Wow, another chance to write a non-ranty blog post! I love it!

With Miss 7 at home on school holidays, I�ve been running some errands with her in tow. Today I had two great examples of customer service from the most unlikely of places � the Family Assistance Office and Westpac bank!

1 � Insider tips from the Family Assistance Office

After submitting a Medicare refund claim in person, I popped across the room to talk to someone about a Family Assistance claim I�d submitted a month ago. The actual submit process was great � it was all done online and, �as I�m already a client, they�ve got all of my details on file already. No need to visit a service centre. But while I was in the neighbourhood, I just thought I�d check up on it. Robyn at Strathpine confirmed that it was in the system waiting for someone at their end to action it, and I didn�t need to do anything else. She said if I hadn�t heard within 2 weeks, to phone them. And then she leaned forward and gave me an inside tip �Phone the call centre & leave your mobile number for a callback, don�t sit on hold in the queue. Don�t let your phone leave your side for the next 24-48hrs. When you see a Blocked number calling, answer it. Our number is always blocked & we don�t call back a second time if you miss us. That will save you having to come back in here on the school holidays with your daughter.�

The Easter long weekend makes Tuesday feel like Monday. Except this Tuesday was the last day with Tony�s parents visiting AND both of our girls at home. So now Wednesday feels like Monday. The good news is that Friday is now only 2 sleeps away! Why can�t weeks�work�like this more often?

The alarm went off before 6am this morning, because I chose to set it for that time. Circa 1998 me would be horrified at that concept. But my morning walk was rewarded with the most beautiful pink sky sunrise and a feeling that everything was fresh, new, unblemished. The day started, full of possibilities and choices and events and actions and reactions and emotions and �. nothing. For 40mins, just nothing. Nothing but me and the pink sky.

Brace yourselves � this is a rant.

In my opinion, mobile phone companies are right down their with real estate agents and used car salesmen. But let me lay out the facts and you can decided for yourself.

After receiving a wedding invitataion, we decided to pack up the kids and head to Wellington for a 10 day holiday. We�re self-employed with clients who rely on us, so by �holiday� I mean �time away from the office�. We accept that our lifestyle means our phones come with us and so does the laptop. Then again, we didn�t have to get annual leave approved.

When you grow up in a city and leave it, you carry a piece of it with you. Whenever it�s mentioned, whenever you hear from friends or family there, one particular heartstring is tugged, still reserved for that place and connected to those memories.

This is why, 2 years after a 6.3 earthquake that killed 185 people and literally brought the city down in a cloud of dust .. you grieve too. As the world around you carries on with a normal Friday, you look at everything with different eyes again.

Warning, this post may turn into a rant. This topic has been on my heart since before Queensland�s recent rain event (Jan 2013) and it just won�t leave my thoughts. Now that my attention is not so urgently taken with filling needs, it�s time to let the topic loose.

Are we really that stupid?

Once upon a time, there were maybe a handful of ways to die: sickness, injury (especially in the workplace, if you think industrial era) and childbirth. But society went and got all advanced and created technology and the Internet and cured illnesses and improved safety and childbirth. And we all lived long lives happily ever after.

As we reflected on the 2 year anniversary of the 2011 QLD Floods, little did we know that another severe weather event was literally around the corner. Thanks to ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, our season of drought was about to be spectacularly broken, in more ways than one.

400mm+ of rain fell and fell and fell. Rivers burst their banks and created new pathways as gravity pulled that water volume downwards to sea level. Suburban and urban drain systems couldn�t keep up with such rapid and consistent water inflows. Queensland flooded again.

OK, this one is a �mini-post� to �get the subject off my chest� � yes, pardon the pun.

On the news yesterday we heard of a mother who was approached by a staff member at a council-run public swimming pool, because another swimmer was uncomfortable with this lady breastfeeding her baby at the poolside. The mother was embarrassed & humiliated and chose to leave the pool. To her defence, she stated that she was supervising her other children who were still in the pool. It�a also against the law to discriminate against breastfeeding mothers in public places.

Well, I did promise timely blogging of my opinion on current events,�so with this topic rattling around in my brain, it seemed like a good start.

The recent bushfires�across�Australia have been horrific. While fire is a natural part of the bush�s life, it�s a fearsome beast when it comes close to our homes, our friends and our families. And when it does�literally come breathing down our necks, our heroic firefighters don their gear and stare it in the face. The Queensland Rural Fire Service are true heroes in every sense of the word, especially the volunteers who don�t even get paid for such�dangerous work.

New name, new theme, new blog?

Umm, sort of. Part of me wants to yell �Yes, 2013 is the year I finally write to my heart�s content and attract a following of thousands and tidy income stream�. The other part of me thinks �I have a marketing piece to finish, the kids are due home, I have to cook dinner tonight & there�s a pile of ironing to do once the kids are in bed.� Hmm.

OK, lets cut right to the chase on this one. Does anyone on twitter still have a sense of humour? Have we become so politically correct that our comedians will suddenly find themselves searching for other employment? Do we know the difference between fun and trolling, or is �funny� now attacked if it remotely offends anyone?

Yup, I�ve pulled out the big guns on this one and I�m waiting to be shot down.