my audio-bible, and having it back has brought some normality back to my life. That's kinda sad huh? It hasn't been the same without my old computer and it was nice re-acquainting myself.

The new machine is quieter than the old one, and it's faster. So I am pretty happy with that. It's the new 'body' that I don't really like. I went from my comparatively pretty, black, shmicko, doozy with a pretty green light, to a beige early nineties-esque, MS-Dos thing which has a floppy disk drive (not the thin, big, black floppy disk, but the smaller ones - pre-compact-disc) with no pretty lights. I feel like I have a technological relic on display in my room. Oh well. Vanity of vanities - computer housings are vanity.

It's good to have you back computer - beige, lightless, old-school body and all.

spare time

With a 9-5 job, no studies, living at home, and not too many other commitments, I have found that I have a lot of spare time. Like a lot. Pretty much as soon as I get home, I haven't got much to do. With things at church slowing down from the frenzy at the beginning of the year, I seem to be home a lot more often. I have even tried to not eat out as much (tried).

So it leaves me with not too much to do at home. And therefore on the hunt for some new hobbies. I've found myself on the internet, reading books, and doing things that are quite random - like jigsaw puzzles and baking. The jigsaw puzzle thing was a recent thing that came when I scored a jigsaw puzzle from a booksale for $1 - for 1500 pieces! Well I'm not sure if all 1500 are there, but I am on a mission to find out.

The baking thing has been a bit sporradic. I tried making hot cross buns for Easter and though the end-product looked like hot cross buns, I think i left them in the oven too long and they became lethally dry. Also, there wasn't enough sugar or sultanas to redeem the buns from their eventual-fate in the bin (after my loving mother held onto them for a few days and a few had been adopted by unsuspecting victims).

Then I tried my hand at Anzac biscuits. I saw a recipe in the Woman's Day at work and I thought yeah why not. My mistake this time round? I think it was a mixture of not really measuring as accurately as I should have, and due to the over-baking incident of the hot cross buns, I was determined not to over-bake these little babies. So they ended up being kinda soft.

So all of that stuff has kept me somewhat 'busy' and has given me something to do in my spare time. I'm still keeping my eyes open for new hobbies and commitments, but in the meantime, I've got a few things to keep me going.

my bank is cool

My bank is cool because of this...



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