housemates pt1

When people ask why I prefer to rent alone I tell them the story of H and G.

H was a woman in her late 40′s. Myself and G were in our early 20′s. She rented a big-ish three bedroom place and myself and G paid her board (although if welfare or the real-estate asked we were ‘her cousin’s kids who’d just moved to town and were staying with her while we got settled’ she didn’t tell them she was sub-letting).

H was divorced with three boys (10-15 yrs old); her ex had custody. They used to stay with us regularly and there was always half a dozen other kids hanging out at the house too.
When I moved in I was aware that H was a supposedly recovered alcoholic. She was supposed to be, but I quickly realised she wasn’t. She was on a disability pension that paid fortnightly and you could tell what week it was by what she was drinking. On pension week it was the cheap scotch; on the non-week it was cheap cask wine. She was a really nice lady when she was sober but a real misery-guts when drunk. You couldn’t have alcohol in the house because she’d drink it and she quickly ran out of people who’d fetch her alcohol from the local bottleshop (she’d lost her license for DD). Even the local Taxi driver refused to do pickup-and-drop off's for her, no matter what she offered (pick up her alcohol from the local bottleshop and deliver to her house).

Did I mention that she was a heavy smoker? Ironic since she was also a severe asthmatic. I’ve literally seen her sitting there with a cigarette in one hand and an asthma puffer in the other; wondering why she was always running out of inhalers.

I left after 3 months but it took me that long again to get the smell of cigarettes out of my clothing.

Oh, and the young guy G who lived with us? A month after I left he got arrested for molesting a young boy J that used to stay with us. J was about 10-12 and from a town about an hour away and his mum was friends with H. J’s folks were going through a rough patch so he used to stay with us regularly. Nice kid but he really walked into the lion’s den. We never suspected a thing!

G served 3 years of a 6yr term before getting out on good behaviour. H died 5 years ago from Liver failure and pneumonia.

What a weird experience and that’s why I’m wary of housemates

A new photography client

I have a problem to solve.
You see, I've been trying to establish a bit of a business as a photographer. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that its a really hard trade to get into - especially when you don't have any qualifications. So I am well aware that I will be checkout-chick for quite a while yet.
However that doesn't stop me from the opportunity to spruik for clients among my workmates. And I've had some nibbles. One was looking particularly promising....at first glance...

A workmate has a daughter who apparently wants to become a model, a super-model. Mum wants to hire me to shoot some portfolio photos....cool....no problem...I can deal with that.
Then I find out that the girl is obsessed with those TV shows about supermodels. Those talent-search type shows where they take a group of kids and train them up with a flashy modelling contract as the prize.
The daughter is an avid viewer and its given her some bright aspirations.
Nothing wrong with that, dreams are good. Except now I am worried that I'm about to get a know-it-all as a client. You know, one of those annoying people who have watched ALL the shows and think that qualifies them as an "expert"....just usually makes them a pain in the butt for the real experts.

Then Mum tells me that her daughter already has ideas for the photos she wants done. Again, that's good, I don't have a problem with taking on a client that knows what she wants done. Makes my job easier.
Uumm, what's that Mum? She wants to be photographed 'topless while someone pours melted chocolate over her? Ummmm Ooo-kay, that's gonna be a little trickier.

There is a fine line between "Artistic" and "Pornographic"!!! and I think that pouring melted chocolate over a naked female could be teetering right on that fine line!!!

However I was reassured that Mum was agreeing to the photo shoot and the scenario. I did stipulate that Mum would be the one doing the pouring. I quite understood that Mum picked me cos she wants only females to see her naked....well, semi-naked...daughter.

Now I finally discover that the girl.....is only 14 YEARS OLD!!! Mum wants me to photograph a child in these poses???!!! What the hell am I gonna do?

why I quit journalism

Below I have copied a post that I made on a blog called Cube Farmer, its on the news.com.au website and is written/moderated by Kate Southam http://blogs.news.com.au/cubefarmer/index.php/news/comments/how_to_say/ 

The Blog post was about the level of work that bosses and companies are placing on their employees and the negative affect that its having on staff moral and health. It was based on the premise that bosses either; a) don't realise how much work they are piling on their staff, b) can't read the signs of an employee under stress, or c) the boss already does long hours at work and can't understand that not everyone is capable or wants to do that.

I was replying to a guy posting under the tag of "Andrew". He said that he had/is working in the media industry and talked of the pressure put on him and what affect it had on him. I can sympathise with him. The media industry is nowhere near as glamorous as people imagine it to be.
I was severely under-prepared for what I was about to face and severely under-prepared for the lack of assistance if you are struggling. Mostly I wasn't helped because I was the bottom of the pile and those above me also had massive pressure on them from those above them.

Below is the post I left on the CubeFarmer blog:

"Oh Andrew, I can sympathise with you.

I was also in the Media industry. I also quit because of the massive work pressure. I was the only full time journalist at a small rural newspaper covering four shire territories. My office was a tiny shopfront that I shared with an advertising sales rep. My editor was in a town nearly an hours drive away and also edited three other papers beside my own. At the time I left I was classed as level 1 journalist (just completed cadetship). I was working 6.5 days a week, driving nearly 300km a week (my car but they paid travel) and frequently took work home. I wrote and photographed about 70% of the stories; from front page lead to socials to sports photos. There were 3-4 correspondents but they had far more freedom to pick and choose their stories.

I never went to university or did formal training in writing/journalism. I only have high school level English and Photography training.  I was taken on as a cadet after being one of those correspondents simply because of my ability. The previous journalist had left and I was bumped straight in as second year cadet. I was promised all the training and support that I would need....that never happened. I was drowning and they were too far away to see it. Its hard to explain problems by phone/email and neither the editor or I had time to drive back and forward between our offices. I swam for as long as I could, nearly three years, and never found the shallow end. I turned to alcohol to shut off my brain at the end of the day, gained massive weight and suffered severe insomnia.
As a journalist you're expected to be alert, cheerful and on-the-ball but that's hard to do when your functioning on 4 hours sleep per night, eat at your desk and have to slap on thicker and thicker layers of make-up to cover the bags under your eyes. Even harder to cover the blood-shot and bleary eyes.
In the end I drowned under the pressure, had a massive car crash and ended up with PTSD, depression and Anxiety as well as legal and financial problems.

I got out. I now work in retail. It doesn't fulfill my creative drive but I get better hours and can switch off at the end of the day."

I have been left disillusioned with the industry as a whole. I loved the creative element and loved the people that I met. But I was also left jaded by what I heard, saw and had to write about.