laura_seabrook | Appointments & Dale's Dark Views

Saw my GP yesterday, and went to a "Work Agency" today for a "work assessment".

Showed my x-rays to the doc, and there's no broken or fractured bones. That means that the pains and instability I've been having in my right leg are probably some form of "soft tissue damage". He's given me a referral to a physio at John Hunter, which I need to follow up some time. Not optimistic about that, after going there to see about the ringing in my ears, getting 5 minutes with the registrar at the public ward and being told that "there's nothing they can do".

The work assessment was much better. I was a bit worried about this, but it was mostly painless. the result is that they're sending me to the "Disability Employment Network" in a couple of weeks. We'll see what they can do / have to offer. I really would like to get some form of employment this year, but right now my confidence is totally shot.

Funny thing, but before today's appointment, I went to the Southern Cross Food hall for a Chinese smorgasbord. Bumped in Dale (it took me a few hours before I remembered her name) who was another student I knew when I did my bachelor's in Visual Arts at Newcastle uni.

Talk about cynical and depressed! Mention anything and she found a way to turn it into an example of how bad her life is. Mind you, she's moved 3 times in the last two years, had a death threat made against her by one house-mate, and was thoroughly fed up with teaching art because her students were "beneath her".

I told her that next year she ought to move to Ballarat, or an outer suburb of Melbourne. Not sure why that came to mind, but maybe I was doing a "reading" on her. Didn't expect her to listen, and sure enough she found reasons why she wouldn't even consider such an action, despite that by her own admission there wasn't anything for her in Newcastle any more.

Oddly enough, meeting her "cheered me up". I've been feeling down lately, but meeting someone who seems to wallow in their own problems maybe puts it in perspective. The last contact I had of her was back in 2000 when she declined an invite to my combined surgery/birthday party (partly because I'd sent her a "bulk" e-mail that I'd sent to a number of friends).

We parted in a funny way. She said that she lived in Belmont and wasn't in the phone book. I told her that I wasn't either! For some odd reason I have a feeling that I'll meet her once more before she leaves Newcastle.