I love watching television at night; it's my form of relaxation. I don't turn on the computer as that's what I use all day and this is my way of connecting with the rest of the world, of seeing the news, finding out the weather for the next few days and being entertained. However, in the last few years, my familiar box in the corner has changed a lot. In fact, it's changed so much, I barely recognise it. I currently have a flatscreen television; however, it's still housed in a box, it's not a plasma screen. My reception has gotten really crappy, so I forked out around one hundred dollars for a HD box so that it would be improved - and it did. 
Little did I know I was going to obtain another five channels and upgrade my nightly viewing without having to pay anything else more. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
Then, the most interesting thing occurred. The television times I relied on so much (you know the one you get from the Sunday Mail each Sunday), became unreliable. It would have a show written down in there for a particular time, but when you switched over, another show you hated would be on. I've lost count of the times I've called one television station or another just to be told that they looked it up on the net and it was changed there! I've had explain calmly that I don't have my computer in 
my living room hooked up to the net twenty-four hours a day at my beck and call for when they decide to change the programming on a whim. I'd get an apology and a suggestion to call back during daytime hours.
Okay, I'll give you a good example. There's a new show that was supposed to be on air now on channel 10 called Three Rivers. The pilot went to air, then... nothing. They had the big advertising campaign with the very sexy Alex O'loughlin talking about Three Rivers and how it was 'coming soon'; they even put in a date and time slot (a Wednesday at 8:30pm). After the first Wednesday passed and I found the show pretty cool, I thought I'd give it a 
chance and watch the next show. The following week, it was in the TV times and I highlighted it remind me of it; but channel 10 put on a repeat of NCIS from last season without letting us know. Okay, they didn't advertise Three Rivers; that's a given; but what's with all the secrecy all of a sudden? What? We're too dumb to understand it might be given to another channel (the new channel 7?) or they just didn't think it would boost ratings? We're the public, not idiots.
So, now, when I look at the television times to check up on my programs, I really don't know what I'm going to watch... is it what's there? Or is it the luck of the draw? Honestly! We really have to make sure our favourite shows stay on the air and crap gets kicked off.
Yesterday, being a Sunday, I normally clean the house or read the paper for a good part of the day and stuff around with a few books. But not yesterday. No, I went out into the city yesterday and met up with two other Bookcrossers who had travelled for some hours to meet me here in Brisbane. All I had to do was catch two buses and that was it; they had driven for three or four hours.
We met up outside the Treasury Casino; and they recognised me very easily as I wore a Bookcrossing t-shirt; and I said that my long red hair would be a dead giveaway! Anyway, after hugs and introductions -and exchanges of our RL names - we escorted the husband of one of the ladies into the Casino where he could while away his time playing Keno and the Pokies.
Meanwhile, I took the ladies out to the Pancake Manor on Charlotte Street for something to eat and coffee. They loved the place! Being from Tasmania, they love their old buildings; and thought the place gorgeous, the food was brilliant and we had plenty of laughs. Being Bookcrossers, we swapped books with each other; and I ended up coming home with more books than I went there with! Then, being readers and collectors and lovers of books, I thought a bookstore would be a good place to visit. And what other bookstore but 'Archives' right next door? Well, they had never been in such a big bookstore! Both 
of them agreed that they must come back and visit this one again for a proper look as it was just too big to have a good look and purchase. They were thrilled to know there was such a prominent store like this one in the center of Brisbane; which hadn't moved anywhere and was so well-stocked! I said it was one of my usual haunts when I came into the city.
Well, time marched on too quickly and we all had to go. I had two buses to catch to get home before the buses at Garden City stopped at 5pm. And Glenys and June had to beat the traffic on the freeway to Noosa before the same time. So, we said out goodbyes outside the Treasury - where we had met up - and we parted ways.
I'm a volunteer; and have been for some ten years now at the Logan Art Gallery. Even when I lost the use of a car, I found my way to and from the place to cover my shifts; and have been relied upon to fill in for people when they've called in sick or unable to make their shifts for one reason or another. I'm a very reliable person.
However, I've noticed a very disturbing trend of late in the volunteering arena; and it's not a good one. People will come in, sign up, do the training, then when they're on the roster, they'll either not show or they'll call in and say they can't make it. This causes big holes in the roster. Just yesterday, I was looking at the roster and counted up to ten names 
crossed out; and they were all new people! I saw the odd regular (but it's rare when that happens). Now, I'm disappointed that people out there take advantage of such a great place like the art gallery I work in and think it's okay to just not show or drop out all because of transport problems. I have transport 
problems but I have worked around them. There are buses, taxis and - if you're lucky like I am - family and friends who will help you if you ask.
Once you become a regular at the gallery, and you get in to a routine of busing it there or figuring out the trains, you can find other things to do before arriving. There's plenty of places around the the Logan Art Gallery you can hang out at in air-conditioned comfort before walking there; 
like McDonald's for example (it's just down the road). Now, it's not just this place I've seen that has had problems with its roster; it's everywhere. And it's the same problem. People signing up, then dropping out thinking that volunteer organisations will survive without them. I'm afraid to tell you, but the more volunteers we have on our books, the better the volunteer organisations run and more places can be around to help the less fortunate or raise more money.
So, when you sign up to be a volunteer, make sure you really can spare your time. No, you don't get paid in cash. But yes, you will be paid in the grace. You will see how much you can help people through giving your time for the good of the community.
I love watching television at night; it's my form of relaxation. I don't turn on the computer as that's what I use all day and this is my way of connecting with the rest of the world, of seeing the news, finding out the weather for the next few days and being entertained. However, in the last few years, my familiar box in the corner has changed a lot. In fact, it's changed so much, I barely recognise it. I currently have a flatscreen television; however, it's still housed in a box, it's not a plasma screen. My reception has gotten really crappy, so I forked out around one hundred dollars for a HD box so that it would be improved - and it did. 
Little did I know I was going to obtain another five channels and upgrade my nightly viewing without having to pay anything else more. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
my living room hooked up to the net twenty-four hours a day at my beck and call for when they decide to change the programming on a whim. I'd get an apology and a suggestion to call back during daytime hours.
