Wot?!

It's been a slightly stressful week this week.

I mentioned in a previous post that my favourite manager is leaving. Now you can add another three of the GTs to that. Those of us who are left behind are a little shell shocked and there are a couple more expected. I think I also mentioned that the leaving of the manager left behind a task that I am really interested in.

I approached the GM to tell him I was interested. He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice, said he'd think about it for a bit. I started to tell him a little bit of why I wanted it, he reiterated that he would think about it and turned his back on me and went back to his screen.

Talk about brushed off! The cynic in me says he will dismiss my request out of hand because it doesn't fit in with his plans for his current golden boy.

That task is the only thing about my job that I really like. So, we shall see how soon I move on.

Apart from that, I guess the week as been pretty regular.

Friday night, Sunny brought a friend over and we settled down to eat, drink and watch a dvd. The Elder and the Teen with associated hangers on were due to arrive later that night. The movie was Shutter Island. I expected it to be creepy but it's not! There are a couple of atmospheric points, but nothing like the shorts led me to believe, and a big twist in the plot.

I'm not sure the others enjoyed it, but I liked it.

Everyone arrived safe and well later that night. We talked. We drank. We watched Rage. The Teen, Elder and others trundled off to bed. Sunny and his friend left around 1am, I chased Judah out around 1.45 am. It was a late night.

Saturday morning we were up early to take a trip out to the airport. We were to meet an ex of Raisin's to swap some stuff. The only thing was, we had no description. On the way we noticed a cruise ship docked in the river. I've not seen that before but we thought we would see if we could get a couple of photos on the way back.

We met up with the Ex and did the swap. I've finally got my rings back. And the bonus was some coffee, kopiko coffee lollies, and a handful of dvds. The only problem with that is that my player is very fussy and won't play a lot of dvds that are marked. And some of these are. I think they are copies. At least one of them is damaged and it won't play on either player, but will play on the mac. *sigh*

We paused for the pics on the way homeAs you can see, it's as tall as the buildings! This was about the best I could do. There isn't really anywhere you can stop on the side of the road for a good pic. The best view is on the main drag!

Saturday afternoon was quiet. I spent some time flashing the bling around. Saturday night the Teen and her boy went out to a friend's place. At around 12.30 we got a call to come pick them up. Her boy was too ill to get himself walked home. MOTH went out to get them. When he came back, I could hear voices but didn't pay much attention. MOTH came back to the bedroom. He told me he had to get some help from the Elder's lad to help get the boy out of the car! There is some suspicion of drink spiking because the onset of the illness was too quick to be much else. And he has no memory of what he said/did/happened. And the Teen swears he only had 3 drinks.

It was a rough night by all accounts.

The boy was very embarrassed in the morning.

Sunday dawned, bringing with it MOTH's birthday. I asked what he had planned. Not much. I asked what he wanted for dinner that night. He chose chicken braised with lemon grass. We had to nip out and buy the chicken and a lemon *i use that instead of lemon grass* and stuff for dinner was set.

I did a small spot of washing. Not much else. That afternoon we spent some time watching the some of the dvds.

Until dinner. It's not difficult, just a little time consuming by the time you flour, egg and flour the chicken and brown them in the pan. But the end result is absolutely delish. It's a popular fave among my lot.

After dinner MOTH requested that they do the washing up. I don't know why he does that - we have a dishwasher. Before I wandered off to bed, I stacked and started the dishwasher.

Goodnight everybody. Gosh I'm so tired!

I blinked. Where did that week go?

The week started well. A short week *maybe that's why i missed it?* because Monday was the Queen's Birthday long weekend. I stayed in my jammies ALL day. It was BRILLIANT! Yes. That's right. All day.

Then it was back to work and back to reality. Huh. I reject that reality and substitute my own.

Work has dragged by. There are things to do but my get up and go has got up and went. I just don't seem to have the energy or the motivation to accomplish any of my tasks. Or the interest. Perhaps it's time to consider a change? But that means I have to leave the security of my current position. I like the security. I work for a university so there is job security. Well, more so than if I were employed in the private sector.

Big decision.

I've been getting a lift to work with one of the GTs. It takes him a little out of his way, but also takes me a little out of my way. But works out cheaper than taking the bus every day. I hope. It does change the hours I work though as I match to his. Late starts and late finishes.

Thursday morning I had a training course, so I took the bus. I had to be there for a 9am start. Since I didn't know the location of the office *well i knew the location, i just didn't know the LOCATION* I thought I would arrive at 8.30am. Give myself plenty of time to check out the surrounds.

But on the way through the city, I caught a glimpse of someone dressed as a penis. Yes. A penis. There was someone else dressed as something else. I didn't see but thought it may have been a cell cluster. I have no idea what it was for - I didn't get time to find out.

Friday brought with it the news that my favourite Manager is leaving. He is going to work for the opposition. There has been some talk in the news about the proposed changes and the introduction of a new government funded provider. We will be continuing - business as usual - but it has been demoralising and will mean some changes to the way we put ourselves forward.

Saturday I relaxed a little. We nipped out for some grocery topups we hadn't managed to pick up on Thursday. Back home. I think I spent most of the day with the heater on. I'm not sure that the weather has been that cold really. But I certainly have.

Sunday I had a 'date' to meet a friend I used to work with. I left home in plenty of time to catch the bus into the city. It only comes once and hour and I didn't want to miss it. Busy playing kick-the-stick I failed to see the bus coming until the last second. Panic! I hailed it as it flew by and as I loped up to it I read the banner. Oh. I'd flagged down the outbound bus and was destined for a very short run to the shops up the road. *facepalm* Boy, did I feel sheepish....

The Divine Miss P and her boy joined me at the Coffee Club in the city. I had been looking forward to it for a few days. I arrived a little early and grabbed a table. Uh oh. I spotted a large spider crawling down the wall. Another lady did too and she moved table. I watched it progress down the wall and toward me.... *wary* It ran toward the centre of the path and away from my table. *still wary*

Miss P and Mr Vic snuck in the back way. I pointed out the wayward arachnid. I'll herd it she says. And it promptly begins to run toward me. I did a quickstep I can tell you. I congratulate myself on not yelling. It ran under the table, under my chair *VERY CLOSE TO MY FEET* and continued on. A woman at another table was sitting there with her feet in the air.....

I've not seen Miss P for some time. Mr Vic was a new quantity. He was very easy to talk to. We talked a lot. And laughed. I had hot chocolate, and a deluxe steak sandwich. We toddled around the market and went back to the shop for dessert. Talk was abruptly silence as an old gentleman wandered by outside. He was wearing a cap, hot pink suit, pale pink shirt, dark coloured bow tie and casual footwear....

Jay was working at the Coffee Club and due to finish at 3pm. I haven't had any time to spend with her for ages either. Miss P, Mr Vic and I finished dessert and talked some more. Suddenly it was 4pm and Jay was finishing work. We all said our goodbyes and Jay walked with me to the bus stop.

Whew. I finally got home around 6pm. Time to cook dinner, settle and watch a movie. Dang, back to work tomorrow.

Weekends are never long enough....

Queen's Birthday holiday. A long weekend. Last one for the year. How depressing!

This week has been a little hectic. I've been working on getting my travellers up and going. The ones headed for USA seemed to have managed to get away ok. At least, I've not had a phone call, so I'm guessing all worked out.

The one headed for Africa hit a rather major snag and decided not to travel. Apparently to travel to that area, a yellow fever vaccination is MANDATORY. It has a 10 day withholding period before you are allowed to travel. He found out he needed the injection less than 10 days before date of departure. No travel for him!

I haven't really be motivated to do an awful lot of work. Most of what I have lined up on the task list requires waiting for responses from other people. Unfortunately, I have those responses so I had best do something with them when I get back to the desk.

It's been cold this week. I don't like being cold. One morning I had been basking gently in the sun near one of the office windows. I turned around and started to move into one of the other rooms. Suddenly one of the young GTs is looming over me doing a zombie impression. I JUMPED! I'm sure I squealed like a girl. The GT collapsed laughing. And each time he saw me the rest of the day. *shakes head* I should be used to them looming. MOST of them are tall....

Thursday I had an hour off to attend a function for people who book travel. This time they served wine and cheese while Qantas did a presentation. Admin2 won a $50 voucher from quickbeds.

I love Friday afternoons. Have I ever told you that? Mmmm yes. Friday afternoons. I was determined to relax. Sunny didn't come over for movie night so I had the evening to myself. I settled in for an evening of Facebook and WoW.

Around 8pm I got a text from the Teen. Gin Gin sure is a hole during the dark! ?? What was that all about; thinking she was on her way to Bundaberg or such with a bunch of friends. I'll tell you in 4 hours is the reply. What?!

Yes, somewhere around 1 am, Teen and the Elder rocked up. With a guest.... I wasn't sure at first, but he's a very well behaved dog!

It was a surprise! Saturday we went out shopping with the Elder while doing not much in particular. The Teen stayed at home and snuggled in bed. *smart* On spur of the moment we thought we'd go to one of the other shopping centres where Elder put herself in line for a set of gel nails. They look good and didn't take too long either. MOTH and I sat in the food court and waited. Home after that. And that took most of Saturday. Saturday afternoon Sunny came down and they went into the city to spend some time together. The girls rocked back in time for dinner though. I had to pick them up because they ended up on the bus that stops at the shops, not our way. It was too cold to walk home! We girls took over my rumpus room and they drank some alcohol and msnn'd friends and laughed and giggled. And I played WoW.

Sunday we walked Freddy *our guest* up to the markets. Dog food was on the purchase menu. And a trip round the Sunday markets. Freddy was popular! But what can I say. He's a good looking dog. He behaved really well, even to the point of only cowering when enthusiastically sniffed by a VERY BIG DOG! No growl, no hackles. From either of them. We did see a very pretty young lady advertising a pet boutique. Sunday afternoon they went home and all was quiet again.

But they have promised to return in a couple of weeks! *does happy dance* Especially since they have to pick up the dog food they left behind.... *grins*

Dinner is in the first stage of prep and I'm relaxing while I wait. I'm thinking that I should be putting a load of washing through but I'm not there yet.

It's potato bake tonight. Should I have it with salad? I'm not sure. Sunday night should be a lazy dinner I think.

I love it when I get to see the native wildlife doing their wildlifey things. Last Tuesday I was dreaming out the bus window in the morning and happened to spy some kookaburras in the trees. Two were huddled together on one branch and a solitary one on a different branch in the same tree. A little further on I saw one on the wing. *smiles dreamily out the bus window*

On Tuesday I finally received the approval I needed to go ahead and book travel for a couple of the GTs. When I finally let the travel agent know we could go ahead, so much time had elapsed that the price for the airfare had doubled. This is not unexpected - the closer you get to the departure date, the more expensive the fares. I let my GM know. He was not pleased. There was not much I could do about it! Since the price increase was so dramatic, he decided he would have to speak to his boss and gain approval to spend the extra money.

Wednesday rolled around and no further action on the approval front. I thought I would let the travel agent know what was happening. My GM asked me to email his boss directly to advise what was happening. I did. Then the travel agent got back to me asking if the travellers would be willing to travel a day earlier. That dropped the price of the fares back to a more bearable level. I thought I would do the costs again, this time with the earlier days travel. It worked. Instead of a price increase of $2000, I had narrowed it down to an increase of $200. My GM was please but not effusive. He asked me to email his boss with the details. I emailed his boss. Surely enough, my phone rang. Can you please come around and explain this to me? I snuck around - who wants direct contact with the Director? - and explained what I had done. He was sooo happy! Happy and enthusiastic and sang my praises to the heavens for saving him having to explain to HIS boss. My GM was happy that his boss was happy and thanked me for my excellent work. Those travellers, he said, owed me big time. Huh. Somehow I don't think it's the TRAVELLERS who owe me, thanks!

Everything is booked and ticketed on Thursday and I can relax a little. But only a little. One of the travellers is not happy that he has to travel a day earlier and doesn't get to stay at the hotel of his choice. Not much I can do about that.

Thursday evening is grocery shop. We headed out to our favourite shopping centre. It's not the local one. This one is bigger. We are nearly home and suddenly we are not able to continue but instead are diverted through our local shopping centre car park. The road is closed. There are flashing red and blue lights, ambulances and fire engines. We follow the detour to the next road. No, that's blocked too. Luckily, there is another way for us to get home. Not long after we get home, they block off the intersection at the exit to our suburb. That's two entire blocks unpassable. The police cruiser parks at the intersection and stops the traffic. During the night, each time a fool tried to go past the cruiser, the lights flash, the siren blares and the horn announces THIS ROAD IS CLOSED. You'd be surprised how many fools there are.....

The cruiser is a few meters down from our house. MOTH, being MOTH, wanders down to talk to them. He reports back that a motorcycle and a bus have come together. The rider did not make it. It's after midnight when they finally clear the roadblock.

*dinner is delicious*

Friday is quiet. I think I'm coming down with something and I'm hoping not since we are joining Bestie and her hubby for lunch tomorrow.

Saturday I'm awake at some ungodly hour with a terrible headache. It's not helped by the nausea which accompanies it. I take some tablets and drift off to sleep again. It's after 8am when I wake again! We head out to finish the rest of the grocery shop and pick up drinks to take to lunch. Half twelve and we head our for a 3/4 hour drive to Bestie's place. She's happy to see us - it's been nearly 6 months since our last visit I think. The afternoon flies by and suddenly I realise we've been there 5 hours. I decide it's time to pack up, and I'm beginning to feel unwell again. Later that night the headache arrives again and I'm in bed by 10pm. I've gritted my teeth and hung on till the end of Happy Feet on the telly.

Sunday the headache is still there. I stumble out of bed around 7am and take more medication. We are supposed to be going to the movies today; I'm hoping it will ease by then. MOTH heads out for his smiles and I take the opportunity to vacuum the floor. Yes! I did. Don't fall over. And I mopped the space around the kitchen bench where the oven and stove top is.

I've decided to sell the laptop so I spend some time uninstalling some of the programs. I'm still not completely finished. Small things now like disconnecting from my home network. I'm thinking of asking $700 but I'm not sure. It's a Toshiba Satellite, 2.0 GHz intel core duo processor, 4GB ram, 1GB cache, 250GB HDD and Vista Business. Am I asking too much?

I'm feeling ok and we decide on Ironman 2. It's a great movie! I think I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. Which MOTH insists he hasn't seen.

Home at 4pm; I'm still feeling a bit iffy and it's time for a hot bath and a good book. Then to cook dinner. I still haven't started that washload. I think I'd better do something about that.

Getting back to normal!

So I'm recovering from conference week and catching up on terrible things like washing. And suddenly it's Saturday afternoon and Jawsome has rocked up for a visit.

Alright, we knew he was coming so it wasn't a total surprise. And he's very entertaining and always welcome.

The biggest problem I have when Jawsome visits is that he is a very fussy eater. Verry. Fussy. But as long as there are chips on his plate and absolutely NO hint of anything resembling any other vegetable, he's happy.

The rest of Saturday passed quietly as we finished off the washing. Steak and chips for dinner. I think.

Sunday I spent some time catching up on chores and I think I sent the boys out to the shops by themselves. Or maybe they made me come with them. Sometimes the experience of going to the local shopping centre is so traumatically boring I block the memory.

Monday it's back to work to try tidy up the conference leftovers. There is shipping to organise. That is the return of our goods from the conference organiser; the stuff left over that wasn't given out and other things from our stand. The conference organisers arrange couriers for vendors who have a stand at the trade show, but ours is couriered back with the organisers things, then couriered on to us at a later time.

And a box for me to unpack, business cards to sort out and evaluation papers to pass on. This keeps me busy for a day or sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can stretch it a bit longer.

Tuesday, Admin2 phones in sick. And for the rest of the week I'm on my own. Have I mentioned that I don't like doing any of her work?? It's boring stuff and interferes with my enjoyment of the day.

Wednesday is State of Origin. Whoo! I go for blue, MOTH goes for maroon. I do this just to make life interesting. For those overseas visitors who haven't a clue what I'm talking about, this could be as big as the Superbowl. But with footballers. Well, rugby league. It sparks a great rivalry between Queensland (Maroon) and New South Wales (Blues). It's based on where a player played their first club game of league. Team mates for regular matches can end up opponents for State of Origin. There are 3 games played over a period of around 6 weeks every year in June/July.

What can I say? It's big.

Jawsome also barracks for the blues. Wednesday night we all gathered in the rumpus room to watch the match. Some of us were in the spirit of the game, some less so. *memo to me: post that pic on facebook*

Sometime during the week, Jawsome adjusted the sale price on his car. He had two responses within a very short time. Strange, considering he's had the car listed on an online site for some considerable time and the only responses so far have been scammers. He gave MOTH and I a small donation for looking after the car for him. Sweet!

Thursday night the paperwork was complete and the car was gone. It feels strange to walk into the garage and there be space. And I can even use the clothes line!

Because yes, sometime during this week the dryer carked it. Again. The door hinge keeps breaking. So now I'm back to hanging everything out. How old fashioned!

Jawsome left on Friday to return to his place of abode. The house is once again silent.

MOTH bought dinner Friday night, and I contributed to the drinks and dvds. Sunny comes over for dvd night; this time Judah came too. We sat through an extravaganza of oversized food, laughing and feeling a little nauseated at times. So MUCH food! Followed by an alien invasion with a twist. Ok, we watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Planet 51.

Saturday I decided to spend some more of my donation. It took ages to decide what to spend it on, but oddly enough I've sent MOTH off to spend the last of it today and all I have to show for it is new underthings. Which turned out to be the wrong size. Ah, sometimes it's like that.

I watched a dvd; turned out this one also had an alien invasion with a twist. I cried; the hero sacrificed himself to save the natives. That doesn't happen very often! The movie is an animation called Battle for Terra. Soft, slow but oddly moving.

Sunday was chill out day. I'm catching up on my reading. Today's novel is a Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mystery. Curled on the couch because it's raining today....

Photos

Back home again. Mmmmm yes.

The week is over and I'm back home again. Ready to sort washing and restock the fridge and cupboards. Yeah....

Once Wednesday rolled around it wound up quickly. There are 3 full days of conference and Thursday and Friday are reserved for tutorials. There aren't as many people those days and the sponsors are all gone. It's amazingly quiet. Wednesday we celebrate with a staff and guests function where we watch a movie and pig out. This year there was fish and chips, salt & pepper squid, vegetable kebabs, caesar salad, mini maltesers, dessert things, ice creams, beer, wine, and softdrink with Avatar thrown in for good measure. I love the Wednesday night function the best.

Thursday I attended a meeting that took most of the morning. I use the term loosely. It's more like a group discussion. It's a part of the program but I've never attended before. It was very interesting. I had the afternoon free and MOTH and I decided it was time to actually get out of the venue for a while.

We decided to drive out. Somewhere. And ended up at Pacific Fair shopping centre. We wandered around there for a while window shopping. I like window shopping. I like people watching too. If you've never been to Pacific Fair, the centre is huge and has many many shops in the main areas, and more shops in a paved courtyard setting. Almost like streets. However, the day had become overcast and the temperature dropped a little, so we stuck mainly to the indoor areas.

Time to leave and the exit, of course, comes out on a different road. Recipe for disaster really....

Ummm which way are we going? Dunno? Let's just drive and see what happens. And ended up in a fit of giggles. MOTH points to a sign. Oh, well, we don't really want to go to Nerth Balley! (North Burleigh) And I wasn't much better. While waiting at the lights, I misread a sign and wondered what a Fully Whipped Guy had to do with anything (Fully Equipped Gym) Go figure.

We spotted a KFC across the road from a funeral home. Which was right next door to a storage facility. MOTH asks me, what does it mean when there is a vet right across from a pie shop? Ummm, the meat is fresh?

We drove past 2nd Avenue, 3rd Avenue and finally decided to turn at 4th Avenue. It seemed we were headed south when we should be heading north. Back onto the road near the beach and follow that. Oh. Only a left turn. We take it and end up right back on the road we first left ... heading south. Eventually we plugged in the GPS and headed back.

So Friday rolls around. I didn't attend anything but helped the Conference organisers *what? we don't do it ALL ourselves!* with the tutorial registrations and sat around talking. You never know when you might need to help with something. And after a free lunch *i scabbed some for MOTH* we left for home.

Back to the washing and restocking of the fridge and cupboards.....

Music to the max!

It's 11.30 pm on Tuesday. The Gala *galah* dinner has wound down and I'm mellow and ready for sleep.

Monday seemed uncommonly busy. Or maybe it was just first day set up. There seemed to be a lot of people around the booth area, the foot traffic ebbing and flowing with the timing of the talks.

We have a new booth position this year. I'm not sure if we will be able to use the same spot for 2011, depending on what others think. The booth ended up directly under the stairs. Admin2 and one of the managers hated it on sight. When I say directly under the stairs, that's exactly what I mean. It wasn't Harry Potter under the stairs, but it's a close run thing. It's also a major walkway, with plenty of foot traffic through the centre of the booth. This year we had been granted a full booth space, plus a small area on the other side of the walkway that had been used by a small vendor exhibit which was not in place for 2010.

By the end of today, Admin2 was rethinking her position, conceding that although there was foot traffic, more people seemed to be stopping to talk. I like the position because it's directly in front of the entrance way and there is lots of foot traffic. The manager hates it because of those exact same reasons. It's claustrophobic cause it's under the stairs. We are sharing space this year and she thought they were taking away the focus from us. There was too much foot traffic. *sigh* Can't please some people.

The gala dinner was tonight. It started with a gathering poolside. Outdoors. Brr! The temperature was relatively mild but were it any colder I wouldn't have gone out there. After about half hour, we were called in to get seated for dinner. I didn't know where we wanted to sit. I confess I did get a bit snappy with MOTH as I was trying to find someone I knew, talk to him and take a photo all at the same time. He got grumpy cause he couldn't hear what I was saying. I repeated myself, too loudly it seemed. Ah well, off to a good start. We ended up sitting with one of the managers, and discovered that two very high profile names were also at the table.

Entree was already awaiting at the table. Poached chicken or a lamb dish. I had the chicken. The meat was tender, with a salty feta. Excellent dish. Then entertainment. Whoo! Jimoein. An Irish comedian with a very Australian flavour. I think maybe some of the references were over the head of some of the overseas guests. I doubt they would have gotten the reference to kangaroos going to the side of the road to die.... Perhaps they were wondering why the Aussies were laughing like mad things. There were awards presented and then the main meals came out. MOTH had barramundi, I had beef. Again, the meat was tender. A thick fillet, topped with a field mushroom and some sort of glaze. Very, very good. One of the high profile guests bought a bottle of red wine and offered it around. No one spoke up so I timidly took him up on the offer. It was very good. I had almost finished my glass when the waitress began to pour some of the house red into the glass! I was offered a refil by the person who bought the bottle; he commented that sometimes the blend could be very good. After a small time he asked the waitress for some of the house red and experimented with the blend.

The second round of entertainment was a group called Yummy Opera. They sing some opera songs and get a member of the audience up to play the male lead of Carmen. It is quite funny although a lot rests on the shoulders of how well the male lead becomes involved. Our bunny tonight got right into the spirit of the thing and it was hard to tell that he wasn't actually a part of the act. He was brilliant.

Dessert eventually rolled out, and I had to sample a little of everything. Small things from the buffet. The white chocolate dome was to die for. A white chocolate shell with some very fluffy, creamy white stuff in the middle.

So now, with feet very very sore, I did the walk of shame to the lift. We're back in the room and I'm ready for sleep!

G'night!

Wotta week!

The last week has been both stressful and fun. It flew by, as it always does when you are pressed for time.

The conference loomed close and I was fast running out of time to finish everything before the big event. But finish it I did and everything was packed and ready. Fingers crossed.

During the week, friends of MOTH stopped by for a visit for a couple of days before returning to home many hours north. MOTH hasn't seen his friend for some time and it's been over 2 years since I last saw either B or his wife L.

It was great to catch up with both of them; I was greeted with hugs and kisses when I got home from work. To see B and MOTH together was a revelation. Both of them teased each other mercilessly, pinching, hitting, throwing things and giggling like children tucked behind the bike sheds in the school ground. I've not seen MOTH that relaxed and happy for some time.

Thursday morning I glanced out the bus window and noticed a pedestrian with a death wish trying to cross the busway. BY NOT USING THE OVERPASS but trying to dash directly across from one platform to another. *shakes head* Some people obviously have difficulty thinking. And he wasn't some stupid teenager either.

Friday afternoon, two of the GTs who were taking the work wagon to the coast for the conference left before everything was packed. This left a rather large box full of monitors, boxes etc to be transported there. I volunteered to take it. When we tried to fit it in the car we found out it was a wee bit bigger than we expected. Yoiks. We tried the boot. Nup. One look ruled that out. We tried the back seat. Ummm nope, the door wouldn't open wide enough. After much pushing and pulling we fitted it into the front seat and lay the back of the seat right down to rest on the back seat. Whew.

Saturday we packed. I must be losing my touch. Here I was travelling to a conference and I hadn't finished packing on the morning of the day we are due to depart. All my previous travel has meant that I have sorted out my outfits the week before, put them aside to make sure they were clean and have the suitcase 3/4 packed about 3 days before departure. I must be getting slack.

Saturday lunch time we left for the coast. Traffic down was fairly clear. I sat in the back seat and ended up falling asleep. For most of the way down it seems.

Saturday night we thought to heck with the cost, we'd dine in. No one seemed to have made any plans and Saturday night is fend for yourself. We dined in the restaurant. Wagu beef fillet with greens and truffle flavoured mash. Wary of the mash, we decided we go with it anyway on recommendation from the waiter. It turned out to be absolutely fabulous. The greens were crisp and flavoursome - broccolini, asparagus and beans, lightly sauteed in butter with a side of aoili. Or something. The mash had a slightly peppery taste and went very well with the rest of the meal. The meat was tender and cooked to perfection. A cheese platter followed. Several different types of cheese, dried apples and pears and quince paste. My credit card groaned but we shall deal with the consequences later, right?

Sunday was an all day work affair for me, beginning at around 07:30 and going through until 17:30. This is an event I do most of the organising for, liaising for catering and venue etc. It's a part of the conference and yet a separate event in that it's held on the Sunday all day; conference proper doesn't commence until the welcome reception at around 18:00 that night.

So now it's Monday 21:35, I'm pooped. The first day is completed, the sponsor cocktails have finished and I've been trying to work. Unfortunately, the web site isn't playing the game and I shall have to try again tomorrow. If it doesn't do it for me tomorrow, I shall be forced to phone the help desk. *sigh* Fingers crossed, it's an important and somewhat urgent task I need to complete.

Photos to follow. If I find any that I think are good enough to post, that is!

Each week lately it's the same thing. I'm sure I've seen things and thought, oh might include that in my blog, but when I get to writing it I cannot remember a single one of them. Old Timers. I need a secretary to follow me around all week and take notes.

Which might be a good thing for my boss. I was a wee bit annoyed last week when an email popped up out of the blue. Approval for my holidays. And I was already back at work. No holiday pay for me. Yet. It certainly would have come in handy. Ah well. Maybe the next pay. *feels like qld health system*

This last week at work has been busy. It's coming up to conference time and I seem to be spending almost my entire day on conference stuff.

And averting the odd crisis of course. We've had a volunteer help us build the 'master' for duplicating multiple - many multiple - times. Deadlines were very close; I'd managed to negotiate a 5 working day window with the duplicator, as opposed to the requested 7 days. Then the day before it was supposed to be sent to the duplicator, the volunteer couldn't finish it! Oh MY! Nerves were taut as I didn't know who we could ask to take over the task and no one's suggestions seemed feasible. Eventually I asked one of the GT's if he could finish it for me. He said ok. And it turned out to be a MUCH bigger job than he thought. He finished it at 4pm that afternoon. And it STILL had to be at the duplicators that day. I wasn't able to get a courier as they had finished their run for the day. We thought about putting it in a taxi but it would have taken them ages to get here too. Eventually I asked MOTH, who was picking me up from work anyway, if he would mind taking me all the way into the city to drop it off. He was game and off we went. Traffic was horrendous, and I was delivering the CD twenty minutes after I said I would. But the duplicator had stayed open for me! Now I just have fingers crossed that they deliver in time as promised.

These days I don't do much on the weekends. Groceries are done Thursday night as a rule so there is really no reason to leave the house on the weekends. Gosh. I must be getting old! But I'm sure I'd do things if the moths in the wallet would leave something behind! Maybe....

Saturday morning, just for something different, we headed out to finish the groceries. MOTH normally does a partial shop during the day and we finish off that evening. This time he couldn't as we were using the credit card and he'd forgotten to keep back some cash. We thought we'd try a new butcher.

MOTH told me to amuse myself while he went to look for a Mother's Day present the Elder has asked him to find. Oh, and look! It's Smiggle and EB Games, right next to each other! *HEAVEN* I barely had enough time to look around Smiggle and he was back. The shop isn't there! It doesn't exist anymore and it's all just a blank wall. Oh, I say. And I make him tell me what he's looking for. *i know, i know. i ruined the surprise* Are you sure and it's definitely not relocated? Nope, he says. It's not here. *disappointment. perks up* We'll just have to try the other shopping centre. And as we wandered out to the carpark, we went past the newsagent - and there it was in the window. w00t!

But I had to wait till Sunday....

Sunday morning and I was up with the birds. Nothing new there. I sat myself in front of the computer and WoW'd my heart out till MOTH got up. And no, I didn't get breakfast in bed. I didn't get breakfast cooked for me. Which is all perfectly fine thank you. I got my Darrell Lea Mum's bag and all was right with the world.

And I went right back to WoW for the rest of the day, stuffing myself with licorice until it was time to cook dinner. MOTH said I was allowed to make curried sausages out of the left over sausages. *loves*

And I think I ate too much licorice.....

Did I Just See My Holiday Whizzing By?

The week is over and I'm back to reality.

The concert was great! But I think I outlined that already on the last posting.

Wednesday rolled around and was spent doing washing and catching up for Sibling2 to go home.

I volunteered to monitor email from home while I was on holiday. It's something I usually avoid like the plague, but for a week and getting to conference crunch time, I didn't see the worth of showing someone else what was going on. Far easier just to do it myself. I spent some time doing that as well.

Wednesday afternoon, we headed out to the airport and decided we would also drop Raisin's belongings off at the freighters while we were out there. *now THERE is a saga I would much rather not have participated in!*

It was easier to 'push Sibling2 out of the car on the way past' then head off to the depot. I did, however, stay with her through check in while MOTH 'drove around the block'. She was worried about the weight of her bag but it turned out to be fine. It also worked out that there was no line and we walked straight up. If only it worked like that a bit more often!

Down to the Qantas depot where the lass we'd been emailing sent us. They didn't know what we wanted, and called her. Oh no, we should have gone to the agent. And the lady behind the desk gave us the building number and directions. We eventually found it, and headed into the office. Oh no, they should have sent you to the counter in the International terminal. But we're happy to handle it here for you. *big smiles all round* There was plenty of paperwork to fill out, amongst which was an estimate of how much the belongings were worth. We were told not to make it too high as taxes may have to be paid at the collection point. Fair enough. I estimated fairly low. *as it turns out, not low enough and there is complaint cause she has to pay heaps of tax* Unaccompanied baggage is so much cheaper! And the staff at the depot were really helpful.

But I'm somewhat disgruntled about the whole process and am determined not to be so helpful next time...

The rest of the week was spent just chillaxin and playing WoW. I've established an account and was determined to make the most of it before I had to go back to work.

The house is so empty now that MOTH spends his time in his study and I spend mine in the rumpus/family room. We can't see or hear each other. Occasionally I make and effort to wander his way, say hello and see if he wants anything. It's perfect. We don't live in each other's way, we both get to spend solitary time and yet we're there if the other person needs something.

And today, I get up early in the morning to go to work. *depressing* And it's still dark. I don't like winter much!

Seller beware!

MOTH was so proud of himself.

He came bouncing down to the rumpus room. I just got scammed!!

He is selling a car and got a response. I'm at sea, I want to buy for my brother in law. Can you please send your bank acc details so blah blah blah.

But no! MOTH didn't fall for that. Either because of that tabloid television stuff - maybe it's good for something after all - or my constant nagging to be suspicious he knew it for what it was.

He replied, advising that he didn't give out bank details and if the bloke could send an agent round with the money, he'd be happy to take it.

MOTH was so proud of himself!

Grabbing some culture!

Pop culture!

Sibling2 comes for a visit. We are going to a concert! Yay! It means I have an excuse to kick off the shackles and go out. Brilliant.

I get a text message from the Teen. Phone me, I want to chat! And in the course of that chat, I discover that she has changed address and now shares with a friend and her family. Oh, she says. I thought I told you? No, you didn't. When did this happen? Oh, about the 21st. *sigh*

But back to the concert.....

The show starts around 7pm but using public transport means we have to leave home around 3.20pm. That gives us time to get into the city, grab something to eat and make the transfer for the next leg of the journey. There is a downside; we need to be sure of what train we need to catch in order to make the return journey. On the odd occasion, the last train leaves before the show finishes.

We jump the bus from the stop just up the road. After a few stops, Sibling2 comments It's busy! Yes, I reply. Quite busy for a weekend. But wait. It's Tuesday. Off to a good start, aren't we.

We chatter the whole way, something we're good at. The youth in front of us shifts one seat up. Pfft! Obviously we were disturbing his iPod time.

We arrive at destination stop and decide to grab something for dinner. The golden arches wins out. I'm not satisfied with my burger. I've ordered a chicken bacon deluxe. I think. I discovered that it has the soft bun with the fancy flour dusted on the top. Urgh, it makes my mouth dry. Halfway through I decide the bacon is missing. When ordering dessert *loves those soft serve cones* I realise that the chicken burger was on the M menu and now I think about it, I was only charged for the chicken deluxe. But he didn't even offer me crispy or seared! I would have chosen seared, not the crispy I was given. *mental note to investigate the menu in more detail to avoid having to make hasty decisions!*

We arrive at the concert and there don't seem to be many people here. That changes as time wears on. The doors open and we are in!

We find our seats. Sibling2 is a little disappointed that at time of booking, she couldn't specify which location she wanted the seats. Once the section / ticket level (gold, silver etc) is chosen the seat allocations in those sections are automated. We didn't have too bad of a view though really.

At 7pm, Boom Crash Opera appeared and did a half hour acoustic set. It was great to hear his voice with no background interference. He sounded just like they did on the singles, so I'm guessing there wasn't much help electronically to sell the music. Not like today's sound at all.

The crowd reacted well.

By the end of the set, people were still streaming in to be seated. The stage cleared, houselights came up while they set up for the next act.

Cue the next act and the crowd is excited, jumping up and down, cheering and whistling. I was grateful then that we didn't have the seats on the main floor of the auditorium. There is no way I would have been able to see at all as seating down there is not tiered.
The best reaction from the audience comes when they play the songs everyone knows. There was no song in their set that I didn't like. They remarked that one of the songs - Floating Down the River - was never included in an album except a compilation called Greatest Hits. I think maybe I have that album and I will have to check when I get home.

The set is finished, the crowd goes wild and houselights come up for intermission.

People stream back in, house lights go down and the whistling and cheering begin again for the main act. Spandau Ballet we love you! This is the last performance of their Reformation tour.

They blast off with To Cut a Long Story Short and we're off and racing for an hour and a half of fun and good music. They sang their old favourites and one from their new album. It was a ballad and I think I like it. They are all a lot older, but they can still belt it out. Tony Hadley still has a strong and brilliant voice.

The set ends and the crowd claps and screams for more. I'm right along there with them. Eventually they return to the stage and do two more songs. The last one is ... Gold! It wasn't done in the main set, so they HAD to be saving it for encore, right?

Finally, the auditorium begins to empty and everyone is headed for cars and train. I'm a tad dismayed by the number of people headed for the train station. But to my surprise, most of them are crossing the overpass and very few are standing on the platform. I asked Sibling2 if she had enjoyed it. It was a bit of a dumb question really.

We are finally back at destination station and are steeling ourselves for the interminable wait in the cold for a taxi. But wait. There is one on the rank. A-maz-ing! We jump in. The driver has a thick accent. Great. Taxi's don't necessarily have a great reputation around here. The taxi is clean and tidy. Oh. Wait. This one has a GPS and he isn't afraid to use it. We key in the address and we're off. That's the last we hear from the driver until we pull up. He tells us the fare and laughs with Sibling2 because she tells him to keep the 10c change. Then he wishes us a good night. A surprisingly pleasant taxi ride.

We stumble indoors making all sorts of racket. Poor MOTH. I check the Tears for Fears album I have and am disappointed to discover it's not the compilation album.

I tumble into bed and wish MOTH goodnight. Or goodmorning as the case may be. He grunts and mumbles that we made a lot of noise. And it turns out he hadn't locked the door, only the screen so we wouldn't have to tear the place down to get inside.

Ah well. Maybe next time I will remember to check the handle first before flying at it with the key ... or maybe not.

On holiday and going nowhere

Sometime during the week a work colleague stopped me in front of the building. I LOVE your halo dye job! she gushed and proceeded to tell me all about someone suggesting she had one.

I'm standing there, gobsmacked. What the heck is a halo dye job? Eventually I think I worked out that it was a 'do that involved a different colour at the top of the hair than to the bottom. As opposed to the top layers being a different colour.

Ummmm Sharon? You know how my hair used to be purple? This is what's left. This red/gold is the colour that the purple has left. The top you call an ashy colour is ummm.... me. Brown and grey.

I thought she was going to collapse. Her turn for the gobsmacking-ness.

On Wednesday, I went for an echocardiogram (ECG). The most stunning thing was that it seems I do have a heart afterall. In spite of that, everything turned out to be normal.

Sibling2 is coming to visit. I had asked for a couple of days off. During the meeting on Thursday morning, my boss said that he would take the week off because it was between two long weekends. Oh, I said. I only asked for a couple of days. Take the whole week he says! That way you can have ten days. So I did.

Now I just have to find ways to fill the days.

Sibling2 arrived on Saturday but didn't arrive at my house until Sunday. That evening she arrived with a couple of friends in tow. The lass was very funny. A sense of humour quite similar to mine.

Monday was the public holiday but some shopping centres were open. We travelled out to Indooroopilly shopping centre for a period of time. MOTH stayed until just after lunch then headed home, leaving Sibling2 and myself unchapperoned. We gave Sibling2's wallet a workout and a headache. Then caught the bus home. The timing was perfect as we only had to wait five minutes. Otherwise we'd have to wait another hour. Whew!

Home and collapse on the couch. Why does an outing for a few hours of shopping feel so exhausting when you get home? We sat and watched some terrible afternoon television while stuffing ourselves with sweets.

Mmm.........

It's Sunday

Around 8.30pm and I'm exhausted and ready to sleep. The only reason I'm not is that I'll be awake at some ungodly hour.

Bones is on and it's hard to write this and concentrate on the telly at the same time!

Sometime during the week I tried to chat to Sibling1. Somehow or another we couldn't coordinate our computer time and the very short conversation took a very long time. But I did find out that the keyboard works while I'm sitting on the couch. What a shame I couldn't read what appeared on the screen. It was too far away!

This week marked the Centenary of The University of Queensland. There was a cake cutting ceremony and speeches. Champagne, orange juice and sparkling water were offered for the toast. Small squares of cake were passed around and it was very difficult to get through the students seeking free stuff! I missed out on the champers, but managed to get a very small piece of cake. Someone took the piece I was looking at because I stopped to grab a serviette. *darn those manners of mine!*

Saturday was a lazy day. Well, for me. MOTH spent time in the garden digging up plants. And shrubs. And making a mess. I had a go at installing an expansion pack for my latest game. It surely takes some getting used to. This mac business is so different when you've been using Windows for years. Eventually I figured out what I was doing and all works well.

I thought about attending the Sunday Centenary celebrations at the University.

Sunday dawned and none too brightly. Forecast was for rain.

Sitting in the rumpus room, MOTH decided he would go up to the local shopping centre. Did I want to leave at the same time? Sure. He was ready to go now. I grabbed my bag, phone and papers. While sitting at the bus stop I suddenly realised that I would be going out in public with NO makeup. Not a scratch. *eeeeeeep!* And no food for lunch. And no money in my wallet to buy food either. *well planned, hey*

Arrived at the campus about 11.30am. What was I going to do first? MOTH didn't come with me; we'd be on our feet for most of the day and I didn't intend to leave before 6.30pm.

First stop was the art gallery.
There was a sign at the front advising cameras not allowed. I can see their point but it was disappointing not to be able to take photos. *for us sign abiding citizens! there were people taking photos in spite of that* Both my favourites were oils. One was the top of a lady's head as she lays on her side, head toward the viewer. She's clothed in black. She's blonde with highlights and lowlights in her hair. The second I thought was a photo, in shades of purple. A leather couch with an abstract painting hung above it. The couch is very much a man's couch. Strong, dark. It has dog's feet. It sits on a carpet with an old fashioned pattern. Then I discovered that it was an oil painting.....

Finished that and headed out to catch a tour through the state of the art teaching spaces. Oh, I missed it by about 5 minutes. I then had 20 minutes until the story telling session. I waited and eventually decided to wait outside the room where it was scheduled. It seems that I've managed to sit myself right where the story telling will be held. There were 4 stories. They were great! The first was Kookaburra and he saved grumpy Wombat from a bush fire. The first story teller was very animated and did lots of actions, making the kids join in. The second story was about a magic cupboard. Whatever you wished for you could have when you opened the cupboard but each time you took something out, you had to put something back. It was meant to make us think about each time we take and don't put back. The third was the story of a travelling man in China who slept at an inn where the landlady turned guests into donkeys. Goanna Jumps High was number 4, told again by the first story teller. It was about a goanna who won the high jump at interschool sports. I could almost hear the aboriginal kids yelling at each other - look out! He's comin! He'll run right up your leg and sit on your head!!

From there it was out to watch John Meyer play.

I like his music. After his set finished I had some time to waste. I visited the Anthropology Museum. I'd never been through there before. There wasn't much in it.

Back to the music to catch the last of Montpelier's set. Then the fill in music while they set up for the Riptides. Apparently these blokes used to be ..... Gangajang. Whoo! I sat through a couple of songs from the set and moved on. I found myself at the writer's hub while four authors talked about how they came to be published. They were very amusing.

Time for the finale of the evening. Oh no. It's starting to rain. Not heavily but raining none the less.

Eventually it starts and it was great! The event was a performance by Deep Blue. A youth orchestra with a different twist on their performances. They aren't seated in one place but move around the stage as they play. They are very good.

MOTH spent the day tidying up the mess he created in the garden on Saturday. Think I got the better deal.

It's Sunday. Around 9.30pm and I'm exhausted.

Friendly buses appear in Star Wars now!

And they are on a mission to the Ewok planet! Yes, the kid was on the bus again.

I spent a fair bit of last week trying to decide if I wanted to go to the movies. Then what I wanted to see. And coordinating that with what MOTH wanted to see. Tough job that.

I narrowed it down to two. Clash of the Titans, or How to Train Your Dragon. They were both in 3D. I'm not sure about 3D because my eyes don't like it. And I seem to suffer from something my then pilates instructor called 'positional vertigo'. Makes big screen movie viewing an experience.

So. Which movie. And then MOTH pipes with with an idea to watch the new Jackie Chan movie. Spy something or other. Wait! That wasn't in the mix! I ignored it.

Eventually I picked How to Train Your Dragon. 3D and all. Oh. And look. They have the parking deal back on again. If you can get a park in the cinema park *ha!* you have it for free if you see a movie. Otherwise, it's see a movie and pay $3. Sweet!

We decided to drive and park.

Saturday morning we did the usual and stopped at the local shopping centre. Saw one of MOTH's friends up there and chatted for a while. Then home to waste a bit of time before heading out to the cinema.

There was a huge line up for the cinema park, even with a flashing sign saying FULL. We chose another option.

The movie was great! I loved it. Quirky and fun. And the 3D didn't bother me at all. And we got to keep the glasses!

The surprise came when we went to validate the parking. Sorry, they said. We don't validate parking for that car park. Our car park is Secure Parking. It's over near the convention centre.

And that, people is NEARLY 3 BLOCKS AWAY. We had parked in the one across the road....

I know we weren't the only ones caught too. I know I only read the bold print for the pricing on the web page and ignored the map and the small print. I KNOW where the cinema is, why do I need to look at the map? I thought about leaving feed back to let them know they need to change the wording so it SAYS IN LARGE LETTERS THAT THE PARKING IS NOT THE PARKLANDS!!

It cost me an unexpected $15 for the outing and I didn't have enough cash. Fortunately they take credit cards now and I just had enough balance left on it....

Next time, I'm taking the bus.

Sunday I stayed at home all day. I vacuumed the kitchen area and did some washing. That was my Sunday.

I love days like that.

Back to normal

MOTH took great delight in reminding me yesterday that I had to head back to work today. It was a countdown ... in 12 hours you'll be at work, on your second cup of coffee ...

Saturday was a normal store trading day. Thank heavens! Do you have ANY idea how BORING it is sitting round in your jammies doing nothing??? MOTH wanted to go to the local shopping centre for smiles, coke and some groceries. So ... while we're out, how about we drop by the second hand place (different suburb) and I'll see if they'll take my old phone? We'll pick up the groceries from the other suburb after we've been to the second hand place. That way we won't have to come home first.

Fair enough. And that way we don't have to come back home. Alright, off we go. And when we were out, MOTH realised he'd forgotten to take his medication ... so we had to stop at home anyway.

We found the second hand place and they were happy to take the old phone. They don't pay much, but they didn't quibble about the price I asked. *wonder if i asked too little*

While there, I thought we'd drop by EB Games. *my FAVE store* They were having a sale so I managed to get the game I've been wanting for a while AND an expansion pack for $50. Whoo! I've also discovered that it's very hard to get games for the iMac. You'd think since this platform is becoming more popular, they'd do something about it!

The afternoon was spent working on tidying up more of the garden.

Sunday I thought I'd test out my hands free set up for the phone. I've never used one before. Heck, that would mean actually TALKING to someone. Why do that when I can text? And I've never really used any of them as MP3 players either, even though they've all had the capability. So. Turn on the bluetooth and away we go. I called the Elder. No point calling the Teen, it's 9am on a Sunday. She won't be conscious yet. Elder and I chatted for a while, the phone on the desk and me sitting at the outdoor table. It worked well. I phoned the Teen later in the day. I'm still not sure if the Teen is settling in well. It's been nearly 4 weeks now. It would be nice if she could earn a decent wage and support herself in her own place. THAT is what she would like too I think.

Spent some more time in the garden, chopping palm fronds so they would fit in the garden bin. I think someone is going to have to organise an extra run to clear it away!

Monday MOTH insisted I look at the laptop. It's running slow. Well, there's extra stuff on it now. I'm guessing the antirvirus would want to check some of those files as well as it loads? Yeah but it's SLOW! I NEED you to have a look at it. And there's a window that comes up at the top of the web page I look at. It didn't do that before! Alright, I'll look, but I don't know how I can fix anything. *i have degree. it's years out of date. and they don't teach you anything useful while they're at it, either. but hey! i know everything*

So Monday was spent cleaning off some applications that I don't think we use anymore, cleaning up disk space and trying to run a defrag. I've never done one of those in Vista before. There is no progress metre! How can you tell if it's even doing anything?? Hours later it still wasn't finished. MOTH complained. He doesn't like using the iMac - it's different. I suggested to MOTH that perhaps it stops running when the screen saver pops up or it goes into hibernation? So I sat with it for an hour or so just twitching the mouse occasionally so it didn't sleep.

MOTH gave up and turned it off at dinnertime. It had been running all afternoon anyway.

Good Friday

But hey, any Friday is good for me. Especially around 4pm.

*whoa. seems i need my glasses after all. this is MUCH better - i can actually see!*

Sunny came over last night. We decided that since it was Easter this weekend, we'd have our movie night early. Bring on the popcorn! He gave us our Easter gifts - a Lindt *yes, it DOES deserve a capital!* bunny for me and a pack of cream biscuits for MOTH. We had dinner and settled in to watch a movie. Hadn't picked which one yet, that takes time. We watched a bit of telly while he played with his DS then we chose.... The Mummy.

I love this movie. A rollicking good tale that requires suspension of disbelief and a willingness to just enjoy the tale.

Judah joined us part way through after he finished work. He gave MOTH and I our Easter gifts - a Lindt bunny for me *do my boys know me or what??* and a 2L bottle of coke for MOTH. He joined us for the rest of the movie. I remarked that segments of the movie reminded me of creeping through the corridors and passageways of AvP. Judah commented that it reminded him of a scene from a movie he watched which involved a big snake and treasure. He couldn't remember what it was and confessed that it would now bother him for some time, till he could remember. Sunny passed the odd comment during the movie and didn't even seem to notice that I was doing my usual thing and commenting *pointing out flaws* during the movie too!

Being Judah, as soon as the movie finished, he hopped online and began researching. By the time he gave up a couple of hours later, we decided it must have been one of the Anaconda movies. Still not certain though. He began researching possible holiday destinations for this weekend and Sunny fell asleep on my lap.

After they left I staggered off to bed. I think it was around half 1am. And the people across the road were beginning to get noisy. We ended up closing the bathroom window and door. There, that will learn 'em!

Today I was up again at 6am. The telly went on and I settled to watch some mind numbing viewing. MOTH wandered out to say good morning and wandered away again. I remember seeing the end of Zorro at around 7.30 and when I looked again, it was 9.15. Whoops, I must have dozed off.

I wandered off to our room and made the bed. And lay down. *couldn't help it, looked too inviting* and woke up again at lunch time. Hmmmm. Still in my jammies.

Made lunch. Watched some telly. Played on Facebook. Around 2pm, MOTH decided he wanted to work in the garden. Heck, I'm still in my jammies! I changed and went to help. We cleared some space and found a spot of garden we didn't know existed. It was hidden under the dropped palm fronds, wild ferns and monsterio plant.

Eventually the palm will be trimmed, the ferns will grow back and the monsterio will be removed completely.

After washing away the sweat and dirt, we decided to go for a drive. Just for something to do. Ipswich, here we come. Just for something to do. I've never been that way before.

Home again, and now I've prepped for dinner. Nothing exciting, just fried rice. When the time is right, I'll start cooking. I'm intending to catch the next instalment of Whitechapel on ABC tonight. And then, who knows. I might even go to bed early.....

C'mon bussey bussey

Odd day yesterday was.

A preschooler and his father got on the bus. One of these new age dads who get very involved in their children. They talk to each other and dad treats him like an intelligent almost adult. No baby talk or topics here! *and won't they have FUN with THAT when he reaches puberty!*

So, on the bus, race down to the back seat *where i am* and kid says to dad You're my best buddy! You're my PADAWAN! And from there they launch into swapping Star Wars stories, complete with Padawans, Jedi, and storm troopers, and TIE fighters, and blasters......

*repeat scenario this morning, only this time it's Star Wars from a book*

Why can't parents encourage their kids to diversify? Nothing worse than an obsessive!

The day dragged slowly, so slowly by.

And the afternoon rolls around. This time the bus driver greets everyone in the queue with a hearty HELLLOOO EVERYONE! WELCOME TO THE HAPPY BUS.

Off we go with Captain Happy and all is fine. A few minutes down the road he booms out HELLO EVERYONE. *no lower case for this bloke* THIS IS THE HAPPY BUS. IF YOU ARE ON HERE YOU HAVE TO BE HAPPY. SMILE IT'S ALL GOOD. BECAUSE YOU LOOK GREAT WHEN YOU SMILE. IF YOU HAVE HAD A BAD DAY AT UNI OR AT WORK, REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE LEFT IT BEHIND AT THE BUS STOP BEFORE YOU GOT ON THE BUS! AND EVERYONE HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE EASTER *cue cheer from passengers* THAT'S RIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL WHEN YOU SMILE.

We're silent for a while as we think about this. Then cue driver again, repeating that it's a happy bus and we should all smile and life is good etc.

By the third time and halfway to destination it was wearing a bit thin....

Then, a passenger of indeterminate origin leaned across and asked a question. Next thing I know, I can hear him telling her all about Jesus, the cross and Easter Sunday.

I managed to get my usual bus home. Although it was late. As usual. And for some reason, none of the drivers are ever the same, so you can't even blame it on the driver. Take off is jerky, braking is jerky. Next thing, he pulls into a stop that isn't on our run *we travel express* and switches everything off. He calls back to the passengers an explanation, but hey. I'm plugged into my iPod and I've got no idea.

Sit there for a few minutes in the dark. Then we're away! No more stops, but back to jerky every time we slow down. I'm chanting to myself C'mon bussey, you can do it, there's a good bussey.... The last thing we need is to break down on the motorway....

I get home and dinner is nearly prepared for me. MOTH is on the phone, tending the sausages at the same time. He's wincing occasionally; obviously his back is giving him a lot of trouble. He eventually tells me. He took a tumble while mowing the front footpath and landed heavily on the road *would have loved to see THAT* Today he's very sore and sorry for himself, but he'll manage. I won't be an excuse for a day off work he tells me ... grinning like a loon ....

This post has no title

The week has gone again, and I can't believe it. Where does Time go? Wish he'd go on holidays. I realised this morning that I'm on the way to 50! Ack!

I'm sure there have been amusing things that have happened during the week. But since I'm getting old *see above* I never remember what they are, only the previous two days. Don't ask me why, nothing exciting ever happens on the weekends.

It's been about three weeks now I think since the Teen moved out. We've settled into the quiet well. At least, I think we have. It's usually too quiet to tell.

Maybe the Teen isn't handling it so well. She stresses about not having any funds. She stresses about where she's living. She stresses about the job. Ah well my lovely. Welcome to the real world - independence is not such a great thing after all, yes?

The Elder toddles on, and if she stresses about much she keeps it to herself.

Sometime during the week, MOTH called out to me. Hon, can you come look at my computer? Somethings going wrong. Great *sigh* I have a degree, but no practical experience really. It's out of date. But because of those little letters, I know everything about everything. So I go to look. Uh oh, he's picked up a trojan. One of the nasty ones who close off your functioning virus protection, change your access and probably log all your codes and also sends out spam. Nothing for it but a complete reformat and hope it's not hiding deeper than the OS.

So that's on the waiting list....

Saturday morning I was up early. The sun was shining and I looked at the side yard. Yep, that could definitely do with a haircut. I must remind MOTH that it needs doing. Meantime I pulled a few fallen palm fronds from the garden, trimmed them a little and dumped them in the garden bin.

Around mid morning I talked MOTH into coming with me to the shopping precinct I was interested in. I have a few games I'd like to trade as well, and I noticed an EB store there last time.

We wandered around window shopping. There are some lovely homewares and furniture there. When we eventually arrived at EB I took in the games, only to be told that they don't trade PC games. Darn! I left the store and we decided to console ourselves with Baskin and Robbins.

I still have the games and I'm not sure what I will do with them yet. They're useless to me now - I have an iMac without any Windows installed.

I was supposed to go out to a 21st party on Saturday night with Sunny and Judah. They didn't end up going and neither did I. I didn't want to go by myself - I know the girl well but I don't know her friends.

Sunday I spent some time packing up some of Raisin's belongings. This is going to be an expensive exercise. I've got two large boxes already and I am certain I am going to need more. I have enough trouble getting myself motivated to pack MY stuff, let alone someone else's.

MOTH mowed the lawn.

I also looked at my old phone. I toyed with the idea of taking it to cash converters along with the games. I dunno though. I haven't done anything with it yet.

Sunday night I cooked roast chicken pieces and veg for dinner then settled down to watch Bones. Only to discover it was a repeat. But guess what! It was a repeat that I didn't get to watch much of when it screened. Icecream and fruit for dessert then time for Castle. It was a repeat too. *sigh*

And sometime during the week, I've an episode of V to catch up on.

I was awoken with a nasty start last night. There is a cat who has taken to chasing gekkos on our front screen door. I think the bloody thing jumps halfway up or climbs up the screen, and it doesn't care if you try to chase it away. I need to find a way to deter it.

This morning I peeped out the window and saw the bush turkey chick in the garden again. It's not much of a chick anymore but is getting bigger each time I see it. Hopefully it's not a male - the last thing my retaining wall needs is a male turkey building a nest in my front yard! So while it's still small, I'm happy to see the wildlife wandering around my place....

The week that was.

It was a quiet week really. Not speaking workwise of course. Just home.

There are only the two of us at home. As you know. I think I like the idea. Raisin is definitely not returning, having asked us to pack up her stuff and ship it back to her. I've only managed to fill one box so far. There is another to go. Shipping through Qantas is expensive. For a 30kg consignment, the cost is approximately $200. At least, that's what I calculated. I think just one box itself might come close to 20kg.

I spent some time during the week familiarising myself with the mac environment. It certainly is different. I'm not used to the speed, working with my hair blowing back as the wind from the processor runs tendrils through my hair. Well, so maybe I exaggerate slightly. The internet keeps dropping out so I'm not going anywhere nearly that fast!

Friday night I had arranged to have a movie night with Sunny. Friday morning, I had a call from Judah. I think I've mentioned before that Sunny has been diagnosed with depression. He hasn't been medicated for some time and seemed to be doing well. Just this last week, he seems to have hit a trough and things were getting to crisis point. I just cannot fathom why he doesn't come to talk before it gets that bad. He knows he can.

So I wasn't sure that Friday would still be on. I'd tried to confirm it, but hadn't had a return text.

He arrived around 6.30, we had dinner and settled in to watch the movie. Underworld 2. With popcorn. Hot, buttered popcorn. And coloured sweet popcorn. I was in popcorn heaven. And I like the movie too.

After the movie and we chatted for a while, I discovered that yes, Sunny was indeed bottoming out. We talked and he cried and we walked. Eventually he fell asleep on the couch. I left him there to sleep and let Judah know where he was.

Saturday morning I was up early to get a drink of water. I checked on him then, and he was still sleeping. I was up again at 6am. He had gone. I was desperately worried that he might have done something silly. But he hadn't and I've not heard anything since so I'm taking that as a good sign. Far better than the alternative.

Saturday MOTH and I went up to the shops to sit for a while and possibly pick up some grocery staples like bread and milk. When we returned home, I did a small amount of housework and nanna napped on the couch. While I was napping, MOTH got into the front garden and trimmed some trees.

Sunday we cut up the branches that had been trimmed the day before. Goodness but the trees look bare. If I'm not careful, I could end up with visibility in the front yard! I did some more housework and typed a letter. An annual update I was supposed to have done just before Christmas. Some people I know like to know what their friends have been doing during the year. Odd, yes I know. But I had no ink! The text came out green! I decided to head off to Hardly Normal to see if they had cartridges for the printer. Yes, they did. But not of the yellow. *sigh* We decided to head off to another branch in a different suburb.

We hadn't been there for some time and wow! There is a new shopping precinct with space for lease and new shops going in all over the place. I didn't know it existed! There are retail and food outlets. And everything! Since we were only headed for printer cartridges, we saved the full inspection for another time. This outlet had the cartridges I wanted. Each single cartridge was $16.95, except high yield black. That was $51. Ouch! Then a photo pack caught my eye. Four cartridges - magenta, yellow, cyan and photo black - and 150 sheets of photo paper for less than $40. Bargain! I bought that.

Home again, cartridges inserted and letter printed.

Whew. Napping on the couch for half hour, help MOTH prep dinner and settle in to watch Bones. Which reminds me, I now have two episodes of V ready for viewing.....

The photos I promised

The accommodation was City Centre Apartment Hotel. It's new I think. Everything is swipe card access. Even the car park after hours. Reception is not 24 hour, but if you know the room number, you can dial on a keypad by the front door and the guest you are visiting can buzz you in. Or use the swipe card to let yourself in.

We booked the 3 bedroom apartment. It was actually a 2 bedroom apartment with an interconnecting door between that and a queen room. Each of them were self contained. Each had a plasma. Or LCD. I can't tell the difference. The 2 bedder had a sleeping configuration of a double room and a room with 2 singles. The apartment had a balcony with a little bit of a view. Only the single bedroom didn't have a balcony. There was also an iPod dock in the main area of the apartment and Austar. Of course.

Each bathroom had their own dispensers, above the sink AND inside the shower!


The lounge and dining area. Behind me is a fully equipped kitchen.


The main balcony


The single bedroom


In the garage was a door. Not attached to much, but with strict instructions!


Forgive the quality of the photos. I'm still learning. Learning that it takes lousy indoor shots but outdoors is pretty darned good!

Roads don't lead to Rome!

I'm sitting in the car, and I mention to MOTH that it had been an interesting week on the buses. I hear a moan from the back seat. Oh god, she's blogging but only she's speaking....

One of the most stressful periods of my brief life so far is gradually drawing to a close. A very gradual close. I'm so proud of her for stepping so far out of her comfort zone. The Teen has moved out now. And I'm not sure how I feel.

When the Elder moved out the first time, it was a gradual process. A weekend here, a slightly longer time there until we reached the point where she had moved in with her then boy and was not at home. At least she was in the same city.

The Teen has moved out. It's happened all at once. She's not even in the same city. She's 8 hours drive away. She is sharing house with older people she doesn't know very well. Last night was her first night in her new room. She sent me a text. She'd been home for two hours, was in her room the entire time, and was too scared to go outside for a cigarette just in case one of the 'strangers' was in the lounge room. I smiled. It's something she will have to get used to. She hopes she will and quickly!

Friday was Departure Day. MOTH managed to get Teen's Entire Life stashed in the car. They were very pleased with themselves. Then she heard him going crook. What's the matter? I've forgotten mine and your mother's stuff!! Fortunately, it was only a weekend trip and we travel light.

It didn't rain this time, but previous rains have left the highway in an awful condition. Ruts, ridges, and pot holes. Some of them quite deep.

The place we stayed was very nice. I will post a couple of photos separately when I get them uploaded to the computer. Probably tonight. I hadn't heard of it before and while I was searching for accommodation, Sibling1 started her own search. She pointed them out and I was suitably impressed.

We gave the Teen her own key. The hotel doesn't run a 24 hour reception, and she was told she would be able to use the key to let herself back in when she returned from an outing with her boy. It's gone 11pm. I'm asleep. The phone rings. I tried to answer; it didn't work. *hey, it's new. i haven't figured out how to answer it yet* I dropped it and had to dig it out from under the bedside table. Mu-um! The card won't let me in! Can you come save me? *sigh* I have to get dressed. I'm not wandering the hotel in my jammies! I run down in the left to the front door. No one there. I go out to the street and call. The night is dark, a cold wind blows and no one is there. I go to the driveway and look down. No one there. Where the heck is she? Dang. I've forgotten my phone. Back to my room. I get yelled at by the lift. MOTH is still abed. Why didn't you remind me to take the phone?? She's in, he mumbles sleepily. What? That didn't make sense. She's gotten in. I told her wait there for you. She wasn't there. I poke my head through the connecting door to see if she's in her room. An innocent blonde meets my glare. She'd called him FROM THE APARTMENT, not just the front door. *sigh*

We went to Dicey's for dinner on Saturday night, taking the opportunity to meet Teen's boy's parents. Turns out I knew his mother! Consy *the boyfriend* took her to a party after dinner.

I didn't get much sleep that night either. The Teen had a panic attack and it took several hours to get her calmed enough to settle to sleep.

Sunday was a rush to get ourselves coordinated. The plan was to get checked out, Teen dropped off at Consy's place and ourselves back to meet Elder at Hagrid's Hut. *that's where SHE lives* It's on the same house block as Teen's new address. Then off to meet with my folks before heading off to meet Elders Outlaw folks. I decided that Teen's room needed more work. I shifted boxes, swept and mopped and made the bed up. It looked MUCH MUCH better.

Just made it out to my folks place in time to meet and great with Sibling2 before she had to leave. Spent a small amount of time with my folks. *didn't get a photo Froggy, but pink and white for 1, and shades of blue for the other* Then headed out to the Outlaws property to say a quick hello and meet the animals. The four legged variety, not the family. *grins*

We made it back, tired and looking forward to finally pulling up in the garage. Wait! What's this? Bloody motorway upgrades seem to have removed the access point for our suburb! That's right, here IS NO LONGER ANY EXIT MARKED FOR OUR 'BURB! We might have been able to use one, but our suburb is not listed on it and it's a couple of suburbs too early. We had to go past and hope for the suburb after ours. Guess what! THERE WAS NO EXIT FOR THAT ONE EITHER! We had to travel some distance out, then set up the GPS to get us back home.

All roads certainly do NOT lead to Rome! *humpf*

That darned dog!

I was awake early this morning. I think a cat was trying to climb the screen door. The front one, just outside my bedroom. Stupid animal. MOTH told me the cat was black. That it just walked away with it's tail in the air when he tried to scare it away.

*shakes head* Cats are a law unto themselves really.

But that was around 3am. I dozed until about 5.30am and thought it was time to get up and start doing .... stuff.

I'm almost ready for work and I'm sitting in the rumpus room. It's now around 6, 6.30am. The dog next door starts. They must be away. It's crying and barking occasionally. *sigh* Just as well I'M not trying to sleep. If you were, it would certainly wake you up.

And usually, you can't tell there is even a dog there.

It's really annoying this morning though.

The week has gone so quickly. Again.

Tuesday, the Teen decided to hire some dvd's. I like this, because I like to kick back and relax this way. We ended up with GI Joe, The Orphan, District 9 and one other whose name escapes me now. We didn't watch them all in one night, but as it turned out, I didn't get to see the Orphan.

Wednesday, Raisin returned home to sort out some things. Not sure when she'll be back - a couple of weeks yet I think. We took a lovely drive out to the airport and were prepared to park for a couple of hours to wait with her. She insisted she would be fine and after some pushing, she made sure we left. Driving over the pass, I could have sworn I could smell pies. I'd eaten dinner, but it smelled so good I was ready to go another round!

The Teen is still packing, and discovering all these things she will need to buy for herself. She is very stressed, but at the same time, very excited. The plans to get a house with a friend are now on hold; she'll be staying with a friend of the Elder. She's very nervous about this too.

She was delirious with happiness Friday night. It was time, and she dragged me off to the video store again. This time we got out ..... This Is It.

Sorry people, but I actually enjoyed it! *sheepish grin*

Saturday I was up early and hanging to go to one of the big shopping malls on the outskirts. I know it sounds like I do a lot of shopping, but really I mall rat. I just like to window shop and spend time in the food courts. I was born a country girl, but I like to be on the edges of the crowds just watching them go by, watch the bustle and listen to the noise.

Sunday was a quiet day. I did a load of washing, but it's been raining for so long my dryer has stopped functioning to capacity. An hour just dries the clothes. If it doesn't stop soon, I think I'm going to be growing webbing (or mould) between my toes. I looked at the vacuum cleaner, but couldn't get myself motivated enough to do that either. I love Sundays.

Oh! The other movie was Gamer....!

Why are young people

so goshdarned inconsiderate these days? The Teen is desperately waiting on a response from a possible flatmate who was supposed to contact her while he's in town. So far from his direction ... ominous silence.

If he isn't prepared to put in the effort, why doesn't he just say so?

Her original plans changed when her prospective housemate suddenly told her she couldn't move in till after April - after moving in with someone else.

And now she waits....

*shakes head*

So, what happened this week? Mmmmm

It's been a quiet week. But not workwise. The usual last minute rush to get things done. Not me! Never me. But processes run slow and sometimes things slip through the cracks. And I get to handle the makeup time. Like, organising travel for someone who is supposed to fly out Sunday. But the travel isn't approved until late Thursday afternoon. So it's a mad rush to get flights ticketed, hotels booked and paid for. These things get tricky when you're dealing with someone in a different time zone.

Luckily, my skills at crisis recovery are improving exponentially!

Friday night the Teen had a friend over. He's somewhat of a regular, and I don't mind. Not long after, her best friend and the boyfriend turned up. I've no idea how long they stayed. I sat and talked with them for a while, then went to watch some television. It was SBS and before I knew it, I was doing a dad and dozing off on the couch. It was somewhere around midnight and they were still all there.

I went to bed.

Saturday I was up early, and so was the friend. Apparently, he never even went to bed. Of course, the Teen was thoroughly sound asleep. I wandered back to bed too. And slept in till 10am. *gasp* I never do that! I must have been tired. Off to the shops with MOTH for a dash of people watching. I don't think I saw anything that caught my attention!

Saturday night the Teen headed off to her best friend's place for a party. She was out staying the night so I got to have the laptop all to myself. A lazy day. Again. It was hot and raining, so I didn't really have the energy to do much. MOTH vacuumed the tiles, so I waved the mop about. Whew. That was enough! I went back to the laptop. I had to find SOME way to kill time until Bones.

Soon, I will have the laptop all to myself on a long term basis. I shall miss the competition...