Plane stupid

This really amused me when I saw it on the news.

A passenger jet which was destined for City of Derry Airport has landed at an Army base six miles away by mistake.

The pilot needs to be given a map and a clue for his next birthday.
Only in Ireland... (sorry Ian! hehe)

Photo synthesis

I am going to enter this photo competition. I've never done anything like this before, but I figured I'd give it a go. I can enter 5 different photos. I need your help to choose which ones!

I'm going to go through my photo blog and pick some, but I'd like everyone else to have a look through (please!) and pick their favourite/s, and post the link to it/them in the comments of this thread......because I really don't have a clue where to start. (Remember to go through the archives too!)

For some reason, I'm kinda excited about this. Maybe coz I haven't entered a photo competition before? I'll post the all the ones I enter here. Thanks!

The last few days have been....trying. I feel like I've been in an upside-down spin on the Gravitron.

Things are better now.

Cloudy

I've jumped onto the word cloud bandwagon that it seems everyone's on these days. Both of mine are interesting in a way I didn't expect.

This one is from this blog.











This is from the place I have my writing.

Don't try this at home

I went out for two hours tonight........and left my courtyard gate and my back door (read: glass sliding door, which is actually a side door you can see from the street) wide open.

It's so unlike me not to triple check everything before I leave, but I was running late, was super stressed out and my brain was obviously elsewhere.

I think I used up all my luck tokens with that major lack of intelligence.

Is it wrong...

...to eat cereal straight out of the box? ..........for dinner?

Big fish, small feet

I went out to a movie with a friend on Saturday night. Sarah's the girl who owns the house next door to the stranger I lived with, so there's a little weirdness about catching up with her. (She often goes for walks around the lakes and parks where they live, with the stranger and she's told him she catches up with me. I learnt that the stranger already has someone new practically living with him, just as A's mum and I predicted would happen. I'm glad to say I had a completely unemotional response to that news. I just feel sorry for the new girl....and A.) But I like Sarah and since she's one of only two single girls I know, (and can therefore catch up more spontaneously than my married friends) I'd like for us to keep in touch.

But that's not what this post is about. While we were having drinks after the movie, I was playing with the strap of my handbag and it broke. To a normal person, this wouldn't be much of a dilemma. For me, it was the realisation that I'd have to go back to the shopping centre for the second day in a row, and find a new bag. Yes, I only had one handbag. A small one that I don't carry a bunch of stuff in, but for essentials. If I can get away with a keycard and my mobile in my pocket, I'm even happier. I don't like having to carry stuff.

So, after my next door neighbour confirmed that the guys in the unit behind her were gay ("This is my partner, Gabriel." "Oh, are you guys in business together?"...then realised they lived in a 1 bedroom unit...), and said I made her feel bad for buying her a small photo frame for looking after my cats while I was away, I headed off to the bag shop.

Now, I have a very specific shopping style. I don't wander from store to store looking for the best deal. I usually know exactly what I want, will go to one store, get what I need, and get out. If it's not in the first store, depending on my level of frustration, I'll try one, maybe two more stores.

The bag shop I walked into was one of those stores where there's so little floor space, that there's stuff everywhere and it's difficult to sort the crap from the good stuff. Somehow I managed to hone in on a bag immediately. It was a bit more dressy than I wanted, slightly bigger than I needed, but the style was right. After I recovered from looking at the price tag, I noticed the price was half the regular price! The shop lady must have seen me almost pass out and offered me more of a discount.

Looking for something similar, but smaller (and cheaper!), I found another bag, almost identical, but material, not leather. It was a quarter the price of the first one. Lord knows why, but I bought both. I justified it to myself at the time.

An alien must have taken over me at that point. I have a favourite shoe store. It's the one store I can go into and find exactly what I want and their shoes are always comfortable, no matter what the style. I should have walked out after I bought those bags. That was what I went in for. Considering I'd bought two pairs of shoes in Perth only a week ago (bearing in mind that was because two pairs I had, busted), I had no need to look for shoes. But I did. A secondary reason I love this particular shoe store is that they always have 'buy one pair, get the second pair half price' sales. I bought two more pairs of shoes.... I think I'm still in a daze.

While I was in the shoe store, I made a discovery that, for me, is ideal. This particular chain does not operate in Perth. However, they have a website. You can order their shoes online and all it costs is $8 more for delivery. That little piece of information made my day. I luuurv that store, but I won't have to go there again! Ha!

Yesterday was really a day of me breaking out of my comfort zone. Not only did I brave the crowds of the shopping centre and shop way more than I intended, I continued from there into the city and braved the C0mmonwe@lth Games crowds (I hate crowds!) along the river to get some photos of the fish display that was there. You see, T has a thing for fish at the moment, so I had to do my loving girlfriend duty and go take photos for him. Realising too late that half the streets were closed for a cycling event and the closing ceremony, it took me a good hour more than I expected to find a parking space and hike back to the river. It's a good thing I like the boy so much!

I think I got some good photos. The battery in my camera died before I was finished, so I only got the photos uploaded to my computer after 11 last night. I'll post some here later tonight if I get a chance.

I'm in a weird mood. Melancholy, but I don't know why. There's other stuff I want to muse about, but this post is long enough as it is. I'll save the rest for tomorrow.

Battling uphill

I saw the bizarre wheelchair guy again yesterday morning, on my way to work. He was still going backwards, pushing himself with one foot, and he was further up the hill and on a different side of the street than last time. He looked a little healthier. Maybe it's all that exercise he's getting.

Something I witnessed today disturbed me. I was in one of our major retail stores today. Considering I was there to sort out a stuff up of theirs over some crystal glasses I ordered a billion years ago, and I'd been there for a-g-e-s doing that, I was still in a calm and happy mood when I went to stand in line to purchase something else afterwards. The lady who'd been helping me was a little overwhelmed when I explained my saga to her, but she did her best to get it rectified and order in what I wanted. We'll see how well she did in a couple of weeks when they have everything I want.

But that's not what this is about. I'd found a photo frame to buy for the lady next door, because she looked after my cats while I was away. There was one lady at the register, taking sales for about three departments, including books and cards, photo frames etc, and glass/kitchenware. There were two people in front of me and about 5 after me. Those of you who've read here a while know how much I don't love shopping at the best of times. When there are lots of people, I can be positively evil. Still, I was being patient, coz I could tell the woman didn't have much of a clue. Even the fact that she seemed to be in go-slow mode didn't bother me that much.

It was when she finalised her sale that I became concerned. The customer wanted to pay it off and was told she needed to leave a deposit of $8.25, plus $2.20 fee. Being a nerd, I had it added in my head in a second. I think to myself, "Tell her $10.45 doofus."

"Ah...$8.25 plus $2, that's $10..um...hang on....(muttered some figures that did not make sense......pause). Ok, $10.45."

I swear it took her at least a minute to figure it out. Doesn't sound like long? Do the sum in your head. It takes seconds. The customer looked for the money and passed it over. That's when the lady serving looked up and said, "Gee, doing calculations is soooo hard, isn't it?" If I wasn't leaning against a pole, I would have fallen over.

I understand! Honestly, I do! Some people are not good at mathematics. But to me, that was the most basic of additions and the stuff they teach you in primary school. In addition, she obviously has a job where adding and subtracting is a key part of what she does. And maybe I'm daft, or too logical, or something, but if that's the type of sale you're making and you know there's a cost and there's a fee, surely you can ring those amounts up on the register and it will tell you the answer? I've worked in retail before. I've shopped before. I know those machines add up stuff. :-p

Anyway, I'm not really ranting. I'm just totally surprised she had so much trouble. As well, if you know you have so much trouble with calculations, wouldn't you keep a calculator handy?

I also went to try on the top that T bought for me. They didn't have the same colour, so I still don't know exactly what it's like, but I like the style and the difference between the small and medium was minimal, except for arm length. The small fit me fine, but I stuck with the medium one he bought, coz when I wear something underneath it, it should fit about right...except I might have to grow longer arms or something.... :-p

It all ended well. I got out of there without doing bodily injury to myself or anyone else.

Insert witty title here

According to Ian, in the comments of my previous post, I'm getting married. He must have a better info source than me! hehe Oh for things to be so simple huh? Hmmm, now that I think about it, getting married isn't all that simple.....well the doing it bit is, the staying together bit is a lot harder and that's what it's all about...

T says I'm rather unemotional (is that the word he used?) when I talk about him on here. I don't mean to be intentionally. It's just that he's pretty private (well, in that he doesn't put stuff on the net like I do, nor does he completely understand why I do). I guess that I try to preserve that privacy in a way, by not gushing about him here - as I could easily do - and not going into major detail about the relationship. We have a good time, he treats me wonderfully and dotes on me like nobody has before. We're happy. I guess that's the most important thing to say.

I've just spent the evening sorting out which photos I'll add to the other blog over the weekend and making them the size I want. Here's a few to keep you going.

Hello world! Remember me?

I think T's voice is hypnotic. He rang me to tell me he had a 'today only' discount for a brand name store he has a membership for, and asked if I wanted anything. I checked their website and suggested three things he could buy for himself, but he made me look for girl clothes too. Lord knows how, but he managed to get me to tell him something I liked and he's bought it. I am SO unbelieveably finicky when it comes to clothes shopping and I'm astounded I let him purchase something for me that I've only seen a photo of (not even in the colour he's bought), but I took a punt on the size as well. So dangerous! Eh, well the purchase is conditional on being able to return it if it's not right...but still...

Anyway.....I'm back from my trip! I got in before the sun came up yesterday, got home, meant to sleep for an hour before I went to work, actually slept for about 3, and lasted about two and a half hours at work and headed home.

Today was better. I only got to work an hour late. My boss asked me how my trip was and if I was going to move to Perth. I made non-commital noises. He suggested I find a job first and live alone. I made more non-commital noises. He said I looked happy. I said I was. He said I had to get to work earlier next week. I said ok.

I took about 3 billion photos over the last week and a half. Ok, maybe not that many, but about 300. I'm not completely happy with a lot of them though. It appears I need to spend more time getting acquainted with my new camera, because a lot of the photos came out too bright (a little over-exposed?). Nevertheless, there are some really good ones and when I have some time over the weekend, I'll put them on the photo blog and let the world know they're there.

I had an awesome time with the boy. He took me to dinner the first night, then we drove to Bremer Bay (I couldn't find a website that does it justice, so no link) the next morning, which is about 6 hours drive from Perth and a truly picturesque place. We met friends of his there - another couple - and stayed in cabins at the beach for two days. The boys went fishing the first night while I got chatting with his mate's wife and we got on well. The boys caught about 22 or 23 herring, so they were suitably stinky when they got home. I went fishing with T the next night. I definitely fed more fish than I caught, but I did manage to keep at least 3 on the line. Apparently, I caught the biggest one, but he caught about 3 times more than me. Still, it was fun fishing in the dark with just a lantern and it wasn't all that cold - just as well!

We went shoe shopping for me on Saturday. The guy has guts and patience! I did find two pairs of shoes, which is a miracle for me, so we were both happy. Oh, and the shoe shopping was necessary because two pairs of my shoes that I took with me, busted, so I had to get new ones.

I met his other best friend and his wife Saturday night and we all went out to dinner. For the most part, it went exceptionally well, except for one incident at the end of the evening, but the world has moved on since then, so all is good.

Did lots of sight seeing in and around Perth for the rest of the time. .....And I met his parents who, he tells me, think I'm nice and his mum said I'm pretty hehe. I think we'll get on fine! Ha!

Gee, there's probably so much more to tell, but it's late and my laptop battery is about to sigh its final breath, so I'm off to bed. Besides, the pictures will tell it all much better than words.

He's coming here over Easter. I'm happy. :-)

More tomorrow....

So tell me...

Gimme something to read when I get back next week....

* Is there something in your life that you always wanted to do and you've actually done it?

* Is there something you always wanted to do and haven't yet, but no matter what, one day you will?

* What's the craziest thing you've ever done?....that you can admit to in my comments.

See ya on the flip side!

Counting down

This time tomorrow, I'll be at the boy's abode. The weather has been sooo hot there lately, and according to the net, it's going to be as hot for the next week. Joys! What I like about Melbourne is that our weather is so changeable. Yesterday, it was really hot. It rained over night and today, it's really cool. When Perth is hot, it stays continually hot. Thankfully the boy's house is airconditioned! Still, I may have to make him take me clothes shopping so I don't melt after a couple of days. I think my Melbourne summer clothes are not going to be cool enough for the Perth summer weather.

I've taken some photos with my new camera, but it would appear I'm somewhat brainless. When checking all the different settings and what they mean and do, I've changed one and don't know how to get it back. I have till tonight to figure it out, so we'll see how I go. If all else fails, I'll reset the whole thing and start over again.

It's ridiculous, but I'm nervous....no, not nervous, anxious....about this trip. I've put ideas into my own head about what I think his friends' and family's expectations of me are.....based on what he's said they've said, but also because I don't want to fail him/them/me. I think I've experienced the whole gamut of feelings and emotions this week, from the really good, to the really bad. It's the whole waiting/anticipating thing. I hate it.

I just can't wait till I get off that damn plane tomorrow. He'll hold me and say nice things to me and I won't feel as miserable and overwhelmed as I do now.

Yeah, that's how I feel. No, I don't know why.

I should come back later and post something more upbeat, so I don't leave the blogworld for a week and a half, on such a negative note...

Saturday mish mash

Sadly, the wonderful camera I used to take all the photos on my Snapshots blog, has been dying a slow death - at such a young age too! I've had it less than 3 months, and it's started going out of focus, the shutter was slowing down, and the macro option was just blurring everything, so I took it back to where I bought it today.

At first, they didn't get the part of the conversation where I told them I would be giving it back to them and leaving with a different one. Somehow, one of the camera department guys overstepped the manager and said he'd help. I ended up paying $150 difference, which is more than I really can afford right this second, but overall, I got a $700 digital camera for less than $500, plus some extras thrown in for free - it pays to look like you're really distressed but trying to be calm about it. LOL, well really I am distressed because I can't really afford it now, but I didn't have much choice. I just have to learn how to use the damn thing.

I don't normally venture to the shopping centre on the weekends, especially not in the middle of the day. It always surprises me how many people are out and about. What I don't understand the most, are the people who can go in the morning and wander around all day. Don't they have better things to do? Like blog, ha! Where do they get all the money from to just go from store to store, impulse buying, and how can they do it every week? Or the ones who seem to be wandering aimlessly around, with no agenda....what's the appeal in that? Maybe everyone else knows something I've not been privy to so far. Whatever it is, I walked out of there without anything for my dinner and without any food for my cats. Clearly, mixing with the crowds and trying to figure out what they're all doing there, disables me from carrying out my own purpose for being there.

Thankfully, we have late night shopping here and I can venture out way after dark and do the things I need to do - with no crowds around. This is one area in which I'm going to suffer greatly when I move to Perth. They only do late night shopping one night a week, which means the shops are always busy. Just the thought of it makes me want to get there and stock up, nuclear war style, with jumbo packs of everything in a bunker, so I don't have to go out so often. Am I sounding agoraphobic yet? T says it's just that I am anti-social. Hmmm....

Speaking of T, I'll be flying over to Perth for 8 days on Tuesday. It'll be nice to see him, but this visit is also going to be the meet the family and friends trip. Not sure how I feel about that. I do feel a pressure to perform and to live up to their expectations of who and how I might be. T hasn't had a girlfriend for a long time, so I know I'll be under pretty intense scrutiny. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

I don't think I've ever done so much travelling in just a few months before. That's one good thing about working in a school....the holidays are frequent and a good excuse to get away while I can.

I haven't broached the subject of taking 3 months off work with my boss yet. I'm going to wait till late May at least, to talk to him about it. With my long service leave, holiday leave, and two sets of school holidays happening in those three months, I can't see it being too much of a problem. The asking bit is already worrying me, as much as I try not to let it.

In fact, a lot of things are starting to overwhelm me. None of them detract from the fact that I want to and am looking forward to going to Perth. It's the bit where I have to plan and get things organised, including finances and a job, that is getting to me. I operate so much better when I have less time to think. If I knew a month out that I had to pack up and go, I'd be fine. Knowing so far in advance, but not really being able to do all that much yet, but plan, has me over-thinking everything and driving myself insane. Somehow, I have to learn to stop that.

There was more oddness while I was driving about today, although not as odd as the wheelchair guy pushing himself backwards up-hill the other day. I drove to a camping store to look for something T wanted me to buy for him. I went in, looked around, asked for it, they didn't have it, so I left. Driving back home, a whole section of the street I'd driven down moments before had been shut off by police. I couldn't see what exactly had gone on, except that a police car seemed damaged at the front and another vehicle that looked like a construction site vehicle, with compartments for tools etc, was parked up on the footpath with all its doors and other compartments open, and there was stuff on the street. Not really too unusual......except that the entire block was shut off to traffic and there were about ten or so police cars and vans and policemen putting tape and markers all over the street. I felt like I was driving through some Law & Order type crime scene, but without the visible blood and guts. If it wasn't illegal to use your phone while driving, I would have taken photos to post here.

And just to finish off this Saturday afternoon bunch of much ado about nothing, a reminder to drop by my blog tenant via the link in my sidebar, before he moves out. Go on, click on the link. You'll be doing me and him a favour. :-)

Another thought from the Joy Luck Club

"Fallen down," she says simply. She doesn't apologize.
"It doesn't matter," I say, and I start to pick up the broken glass shards. "I knew it would happen."
"Then why you don't stop it?" asks my mother.
And it's such a simple question.

Spotlight on moi

Okey doke, she put my name up in lights and now I hafta respond. So here goes...

meme of 4

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. deli manager
2. contracts administrator
3. debt collector
4. the one I have now

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Dead Poet's Society (I agree, kT!)
2. Ice Age
3. Serendipity
4. Really, I don't know. There are a lot of movies I like. Those ones are off the top of my head.

Four TV Shows you love to watch:
1. House
2. Aircrash Investigation, coz I'm morbid
3. LOST, although I'm not as into it now.
4. Used to luuurv Taggart, but it's not on anymore.

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Italy
2. USA
3. Bali
4. various places in AU.

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Friends blogs
2. iVillage
3. my webmail
4. EmailCash

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chocolate
2. chocolate
3. lamb chops
4. chocolate

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. on the beach at Bora Bora
2. snooping about an ancient Inca civilisation
3. on stage in front of thousands of fans singing my latest number 1 hit
4. at a book signing for the launch of my latest book, which will become a best seller.

Four things I always carry with me:
1. keys
2. pen
3. aspirin
4. phone

Life from a different angle

I saw some serious oddness this morning. I was on my way to work and driving through a busy intersection. I only got a quick glance at the oddness, but it was long enough for me to think, "hmmm ok, you don't see that every day". By the time I got to work, I'd forgotten about it.

After work, I drove through that intersection and was almost at the next intersection (obviously travelling in the opposite direction to what I was in the morning). Lo and behold, the oddness was there again.

It was a guy going along in a wheelchair. He had a broken left arm and left leg. His clothes were fairly non-descript; blue jeans, t-shirt, black boots and a cap. Apart from scruffy hair, he looked relatively respectable. So what was so odd?

He was pushing himself along the footpath with his one good leg........backwards.....uphill.

I gave him kudos for navigating the crossing and traffic island in the morning, but pushing himself uphill, backwards in the afternoon was impressive.

And I thought......wouldn't ya just get a taxi?

Haunted houses

This time around, in my Bloglord capacity, I've rented out a haunted house. Or rather, Haunted House Dressing has rented my house....er, blog. I've seen Jeremy's blog before. I like it because it's offbeat and not the usual stuff. It's a bit scattered and imaginative. I relate. It's how my brain works sometimes.

Go say hello. Jeremy's haunted house is not as scary as some I've been in. Speaking of which, I know I still haven't expanded the weirdness of my ghostly experiences yet. I may do that soon.

I need to step away from the computer now. I've blogged about nothing far too much today!

The way of the world

What's the controlling force? Fate? Or choice? Are the choices we make determined by fate? Or is our fate determined by the choices we make?

That's just on my mind and not really related to the rest of this post, which is really more of a whine.

I still haven't sorted out what I'm going to do about my laptop. Whether I get a brand new one and start over again, or just replace the dead motherboard, it's gonna hurt my budget. Big time. Anywhere between $1-2k worth of pain, depending which way I go. I have to sort it out though, and soon, because I'm using a loan laptop from work for the moment and they're going to need it back.

Meanwhile, I had a guy come over to quote on security doors this afternoon. Something about him was disconcerting. I'm sure the guy is legit, because he does work for my estate agent, but he just made me uneasy. So I rang my insurance company to check prices on contents insurance. That's when I got a nasty surprise.

It turns out my car insurance is due in 4 days. I thought it was due in July. It's also gone up $200 on last year, because of the suburb I live in. I'm astounded, because where I lived previously was not exactly renowned for its law abiding residents. Either way, my car insurance is now 133% of last year's fees. And I have to find it within 4 days.

To my horror, I also discovered that if I took out contents insurance, it'd cost me about the same. WTF? Oh, but whoop-dee-doo, I get a 10% discount on my car insurance if I renew both.

Tomorrow is going to be spent on the phone getting quotes and trying to find out whereTF I'm going to find all this money.

Ooooh lucky, lucky me!

I really need to get a paper round.

Wishing for a wish list

While I think of it, I need some suggestions. I found T a book on the net and told him I'd ordered it. Now he's worried, coz he thinks he has to get me something in return. First of all, I need to get more original in my gift selection. Last time I saw him, I bought him a book too....oh and a 5x3 foot Everton FC flag! Ha!

If you've been reading a while, you'll know he gave me two pieces of rock when we first met...and I loved it. When I saw him in Adelaide the other weekend, as well as a bunch of beautiful lillies (I'll have to post photos), he gave me a piece of wood from a sandalwood tree that he picked up in the middle of nowhere, and a swiss army knife so I can whittle pieces off it, so it smells pretty. Honestly, I love that he gets me things like that. I told him it's like the little boy in primary school who picks up a frog on the way to school to give it to the girl he likes. Sticks and stones are T's 'frogs' to me. I think it's awesome, because it's different and it's him. It's school boy romantic.

He's a little worried, though, that people are going to start to question his gift choices and that he should be more 'romantic'. Personally, I think it's kinda romantic that he gives me boy stuff like that. We had this conversation last night and we were trying to think of other, more mainstream(?), things he might think to get me. I couldn't really come up with any, because I'm not really good at the whole receiving thing. I don't like asking for things and I don't like that someone is spending their money on me. I know I should let him, if it's his choice and he wants to, but ugh.... I suppose it's me trying to steer clear of the whole gold digger/high maintenance thing and going too far in the other direction. But let's face it, any girl who's happy to be given rocks and sticks for gifts has to be pretty low maintenance, right?

So I pondered a while. I don't need 'things'. I have plenty of 'things' and they're all in storage, because I have nowhere to put them. That's what you get when you move from a three bedroom house to a one bedroom unit. No space. I can't have more 'things'. There's no point, because when I go over to T's for (minimum) three months, they'd be put in storage anyway.

Books? Yeah, books are always good, but again, they'd go in storage temporarily and I already have about a dozen I have yet to read/finish - plus the multitude of ones he's bought lately.

Perfume, or anything that smells, is out. Scented stuff is not my friend!

Things I'd like but don't need are a dvd player and an iP()d. Yes, I think I'm the only person without either of these. I just don't need them and really can't justify purchasing them, as much as it'd be nice to have either one. Nor do I want the boy buying me big ticket items like those.

Clothes? Oddly enough, the stranger I lived with has been the only person to ever successfully buy me clothes - and without me being present. Mind you, it only happened once. I am bad with clothes. Bad bad bad. I don't even buy myself clothes. I hate how I look in everything. It's never a pretty thing; me and clothes shopping.

Wanna know what I came up with? A small fire extinguisher for my car. Yep. How sad is that? Seriously! I am sooo Ms Practical that I can't even think of something nice that I want, just for me. Only problem with that is that a fire extinguisher is hardly transportable in hand luggage on an aircraft. Are you carrying dangerous goods? Yeah, tick that box!

I have issues asking for jewellery too. I like it and I wear it occasionally, but can you honestly ask someone to buy you jewellery? I don't have pierced ears (no, I don't know why, I just don't), so earrings are out. That leaves rings, bracelets and necklaces. I wore a necklace with a diamond, given to me by my ex (before the stranger I lived with, who's been newly nicknamed f*cktard, because it's a shorter, more apt description, but who will still be called the stranger I lived with on here, because I'm not all that keen on swearing a whole bunch on my blog). That was replaced by a necklace given to me by the stranger I lived with one Christmas. Strangely, that necklace broke shortly after I met T. Although I have fixed it, I haven't worn it since.

That leaves my neck currently bare. But again, I have issues requesting jewellery as gifts. I have one bracelet that I hated when it was first given to me. I've grown to like it, despite not wearing it often. Maybe I should. I have a number of rings too. Most given to me over the years. I just don't wear them. Honestly, I should figure out why. I'm not one for trying to draw attention to myself and I just feel like adornments do that. ....and all that last statement shows is that there are plenty of valid reasons for me continuing weekly counselling.

I bought a really pretty, very fake ring in Bali. It's a beautiful blue stone on a silver ring, with a fairly wide band. I've yet to find anything to match the colour. I would have liked a bracelet or necklace the same blue. It cost me all of $20, but I love it.

I really like sapphires and emeralds. There are so many amazing colours. Mostly though, I like them because they remind me of when my brother and I were very young and dad used to take us gold panning and 'gem hunting' in central Queensland during our school holidays.

I think most of my rings are silver. I prefer silver to gold and platinum to silver. I think silver/platinum show coloured stones a lot better than gold. With gold, I think it all depends on the stone. I've got/had a couple of pieces with gold and diamonds. For me, gold works best with smaller stones, although it definitely depends on the cut too. Maybe it's all about how my hands look? I have little hands and I think I'm more suited to silver/platinum (crazy huh, since the boy's job is to find gold). Gold = small ring, small diamond. Silver/platinum = bigger stone of any colour.

Oh my G-d! I am sooo waffling on now! Drug induced ramble that is nothing near what I expected to post! I've gone off on a serious tangent.

Ok, getting back on track...

Um...yeah, I dunno. I need ideas. What do people like giving/receiving? I have never been able to come up with a reasonable response when asked what I'd like, gift-wise. I really do not have a clue...apart from a fire extinguisher for my car, and really, that isn't the response normal folks are after.

Help me out folks!

I had something else to blog about too.....can't remember...... I'll be back.

Chemical cheer and other nonsensical garb

I'm typing faster today. In fact I'm walking faster, talking faster and am overall perkier than I've been in weeks. Apart from the pain of over-exercising last night, I feel good for a change.

Yes, I'M ON DRUGS!

This past couple of weeks - and how I'm feeling now - has pretty much eliminated all the negative feelings I've had about having to take drugs every day to help me function. There was a time when I really didn't need to take them every day, and most weekends I still don't, unless I have to go somewhere. These days, I find it more difficult to operate without them. I'm not sure why. I don't like it, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it anymore. It's a quality of life thing, and if I had any other mainstream 'illness', nobody would blink. Most people who know me know I take them because I have to and they have no issue with it, so I shouldn't either. Anybody else doesn't matter. Ignorance doesn't give someone the right to be judgmental, methinks.

Aaaanyway....I feel unbelievably better. I'm not so grumpy. I don't have a headache and I'm sitting here at work doing about 4 things at once, as opposed to nothing, as I've been doing most days the last couple of weeks. However, doing 4 things at once should demonstrate just how fast my brain is spinning right now. I'm so damn alert and trying to get everything done in the same few minutes. Nice to feel constructive though. And awake!

....Well, there was going to be other nonsensical garb in this post, but it's gotten so long that I'll post it separately....when I finish.

Coz I'm lame...

...well not really. I just got nuffin to say....'cept migraines really really suck.

So, of course, I'm doing a forward on alcohol (borrowed from Bianca). Of course.


1. First time you were ever drunk? 15

2. More of a beer or liquor person: Liquor

3. What type of drunk are you? sleepy. But I'm always sleepy.

4. How many on your Top 8 have you been drunk with? What's a top 8???

5. How many on your Top 8 have you taken care of when they were drunk? Oh, a top 8 is people? Um...well I dunno who they are, so I'll have to say none. ???

6. Favorite Drink: Hmmmm, Baileys, I guess.

7. Beer: hate hate hate hate hate beer.

8. Shot: White sambucca, or a cowboy

9. Top 5 Favorite beers (if applicable): See 7.

10. More of a Bar or Club person: Home

11. Alcohol you absolutely despise: See 7

12. Ever bought a stranger a drink: Um......nope.

13. Been thrown out of a bar/club for fighting? No

14. Been thrown out of a bar/club for anything else? No

15. Ever make out with someone in front of a cheering crowd: No

16. Most amount of money spent in one bar/club: I have no idea. Less than $100, I'm sure.

17. Ever buy a round for random people: No. I don't like random people. I'm mean.

18. Best band you've seen while drinking: Hmmm. Can't remember

19. Ever danced on the bar/stage: Yep.

20. Best town/area to drink in: Wouldn't have a clue.

21. Do you forget a lot of what happens during a night of hard drinking? I don't do 'hard nights of drinking'

22. Ever been drunk around your parents? No

23. Name the people on your friend's list that you definatley think are going to repost this? Pffffttt...whoever wants to...


And a quote from Bruce Almighty: Hey little anal-dwelling butt-monkey, time for you to go home. ...Because when you're unwell, the smallest amusement can make you feel better.

I'll have real things to say tomorrow.

Responsibility

From The Joy Luck Club:

"I don't want to play..... If I lost, I would bring shame on my family."

"Is shame you fall down nobody push you."

Untitled

Not..doing..so..good.

Huh???

I can't see my blog. Obviously, I'm able to get here and post, but I can't see the main page?

I'm sure the wider 'net will be glad to know I'm a lot more perky than I was yesterday. Not wonderful, but better. I just hope nobody crosses me, coz I'm still borderline narky and have a lot of rant left to give. Too much weirdness this week. I'm glad it's over.

Update:
Ok, bear with me while I figure out how to get my sidebar back/fixed. Thanks to G0og!e Groups and the fact that someone else just posted the same problem, I/you can actually see my blog.

Note to the wider world - if this happens to you, copy and paste your current template somewhere safe (coz you're gonna lose all your additions), change your template to something else, then change it back to your original one.

Cross your fingers and wish me luck that it comes back fine. Told ya it's been a shitty week!!

Bite me, world!

I'm in one of those moods where I want to do something but I can't think of anything that will interest me right now. I can't be bothered exercising, although I know I should, because I feel like a big fat pig. I can't be bothered watching tv, because it's all shit for the next hour, at least. I can't be bothered going for a walk, because, well just because I can't be bothered. I can't even be bothered being bothered.

Last night was largely suckful. Ok, the first part was ok. T got home late, late last night (my time) and somehow, a normal phone call turned into a ridiculous conversation that shouldn't have been had and left me wanting to scream and him saying he wanted to be under a rock. Way to start the day (coz technically, it was already a few hours into today for me by the time we got off the phone).

Work was blah and uninteresting, as usual, and I had a sekret bitch/vent in one of the few places I can bitch/vent in private these days. I'm not sure how much it helped my sanity, or the situation, but I'm glad I got it out.

I've had the plasterers here the last two days, fixing cracks in my ceiling and now my house smells like paint. Hopefully the fumes will knock me out and I'll sleep well.

Meanwhile, I got a bill from my phone company. The same phone company I've had to yell at each month for the last few months, because they've screwed me around and over charged me, neglected to tell me of call cost changes and almost sent me around the bend. Last month, I think I paid a good couple of hundred dollars more than I expected to. This month, I'm paying 3 times as much as I expected to. I think the poor guy I spoke to today, along with his supervisor, is going to have to take time off till his ear recovers. Forty five minutes of me at the end of my fuse can't have been good for his hearing.

The most suckful thing is that I could get out of their damn contract for about $300, but to connect to another company will cost an additional $59. For that cost, I may as well stay till July with the idiots I am with now.....and just not make any phone calls, because my long distance rates (the whole reason I changed to this company) that I thought were $2 for an hour, are costing me up to $16 an hour, depending on the time of day. Yes, the brainiacs put me on a new plan (that I requested), but didn't tell me all my discounts would be lost and I'd be paying premium rates. I am sooooo not happy.

Meanwhile, T wants to pay for half the bills I currently have. If I didn't have to call him, blah blah blah. I get it. I appreciate it. I'm grateful for the offer - truly........but I'm too damn stubborn and independent to accept it. I can afford it. He says I shouldn't have to 'afford' it, because the phone company screwed me around. True, but not much I can do about it now. I gotta wear it. I know he'll probably just put the $$ in my account and I won't be able to do much about it, but still.... The whole thing just pisses me off! He shouldn't have to pay for their damn shifty business practices either.

And right now? He's out at a work function for one of his co-workers and I can feel myself getting pissed off already (despite the caring, understanding, patient call he just made to me), because when he calls later on, he'll be drunk, I'll get (more) frustrated and I can see myself not being a very nice person. I don't want that to happen, but I'm feeling narky and resentful already. Tell him not to call? Nah, he would anyway, because he knows I'd prefer he call so I know he made it home intact than wonder about it. Oh, it's a long story. The issue is mine, not his, but sometimes things just bring up old family crap in me that I don't yet know how to deal with effectively.

I have this bizarre sensation of a mix of anger, resentment, sadness, frustration and apathy in me at the moment. It's weird...and stifling. I'd scream if I didn't want to cry. I don't know if I want it to be tomorrow already. I just want it to be something other than now.

And why am I SO DAMN HUNGRY???

I'd buy a punching bag if I had anywhere to put the damn thing. I could use one.

Well, there ya go...

Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relationships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world about him.
Virginia Satir (1916-1988) Therapist

My mum sent me a text message this evening. The commissioning of HMAS Perth (3) is in August this year. In Perth. My grandfather served on the first Perth (link) and we were invited to the launch of Perth (3) a couple of years ago. We were always under the impression that the commissioning would be next year. It was always going to be in Perth and it was always understood that my brother, my mother and I would go.

But...um...I'll already be there by August! And I'm not telling my family till the last possible moment. This could get really interesting.

My doc rocks!

My specialist is a good guy and I'm pretty lucky to have him treating me. I don't quite know how I got to become one of his patients, but I think it was because my old GP was a friend of his...or something like that. I'm doubly lucky, because he's the Director of Intensive Care in one of our major private hospitals and one of the better sleep specialists - and I'm seeing him as a public patient, not private, because I was referred, so I don't pay a cent.

I mentioned here that he's been away on leave the last month or so and my prescription ran out while he was away. I rang the sleep centre at the hospital and asked if anybody else could fill a prescription for me, but nobody else had authority. Makes sense, I guess, that just anyone can't write out a script for a Government approved narcotic...

Needless to say, I've been feeling like total crap the last couple of weeks. I don't notice how much difference the drugs make till I haven't been on them for a while. I..noticed..it..a..LOT..lately!

But this is why my doc rocks... I don't even have to see him to get more drugs. I rang his secretary and told her my prescription had run out, she checked my address and said they'd send a new one out today. Hopefully, I'll be saying hello to my old, perky self by the end of the week! I cannot wait!

Gotta love a doc who makes me better without even having to see him.