One of the greatest lessons I ever learned: early to bed, early to rise. There was something after that, but it doesn’t matter because that’s more than enough to go on. And it really works! I have a strict sleep regimen that makes me healthy, wealthy and wise and oh yeah, that’s how it ends. It really works, however, and I owe my immense business success to getting a good night’s sleep and being mentally alert at all times. Naps are strictly forbidden. Don’t even mention them in my presence unless you want a good hard stare.
On the opposite side of this well-rested coin, my support goes out to all those who’ve dedicated their lives to providing essential services after the midnight hours. You are the true heroes, in my opinion. Those brave emergency plumbers based in Melbourne who place themselves at your beck and call, swooping in to save the day when your pipes decide to interrupt your sleep by exploding at 4am. Quite how they retain the mental acuity in the dead of the morning is beyond me, but retain it they do. I’ve had to call an emergency plumber to my home once, and it was such a quick and painless experience (I only lost 23 minutes of REM sleep) that I can’t recommended it more highly.
The same sentiments are deserved by 24-hour doctors, car repair folks and supermarket workers, and though I would question the need to drive or shop at night (the daylight hours are clearly meant for such things), the fact that services are available is an admirable feat. Clearly, these people have managed to reprogram their body clocks in a way that to me is unnatural. However, they have done so in such a self-sacrificial way that I cannot help but be impressed.
And so, the 24 hour plumbers of Melbourne, the doctors, the people who serve fries and ice-cream cones, the mechanics, the locksmiths…I salute you. You are performing your function far better than I ever could. Because I just love my sleep time, honestly.
-Aldred
Working on the project together has been amazing for me and Lucas. It’s brought us much closer together and we have had to confront some big issues in our relationship. We’ve managed to develop a great working relationship where we split tasks based on skills. I am better at logistics and dealing with people whereas Lucas is better at dealing with the budget and the site. Take the issue of sorting out the 
It’s been months in the making but it’s finally happening. The house is being put up for auction in two weeks and I couldn’t be happier. I also couldn’t be more stressed out. As this is my first time selling my home as a private citizen with a privately owned home (I’ve always rented in the past) I had no idea how stressful it would be. I mean, I knew people get stressed out about moving, but I didn’t realise how much work I would need to put into getting the place ready for sale. 
Dream journal entry: 14 August 2016. 
So far as I’m concerned, holidays aren’t just breaks. They’re a natural part of life, one that should be embraced as just as necessary as breathing to humanity. Without holidays…we are nothing. It’s one of my core beliefs. Not that people should take holidays disproportionately, lest they lose all of their power. It’d be like having Christmas every day. Who’d do that?
It is always my fault. No matter what happens it is as if I purposefully plotted for it to go wrong and be against us. It is simply unfair. The tree developed vertical cracks that put it in danger of falling, hence putting us in danger of being fallen on. From the attitude I am getting you would think I intentionally harmed the tree causing the vertical cracks and therefore, landing the major bill for tree removal in our mailbox. Luckily I have actually managed to find an excellent company specialising in 
The funny thing about niche businesses…you never know what’s going to take off, and what isn’t. The story I cling to is that of a friend who opened a little shop on the high street selling asthma inhalers for cats. Things were slow at first, but pretty soon people began to realise that if there’s a shop entirely dedicated to that ailment, it could be a problem in future. Business picked up. Soon, people were asking about inhalers for dogs, so the stock was extended. Then he had to bring in kitty wheelchairs, dog nose chap sticks, everything you could possibly need to combat your pet’s obscure illness. Now the place is four times as big and always full. Just goes to show, eh?
Okay, so I might have caused the ruin of my family. Accidentally, mind you. I wouldn’t do something like this on purpose…that’d be rude.
I’m sure most friendship groups these days have some kind of virtual group to which they all belong. Whether it is a Whatsapp group or a Face-Space message thread, it has become the go-to way for groups to stay in touch. Our thread has been going for eight years and is full of announcements; breakups, make-ups, engagements, pregnancies, promotions and unfortunately an array of unfortunate news too. I wanted to make my most recent announcement face to face so I arranged a girls lunch! I didn’t let anything slip before they all arrived but once they were all there I couldn’t hold it in any longer. ‘James and I are buying a house’! I literally shouted it at them before anyone had even cut a bagel. Of course, Trish was straight in there recommending me her