Well. Been a while, hasn't it? Missed all of July and most of August....... Very sorry. There hasn't been a lot to report, but still..... I know. Am sorry. If I thought more than none person ever read this, and if I actually did super exciting things besides just go to work, I might check in more often. But never mind. Either way, if I check in or not, Sunday afternoons aren't quite the same if I don't sit here and at least think about recapping the week(s)!
But we're here now! It's the last gasps of winter, tho unusually rainy and cloudy for what is meant to be the "dry season".... At least it's nice and warm (73 degrees, overcast, with a bit of a breeze). Supposed to get thunderstorms the rest of this week, which is weird for this time of year.... But am not complaining
because the hot and muggy furnace of summer will fire up before we know it! So for now, have got the chores all done, the laundry is out there flapping around on the breeze outside (please birds, don't poop all over mah clean sheets), the kittehs were fighting but seem to have tired themselves out from it, the birds are out there chattering away - trying to be heard over the very annoying crows, got some hip old New Wave tunes from RadioTunes (I still totally like the SkyFM name so much better), and to top it all off I have a nice cool glass of the beer I brewed mahself (you might remember from an earlier post) - and it's not too bad! It's an Australian Wattle Pale Ale - very nice, hoppy but not overly so (the longer I let it set the mellower the hops will get), not too bubbly just a nice little fizz - all and all not a bad first attempt at brewing my own beer! Yes, life is good!
because the hot and muggy furnace of summer will fire up before we know it! So for now, have got the chores all done, the laundry is out there flapping around on the breeze outside (please birds, don't poop all over mah clean sheets), the kittehs were fighting but seem to have tired themselves out from it, the birds are out there chattering away - trying to be heard over the very annoying crows, got some hip old New Wave tunes from RadioTunes (I still totally like the SkyFM name so much better), and to top it all off I have a nice cool glass of the beer I brewed mahself (you might remember from an earlier post) - and it's not too bad! It's an Australian Wattle Pale Ale - very nice, hoppy but not overly so (the longer I let it set the mellower the hops will get), not too bubbly just a nice little fizz - all and all not a bad first attempt at brewing my own beer! Yes, life is good!
So work. Yep. It's pretty good. It's quiet but I've been busy, as usual. Well, it's not quiet because we work in an infernal open plan office and the noisiest 
person on the floor, hands down, is the head of HR - lordy can she shriek from 50 feet away..... Cuts right through my noise-cancelling headphones, which is a pretty impressive feat because those little headphones are really super good. Our CEO is leaving (after four and a half years) to go back to wherever it was he came from, Australian Federal Government, some Defence-flavored department of some kind... I don't know, I tuned out. So now it's pretty funny watching all these people scramble to be the top dog. Whatever. As long as they don't go crazy and get rid of my job. I think stuff like corporate management reshuffles are only interesting and exciting for people who earn six-figure paychecks and get their clothes dry cleaned every week. But otherwise work is good. Always a relief to have a decent, stable job and place to be every day!
person on the floor, hands down, is the head of HR - lordy can she shriek from 50 feet away..... Cuts right through my noise-cancelling headphones, which is a pretty impressive feat because those little headphones are really super good. Our CEO is leaving (after four and a half years) to go back to wherever it was he came from, Australian Federal Government, some Defence-flavored department of some kind... I don't know, I tuned out. So now it's pretty funny watching all these people scramble to be the top dog. Whatever. As long as they don't go crazy and get rid of my job. I think stuff like corporate management reshuffles are only interesting and exciting for people who earn six-figure paychecks and get their clothes dry cleaned every week. But otherwise work is good. Always a relief to have a decent, stable job and place to be every day!
And then there were more than a few weekends in there... Including mah Birthday! Meh, it was on a Thursday this year, so all I really did was take the
day off..... Didn't get up to much because this year was a low-budget birthday in light of saving (time and monies) to go to Scandinavia next December..... So, I took the day off and did a little shopping in town (new pair of work pants - 
wooohooo), took myself over to Cove Bar & Dining at Southbank for a little lunch of oysters and fanceeee French champagne (oh my god it was goooood!), then wandered back towards home and the Palace Cinema at the
Barracks to see my free birthday movie, saw Far From the Madding Crowd (slightly mushy but I really liked it). After that it was pushing dinner time so I wandered up to Kookaburra Cafe for my favorite dinner ever - Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Strawberries, and ended up eating with the owner, Steve and his cousin and her husband who's birthday it was too! And then it was finally home to the cake I'd baked for mahself - a big ass chocolate cake with strawberries - NOM! For a low-budget Birthday, it was a great day!!!!
day off..... Didn't get up to much because this year was a low-budget birthday in light of saving (time and monies) to go to Scandinavia next December..... So, I took the day off and did a little shopping in town (new pair of work pants - 
wooohooo), took myself over to Cove Bar & Dining at Southbank for a little lunch of oysters and fanceeee French champagne (oh my god it was goooood!), then wandered back towards home and the Palace Cinema at the
Barracks to see my free birthday movie, saw Far From the Madding Crowd (slightly mushy but I really liked it). After that it was pushing dinner time so I wandered up to Kookaburra Cafe for my favorite dinner ever - Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Strawberries, and ended up eating with the owner, Steve and his cousin and her husband who's birthday it was too! And then it was finally home to the cake I'd baked for mahself - a big ass chocolate cake with strawberries - NOM! For a low-budget Birthday, it was a great day!!!!
Then, that next Friday or so, I met up with my friends Jan and Trich to go see the musical Anything Goes (yeah, I know, but it wasn't as bad as I expected because I like Cole Porter, and the costumes....!). It was pretty good! It moved, like, there wasn't a dull bit in it. Oh, I really liked it, I surprised myself because I hate musicals, like, a lot. That was a really nice night. Had dinner with the girls at Lyrebird Restaurant beforehand (pretty place, nice, professional staff, boring food in tiny, artsy portions... meh). I don't get to catch up with Trich very often (her husband had a stroke so can't be left alone), so on the rare occasions we do catch up, it just flies past so quickly. Ahhh, it was a good night, great to see her and Jan.
And then about a week after that I got two tickets to go see the (sold out) sneak preview screening (and Q&A afterwards with Bill Bryson himself!!!) of A Walk in the Woods - the movie from the book by Bill Bryson, one of my absolute
favorite writers evereverever. If you haven't read any of his stuff, well, I highly recommend any of it, and you can start with A Walk in the Woods - interesting and funny, funny stuff. The Q&A with Bill Bryson after the movie was pretty short but I managed to get in one question before they wrapped it up, and out of all the questions, he liked mine the best! I asked him if doing the walk they did was better in 1996, with none of the technology we have now or if it would've been better with no technology, y'know, with GPS and satellite phones, etc. He basically replied that it would've been more comfortable if he'd been able to call his wife every night rather than have to wait once a week or so until they got to the next little town, just to let her and his family know that all
was well, that they hadn't been eaten by bears yet. Then afterwards, on his way out, he stopped by me and thanked me for my question and asked where I was from! I said San Diego, he asked how long I'd been here, I said 9 & a 1/2 years, he asked if I liked it here, I said I loved it, and he smiled really big and said "Yeah, it's pretty good here, isn't it?" Oh I was so happy. He's the coolest - so down-to-earth and normal, and very very funny. That was a great night. Over the years I've missed every single time he'd come to town, and I'd miss it by like a night. So this was the first time I actually had advance notice and scored a ticket, because tickets to his talks sell out in no time! YAY!
favorite writers evereverever. If you haven't read any of his stuff, well, I highly recommend any of it, and you can start with A Walk in the Woods - interesting and funny, funny stuff. The Q&A with Bill Bryson after the movie was pretty short but I managed to get in one question before they wrapped it up, and out of all the questions, he liked mine the best! I asked him if doing the walk they did was better in 1996, with none of the technology we have now or if it would've been better with no technology, y'know, with GPS and satellite phones, etc. He basically replied that it would've been more comfortable if he'd been able to call his wife every night rather than have to wait once a week or so until they got to the next little town, just to let her and his family know that all
was well, that they hadn't been eaten by bears yet. Then afterwards, on his way out, he stopped by me and thanked me for my question and asked where I was from! I said San Diego, he asked how long I'd been here, I said 9 & a 1/2 years, he asked if I liked it here, I said I loved it, and he smiled really big and said "Yeah, it's pretty good here, isn't it?" Oh I was so happy. He's the coolest - so down-to-earth and normal, and very very funny. That was a great night. Over the years I've missed every single time he'd come to town, and I'd miss it by like a night. So this was the first time I actually had advance notice and scored a ticket, because tickets to his talks sell out in no time! YAY!
And then, a week or so after that I met up with my friend Jan again and two of her good friends (both named Judy - that was easy to remember) to go see Australian comedienne Kitty Flanagan at the Powerhouse, one of my favorite venues. Oh man was she funny. I hadn't heard of her before that night and I thanked Jan for the belated birthday ticket because she was damn funny!
And wouldn't you know it, through most of those shows and dinners and catch ups, I was suffering from the worst flu I've had in years and years and years (apologies to everyone I may have passed it onto). I even had to get on
antibiotics it was that bad. I'm still hacking up my lungs two weeks later but it's not nearly as bad as it was, thankfully. Drugs are good! But yes, being that sick just makes being a social butterfly just that much trickier, sheesh! Oh, and also throughout all of this I was still going to mah swing dance classes! Of 
which I've since graduated and moved on to the Intermediate classes! Goooo me! I can't say I'm ready for performing or competitions but I'm getting better than I was when I started (as one would hope) and I still really like it. I like the teachers and the people in class are pretty nice, and never mind the music! It's been really, really good, tho I have yet to attend one of their social dance nights..... They have them every two weeks on a Friday evening and most Fridays I was either out being a social butterfly or sick, or basically too chicken. But now that I'm getting a little better, I'd feel a bit more confident walking into a room full of semi-strangers and having a dance or two - and not screwing up too badly, I hope!
So there you go! Huh. Looking at it, I guess I have been up to a little bit.......! Am sorry for not checking in. I know it's been nine and a half years and most
stuff you've heard already, and it doesn't help that my routine doesn't change much, like most folks - work, home, work, home, weekend, work, home...... But I have tried to shake it up a bit with the swing class and going to shows and stuff..... It's tough because I want to get out and do stuff, catch up with the gals, but I've really got to be good and save for this trip, 'cos it's gonna be one of the most expensive trips I've ever gone on.... Put it this way, the one 15 day tour I really, really want to do costs about $10,000 (curse the stupid "single supplement"!)!!!!! So, yeah, gotta save money and vacation time! But still, a girl has to get out and catch up with folks so there's no use living like a nun.... Perhaps I'll just eat microwave food over my week in Denmark instead to save money...!
So yes, there you go. Apologies again for not checking in. I hope you've all been
well up there and are busy planning your trip down here... one day... never mind that I've been here nearly ten years.....! C'mon people! Tho it's a bit late in the season now unless you're interested in Florida-hot weather....... Otherwise, like I've said, any time from March until November the place is great to visit! Get down here already - you're missing a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BYE!
J!
And wouldn't you know it, through most of those shows and dinners and catch ups, I was suffering from the worst flu I've had in years and years and years (apologies to everyone I may have passed it onto). I even had to get on
antibiotics it was that bad. I'm still hacking up my lungs two weeks later but it's not nearly as bad as it was, thankfully. Drugs are good! But yes, being that sick just makes being a social butterfly just that much trickier, sheesh! Oh, and also throughout all of this I was still going to mah swing dance classes! Of 
which I've since graduated and moved on to the Intermediate classes! Goooo me! I can't say I'm ready for performing or competitions but I'm getting better than I was when I started (as one would hope) and I still really like it. I like the teachers and the people in class are pretty nice, and never mind the music! It's been really, really good, tho I have yet to attend one of their social dance nights..... They have them every two weeks on a Friday evening and most Fridays I was either out being a social butterfly or sick, or basically too chicken. But now that I'm getting a little better, I'd feel a bit more confident walking into a room full of semi-strangers and having a dance or two - and not screwing up too badly, I hope! So there you go! Huh. Looking at it, I guess I have been up to a little bit.......! Am sorry for not checking in. I know it's been nine and a half years and most
stuff you've heard already, and it doesn't help that my routine doesn't change much, like most folks - work, home, work, home, weekend, work, home...... But I have tried to shake it up a bit with the swing class and going to shows and stuff..... It's tough because I want to get out and do stuff, catch up with the gals, but I've really got to be good and save for this trip, 'cos it's gonna be one of the most expensive trips I've ever gone on.... Put it this way, the one 15 day tour I really, really want to do costs about $10,000 (curse the stupid "single supplement"!)!!!!! So, yeah, gotta save money and vacation time! But still, a girl has to get out and catch up with folks so there's no use living like a nun.... Perhaps I'll just eat microwave food over my week in Denmark instead to save money...!So yes, there you go. Apologies again for not checking in. I hope you've all been
BYE!
J!
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