Anthony Malloy

No need to hope any more, I’m heading back to uni via distance education.

There’s a pile of paperwork (I’d forgotten about that bit and how much uni’s thrive on paper) sitting on the kitchen table ready to post off to Charles Sturt University tomorrow that will have me enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology starting next February. I’ve had a look at the course and a major in Online And Web Based Systems looks the way to go.

It feels great to know I’m going back, and fingers crossed by the time Bert is in Grade 1 and Stink is half way through secondary school I will have that lovely bit of paper hanging over my desk.

Anybody know someone out there who may be able to decipher my midnight pencil sketch in to a few lines in Illustrator?

A while back I mentioned that I had applied to head back to uni. It had been all quiet on the study front until this weekend when I received the oddest email.

It was the uni sending me a student ID number and login details for their distance student site with the disclaimer right at the bottom ‘This is not an offer of admission’. How weird – “here, pretend to be a student until we make up our mind”. I’m hoping this means that before too long that offer may arrive and I can get started on my degree. Until then I’ll have a play and see what I can see.

For the last three weeks I’ve been moaning and complaining about the fact I had been summonsed for jury duty. My summons was for the day we had scheduled to lunch what has turned out to be my biggest project at work and basically it couldn’t have been for a worse time. I’d already postponed once, as my initial call up was to be around the date of Bert’s birth so I bit the bullet, told my boss and off I went.

It started off well, we had the introduction to the whole process and explanation of how the day would unfold. There were only four trials scheduled for that day so there weren’t too many jurors in the pool. Odds on no one was going to get out of that room without at being empanelled at least once.

Funny thing about odds….

The first call up came mid morning. 27 jurors to be selected by random draw. Somehow I managed to dodge that lot although, just as they were about to leave, a message came through that there was a hold up so everyone went back to relaxing. Some played pool, some caught up on work, some seemed to have never ending phone batteries but I was probably the only person who spent the entire morning catching up on podcasts.

At 12:15 we were told we could all take a two hour lunch (I knew I should have studied hard and done Law) so I wandered off to catch up with Daniel and Miss Marita over lunch. I wandered back, trying to find an internet caf? so I could check my mail (gotta get me a laptop) but finding none.

45 minutes in to more podcasts we were all summed to the jury pool room again. However this time the supervisor wasn’t there, and there was no ballot box. Instead we were greeted by the Juries Commissioner himself who explained that today was a very odd day – we were being discharged. Of the four scheduled trials one was adjourned, two plead guilty and the other civil trial was settled prior to getting to court. Apparently this hardly ever happens.

He gave a magnificent talk on how important the jury system was, and it made me feel suitably guilty for wanting so much not be there. He put a very human face on what can appear to be a very imposing institution and if I had have heard him speak prior to going I wouldn’t have had any qualms at all.

So now I’m free for two years, I have my $36 cheque for a days work and I’m back to my job on Monday. I really have to learn to stress less.

Any body out there with experience and advice on how to fill in the day when you’ve been called up to jury duty in Melbourne?

We received a rent increase notice by registered mail today. Hmm, okay, our rent is now up to over $1000 PER WEEK!

Now, do you things the proper way and appeal this notice through Consumer Affairs Victoria or do you pick up the phone and make the agent swear when he realises his stuff up?

Well, we’ve been putting it off for a while, talking about it every now and then and deciding we’d get around to it eventually.

This afternoon we stopped procrastinating and organised our wedding.

We’ve had an idea about where we want to hold it and what we want to do. We popped on over, had a chat and decided that’s definitely what we are going to do. We then stopped by another place and organised the rest of the stuff that needed to be done. We then went home and checked the calendar to make sure our plans didn’t conflict with any footy games (they don’t) and ninety minutes after starting the project it’s pretty much all done save for ticking some boxes and finding an umpire a celebrant.

So, there you go. We’re getting married.

I renewed my Tigers membership for 2006 today, my sixth year as Tiger member. Even better, my son will be joining me. Yes, Albert is now signed up as full Tiger member. He’ll have his gold level membership status by the age of 10. Most importantly though he’s now safe from the clutches of evil Doggie supporters.

I’m sure he’ll thank me one day.

It takes a fair bit to surprise a person who works behind the counter of the TAB on Cup Day but I did.

“You’re betting on the footy on Cup Day? You’re the only one in Australia who is.”