Is there anybody up there?

I mentioned Middle Sis was here with bub a little while ago, the following is a snippet of conversation had at the dinner table with Little Boy and myself...

MS: He's an angel! (speaking about bub)

LB: There's no such thing!

MS: yes there is, he's my angel from heaven.

LB: That's a myth!

Me: why do you say that?

LB: Because ads are never true!


Ferrero Roche isn't all that convincing apparently.

*Edit: tried to find the ad he was thinking of and this is as close as I came, who needs english anyway ;)

A Few Months Later

So it's now March so I decided to update on how my New Year "goals/resolutions" are going...

1. Blog more here, purely for my own benefit of getting the writing happening again and to have things down in words to be able to look back on.

I've decided that Twittering is kinda like blogging so I haven't failed on this one yet...

2. Make MUCH more effort to see/speak to a couple of friends I hardly saw in the last year.

Hmm okay so this one I haven't started out too well, seem to be having trouble catching up but definitely still working on it so it's not a fail yet...

and 3. Keep the relationships with all of my sisters and my Mum as strong if not stronger than they are now, and enjoy as much time as possible with my new niece and nephew.

This one's an easier one. Littlest sis has moved out now but we still talking lots, middle sis has been up again recently with my nephew which was fun. Oldest sis actually let me babysit my niece last week (they've never before left her with anyone, ever!) and I didn't even get overwhelmed with texts/calls to check on little one's well being so that was a bonus!

So guess it's not going too bad and since Twitter is counted as blogging I'm not feeling the need to force myself to write here and will only do so when I really want/need to. Speaking of twitter, it has given me a brand new appreciation of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore absolutely loving them on there! Just thought I'd mention it...

Oh and another thing, you just must check out F*** My Life* if you haven't already...

*Wow, it's been that long that I struggled to remember enough HTML to even do that link, that's just sad.

Out There on the Ice

So I finally caved and bought myself an MP3 player a couple of weeks ago and since I figured it was time for another post (but it's too hot right now to actually think of something original) I decided to do this music Meme Phil did a while back. It made me laugh a couple of times and cringe once or twice but I followed the rules anyway...


1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Mean (Pink)

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
She Loved Like Diamond (Spandau Ballet)

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Voices in Quartz (Cut Copy)

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Girl Trouble (Violent Femmes)

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley)

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Keep on Movin' (Bob Marley)

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Living Type (Powderfinger)

8.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self (Pink)

9. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
The World (Empire of the Sun)

10 WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
[You're the] Devil in Disguise (Elvis Presley)

11.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE/LOVE?
Superwoman (Alicia Keys)

12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Gas Hed Goes West (Live)

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?)
Make Me Pure (Robbie Williams)

14 WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE/LOVE?
Let Me Die Young (Taxiride)

15 WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
I'm Free [Heaven Helps the Man] (Kenny Loggins)

16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Akon/Michael Jackson)

17 What will they play at your funeral?
Where Do We Go From Here (Alicia Keys)

18. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Better Than (John Butler Trio)

19 WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Lightning Crashes (Live)

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Tripping (Robbie Williams)

21. WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Shit Towne (Live)

22. HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Who The Cap Fit (Bob Marley)

23. WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET
Gunning Down Romance (Savage Garden)

24. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Good Doctor (Robbie Williams)

25. WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Add It Up (Violent Femmes)

26 WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
That's All (Michael Buble)

27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
The One That Got Away (Pink)

28 IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
A Thing About You (Roxette)

29 WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
It's Alright (Craig Mack/Sista)

30 WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Out There on the Ice (Cut Copy)

Today's blog brought to you by the letter T...

I put my hand up for a meme at Bitzky's place it was harder than I thought it'd be but here it is...

How this memetic works is that you leave a comment on this post, and I’ll assign you a letter. Then you write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on.

I was assigned the letter T, "love" might be too strong a word for some of these but they are definitely a part of my life every day...

Time, most often I'd love to have more of this (like when my alarm goes off in the morning after the third snooze and I realise if I hit that button just one more time there's a whole chain reaction that will have me out of whack and out of time for the rest of the day) and yet there are some times when enough is enough (like when you get a call 5min before the end of your shift at work and it then takes 15min to get that person off the phone but by the time you realised it was one of "those" calls there's not a damn thing you can do about it, or about getting yourself 10min closer to the train station).

Talking, yes I'm a woman of course I love to talk but I also love to listen to other people talking. Playing a game with Little Boy that informed us; the average guy speaks just 2000 words per day whereas the average woman speaks 7000, I have a very competitive nature but I think it's safe (and fair) to say that I perform well above average in this field. I'll talk to almost anyone and if no one wants/is around to listen I'll settle for talking to myself.

Telephones, they go hand in hand with talking. I learnt another little fact (this one courtesy of Libra, TMI I know but too bad) that the average person will spend a total of two years of their life on the phone. Again I'm pretty sure I sit well above average on this one since I spend my working hours constantly on the phone and then there's the several calls a week (day?) to either one of my sister's or my mum, let alone everyone else.

Tapping, I can't help it I tap my fingers or feet almost constantly, whether there's music or not or whether I'm actually bored or not. Perhaps I'm a touch OCD with a dash of ADD thrown in (there are other signs too) for good measure. I also find myself typing (which I'm calling a form of tapping) in time to music if it is on.

Two, Ten and Thirteen, plain old numbers and yet they play a part in my everyday. I count a lot of things in my head throughout the day and while it may not be a continuous count I will usually finish it to the nearest ten if possible. I also have a thing with even numbers, I have to have anything with a volume control on a number divisible by 2. Which can become annoying at night when everything seems so loud and the TV is too loud on 4 and too quiet on two, I only sometimes make exceptions. As for thirteen, it's an odd number and it's a prime number, it doesn't fit with either of the above or their reasoning and yet I like it, go figure! (is all this just another OCD sign?)

Thoughtfulness, it can be a rare thing to see these days but it really touches me when someone truly has thought about what they are doing and are just being nice! Something as simple as a colleague at work grabbing me a can of coke on their break is much appreciated. Or it could be Little Boy who one night went to bed with the feeling he'd forgotten something but was unable to remember what it was... until about 5am when he thoughtfully woke me up to tell me he'd remembered what it was he'd forgotten to do and that as a result he'd been out the back to collect his toy car.

Teasing, in a playful way of course. I can't help but tease people especially the really gullible (some might say I'm a smart-arse or even a bitch at times). I had Little Boy almost convinced that invisible power lines were being trialled beside the train line not too far from here and I've threatened to dress as a clown and pick him up from school smothering him with kisses and cuddles (he was intrigued by the first but not too phased by the idea of the latter). I jump on (Freudian) slips of the tongue and I endlessly pay out anyone who makes a public fool of themselves (mostly my 19yr old sis who has made it a habit to get obscenely drunk and embarrass herself).

My last doesn't start with T but it has three of them in it...

On Top - Eternal Erection, the best $5 CD I've ever bought and if I'd known how good they were I definitely would have paid more. As it was I bought it purely for the name of the group but it quickly became one of my all time fave cd's. They're from Finland and they even look cool! Mind you I was a little hesitant walking up to the young guy in JB asking if they had any eternal erection... it took him several seconds of smothering an emerging grin and gaining a voice before he asked me "sorry, what?". http://www.eternalerection.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/eternalerection they're worth the look!

Another year goes by...

Okay so 2008 was the year of the bad blog mojo and I'm hoping 2009 is a little different. It's already half-way through January but I'm going to start the new blog year out with a wrap up of the last... (in point form 'cause mojo still absent, baby steps! ;-) )

* So I started the year out in a relatively new home for me and then I finished the year moving again. Still in same general sort of area but instead of a walk to school for the boy it's a coupla buses. I really like this new house and paying the extra $50 or so a week has been worth it.

* Halfway through 2008 I decided to give up looking after other people's kids and go out and get a "real" job that pays more. As it turned out I got the first job I interviewed for, which was good because I realllly wanted it. I've always worked for myself or in relatively small businesses/offices in the past so being a lowly pleb for a multinational is interesting. (and it came in handy when I was forced at short notice to look for a new rental and pay more for it, as I mentioned above)

* Little Boy has handled the changes really well and is growing up so quickly before my eyes every day. It's scary to think that in one more short year he will be off to high school!

* 2008 was also the year of the baby, I welcomed a niece in April and a nephew in October and Little Boy welcomed a sister in July. More news of babies on the way for this year too with my brother expecting his second child and Little Boy expecting twin brothers (yes, LB's father and his gf are mad! She fell pregnant a mere 6weeks after having her first bub). For me it's been a chance to see what motherhood does for two of my sisters, as well as enjoy the pleasure of babies and the joy of being able to hand them back!

* At the beginning of 2008 I got to see some of Tassie with my Mum and I had hoped to see the Northern Territory with my father but had to postpone that trip and ultimately cancel it since Dad and his wife are on the move again and have left the desert.

* For most of the year I've also had the new experience of living with my youngest sister (only other time I've lived with her she was only a toddler). I'm pleased to say that as yet we STILL have not had any sort of fight, maybe her spending two months in Europe and away helped in that matter though...

* In November my brother married his gf of 2-3 years and they told us their baby news. I'm sad to say this didn't evoke the joy and excitement in me that I'd have hoped for. Basically the entire year has been a growing apart time for us and I'm at the point where I care less and less. I predict that there will be pretty much no contact with him within 6-9months.

So that's the main thing's I think I'll remember bout the past year. I generally don't make New Years Resolutions but decided this year there was a few things that I wanted to make a point of doing...

1. Blog more here, purely for my own benefit of getting the writing happening again and to have things down in words to be able to look back on.

2. Make MUCH more effort to see/speak to a couple of friends I hardly saw in the last year.

and 3. Keep the relationships with all of my sisters and my Mum as strong if not stronger than they are now, and enjoy as much time as possible with my new niece and nephew.



That's pretty much it, I'm enjoying where I'm at and I intend to keep doing so!

Apologies for boring you (if anyone's out there still) to tears... but get used to it, apparently I'll be doing it more often!

Next...

The butterflies are already in my stomach, fluttering

The next chapter is about to begin

For the first time in so long it is about me

While he may not be happy just now, he can and will adapt

He will realise it is for the better for both of us

Spring is upon us and the flowers begin to bloom

Definitely time for change and it's in full swing

The Gifting Meme

For those who read Ben's blog you may remember her posting about receiving her gift a little while ago and asking for three bloggers wanting to join the fun. I put my hand up and early last week (yeah I've been slow and slack!) I received my package from Ben and had so much fun opening it and going through all the little bits and pieces.

It arrived on a day that had been terrible from the moment I got out of bed. By late afternoon I was ready to tear shreds off the next person I came into contact with so when I heard the knock on the door I was worried. As it turned out I was probably lucky I didn't reach for the jugular straight away as the very nice postman handed me my package from Ben. I actually sent a curious Little Boy to his room so that I could take pleasure in opening it without the constant chatter. As I pulled the little bags out of the package and saw one specifically for Little Boy I put it to the side for him to open himself. He was so surprised and happy to be included, he couldn't get over the fact that he'd got a present from someone on the other side of the world who he'd never met. It was such a great lift for my entire day and week!

So now it's my turn, here's the deal folks I will send packages to the first three of you to leave me a message and who promise to pay it forward as well. You don't have to spend big, you just have to be willing to send a little fun to three of your blog friends when it comes your turn. I'll need postal addresses so send me an email to miss_blue79@hotmail.com if you're interested!

Now let's just hope there's still three of you out there...

In a Nutshell

A lot can happen in two months, it just doesn't usually...

Since my last blog...

* On the 8th April my brother told me he proposed to his g/f, they'll be married before the year ends. (I managed to offer my congrats rather than condolences!)

* On the 17th April I became an Aunty (again) to a gorgeous little girl! (So I made a cake)

* On the 27th April I found out I would be an Aunty yet again before year end! (I didn't scream in horror... nor delight but it's good)

* Sis is still living here and we still haven't had a fight! (But i have snapped at her a few times pfftt 18yr olds)

(Those first four points are each about a different sibling)

* Have put off having a particular conversation for the last 4weeks in a row (will do it this week!)

* Said G'bye to my Dad and step-mother who made the huge move to the middle of the country/desert after more than 20yrs living where they were. (My next plane trip already in the works)

* Spent a few days with Mum before she and her partner began their travels of the east coast states and then head back to Tassie. (Still don't miss her, she never feels far away)

* Had mice try to drive me insane... but I came out the winner! (I had even started to dream about the little fuckers!)

* Negotiated an arrangement with Little Boy for his first real regular pocket money. (This week only, we'll see how long it lasts) For now he's flying high...

Movie Quote Meme

I stole this from DWaFM. A movie quote meme. Not sure if these are my favourites as such but they're up there...

Here are the rules I must follow:

* Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
* Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
* Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
* Fill in the film title once it’s been guessed.

These are your rules:

* Leave your guesses in the comments.
* No Googling or using IMDB search functions. Don’t cheat!
* Know-it-alls, limit your guesses to three movies. Save some for others!


1. "That's good. A little anger. It's a bit late, but it's nice to see."

2. "A condom is the glass slipper for our generation. You slip one on when you meet a stranger. You dance all night, and then you throw it away. The condom, I mean, not the stranger."

3. "Misdirection. What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes."(Swordfish guessed by Seth)

4. "You want a Rolls-Royce, you don't come here, no no. You go to England, or wherever the fuck they make it. If you want champagne, you go see the French. If you need money, you find a Jew. But, if you want dirt, or scum buried under a rock somewhere, or some secret nobody wants anybody to know about, there's only one place to go: right here, Hell's Kitchen. It is the lost and found of shit. They lose it and we find it. Forget about it, man." (Sleepers guessed by Seth)

5. "If our Lord wasn't testing us, how would you account for the proliferation, these days, of this obscene rock and roll music, with its gospel of easy sexuality and relaxed morality? "

6. "Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you."

7. "Uh, well... sometimes only half of the little pieces find their way through. If you had to choose only one half of your son, which one would it be?"

8. "Once again, the L.A.P.D. is asking Los Angelenos not to fire their guns at the visitor spacecraft. You may inadvertently trigger an interstellar war." (Independence Day guessed by Phil)

9. "He says the sun came out last night. He says it sang to him." (Close Encounters of the Third Kind guessed by Tex)

10. "I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest. Pencils ready!" (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory guessed by Seth)

11. "It's a decision a girl's gotta make early in life, if she's gonna be a nice girl or a cunt."

12. "I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." (The Matrix guessed by Tex)

13. "Now listen here, you mullet. Why don't you just light your tampon, blow your box apart? Because it's the only bang you're ever gonna get, sweetheart!"

14. "Do not touch the glass. Do not approach the glass. You pass him nothing but soft paper - no pencils or pens. No staples or paperclips in his paper. Use the sliding food carrier, no exceptions. If he attempts to pass you anything, do not accept it. Do you understand me?" (Silence of the Lambs guessed by Phil)

15. "Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free." (Love Actually guessed by Tex)

If only...

Yep, I'm bored and while I have plenty to say I can't be bothered...

I won...



You won $1,000,000, the grand prize! Congratulations!

Do you want to be a millionaire?

Take Other Caffeine Nebula Quizzes

Me Too

I miss my solitude

I long to be alone

To get into my own head again

To do my own thing, or nothing

To hear my own thoughts

To have my own time

*** *** ***

I enjoy the company

Getting to know her better

Communicating, learning, sharing

It may be my only real chance

I won't take it for granted

I am thankful of this time.

I'm in, are you?

My littlest sister moved in with us yesterday, she's staying for the next few months. Little Boy turned 10 today! The following conversation took place this evening.

Me: Okay, I'm getting stuck in to cooking dinner now, it'll be late.

Sis: Do you need a hand?

Me: Nope keep playing the game with Drew 'cause it'll keep you both out of my way.

Sis: Good, I'm beat anyway and can't be bothered.

Me: Join the club!

Drew: I'm not joining the club for a few years yet!

Bitch? You bet

I look after Little Miss G five days a week now. I just put her down for her morning snooze which she has been a little fickle about lately. She fell asleep as usual with my stereo on, not too loud but loud enough, and I put her on the lounge and covered her. The next ten or so minutes involved me walking in and out of the room several times as well as sitting down at the computer not 3 feet away from her for a few minutes and typing on, what seemed to me to be, the noisiest keyboard in the history of the universe. She snored away on the lounge and I thought to myself that this is the day she sleeps like a baby girl should.

Then I had a craving for the chocolate I'd bought yesterday and forgotten about. So I happily marched off to the kitchen and opened the cupboard (the one way up high and with hinges that don't even squeak, which I use for anything I may need to stash away for my own little desires). I pulled down the chocolate bar and tore the foil wrapper slowly down the centre, anticipating the chocolatey goodness I was about to enjoy. Well I may as well have called in a troupe of tap dancing elephants and borrowed the neighbours annoying drum kit to play in the middle of my lounge room. Little Miss G's eyes popped open and up she got for the sole purpose of trying to persuade me (with her big brown eyes and not quite intelligible but very cute and rather effective language skills) to share with her.

I have lightning quick reflexes when I need them and I managed to get the treat back into hiding before her purpose was realised! Pfftt no way I was dealing with the sugar rush she would have while I'd had to halve the hit I wanted for myself. So yep it has been confirmed, PMS makes me an even bigger bitch!

Playing with fire

I've been home for a bit over 24hrs now and about the only thing I've really managed to accomplish is getting all of my (hundreds of) photos on to my computer. I had a lot of fun with my camera so expect a few photos in entries to come.

Little Boy and I had a ball in Tassie and managed to see a fair amount of it. While it is the Little Island of this homeland of ours in order to see it all (good bits anyway) takes a lot of driving on some not so flash roads. You can drive from one end to the other in not too many hours but if you don't pull off to the side you'll miss a lot of the history (and photo ops). We were a little off the beaten track and boiling the billy for most of our stay...

There were a few definite highlights of the trip and a couple of lows too (pirates even). My sis has spent a week in hospital up here while I was away so there was a lot of phone calls back and forth checking up on her and my soon to be nephew/niece. She's home again now and better than she was and bub is all good.

Hopefully I'll get a few Tassie entries written in the next couple of days before the chaos of normality and school resumes.

From the Road to the Sky

It's 1am, I should be sleeping and failing that I should be packing our bags to leave tomorrow (today if you want to be pedantic). We're off to see my Mum this time round and in the past that meant heading a coupla hours north along the coast. When she moved from there it meant a 5min walk down the road a bit but now it means jumping on a plane and hopping across to the little island. I'm not good with planes, I'm not even good with the thought of planes at least not when the thought includes me too. I've only flown once before just a couple of years ago with my friend who, while being very supportive of my irrational fears, had a good chuckle at my expense. This time around I'm not supposed to be allowed to freak out, I'm not supposed to snap "I can't talk right now!"... This time around I'm in "Mum" mode and have to be all grown up and brave so as not to freak the boy out...

In reality most of my freaking out is done internally anyway so i just have to ensure it is ALL done that way this time round. I'm sure my darling Little Boy with manage to get a chuckle at my expense too!

On the up side... I am really looking forward to getting off the plane in Tasmania and exploring a little, especially with my camera.

Miss you guys, will catch you when I get back!

P.S where's Dani gone people?? When I got back the other day I noticed she'd blogged at some point but now it's all gone... You out there Dani?

The Road to...

This entry will no doubt be long and boring for you lot but I'm writing it for my own benefit so too bad hehe I need to get back to writing something, anything and here's as good a place as any to force myself to do it. Besides I need to get some little bits down just as little memory joggers. I was always going to write the "camouflagation" entry but didn't get around to it so I'm making the point of doing this one now...

I'm home, for a few days at least. I'm enjoying this summer break even with all the comings and goings. The two weeks of xmas and New Year were rather hectic but for the most part in good ways. Drew was away for most of that time and when he came home on the first it was only for the night and we both left for my Dad's the following day.

I enjoy taking friends with me when I go to my dad's, especially their first time down there. It is a voyeuristic pleasure I get from seeing them experience the "culture shock", for want of a better phrase. No electricity, no mobile phone service, no computer or internet access but inevitably the biggest shock for most is no flush dunny.

This time around it was my friend-landlord-p/t employer D (really must think of appropriate title for her) and her 2yr old daughter who made the trip down with us. D had been looking forward to the get-away for weeks and was happy to be on the way. The drive down the coast was pleasant enough, if you take out the couple of times we had to pullover on short notice for my darling boy to spill his guts. We made it into "The Bay" and I stood in Maccas for 20min amid the lunchtime rush of tourists squashed on top of each other in some form of a queue (as it turned out the fryer had fucked up at the beginning of the lunch rush which explained why the "fast" food giant was crawling along on it's belly). After watching people order mountains of shit and walk away with multiple trays it came to my turn and I ordered just one thing, a Big Mac. You know why I stood in line for 20 min for one bloody burger that I personally think tastes like rubbish? Because my father has a very strong and unhealthy desire for said burger on any possible opportunity and our next stop was his workplace 25min down the road in "town" (Moruya), which happens to be one of the few innocent places as yet untouched by any of the evil fast food giants. And so, we made it to town and I introduced D to my Dad at work and handed over the still warm burger... ok maybe I just wanted to be the favourite daughter for just one day.

We left Dad at work, dropped in to Woollies and grabbed a few essentials and headed "up river" to my second home. I've not always had the opportunity to see my friends reaction blow by blow as they make their way up river especially during daylight hours. Half the time it is dark by the time we get there and on other occasions friends have made it down on their own and I've been there waiting for them. I must say D proved to be the most entertaining so far. On sighting the upcoming dirt road she emitted squeals of delight and trepidation amongst "oh my god", "I'm scared", "I love this" and various other very short sentences. The squeals and short sentences did not stop and neither did my laughter. I was ordered to take photos (like the one above) so that D could show her husband what he was missing out on. D's mobile managed to stay in range long enough for her to receive a phone call from her teenage daughter (who was staying with her father for a few days) asking when she would be home and uttering her disbelief that we hadn't even got to our destination yet. After about five relatively slow kilometres* of dirt road D asked "are we almost there now?"... She really hadn't understood the "27km out a dirt road" part I'd repeatedly told her.

D professes to "love camping", she goes annually with a friend and their combined families to a camping ground in a coastal town an hour or so south of home. But she's also petrified of spiders and anything that crawls with six or more legs. I was a little worried about her freaking out camping at my Dad's if she happened to see a spider or some such (there was a pretty damn good chance of it). I also worried that snakes may have an even bigger reaction from her and being summer and in the middle of nowhere I also thought there was a good chance she'd see at least one. I had voiced this concern a week or two beforehand and was surprised by the reaction. D actually wanted to see a snake, out of pure curiosity as she'd never seen one "in the wild" before. Apparently the image of snakes on TV or seeing them in a zoo don't make her squeamish and she wondered if she'd be scared. Mind you, her husband on the other hand had forbidden D to camp with their daughter while away with me because he was scared Little Miss would get "eaten by a snake".

So as we continued up the dirt road D's awe continued, she handled the actual driving well and continued to amuse me with her joy and excitement of just being there. Distracted with the camera to my face trying to get the photo's D requested, her hard braking took me by surprise, though not as much as her sudden elevation in excited squeals and screams this time with the word "snake" thrown in there. The snake had slithered off the road by the time I knew which direction to even look but it took several minutes for D to settle down enough for me to ask her what her first impression of seeing a "real live snake in the wild" was... It scared her, even with the safety of the car between it and her.

We made it up river and D met my stepmother, Curly, as well as the friends who were also camping. Within just a couple of hours of being there D's husband had called the house, since he discovered the mobile wouldn't work, several times checking up on her and his daughter. D loved the house which Curly had built almost 30yrs ago (with the intention of living there alone) and as nine of us sat around the table finishing off dinner at 10 that night the phone rang again. We were all absolutely convinced it would again be D's husband and as such my Dad chose to answer it with a gruff; "This better be fucking good ringing me at this hour!" which after a short silence on his part was followed by a feeble "Oh hello J", my sister clearly heard our laughter from her end of the phone...

D only stayed a few days but she provided a shitload of laughs in that time simply because she speaks whatever it is that comes into her head. She camped close to the house, just behind the pile of Hakea which none of us felt the need to tell her was the one most likely home for a reptile close by. She spent a little time looking for the "flusher" on her first trip over to the dunny, even yelling out to make sure she wasn't missing it. My sister and I wondered just how deep she thought that hole in the ground was... On her first morning she asked where the toaster and the kettle were to get herself a cuppa and Little Miss some breakfast, she looked a little bewildered when she was answered only with laughter, the wood stove hadn't yet been lit... She enjoyed the river and the surrounds as well as my sister's growing array of "farm" animals. I enjoyed giving her that experience almost as much as I enjoyed poking fun at her.

Peek-a-Boo

I've been a terrible blogger I know, not that that's anything new... And yeah I know I've come back with a pretty poor excuse for a photo of my tree but it's the best I could do quickly. I promise to try to be a better blogger come the new year!

I just couldn't go without wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!!!

I'm right at this moment meant to be cooking various xmas goodies but having got half way I have been distracted and lulled back into procrastination. I'm enjoying the "Season" this year and while I'm busy none of it has been too hard to handle. I think my only painful social gathering will be my immediate family get together on Boxing Day, kinda sounds bad saying that though...

I hope you are all getting into the festive spirit and spending some time with those you care most about. Enjoy yourselves in whatever way works for you!!

Snooze-fest

* Well so much for getting my creative juices flowing... My NaNoWriMo attempt didn't even get off the ground so will have to try that again next year. I've written nothing for almost a month and still there's not much to tell. Last weeks federal election couldn't have gone better IMHO, to see Bonsai lose his seat of 30+ odd years was priceless let alone the libs loss. New PM has been a long time coming and it will be interesting to see how he handles it.

* My little sister's were up for a few days to celebrate their b'days last weekend which was good. While littlest managed to get VERY drunk VERY quickly she impressed me by lasting with me 'til the sun was up (which was more than anyone else.. *cough*Tom*cough*). Was a different night to what I expected but still everyone seemed to enjoy it.

* My brother has yet again surprised me with the level of his selfishness and rudeness but now it just mildly ticks me off because for the most part I've stopped giving a shit. I won't even say what I think of his other half...

* I've almost finished my little (actually it turned into a rather big) photo project and hopefully I'll have it on the wall by next week. That will make me more than a little happy!

* I have started my christmas shopping and dreading the last of it. While I get a kick out of giving the actual physical shopping factor drives me bonkers. Really must try to finish it int he next week so that the real rush of christmas shopping doesn't send me to an early grave.

* Drew finishes school in a little over 3 weeks and the following 5-6weeks are pretty much booked solid. I'm fairly sure we're going to need the month of February to recover.

"Stressed" Teen; Stupid Mother: Great Combination

I just couldn't go past this story without a few words. To summarise for those not wanting to click... It tells of a 16yr old Year 10 student in our nations capital who has been given permission by her school to have smoke breaks. That's not even the best bit, it was apparently on her DOCTOR'S advice as she is "clinically addicted". Well fuck, of course the best idea is to give her all the reason in the world to keep smoking.

So many parts of this story are fucked up I almost don't know where to start. How bout that it is illegal to sell or supply a minor with cigarettes. Or maybe start with the treatment of one who is "clinically addicted" by feeding her fucking addiction. Will we do the same for all the teens in our schools addicted to marijuana, ice, heroin and whatever the fuck else?

I'm a smoker and I've smoked since before I was in High School, I don't claim that as a badge of honour it is just a sad fact. I know damn well smoking is fucking stupid and so does anyone else who smokes. Yes it is an addiction and No it isn't easy to quit. My mother has known I've smoked for the last 10 or so years and she STILL won't even buy me smokes with my own money. No one ever encouraged me to smoke and I take full responsibility for my habit and what I do about it. Having said all that I am looking at this story and find it seriously fucked up, especially from a mother's point of view. Have a look at what this teen's mother had to say about the matter...

Tara's mother, also a smoker, said the situation reached breaking point last month when her daughter was placed on detention, and prevented from leaving the school grounds.

"She was really stressed. She just calms down if she has got a cigarette; otherwise she storms in the door, cranky and angry."

How about taking at look at why the girl was given a detention in the first bloody place and teaching her ways of avoiding that! It's a punishment, of course she should be stressed the idea is to deter the bad behaviour! Show a little leadership and parent your child at home and deal with the storming around the fucking house.

Ms Lewis said she made the request during a meeting with a teacher and the vice-principal.

"I told them her major problem is when she is stressed, if she could just have a cigarette to calm her down and stop her getting angry.

"I said: 'I've talked to the doctor about it'.

"Both teachers said: 'Okay, I don't see why not'."

Okay three things:
1) take her to an anger management class
2) get a new doctor
3) change her school

Under the special rule, Tara said she can smoke in school grounds, near the staff carpark, but must remain away from other students.

Tara's mother said she had started rewarding Tara with just six cigarettes a day if she did chores and behaved at school.

"It's not like I want my kid to smoke. I've done everything to get her to stop it, so if I can control it and say 'when you can have a cigarette, you do chores', that might help.

"I don't want her smoking. It's the last thing you want to let your kid do."

If you don't want your daughter smoking DON'T GIVE THEM TO HER pretty bloody simple. Try being the responsible adult in your family and get a clue!

Think I'm done now, I feel better anyway :-)

Purging, the old fashioned way...

I'm still alive and all moved and all that crap. Took a little while to get net sorted which didn't bother me too much. Been back online for a week or two and have caught up quietly reading everyone else's blogs and figure it's about time I did an entry of my own. So I'm starting the clock and doing a 30min purge...

My move ended up happening rather quickly even though I knew it was coming for months before. I fucked around for weeks/months looking for a place in a rental market which is fucked up and even more so for someone in my position. After countless appointments looking at houses and well over a dozen applications for properties each with dozens of other applicants I had no new place and the end of my lease quickly approaching. The real estate I was dealing with were no help and became rather painful to deal with. Then my Plan A came back into play when my neighbour (friend) decided she was moving into (rather than selling) the property she and her husband bought just before he decided to walk out on her and the kids. Meaning I could move into the house she was moving out of and rent directly from her. So I moved a few doors over in the same street and Little Boy remains at the same school and we remain in the quiet little street that we both enjoy.

I've also had a new Little Miss to look after 5 days a week, the daughter of my above mentioned friend and now new landlord. So my daily routine has altered to cater for an almost 2yr old, who is a gorgeous kid to look after. This has also meant my somewhat hermit-esque lifestyle has taken a dramatic change with people coming and going each and every day. I am not sure yet if this is entirely a good thing, I am missing MY time. Today is the first day in weeks that I have not had a kid for any part of the day and have not had to go anywhere with anyone. It's been an enjoyable quiet day!

The move also had a side effect on my family relationships. Heated words were exchanged between my brother and myself after some extremely selfish (in my opinion) behaviour on his part and not helped by actions of his partner. It culminated with the shit hitting the fan on the final day of my move and my brother also having words with both my sister and Mum, I almost felt sorry for him... almost. Since then his partner has had more of an influence and I'm pretty sure that I will very rarely be taking care of my niece from here on in. I always saw that coming as I know that my connection and steady influence with my niece was not liked or appreciated by my brother's controlling half (I'm trying to be nice here). The fact that I won't be having Little Miss as often, in itself does not bother me too much at this point. The 5am mornings and long days of a 3yr old princess are not always fun and though I was getting paid (a little) the constant expectation of more began to wear very thin. Perhaps one day soon my brother will see just how much I gave and for so little thanks.

My new house is beginning to feel like home, even though there are remnants of it's former occupants still around the place, like the fish tank still in the lounge room, there are not so many boxes left to unpack. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have everything in it's right place, the new pieces I still need (want) to buy in place and the last of the excess clutter/baggage/shit gone.

My online activities have also had to change dramatically since my move but that's not a bad thing either. I'm still reading the blogs I want to read and keeping up with the news on here but my own additions to the net have become even less than they were (taking them to zero?!) but that too will change. I (re)signed up for NaNoWriMo and intend to get my writing flowing in some form or fashion over this month. I have no expectation of reaching the 50,000 word mark but I always work better to some form of a deadline and will be happy to write almost anything. I desperately need to get creative in some way.

Well my thirty minutes is up, apologies for the boring ranting and dribble but hey I wrote something!!! I may not be commenting on your blogs but I'm definitely still reading!