February 25, 2003 - 5:37 p.m.

this is my second entry for today. i wouldn't normally do it, but too much has happened already and i don't want to forget it.

after eating two tim tams for pre-breakfast, i called the department of immigration to find out my visa status. it turns out that the letter they sent me in november, SIX DAYS AFTER I APPLIED, was my visa notification.

because of the vague language and lack of expiry date or passport sticker, i thought it was only the notification for my bridging visa. if you saw the words Extended Eligibility Temporary Visa, wouldn't you think so, too? i don't think of two years as being temporary.

so i've been official for over three months now and haven't even known it. ay-yi-yi. i immediately called simon, then my mom, to tell them the good news. [breathes huge sigh of relief]

after dropping off my film in windsor and searching for earmuffs in the CBD to no avail, i got a call from mark from the lucksmiths. could i please come by tomorrow and take more pictures while they're rehearsing? only, don't take the pictures while they're actually rehearsing because they'll look like they're serious and concentrating too hard. no, instead, take the pictures after, when they're faking it just for me. because i want to use the fake-o skills learned from modeling and not my actual training in documentary photojournalism.

then, and this is the clincher, i got a phone call from the city of glen eira, asking if i could come in for an interview tomorrow. i started laughing. when the woman on the phone asked why, i told her that i was indeed still interested in the position. however, i'd already thrown out all of their paperwork because they sent me a letter stating that if i didn't hear from them within two weeks, to forget it. nearly four weeks have passed since that time.

it gets better: i have to give a five-minute presentation. on what, you ask? on myself, my public relations skills (of which i have none) and, well, the rest is pretty vague. i can talk about a particular project, i can give a powerpoint presentation... holy cow.

jen asked what scares everyone. i answered that i'm afraid to drive in melbourne (for a number of reasons). i forgot to add that i hate public speaking. people think i love it because i'm outgoing and semi-articulate. those people are wrong. my neck breaks out into heat rash if i get really nervous, and my mouth gets gummy. even defending my master's thesis, to a group of three people i knew very well, was sheer torture. the Do Care coordinator asked if i would be willing to give a journalism-related talk at one of the workshops in may, and i said yes, but i have no idea why. we'll call it a momentary lapse of judgment.

because of said presentation and tomorrow's rehearsal re-creation, i pushed the interview to thursday. if anyone has any ideas on what i should talk about, please let me know. i am stumped, and i'll be darned if i'm going to use crummy powerpoint!

p.s. if i got this job, i would have to drive to work. holy moly.

p.p.s. i would also make $45,000 per year.