Monday, July 26, 2010

Sometimes I wonder....

... if it wasn't for the desire to have a good wage so I can maintain a semi civilised lifestyle, what I would be doing.

I don't like work. Well, I like the social aspect of work because sometimes, just sometimes, I have a need to talk to people. I just don't like the whole routine of having to get to work. Work surely gets in the way of my play time.

The Hermit has made an appearance this week. Every so often he drops by ...

Would I be one of those feral hippies, living on a squat somewhere out in the bush, growing my own food and finding a way to supply everything I need so that I don't need to interact and only go into town a few times a year to get essentials that I can't supply for myself?

I hear those who know me scoffing. Well, it could be possible! Alright, okay, I concede. I don't like dirt under my nails and I love indoor plumbing. I couldn't live that way.

If I let the Hermit have his way, I would be permanently at home, indoors. No social interaction, no leaving the house. Until the day I decide that I need to leave and I cannot make myself do it. I'd end up one of those people who lie undiscovered because no one knew they had passed. But just so you know, I wouldn't be buried under piles of my own garbage. I'm lazy, but not that bad! *see previous paragraph* Just sayin.

I guess I'm just leading into the fact that this has been a very quiet week. I've not been riding the bus this week. I had Wednesday off work sick.

Thursday evening MOTH and I attended a bbq at his great niece's place. She told him she had an announcement to make. We hadn't been there before and had to leave straight after work. We plugged in Karen and off we went. We made good time through peak hour traffic too.

Hermit was making me a little reluctant because GN is a bit of a roughie and we'd not met any of her friends before. She had no other family attending so I wasn't quite sure what we were heading into.

It turned out well though. There weren't many there and they seemed to be lovely people. We met her fiance for the first time as well. She has two children, a boy and a girl. The girl is about 10 months. The boy is about 4 and he's quite a cutie. He had an older playmate over. As soon as MOTH settled into the lounge chair, both boys dog piled him. And they wouldn't leave him alone. I sidled further up the chair, content to stay out of it.

The announcement was mostly for MOTH and I apparently, as the others already knew about it. They formally announced their engagement and that he would officially adopt the girl child. *i belive the boy's father would not be happy with the arrangement if he were to adopt the boy as well* The wedding would be small and not many people would be invited beyond who was already there.

On the way home, MOTH told me that he had tried to pass the kids off my way but I didn't pick up on it. Yes, I told him. I thought you were quite big enough to be able to call it off when you had had enough. *grins*

I had determined that this weekend there would be no plans and I was going to do nothing. MOTH went out to fetch some necessaries for dinner Monday night and I stayed home. I watched 4 episodes of American Gothic on Saturday and later found myself getting caught by a movie called The Rookie. Did a load of laundry. Cooked dinner.

Sunday I caught up on some viewing I taped some considerable time ago. Played Sims3. Cooked dinner. Watched the CSI: Event screening Sunday night. It went for three hours.

Mission accomplished I'd say.

...____________________________________________...

PS: For anyone wondering, The Hermit is the stranger who comes to visit occasionally. He makes me play by myself. He makes me not want to talk to people. He makes me not want to leave the house. At all. He makes me sit quietly and stare at the walls. He stays anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks...

Sunday, July 18, 2010

The week that was

Mmmm. Smiths cheese and onion chips. The only ones worth buying.

And I need the totally unhealthy fat boost to get the mind going - here's a wrap up for a not very exciting week but a fun weekend.

Zman has been away and I'm required to catch the bus. I think you may have worked this out. It's cold when I get home. And dark. Not happy, but hey, it's winter. I get off the bus and you guess right - I'm cold. I need my jacket. I put my handbag on the bus stop seat while I take it out. What that noise? Oh no! I've pulled my jacket out and my sunglasses came with it! And now they've gone through the seat. It has slats on the seat, concrete sides and a solid back. How am I going to get them now? There's no street light either. I'm relying on the headlights going by to be able to find them in the dark. Luckily they have bling! It shines in the reflected light and soon I've got them. Thank goodness.

I've just crossed the road and I'm heading for my afternoon bus stop. Hey, that bloke looks familiar. Is it? No, it can't be... at least, I don't think so ..... Is it Keiren Perkins or not? The hair looks the same, the smile looks the same, his shoulders are broad and he's tending toward a llittle too heavy. He's very, very tall. *heck, from MY perspective, EVERYONE is very very tall* He looks very much like this

Maybe it is.....

Sunny and Judah are over for dinner. We have spaghetti bolognese. From a jar because I am lazy and lack imagination. And I've finally done it. We've lived in this house for eighteen months or more. And I've finally joined the very long queue of those who have turned the dishwasher on with their backside. By leaning on it. Sunny and MOTH were happy.

It's shopping night. I use a different bus route home to meet MOTH at the shopping centre as arranged. I'm on the bus and send him a text to say I'm on the way. He phones back. Ummm why are you going to that shopping centre? We arranged to meet at THIS shopping centre. Whoops! Just as well I put the name of the shopping centre I was headed to in the text! Can you imagine the fun trying to find each other?

By the way, I have NO recollection of arranging to meet at his nominated shopping centre at all ...

I hate pigeons. Just thought I'd put that out there. Horrible, messy lice ridden things. While looking for something else, I've come across lyrics to a song. The line goes Butter my a*se with a pigeon tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow we'll butter a cow. I've pointed it out to MOTH who just shakes his head. It's the following day and we're headed out somewhere in the car. Well, butter my a*se with a pigeon! I say. MOTH's quick comeback was tomorrow we'll butter a cow. Consider me IMPRESSED!

It's Saturday morning and I've an appointment to have my income tax done by an agent. I've not done this before - I've always done it myself. This year, I have a question about an allowance I was paid and I'm curious as to how they will deal with it. Turns out it's so simple I probably could have done it myself anyway. But now I've paid $135 for someone else to do it. I hope it works out well and doesn't take too long.

There isn't much else happening for the rest of the day. I've got a library book due back on Tuesday and I've barely started it. I had better get in some serious reading. The book is called Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. I like his work.

Sunday MOTH and I are headed for an outing I've been planning for a while. There is an exhibition of Ron Mueck's work at the Gallery of Modern Art. I've seen illustrations of his work, but it will be really good to see it in actuality. We've found our way to the gallery but boy! The ticket line is long! We've joined the queue and got the tickets. This artist's work is very, very realistic and I've been looking forward to this ever since I saw the ad - on the side of a bus.

Head up to the third level and the work is AMAZING! It varies in size from a new born baby several metres long,
to these lovely ladies who are about eighteen inches tall ...
By the time we left about three quarters of an hour later, the line for tickets to this exhibition was out the door and into the plaza. Glad we got there when we did.

Across the bridge to Eagle Street for lunch at Coffee Club. Oh darn, my friend isn't working yet, if at all today. Ah well, maybe next time.

It's home and a cup of milo. I'll have to start thinking about dinner soon - apparently I'm cooking. Pork chops and veggies I think. Then yay! It's Bones and Castle night. Whoo!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Quietly now...

It was a nice ride to work this morning. The bus is quiet, the sun shining through the fog. Yep, fog. Wisps of it across the hills and through the trees; the sun beaming between the wisps. It floated around the upper stories of the buildings in the city, lending everything gilded edges.

So here's a brief wrap of my week, in no particular order.

Whoa! There are rowers on the river this morning! It must be FREEZING down there. What kind of person willingly puts themselves through that in the name of their sport? Ugh! *shiver*

Hey. Some bloke on the bus is wearing a BURBERRY jacket. How come he's riding the bus then? Chauffeur on holidays? *grin*

How can she do that? We're in the middle of peak pedestrian hour at the end of the day in one of the busiest streets and she's sitting there busily picking her nose?? *shakes head*

Someone is riding a bicycle down the street. On the footpath. That's not usual in itself. Most of them use the street and take their chances with the traffic. She's well prepared though. She has a reflective vest - with lights! There are lights on the front of the helmet and lights along the crossbar of the front forks of the bike. There are lights on the back of the bike too. Can't miss her really as she slowly weaves her way through the throng. Didn't look like a copper though....

Still playing Sims3. Haven't upgraded my WoW subscription yet. Gosh I miss that! Sims3 is sucky, but it's the only computer game I have.

It's time for the farewell lunch for the GTs who are leaving. We're checking out the Brewhouse. The food is reasonable - I paid $6 for a big bowl of beer battered chips and gravy. Oh no! They've put salt on them. Who does that these days? Someone gives me a free glass of beer and I'm set. Lunch winds up about half two and we head to the bus station. Most of the others have left a little earlier and they drove back. The PA system announces the 109 will stop at stop 1. It doesn't and there is a ten minute wait for the next bus. And that means that by the time we catch it and get back to campus then up to the office, I will only be at work for forty-five minutes before I have to leave to catch my bus home. Tough call, the the other GTs convince me to go home. Great. Now I have guilt. *well, not really, but i can try to convince myself*

Sunny's over to watch a movie. He's picked Pirates of the Caribbean. I love that movie so if he wants to talk, he'll have to wait. We're watching the movie and he's suddenly waving his arms about. I've copped an elbow on the point of my shoulder! Ouch! Talk about bony! I've chosen garlic chicken and salad for dinner. Easy recipe and I think I might have overdone the garlic. Ah well.

I'm thinking I might stay in my jammies today. Yay! It's Sunday after all. But I change my mind. A couple loads of washing and more Sims3. I'm scrolling through the telly channels and I discover that the John Travolta movie, Michael, is on later. Sweeeeet! I LOVE that movie. But I have to get through Charlies Angels and the Partridge Family first. I make it through Charlie, and the first bit of Partridge Family. Nap time I think.

I'm awake in time for the movie. No gaming while I settle in to watch the movie. A box of tissues later, and it's almost time to start dinner. I think this is only the second or third time I've seen the movie and I'd forgotten how it makes me cry. Silly stuff. I want to get it but last time I looked I couldn't find it available outside eBay.

Dinner tonight is lamb shanks. Not cooked these for a while and I'm having trouble fitting them in the pot! I brown what I can and set them to simmer. The recipe calls for tomato soup and sour cream at the end but I've chosen french onion soup instead. Works a treat! The sauce is creamy and flavoursome, the meat is falling off the bones. MOTH isn't keen on sour cream, but this recipe I shall definitely try again.

*yawn* I've made it through a rerun of Bones, and Castle is mostly finished. It's a rerun too, so I think I'm off to bed.

It's been a lazy kind of week, but it was a nice ride to work this morning.

Monday, July 05, 2010

Why are melting moments so crumbly??

Monday dawns and Elder and Subs are due to go home. I decide to call in sick because I'm not 100% and it's too cold to get out of bed.

They're up early, packing the car, rounding up Freddy. He knows something is going on and is dancing all around and getting underfoot. Around mid morning when it's time to go, he rushes down to the car and stands at the car door, tail wagging. Gee thanks dog. Good to know you are so eager to get away.

They drive away and all is quiet again.

Only because the Teen and her boy are still asleep.

When they get up, they want to go shopping. Take us to Indro! We love the shops. The boy is pliant, he'll go where she wants. We end up taking them to a closer shopping centre that has recently expanded. She is impressed by the expansion, but still insists they don't have any of the shops she likes. However, since she's on a limited budget, she will go home now rather than continue on.

Tuesday arrives and I'm back at work. I'm riding the bus again because the Zman is on holidays. He gives me a lift to work and I am getting spoiled. The alarm goes off at 6am. I lie in the warmth till at least 6.30am. Up and ready by 8am and wait till he lets me know he's leaving home. I like the late starts, but the late finishes bug me!

The Teen has instructions to clean the room she's been sleeping in. They are migrating to one of the other bedrooms and need to put this one back in order. Dad arrives on the train on Tuesday afternoon. It's been four months since I last saw him and surely I don't recall that his hair was this white? Where is Time going?

He has an appointment with the hospital mid Wednesday morning. I'm not keen on taking the bus and am looking forward to a bit of a sleep in. Where can you drop me off that's on the way? I manage to catch the bus to work at a suburb much closer than home! Wednesday night I find out that they won't be operating. Things are stable at the moment and I guess they don't want to play about. Mum is disappointed when he tells her.

Thursday Dad travels home on the train. MOTH sees him off and they find an old acquaintance on the platform. Home from work and I do the run through with the grocery shopping. Gotta love that. Teen and the boy *sure i had a name for him but can't remember what it was!* decide to head to Pizza Hut for dinner while MOTH and I do the shopping. I'm just about to text them to say where we are when they appear in my line of vision. Hah. No need for texting when you can just summon, right?

Friday they leave mid morning. I wish them well. It was great to see them and her boy is a nice chap. Very quiet. I have no idea what he thinks of Teen's family. Quiet we are not!

Saturday is errand day to pick up scripts and other such sundries. There is housework to do and I look at it ... but I just can't summon the energy to do much about it.

Sunday I designated Stay In My Jammies day. I'm cold again. I've got my polar fleece dressing gown, my flanny jammies, the reverse cycle airconditioner set on 25 and I'm still cold. Maybe it's the house. Maybe it's me. It's sunny outside; watery but sunny. And indoors the kitchen temp tells me it's around 17 deg C. I do three loads of washing and peg them out in the sun. It's lovely when the breeze isn't blowing, but doesn't help when I come indoors!

My WoW subscription has expired and I can't yet renew. The only other computer game I have is Sims 3. I install it and see how it goes. I'm bored! Wow, there are so many options on here I never knew existed. Alright .... let's see how it goes...

Sunday night? Where did that day go? Time to cook dinner - spaghetti and meatballs - and back to the game while I watch a little tv. Reruns of Bones and Castle then off to bed.

Good night!