Here's to loose ends.

These last few days have come and gone in a rush! And where are we at? Let me tell you....

Team Shitbox is still not moving. It could be the starter motor. It could be the alternator. Or it could be the fuel pump. Now we are back to being a one car family, and it's not working well. We might even have to use public transport. *gasp*

Now the Elder has to decide if she is going to see if she can get it repaired for the journey south. Or spend the money on a hire car to get her there. Or even - and this is the one MOTH likes the best - pay to have a tow bar fitted to our car, borrow a trailer and move her down. We thought that letting the rego lapse would probably be a good thing, but she insists that she wants to keep it current. And then she can transfer it when she goes south. That might work, but would be somewhat more beneficial if the car was actually going....

______________________________

As I think I have mentioned, MOTH and the Teen had been suffering from a tummy bug. They were over it and I thought we were in the clear. But perhaps I thought too soon. Sunny was to go up north to visit, but had been complaining of a bubbly tummy. No other symptoms, so he was prepared to go. Friday afternoon, he came down with it. I managed to talk him into going anyway. Yes, I know what my mother would have said! But he'd been looking forward to the trip, and going by the severity of the others, being sick would cease quickly, and it wouldn't last beyond a couple of days. So off he went.

The Teen was feeling a little low because she wouldn't be able to see her Wogboy for the weekend. He had other plans. So I gave her permission to ask him over. He arrived and they disappeared. As they do. Sometime after dinner - which I didn't feed him btw, as he had already eaten - the poor boy rushed outside to be sick. And last I heard, spent the rest of the night in the bathroom. Just sick though, nothing else.

The Elder had an arguement with one of her male friends earlier that evening. Apparently he asked her over to a party he was having. It's a little distance from our house and I wasn't keen on having to go back and pick her up. When she asked if she could crash there, he informed her that sure, she could. She could share a car with some bloke she didn't know. Cause his bed was reserved for single chicks. And the couch was taken and there would not be any spare space on the floor. And the party was a pick up for him and his friends. TYPICAL!! She was really upset. But asked if Jemma could come over. Sure I said. Sunny was the only sick one at that time, so no problem.

Luckily, Jemma didn't get sick.

______________________________________________

Saturday dawned. Wogboy was sleeping it off in the Teen's room. I found her asleep on the couch. And then ... and then ... and then ... oooo I feel faint.

Yes, I got it. And I spent a very uncomfortable Saturday. I couldn't even keep water down. I didn't start eating again until Sunday afternoon. Now my stomach is making up for lost time - I'm constantly hungry.

But I'm at work. Nothing like sharing the love...

Just waiting for the Elder now.

A quick update...

Last night, Team Shitbox came home. Yes. It did. The Elder had one of her revhead friends come by the car park and take a look at it.

It seems that the red electrical tape does not mark the red battery terminal after all. MOTH had connected the polarities wrong. Which, I guess, explains the melted jumper cables.

But they got it started. We are gamely or stupidly out in it this morning.

And the purchase of a heavy duty battery is somewhat imminent.

I don't know if she'll rejoin RACQ now. She leaves in three weeks to another state. There isn't much point really....

The continuing stoooory of a car that's gone to the dogs....

So, we decided that maybe all was forgiven and went to check on the car. MOTH decided to drive us down to the carpark. Because it is a fair hike. Especially in the RAIN.

It still wouldn't kick over. So, out came the jumper leads. Ha! Take that! Recalcitrant car! Pernicious vehicle!

The leads were connected and it still wouldn't start. Suddenly, there were sparks from the battery terminal. And smoke. That's right. Blew the jumper leads. Melted them in a couple of places even. These were MOTH's, purchased from a local cheap store.

Luckily, the Elder had a spare set in her emergency kit. Never been used before. Connect them up again. More sparks. And yes, these were hot too.

And the car still didn't start. In fact, it didn't even click when the key was turned.

And it only had to last just over another three weeks. It might be the battery; it might be something a whole lot more serious...

One of the biggest questions is, how do we get it out from the undercover car park?

I'm guessing the volvo had the last word after all.

Turf wars. And not a lego in sight.

It's been a strange couple of days.

The Elder's car gave up the ghost last night. She's been away, so it hasn't been started for something like four days. The whole time she's been gone in fact. That's right, no one loves her car like she does.

Yesterday morning, it started just fine. And off we tootled to work.

Yesterday afternoon, we clambered in. Yes, that's what I said. Clambered. I'm too darned short to do anything remotely ladylike when it comes to that car. And it wouldn't start. She tried to weave her usual magic but nothing worked. And then the battery started to die.

Fortunately, one of the GTs who lives our direction hadn't gone home yet. We abandoned the lost cause and headed home in something decent. And I got to listen to some Slipknot that I hadn't heard before.

The Team Shitbox Racing is still where we left it. I hope. We aren't talking to it, so haven't checked it.

__________

There has been a flock of magpies moved in recently. I don't suppose they would have hung around if the Teen hadn't decided to feed them. Usually we notice a family about for a while, but this time they've brought their cousins, aunts, uncles and other cousins twice removed with them.

Their song is pretty though, so I guess it's not too bad. As long as they annoy the neighbour.

They were making a fair bit of noise this morning. For an extended time. I didn't think anything of it, until the crows started calling. What the heck is going on?

I peeked out the window.

It was like a schoolyard! Two magpie protagonists were rolling around on the ground, pecking at each other. If one particular bird was on the ground, one or two of the watching crowd would dive in and take a peck at the one on the top.

The crows - not the big beautiful glossy ones with the ice blue eyes - were in the trees and on the lawn calling ... fight! fight! fight!

At least, that's what it sounded like...

Monday, bloggy Monday

So here it is. Monday. I've been at work for a while now, and surprised myself by realising that hey! I've actually been ... working! Yes, you heard it first here. I've been working. In fact, I've only briefly looked at mySpace and Facebook. I haven't even taken time out to read my blogs. The ones I have bookmarked for regular reading.

But it's also been a few days since I last wrote, so I suppose I should think about what I've been doing since I last bored you to tears.

Well, let's see...

Sunny crashed last week. It seems like so long since that last happened. I don't know what triggered this one. I thought it might have been something I had done. Or maybe he had words with Judah. But it's been so long, I had relaxed. And I wasn't paying attention. I was angry with myself for that, and not stopping it early. But that night, everyone seemed to want a piece of me, and I felt absoultely swamped.

So, I didn't see it coming. When it did though, it did. Real good. Total withdrawl. And I couldn't get any response, except dodging my touch and moving away from me when I went to ask a question. That hurt. I eventually got him settled, and I put myself to bed. Luckily for me, MOTH was still awake so I could talk to him about how I felt. Judah phoned to find out what was wrong. I didn't know how much to tell him, so I only told him that Sunny had put himself to bed. That was when I discovered another sign I had missed, and I didn't feel great for having missed that either. *sigh*

Sunny my love, if you're reading this and you feel sensory overload on the horizon, speak up. I'll do my best *Calamity Jane voice* ah'll round 'em up and head 'em out fuh ya, li'l fella. So you can be alone with the quiet.

The rest of the week has been easier though. The Elder headed off to visit her man for the weekend. She left home at around 4am, and I slept right through her departure. Imagine that. She who is usually awake at the right time and even earlier. Soz!

I can't say the weekend has been all that quiet though. The Teen had Wogboy over for a visit. I like him. That boy is just a whoooole bundle of cute. So, they do make boys in her size.

I played Kingdom Hearts on the PS2. Had to buy a whole new memory card though. Mine has gone missing. Which means, basically, I have start all my games over again.

Oh, MOTH and I went shopping. He purchased a new pair of shoes. $250 worth. I nearly died. And so did he. Didn't stop him though. *grin*

And I watched a crazy movie called Black Sheep. That's a cack. A whole lot of bad acting, loads of fake blood and zombie sheep. You can't beat it.

*giggles manically*

Free movie knights rule!

You know I have mySpace. Because I'm cool like that. One of my 'friends' is Black Curtain. They screen movies with free admission. But only in some cities.

This time it was scheduled at a place I could actually attend. The setup was different this year in that you were required to receive the tickets by SMS. And they sent TWO tickets. It was just a question of who could go with me. The Elder won. Mostly due to a lack of interest from everyone else.

I wasn't sure how it would work, but I was game. We arrived at the cinema and there didn't appear to be many people. Until we got upstairs. Oh. Now that's a different story. There were plenty of people milling about up here. And there didn't seem to be any structure to the crowd. Just crowdiness. We had a little while to wait, so the Elder decided to grab some popcorn and a frozen coke.

While I was waiting for her to come back, I noticed a boy in the crowd who reminded me of someone else. For some reason, he kept drawing my eye. On one particular occasion, I glanced his direction in time to see him lift his shirt to show someone something. OMG. I couldn't tell if he was wearing a patterned shirt under his t-shirt. Or if he was exceptionally hairy! I'm hoping it was another t-shirt.

We eventually started moving, only to discover that they were only letting the crowd through in small numbers. Waiting seemed eternal, but we made it to the front of the queue. I would have managed to get through if that stupid pole wasn't in the way. The crowd kept pushing through, but the pole was firmly blocking my path.

Eventually we were let through. Only to be stopped further on. I had to get my phone ready so the SMS ticket number could be compared with their list. Then I was required to give up my phone. What?! Well, that couldn't be helped I suppose. It was, after all, a pre-screening.

We found our places to sit. And waited for the movie to begin. The audience cheered when the opening credits rolled up.

The movie was a thrill ride of nonstop action. It was dark, brooding, action packed, creepy with the occasional one liner thrown in for good measure. Everything a girl could want in a movie really. Or was that just me?

I wasn't certain about the fuss being made about nominating Heath Ledger for a posthumous Academy award. I thought only if he truly deserved it, not because he's gone. But I've since had to rethink my position. On screen, he BECAME the Joker. He made that character truly creepy and totally believable. His movements were different. His demeanour was different. His voice became different. Creepy, creepy, creepy.

The audience seemed to be totally absorbed; even gasping and groaning when one character broke his ankle.

I really enjoyed this movie, and if the future ones are going to feature the same actors, writers and director, I'm really looking forward to the next one...

This is the dawning of the age of .... solo?

We seem to be perched on the brink of a new era, and I'm not sure I like it.

I never thought I would say this, but this might be a big step toward the whole empty nest thing. And I'm not ready for it.

Perhaps I should clarify that. I'm not going to enjoy the quiet and solitude. I thought I might. But the more people there are in the house, the more I find I'm liking it. And the less I'm looking forward to there being only MOTH.

Right now, the Elder is counting the weeks until she finishes her traineeship. That's supposed to happen in early August. Then she has a week to say her fond farewells. And pack. The week after that, the plan is to move. To NSW. Yes, that's right. NSW. At least until December. That's the plan.

Sunny is missing Judah desperately. He can't wait to move in together. Judah lives away, but would love to move locally. Once Judah gathers the courage and the finances to do that, Sunny will move. And it looks like that could be happening this year as well.

The Teen has wanted to move out for a long time now. In fact, the only reason she hasn't done so is because she has no way of supporting herself.

I'm happy for the Elder, and I hope she's happy. I'm proud that she's grown in cofidence. It's great to see her smiling. I love her muchly and she will be missed. In a quiet way though I guess. She's still the quiet one she was as a child. And her presence in the house will be missed. Especially the ride to work. Which is about the only time we spend quality time interacting.

The Teen seems to like the amount of time I give her. Not a lot so she doesn't feel crowded. And I'm welcome to hug and kiss her occasionally. Just not too often. And of course, I must give hugs and kisses and time when she comes to me. She doesn't do talk, quiet and still well. Thankfully, she would much rather 'talk' to the compter than me.

I spend most of my time with Sunny. We watch movies. And we talk. Something I don't get from anyone else. We're open to others joining us on the couch for our quiet time. But no one takes up that offer. So we sit in the dark, watch movies and talk. He snuggles and tells me about his day and what some of his friends are doing and what the relationship status with his parents is, and how much he misses Judah. And I listen and provide support. While we watch movies. Cause we have mad skills and can multitask.

And although I wish him happy, for entirely selfish reasons I am going to miss that terribly when he moves.

I had asked MOTH about having someone else move in when the Elder moves on. Not immediately, but sometime later. He said no. Not at all. And that brings me back to the not looking forward to being an empty nester. MOTH would like me to spend more time with him, but when I do, I get to sit on the bed reading or doing puzzles. While he surfs or plays games on the computer. He doesn't say much. I haven't pointed out what I consider obvious - that if Judah moved in, Sunny wouldn't need me at all..... and we could spend time together ... doing boring things ... cause he won't stay up and watch movies ... go out for sundaes ... or just go out ...

Normalcy. Or we return you to your regularly scheduled program.

I can't remember when I last posted. There you go. I'ts been an interesting week. Oh, yes, it has. I think so. Let me tell you all about it....

Jawsome arrived the weekend prior to the one just gone. But I think I mentioned that. The Elder was only allowed to have the Monday off - and that only if she had completed a particular task - and the following Friday. Which meant, basically, that Jawsome and MOTH had a lot of time to decide if they liked each other. Or not. Jawsome did spend a fair bit of time watching dvds, but MOTH took him out grocery shopping on Thursday. Jawsome apparently had fun doing that. Go figure. And MOTH was happy because he got staff discount. At the dinner table Jawsome leaned over and murmured something in the Edler's ear. Which she proudly announced to all seated there - Jawsome wanted something, but didn't want to ask MOTH because he was scarey. There you go. They get along just fine.

Sunny arrived back home on Monday evening. To a house full of noise. As usual. I think the Teen had a friend over. Petunia is very much an off the wall kind of girl. She's loud, funny and when she and the Teen get in one of those moods, then look out! It's all out noise. And you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

And things were more or less back to normal.

On Friday, the Elder and Jawsome ventured off to Movieworld. I think Jawsome hadn't been there before. The weather was overcast and I was hoping it didn't rain. I needn't have worried - they went on the Wild Wild Wet ride and got thoroughly soaked anyway. That afternoon I actually had to catch a train home. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing that. Pfft! Ok, I lie.....

Saturday, Jawsome was leaving and Sunny was heading for a friend's place for an overnight stay. So they all ventured out to the airport together. I was invited along for the ride, but I had a social event to attend, and I wouldn't be back in time. Alas!

The Elder also found out that her ex had been involved in an accident and was in hospital. To the best of my knowledge, a car pulled out in front of him while he was on the motorcycle and he got pretty well banged up. A cracked fibula, massive bruising, gravel rash, broken teeth. She went to visit him after she saw Jawsome on his way, and was a little upset when she returned home. He was very groggy and doped to the eyeballs.

I sent a message to check when she would be home. Her message came back with 'we'. What? What we? Apparently Sunny decided to stay with her, so he didn't end up at his friend's place.

The Teen was quite happy to stay home. Her boyfriend was sleeping over. They have only been together for about a week. A little longer now, and he lives out a distance. They don't get to see each other much, but have known each other for a while now. I shake my head. He's everything she usually dislikes. He's short. He's a little older than she. He has a job. Well, apprenticeship. He has his learners. He DOESN'T have facial piercings. Only a couple of, relatively speaking, small stretchers in his ears. They're crazy about each other. At the moment. *grins*

But MOTH and I were supposed ... Oh! There are two birthdays in the office today which means CAKE! So, I've helped myself. One piece of traditional fruit cake that the GT's mother makes every year, and one piece of chocolate sponge. Hmmmmm.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, we had an invitation to a 50th birtday party. On Saturday night. It was to start at 5pm and I had to race out to the station and collect the Teen and Wogboy at 4pm. It was a quick get ready! I dived out the door to follow MOTH and thought, wait! I'd better get the invitation. Unlocked and grabbed it off the fridge door. Off we went in the rain to the thing. It was crowded upstairs - some rugby test was on - and the function was downstairs. We ventured down to find out where it was. Oh, we're a bit early, no one is here. But look! Shiny pokies. Let's amuse ourselves for a while. And it's quiet, there isn't anyone else in the room. We played for a while then decided to check again to see if anyone had turned up. Nope. Still no one yet. It's after 5pm. Where is everyone? I pulled out the invite again. OH ... it's a 7pm start.... *small voice* don't I feel like a bit of a ninny???

But the food was good and there was plenty of it. And, the cake was chocolate...

Sunday was quiet. I got up at the usual time. And the Elder was up early as well. She was headed out to Willowbank with a friend of hers. He was racing apparently. Sunny went out to his friend's place, and the Teen and Wogboy stayed in her room most of the day.

Sunday afternoon, Sunny sent a message to ask if another friend who is visiting our fair city could come for a visit. That's fine. But he had family stuff to attend first, then he would come over. About 9pm or so, Sunny had a call from Carton to say he'd changed his mind. A little after that, he called again to say he was on his way. I didn't really mind, I'm still up and about. Sometime after that, he called again. The train had broken down and he had to wait 20 minutes for another one. So, it was sometime after 10pm when we finally got the call to pick him up from the station. But I didn't mind; we had talked to Carton before, just never met him in person. He slept over, and we sent him home this morning.

I know I complain, but I really enjoy having extras in the house. It's a 5 day week of weekdays. There are no sleepovers on weekdays.

So we now return you to our regularly scheduled program...

PS. Sunday evening, the Elder went back to visit with the ex. He's feeling a little better and moving a little more freely. Still black and blue though! From waist to mid-thigh. All things.... *feels as close to sympathetic as she can get*

It doesn't pay to piss em off....

The kids were jumping all over me. Well, one in particular. I wanna go out. Don't know where, I just want to go out. The Teen put up her hand. I wanna come too.

After some thought, I decided that I have a new card for a new account I hadn't tested yet. Today is cheap video day, let's go get one.

The Teen, Sunny and I headed out for the local shops. Along the way, I noticed a vehicle travelling close to me; boy those headlights are bright! So bright, I shifted the postition of my side mirror. And, hey, if the light reflects back on them, what of it. I can't see if it's reflecting on mine.

I glanced in the mirror a couple of times. They had backed off a little, but not much. The kids were discussing something to do with the radio, and I glanced to see what they were doing. And when I glanced back, I'd gone a little too close to the middle of the road. I pulled the car back in line.

I glanced again. Darn, that vehicle was still up my tail. But wait! Can I see, vaguely beyond the reflection of the headlights, something written across the bonnet?

A little further on and bugger! I'm being followed by a police car. There is a roundabout that is so small and off set it's actually a nuisance. If there is no other traffic, I drive straight through, across both lanes. THIS time, I took it slow and did it properly. And just after that, yep. Red and blue flashing lights. Shoot!

I pulled over. Worried, because I was sure that I had been speeding on the speed limit changeover. But no! Licence check and RBT.

w00t! I don't think I've done one of those before. At least, I've been pulled over but he said I didn't have to blow into the bag, and possibly one other time.

But hey! It made the trip to the shops interesting.

Oh, and we also aren't sure if the Teen, sitting in the back of the car while wearing a paper hat, necessarily helped either.

Or maybe I shouldn't have moved the mirror.....

Welcome ... Jawsome

He arrived on Saturday. He walked in the door on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Elder. It felt strange. I have chatted to this boy on line; I have seen him on web cam. And lo, there he is in person. Looking just like he did on cam. Strange, almost deja vu.

The Teen says she wasn't phased by that. Most of the people she meets are from msn or mySpace anyway. She's used to it.

Wow, you're not a four foot midget with a monobrow after all I remarked. He laughed and ducked his head. In reality, he's 188cm tall. That's about 6ft 1inch in the old scale. I think that's about the same height as Sunny, but we aren't sure. He's a full head taller than the Elder.

He's still a little quiet, but has the potential to be a very funny lad. The Elder took him out to the local bottle-o Saturday night. And he went out in normal clothes, but included in his ensemble a knitted orange hat thing. That pulled down over his ears and included the dangling strings that tie under the chin. Hillarious. The Elder just shook her head. And smiled at the same time.

Yesterday he went out in public wearing a bright pink tee with the words I'M GREAT! on it. In large black block letters. Game, I'll give him that.

He's willing to laugh at himself. And that's not a bad thing. Like telling us that he fell out of the shower - at his home - and skinned his heel. And showed us the wound. We don't know how he fell, and I'm not quite game enough to ask.

They get along just fine though. There doesn't seem to be any awkwardness between them. So. I guess we will just have to see where this leads...

Donations accepted for the Save the Desititute Daughter fund

The Elder drives a car. A piece of shit car that she is strangely proud of. The fact that it is an old volvo has nothing to do with it. Really. It's a little dinged around the edges, but it adds character.

She likes it because she can do crazy things and park in strange places. She tells me that people will just look at the car, note that it's a bloody volvo driver and shrug.

But just lately, the romance hasn't been going so well. The car has been breaking down; becoming tempermental and throwing the occasional temper tantrum.

Last night, he refused to start. Again. The last time this happened, it was a weekend and she was stuck in the car park. Luckily, she's got RACQ. You know, never be without it. And when her knight in reflective yellow turned up, he got the car going. Without two fuses. Which freaked him a little. Because that just shouldn't happen.

This time, the thing she should never be without, she's without. And no RACQ to the rescue. Luckily, a knight in shining Ford Focus came along. He lives out our direction so offered us a lift home. The Elder wasn't sure about taking it. She didn't want to leave her baby alone. But I talked her into it and the knight dropped us home. After dinner, we went out to see if we could fetch the volvo. I drove our car and MOTH came with us.

He twiddled some cables. No go. He put in more oil. No go. He played with a switch. And hey presto! It started. Apparently a switch for the headlights wasn't fully off and it was shorting. Fortunately, it seemed to like the adjustment. And it was time to bring the baby home.

MOTH insisted he was coming home with me though. He wasn't going to ride in that piece of shit car!

10 9 8 7 .... countdown!

And no, it's not that 80s music program either. But those were fun times. On the odd occasion that I was allowed to watch it. ABC always had such appalling programming timing. It - and Dr Who - were up against the news on channel 9. And we all know which programs had preference!

But we are on the countdown. At least, the Elder is. And she makes sure that everyone else is too. Jawsome arrives on the weekend. On Saturday. And we are counting down the days. Hey that would be a good line for a song. There are, apparently, only 4 sleeps to go.

Sunny is away this week. Last night was his second night away. It's quiet. And I have had two early nights so far. By early I mean I'm in bed before midnight. A little closer to 11pm. Television isn't really entertaining; the Elder and the Teen are usually on the computer. So I trundle off to bed and sit staring over MOTH's shoulder at that television. Or read. And get bored, so I snuggle under the blankies and settle for sleep.

The Teen has lost her phone. By lost it, I mean it's broken properly now and won't turn on. We have a very old panasonic that I thought to loan her. It won't turn on. Sunny has an old nokia and an old LG. She went for the nokia. It won't turn on. So that leaves the LG. Wonder if it will turn on?

Going nowhere ... fast

I decided to vote myself a day off. And I told my boss that too. I told him I was going to take Monday off. If the travel I was working on was finished. Guess what. It wasn't. Still isn't. How difficult can it be to get a hotel in Canada booked? Pretty difficult apparently. And they need it by Friday. Wish me luck e'body!

Needless to say, I didn't get to have Monday off. Though for all the progress I made, I may as well have. I thought I might take this Friday off. So I can have a long weekend like. No dice. The other office girl has that day off. Hmmm. Maybe I can have the following Monday off. Although my stress levels will have dropped by then. But hey! My calendar tells me that there is a report due that day. Will I ever get this day off?

Next week is going to be a quiet one. Sunny is off this weekend to go visit Judah. He leaves Sunday and is gone for the week. It's going to be so quiet. And I will desperately miss the dvd nights. Sunny and I were talking about why we like that time so much. It's the recharge. We sit in the dark, don't talk to each other, stare dumbly at the screen. Although he plays on the hiptop until he falls asleep. And the noise level is down and it's a brilliant way to destress. I get a bit narky when someone else is in the area because they are usually on the computer. And the screen generates light, and the keyboard clicks. And I get stroppy because of the distraction. But then, I'm a stroppy old bag really.

Judah. What can I say about Judah. He comes from a country church background. A couple of years older than Sunny. He's pleasant, thoughtful, fun. He's capable of giggling and squealing like a school girl. When he's tickled! I really like him. I like him a lot. He's my favourite of all the friends Sunny has introduced me to. And he seems to like me too. Which is a bonus! He makes Sunny deliriously happy. And that counts for a lot in my book. I hope he's around for a long, long time.

Jawsome. This is the Elder's new beau. *sings* You must walk feminine, talk feminine, smile and beguile, feminine ... that's what every girl should know, if she wants to catch a beau. It's a song from Disney or something.

But I digress. Jawsome. It's hard to describe someone you haven't met. We have chatted on msn and facebook. He's a bit of a ratbag. With a wicked sense of humour. Like most young blokes he's been known to do stupid things. Like injuring himself jumping off a couch while playing guitar hero. I've seen him sitting in front of the webcam while wearing a promo cardboard headband for the movie Kung Fu Panda. As an aside, I really want to see that movie. Yes. Yes I do. Sunny is fully expecting to be greeted by a 4 foot midget with a monobrow when he arrives. He is popping up to meet the Elder in person for the first time. He arrives a couple days before Sunny returns. He's staying for a week. So it's going to feel a little crowded for a while.

But we should be used to that by now. And speaking of which, I have another in the house for about three nights.....

Ah me...

I'm a travelling (wo)man

These days, most of my day at work seems to be organising travel to places I'll never go. This last nightmare involved Europe, Canada and the USA. Lately, they seem to be a little better organised, but this trip ran true to form.

I seem to have spent the last week almost constantly working on getting this trip booked and paid for. The flight itinerary had been organised but not ticketed. Qantas usually hold the itinerary for a couple of days before they cancel the booking. This time they didn't. When I was finally allowed to go ahead, the booking was still there. Sometimes something has to work!

Accommodation on the other hand... None of the places I wanted to book were available on the dates I needed. And the agent couldn't get them booked through their wholesaler. I had to book through an online service, or direct with the hotel. This usually works because I now have access to a corporate credit card. It was truly a horrific experience before then! But I had 4 hotels to find and book. I managed to get 2 of them before the card maxed out. That's right, the card maxed out. The credit limit is pretty generous. And it doesn't 'refresh' again until early next month. I had to get someone else to book one of the hotels. I have 3 of them booked but no way to pay for the 4th! I still don't know how I'm going to do it. They are due to arrive at wherever I have booked for them on 21 June. And they depart Australia tomorrow.

I hate organising travel. Especially last minute multistop jaunts.

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In my last post (the dogs have stopped howling now) I mentioned a friend of Sunny's. He shall be called Judah. No, he hasn't sold anyone out for thirty pieces of silver. He has his own business judaharmourindustries.com.au. If I'm honest, I wasn't certain at first. The Elder wasn't happy and things were a little awkward. But after the first night things smoothed themselves out and all was hunky dory. He's wonderful. I like him a lot. He was shy and quiet but was coming out of his shell by the time he was ready to leave.

I'm still not sure about the PDAs; I don't like too much mush. But I guess I could get used to them. *grin* It's just great to see Sunny so happy.

In a couple of weeks time I get to meet the Elder's new squeeze. Although I don't suppose I can call him a squeeze yet. They haven't met yet to squeeze. He's coming for a visit. We have chatted before via web cam and msn. He's Jawsome, and seems to be lots of fun. Not sure yet if MOTH will be happy though. Jawsome seems to be predisposed to fun.

I lurve long weekends

This week has been a write off. Things have been off kilter since the conference. I think I need a holiday to recover!

Sunny has had a friend stay over. Originally it was to be Wednesday night. Until we realised that Sunny needed to work a late shift that day and start an early shift the next morning. Thursday sounded a better proposition. So, Thursday was go!

Thursday came. And some time after dark, Sunny brought him home. He was tall! Taller than Sunny. And he's from up north. I had never heard the name of the place before. But I know the general area.

So, it's Saturday and he's still here. How did that happen? I've watched them interact, and Sunny seems quite smitten. In fact, it's downright sickening. PDAs! Get a room ferfksake! Gah! I've never even seen the Elder or the Teen snuggle as much with their partners. *grins and shudders at the same time* Actually, now I think about it, they couldn't get a room. At least, not here. There isn't one...

But I hope he's going home soon. I want the house back. And there is another one apparently wants to stay next weekend as well. MOTH doesn't mind, so I guess it's ok.

Oh, and Teen has a new piercing. MOTH is SERIOUSLY less than pleased. I confess that although I expressed disapproval, I didn't specifically say NO so she went ahead and did it anyway. Now MOTH flat refuses to acknowledge her. Those two are so alike it's not funny.

So, on the whole, I'm really glad that I'm not at work for a few days. It's Queen's birthday long weekend. Being an Aussie, I'd be terribly upset if becoming a republic meant we lost a public holiday! We don't get enough of them as it is.

In which I moan about my job...

Just for something different. I am organising a trip from Australia, through Europe then on to Canada and the USA. And home. They are supposed to depart in about a week. But the way things go here, I'll likely have the go ahead the day before they depart. It's really quite stressful.

I thought about applying for a job in Sydney once. Same sort of thing I'm doing now, but for a much better employer. And, hopefully, not as much of the bureaucratic nonsense. Working here is like opening a gift every day. There is just so much red tape. But ... MOTH nearly had apoplexy. Poor dear. I really shouldn't do that.

So there goes that idea.

The Teen celebrated her birthday the other day. I had hopes that it might have been good for her, but they were soon dashed. Silly me. Getting all optimistic there. She is going through a really tough time right now. She is being bullied. Badly enough for her to seriously consider taking a complaint to the police. She's terrified, but resolute as well. I absolutely admire her strength. I'm so proud of her. So strong, so firm. I don't think that at her age, I could have handled it myself. We'll stand by her, whatever she decides to do.

Just lately, I'm standing back and watching Elder and Sunny, wishing things were back on an even footing. I love them both dearly, but I can see things are sliding and I don't know how to help fix it. Not that I'm a fixer-upper by any means. They just need to talk. But something happened between them and both are a little unsure of where they stand. Elder withdraws from everyone - not just Sunny - and he's left bewildered and wondering what's going on. He tells MOTH that he's tried to talk, but I don't think that's the kind of talk they need. Right now, they just need to be silly with each other. Just to talk about the silly stuff, nothing of substance. I'm sure that's how they started out being friends. Just a hug in passing, some silly talk and things will right themselves. *optimism strikes again*

Late nights. Or boredom!

Wow. It's 11pm and I'm sitting here, wishing it wasn't Sunday night. Tomorrow is Monday. Ok, bad case of stating the obvious here. I'm not looking forward to Monday. Hardly ever do actually. I really love the idea of getting paid, but don't like the idea of going to work.

Sunny has adjusted his medication. But in order to do that, he had to come completely off his current meds. It hasn't been pretty. Although it's not great right now, crisis has been averted by having one of his friends sleep over.

So, it's Sunday evening. I've been watching the Rob Zombie Halloween remake. I like what I saw of it much better than the 1980whatever version! But two of the audience complained about it, and there was nothing from the other so I stopped it and put Zoolander on instead.

We did manage to get through Hitman though. And I really like that one. So did the friend.

I think this post is a little disjointed. Sunny has a 7.30am start tomorrow. I'm thinking about going to bed. I usually do alarm clock duty and if I do it for tomorrow, I need to get him out of bed about 4am. He needs time to shower, wash his hair, let it dry and straighten it. I don't know, males these days!

Crisis hour!

Well, maybe not quite. But it may as well be. Remember I moaned about having to do that 6 hour meeting last time? Guess what, I've got to do it again. This coming Monday. Oh, it's so good to be me!

I'm hoping that now it's Thursday, things will get back to a more normal keel. Monday was not good.

Rocked into work after the conference, and straight into the meeting that I had to organise while away. And guess what. Seems I wasn't popular because I didn't organise tea/coffee for people when they arrived. Morning tea wasn't long after, so I didn't bother. BUT! I also forgot the data projector..... And we're off to a good start.

Then, I get a phone call. One of the GTs I had to organise travel for, while away, didn't get registered for his conference. It was panic stations because he couldn't attend without being registered. The corporate card I would have used to pay the registration was maxed out and totally useless. What to do, what to do.... I eventually found a solution, but meantime the GT wanted to register. He used his own. Now I am trying to organise a refund to put it against a different account. *sigh* When I break things, I really break things.

There were a couple more things that went badly wrong that day as well. I was nearly ready to pack up and go home.

It's evened out a little now. Hopefully the rest of the week won't be bad.

We have a visitor on the weekend. Just for something different. I haven't met this one and I am hoping we'll get on well. We've chatted online and not often. He's a friend of Sunny's. He seems nice. And his visit could be good for Sunny. Sunny is in transition from one medication to another, and he isn't having a good time of it. Hopefully this visit will help distract him.

The Elder is looking to have some people over this weekend for the Teen's birthday. Nothing major, but we were looking not to have any of them sleepover. The thought was that maybe the Teen could sleep over at one of their places after the bbq. We will have to see how that one pans out.

All I can say is, roll on weekend. Next week, don't come! I don't wanna do that meeting....

Conference. Part 3. For the slow readers

WEDNESDAY: Back at the booth again this morning. I'm supposed to be off. She's late. And then I'm told that the one thing I want to see, I might not be able to see after all? WTF? No way. I'm going. We would be doing 'bump out' which is an optimistic way of saying Pack-up-the-stand-we're-outta-here.

MOTH went home this morning...

Back up to the boys room to work on the catering for a meeting next Monday. Sometimes, it just never seems to end. What? No free icecream? The fridge is empty?! I hate Wednesdays when the conference winds down.....

Back on the booth for the afternoon. We started the pack up. I let her take the lead - there's less trouble I can get into that way. I was just thinking I had managed to get through the conference without being taken to task, when presto! Things back on an even keel.

Did get to see the panel. About a dozen speakers, with 3 speaking for the side. Not the same 3 each time mind. Questions were posed, and each of the 3 chosen speakers had 1 minute to put their point across, either for or against, depending on their stance. Some of the panelists were very acerbic and funny at the same time. It was hosted by Adam Spencer. A geek from ABC shows.

Wednesday night was state of origin. They usually put on a bit of a beer and pizza night and set up the big screen. The food was good - pizza, chips, salads, quiche, pies. And beer, wine and softdrink. After packing up, I went back to the room. Kinda empty and lonely without MOTH. I ran the spa, added bubbles and light cubes. Grabbed the vodka cruiser Sunny gave me before I left home, and a couple squares chocolate. Oh, and don't forget the sudoku puzzle book. Soaked in the tub, tv on loudly in the next room, playing some stuff on the Foxtel Music Maxx channel.

When I was dressed, I flopped out backward on the bed and played a while with the iPod. Next thing I know, I awoke and it's 7.20pm. The function started at 7pm. I wandered down, and feeling kinda mellow, grabbed a slice of pizza and sat crosslegged on a chair against the wall. By myself. In my own space bubble. I sat for a little while, and was joined by Mz & Mr M. They amused me for a while then we were joined by Uncle. He was feeling mellow too. He told me. We chatted for a while, he showed me photos of his godsons, his wife and his puppy. He left after a time, and I decided that I would leave too. I wandered outside and discovered that Uncle hadn't left yet at all. He offered to escort me to the lifts. He left on his floor with a goodbye kiss on the cheek and a pat on the knee. Naaawwwwwwwww.

THURSDAY: Tutorials today. Got through the first one. A tute about digital forensic evidence in court. Presenting expert reports.

Had to have a go at chairing for the second one. I've never done that before. It's scarey. I have to get up in front of everyone, introduce myself, give the housekeeping notices, introduce the speakers and at the end, thank them and present them with their gifts. This tute was a week workshop squeezed into one afternoon. Rushed!

Tonight, we are off to see Indianna Jones and the Crystal Skull. The movie was very formula IJ and I really enjoyed it. Best part was, I flashed the discount card I use at a different cinema, and they accepted it!

FRIDAY: Today is an all day tute. I'm not sure if I can manage it, it looks a bit techie. But I'll give it a shot. Maybe I can shoulder surf with one of the GTs.

Come morning tea time, I had to check out. I looked to put my stuff in the boys room with theirs. I had a laugh though. My suitcase looked really tiny compared to theirs. I thought boys travelled light, and girls did not.

Survived the tute. And had a great time too. I really did enjoy this one. And I got to see some techie software tools I would never have normally seen.

Travelling home this evening. With one of the GTs and an IRT driver. In a fairly small car.

And I got home, and ran into a very, very enthusiastic greeting from Sunny. And slightly more subdued from MOTH and the Teen.

It's good to be home....

Conference Part 2. There could be a few parts to this!

MONDAY: Awake bright and early. After an early night. True. I was in bed by about 12.30am or so. Breakfast comes supplied with the room, so I sent MOTH down to claim it.

Down to the stand to finalise the set up. I think I have this morning off. Off the stand that is, I still have plenty to do. Travel! I can't even escape it this week. I've got to email the travel agent, check to see if the tickets have been sent. Book accommodation and get the itinerary finalised. And no computer to do it with. Looks like I will have to rely on the generousity of the GTs. Up to the boy's room. Grab a free icecream on the way. Settle in and oh no! I can't log on! It takes the GTs about 20 minutes to get it sorted out.

MOTH had been out for the day doing his committee stuff. Got back to the hotel though in time to come down and pop his head in. They did give him a delegate day pass though for some reason, so it ended up that he had a conference bag and everything. He had a great time, going round the stalls looking and begging for free stuff.

The function tonight is the Sponsor Cocktails. The theme this year was a birthday party. My employer has been in operation for 15 years. The boys were given pointed party hats; girls had tiaras. Kiddies ones I might add.... One of the speakers is a bit of a character, and ended up placing his party hat on his groin.

Had to quit early though! I developed a very severe headache. It was getting to the point of making me feel sick and I had to leave. It was 7.30pm! Grrr. And on the way back to our room, while talking to MOTH I remembered that I was still wearing the tiara. I took it off, and presto! The pain started to ease off. Well, don't I feel stupid??? Still crashed when I got back to the room though.

TUESDAY: Working the morning 'shift' on the stand today. MOTH went down for breakfast; I had noodles. In the room. He was back from breakfast before I went down to the exhibition. Wow, that was quick!

I spent the afternoon in the boys room. Grabbed an icecream on the way. Again. Boy, will have to stop this or I won't be able to fit in the car when I leave. Took the iPod headphones with me so I could type stuff for the Project Manager. I need to type meeting minutes for her. Apparently I did such a good job of the last lot, I get to do them again. *sigh* Just shows that doing your job well is often rewarded with more work. I didn't get as much done as I had hoped; I have to keep rewinding the recording so I can pick up what is being said.

Gala (galah) dinner tonight. They are having it at the hotel. I would have preferred the original option, which was stuff at Dreamworld/White Water World, but one of the Managers on the organising committee spat the dummy big time. He didn't like the idea of water or rides. But on the night, it did turn out to be a little cold by the hotel pool. I managed to snaffle a free ticket for MOTH. Meals were served 'alternate drop'. For the uninitiated, that means there are two options on the menu and you get one or the other, depending on what the person next to you was given. So, MOTH had lamb, I got salmon. Dessert was a really rich mudcake square. I couldn't finish it..... Waitress was serving at our table. Some of the young boys at the table were flirting terribly. They thought she was hot.



The entertainment for the evening was Tripod. Headed up to the Hydrate bar after the dinner. MOTH headed for our room.

Oh, did I mention glo-sticks? Yes, glo-sticks. We had them.

GCee was there, resplendant in skirt, soft fuzzy top, sandals, painted toenails. I would have stopped to chat, but she and another female were leading some chap about, 'chained' up with linked glo-sticks. I was wary of the gimp. Mr M swore later that she tried to pick him up at the bar. Uncle and I weren't too sure if he'd misread the situation or not. We felt it was too soon after the coming out for her to start doing that to people she knew from her previous life.