Social butterfly time...

So, Sunny went home today. The place is going to feel empty.

MOTH started cleaning up the house for the rental inspection last night. And was shocked to discover just how messy Chef is. He has been sleeping on the stretcher behind the couch. When MOTH went to tidy that area, he discovered clothes strewn about under the bed. Along with a veritable garbage dump. Which he was most upset about and claimed he was ready to ask Chef to move out. But when you think about it, it's hardly different to the state of the room being used - and abused - by the Elder.

Perhaps I'm making excuses, but it is nearly Christmas. I think that getting him thinking about moving on can wait till after, don't you?

On a lighter note, Sunny and I went to the movies last night. With the GTs. Apparently someone's gf groaned at the thought of Beowulf, so that made it highly recommended as viewing of choice. I really enjoyed it, and I think Sunny did too. He tells me he doesn't handle suspenseful movies well, but had calmed down a bit by the end of this one. At one point toward the beginning he jumped and grabbed my arm tight. I sat there grinning cause it was funny. Until I got a fright myself later on. Then it was his turn to laugh.

Y'know, I have just discovered that skittles and cold coffee don't really mix.......

But, back to the movie. It plays like a cut scene from a video game. And detailed enough to be able to recognise the actors behind the characters. F'rinstance, you couldn't miss Anthony Hopkins. In my most humble opinion - the only one that counts - this movie would have been stunning in 3D.....

Old age. Or trying to manage late nights....

As some of my devoted readers may know, I've had a houseful of guests lately. And more on the way. And being young and relatively untrained, they all need some level of supervision.

Very tiring, it is.

Especially when you do silly things. Like, stay up watching telly. And get asked, when they get home from work, to stay up with them and watch a movie. Which you end up doing. What the heck, you're only young once, right?

So, in the last couple of weeks, I don't think I have been to bed much before 11pm. And a couple of those have been 1 or 2am.

Last night was close to 12 midnight I think. We kicked off the evening with Labyrinth. Accompanied by a healthy - or not - side of nachos. And, as an aside, I found out how to make good sour cream. None of this add lemon juice nonsense. I had a tub of cream and a tub of natural yoghurt. Worked a treat. Because I forgot to get some when we raided the supermarket. And I forgot the avocado too. Can never win sometimes. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Followed by Nightmare Before Christmas. I found out that Sunny can do a pretty good version of Jack's Lament. And throw a couple of tim tam slammers in there as well. With the double coated tim tams.

Chef came home halfway through Nightmare, and moaned. Of course. He hates that movie. But he laughed along, made comments and watched right along with the rest of us! Then we watched Beetlejuice, and indulged with triple caramel Pauls light icecream. Or was it Peters? I can't remember, but it was darned good.

But the upshot is that I am dragging today. I've had two cups of coffee, but it's just not happening. Not even the chocolate has salvaged my get-up-n-go. And that is truly, truly sad....

Changing of the Guard. Or is that just changes?

Seems to be the month for changes.

Well, the Teen had an interview today to change schools. Finally, after bugging me for the last couple of years, I have relented. She had to check things on the website and see if she really wanted to go.

She did and had the admission interview today. The prospective student must attend, accompanied by a care giver. MOTH and I both went.

In comparison, the current school is more aesthetically pleasing. The facilities are newer and the class structure is better. The new school is - in the words of the Guidance Officer - very 60s but well maintained. And true, it does remind me very much of the old primary schools I attended while growing up. Walkways under the buildings and the big stumps. Weatherboard walls. You know the style - the old Queenslanders have walls like that. We didn't get to see inside any of the classrooms, apart from a brief glance as we went past. Desks set up in rows. Nostalgic, really.

I hope she settles in well though. To the best of my knowledge, she doesn't know anyone who attends the new school. A couple of her friends from her current school were thinking of transferring over, but I have to say that at this late stage, it's not likely.

At the end of the intertview, the Guidance Officer told her: see you on 29 January. Looks like formal acceptance is a .......... formality. Sorry, couldn't help that.

Here's to new beginnings and I hope she settles in well. And achieves to her full potential. I'm hoping this school welcomes her penchant for debate. To put it nicely......

Times-a-flyin....

Holidays are nearly over. Already. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was just leaving work. Now it's time to go back. Fair enough, it's only been two weeks, but a lot can happen in that time.

As you know, we have been settling in with a boarder. Whom I have christened the Chef. Because he is. We are still all getting used to each other, but even MOTH is getting used to having him there. I thought about it, and would have to say ... you know when a bunch of relatives you barely know land on your door to stay for a while? The ones that sort of take over and seem to be everywhere at once? The Chef is like that. All rolled into one person.

Funniest sight I have seen for a while happened the other day. MOTH was standing at the top of the hall in the lounge. Chef charged up the hall, grabbing MOTH on the shoulder with a yell. Truly, MOTH's feet actually left the floor. It left him standing and gasping, while shaking his shorts. It left me rolling helpless on the couch. I haven't had that much fun since MOTH got caught outside when lightning and thunder flashed at once, and left him dancing in the air.

See who is living at my house? And no comments about Mrs Claus either. The Teen and the Elder got into the spirit of the evening, even managing to drag one of their friends into decorating himself with tinsel and joining them. The recipients of the dress up and lolly distribution were the local NHW for the Carols by Torchlight. Apparently it was a roaring success. Santa was escorted to the part in a highway patrol car complete with sirens.

No pic of my pseduo-son in his decorations though. He's very camera shy. He calls me mum, and I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George. Wait, that's already taken. I will call him Sunny. For the purposes of this blog.

Sunny slept over the second weekend of my holidays. And again the following Friday and Saturday night. And maybe this weekend too. I don't mind. He's welcome any time.

Saturday I had another ring in. The Teen has a friend she's not sure if she's crushing on. He slept over Saturday night as well. I don't know where I manage to keep all these people. This lad is ok for a 15yo Skinny White Dude. Hereafter referred to SWD.

SWD is pleasant and polite. And, unfortunately, didn't seem altogether phased by me. Now that was a bit of a disappointment I can tell you.......

Yay, I finally get a turn!

Time is flying. Year-wise that is. I can't believe that it's Christmas month. Where did the year go?

So I mentioned last time that the Chef has moved in. I'm beginning to feel like the Christmas turkey. All fattened up and ready to go.

But this doesn't come cheap - I need to keep topping up the fridge and the pantry. A lot of what he cooks I don't have the ingredients for. I'm thinking that in future, I'll keep what he gives for board as a slush fund for more food. Hope that works!

Possibly emotionally costly. I get he's broken. His way of dealing though, is to lose his temper and take it out on other things. Slamming doors. Throwing things. And yet, when he's feeling 'stable' - for want of a better word - he's easy to get along with and usually quite funny. Oh, and he also has a foul, foul mouth. And bulimia, he tells me - although I've not seen him binge, I've heard him purge.

And I deal with this by ignoring this behaviour. MOTH, on the other hand, doesn't like the language, and can't deal with the temper tantrums. He tells me that yesterday, an episode made him feel depressed.

You know I thought that heart attacks were supposed to make you take stock and slow down. Not this one. It's made him more uptight, less tolerant, and now everything depresses him, or annoys him.

I'm beginning to think I can't wait to get back to work. And that's bad.

New housemates. Or children. Whichever.

Last week the Teen asked, Mum! A friend of mine has been turfed out. Can he stay here till he finds somewhere else?

Well, ok. As long as he knows I don't have a room for him. The Elder graciously said he could use her stretcher bed.

So he moved in. The Teen did forget to tell him that I didn't have a room for him though! She told him on the morning he was supposed to arrive. Poor boy.

He's quiet. Not as young as I thought he was. He's 20. He's a chef. I'm getting my meals cooked for me. He doesn't have a good home life. He's fragile and broken. Hopefully not beyond repair.

He tells me that he's never had a family. He's insecure and has no self esteem. I'm hoping that might be changed a small bit by the time he leaves. We keep telling him that what he cooks is marvellous. And that's not an exaggeration - it's 'plain fare' but he made the sausages taste like they had been on the barbeque. And that's gotta be a plus.....

Let me start by......

Yes. Like it says. Let me start by apologising up front for anyone who doesn't have the stomach to read this. Perhaps you might like to get yourself a stiff cuppa tea before you come back......

The Teen wasn't well on Saturday night. One of those feeling kinda queasy, then suddenly it's a mad dash for the nearest place to be sick. She didn't quite make it. She started the clean up, and I finished it. And while doing this, I noted that though there were no solid bits, those noodles she'd eaten some hours ago sure didn't smell sweet the second time around. A kind of strong, acrid smell.

And no disinfectant either. So domestos in the bowl for the carpet, and dettol on the tiles and plenty, plenty airfreshener. Which didn't cover it.

I could still smell it the next morning. By god, whatever she ate she better not eat again! I'm thinking it's going to take a long time to clear the smell! I sprayed the carpet with some of the Preen foam. Which, as an aside, does a pretty good job of cleaning the carpet. Letting it dry for several hours, it was time to vacuum it off.

Now, I had been complaining during the cleanup that, by the amount of dust on the floor, that no one had waved a vacuum cleaner in the floor's general direction for a while.

I opened the broom cupboard door and the smell jumped out and grabbed me by the throat. While I was busy trying to fight that off, I espied black and white stuff on the floor under the vacuum. It was also along the floor to the other corner where I store the christmas tree.

Bloody hell! The carpet is soggy, stinks, and has set up a mould farm. On inspection, it also extends under the wall into the Teen's room. At first I thought that was the point of origin. She doesn't run a tidy ship. And there was an empty water bottle in the vicinity. On shifting the Christmas tree and discovering the full extent of the damage, I think we can conclude that there is a leak in behind the shower wall.

Emailed the real estate yesterday, and just have to wait for a response.

But heck it stinks. And now I think I can smell it everywhere. Even at work. It's in my skin! I scrub and it's turning black and furry..... And over the last week, I've been thinking that it's time to clean the bathroom drains again...

Sunday mornings. And late night visitors.

It's Sunday morning. *groan* and I'm exhausted. I feel like I haven't slept much. If at all. And I don't know why. I went to bed at a decent hour.

And the girls didn't wake me up. The Teen has a friend over. Who knows what they do after you throw caution to the winds and go to bed. Maybe it was MOTH who kept me awake.

It certainly wasn't the visitor we had last night. I think I mentioned late night. Actually, it wasn't late. It was night, but not late.

The cockatiels went crazy; the yellow one flapped herself off her perch. Crest up, she raced around the bottom of the cage. As best she could anyway.

MOTH went to investigate - maybe it was a cat? Then I'm asked to bring a slice of apple. No cat I know eats apple. Seems it wasn't a cat......

Or maybe, I'm tired because I have different hair now. Yes, that must be it. My hair is different and now, I can't sleep. Much like that Samson fella. Only he cut his hair. Or someone cut it for him.

Wow, I'm tired.

Shopping should be fun, right?

I have been pushing the Teen to start applying for holiday jobs. She's not keen. I guess I can't blame her, but I really think that now is the time. She's been employed before for about 4 weeks before she tossed in the towel. Perhaps that ruined her outlook. And although she wants this and that and new clothes, she is quite happy to make comments about her lack of these things, and make do with $20 a fortnight 'pocket money'. She is supposed to do things to get that, but doesn't do them. I pay her anyway. It's such a small amount.

But, going back to the shopping. How many Teens do you know who positively hate shopping? Would do almost anything to get out of it? She even complains if her friends want to drag her along while they go shopping. And it doesn't improve even if I'm the one footing the bill.

With the handing in of resumes, we decided that she needed a new outfit. The dressiest thing she owns is black skinny jeans. Which may be appropriate for some places, but not for all. So off we go to buy her new clothes. Great. She's in a high dudgeon already. I'm not trying anything on!!

A much edited version of the shopping trip below. Your imagination can supply the bits I've left out.

Off to the shopping centre. Where do you want to start.
I dunno. Supre?
Ok. Walk in. The dresses she liked were not there. Now what. How about that?
No, it's ugly. No, it's not what I want. No, it's ugly too.
Sigh.
What about that skirt?
Forget it. Ugly.
But 2 minutes later she came back to that. And that's what we bought.

Now I have the skirt, I need new shoes!
Where do you want to go?
I dunno! A shoe shop?! *sarcasm*
Sigh. What style do you want?
A plain black pair of ballet pumps.
Ok, for those we need somewhere like Payless or Williams. Or Jay Jays.
Nope, Jay Jay's stuff won't be dressy enough.
Do you know where Williams is?
Nope.
Find a directory and we'll know where to look.
Nope! I'm not doing that!
Well, we'll start going this way.
Mum! Come back here!
And by this time, you are just ready to punch her in the head.

Eventually I got her into a Williams and up the back where the flats were. A mammoth task in itself; two women with kids in trolley and pram were taking up an awful lot of room. She picked a pair and wasn't going to try them on. Luckily she did, cause they needed to be a bigger size.

Fortunately, the whole task took about half hour, and I was free to be shot of her while I went shopping with the Elder. An altogether much pleasanter notion. Glad I did. I scored a pair of expensive rubber thongs for my effort.

Heck, I thought shopping with your daughters was supposed to be fun?

Wha? Was that a weekend went rushing by?

Well, I think it was. It seems like only Friday a blink ago, and now here it is. Monday again. Sigh *wipes a tear* weekends grow up and move out so quickly.

A strange weekend just gone. Well, it felt a little stranger than normal. For me.

I managed to grab some ME time Saturday morning. And took over the bathroom. I coloured my hair, and it became...... violet. Ultra Violet, the box assures me. So, while waiting for the colour to process, I took a dash more ME time. Sitting, minding my own business, hair piled on top of head. Violet stuff everywhere. The Teen wandered out, rubbing sleep, mascara, and other stuff probably not healthy to think about from her eyes, when she saw me. It stopped her dead in her tracks. Before she laughed at me. You just can't take someone seriously when they are vulnerable like that. Really.

At the end of the process when I was all clean and shiny, I thought it was time to do the same for the bathroom. Clean and shiny. Well. I had to. There had been voilet done in that room. Traces of it everywhere. So, clean and shiny.

The Elder took the Teen out on Saturday morning. The Teen wasn't supposed to go anywhere on Saturday - she is still supposed to be doing penance for some perceived slight; can't remember what now - but I let her go to collect some dollars that one of her friends was to give her. And she wanted to meet a boy. Her dad doesn't like the boyfriend stuff, but what the heck. She is 15, she'll do it anyway.

The two of them spent the day there. And returned with 3 additions. Luckily, I did know about those. But then again, if they just rocked up, I wouldn't be unhappy. I really like this bunch of hangers-on.

Saturday night was noisy, and messy. I didn't realise how messy until Sunday morning. When they left for Dreamworld, and mum got a good look at what they left behind. It was like having a house full of kids again. Empty glasses left on tables and benches. Food wrappers followed the glasses around. Dirty dishes lined the sink. Blankets, sheets, and a mattress took up space on the loungeroom floor, and continued to drape themselves in a casual fashion on the couch itself.

The bathroom didn't escape either. They all showered so I had a plethora of wet towels hung in strange places. The basin sink and bench top were full of black hair. See comment re clean and shiny. And I dare not mention the hair dryer and straightener left lying about.

It was almost like the kids' bedrooms had exploded and spread debris over a wide area. MOTH was less than happy.

Love those kids though. Can't wait for the next one.

Kids. Schools. Whatever.

Whew. Summer temps are here. And now is the time they decide to refurbish the air conditioner. Our building is re-routed to another, smaller system. It keeps overloading. So we spend most of the time with no aircon in the building. And they can't give us an end date to our woes.

And for the icing on the cake - I had a phone call from the school yesterday. The Teen has been suspended. For 3 days. For writing on the wall. Yes, that's right. For writing one sentence "Only noobs write here" on the girls' toilet wall.

The Deputy Principal was impressed with her conduct; she owned up to doing it. She was polite, truthful, and willing to face the consequences of her actions. Seems I did manage to teach her something after all. She tells me that none of the others owned up to having done anything.

But apparently, suspension is the standard punishment for graffiti these days. I can remember doing my time for writing on desks. If the teacher were especially grumpy you got a week's detention. If not, punishment was much less severe.

3 day suspension. So, what do they do for something really severe?

*shakes head*

Scooters. Memories and other.

The Elder gave me a lift to work this morning. Well, I suppose that since she has to come to campus too, it can't really be called a lift. More like I strap in and hang on for dear life.

She has purchase a parking permit now though. Which means limited travel on public transport for a while. I am to go halves in the cost of the parking, and ride the train when she's not travelling my way from home. I'm hoping that won't be too often. Or she can pay for her parking herself. So there.

This morning, while burning rubber up the main drag, we noticed one of those commuter scooter things. It was a bit hard to miss; going hell for leather along the edge of the road. I'm sure his fingers were crossed. And a look of concentration on his face as he leaned over the handlebars trying desperately to get that last little gasp from the motor.

Heaven knows why these things are allowed to share the road. What good are they? They don't have enough power to travel in the mainstream traffic - they just aren't fast enough. Maybe they should ride the footpath with the pedestrians. Or those scooters for the mobility challenged. Now there would be a sight. A race. Between the scooters. Winner takes on the footsloggers. I'm talking, of course, about the scooters that you don't need a license for. The little ones. About 50cc or something.

I reckon they would travel almost as fast as a kid on one of the usual ones. The ones that were all the rage a couple years back. The silver ones with the slick wheels. The ones the parents made all the fuss about because of there being no proper brakes. You had to put your heel on the back wheel. Or something. But what's wrong with that? You can't truly have a childhood without the possibility of mangling yourself doing something fun. Like jumping on a bed when your older sister advised you not to.

We had a scooter. But it was nothing like the fancy ones. It was old and battered. And well loved. The plastic/rubbery handle grips were cracked. The paint was chipped. The frame was rusty. The wheels were white and solid rubber. Cracked too. And there was nothing we liked better than to get a good run up, jump on and fly down the yard, around the corner down the slope, and along the driveway. And see how far you could get without putting your foot to the ground. We wore a groove in the grass our dad wasn't necessarily impressed about. And I've lost count of the amount of times we stacked it.

Can you imagine doing that with any of the fancy pants things that pass for a scooter these days? And that statement includes the ones worthy only of a race against the pedestrians.

I've forgotten........

I thought, while the work computers aren't working, that I would sidestep and jot something down. I know darned well that this morning I had a topic I would talk about.

But now I'm at work, and I can't for the life of me remember what it might have been.

I was lying in the dark. In the lounge room, plotting MOTH's gorey demise. He suffers from sleep apnoea. And snoring to boot. I had ejected myself from the bedroom after giving up a losing battle with sleep.

And I KNOW I had something worthwhile to contribute. Then. But this is NOW, and it's all gone away.

Perhaps it will come back one day. Or maybe it's all gone; slipped away into the ether, never to be thought of again.....

How does that song go?

... it's raining again ... Yes. It is. And here I am, stuck at work. Without my umbrella. Now, how did that happen?

I don't usually take an umbrella with me. A strange thing, considering how I feel about getting wet. But somehow, the fact that it's rain makes it better. But there you have it - I have walked out the door without one.

On leaving home, it was grey. But not too badly so. And cool; almost jumper weather. In fact, the Elder commented that she thought she might need one. Till I talked her out of it. It had stormed briefly, very briefly, and was no longer raining.

But now, I'm sitting here at work, tucked away in my cozy little office. It's dark outside. And wet. The thunder is rolling around the sky and the trees are weighted with water. And here I am, no umbrella.

The forecast I heard this morning said mostly fine. A workmate tells me she heard storms. Woe is me. Well, we shall have to see who is right. Think I'll hedge my bets and say if the rain goes away, it will be fine.

Sister Wherefore Art Thou? Random stuff.

So after my last post, I thought I would contact said missing family member. Who told me that she's usually on MSN at a particular time. But noone else is. Funny that. If you don't tell me that you are on during those times, how am I going to know you are there? No, wait. I am the eldest, so I should be psychic enough to pick up on that.

So I thought I would give it a shot. I had to do some hard haggling with the Teen. It was her computer time after all. But lo, the only person on was Elder.

I chased my sibling, and where was she? In bed with a headache. Sometimes you just can't win.

I did have a win on another matter though. I got the tv most of Saturday; a huge achievement - Bathurst warmups were on. I managed to watch 2 season's worth of unseen - by me - eps of the IT Crowd. A BBC production of unbridled hilarity. Based, as you may have guessed, on an IT department in a large corporation. A cast of thousands - well, 3 regulars and 1 part timer - whose department is so well regarded, it exists in the basement.

Jen - Relationship manager. She's the 'people person'.
Roy - Geek 1. Irish. Pretty normal, considering.
Moss - Geek 2. Not Irish. Stereotypical geek.
Richmond - the Goth who lives behind the Red Door. My absolute fave character. But he isn't in every episode.

We don't know what's behind the Green Door yet.

I love it. A Saturday well spent. I hope they make another series.

The Case of the Mysterious Disappearance of the Sibling

I write this blog for me. And my siblings so we can keep up to date with the minutiae of our lives. But mostly for me. In the vain hope that it might mean something to me when I am old and demented and forgetful. It will give me something to remember myself by. And don't worry about computers and stuff. We'll all be wired into the mainframe by then.

But one of my three readers - if you include myself - has gone missing. All is quiet in backwoods bobbyville. They have only recently joined the technological era. Perhaps the computer has become sentient and swallowed them all. Sucked them all in so they have become lost. Lost in a surreal world of multi colours of red and blue, and a very nasty central computer with delusions of grandeur and world domination. No, wait. That's Tron. Actually, I did once read a story of people being sucked into computers by some black goo and a somewhat unhealthy dose of pixellation, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of it.

So where has she gone? She once begged not to be included in our chatty emails - "They clog my inbox" - so we relented and refused to talk to her. She sent pictures of some cat with no tail. And I responded. Twice. To no avail. She has gone. Drifted off into cyberspace, dancing among the stars, shipwrecked and comatose, drinking fresh mango juice, goldfish shoals ....... Sorry. Gone all Red Dwarf on myself there.........

Life is good.

It's Monday. And you know what? I don't feel bad. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe I'm heading for a manic cycle. Or maybe I just had a good weekend.

The Teen and the Elder had their own agenda, so disappeared fairly early Saturday. With every intention of not reappearing until Sunday sometime. We were at a loose end, so to speak.

MOTH decided to do something on the spur of the moment. A HUGE accomplishment on its own. And we took a drive out to Cleveland. The sky was clear and blue. A full tank of fuel, airconditioning in the car was working a treat; traffic was moderate, the UBD on the floor at my feet, and a calm and relaxed midset with regard to the possibility of getting lost.

I can't describe how bouyed I felt. No rush, no need to be anywhere at any particular time. Just a day to do what we wanted. Of course, the lure of a shopping centre we hadn't been to before was too hard to ignore. We stopped at Capalaba Park or some such. It was quite larger than we expected, but had a Zarraffas, so we were set. MOTH had never had coffee from there before, but had to agree that yes, it was better than Gloria Jeans.

The shopping centre had a wildlife display going on. Perhaps it had just finished - a family were having their photo taken while nursing a freshwater croc across their knees. We wandered around and looked in the windows of the set up at some of the reptiles. One display held gouldian finches, the bright purple and green ones. I tried to take some shots with the phone, but heck, they move waaaay to fast for that. Once I snapped the camera on one of the birds on a branch, but when the photo displayed on the screen, there wasn't a bird in sight. Perhaps I might even put that Missing: Fast Bird poster here. When I get around to pulling the pics off the phone.

So we ended up somewhere out at Cleveland. Not Wellington Point way, but the other direction. And decided to stop somewhere for lunch. The name of the place escapes me now, but the food was good. MOTH ordered bangers and mash, while I had tagiatelle with bug. Delicious. The garden out the back had Emu in the name. We sat in the shady pergoda, against the railing while the sea breeze stirred the fronds of the palm tree where the rainbow lorikeets played and the cockatoos rested in the trees around the park.

Oh, and one old one with her mate and her brood of two obnoxious children sat at the table directly below us. She forghorned, and every time she told those kids to do something, they did what they pleased anyway. I spent a fair bit of my time mumbling under my breath, planning ways to destroy them. On one occasion, I wondered if there were some way I could coax the cockatoos over and have them beat the kids to death. MOTH sat grinning like a loon, commenting later that he didn't think that strip of I-don't-like-kids ran quite that wide. Bloody bogans annoying the croutons out of the general public.

But in spite of that, it was a brilliant day. Or maybe because of it. I know I had a lot of fun planning their destruction.

Yay! Space to move

I still can't get over the amount of space there is here. With the students gone and all. Most of them - there are still some international students hanging about. One thing I did notice about the break though. Market day goes downhill with some of the stall owners not turning up. Mediocre Market Day becomes Pissweak Market Day.

It seems that I opened my big mouth and mentioned to the Elder about my last post. No, not the one that makes the dogs howl. Which in turn reminds me of a play we looked at staging in high school. For the sheer joy of the play itself. Just us, not a whole of the school gig. Something entitled Custard's Last Stand. Or similar. The play was set in the wild, wild west. And it gelled with our warped sense of humour at the time. F'rinstance:

A: My daddy brought me out here in a covered wagon.
B: Yes. Looking at you I can see why he covered it.

I can't remember the plot but I think it had something to do with a shipment - if you can get a ship out in the west - of custard pies going missing. Did the indians do it? You'll never know because I can't remember.

But I digress. I must have told her that I wrote about our lovely day at the lake. Raining today though, so I doubt there will be a repeat. At any rate, I guess she decided to read it. And checked the archives as well. Apparently I made comment that she was dressed all in black and white, striped too, and reminded me of a beetle. Which reminded me that I needed to revisit Beetlejuice. I was in trouble. Fortunately briefly.

But guess which movie I know have on my shelf?

Summer and semester breaks

Whew. I think summer is coming. It's beginning to get somewhat overheated. And it doesn't help if you are wearing black.

I think semester break is here. Along with school holidays for most. I noticed this morning, on my usual commute with the Elder and hanging desperately onto the car door for support, that there was definitely a reduction in the amount of traffic.

And space on the bus. Without any fool having to stand in the aisle and hang on for dear life. Which is never me by the way. I always manage to get myself a seat. By fair means or foul.

No students loitering in the middle of the footpath. A group of which I encountered just last week. Who were quite well aware they were blocking the path. I nearly trampled them. At least, my brain was desperate for some action, but before I knew it my body had taken a detour and I was squeezing past on the outside of the throng. Darn. Opportunity rang the bell and ran away.

Back to the weather. The Elder and I decided to have lunch by the lake. And look at the wildlife. Today I think I encountered a bit more than I bargained for. Unfortunately the heat was rendering certain areas a tad too aromatic for my liking, but we persevered. We wandered the path, across the bridge, and chanced to espy a turtle sunning itself on a choice spot just out of the water. Further along, we looked up. Corellas. Lots of them. Crowding in the trees and watching. I felt that I was wearing a sign. A big one, with concentric red circles. I waited, I expected, and I braced but it didn't happen.

The patch of grass we found was spongy and welcoming. I was a little wary, expecting to find myself sitting in ducky doo doo. Settled in and around they came. A goose and lots of smaller birds. The goose got pushy and tried to pinch the Elder's pie crust. I guarded the best bit from the marauder - the cream donut.

After lunch, we thought we would have a bit of sport and get close to a big turtle sunning itself on a branch. No, not the earlier one. This one was bigger. As we approached, it waved its legs about trying to get a grip before propelling itself back into the relative safety of the water.

We watched turtles, birds and eels play in the shallows. Baited them with crumbs of donut. On the way back, after again running the gauntlet of the corellas, I pointed out the water dragon on a raised grate. And another in the water. Surrounded by birds. There sure are a lot of birds on the lake. We fed them. Donut of course. The wet dragon jumped out and on to the bank. To the disgust of the dry dragon who proceeded to chase it off. And the dry dragon reigned surpreme. And was rewarded with donut. Right up to my toes. I stood still. You don't want one of them thinking that a toe is a meal. I wear sandals you know.

Which encouraged a bunch of american students to stop and look. They didn't see the dragon on the path at first. The boys thought it was great, the Elder threw some donut at them. The students. And the dragon moved; the girl went girly and hid behind one of the boys. One took photos and they eventually moved on.

On the bridge on the way back, we watched one of the white heron-like birds hunt.

But then, it was back to work. To the airconditioning. A totally relaxing way to spend lunch hour. I don't really want to settle in to work now.

Random stuff....

... The magik attack hit again this morning. The gardener was cleaning up after a brush turkey had been about. Gack! It was a helpful attack, quite out of character.

... Just saw a student wearing patterned stockings. Fair Isle pattern. In shades of grey. What's with that???

... Been thinking of buying an iPod. It's taken days to even decide which one I want. Even longer to price them. So work sells them to students and staff. But as far as I can tell, at the RRP. When I contact them to place the order, the model I want is no longer available. It's been replaced by the new ones. And I'm quite welcome to spend another $100 and get one of those. But I don't want that one! I want THAT one! It's not fair! *insert wailing and gnashing of teeth here*

Magik

I'm sitting at my desk eating something healthy and nutritious for lunch. If you're a student. Only a student can live successfully on noodles. But I was wishing I had something better that I had someone else to prepare for me.

And as I drifted off into the half tracelike state between waking and sleeping, it made me think of one of my favourite day dreams as a child.

I wished I could do magic. Not wand magic like Harry Potter and his lot. That's for girlies. The real stuff. Change things with a thought or a gesture. And magic happens. As I feel at the time. Small and subtle, or large and dazzling. As a child though it was mostly small and subtle. I couldn't let just anyone know I could do magic. You never know what might happen.

Strangely enough, most of my magic daydreams involved helping other people. These days I think I centre more on revenge. Oo a cyclist in a pedestrian only area. Small nod and hey! Front wheel sticks and there they go - straight over the handle bars to do a very messy face plant on the cement. Not a problem. Twitch of the fingers and it's all cleaned up. But not the cyclist.

Don't want to go to work? Yay. Suddenly I have a clone. But it had better not be an evil twin. I know what happens there. But wait. Yes. Finger click and it's like I don't exist. They won't miss me because they never knew I was ever there. Of course, I can't give up work completely - that would totally ruin my social life.

And if I didn't like the way it turned out, I could put it all back exactly the way it was before.

I have no idea what happened in the years between generosity and selfishness. Maybe it was life??

Cement in a can.... Hairspray

Last night, I thought I would do something different. And catch a movie. What a movie.

Hairspray.

Now, I know the pundits would say it's a remake. And then draw all sorts of comparisons, usually unfavourable, between the new and the old. But I've never seen the old. And totally loved the new.

Bright. Colourful. Fun. My feet were tapping and my head was nodding. And I left the theatre bouyed by an overflow of good spirits.

On one occasion I laughed myself into an attack of the snorts. Hopefully it got lost among the general laughter. And there was plenty to laugh at.

John Travolta was amazing as Edna. Knowing full well it who was in the suit under the makeup didn't detract from the viewing pleasure. For me, it probably enhanced it. I couldn't help thinking 'how cute!' through some of the scenes. And he was soooo girly!! And how much practice to be able to dance in a pair of heels? Ok, so not the stilettos Michelle Pfeiffer's character was wearing, but heels nontheless.

The chemistry between Edna and Christopher Walken as Wilbur was sweet. The scene I call the 'seduction scene' was sweet. Walken couldn't stop smiling and looked like he was going to burst into giggles.

And the new girl! What a voice!

I loved it. I can't wait for the dvd. And I think I'll overdose on the soundtrack for a while. Wow.

And by the end of the movie, all I could say was "Big is Beautiful!!" Long live the big.

Father's Day. Or How to Give the Man a Heart attack

Yes. Yesterday was Father's Day. And the girls gave MOTH some small gifts. And MOTH nagged me to call my own father.

A difficult task. Not that Pop Too and I don't get along. Quite the contrary. But he lives in another city, which means that I must actually pick up a phone and speak.

I don't have any trouble speaking. Anyone who knows me knows that quite well. I'm armed with opinions and like to share them around. But physically picking up a phone and calling. Well that's another thing entirely.

I hate them. Telephones. Says she who carts a mobile around with her. But that's the beauty of mobiles. You can SMS. Which means a conversation. Without speaking to someone.

But I did it. I phoned my father. Course, I had to fortify myself with a shopping trip first. Can't do these things cold turkey you know.

And I think he was pleasantly surprised. At least, I hope it was worth the effort. I save the phone calls for special occasions. Father's Day. Mother's Day. Christmas. ...... yep, that's about all.

But I do think of them often.

MOTH was pleased with his gifts. A voucher to use at Kmart. And dvd's. One featuring Jessica Alba. His favourite. And cards to go with them. Which, for some reason, both featured bodily functions. Of the same type. Which made him comment on their similarity. Accompanied by a sheepish smile and a bag full of denial. Wholly accurate, we vote. It's obviously a man thing.......

Mother Dearest........

Yes Mother, it seems I owe you a letter. And now for something completely different...... oops. Sorry for the Pythonesque moment there. I thought I would write one. This way. And it starts off like so ...

... Mother Dearest

Yes, thanks, as I told Pop Too, the blankets did arrive in good order. None the worse for wear after the enforced diet and rough travel. They have even had the occasion to present their best side / underside / inside when they were called upon to provide some form of motley cover for some of the Elder's friends. On sleepover duty.

Oh. Small aside - sugar. Must remember to bring sugar.

So, what has been happening the the wacky world of the Backwoods Bobbies? Your correspondence was a little cryptic. Perhaps the local birds where whistling and you couldn't think. XD Either that, or I need glasses to stop the words from running into each other. Strange the way I need glasses, not the words.

I hope that Pop Too isn't taking too much time out from the List. If the photo is anything to go by. Mind, it is a wonderful way to sell the lounge suite. If indeed that is what you were doing.

And I see that Moose has dragged you somewhat ahead in the tech stakes, having now facilitated the ease of email. That's a wonderful thing. Now all you have to do is get yourself up to speed on that other wonderful little piece of tech that Froggy sent. It's called a mobile phone......

Speaking of Moose, how is Scorpion? She must be almost singing along now, right? I know the trick was to get the paperwork finished on some anniversary or another, but have forgotten if that was this century or next.

And how is Mz T? And the anklebiters? I'm thinking that when summer sets in proper you can kiss the chesty stuff goodbye and get some sleep. Long live sleep.

All are well here. I have just last night managed to make it through the discussion and signing of a SET agreement for the Teen. They never had to worry about any of that nonsense when we were at school. For the uninitiated - you - that's a career and study plan which must be agreed on by the parents and the student.

The Elder is taking me out partying next weekend. That should be interesting - it's been so long that I can't remember the last time I was out past pumpkin hour and having a good time. I wonder if I shall still have the endurance, stamina and other stuff.

MOTH is still at home. Doing homey things. Not yo homie dudes! but domestic engineer type stuff. The weather is doing him cruel and he hasn't been well lately. I have my fingers crossed, but the old codger is still hanging on.... XD

But, I must sign off, and flee to attempt to accomplish other things. Much love sent your general direction. You better make sure you dive to catch it...........

Sigh. It's still raining......

I mustn't complain too much I suppose. It is rain we needed......

But I'm tired and cold. It's at the point where you leave a window open briefly and everything feels damp. I'm sure that I'm going mouldy. Gosh, and now, Axel is pouring his heart out in the November Rain. Wonder if that's a sign?

I had been talking to Mother recently who mentioned a refurbishment. Not knowing what the heck she was talking about produced the following. Which I thought was cute enough to include...

The joys of retirement. Obviously.







It's funny though the way small things you overhear trigger funny little memories. Ok, they might only be funny to you. And I've just realised I've used funny 4 times now in 3 sentences.....

I was on the train the other night, when a group of other passengers began passing around photos. Old fashioned ones even. You know, tucked inside the processing company's envelope.

One of the group mentioned she thought they may have been photos of work. No, he said. You think I would be taking pictures of the inside of bins? Or words to that effect. Which reminded me of a fad I went through. Taking photos of bins.

Which all started with a new phone. Yes. I wanted to test the camera. So I took a pic from the back window of the bus. And sent it on. To which the response was rather humorous, and prompted a spate of bin pics flying through cyberspace.

So, I've started again. And here it is. Please pay attention to the signage. Mind, when we returned later that day, someone had swapped the hard goods for ....... an old sponge mop.

What's that stuff in the sky?

Woot! It's been raining. And all night too. Well, one assumes it has. It was raining when I went to bed, and it was raining when I woke up. But then, that could be a clever trick to make me think it's been busy.......

Ah. Back at work on a rainy Monday. What was it Karen Carpenter said? Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Don't have much hope then on a rainy Monday.

Listening to a bit of music while I am all by my little self in my lonely corner of the room. I love it.....

Had some of the Elders friends over for a pyjama party on Saturday night. I thought uh oh, here's a go. But I should have known better. They were very quiet. The 15yo were noisier. And they slept on the lounge floor. Which meant that I had to sleep in. Tragedy that......

Friday. And stuff......

Well, I guess it's been a little while since I last blogged. Not because I have been so fantastically busy, but basically because ..... well, I don't have much to say.

Now, be quiet you lot in the back row. As anyone who knows me can attest, this is an extremely rare occurrence.

..... So, have I mentioned lately how much I hate travel? Not necessarily mine. I don't get to do much of it. In fact, if you don't count my daily commute to work, I can't say I have done any. Travel. For pleasure. But I sure get to organise plenty for other people. And they all seem to want to be places at once. Sometimes, I think it's the only thing I do here. And if it weren't for a little part timer that someone legroped into doing some admin stuff, I would be doing it for others outside my office as well. I was looking at the positions vacant for Flight Centre the other day. I'm sure I could give them a run for their money. If only it wasn't sales driven. Yes, that's right. A Travel Consultant - for Flight Centre at any rate - is required to sell the travel, and bonuses etc depend on it.

..... Just finished some spot of training today. I don't know if this training will help me. Some would say that I am beyond help. But it is to do with Advanced Reading Techniques. I had hoped that it might give me some tips to read faster and better recall what I have read. Now as a general rule, I don't have a problem with novels etc. But put me in front of a text, and oh boy. I may as well have a brick wall inside my head - quiet peanut gallery! - as to absorb some of that stuff. So, I have my fingers crossed that I can achieve something. From the course. If nothing else, it's time away from travel.

..... The Elder is hoping to invite some friends over for a 'pyjama party' next weekend. I think I am looking forward to it. Not that I'm invited per se, but since it's at my house and I have nowhere else to be, I will be there by proxy. I have met a couple of them, and confess I am really looking forward to meeting others. If they come. And, I'm told - in as little detail as possible, as mothers are - that they will be sleeping on the loungeroom floor. Brilliant. I am an early riser. Which means I will have to force myself to stay in bed and read a book or something. Tough, hey.

Work environment needs ....... well, work

I have been planning this for a while now. My desk is boring. It needed a dash of ...... pizzaz. Or something.

I bought a pen holder. Woot! Original you say. Well, maybe so. My office bought pen caddy was boring. So out with the old and in with the new. It's a black, 3 legged cup. No other way to describe it really. Courtesy of Smiggle. [insert hyperlink here - the page wouldn't load, so you will have to use your imagination]

That lasted a couple of weeks till my brain cried Not Enough!

And I bought a fish. He sits on my desk. His name, should he choose to accept it, is Smiggle. Gotta keep with the theme .... *nods*

Argh! Semester is back!

I noticed it properly today. Yoiks!

For a start, it's all so much noisier.

I've never been able to figure out why the student species must congregate in the walkways, on the stairs and cluster in groups where the heaviest foot traffic is likely to be.

Today, as I ventured off to pilates class - late I might add - I had to negotiate a group of international students. Who had decided to take up residence right in the middle of the footpath. No, I stand corrected. Right across the entire width of the footpath. To the extent that, to get past, I was required to negotiate the woodchip that borders the path under the trees. And this isn't a narrow path either. But, it is a major thoroughfare, so I guess it was to be expected.

Now, I didn't say anything. I'm a pussycat that way. But I did mumble some curses as I strode past. And they slowly meander off to goodness knows wherever it is students go.

And they are everywhere. It is necessary for me to force my way through them all to get where I need to go.

My senses are completely assaulted by the sheer numbers. Noisy, obnoxious and way, way too many of them.

I'm sure this university would get along better without them........

Friday Funnies.

Ok, it's not funny. Unless you suffer from Old Timers......

I thought I had something I was going to contribute here. But I have forgotten. Oh well. It's Friday. And I just might convince myself it's nearly time to go home.

Ciao.

Dr's make me ill. Or I hate getting old.

Well, it seems to be the merry-go-round on the health system lately. I've managed to wrangle 2 whole days off this week. Thank you Queensland Health. I'm not complaining mind. I don't mind sitting around in waiting rooms. Waiting.

Monday was blood test and x-ray day. When I arrived, bright and early at the pathology lab, I should have been warned by the sign. Which read closed. Even though they were actually open. So I present myself to the front desk. Only to be told that one of the tests I am scheduled for must be booked in. Darn. Didn't know that. But they decided to let me do the test anyway. Lucky me. It was a glucose tolerance test. And being 12 months since I did the last one - which I don't remember having to book in for - I had forgotten just how nauseated that green drink makes me.

3 hours and about 7 vials of blood later, I stagger off to x-ray at the hospital. I had just managed to settle down with my book, and hey I get called in. How inconsiderate.

The upshot was that I was in and out of there in less than half an hour. And I had arranged the whole day off. You beauty.

Wednesday was back to the hospital for the Dr. My appointment was 0915. But it's interesting to try find your way through outpatients when you have only ever seen Emergency. Or the ceilings of the corridors. But I found my way with plenty of time and settled in. The clinic nurse, an older woman who called herself Steph, proved to be comic relief. She couldn't find a referral on my file.

"Do you have a referral letter with you?" she asked. I denied all knowledge. But I did give her the name of the Dr I had seen as an inpatient. A moments pause, a puzzled frown and her face cleared. Oh, I know Su, that's very naughty of her.

We waited. She popped back to apologise and offer cups of tea and coffee all round. The Dr was delayed, having to see patients in the ward. About 20 of them. And he didn't have a helper. More waiting. I'm supposed to be going off to work after this appointment. This time she mentioned the Dr has a couple of broken ribs. No indication whatsoever about how that happened. Which was probably the best part of the story. "So he's a bit precious" says she. A quiet chuckle and we went back to doing what we do best. Waiting. Most of us read, and listened to one patient snore.

I didn't get in till after 12noon. What? The x-ray is inconclusive? You need a CT? Groan. Make follow up appointments. Done. With still another 40 mintues to finally arrive at work, I phoned the acting Boss. We decided that it just wasn't worth going in. Yippee.

Today, I get to see my GP. Who will no doubt tell me my blood pressure is way too high. Medication will need to be adjusted. Which will make me sick for a few days. And my blood sugar is too high. I will need to diet. I keep telling myself that if I get sick, I get sick. If I need to change my diet, that could be exactly the kick I am looking for. And I just need to chill. And the more I think about it, the more nervous I get, and the higher my blood pressure goes. See comment regarding merry-go-round.

On another note, today I have finally extracted digit, and preordered the final instalment of the Harry Potter books. I am most happy and looking forward to that.

A Post about nothing...

Getting sort of Seinfeld with that post title......

So, I am back at work, still working on staff travel. Just lately it seems to be that nothing I plan is working out right. Up till I was off sick, I was flat strap trying to resolve a problem that should never have existed in the first place. But I listened to my travellers' request, and hey presto, problemo. Big one. That didn't get solved until after 5pm Friday afternoon. And they were to travel on the Sunday. Or even the Saturday. I can't remember. The whole thing was so traumatic I have blocked it.

Now I have travel to the USA to organise. But I can't get the flights I want. It seems they are all booked out. The agent tells me it's due to school holidays. What I want to know is how can people afford to travel overseas and take the kids with them???

And I have just completed organising domestic travel. But guess what - someone else was booking the accommodation, and I found out around 4.45pm that they booked the wrong night. So I had to try fix that one as well.

Never ends, does it.

But last weekend I got to ride on the coattails of MOTH's birthday and went to Gold Class. For the first time. And I really enjoyed the experience. Ok, so we were almost the only ones in the cinema, but I think that's what made it so enjoyable. We deliberately chose a matinee screening of Fantastic 4 Silver Surfer. And the only other person came in about half hour after it started. But I loved the film, and I loved Gold Class. Definitely going to do that again.

Oh, and the other bit of nothing..........

Bf asked the question. The Elder said yes. Apparently. No date set, but a couple years in the future. No ring yet, but saving up for it. I have warned her. I have a Grand-cat. I don't want Grand-kids......

Being sick. Not for the faint hearted

After a couple of days of blood tests, cannulas, flushing and injections it sure is nice to be free.

I made it out of a 3 day sentence in hospital. Not actually that long, but it sure felt longer. It's no fun being in pain and made to pay for that by masquerading as a pin cushion. Ok, so ED nurses can inject morphine IV, ward nurses must do it subcut. A bit more unpleasant. For those who wish to know, IV is intra-venous as in through the cannula or through the IV line. Subcut means sub-cutaneous which is into the skin.

It seems that, after about 15 years absence, an old acquaintance of mine has decided to reappear. I have a kidney stone. But it took ED, several consults and several hours to determine that.

And not to mention several doses of morphine. Which, I discovered when I broke my ankle, also makes me sick. So go the sick bags! Which reminds me, I wonder if I can get any of those from the chemist or some such. They are sooo much better to keep in the cupboard in case the loo is occupied when emergency strikes.

The room they sent me to was coloured like I have never seen a hospital room. It was egg yolk yellow walls, dark teal/blue doors with no glass panels, and a single bed. Yep, the only bed they had for me was a private room. And I always go public system. But at least this time I managed to get some sleep. Because I didn't have to share with a very noisy dementia patient.

But it seems the stone has moved on through to the bladder, so I am hoping that for the duration, I will be pain free. Follow up with the clinic in about 2 weeks. If things haven't improved by then, I don't know what, if any, further treatment lies in wait.

And I am off work till mid next week. Early next week I am supposed to be minding a booth at an exhibition which I didn't want to do. Now, I'm off sick for that time. How sus does that look?

Surpise, surprise, surprise

On a side note, and completely unrelated matter to the subject heading. It wasn't a brilliant beginning to my arrival home after work last night. Pulled into the driveway, and tried to climb out of the Elder's car. Fair enough, it's an old bomb. A volvo to be precise. Somewhat high riding. And I am only little. But I did a Cinderella and left my shoe in the car. Unintentionally. Once I retrieved that, I stepped on something soft. Heavens! I'd dropped my jumper and hadn't known. So I stepped off it, and bent to retrieve it. I straightened with it in my hand, but it wouldn't lift properly. I was standing on the sleeve......

But surprises reigned today. My boss sidled up to my desk, carrying a brown paper bag. Luckily I was actually on a work page, not something like this. And he presented me with a bottle of wine in appreciation for effort I put into organising a meeting. As part of the conference.

And I have been assured that this one tastes really good if you let it breathe. Yes, it's a red. Shiraz Cabernet. And I can put it on my shelf with the bottle I was given for serving on the conference committee. A sparkling white. Alas, I cannot share them with my neighbour. She is no longer my neighbour. But I know she would have appreciated them......

The second surprise today was a bit more of a shock. No, wait...... a boss who rewards you with a bottle of wine rates pretty big ....... I was checking my personal details on the payroll system. So they would be up to date for the sending of group certificates. And lo, there were several payslips I hadn't checked. We receive ours electronically. Through the HRIS (human resources information system). And the latest one was totally whack. Completely full of rubbish. Adjustment this, adjustment that. I freaked. But, I asked, have we had a pay rise? One of the GT didn't think so, but made darned sure his most recent read the same as the previous. After a bit more than a mild dose of panic, I contacted our HR liaison. Nope, I had been underpaid. For about 2 years. The auto update that the HRIS was supposed to do. Never occurred. So now I have a beaut bonus, and so does the tax man........

Teenagers scare the living S* outta me.....

I'm not really a bad mother. At least, I'm sure I'm not. Never mind that the Teen is one of those Emos everyone warns you about. Well, not quite. She's not straight edge, she styles herself as scene.

And I admit, sometimes she has issues with depression. How many teens these days don't? And with a family history, what chance has she got?

But now, MOTH and I have to have an interview with a concerned teacher. In a way I suppose I am glad that the teacher has taken an interest. But I am not sure what to expect from the interview. Or meeting. He apparently has some issues with her mind set, although nothing drastic. He would just like to have a talk to get things sorted before it becomes an issue in the future. Now what does that mean?

And to make things worse, this child is changeable. The face she shows to others is not the same face she shows to her father. I see a different one again. Having this discussion will be like discussing 3 different Teens. I am really not certain how this meeting will turn out.

For those who are interested, a definition for scene can be found here - specifically point number 2, which, to all intents and purposes, sounds a lot more intelligent than point 1.

Seems that urban dictionary is as gospel as Wikepedia........

Fond memories of silly things.....

As the Elder and I wandered to the station this morning, she suddenly pulled up in the middle of the footpath to remove a piece of dead grass from betwixt stocking and shoe. Which sent us off into a paroxysm of giggles as we recalled some of the things her Maternal Grandmother has done.

Apart from the dessicated flake - no, not telling that one, one has to keep some memories for herself - our other favourite begins......

Festival time. Nothing too grand. But for our little place, it was the highlight of the year. And coincided with Easter. About a week of mardi gras, with rides, side show, fairy floss, stage show and other assorted entertainments. All served along a narrow strip of waterfront road. Visiting said fair, at night, was a maelstrom of colour, noise and pools of darkness between the overhead lights where one amused oneself by walking up and down the length of the show on the one street. For hours for the extremely dedicated.

MG thought she would come with us one evening. I seem to recall the presence of another female but cannot bring to mind a face. Either a daughter or sibling. However, I digress. She came with us. A rare outing. For which she dressed up. Now, MG is of the old school. Dressing up means long sleeved shirt, collared, handbag, shiny patent pumps, straight skirt, stockings, make up and the 'do' has to be right. So we let loose and stroll.

Somewhere during the course of the evening, she leans over to me and gives me a poke to get my attention. A short whispered session, and suddenly I am laughing so hard I cannot walk. I'm bent over, almost wetting myself.

Seems that, while walking along, she noticed the shoe on her right foot was becoming a tad tight. A feeling which grew worse the longer she walked. Imagine her dismay to discover that her foot was wedged in a paper coke cup. Which, it seems, had been there long enough to become very properly wedged too.

MGs biggest worry was how long she had been getting about in this state before she noticed.

And I still collapse in hysterics whenever I think about it. Love mother very much and life is never dull with her about........

*wipes eyes*

New disasters for ORPS. Or employing other family members...

So after a brief stint of unemployment, a quick dash around the job search sites, someone pointed out to the Elder a traineeship position. Which, with some encouragement and other urging, she applied for.

Two days after it closed, she got an interview. Three working days after the interview, she got the job. Now that's darned fast work.

She started yesterday and really liked it. I'm hoping she will continue to like it for the next 12 months. But perhaps I am deluding myself. How many of us can truly say we have loved every day of our job?

But, here's the thing. It's at my old place of employment. I would have thought they would steer clear of anyone with the same name as mine. Not that I wreaked any havoc while I was there. At least I don't think so. The only excitement I remember was someone setting their bun on fire in the toaster oven. And I was the one who found it. Mostly because I had the questionable good fortune to "live" just outside the tearoom. Very noisy spot, but brilliant for catching up with everyone, and dropping some unintentional eaves on heated discussion topics. :-)

But ah, the convenience of having her work on campus. No more catching the bus from home to the station. And back the other way. Cheaper fares. And if the Centre for Happiness decides to have a meeting, I have a lift home. The only problem is that she starts earlier and finishes later than I do. So it looks like I am going to be unwillingly working up some flextime....... sigh.

So this morning's sight of the week - I know, it's only Tuesday - was Elder walking up the hill to the office. Black hair, black and white striped jumper over a white blouse, black patterned skirt, black flat shoes, and white, white legs. Hunched over like a little black and white beetle while she tried to escape the wind.....

Which reminds me, I really must check out that movie Beetlejuice again.

So much to tell. And no one to listen.....

Ok, so it seems that it's been a while since last update.

I decided to GO (STUPID TEEN KEEPS PRESSING THE CapS loCK, so PARdon the NoNsense) out of circulation for a while. I had to keep myself amused for a week while I went to the AusCERT2007 IT Security Conference. How about that? An IT geek who doesn't own a laptop....

There were options available. I'm sure there were. Bit difficult to sneak away from where you are supposed to be standing though. Especially when you share a small space with someone else who keeps an eye on your every move.

So, where was I? Oh yes, Crowne Plaza Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. You know, the one where they play the whatsits for the international golfing tours. Little ones like PGA and stuff. For a week. I didn't get to see much though. See previous paragraph about standing.

So, here is a pic from the balcony of the convention lobby. Down part of the conference area. Ok, so everyone else is in a session and I have managed to sneak away from the stand to take the pic. That's why you can see the floor - no people.

We were supposed to see the Blues festival on Saturday night, but MOTH wasn't feeling well and wasn't keen on driving on roads he didn't know after dark. So we left it.

Sunday night was the Welcome Reception. A casual affair, but food aplenty and drinks to boot. It was a wine tasting evening, and I didn't bring the camera. So I can't show you the balloons tied together to form big bunches of grapes. I left there about 8pm to go to another function, which was very disappointing. There were extra people crowded into a limited space, and so much noise I couldn't talk to anyone. I think I managed 15 minutes before I left.

Monday was the first full day. I managed to get away from the stand to see the Keynote speaker. Well worth it. He was talking about the concept of one laptop per child and the security problems they have to consider for this project. You can find out about it here. Monday night was a sponsor cocktail evening. James Bond theme of course. You know, being 2007 and all. I had hoped they might have turned the lighting down a little to show up the fancy doodads flashing all over the ceiling. Dress up was the go. If you had the go that is. Some of the gowns were lovely.

Tuesday I managed to get away briefly in the afternoon to see a speaker by the name of Marcus Sachs. He's very engaging and knows his stuff. He spoke about SCADA and how process control programs are now becoming linked to the net. And how dangerous that could be. Tuesday night MOTH and I skipped off for a cozy little dinner at a place called Woodchoppers Inn. Hard to find but highly recommended.

But just to keep the status quo, at a social function, I think I put my foot in it. I was watching the State of Origin. For those who don't wish to remain uneducated, it's a football match. Rugby League. Where teams are formed depending on where chosen players have played their first club games. Or something like that. Queensland v New South Wales. It's a big deal here. Nevertheless, having been born in Queensland, I follow my nature and barrack for NSW. Queensland were in front, and I catcalled to the screen "You suck!" Just as an Important Person walked in front of me. Turns out he was wearing a Queensland shirt. Oh dear........ But also true to form, I smiled sweetly and didn't bother to explain. I wonder why he was a little distant after that???

Thursday and Friday were tutorials. I tried to attend one on Thursday, but missed the first half hour or so as I was needed elsewhere and couldn't get into the rest of the session. I wasn't delayed for the start of Fridays session. But really, some people at these things need a good jab in the ribs. Or someone should hand out masking tape at the door. Fair enough, it was an overview of authentication processes to give Managers a background so they can choose what's right for them. Or something to think about when they make security policies and other blah like that. So why people have to pipe up and tell the tutor that they don't agree with the way he's only shown part of the Act when there's more to it (no duh! Idiot) or point out that so and so is relevant to them because they do this where they work (I so don't need to know how you dod things lady) or point out a specific the tutor has missed in an overview (it's an overview fool. That's why it's not specific!) Really, some people just know how to waste other people's time.....

Thursday night though, MOTH, myself and some other assorted geeks managed to escape the venue and headed out to the movies. We watched Pirates of the Carry-bean 3 and laughed our way through most of it. However, we changed vehicles on the way back. Apparently, the minibus only just made the clearance on the way in, and the driver wanted more of us in there to weight it down a bit more. ? - what was he saying? But we came out on a road he wasn't familiar with, heading the wrong way. So we came back via the scenic route. Tiring, but fun.

And I couldn't resist. A window display of Moet. Rose no less. I'm so sophisticated. I like the colours.....

Some photos to go with Oldey Daze

This is me. In what I wore. Despite my best effort at worrying, no one else turned up in the same thing.



The couple. Hopefully they don't mind too much I put this here. Just to show what they wore.



Each wedding brings a different special gift for helping the bride and groom celebrate their day. One I was at was gold foil wrapped chocolates. This one was a glass. But not just an ordinary glass....

Ye Olden Dayes

Well, I think I have blathered on a couple of entries ago bout a wedding we had an invite to. A medieval themed wedding. It happened last weekend. And it was good.

It was small. And cozy. I like a small reception. And true, there were people there we didn't know. But about half of them were from work, so I couldn't plead Nigel NoFriends. Oh, now I think of it, I couldn't plead that anyway. I took the Elder. MOTH was supposed to go with me, but he had been sick and couldn't make it. So, the Elder sacrificed herself for a free meal and offered to go in his stead.

We dressed to the occasion. There were only a handful who didn't. And it looked good. The bride assured me that she had sewn her gown, the groom's outfit, the tabards the male relatives wore, and that the machine had broken two days ago. The rest of the outfits had to be finished by hand. Whew.

The ceremony was conducted by a celebrant who also dressed for the occasion. As a monk. Odd that. It was held in a small local hall, under a white wooden bower topped with flowers and ribbons. We traipsed across the way for the photos, and killed some time before returning to the hall for the feast.

And a feast it was. Salad, roast veges, roast chicken, beef and pork. With warm breadrolls and butter. And gravy. And for dessert - black forest cake, berry pavlova and vanilla icecream.

Potables - thank you Professor Lawson, I hadn't thought about that word before - were supplied in the form of canned softdrink, red and white wine and a keg of Coopers pale. Which, we found out, wouldn't work. But, specifically recalled from the pub, one of the GT knew his way round the rig, and soon fixed it. I made sure to have a glass. Just to celebrate the fact it was fixed.

After dinner, the way was cleared and the knights took their stance for the featured bout. These chaps obviously took their task seriously - they came complete with plate armour and chain mail. A kneeled greeting to the bride and groom, and into the serious stuff they went. We were a little worried about the walls and floor - they weren't mucking around. It was fascinating stuff to watch. I can see why they liked their tourneys.

But, the end of the night rolled around and my driver requested we return home. I still got to navigate though. The return was easier - I didn't get us lost. Mind, the lost on the way there was minor, and only meant that we had hit the deviation without realising it. And still made it in plenty of time.

Pictures will follow in due time - when I get myself back into this time period and get them uploaded to the computer. So I can upload them here....

Wacky Wednesday. I missed Heroes!

Been a wearying week. So far, today being only Friday. But most of it happened from Wednesday on.

I may, or I may not, have mentioned that we have a wedding to attend on the weekend. I am looking forward to it. Not every day you get to dress up in costume for a wedding. Added bonus is seeing the whole GT doing the same. I do confess that instead of purchasing a costume, I decided to buy myself a dress for the occasion. I am, as you do at these occasions, hoping that no one else turns up in the same outfit. Ok, so it's not strictly medieval, but is close to. I am also hoping that I don't put on any extra weight - fully on the cards - cause, honey, this thing is tight! More my body shape though I be thinking.

But I digress. After the purchase of the obligatory card to attach to the present, I opened my mouth and volunteered to 'pretty up' the inside. Which was blank. S'ok, I had 2 days to do it. Not a problem.

The Elder is very unhappily unemployed. She decided to step up the job search this week. Ok, you can't really step down from doing nothing. So, although she doesn't seem to be unemployed for long periods, she doesn't have an awful lot of experience with cover letters and selection criteria. This week we are supposed to sit down and go through them. Monday, nope, didn't happen. Tuesday she went home before I got home. So, halfway through the week, still not done.

Wednesday night comes along. I aim to start going through things with her, then clear the desk and start looking at the illumination project. Not a worry. After dinner, we start the letter.

I take a break and head for the kitchen to raid the cupboard. Did I mention that MOTH has been unwell? The coughing continues. And I'm head down in the pantry moaning over the Teen's shoulder about it. I walk around the corner, into ........ what?

The Elder is holding MOTH's hand, tugging. Trying to get him sat up. He is red in the face and doesn't appear to be able to catch his breath. She's shocked and almost crying. What the heck happened? The upshot is, we decide to call the ambulance and get him off to the hospital.

The ambos arrive. Wonderful people. Calm, unflappable. By this time, MOTH has regained some form of normalcy. But he's almost convinced himself that he's not sick. And while watching all they are doing, I notice that Heroes has started. Typical. My only spot of telly, and I'm going to miss it. It's now about 20:37. And we follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Hospitals are such boring, boring places. And full of sick people. This one was quite upmarket - it had 1 telly, and a coffee vending machine. But they are still boring. And they aren't named a 'waiting area' for nothing.

Finally, at 02:15 or so, he is finally discharged from outpatients. I am sooo happy to be going home.

I did miss most of Heroes though, didn't get to finish the letter, and not even a start on the illumination project. I do manage, though, to give MOTH a bit of a ribbing that last time I had a big project, he pulled a trip to the hospital stunt. He grins. And tells me he's sorry, but I don't believe him. I give him a kiss and tuck him up in bed, it's 02:45 and I hope he's ok.

Thursday rolls around way too soon, and I'm up again at 06:21. I decide to go to work late, and work a little on the illumination project. Off to work and I'll have to finish the card tonight. And so I did. Finish the card. At 23:30.

Sigh, it's been a wearying week.

Camera hogs. Or left on the cutting room floor

Wow, it's been a while since I last bothered to write here. Should rectify that. Like, immediately.

The title says it all. Or it would have. If it were accurate. But it did seem accurate at the time.

The Elder's bf has a bit of a hobby. Though he would probably be a little narked that I call it a hobby. He 'dances' in a popping and locking crew. Called Shift 1. And they are pretty good too. Or so I'm told. And she tells me. Often.


So she tells me, They're going to be on tv! On the Shak. On Monday! Tape it (or else). So I sat through the program and taped it. Nearly missed it, but thank goodness for the 11th hour. And there it was. Supposedly a segment with Picasso. A very brief flash of colour for about 3 seconds, she wearing the yellow jacket. And that was it. Whaa? We've been gyped. I felt outraged. What a rip off! They've been left on the cutting room floor!

Course, then I found out that it wasn't Monday after all. It was Tuesday. So, again with the 11th hour and set the tape and off we go. But this time, yay! The proper segment. And I have to admit, they did look good......

The Elder got home. We watched it together. She was happy. We all were happy. Then MOTH taped over it........ 2 hours later ......... Love that sentimental soppiness.

End of fun. And back to normal....

Sigh. I've reached the end of my holidays.
And all is back to normal on Monday.
I'm soooo looking forward to that. Not.

And what have I managed to accomplish these holidays? Not a lot. Spoiled MOTH by doing the washing. ....... yep, that's about it.

Oh. I did manage to see a movie. Yes. I did. I managed to go see 300. I loved it. But I like movies like that. I have heard mixed comments. Reviewers seemed to like it. But a lot of viewers didn't.

You have to remember though, it IS based on a graphic novel. Any resemblance to historical fact could be accidental. The cgi is fantastic. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed. Suspend disbelief and you might enjoy it.

Saturday is half over, and again I doubt I have managed to accomplish much.
Except the washing. Again.
I have a dvd to watch. MI 3.
But I can't be bothered setting up the player.
I have a sketch book awaiting my pitiful ministrations, but I can't get motivated to get into that either.
I had been playing Primal, but got to a point where I could go no further. I decided to ditch the lot and start again. Hit a snag here too. A tree I need to push refuses to be pushed. And now, the controller has given up and gone on holiday.
I'm reading Wendy Harmer's 2nd novel. Love and Punishment. About a breakup and revenge. I'm enjoying it, but for me, I'm taking it slowly.
I haven't long finished volumes 1 and 2 of Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls. I was saving them. I wasn't going to touch them yet. But I succumbed. The only problem with Manga. They're over so quickly. Much like a good dessert really........

I actually managed to sit through a game of league last night. And enjoyed it too. Now I usually hate sport in all it's many forms. Oh, except I'm willing to concede that there are some of the winter olympics I like. And no, figure skating is not necessarily one of them. More like ice hockey...... But I digress. I really enjoyed the game. Mind, the fact that the team I was barracking for won might have helped........

Timelords. Or getting my head around time zones...

Well, I've made it through Easter and out the other side. But I seem to have lost a day. If not, why does my Google calendar tell me it's Wednesday 11 April?

Ok, so. Here we are GMT +1o. Which suits me fine. And Google calendar tells me so too. But so many different time zones. And not just internationally. As I might have mentioned in a previous whinge, I organise staff travel. And most of that is international. Just as well I have World Time bookmarked! If you need to call anyone, heaven forbid, then you have to check the time first. China - 2 hours behind. New Zealand - 2 hours ahead. USA - all over the place.

And it doesn't get any better within Australia. Some states have daylight saving. Which, thank heaven has finished for the season. Things are back to normal. But some states don't have daylight saving. If I need to phone interstate, I have to pause. Not good, because any delay means I have to sort myself out all over again. So, is daylight saving finished yet? If not, the rest of the Easter Seaboard is 1 hour ahead. The middle of the country is now 1/2 hour ahead, and as for the rest of the country, I can never remember where they are at anyway.

But to add to the fun, the Powers That Be want to introduce daylight saving in part of the state. How would that work? It's short circuiting my little brain enough as it is.

They've tried, several times now, to get daylight saving introduced. Without success. But they'll keep pushing till everyone gets sick of it, and votes yes at the next referendum. And then I'll have another time consideration to contend with.......... Lucky me.

Monday. Or limping along to the weekend.

Can't believe it's April already!!

Sometime last month, I wrote that I had reached the anniversary of my ankle bust up. And I have been doing well. And I had. But since making that note, I am noticing small things that aren't, well, quite right.

Cramps. I have been getting a lot of cramps in my calf muscle and my foot. Feels kinda strange to be doing a stretch and finding your toes just want something different. And refuse to return to normal positioning.

Pins and needles. That feel like your foot is just about to fall asleep. Only intermittent though. I am just waiting for the numb feeling that goes with it. The one that changes your gait completely and leaves your foot flopping about like a fish on a river bank.

Pain when you try to cross your ankles. Well, that one has made sure that I sit in a more ladylike position. No more manly crossing my right ankle over my left knee. Which makes for some interesting angles when you are trying to balance a book. On your knees while sitting in the couch and colouring in. (All right, I'll admit to that childish passtime.)

Pain. When moving after having been sitting at the desk for a while. It takes a while to get the joint somewhat functional again.

And today. It's swollen. Red. Hot to the touch. Which can't be a good sign really. But I have no other experience of broken bones to compare it to. Can I expect things like this to happen every so often?

And all so soon after my 12 month mark. Perhaps my warranty has expired?

Blah and flu

I notice it's been a little while since I last wrote. That's because I am busy. Too busy being boring.

Feeling off colour today. Blah and headachey. Hoping I'm not coming down with something. I'm taking holidays soon and I don't want to spend them sick. It's only a week, and I have great plans for that week. Like, staying home and doing nothing. But I would rather be doing nothing healthily than doing nothing sickly.

They offer free flu injections at work. I don't usually take them up on it. I don't usually get the flu. But you watch, this time I will....

Thank Heaven for Sunday

Sunday. And I sit here, trying to recover. My weekends are never usually packed with much of anything at all. But it all happened for me yesterday.

Thursday night I made an appointment with, hopefully, my new hairdresser. I have been living here for 4 years now. Which means having to find a new 'dresser. No small task for a girl. Especially one who is fussy about what sort of job they may do. I have my hair layered. Long layers. And they are too easy to mess with. I had a 'dresser tell me once that my hair would never accept layers. And proceeded to demonstrate by pulling parts of it up to show that they wouldn't blend. I didn't bother telling the hopeless woman I have had layers in my hair since time immemorial.

But I digress. Hair appointment. Saturday morning. Friday evening, a call from a friend. Please come over for a bbq tomorrow lunch. We've won a meat tray. Ok, no problem, I'll just squeeze that in.

So Saturday. Hair appointment in the morning. Off to the other side of the city for bbq lunch. Home for a quick nanna nap, then out to the restraurant for dinner. Home from that and duck across the road to the neighbour's house to join her birthday party. An invitiation to which we received shortly after the dinner was organised.

The dinner, btw, was subperb. The restaurant is attached to the Morrisons in the Gabba, the steakhouse is Fiasco's. There were about 9 of us at table. Service was fast, the meal was excellent. I don't think a single person had a complaint. I had the king prawns, in a cream sauce on jasmine rice. Perfect.

So. Sunday. Time for a rest. If today was this busy, I think I would be needing to go to work for a holiday.......

Is it home time yet?

So Friday is nearly over. And I can't say I will be upset to see the end of this week. It has been rather stressful, with all wanting stuff yesterday. Even if I only got it today. However, one of them did appreciate my efforts. Perhaps she picked up on the vibe that I wasn't exactly impressed that I had to ring someone to ask a question. Again. I got a chocolate bar out of it.

They're in their meeting today. Hopefully it has all come together. But I guess perhaps it has as I have not yet got a call to sort things out. But having just mentioned it......

I am sitting here, munching on a cake. Some one has donated a cake to the cause. A homemade butter cake. That looks like a watermelon. Bright green, bright pink and chocolate chips. Long live the sugar high.

So we are in the middle of organising a conference for May. And we are examining our options for schwag. Love that stuff. For those not in the know, it's the free stuff given out or swiped from the vendors. Last year, mine included a polo shirt. One of the things we are looking at are flashing ice cubes. In the shape of footballs. It didn't take one of the GT long to pretend they were eyes, and run around holding them up and letting them flash........

I refer back to the comment re sugar high. I seem to have combined the cake with coffee - not in the same cup of course - and have no sugar high. Coffee makes me sleepy. Or should I say, that drinking strong instant coffee gives me no caffeine boost. At all. I can drink a cup of coffee and still go to bed and sleep. Perhaps the fact that I drink it white might be the problem.

I actually have a quite a social life this weekend. This afternoon I am supposed to be going for drinks after work. But having drunk the coffee, I am ready right now for a nanna nap. If I don't improve before the end of work, I don't think I will be capable of going. My social calendar is usually very empty. This time though, I have 2 things that overlap on the same day. Now how did that happen? But though I would like to attend both, I can only manage to be in one place at once. What am I saying? Aren't I supposed to be a mother??? So, the farewell dinner for one of the GT's wins. I'm hoping that the neighbours will still be partying when I come home from the restaurant. Won't have to miss either then.

Bodies. Or where to hide?

Whew. The afternoon wears on, and after this morning, I thought I would take the time to relax a little.

------
Have just discovered what a pain the lack of public transport where I live is. I have to find a way to get the Teen home from school. And it's an hour walk.....

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In the middle of all this relaxing, I am reminded of watching MOTH bend over to pick something off the kitchen floor. Now he's not getting any younger, or thinner, but I am certain neither he, the Teen nor I had any inkling of a disaster narrowly avoided. He bent over. And being built a bit like the Roly Poly man, he almost did a Humpty Dumpty on the kitchen floor. Well, a small grunt, a couple of steps, and almost head first into the open fridge. The Teen and I were in helpless hysterics.

But I am reminded of various tumbles, trips and near misses.
Falling down in the shower and taking the shower curtain with him. Sister 1 standing anxiously outside the bathroom door, not sure whether to rush in and offer assistance.
Bending over to retrieve a ball he had been throwing at me. Misjudging the distance of the wall behind and bouncing behind off the wall.
Trailing fingers down the wall of the front steps. In the rain. Wearing a motorcycle helmet. Fingermarks take a sudden downward trend and he never hit his head once. Incidentally, the fingermark was still there when we moved out some years later.
Running up the street chasing a kite which escaped. Falling flat on his stomach. And bouncing.

So, what do we do when our body begins to change and we are no longer accustomed to the shape of it? The size and the volume we now take up? I lost track of the number of times I sideswiped doors when I was pregnant. And finding that I can no longer slide between the chair and the bench like I used to. Leaning over the sink and getting the front of my shirt wet because I am resting on the edge of the bench.

I would desperately love to resize myself. But then I think of the hard work it takes. ....... nah. Think I will just have to learn how to avoid face plants in the kitchen .....