My book shelf

I accidently discovered this site and have consequently begun my own reading list. I thought it might be interesting to see what other people read, or for you guys to see what I've read :)

38 years served

Today was Glen's birthday and I was fortunate enough to actually see him during the day, which very rarely happens for me, as I work out in the 'burbs. Except, today I was at a training course in the city, so met up with him at lunch - albeit, a very yukky takeaway asian fast food lunch - I must prefer restaurant quality asian food. Anyway, it was nice to see him during the day.

So, a big happy birthday to Glen today. You guys should log onto his site and wish him a happy birthday, just so he can feel the love :)

No good...

After posting a small, but sweet little entry about how Clio celebrated her first birthday today, I apparently didn't paint a picture of how she was spending her day - this is because I didn't know until after work, how she had spent it.

I got a panicked message from Glen this afternoon, saying he couldn't find Clio anywhere. By the time I was able to call back, he had located her - she had locked herself in the outside toilet in the backyard. It sounds rather amusing, doesn't it? God knows how long she was locked in there, but Glen said she was never so happy to see him. However, the first thing she did was dive past him and promptly squat to do number twos! Hrm.

The weird thing about it, is today I was at work, wondering whether she was ok. You see, we've taken to locking her out the backyard to avoid her destroying my pot plants in the carport. Of course, I feel a bit shitty about it all now, because on top of that, she came into the loungeroom tonight and promptly vomitted. Poor little girl is now sleeping on the floor and isn't her usual bouncy self. Thankfully it wasn't a hot day today and she has had plenty of water etc. I would just say it's been an eventful and upsetting day.

Ho hum.

First Birthday

First night home, originally uploaded by Sams76.

Mine little Clio's first birthday is today. Time has flown since this shot was taken on her first night home with us. She's gained about 23 kilos since this photo and consumed about a tonne of plastic, string and food in the process! I can't believe how cute she was...

Brokeback Mountain...

We've just come back from seeing this movie and I don't think I've teared up quite so much in a movie, as I did with this.

For me, the hype and furore surrounding this movie, although made it more enticing to go see, did not make me rush out to buy tickets and I don't know how I waited so long. I suppose if I knew what I was missing, I wouldn't have been able to wait.

In short, it is a true love story and I would have to say, probably the first time I've ever watched Heath Ledger in any movie and actually liked him.

Perhaps it also helped to know that he and Michelle Williams met and fell in love on this movie set. Kinda sweet.

Anyway, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it, or to those who aren't quite sure that they can trust their senses to accept this movie for what it basically is - a long, enduring love story, played out very discreetly and sweetly. There's no uncomfortable, awkward moments and I noticed that those in the small cinema that we were fortunate enough to see it in, genuinely loved the movie and were enthralled from start to finish.

It kinda sounds poetic, but I'd have to say that there aren't many movies that move me to tears and there aren't many which I'd want to see again. Definitely a movie I'd like to own when it comes out on DVD.

The other good part about seeing this movie is hopefully it's the first in a long list of movies we see. I'd like to get that part of my social life back! Saving for a house can kill your social life; having a mortgage doesn't help much more, but you can at least go see a movie every now and again!

Off to bed!

Not the best, not the worst...

Sorry for the silence. It's been a bit hectic and tiring since my mum has been visiting us. However, she's gone home now, so I have a little free time to update.

Today probably wasn't my best day. Mum and I have been driving each other up the wall. I think spending all that time together really wears on our nerves for each other. I felt like shit for thinking that I'd be relieved to see her go. I felt god awful actually. It's that guilt a daughter feels for any negative thoughts she has towards her mother and proven wrong when her mother does something incredibly nice and lovely.

Anyway, as I was racing to the bus station this afternoon, mum piped up and said she understood that it was impossible for us to get along for stretches at a time like we tried to this week. She went onto say that she didn't know if she'd move here, but if she did, we wouldn't spend that much time with me. She actually went onto say that she understands why we don't get along that well and it's quite an eye-opener. She said it's an inter-generational thing and a lack of understanding of the other. I think she alluded to the fact that younger people are less tolerant of older people, but older people understood each other and were tolerant because of it. It made perfect sense in the car on the way to the bus stop!!

So, that's how I know that eventually if mum moves here, I know we'll be able to cope, because of the mere fact that she understands that our relationship is flawed because of our age difference, perhaps because we aren't able to fully understand where the other is coming from.

And I can accept that and am glad that mum understands that I don't hate her, or her company. It's just age and I suppose when I am her age, I'll look back and wonder why we didn't have more in common.

**********************************************************************************

Other reasons why my day kinda sucked.

We were driving to the local supermarket this morning to grab something for lunch. I turned the corner and saw on my side of the road, a sparrow fluttering on the road in obvious distress. He'd obviously been partially run over by a car, and was fatiguing badly. He couldn't manage to fly away, let alone get off the road. As anyone would have, I drove around him so as not to squash him. My mother was upset, as was I which is why I made the decision to turn around and do the thing that no one else was willing to do - I turned the car around, aimed my front tyre and ran over the little guy and I felt like pure shit for ending another's life. Having said that, to watch someone, or something else suffer like that is very heart breaking, which is why I can sort of understand the euthanasia debate. Seeing someone in pain is so difficult and you know that ending their pain is your priority, but the outcome is little comfort for anyone.

*******************************************************************************

Lastly, I was awoken this morning by Glen is a small panic - Clio had a swollen eye and eyebrow. At first we thought that she had tangled with one of the cats in the middle of the night, so I let Glen head onto work and monitor Clio. Half an hour later, my panic got the better of me and I called the vet and made an appointment. It appears that Clio has tangled with an insect and she came off second-best. So, after a shot of anti-histamine and a shot of cortosone, some tablets, the vet made a nice little $115 for 10 minutes. Bloody dog!! *laugh* Good thing we love her to bits.

Anyway, enough ranting. I'm tired and need to rest my weary body!

Melbourne 2006

Melbourne 2006, originally uploaded by Sams76.

Just thought you guys might like to see some of the photos I've taken of the Commonwealth Games over the last few days. We've seen the Artistic Gymnastics and today we saw the Track Cycling. Next week, we've got two sets of Athletics tickets. Hopefully we'll get to see some medal presentations!

All hail the blowing cooling thing...

We have a long weekend in good old Victoria. It's something to be rejoiced and beholded. As a result, we have embraced the long weekend and like true first time homeowners, are out at Bunnings frequently, spending our hard earned money on things like plants, compost and various other gardeny things.

Anyway, in short, we have deposited said rat to another location - that's all I am prepared to say! I couldn't cope knowing it was so close but also because it would stink my bin out!

We have placed lots of compost stuff on the potential vegetable garden, installed a hose reel unit on the wall, due to Miss Clio having a burning desire to be at one with the hose, if left out!

We've unpacked more boxes, with more waiting behind them!

I've purchased more plants which needed new homes as well as a mouse cubey thing for the kittens, which has been plastered with catnip spray and is now flavour of the month!

We have also rescued some plants from the front garden which appear to have been left neglected by the stupid tenants. Also decided that some plants are going to be ripped out.

Now I am going to find something to eat, relax and apply some hand cream to my very dry hands. Upon eating dinner, I shall digest, relax and then perhaps attack some more boxes. I apparently have a lovely quirk of unpacking boxes at 11pm at night, just when someone is relaxing for the evening and has no interest in doing such things.

And let me just say that I am LOVING the air conditioning unit in the loungeroom. It made today's 37 degree weather very bearable! Let's all worship and bear gifts.

Big head in small hole,,,

When we moved into our new house last week, we realised that there were and was still a colony of mice in the shed. We swept out their droppings and proceeded to go to Bunnings for traps. At the time, Glen decided to purchase a rat trap.

We have checked the traps every day, or should I say Glen has checked them every day - heaven forbid if I use the royal 'we'!

Anyway, today he found a rather large mouse, as he described it. My morbid curiosity led me out to the garbage bin where said mouse was. Upon viewing him we both realised the sucker was either a very large fat mouse, or a teen-rat.

Now, we have a very large mouse/teen-rat in our bin waiting for the next bin day - next Friday and a 36 degree day on Sunday! The joys. You'd think the rat would have more courtesy and have taken the trap last night, or even the day before. Now, he's going to stink up our bin!

I'm still wondering how he got his fat body into a mouse trap - he went small for his first and last venture!

Blue funk

I've been in a blue funk for a while now. It pretty much hit when we moved into the house which is ironic because buying and subsequently moving into our own house would be a very happy event - I have the exact opposite reaction.

A blue funk is a term my mother coined for my dark, black moods as a teenager. A dark mood which I was unable to surface from for many hours or many days. The blue funk would come for no reason and for no reason, it would just disappear.

When in a BF, I want to be in a good mood and sometimes finding myself almost smiling, but because of the BF, I ignore the reason for smiling and push myself back in. It is like I want to continue punishing myself and feel better if I am in it.

I know it is odd. I often wonder sometimes if I suffer from chronic depression, or something else undiagnosed. It seems seriously weird to me that when things are good, I go into a BF. It's like an overreaction to a positive event, or perhaps an overwhelming feeling or emotion I can't comprehend.

I'm in a BF now. I hate it, but am kind of enjoying it. It's easier to be in it, than to get out of it.

Meanwhile, the people around me suffer my pleasantness. These people being Glen. At work, I seem to be ok, though I am sure that I am not quite myself. Sometimes work helps to ignore it. I don't know how long I'll be in this funk, but I know that I go quiet for it and I do have a preference to be by myself a lot - which makes it hard to live with someone.

I'm such a fucken basketcase.

Work dilemma...

Although I don't talk about work a lot on my blog; my reasons are pretty obvious and make a lot of practical sense. However, this particular work topic is more an everyday dilemma, which unfortunately occurred at work.

Yesterday, as I was leaving the bathroom and coincidently, so to was my colleague, we were met at the door by another colleague and someone whom we are friendly with. She has a predisposition for both her lack of discretion and her loud, booming opinionated voice. Don't get me wrong, she is a nice person, very interesting and generally intelligent. However, it can be, as some would say, "All about her" aka AAH. She's very inward-looking sometimes and as a result, neglects the thoughts of others.

Anyway, yesterday AAH was recounting to us, her fall down the stairs at work and told us the story as to how she came to be there - she was avoiding another colleague from work. She, like many others, views this fourth person as a person who constantly talks about herself. This woman has a pretty uncanny ability to twist a conversation to a thread which becomes about her. It can be aggravating and time consuming, but this woman is someone who is blatantly lonely and obviously needs some conversation and more importantly, someone to care. So, for the purpose of this story, she becomes lonely lady.

So, AAH was trying to avoid lonely lady. She recounted this story to us in the hallway outside the toilets and comments such as, "Were you avoiding Lonely Lady because she has an uncanny ability to make the conversation about her?" and "She always makes it about her!". There was a great deal of laughing and some knowing grins, before the conversation ended and we all walked back to our area (normally AAH wouldn't come into our area, but yesterday she did).

As we were filing into the main office area, we walked past another desk area and as I looked up, I saw lonely lady and the look on her face - it was enough for me to know that she had heard everything. You see, it's two fold - lonely lady wasn't meant to be there - her work area is on another part of the floor. The second thing is, I was the only one out of the three of us to notice the look on her face, yet I was the only person, who although present during that conversation, did not say anything to contribute to the 'sledging' of the lonely lady, nor do I consider myself to be someone so indiscreet, as to have an open, full and frank conversation in the hall of my office. I'm too paranoid that someone will hear us.

And you know; they did this time.

I might sound very noble. like I am tooting my own horn, but I'm almost proud of the fact that for once in my life, I did not degenerate into the general conversation. My history has usually seen me join in such unfortunate conversations in an effort to be accepted. I guess I don't need their acceptance.

Being caught out speaking about others embarrasses and guilts me; Guilt by association to a conversation I did not participate in shits me.

And yet, I probably feel the most guilt - although, I know my colleague also feels bad about it all.

Today, I sort of ran into lonely lady and thankfully, it seems like she's either understood that I was not involved (because she would not have heard me say anything during that conversation) or she wanted to ignore it completely.

Either way, there were no valuable lessons learnt on my part, only reinforcement of my life-rules - fortunately, I have always been ultra sensitive to who could and couldn't hear the things I said. However, hopefully others will learn a lesson - it's not that you have to be discreet about the things you say about your colleagues, it's that you should always think first before you start bitching about someone who really is very harmless and think about the underlying issues which serve to make them an AAH and a lonely lady, rather than hurting them with senseless and selfish comments which serve no purpose.

The irony of this is pretty funny to me - my AAH friend is very possibly lonely and lacking attention, which is why she is an AAH, while my lonely friend could be mistaken for an AAH because she always twists the conversation to herself.

I would say they are more similar than either would like to think or admit.

Happy holidays...

I've been back at work for two days and already, I'm marking out the days I have off next week and the week after, as well as Labour Day, Easter and Anzac Day! I swear, work is just shitting me off right now. Blah. Won't get into it, talking about work, rah rah. That's just hazy bad bad territory.

Anyway, speaking of more leave, I work tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week and off away I go! Yay for me! My manager was a bit shocked, but I kindly reminded her that she approved my leave!

In other news, it would appear that I have been the lucky winner of this. Oddly enough, it feels very empty. No, it wasn't rigged, despite my history with this blogger. But, in light of moving, this blogger read my thoughts and sent me my game card, despite the fact that I was without internet and was moving house. When I finally got internet access late in the weekend, I was pretty pleased to see she had been so thoughtful as to remember that I was just plain run off my feet!

Anyway, I logged on last night and tried to get my browser to refresh her page, but figured that there was nothing to refresh and went to bed.

Today, I got a pleasant email from Di telling me that I had infact won the bingo and would be getting mine very own portrait! I already own about 4 other pictures, so this will add to the collection. I'm becoming quite the art investor! Thanks Di!

Not much else to report. Had a weigh in today for WW, but you'll have to check out my weight loss blog for that one.

We have moved!

Yay for me! We have ADSL back online here. Telstra finally got its shit together and a technician arrived today to tell Glen that they had plugged our phone into a faulty plug at the exchange. There's always something.

Today was my first day back at work after the move. I have to say, I wasn't too distressed about being back. I guess work isn't too taxing for me and it was nice to catch up with colleagues and friends. Being back at work means I get to earn money, so that we can now pay off our mortgage. It's possibly also got to do with the fact that I know in about ten days, I have another ten days off work! *laugh* Life sucks, right! How rude.

Anyway, since it's been a while since I updated, I really ought to fill in the gaps, right? I shall try without becoming boring or repetitive.

The move was pretty much textbook, though as always, there were hitches. Like setting the alarm for 7am, when I really meant to set it for 6am.

Not having enough time to then pack up the rest of the house, have a cup of tea and some breakfast and ease our way into the day.

Having the removalists arrive with one truck and then telling us that we had more than a truck load's worth.

After contacting the office, having the removalists then tell us that the office had fucked up! Apparently the office staff put an order in for two trucks, but then only completed a requisition order for one truck. Stupid, yes.

Said one truck was packed and unpacked twice and cost a fucken fortune.

Said disgruntled client (ME!) called the removalist company and abused tripe out of them.

Disgruntled client got a partial refund - not enough for me to use them again.

It's been a week since the move - there are about 10 boxes still unpacked in the garage.

We finished painting the loungeroom on Monday afternoon/evening.

It looks very nice!! Check out my flickr page.

Anyway, the point is, we're in the house now, it's becoming more and more like our home. We've spent far too much time at Bunnings, which is conveniently around the corner!! We're enjoying it and Glen has really taken to fixing things up around the place, having fixed the garage door and various other things :) It's quite satisfying.

An odd moment for me. We were concerned that the cats would be distressed about the move. So, I purchased some Feliway and also some stuff called Cat Calmative, or whatever. Anyway, in reaction to that, Tilly has been seriously happy, cuddly and sweet. It's been very weird. Anyway, we were reading the ingredients and it turns out that this stuff has 13% alcohol! Hrm, no wonder my precious girl is so cute and snuggly. Having said that, I am scared that if I stop putting it in their water, my lovely Tilly is going to go ballistic!

I wish I could write more, but I'm a bit brain dead and am going to log off and watch some brain-numbing TV.

Night all.

Inexperienced? Or just the wrong questions?

Can't quite compare to Suburban Hen, but my score sure beats my efforts of 90% when I was at uni! Though, a little concerned that I am labeled a bit inexperienced? Hrm. So far as I can tell, others have experienced less than me!

A Tad Inexperienced You are 70% pure!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 66% on purity

Link: The 100 Point Sexual Purity Test written by ocicat on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Coming up for air...

Can't stay for long. I'm experiencing the joys of dialup! I hate it. Fucking Telstra are fools, but I guess we all know that.

The house move went fine, a few hitches, but we're alive and all our stuff made it over, we're just broke now. Nothing new there!

Anyway, I have photos of the new loungeroom and its transition, but because we're only on dialup, I aint going to bother trying to upload them until we have adsl.

Anyway, we're alive. Will update hopefully next week!