The Story

From: Terleetha K

Sent: Friday, 1 April 2011 8:57 AM

To: Michelle Park;

Subject: USBs

Hi all

According to the USB Register you borrowed the following USBs. If you have finished with them please return them to Admin ASAP.

If you have misplaced the USB please let us know.

Thanks.

From: Michelle Park

Sent: Friday, 1 April 2011 9:27 AM

To: Terleetha K

Subject: RE: USBs

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, young Princess. She was a lovely wee thing and understood the meaning of privilege, and that she'd been born into it. To that end, the beautiful, young Princess decided that she would get a job - just like the common people of her Father's kingdom. Because she was so kind hearted, and money wasn't a problem, she decided to work in the not-for-profit organisation who helped customers with their problems with commercial companies. The Princess was much loved in her work place, and worked very hard and was very good at what she did. She was, however, not perfect and so one day, without meaning to at all, she misplaced the USB stick she'd borrowed from THE ADMINISTRATORS. She knew it was still at her place of work, and she seriously thought that she had leant it to another colleague so it was very likely to be in someone's top drawer or something but alas, she was too busy to go find it considering it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. She apologised to THE ADMINISTRATORS and hoped they would grant her this one lapse in her otherwise perfect relationship with them.

From: Terleetha K

Sent: Friday, 1 April 2011 9:45 AM

To: Michelle Park;

Subject: USBs

So do you have it or not??

Lol!!

From: James R

Sent: Friday, 1 April 2011 2:00 PM

To: Michelle Park;

Subject: Beer after work

Yep, it's that time of the week that we should already be thinking of beer (or Cider Chis)

So this week Hannah and I have decided that the European Beer Cafe will be quick and easy. We’ll head over as soon as 5:10 hits to get a good spot on the balcony. Tell a friend and/or the person next to you.

Sorted.

From: Michelle Park

Sent: Friday, 1 April 2011 2:34 PM

To: James R

Subject: RE: Beer after work

Once upon a time there was a beautiful Princess who worked for a not-for-profit company. She was happy most of her days, and beloved by many, but unfortunately due to a dark and horrible spell cast upon her last Tuesday, she was unable to attend drinks on Friday 1 April 2011. The only way to break the spell was from a kiss from her true love but that wasn't likely to happen before 4pm so she was doomed to not spend any time at the European Beer Cafe that day.

There's No Place Like Home

Have you ever made a list of all the addresses you've lived at? I did the other day, and while I didn't include the address of grandparents who I lived with for two school terms when I was 14 or my Aunt and Uncle who I crashed with for a year during sixth form, I managed to rack up 20 different addresses.

I've been thinking about home the last little while. Where is home - how do I define that place I think of when we think of HOME. To me, "I'm going home." means different things to me depending on the context.

Here while I live in Melbourne it means I'm going to the apartment I share with my roommates. Except when it means I'm getting on a plane to go fly to New Zealand, then it means I'm going to the place where my kids live in Auckland. When I'm there, sometimes 'home' means driving down to Taranaki where I grew up my teenage years.

Home doesn't mean where I was born any more. It doesn't mean where I lived in the first homes we bought, nor my first flats or apartments. When I really think about it, I wonder if I actually have a home. Can I remember what it's like to have one?

I'm not a permanent resident of Australia, let alone Mebourne. I don't live where my children live anymore. I feel 'at home' in Taranaki at The Farm, but it hasn't been the place where I live for a very long time. So where is my home? Maybe I don't actually have one after all. Maybe they're all just addresses.

Is having lived at 20 different addresses more than usual, or about right? How many different places have you lived?