Sometimes I wonder....

... how I keep from goin' under. No, not really. It was a lead in to something else.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person in existence who tries to keep in mind when I'm standing on the bus platform that other people are trying to see around me. I try and stand against the wall, or if I need to shift, that I'm not blocking someone else's view. Too much.

I nearly missed my bus home on Tuesday. Everyone was milling around like Brown's Cows. Don't ask me about the cows. Cause I just don't know. *my parents might, being country people and all* I couldn't see a darned thing. Even standing up. My bus was due in shortly but hadn't yet appeared on the arrivals/due board. Then the crowd parted and there was my bus, right at the end of the platform. Stupid inconsiderate people....

On Wednesday, I found a seat on the morning bus that I did't have to share! Yes! A rare occurrence. We got through the 'burb and down on the onramp on the motorway. The bus pulls over. The driver is out and looking at something. He's back on the bus and telling everyone that we seem to have picked up a bolt of some sort and he has to decide if he can continue or have us swap. Off we go again and we end up detouring to the nearby bus depot. He's out again, and busy conferring with someone. A third bloke turns up and discussion continues. He's back on the bus telling us he'll get the bus behind to take us on. Some get off the bus. They're shepherded back on to wait. The second bus pulls up. It's 3/4 full. They sandwich us in as much as possible, but 5 people miss out. We pull out and I'm like, darn! I should have volunteered to swap out. Would have added to the adventure. Ah well.

Made it to work, but late.

Thursday we're tootling along on the bus and I see a huge yellow duck at the ferry terminal. Some promotional thing. Sure wouldn't like to be that bloke. But I don't have enough time to find out what they are promoting.

I have finally sent in an application for a position outside the Uni. Today I have an interview with the recruiting agency. I'm not sure what to expect. Turns out to be just the recruiting agency interview to get me on the books, and to discuss the job I applied for. She'll send my application in anyway, but thinks there are other applicants with a lot more industry experience. If I get an interview, then it would be Friday, again on Monday and the offer made to the successful candidate on Tuesday. This is way to soon for me, and thankfully I don't make it to interview. The job would have been great, but I'm holding off the search until the new year.

Saturday morning, around 1am we leave to travel to the Teen's location to visit my folks and collect her. We intend to arrive early so we can spend as much time as possible on this rush visit with my family. MOTH doesn't worry too much about visiting his. Both parents are deceased and he has no interest in his siblings that live in that area. We arrive around 8am and I don't feel tired. It's great to see them and the kids are happy to see us. *well, they seem to be anyway*

We're introduced to the new puppies. Little tearaways they are!
The younger kid latches on and has to show me every new thing he has since I visited them last. This keeps me busy for some time.

Sibling Mouse arrives just after lunch. Haven't had a chance to catch up with her for a while and it's good to see her again. For some reason, Facebook and MSN just aren't the same as hugging.

I'm dreadfully tired but there is no rest for the wicked in that place.

It's off to bed fairly early as we are expecting to leave mum's at about 8.30am to meet Elder for coffee.

We are ready to leave on Sunday morning and suddenly I can't find my sunglasses. Oh no! I can't function without those. I can scrunch up my eyes but it's just not the same. After a chase all over the house we eventually find them. They've fallen back into my backpack with my clothing. Silly glasses. It delays us of course, and it turns out Elder has arrived before us and saved us a seat.

We chat and share food. It's a lovely day although the sun has a lot of bite, it's cool in the shade. We drop her back off and spend a bit of time looking for the boots that the Teen was chasing. No luck. This of course makes us late to collect the Teen.

We arrive at the Teen's current abode ready to collect her. She's packed up but there is a fair bit of stuff. We load it into the boot and at the same time, I check with her about the boots. Nope, we've been looking for the wrong ones. The Elder knows where the ones she's looking for are. We've arranged to swing by and pick them up on the way.

Last thing to collect is Jerome. The Teen's cat. We've not met before and he turns out to be a soft black kitten with no tail. We put him in the carrier and he starts to cry.

He cries for a couple of hours. Eventually when we pull over for a break, we decide to see if he'd like it better if the carrier door is open. He has a harness so Teen can keep him under control. He's quiet for the rest of the trip.

We get home at 7pm. It's going to be tough to remember to keep the doors closed and not leave things on the kitchen bench!

Little black ball of cuteness anyone?

Waiting till Wednesday

My car pooling buddy has a new car, but I won't get to see it till then. w00t!

The week has been a little topsy turvy. The Elder and Subs have still been visiting. I arrived home from work Monday to find that they had been summonsed to return to their place of origin. Apparently Sub's mother insisted that his brother had some work for him and they *him* were to return immediately. Of course this wasn't financially feasible since neither of them would be paid till the following Thursday/Friday. She was eventually convinced that they would be returning on Sunday.

This threw Elder off centre - she wasn't ready to go back.

On Wednesday while travelling on the bus I noticed that the smog seemed really thick. A little thicker than usual. Then I noticed it was white, not the usual dirty brown. Maybe it was smoke or something rather than smog? Or maybe it was still smog, just a bit cleaner than usual? It lasted a couple of days and I could even see it on campus. I didn't hear of any fires in the area. But that's not unusual since I've not been doing the old lady thing and following the news headlines this last week or so.

I was crossing the road in the city, heading for my swapover bus. *i take 2 buses every day each way. just lately the second bus in the morning has been late, or simply not turning up at all and meaning i have to wait for another 15 mins or so for the next one* A good looking young man crossed the other way. He didn't really look comfortable in his suit. Cute! thinks I and then I notice his tie is a little too wide for his collar and there is a large thread poking out of the collar as well. It was all so *squeeeee* and a really hard job not to straighten it all for him!

The Elder was still upset by the summons home and still not ready to return. She's not a cuddly child and you don't get into her space when the darkness circles. Subs STILL has't worked this out and got grumpy when she kept pushing him away. He stormed off. So, the first time since they arrived that I get alone time with my daughter, and I have to spend it keeping the dog at bay. I just managed to get her lifted when she got a piece of bad news *she and subs now have to pay rent. the equivalent of a 3 bedroom house, and they live in a 1 room shed on the back of sub's parents house in town. his sister lives in the house* and I have to start all over again. The sooner she is shot of that lot the better I say.

Friday MOTH had his appointment with the surgeon to discuss an operation he had been referred for. The hospital which had been given his case was not one of the usual suspects and we hadn't heard of it before. We plugged in Karen, hoping she could guide us. Nope. Apparently the map is quite out of date because the hospital didn't even exist. I did manage to find it on Google maps on my phone, although it probably cost a fortune in downloads. I read and reread MOTH's appointment letter looking for a street address. Eventually I found one, but it wasn't obvious it was the actual hospital address. It just looked like a head office address. *rolls eyes* Totally helpful! We keyed the street name into Karen and bingo! Found the street at least. We'd just have to play it by ear from there.

We were a little worried that it would cost a fortune for parking, but when we got there, not a parking metre in sight. Brilliant. Not a free parking space either for that matter. We drove around a bit and eventually came upon a spot in the front row where someone was pulling out. Whoo!

The consulting rooms were in a new building just off the main entrance. It wasn't a long wait and we were shown through. The consulting surgeon went through some things with MOTH and discussed options and the risks associated with the surgery. MOTH's name is now on the waiting list for surgery and it is expected it could take around three months to be done. Not a worry, the surgery isn't major and will only be a day visit. Provided there are no unexpected complications.

Saturday I managed to drag Elder out of the house. We had determined that we would cook some of the mini quiche treats that she likes so much. We left the house, drove about 5 minutes up the road to the supermarket. We picked up the ingredients and some extras *violet crumbles! peppermint chocolate! toblerone!* and took the car over to fill it. We had been there a few minutes waiting in line when Elder got a text. What are you doing? How long will you be? Are you coming straight home? *sheesh already!* We got back and he insisted she take him to the bike park. No, she said. I don't want to take the car out again cause I don't want to use the fuel. If you need to go, ask Dad. Fine, I won't go then. I asked MOTH to take him - I wanted to spend some girl time! MOTH was wonderful.

We ... well, I ... made the first batch of treats, got things set up to watch a movie. Clutch Powers! The Lego movie. About ten minutes in, he came home. And promptly put himself as close as possible to Elder and didn't move.

So that pretty much sums up the total amount of time I got to spend with my eldest daughter for the whole time they were there. *sigh*

Sunday they left at three am and we were up to see them off. Father's Day and MOTH slept in until after eight am. I stripped and started to remake the bed in the guest room, but noticed that the cotton blanket really needed a wash. I put it on to soak. MOTH and I went out to the shops and picked up custard and golden syrup. Can't have lemon sago without custard says I. And MOTH agrees. I phoned my father to wish him happy Father's Day. My dad is a little unusual. Not for him the awkward silence and then I'll put your mother on. He chats. Although nowhere near as long as my mother. She answered the phone, we chatted for a while. She put dad on, we chattered for a while. Then she took the phone back and we chattered for another time. Time to hang up so I can start dinner.

Fried rice for dinner and sago for dessert. Gosh, I'm soooo full. So full in fact that I can't stay awake much beyond nine pm. No Bones tonight, I've let MOTH have my telly to watch CSI.

And I'm still trying to see if I can convince Elder that she should probably relocate back to here. Solo.

Ta Dah! The Bed.

After canvassing outside opinion, the vote seems to be a valance. :)

So here is the bed. As it is, in all it's glory. I'm thinking of two more pillows and a valance.

The question is ... what sort of valance would suit best?

Opinions anyone?

Back on the buses

Yep. Riding the buses again this week while Zman is away on business. And it started well this morning. The traffic on the road I had to cross all appeared at once. I KNEW I'd miss the bus. Well, I nearly did. I almost got there - I will NOT run for a bus/train/whatever. And the driver started to pull away. I stuck out my hand and he opened the door, I got on, swiped the card, it didn't read so I swiped it again and he took off as I did that. Inertia is a b*tch! I didn't fall but it's not fun trying to get up the aisle when the bus is moving....

Monday dawned this week all dull and grey. Well, that's the way I saw it in, headache and all. I stayed home from work. The fact that Elder was expected to arrive had nothing to do with it. Nothing I tell you. They arrived near lunch time as well as I can remember. The Elder, Subs and Freddy. During the course of the day, I ask How long are they staying? Anywhere from two weeks to a month. I console myself with a Frangelico and lemonade. *floats*

Tuesday is back to work. I discover there was a fire in one of the data centres on Sunday. Wow. Most services are down as everyone works frantically to bring them back up. There seems to be a lot of people disappointed with the fact that it didn't take the whole building.

It's Thursday and services are still out. I haven't been doing much of anything because there just hasn't been access to most of what I need. I do have email and there is internet. I've been reduced to trying to clean up my other (redundant) email box. Entertaining that.

Friday rolls around and finally our printing is back online. The unit Director is showing his appreciation of all the hard work staff have shown by putting on some nibblies and free wine/beer/softdrink. I pop upstairs briefly to show my support.

Then head across to the Staff Club to catch up with one of the blokes who has left work. We sit and chat for a while; Zman and a couple of the others as well. They are tasting a new beer, Stone and something. It's pale and golden and doesn't taste too bad. For beer.

Saturday the bed arrives! Whoo! But wait. I'm not sure that this is the bed we ordered.... Fair enough, I'm used to a bed with a frame and now we're moving to an ensemble. I'm certain the one in the shop, although a little higher than the frame I was used to, didn't make me feel like I needed a stepladder to get into it?

I measure the height. It's 700mm (approx 27.5 inches) from the floor to the top of the mattress. No wonder I can make this bed without bending. No wonder I cannot sit on the side of the bed and touch the floor. The floor to my hip joint is only 750mm! *yes, i know. shorty*

I usually don't care what sort of pattern/colour the linens are, as long as I can make the bed look comfy. I don't think I can do it with this one. I have a queen size bed that I'm covering with a king sized doona. It barely covers the mattress - if I didn't tuck the sheets in, they'd hang way below the bottom of the doona. So wholly exposed beneath the doona overhang sits ... the base. Luckily, it's not padded cream but a grey fabric finish. I thought about investing in one of those 80s bed accessories - a valance. But that would just look silly.

Ideas anyone??

it raining! Again

It raining again. The weekend weather was wonderful. And now it's raining again.

Not a hugely eventful week. Just the usual stuff I guess. And this week, I've not prepared a single dessert before work! *gasp*

Zman has been getting caught in traffic in the mornings so we've been getting work a bit later. Tuesday we missed the fire drill. He was not impressed. We arrived at the door just as everyone was coming back to the building. Dangit.

MOTH and I decided to dine out on Wednesday night. just because. And they had a buy one main meal get the second for half price deal going. Well, alright, it was an anniversary dinner about two weeks late. We settled in and ordered. The menu is rather extensive and we didn't know what we wanted! Except perhaps the cheesy fries. They haven't changed and were as delicious as I remember. MOTH ordered fillet mignon with baked sweet potato. I ordered fajitas. I didn't realise that usually means you make your own - so I've been told! So much food came out that I looked at it and lost my appetite. There was no way I could get through all of that. Four tortillas, little bowls of filling and heaps of meat. I managed to down two and the waitress who came later asked if we wanted a take away container. I said no, and she shook her head. There was an awful lot left she said! Well, there was.


MOTH's came with a little side salad with blue cheese dressing. I thought the colours were cute and had to take a photo of it.

Wednesday I took a trip to the dentist. What an expensive exercise that is! An exam and one filling set me back $230. Ouch!

Thursday and Friday were quiet. I was hoping to get home at a decent hour on Friday but it wasn't to be. I had to wait for Zman to finish something he was working on and that didn't happen until after 6pm.

Saturday MOTH discovered that he had finally received a small amount of money from his mother's inheritance. He gave it some thought about what he wanted to do with it. I didn't feel well and didn't really want to get out of bed on Saturday but it was a case of have to, alas. It was election day, and for those who are overseas, voting here is not an option. They say it's a right but if you don't vote you get fined. So go figure. At the booth, I spotted a young man wearing a grey t-shirt captioned "Let's just pretend I give a shit and leave it at that". I loved it and thought it pretty much summed up the day.

Sunday MOTH had decided what to do with his money. Let's go shopping! We bought a new bed. Our current one has seen it's best days. On thinking about it, the frame is something like 8 years old, a timber frame which sounds like it's going to collapse every time you roll over. That mattress. Ah yes, the mattress. We calculate it was bought before Teen was born. She's now 18. I think we deserve a new bed, yes? It will go nicely with the new sheets we bought last week. One set of sheets doesn't seem to last as long as it should! I mean, they shouldn't wear thin, should they?

Shame we have to wait till next week to take delivery.... MOTH can hardly wait.

Reposted from Butterfly Garden. Without permission, of course.

Serves 10

Base:

250g choclate biscuits
125g butter
Filling:

125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water
1 tablespoon gelatin
180g (6oz) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
250g (8oz) cream cheese
300ml (1 1/2 cups) cream
180ml (3/4 cup) Frangelico
1 x 30g (1oz) flakey choclate bar
To make base:

Crush biscuits into very fine pieces. Melt butter and add to crushed biscuits, mix well and press into a springform cheesecake tin, packing mixture tightly to form a crust. Refrigerate to set.

To make filling:

Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling water, stir until dissolved and leave to cool.

Place sugar and lemon juice in a blender and mix lightly. Add room temperature cream cheese and continue to blend. Add cooled gelatin mix, cream and Frangelico and blend until smooth and mixed well.

Crumble half the choclate bar into mixture and stir through lightly, pour over base. Crumble remaining choclate bar evenly over top of cheesecake. Refrigerate to set.

The week that was

A short week this week. Not short enough. Are work weeks EVER short enough? I don't think so.

Monday and Tuesday were quiet. Even work was a little slow. Tuesday night I discovered that ABC2 was screening my favourite western series, Deadwood. MOTH watched it with me. Geez it's rough, he says. Well, I like the way they don't pull the punches. the streets are muddy, full of horse and pig poo and rubbish; the lower classes look unwashed and most everyone has bad teeth. Realism I say.

I spent my time waiting for the public holiday to arrive on Wednesday. Slowly it rolled around, EKKA show holiday. Whoo!

Just lately we've been spending a lot of time at home, not going out. Today I thought, No! I'm getting out of the house. I talked MOTH into going over to Chermside shopping centre. I love that one. I love the drive over there. There is nothing special in the shops, but it's somewhere different. We spent the morning over there. The rest of the day was spent relaxing.

Thursday was back to work. C and I had a meeting with the conference organizers. I had expected The Manager to attend as well; C mentioned at the meeting that he wasn't coming, having told her that he would let her feel like she was in charge. *thank you for commiserations! this bloke has been with the company longer than i have, so no recent import. i think he's just inconsiderate and probably not used to a mere admin disagreeing with him. lol. dancing with the stars is on; it's a waltz. i'm typing in rhythm!*

Friday morning I made dessert to go with the sausages for dinner. Nothing fancy, but condensed milk tart is MOTH's second favorite. *sorry sparkling! I don't get picked up for work till after 8am and I get out of bed at 6.30am. plenty of time to make a simple dessert!*

It felt like I did a whole day's work before I even left home. I did some washing, transferred money around my accounts, paid some bills.

I love Friday evenings after work but not when Zman decides to finish work late. Today he sent a text around 7.30am to say he was sick and couldn't pick me up. I didn't think I would make the last morning bus. It turned out I would have, but MOTH offered to drive me.

Friday 13 rocked well and truly. We thought we'd stop for Maccas for breakfast. I'd been tonguing for hash browns *yum* for ages. Get them and find a seat. I'm trying to manage my handbag and put the food bag on the table. Get the food bag on the table and go to shift my handbag. Plop! Food bag and food on the floor. Sigh. Luckily they're still in the bag. We eat the food and I've got crumbs on myself and the table. I sweep them off ... right into my open handbag.

MOTH dropped me off at work, but down the other end of campus. Away from my office because they have the road there closed off. The wind is blowing a gale and it occurs to me, did I even brush my hair before I left home this morning? I guess in this weather no one is going to notice anyway. *sigh*

That afternoon, I left at around 4pm to catch the bus. I thought I would take the usual way into the city and then from there so I could relax a little. BAD decision! A half hour bus ride turned into an hour. Eventually I took out my book and started to read. I missed my usual ride home and had to take the long(er) bus home. I made it home around 7pm...

Waking The Dead was interesting, as usual and a great way to relax.

Saturday MOTH showed me the garden fork I had been bleating about. You know, the whole This would be so much easier if I had a fork.... so now we have one. I had to use it. I spent some time digging out some of the weeds that are trying to choke out the plants that I really want in the garden.

He thought he would do the rear brake pads of the car. It's a quick job he said, then it's over and done with. Several hours later, we determined that we couldn't get the piston back in and it would have to be reassembled with the old parts and wait for the mechanic. Brilliant way to waste 6 hours. Not!

Sunday I slept a little later. Yes, till about 7am. I swept the kitchen floor. Stripped and remade the bed. Scrubbed the toilet. Played WoW for a bit. *yes, i've reestablished my account, yay!* Cooked lunch. Made a cheesecake. I thought I'd have a go at the Frangelico cheesecake recipe that Butterfly provided earlier.



Dinner was roast lamb leg, done as part of a new recipe. It's coated with a mix of plain yoghurt, brown sugar, cumin, ground cloves and instant coffee. The whole thing is actually a totally new taste sensation. I didn't use as much of the mix as the recipe recommended. MOTH couldn't taste much, but I thought there was a very subtle taste sensation - the tang of the yoghurt, the sweetness of the sugar and a very faint coffee taste. I liked it, but I think MOTH wasn't necessarily impressed. I probably won't use it again.

I cracked the cheesecake for dessert. Results? It's set, but only just. The Frangelico taste was very strong. Next time I make it, less alcohol and more gelatin. Yes, that should work.

PS: I ate some of the cheesecake for breakfast today. No alcohol burn, so maybe the trick is to leave it overnight. Definitely needs more of the gelatin though. *drools thinking of the next time*

Backwards speaking shall I

I thought I'd written some notes for guidance. But you know what Thought thought. Seems I did not.

I'm still waiting for my tax notice. I lodged it three weeks ago now and still no word. Arrrrrgghhhhh! *deep breathes* Alright, I know I should be patient, but hey! I haven't got time for that. I had it done through an agent this year so goodness knows how long it will take.

_____________

Monday up bright and early. Made apple crumble before work. I catch a lift with Zman and although he doesn't pick me up till after 8am, I still get out of bed at 6.30am.

After making my decision to quit the committee on Friday, I thought I'd better let my new manager, C, know. She wasn't in today, but arrangements were made for a meeting tomorrow.

Yum! Apple crumble, custard - Paul's double thick French Vanilla - and cream for dessert. Wonderful!
______________

Tuesday I met with C. I've worked with her on previous committees and known her from outside my current office. She's tells me she is a fun loving person and everyone else in the office seems so serious! I'm hoping we can work well together. We went for coffee and I discussed my current job, what I do, and how I felt about being so doubted. I'm sure I was much too honest, but it felt good to talk to her. And a little easier than I thought it might have been. It was decided that I would still do the background work, but not attend the meetings. That suits me fine. We are still to work our way around the issue of the Manager on the other committee. I'm happy to work that one through when the time comes.

Mmmmm. More apple crumble for dessert!
_______________

Wednesday and I'm up and making lemon sago for dessert. Today is our 26th wedding anniversary. We aren't going out anywhere and haven't bought gifts, so my gift is his favourite dessert. *drool* I let him taste test it to see if it is lemony enough. Yep, it passes muster.

Off to work, and I'm feeling much better after yesterday. The day looks promising.

The Teen sends me a text. She is now single. Oh! Oh dear. She's holding up okay, much better than I thought she would.

Since we haven't anything planned, MOTH and I snuggle up in front of the telly to watch Lie to Me and Law & Order Criminal Intent, eating beef stir fry, followed by lemon sago with custard and cream. An excellent way to spend an evening.
_______________

Thursday is pretty normal. As normal as it gets around here. Last day for one of the GTs and I'm sorry that I can't go to his farewell dinner.

I'm out the door around 4pm which is my usual time when I have to catch the bus home. This time I'm trying out a different timing. It's the 'fast' way home, but an earlier run. I'm wanting to see how the new bus service works out. It worked quite well. Of course, it would be MUCH better if there were no students! The queue would be a heck of a lot shorter. Fer shur.
_______________

My favourite day of the week. Sunny is over for dinner, bringing a friend with him. A new friend to introduce me to. We have garlic chicken, veg and salad for dinner. And since it's Friday, Waking the Dead is my priority. Sorry Sunny, we're watching that! He doesn't mind though because he thinks it a little spooky. *weird, i dunno* That's followed by the IT Crowd. Apparently the friend hasn't seen it before. I ask, Do you know anyone who works in IT? No, he doesn't. Ah well, I say, you probably won't get most of the jokes then..... *how could he not?! heavens, don't most of us know a geek or two??*
_______________

It's kinda a slow weekend. I still haven't renewed my WoW subscription and Sims3 is boring. Even Facebook has slowed down for me. *sigh* What to do, what to do.... I snooze a bit. I do some sudoku puzzles. I pace around for a bit.

.... I plug the iron in and do some ironing. Hankies, teatowels, shorts. I stop myself before I start on the big stuff like shirts.

And some more sitting on the couch to recover from THAT close call.
_______________

Sunday I'm still a little bored. I actually head out to the shops with MOTH. And get punished by being bombarded by complaints from another pensioner that MOTH is friends with. He's somewhat distracted - I didn't hear him say anything that wasn't a complaint this morning! I tuned out. Apparently he left, said goodbye twice and I was so tuned out I didn't notice. *um ahhhh*

I talk MOTH into buying a block of chocolate. A new Cadbury flavour. It's not too bad - berry and vanilla shortcake.

Still bored, I wander out to the garden and see what MOTH has been up to lately. He's been busy, pulling out all sorts of stuff. I water a bare patch on the grass.

I'm watching Bones, and my phone goes off. I take the call. The Elder has done something very silly - I won't go into detail here. I'm still a little gobsmacked and angry she's done it and now I'm somewhat at a loss as to where to go next. Perhaps I will just suggest she comes to visit for a while....

A week I don't care to repeat

A very brief weekly round up...

I think the Elder has decided to quit the 'journey'. She's not updated her blog since her notice she was required to keep one. She's been staying out at Sub's family property and not attended Uni for at least a week. Just when I thought she was getting herself on track.

_______

The Teen is living rough again. She had been sharing with the Elder but they have come to the conclusion that they cannot share together. Teen keeps asking MOTH and I to move back there. I don't seem to be able to convince her that it's just not logistically possible, as well as not being practical. It's her home town and she cannot be convinced to move back here. It's so stressful knowing that she can't afford housing, can't find anyone serious enough to share with and has to rely on the generosity of friends for a place to stay every few nights. She's 18 now, and for various reasons, cannot live at home. We can't support her. She gets Youth Allowance but last time I looked, she was only getting $377 a FORTNIGHT? How does a person get a house and pay rent/utilities/food on that? How is that any different from pensioners....

_______

The hassles with the kids is having a very negative effect on MOTH. The black dog lurks in the background and he's working hard to keep it at bay.

_______

The job I had hopes for at work is not .... working out the way I had hoped. The general vibe from the Manager, although not in so many words, was that he didn't think I could do it. So he awarded the task to my new immediate manager. We are to work closely together on this task. I was relatively happy because I would still have some input, although not the responsibility I had been working toward. I suppose I should say that the task is organising a conference. It goes for a week - 3 full days of program, 2 full days of tutorials. There are about 1000 delegates who attend. The new manager has been serving on the committee longer than I, but only been involved in part of it. I've been on the main committee for 5 years, the program committee 2. I know everything except the bit the new manager used to do (media liaison).

We had our first program committee meeting last Friday. There are new members, and 3 left of the old ones; a completely different dynamic. The Manager turned up and proceeded to take over the proceedings. I NEVER clash with anyone if I can help it - I can't deal with conflict. He and I clashed at least 3 times over the course of the hour and a half of the meeting. He tried to tell us how to run the committee. He tried to tell us that we needed a meeting next week to make a decision about some of the things we had discussed THIS meeting. Go figure. Usual procedure from previous meetings is chuck a couple of suggestions about then decide from those which are preferred. At the same sitting. But no, he decreed another meeting the next week. I disagreed, trying to pin them down to make a decision now. The decision has been made, he said. I just made it. I told him straight out it wasn't his decision to make; it belonged to the Chair. He also decided that main conference stuff should be discussed at the program committee meeting and when I objected because, frankly, it's a stupid idea, someone asked who was on the main conference committee. I said the new manager and I. He promptly declared he was on that committee as well. I simply cannot work with someone who makes it so plain that they don't trust my judgement. I have decided to withdraw from the program committee, and I dread having to work with him on the main committee.

When I returned to the office and announced that he was on the program committee, I was laughed at. With pity. When I mentioned to a different group that he was on the main committee, someone commented, Oh my god no!

I really do not want to be associated with the mess that man is going to create.... If it works he will bask in the glory, if it does not, the new manager and I will be at fault.

_________

But on a lighter note, we had a flat battery sometime during the week. Zman and I pulled into the service station where I swap cars. As soon as we hit the driveway, I asked Zman if he had jumper leads. Yep, MOTH left the car headlights on. It doesn't take long but it sure results in a flat battery. One phone call to RACQ later and I'm advised it could take an hour for them to turn up. Luckily it didn't but Zman decided to wait for a while with us.

Today MOTH and I went to the movies with Sunny. The movie was Inception. The special effects are mind numbingly good and there were some vertigo inducing moments! It is a movie I think I would be happy to see more than once. In fact, I think it might be necessary to see it more than once - there are probably bits in the first viewing I'm sure to have missed. It also ends on a rather suspenseful note!

A care package from Mother arrived during the week. It contained a bag my father had borrowed when he was down last, marshmallows, minties, a couple blocks of chocolate, a pack of Dove peppermint chocolate, and a bag of fantales. I love those things.

It arrived before Friday, but brightened my week to that point. Thanks Mum, you always manage to hit the spot. xxx

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...

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!

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.

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!

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.....