Apr 8 - Cautiously Optimistic

  After the exhaustion of the weekend, I wasn't really in the mood to wake up at 6:00 but I was pleased to wake just before my alarm at 7:00.  That's more like my old wake up time for Forest Hill but I still managed to get to QV by 9:15 even on a train that stopped all stations.  I thought it would be a jam-packed train at 8:15 but apparently everyone is starting earlier than 9:00 now, the train was peaceful and I had a seat the whole trip in.  I do like catching the train.  Even if I have to stand it is still vastly less stressful than driving.
  Work was ok today.  I'm finally getting to learning about the financial ins and outs of the car park and all of its little quirks.  There are a lot of internal and external transfers and quite a few are rather complex.  Certainly a lot more complex than I had initially thought.  This job is nothing if not challenging.
  It was great feeling rested today, after the end of daylight savings, but it does have one downside.  I'm now catching the train home as the day darkens and by the time I'm on the bus it's night time.  It does tend to make for a feeling of long days.  Still, a bright spot in my dark evening, the mailbox was full.  Usually there is one letter, no... let's face it, one bill, and maybe some junk mail.  Tonight there were two small parcels and two letters! (ok... two pieces of addressed junk mail and a flyer, but still!).
  I recognised one parcel's handwriting, a present from Granny C and Grandad!  A belated birthday gift, a luggage strap emblazoned thricely with 'jessinabubble' in peacock blue lettering.  I'm very chuffed with it.  Thank you Granny C and Grandad, I love it!  They are made by eezy2c in Queensland and I think Granny C has ordered about six of them now for various people.
  Mail out of the way, I sat down at my computer and said hello to Mr Smart.  We are both feeling hopeful today.  It was nice feeling hopeful today, and it was even nicer to discover he was feeling it too.  We had another long and productive conversation so I think things are moving in the right direction.  No matter what outcome we end up with, at least we're handling it the right way now.  I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.

  Today's food was:

• Breakfast was a 35g Carmen's dark choc, cranberry and almond muesli bar.  I figured it would be a good idea to have some 'breakfasts to go' on hand for those days where I am running late for my bus.  Today I missed it by 30 seconds anyway but oh well.
• Morning snack was a yellow-flesh plum and a dried peach half.
• Lunch was a 300g Malaysian style chicken laksa soup with a toasted multigrain muffin spread with Devondale extra spreadable butter followed by a large unripe banana.
• Afternoon snack was two pecan nut halves, two hazelnuts, two cashews, four almonds and two Brazil nuts.
• Dinner was a toasted sandwich made with two slices of Bürgen wholemeal and seeds bread, about 110g of champagne leg ham, some rocket and baby spinach and one slice of Bega So Light tasty cheese, with three gherkins and eight Perino snacking tomatoes, followed by a 145g Coles custard tart for dessert.

  By golly it's gotten late!  I'm off to bed.  Goodnight folks.
  Jess