Looking out my home office window towards the Melbourne CBD skyline, I’ve been pondering the peculiar way we define ourselves through our work. Just yesterday, during a coffee catch-up at Hardware Lane, a friend introduced me to someone new with the classic opener: “This is Dave, he’s a…” and there it was - my profession front and center, as if it were the most important thing about me.

The subject of professional identity has been weighing heavily on my mind lately, particularly after watching a thought-provoking discussion about career-based identity and its pitfalls. It’s fascinating how deeply we’ve woven our professional achievements into the fabric of our self-worth, especially here in our achievement-oriented culture.

The other day, while wandering through Coles in Brunswick, I spotted something that caught my eye - refillable roll-on deodorant bottles from Thank You. It got me thinking about our ongoing battle with single-use plastics and the small changes we can make in our daily routines to reduce waste.

Looking at the $15 price tag, my bargain-hunting instincts initially made me hesitate. That’s quite a jump from the regular $4 options sitting right next to it. But sometimes we need to look beyond the immediate cost to see the bigger picture. The environmental impact of throwing away plastic deodorant containers every few weeks adds up significantly over time.

Walking through our local parks these days, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life, forgetting about the remarkable creatures that share our urban spaces. Recently, a stunning photograph of an echidna caught my attention online, and it sparked some thoughts about these fascinating monotremes that have called this continent home for millions of years.

The photo captured something rarely seen - the soulful eyes of an echidna peering directly into the camera. There’s something deeply moving about seeing these typically shy creatures up close. Most of us are used to glimpsing only their spiky backs as they waddle away or curl into a defensive ball when startled.

Something rather amusing happened in my kitchen yesterday. While attempting to clean some second-hand wooden pull-along toys for my nephew, I inadvertently created what looked like the world’s most wholesome toy party. Picture this: several wooden animals, all gathered around a soapy basin, their pull cords dangling in the water like they’re sharing a giant communal drink or participating in some secret toy ritual.

The whole scene started because I’d picked up these delightful wooden toys from the Camberwell Market last weekend. They’re beautiful pieces - the kind that should last generations, unlike the plastic stuff that seems to break before you’ve even finished opening the packaging. But being second-hand, they needed a bit of TLC, particularly those grotty pull cords.

The morning light was just breaking through my kitchen window when something caught my eye in the garden. At first glance, it looked like a moving pine cone, but there it was - a magnificent echidna, casually wandering through my yard as if it owned the place.

These encounters with native wildlife in urban areas seem to be becoming more frequent lately. Just last week, while walking through Warrandyte State Park, I spotted another echidna foraging near the trail. It’s fascinating how these prehistoric-looking creatures are adapting to life in our expanding urban landscape.

Remember when the scariest thing about having a robot vacuum was whether it might eat your charging cables? Those were simpler times. The recent revelation about Roomba test footage ending up on Facebook has left me feeling both frustrated and concerned about the direction we’re heading with smart home technology.

Sitting here in my study, watching my own robot vacuum methodically cleaning the house, I’m struck by how easily we’ve welcomed these devices into our most private spaces. The story about beta testers’ private moments being shared on social media is particularly disturbing, even if they had technically “consented” to data collection.

The news about Andrew Tate’s “online university” being hacked would be almost comical if it weren’t so concerning. Over 800,000 users affected by the breach - that’s more people than the entire population of Geelong. The sheer scale of this operation is staggering, and frankly, deeply troubling.

Sitting here in my home office, taking a break from flight simulator to digest this news, I find myself wrestling with a mix of emotions. The fact that hundreds of thousands of people, many likely young and vulnerable, have fallen for what is essentially a dressed-up MLM scheme masquerading as education makes my blood boil.

The iconic pub lunch - it’s practically woven into the fabric of corporate culture here in Melbourne. Recently, a discussion caught my eye about someone wrestling with whether to order an expensive steak at a team lunch, and it sparked some interesting thoughts about workplace dynamics and social expectations.

Picture this: you’re sitting at a restaurant with your colleagues, scanning the menu, and there it is - that perfectly marbled, premium cut that’s calling your name. But it’s nearly triple the price of what others might order. The eternal question emerges: will you be “that person”?

Reading about Healthscope’s new hospital facility fee this morning made my blood boil. The announcement of an additional $100 charge for overnight patients and $50 for day patients feels like another brick in the increasingly unstable wall of private healthcare.

Sitting in my home office, sipping my morning coffee from my favourite Carlton café, I pondered the state of our healthcare system. The latest fee announcement from Healthscope particularly stings because it comes barely a year into their multi-year contracts with insurers like Bupa. It’s worth noting that behind this decision stands Brookfield, a Canadian investment giant that now owns Healthscope.

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, but seeing a Berkeley professor openly discuss how even his outstanding students can’t find jobs sends chills down my spine. Having spent countless hours at my local coffee shop in Brunswick Street watching my own kid struggle with university applications, this hits particularly close to home.

Let’s be honest - we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in the employment landscape. When I started my career in the ’90s, a university degree was practically a golden ticket to a decent job. Now? Even graduates from prestigious institutions are struggling to get their foot in the door. The tech sector, once the promised land of six-figure salaries and cushy benefits, is showing serious cracks.