Monday, March 30, 2009

Untitled

You know, sometimes I wonder why I let the Teen Fashionista suggest outfit options. It wasn't till I got off the bus that I remembered why sandshoes would have been better, even if they do look funny. It's good weather for ducks. Thongs flick stuff. Ducks do stuff on paths.....

*should i eat this apple or not??*

Do you recollect something that Pa always used to say about Ma and furniture? That he could never come in with the lights out and jump into bed, because it was not likely to be in the same place he left it?

Seems that MOTH has a bit of a penchant for the same thing. I went out to the city the Sunday before last and when Sunny and I got home, he and the Teen had reorganised a couple of rooms. Her sofa bed was in the rumpus room. The couch was against the wall in the formal area and she now sleeps on the inflatable mattress.

Which she loves. A lot.

*still thinking about the apple. hmmm maybe not yet*

I didn't like the change - the couch obscured quite a bit of the only window in the formal area. I admit, that space does belong to MOTH and he should be free to do with it what he pleases. I didn't like it there though. I felt ... odd every time I walked past it.

*eats ginger biscuit instead*

But we left it there for a couple of days. MOTH shifted it so the back of it was to the main thoroughfare, but that made me feel awkward every time I walked past it again. There wasn't really any where else to put it though.

MOTH assured me that the bent metal bar on the sofa bed had been fixed. It still does have a bow in it though. I'm sure of it. The cushions still try to sink toward the middle. Just not as bad. I couldn't sit comfortably in it. I couldn't sprawl the same way and old habits die hard. It got moved to a different spot, and the couch was moved back to the rumpus room. Ah ... that's better. I can sit comfortably and watch movies now.

Monday evening, I was channel surfing. I really like having access to HD tv. It has expanded the horizons somewhat. Although it does mean that on weekends, there is sport on 7 or more channels now instead of 4. Or something like that. I like that the tv guide is on the tv, not a paper copy I have to scrabble to find. And that I now have access to quality viewing. Like Bogan Pride. I think this one is on SBS and it truly was gobsmackingly amazing. I'd loosely term it a comedy. Somewhat like The Wedge. But of course, features a bunch of bogans. At high school. The main focus is a fat chick who lives with her morbidly obese mother. I think I like it.

On Tuesday, the Teen and I went hunting for a pair of shoes for her to wear for her latin dancing assessment later on in the week. We found a pair that I thought I had gotten rid of. Black suede platform sandals. The platforms with the high heel, not a wedge. She put them on with the rest of the outfit and the result was stunning. The top is black off the shoulder with a gold foil motif. The shoulder 'straps' are gold chain with large links. She teamed it with a short black ra ra skirt. And of course with those long legs my kids don't seem to have gotten from me.....

Just the last couple of weeks, while drifting home and during my bus change, I notice there seems to be farmer's markets in the square in the city. They sure look interesting, and if I had more time I would love to take a look. I have noticed that they make sure the german bakery is at the front though!

Thursday the Teen took off school and headed off for the Doctor. It seems she is suffering reflux and has been put on medication to manage it. I have my fingers crossed it works. Grade 12 is difficult enough as it is without the added hassle of constantly feeling unwell. We still haven't managed to organise her sleep study. The doctor thinks it should be bulk billed, but when I discussed cost with the place where the study would be held, they only asked if she had private health insurance. When I said she didn't, they suggested that she could do a home study for $100 and the rest would be covered by medicare. She didn't mention anything about bulk billing. The Teen thinks I could contact them again and ask about bulk billing direction. I might leave that for the day I fax through the referral.

On Friday she had her dance assessment. I got a text that morning. Mu-um! I've been sick. Halfway through her assessment piece. I'm hoping that the teacher was lenient and didn't mark her grade down because of it. And sure enough, nausea is one of the side effects of the meds....

This weekend I did some weeding. I scrubbed a couple of patches on the walls. *need to keep doing that - first inspection coming up next month and there is still crayon on the walls from last tennant* Chilled and watched movies. Heaps of movies. Dr Dolittle. Blue Harvest. I've seen that movie a couple of times now, and I still laugh like a foo'. Death Race. Labyrinth. And an episode of Deadwood. I'm hooked on that one.

Gift suggestions anyone? Deadwood. 3 season boxed set. Thank you.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Aint no big deal.... la la la etc

Dearie me. I'm so exhausted today, I can barely think. Which is different how? I dunno....

I eaten an apple, a milo bar - not the chocolate one - and a cup of tea. Nothing's working; now I'm headed for the hard core stuff. Yep, I'm off for a coffee ...

Hmmmm there's been a bunny raid in the kitchen. Someone has been warming/toasting hot cross buns. Well, I'm back now.

Yes. Tired. Just as well I did remember to actually take notes this week. *pats self on back* Let's just see if I can make any sense of them.

It's been a busy week. Apparently...

As you may have seen on that thing called a telly, the weather has been a bit iffy this week. Monday afternoon came over nice and semi-dark. And while we were out on the motorway ... down it came. Not as heavy as I might have liked, since I love being out in storms, but heavy enough. I love the rain. It washes everything clean. And as it died off, I glanced out the bus window. There on the exit is a car. Emblazoned with a banner. From some company called ... Noah.

Tuesday, I was staring out the window of the bus. For something different as I psyched myself up for the journey home. We hadn't left the city precinct yet and were headed for the busway *loves busway. so long, loser traffic!* Something brown and moving caught my attention. It was army vehicles. Not the usual trucks, but the tank like personnel carriers with the multiple wheels. Complete with a personnel peeping out of the top. And waving like they were royalty. Oh, wait. That could have been a signal to the ones in the vehicle behind. Duck people!

My life is so exciting, on Wednesday I decided to do something different. I've been thinking of trying to find ways of adding walking to my daily slog. Not easy. So I thought I'd try walking to a different bus stop in the mornings. Up the road this time. It takes me about 15 minutes. And as I approach the stop, there is a woman sitting and smoking. *grumbles to self. she'd better have quit that by the time i get there* And it turned out to be the mother of one of Teen's friends. We chatted while I tried to cool down, and lo. MY bus stops on the other side of the highway. Dammit. Well, I know for now, don't I. Although, I think I will catch it from my usual stop, ride all the way in and add my walk transferring to another stop to the University. Makes for a later start in the office though. Oh, decisions decisions ...!

Alas, I have not notes for the rest of my week. So you'll never get to read about all the other exciting things I did.

Oh, Saturday night I decided I would have a movie marathon. Quite by accident mind. Sunny and I hired out Disaster Movie. Which really is a disaster! But it suited my somewhat warped sense of humour and I enjoyed it despite myself. Follow that with Pirates of the Carry-bean *loves HD tv* and then Enemy at the Gate. It's 3am when I crawl into bed.

And bright and early, MOTH's alarm goes off. At 6 am. Once I'm awake, that's it. And I crawl out of bed.

So I'm sitting and playing Sims2 and Sunny pops his head around the corner. Do you want to go into the city today? Well, yes. I've got 50c. I can afford a soft serve. We did.

Stange, some people who ride the buses. A bunch of bogans got on at one particular stop. And they had at least one small child with them. Brilliant. Said small person came down the back of the bus to sit themself next to Sunny and I. Complaining to the attending adult all the while. And there you go, it flipped the bird at the adult. Who laughed while getting angry. Then hauled the thing back to the front of the bus while it chucked a tanty. Think I've said this before ... but brilliant. It quieted down quickly, thank the mercies. A little while later, another of the party came to join the couple sitting in front of us. She was blonde. And loud. She plonked herself down in the seat in front of them, threw a couple of surreptitious looks at Sunny then proceeded to tell the couple about gays. *sunny's head snaps up* She knew some. They were great. They were good to go shopping with. They had terrific fashion sense. They were hilarious. Have you ever seen a gay guy try to do this? *snap snap snap complete with gestures*

I looked at Sunny. Sunny looked at me. And we burst out laughing. *sees Sunny do that. a lot*

She shifted seats. Looked at Sunny some more. And chatted on bout absolute nonsense. And when her mother got off the bus, she took the seat with the bloke she'd just been chatting to. And she chatted the whole way into the city.

And at some point, I resumed staring out the window. In time to see some older bloke get off the bus. He looked like he was about to be greeted by some younger chap. And it was on. The older bloke exploded, pushed the younger one to the ground and started yelling You leave my boy alone! Just leave him alone!

What an interesting trip.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Panic. But not at the disco.

There seemed to have been a couple of notes on my last post. Thank you dear readers! It's good to know that someone takes notice. *cheeky grin*

Fear not, dear Elder. I won't be increasing anyone's rent, it was just a standard clause in the rental agreement. Landlord always gives themselves an option. *imagines self as slum lord. yes, i think i can do that* And I was more worried about what the realtor would have to say with all the peeps in da house, and the garage turning into The Castle. *MOTH puffs up chest and says he can handle them*

I'm looking forward to your arrival. You commented on your last visit that you weren't sure if you'd fit; I didn't bounce off the walls and play. It's the house I tell you. The rooms are big and ceilings high - it ECHOES! I'm over 40 - I don't like sudden moves and loud noises. That includes anything I do. So until I get used to the echo, I move slowly and quietly. Don't want to startle MOTH either....

It seems that while I was absent earning an honest crust - hard to believe, I know - MOTH took to the rooms with a tape measure. Given we estimate the king bed is about 2feet wider and 2 feet longer, he pronounced that it would fit in that second room very well, probably better than the 'larger' room because it is actually narrower.

So, where was I? Oh yes, recapping the week.

I actually remembered to take some notes this time. On one day only. But that will do. It's a start.

Unfortunately, there isn't a date on my notes, but I shall assume it's Friday.

Friday I did the usual run to get the bus for the trip home from work. The scenery changed from the mundane though when we actually got moving. Touring through the traffic and we stop for the traffic lights. Standing on the footpath, waiting to cross was an older woman with a dog. On a leash. No, the dog was. I couldn't begin to guess her age. Her skin appeared to be well worn. In the areas I could see that weren't coloured in that is. Her hat was a floppy white one, propped off her forehead with a huge pair of sunnies. Peeking out from under the hat was blue hair. Sky blue hair, down to her shoulders. But don't ask me what she was wearing. My notes didn't cover that. *sighs* Ah well, I'll rememer more detail for next time.

A little further along, while still recovering from the shock, I glanced upward. And there, standing all on his lonesome on a rooftop balcony, was a chappie. An ordinary chappie in a not so ordinary position. I'm guessing the balcony belonged to a business. One floor above the street. Wonder what the view would have been like?

I could hear bells. And when I looked, you got it. Hari Krishas dancing along the street. Orange robes, white face paint, shaven heads, bells and tamborines. Just because they can. I see no other reason why you would. It brought back memories of dodging them as a tourist. You didn't want to get caught by any! At least they couldn't flag down the bus from there.... *wonders what happened to mum's Hari Krishna cook book*

And what's that? Oh. A bloke. With bagpipes tucked under one arm. Complete in kit. The tartan was green. Irish perhaps? It is, after all, nearly St Patricks Day. It's kind of strange to see them out of a parade. Even if they are waiting to cross the street.

And hey, it must be geek day. I've just realised I'm wearing black. With a geek backpack. And a geek t-shirt. And a book in hand. Star Wars to be exact.....

Last Thursday, MOTH purchased himself a couple of new toys with the Government bonus. The Teen was less than impressed it wasn't being spent on a new bed for her, her teeth and other general things; she made sure that her feelings were known. What I failed to remind her of is the fact that the last bonus went on moving house so she could go to the school SHE wanted, AND over $400 on a pair of glasses she insisted she absolutely had to have, but I've hardly seen her wear. And I didn't even quibble when she stated she wanted the D&G frames.

So, Saturday I spent some time playing with the new LCD in the rumpus room. I think I've worked out the buttons on the remote and that IS the most important part.

I talked MOTH into spending some dollars on a wee bit more tech. I now have a HDMI cable which lets me plug my laptop into the LCD so I can now play DVDs properly. Actually, it mirrors my laptop on the LCD, so whatever I do on the laptop, I can see on the LCD.

Sunday I rearranged the rumpus room. The room is long and narrow. The Teen thought at set up that the lounge was too far away from the tv, so it was placed in the middle of the room. Now, everything is set across the room, not the length of the room. Much better set up. Course, to test it, I had to hook up the laptop and play Sims2.

And hey! If you move back in Elder dear, there is room in the corner for the guitar hero stuff and the PS3 can stand neatly by the cabinet.

w00t!

PS. It occurs to me that I forgot to mention the panic. I was sitting on the bus on the way to work this morning. I won't say blissfully, because some woman decided to sit next to me. And she had a babe thing wrapped and strapped to her. Luckily it was kinda quiet, even if it did kick me occasionally. At least I didn't eat it.

But as we got close to our destination, I went looking for my swipe card. And it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Oh dear. Well, I've been known to slip it into the wrong pocket, so I went looking. Nope, not there either. Crap. Well, I know I had it when I got ON the bus, cause I swiped it then. What the HELL did I do with it? I hunted all about but couldn't find it. Great. NOW what am I gonna do? It still had a decent balance on it too because it's only the start of the fortnight. *sighs. wonders how i'm going to make the money for the rest of the time* But as we stood, she pointed to the floor in the aisle and asked if that was what I was looking for.

Yes! A double w00t! *breathes*

Monday, March 09, 2009

Why do you suppose my week days remain somewhat ho hum and if anything happens, it's on a weekend? Or is it just that my memory sort of filters out anything beyond a couple of days ago? And I'm lucky to retrieve that much.

This week though is a bit of an exception.

Sometime toward the end of last week I had a text from the Teen. She was bordering on hysterical. Instead of coming directly home from school that day, she had decided to make a detour to the local shops to buy herself a drink. This is not a problem in itself I would say. The problem with that is the ne'er to do element of the school has been making trouble at the shopping centre. Which has retaliated by having students banned between school hours and security guards. I'm also told they have 'plain clothes' patrolling, along with mounted police. And the latter I know to be true - I've seen the hoofprints...

So, where was I? Oh yes. At the shops. And while she was there, smoked. One of her friends then told her that a man had taken a photograph. The Teen panicked. She was in an out of bounds area, smoking while in school uniform. And she didn't know what consequences that would have. Haven't heard from the school yet, so we'll burn that bridge when we cross it. *shrugs*

On Friday, the Elder and Jawsome arrived for a visit! *colour me happy* It was great to see them. They were delivering Team Shitbox to the Teen. For her to learn to drive in. All she needs now is her learner's permit.

And that's a scary thought.

During the course of a conversation with the Elder, she mentioned "when we move in". It stopped me dead in my tracks. Wha? Did I just hear that aright? Yes. I did. *faints*

It seems the lease is up soon where they are now, and the general thinking is that there are more job opportunities up this way. I don't have a problem with that. There are just some things that need to be taken into consideration first.

They would have to sell one car. The garage is only a three car and no, she cannot park in the front yard, nor in the middle of the 'roundabout'. No, I would not be happy to move the boyos out of their current room and into the smaller one. It is only bigger because it is longer. The kingsize bed is not going to fit in that room any better than it would in the smaller one. The Elder and the Teen get along famously when they are apart. Put them together for any length of time and it's one big barney. With that many people in the house, there is no room for bad tempers!

Any space MOTH and I have gained in the move is lost. Completely. No room in the garage. No spaces to hide from people.

The Teen already runs at full volume. The last thing she needs is encouragement. I would be happy to have them, but boy, is it going to mean adjustment.

*gives weak, frightened smile*

On Saturday though, I did recolour my hair. Popped out of bed *moth must have hit the eject button* and into the bathroom to get the colour thing going. At about 06:00. Gotta get an early start you know.

I like it this way. Purple on top again, with black underneath. It looks great when I straighten it.

Saturday night was out with the team *Jawsome, Elder, Sunny, Judah* for a friend's birthday. She is a funny girl. The venue was a nightclub that none of us has been to before. It's somewhat alternative. And boy, they don't spend any money on the decor! But the DJ, when he was playing, had chosen some pretty good music. Not long after we arrived, a band set up and kicked off into their set. They were so LOUD that it was making my sinus resonate, and if I turned my head the wrong way I thought I was going to pass out. Thankfully they didn't go all night; played their set and packed up. Back to the DJ and the better music.

The night was called quits early; Sunny stuck with Judah, the Elder got tired and it wasn't really Jawsome's scene. We had determined that the nightlink bus would stop from about 01:30 am from where we had been dropped off. But no one knew what would happen earlier than that. Each time I tried to get anyone to decide what they wanted to do, I got blank looks and the admonition to not make anyone make a decision. In the end, I got them moving and we went looking for buses. *hates when a group vascilates and no one will take the lead*

The train seemed to be the option to get back to the CBD. And just prior to purchasing a ticket, Sunny discovered the devastating loss of his go card. Luckily, I had $10 over from admission that I could pay for his ticket home.

Buses were scarce. As hens teeth. The mall stops were empty. Some chappie who had been working the platforms directed us to the casino as all the buses had stopped running for the night. Up we went. Only to discover that the next bus we could catch wouldn't be by until 01:26. A 50 minute wait.

To while away the time, we watched people, watched the taxi rank across the road and chatted nonsense.

The taxi rank. What can I say? That if you are ever looking for a taxi in the CBD on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, opposite the casino is the place to be. Taxis come in, taxis pull out. And all directed by a chap waving a glowing wand. He tells them where to pull up. He tells which passengers to get into which taxis. His partner in crime down the way a little keeps the taxis moving. It was beautifully choreographed. Fascinating. See? These are the things that keep you occupied while you wait at the stop with 60 million other people who also want to catch a bus home.

Sunday was a little quieter. The Elder pilfered my laptop for the day and played the Sims2. Sunday afternoon, I helped MOTH in the garden, getting rid of the dead branches from the pruning of the shrubs. Sunny helped too. Which MOTH greatly appreciated. And toward the end, Jawsome came out of the house and joined the line. Amazing. *grins*

Monday, March 02, 2009

Greenfinger the garden gnome.

*has flashback* Does anyone remember that gnome?

You know, considering I was supposed to write notes to myself so I can remember what transpired during the week, I don't seem to have done a very good job of it. *kicks self*

Sooooo .... I think my week was pretty uneventful. They usually are. You know the drill; wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, wake up, go to work. And so on. Although, if it wasn't for the going to work gig, I think I would forget which day it really was.

Friday, one of the GTs on another project my workplace is associated with, was leaving. Actually I think Friday was his last day. But we went to lunch. Since we had to pay for our own, and the chosen venue was a gourmet pizza place, I skipped the mains and went straight for dessert. A slice of lime cheesecake. It was very yummy and got a few comments too. Much better than a scummy pizza. *grins*

I managed to scab a glass of beer at that lunch too. I haven't had a liquid lunch for some time, so it went to my head a little. The beer was that low carb Pure Blonde, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Friday evening the Teen went to a concert with Wogboy over in some town that was a bit of a drive away. I was a little worried - the road is a notoriously bad one and Wogboy only got his Ps a couple of months ago. She tells me the trip over didn't turn out as well as she'd hoped. They couldn't find the venue, and when they gave up looking and waiting for instructions, they drove around and found it only to discover the band was just finishing their set.

She did spend the rest of the weekend with Wogboy though, returning home Sunday midmorning. She's been complaining of being unwell lately. I think she's stressed. So stressed that she's thinking she has stomach ulcers and the hypochondriac in her is very much to the fore. The Elder and I both suggested in jest that there may be something else wrong with her *involving children* and she flew into a panic and wants that ruled out. *grumbles* no sense of humour, some.

Sunny and Judah stayed out all Thursday night. At least, I think it was Thursday, because things are sketchy and I didn't make notes. On Friday night, I made hot dogs for dinner. Only to discover the boyos had hot dogs for dinner the night before. And I rarely make different things like that for dinner. *grins. it's all in the timing*

Saturday dawned quietly because the boyos sleep in. Actually, Sunny tells me that he's awake early, but lies in because Judah prefers it that way and he sleeps much longer than Sunny. They surfaced about mid morning somewhere and let me know that they would be travelling to visit Sunny's family for the night. So. Another weekend with everyone out of the house.

MOTH made plans to splash out and hire a dvd for the night. No, nothing rated R or X. *shakes head at naughty people* Just a movie he'd seen the shorts for and thought looked interesting. We also had rump steak out defrosting, so decided that we had better cook it.

So, I did the unthinkable; stepped into a man's territory and learned how to use the bbq. Actually, MOTH has shown me this several times before. But it's always a long time between drinks and I've forgotten. This time though, I put my foot down with a firm hand and switched it on myself. I'm one of those people who prefers to learn by doing it.

Of course, what I failed to mention is the amount of time it took the both of us to clean it up before it could be used. MOTH pulled it apart and scraped it down. I scrubbed the roasting dish and rack. He did the burners and the plates.

In between times, MOTH dragged around some branches from overgrown shrubs he had removed over the period of several weekends. He needed them put in the garden bin for collection. But of course, they are too big to just put in there. We don't have a mulcher and MOTH needs them cut small. So every so often we wander to the patch and cut up branches. Piece by piece. Boy, my hand is kinda overworked!

Saturday night we ate the perfect steak I cooked on the bbq, and watched Babylon AD. Not too bad; quite a convoluted plot line which doesn't really seem to go anywhere. But enjoyable just the same.

Sunday I was up and about my usual time. It's the best time of the morning and I don't like to waste too much of it. The day had the promise of hell though. Expected temps were supposed to be around 37deg C. Not sure if it eventuated - I headed it off at the pass by secluding myself in the aircon.

I surprised myself with a burst of energy and the scrubbing of the shower cubicle. Well, I removed the soap scum from the glass walls. And while wandering around, discovered that the shower in the main bathroom also needed a fair bit of TLC. I've cleaned off the black, now I just have to convince someone that the glass could do with a scrubbing as well. *wish me luck e'body!*

Sunday dinner I cooked a lamb roast. Slow cooked, at about 140deg C for 5 hours. It was lovely. In fact ... I've brought it along between two hunks of bread for lunch....

Speaking of which, it must be about that time.