Steam-Powered Chris Isaak & Computer!

Hi!

Well. A little late. I had every good intention of checking in yesterday evening but my poor little computer was tied up updating and backing itself up. It took allllllll day and I was scared to interrupt it because I’d already seen the blue screen of death twice. I think we’re nearly there….. Once everything is backed up and I can get stuff off its mind, then it should be able to play nicer, kinda like people! But here we are – the evening is lovely and cool (finally), the lorikeets are out there chattering away at full steam, I think they like the weather too. It’s the end of March and it’s only now finally starting to cool off. Hooray! Sadly, no jazz tunes or awkward show tunes radio show. But got the cool glass of white wine (same as last week, I think I may have found a keeper), life is good!

So work. Yep. Still pretty quiet. I’ve been thrown a couple teeny little busy-work/babysitting things and I hear there might be something to edit in a few weeks, but I won’t know until it lands on my desk like a pile of bricks. So until then they have me doing a couple little things. Ok. Whatever it takes to keep the day moving along!

And then there was the weekend. Saturday was chores galore. It’s always good when the little apt is clean, not that it ever gets that bad. One of my tasks this weekend was to start my list of things to sell on eBay, but with the poor little computer struggling to update itself I couldn’t. But once I get some of the things sold, I can streamline even more! Hooray! Not that I have that much stuff, I’ve been pretty good, ‘course, I have no space for anything so I’ve had no choice. But it’ll be good to have a slight change of scenery and if I can make a bit of dough too, even better! So yes, it was chores all day before I could go to the Chris Isaak concert with Kim over at Riverstage (my fave venue ever!)! Well. We had really good seats but they were too good because we were so close but off to the side so when the show started everyone stood up and we couldn’t see squat. Being short doesn’t help at all. So I just sat in my seat, listening, getting a glimpse now and then and drank my little plastic cup of wine. The show (music) was pretty good, as always, but it was pretty much the exact same show I saw a few years ago and the same show Kim saw a couple of years ago, from the audience banter to the set list. And this show I think they were way low on steam, they seemed tired and beat, and again, like last times, this was their last stop before heading back to the US. So while the weather was perfect, the crowd was good (minus the standing idiots), the show was just ok. Now I love Chris Isaak, but after these shows, meh, I might not knock myself out to see him again. Maybe give it a few more years for him to shake up the set list and come up with new banter! He even needs to update his website too from the looks of things! Hmmm.

And then Sunday. Computer maintenance day and basically not much else, sadly. But it has to be done because spending a few weekends cleaning it all up is a lot cheaper than buying a whole new computer! So there you go. Kind of boring and exciting all in one. Mainly boring, but there it is. Gotta save for NZ in a few weeks!

So, hope you’re all well up there. Drop a line and tell me your news! And let me know when you’ve booked your tickets to come visit because heaven knows I ain’t coming back up there for a while! Time for folks to c’mon down and visit me on my patch for once! Hooray!

BYE!
J!

eReading Romance Novels Over Lasagna

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening, yet again. They just keep coming around with alarming regularity. Funny how when you're on vacation you never know what day it is and no one day is like another. But when you work (or don't as the case may be), every day is pretty much the same, the only difference being its name and place in the weekly scheme of things. Hmmmm. A slightly pensive start to be checking in with, but the weather has dictated it. It's been raining and drizzly and grey all weekend. Little warm, but not unbearable. Tho later this week it's supposed to go back to being unbearable.... This is meant to be autumn for cryin' out loud! Summer just can't let go. It's just mad because it wasn't as awful as it was last year, so it's trying to make up for it by hanging around. Autumn can come any day now! But I digress. Checking in just in time for the strange show tunes radio show - today it's tunes from Dr. Who (the longest running science fiction TV show ever, according to the DJ, with theme song written by an Australian. There you go.) and Star Trek (which include some awkward but inevitable William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy "songs")! Told you it was a wierd show! But at least it makes me laugh. And the birds are sort of out there chattering away, tho they're a bit muted. It's the warm damp and the rain. Still, we have our cool glass of white wine, Semillion Sav Blanc, courtesy of Rosemount Estate and, well, life is good!

So work. Yep. Still pretty quiet. I've offered my editing savvy to the bid/proposal folks I'm supposed to be helping on a bid coming up, but I've been told (more than once) that that's why they hired <some outside agency> to do everything, including the editing, and thank you but no they don't need my help just now. Go away. So, in other words, I'm still without much to do. Thankfully friends have thrown some editing my way, which is way awesome. I was thinking I might rattle the cage of my little DTP biz that I didn't quite get off the ground and see if I can't drum up some work on the side, just to keep my hand in it. And nonono, it won't conflict with work in the slightest. I don't know how it could, but I'll make sure of that. Otherwise, work is good, if not dead quiet. I'm happy - quiet or not!

And then there was the weekend. Well, go back a sec, I had Wednesday off (we get one day off a month if we put in the few extra hours) to supervise the installation of another fire alarm in my dumpy little apartment. Not sure why because we already have one hard-wired. I'm gonna guess it doesn't work (how long hasn't it???! I wonder, nervously) which is why they sent a guy to nail a battery operated one up to the ceiling next to it. Hmmm. And you know me and my trust issues with strangers coming in to my place unsupervised.... So I had the day off. It was pretty good actually, even if it was mid-week. I caught up on sleep and got lots done! I've been editing my neighbor's romance novel that she's going to send to Mills & Boon to be published (soooo cheesy but so much fun to write - and she says people buy this crap!), so she made me a way awesome lasagna for dinner as a thank-you. That was pretty nice and really good. Hooray for editing = food!

Ok, back to the weekend. What little of it there was. It was pretty dull. Saturday it rained all day and I couldn't be bothered doing much at all, so I sat and watched "Doc Martin" all day. Such a good show with great characters and creative little story lines. Kind of reminds me of a British "Northern Exposure" in a sort of way..... Fish out of water story, I love those. And that was the day. Nice in a dull, rained-in kind of way!

And today I at least got the ironing done and finished the edits on her romance novel, well, the first 3 chapters she's written so far. Again, I couldn't be bothered doing much at all this weekend. It's the weather. Next weekend I'll be more productive. Next Saturday is the Chris Isaak concert! Hooray! He's awesome! Have any of you gone out to see him yet like I told you to the last time I saw him???? Huge fan or not, I highly recommend going to see him - it's a gooooood night out. Plus, the drummer Kenny is my friend Katie's cousin - support the family, in a disconnected, unrelated kinda way....!

So there you have it. Another dull and quiet weekend breathes its last. Again. Saving for fun and Adventures, I tell you! No more spending until May, at least. Oh yeah, another reason no spending, I bought myself an early birthday present, something I've had my eye on for a few months now after having done my research (and discovering you can't find them anywhere now due to a shortage of production and too-high a demand) - a Sony eReader, the latest model, in red, with a 6 inch screen...... It's the bomb! Still trying to work it all out, especially how to get books from libraries, but a gal at work has a similar eReader, so will ask her for hints tomorrow..... It's soooooooooo cool! I can have so many books in one place! Some you have to buy, obviously, but a lot are public domain, so are free. Cooool! Hello more reading in more places! It's really cool and I'm pretty happy I got it. Yeah yeah yeah, I know there are iThings out there that do similar and more things than this, but this won't burn my eyeballs out of my skull like an LCD screen will. Nor does it cost me money as far as internet goes because it doesn't do it, which is fine because I have a computer at work or at home or on my cell phone...... I think that's plenty. I just want to read! Oh, plus it'll play mp3's and show photos, tho only in black and white, which is kinda cool too. The type of screen it is, "e-ink", makes photos look like old tin or glass negative photographs from the 1900's. They just have this strange depth and quality to them..... It's neat. So yes, no more spending! Must save for trip and debt!

So there you are. Go see Chris Isaak if he comes to a town near you. Buy a plane ticket and come down here and visit dammit. And drop a line and let me know how you all are! Hope you're well! Let me know if you need directions to get from the airport to town!

BYE!
J!

Elderly Computer Edits the Chores

Hi!

Well. Here we are…. Little late. Time just got away from me this weekend. I got really busy cleaning out closets and throwing out (donating) stuff. Plus it was stinking hot and humid, and by the end of the day I was too tired and dirty to think. Plus, it stayed hot until late in the day and I couldn’t put my elderly little computer through that. So yes, that’s why we’re checking in today. But, the afternoon isn’t nearly as gross as yesterday, tho no groovy jazz tunes, the lorikeets are sure out there – they’ve come back from wherever they go for the worst of the summer. I love how they pick their branch for the night and chatter manically away for about an hour as the sun sets. I sure wish I knew what they were talking about so excitedly. But here we are – got my nice glass of red wine – Hardy’s Merlot, the old standby, a lovely sunset, chattering lorikeets – life is good!

So work. Yep. Ticking along. Still without a whole heck of a lot to do, am slowly but surely going through the website finding things to update, but as far as any real editing, nothing……… Which is kind of a shame, but I don’t mind. Lots of other things to keep me busy, mainly immigration paperwork kinda stuff. And studying for an accreditation exam from the Institute of Professional Editors…. Still haven’t decided if I’m going to do it ($600+), but studying can’t hurt. So yeah, work is good, if not quiet. As always, dreading the day when they dump a week’s worth of editing on me demanding that it be done in a 20 hour marathon, as has happened repeatedly in the past, apparently. Yeah, dreading that. Otherwise, all’s well at my desk!

And then the weekend. Pretty quiet for the most part. Chores, cleaning, donating stuff I don’t wear or use anymore… This is, what, the second time this year (or at least in the last 6 months) I’ve thrown stuff out? Wow. Am only just one girl, am not a clothes or shoe horse, and I have absolutely no storage in my little apartment whatsoever. So how I can find like 5 bags worth of stuff to toss out so far this year, I have no idea. And I don’t buy stuff. And to think, I have a long list of stuff I want to sell on eBay! What the?! But that stuff I want to sell is a TV stand, bookshelves (want to consolidate TV stand and bookshelves into one unit), my couch (want a leather one), scooter gear I haven’t worn since, well, selling my wee scooter (sniffsniff, I still kind of miss it… but not the danger element), and anything else I’m tired of the look of and want to make dough from. I will conquer eBay!

So yeah. That was the week and the weekend. Dull, yes, but wait – relief is at hand! Yes, I’ve booked An Adventure for a week at the end of April…… visiting friends in New Zealand (Auckland)! Ok, so it’s not an Adventure as per my standard Adventure guidelines, I’ve been there before and pretty much swore I’d never go back even if I was dead. But I miss Catherine and Paul, haven’t seen them in yeeeeears, and because we get almost a week off for Easter and Anzac Day (hooray for Jesus and wars!). So I thought what the heck, I’ll go say hi. So that’s really going to be pretty exciting in its own way.

So there you are. Hope you’re all well up there and surviving natural disasters as they happen on opposite sides of the earth… poor Japan. Hurry and get a flight down here before a chunk of South America breaks off and clobbers Australia!

BYE!

J!

Steak with Strauss...!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Sunday early evening. Missed last week - it was a busy weekend and couldn't make it in time....... But am here now! The evening is cool and very breezy, a nice change from what it's been - rain and hothothot. The birds are out there gasbagging away. Crows, they're like frat guys and they don't shut up. The lorikeets are returning with the cooler weather, which of course means they'll be waking me up before my alarm. Although we're now into Autumn, so I might just beat them to the alarm..... And yes, tonight's goofy show tunes show seems to be moody soundtracks to depressing movies... ooops, spoke too soon, now they've gone into some Gwenyth Paltrow warbling tune.... hmm. What a weird show this is. Maybe that's why they have the groovy jazz show on right after, to redeem the preceding show. Hmmm. And yes, there's the glass of wine, red this evening, Hardys RR cabernet sauvignon, because it's actually cool enough to drink red wine. It's not bad really, an old standard stand-by. So yes, we have the wine, the breeze and almost time for groovy jazz tunes - life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still not a whole lot to do, but I have a plan to try and get my name on some kind of "global list" of editors within Boeing (if one exists) where hopefully I can help other bid/proposal editors around the world (providing I can speak the language), who might need a hand if they have too much work. We'll see. Otherwise, all's well. We have a new young gal starting tomorrow, she's taking the place of one of the pregnant gals who's gone away to have her first kid. So next week should be interesting. Hooray I won't be the new kid anymore!

And then the weekend(s). Last weekend was really quite good. Saturday I met my friend Jan for dinner at The Fox pub, in their Smokehouse restaurant, which was an American southern-style steak and rib place. Meh, I had the pulled pork, the BBQ sauce was waaaaaaaay too sweet and waaaaaaaay too much of it. The teeny, most cutest piece of cornbread I've ever seen was soaked in butter, it was like a butter sponge, I couldn't eat it, and I can eat cornbread like a gal starved in the desert. And the coleslaw was basically cabbage and pure mayonnaise - Yuck. So I have to say that that dinner was a fail. But catching up with Jan is always fun. And then we were off to the QPAC (Qld Performing Arts Centre) and their Concert Hall to go see the Johann Strauss Ensemble. It was really really good, but then I love that kind of stuff. I must go to those kinds of shows more often. I always feel smarter after a show like that.... hmmmm. It was such a good night out!

And Sunday I met my friend Dom at the Belgian Beer Cafe for a couple glasses of, well, Belgian beer, and then we were off to catch up with his friend Charlie before he headed out for 2 weeks in Mexico. Needless to say the evening went way too late and there was way too much wine involved for a school-night. Which is why I couldn't check-in that evening. And Monday, well, I was just too tired at work to think "creatively", which is basically why I'm checking in this weekend. Just can't party on a school night like I usedtacould!

And then there was this weekend. Pretty much the polar opposite of the previous weekend. A few chores, napping, reading, a few DVD's, and lots and lots of computer maintenance. My poor little laptop. It's 5&1/2 years old now, ancient by today's computer geeks. It's still going strong tho (after it's brain transplant last year), if not slow. I really shouldn't have to buy a new computer......... But computer's today have faster, well, everything...... That is a purchase for a later date........ ssshhhhhh.......... I don't want it to know I'm thinking of looking, it'll die and then I'll really be in trouble.........

And that's about that! Not a lot to report unfortunately, but that's how it is at the moment. Remember how I said I wanted to do at least one interesting/fun thing a month this year? Well, even little Strauss concerts count. And this month's fun will be to go see Chris Isaak (again)! And then come April, well, nothing scheduled yet, maybe I'll do that indoor rock climbing course I've been wanting to do.....??? Will keep you posted! Otherwise, I hope you're all well up there! As you know I have no vacation time until sometime next year, and even then I'm heading over to England, so if you want to catch up, well, you'll just have to come to me for once! Hurry before the gas prices start to affect planes, if they haven't already!

BYE!
J!

Cicadas and Chores on a Bloody Hot Day!

Hi!

Well. Sunday afternoon.... Checking in a little earlier than usual..... not sure why, maybe that I have 2 movies to watch to get them back in the mail before tomorrow morning...... That, and with the borrowed air-con, the kitchen is the coolest room in the little apartment - at nearly 90 degrees; the rest of the place is a little warmer but still cooler than outside. Poor little air-con unit has been going since yesterday....... Hooray that I don't pay for electricity here! But seeing as this air-con unit is so noisy, if the lorikeets and crows (or even my neighbors, come to that) are out there arguing and what-not, I couldn't hear them. Which is actually really nice, my neighbors are noisy morons so to have a break from that is pretty nice..... But I digress. The afternoon is hot as hell, but sunny..... Hopefully this will be summer's last hurrah before leaving it all to autumn......... which should kick in very soon here. Otherwise, here we are!

So work. Yep. Is good. Even better now that my contract has been extended for 12 whole months!!! So now I don't expire until the end of April next year! HOORAY!!! My god, a 12 month contract, that's the longest one I've had here yet! Amazing. And if I can get them to come with me on permanent residency then they'll hire me permanently (I think), and then my god I really wouldn't know what to do with myself and the stability! But am not there yet. I'm just pretty happy I've got a pretty cushy gig (at the moment......) that's going until April next year. Cooooooool! Otherwise, work is fine, still really quiet. We've lost one of our gals to go and have her first baby. One more gal to go to have her first kid in June and then we'll be baby-talk-free!!! We have a new gal starting but I'm not sure when. That'll be nice - I won't be the new kid on the block anymore! So, yes, so far so good!

And then the weekend. Started off quite nicely Friday evening by meeting Talava at Cicada for a quick glass of wine after work. She was visiting from Melbourne for the day. That was most excellent to catch up with her, even if for just an hour. She's getting married in like 4 weeks - pretty exciting! And then our friend Ben (old work-mate from Qld Health) dropped by for a few more glasses of wine and dinner. So, yes, a good night was had by all and the evening was really quite nice!

And Saturday. Chores Pt. I, laundry, surfing the 'net seeing what else I can't live without from the States... so far I've ordered Tide, Bounce dryer sheets and Q-Tips....... and scaring my debit card half to death....... I really just chatted on the phone most of the day catching up with folks........ And then finally sat down to watch "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"...... not bad, but then I quite dig "foreign" films. All I can say is you'd better read the book first, 'cos if I hadn't read it before watching the film, I wouldn't've know half of what was going on. Just shows how detailed the book is. Not a bad movie tho. Seemed to go by quick for a 2 & 1/2 hour movie. Setting everything up for the last movie in the series......!

And today was Chores Pt. II. I was only able to do them with the help of the a/c, otherwise the place woulda stayed dirty and I woulda spent the day under a cool shower, 'cos today has to be the hottest day of the summer yet. And I know I'm not a wuss because I spent ALL of last summer in here toughing it out with the heat and the humidity, and today is bloody hot. Be curious to see what the top temp was..... because with a day this stinking hot, you don't really have it in you to do more than just sit. So hooray for borrowed air-con enabling me to be productive!!!! Ahhhhh well, autumn soon, which means 8 months or so of glorious weather is just anxiously waiting in the wings! Hooray!

So there you have it. Another fairly quiet episode of my not quite exciting life as an expat down here in Australia. But to hear what all's happening up there, and in light of my having a pretty damn good job, things down here are pretty good if not slightly quiet. Not to worry, slowly but surely am working on fixing that! Just have to save the dough and the vacation time.......!

So yes, with the summer breathing it's last gasps, you're more than welcome to come on down anytime starting around March... and from then it'll beautiful until we do this awful summer business again starting in Nov/Dec. So come on down! Hope you're all well, and I'm serious when I say drop a line so I can hear how you all are up there! Hope you're all well and book that trip down here once and for all goddammit (and if you need help, airline links are over there on the right)!

BYE!
J!

Goats, Laundry & Failed Errands.....

Hi!

Well. Sunday evening has arrived yet again. Happily, the lorrikeets are back hollering at the crows to hit the road (literally or not I can't tell, don't speak 'keet). It's a very warm, muggy evening with big fat rain clouds sitting around up there doing nothing, like Union guys on a stage set. Still tho, I have some borrowed air conditioning (whew!), a very cool glass of Verse 1 semillion sav-blanc (eh, it's just ok. Have to try every one of them before I can decide...), and the usually goofy show-tunes show on the radio before the groovy cool jazz show is featuring music from the career of John Barry - he of the James Bond film music fame (!). Even tho he did tons and tons of other compositions, the James Bond music (including Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, etc) has to be the coolest, and ones that will certainly kept his bank account in the black forever; even if he's dead - his kid's'll love it! So that's where we are this Sunday evening. All I can say is bring on autumn and the cool crisp days! Enough with this humidity and muggy heat already!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still without a lot to be doing yet editing-wise, which is a bit of a shame, I quite like editing... Tho the gals I work with are trying to give me stuff to do that they don't want to do. Meh, I don't mind. Helps the day go by and I get to learn how to update the website! Sweeeeet. Learnin' is fun! Otherwise, I'm pretty sure my contract has been extended but I'll know for sure when someone sends me an email or makes me sign something. Hmmm. Hope it's extended...... Otherwise, every day I'm in paid employment and not being yelled at is a good day! Hooooooray!

And then there was the weekend. Started off most excellently Friday evening with pizza and games with the usual suspects and two very rambunctious children too wound up to go to bed. And it was funny, as Sienna was carried off to bed she wailed sleepily "But I'm not tiiiiiiired!". Sigh, memories! A good evening was had by all, as we usually do.

Saturday was fairly productive - I slept in (2 bonus points right there), did 2 loads of laundry, hit the grocery store, watched Magnum PI (hooray for mid-day TV!) and then had a good long nap. Ahhhhhhhhh! Also watched "The Men who Stare at Goats", now that was pretty funny I have to admit. And I think what made it so funny is the fact that parts of it are true. Silly ol' military. If you're in the mood, I can highly recommend it. Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and George Clooney were all good. I was impressed they could do it all with fairly straight faces (must have been lots of laughs cut out tho!). Now I really want to read the guy's (Jon Ronson) book who's experiences this whole film is based on.

And today was sort of productive. Why I feel the need to be productive on the weekends when I have no Adventures planned is sort of beyond me. Guilt maybe, to not waste a perfectly good weekend. Probably the fact that when Sunday evening comes around and I haven't done anything except nap and watch TV (hey, I only just got my TV back again so I'm allowed) I feel a little like a loser and I want those 2 days back, I dunno................. Hmmmmm. Anyways, today I ran errands, most of them sort of failed in that the shops were either just gone from the face of the earth (uh-erm, Bose.....), or they quit carrying what I wanted over a year and a half ago (umm, Freedom Furniture... tho they do have a very nice leather, 3 seat sofa-bed for $1,600 that I'm really tempted to buy.........), tho I did manage to pick up a neat bamboo shower mat (not from Freedom). And that was most of my Sunday. It's just too bloody hot and humid to get out and about and be fantastically productive. Just wait for when autumn comes around, I promise to get out, and take more photographs especially!

So there you have it. Hey, hooray for dull in a way - at least Mother Nature is taking a break from kicking Australia's ass! Hopefully this means the worst is over, or at least nearly over and the cool weather won't be far....... So hope you're all well up there and defrosting or drying out...... Feel free to come on down any time you think you need a break from crappy cold winters!

BYE!
J!

Aussie B'Day, Beaches & BBQ's!

Hi!

Well. Late, again. Like late. Am sorry. Last weekend I couldn't check in..... well, for now I'll just say I can't party like I used ta could! And this weekend it was just way too bloody hot and humid in the evening to make my poor little computer suffer through that, only a year after the heat killed it the first time! Let alone make me suffer through it! So today am writing from the cool comfort of work - hooray for free air-con!

So. Work. Is good. My boss is going away (to the US actually) for a while and then to an air show outside of Melbourne, and he won't be back until April, which is when my contract expires.... So I hit him up the other day about whether or not he wanted to keep me around..... And so far I still haven't got a real answer, but today he said at the very least he'd extend my contract for another 6 months! Hooooooray! So that's a relief that I won't have to go job hunting in the next couple weeks like I was afraid I might. WHEW! But otherwise, it's still pretty quiet, but again, I don't mind because I'd rather learn a complicated company and its workings while things are quiet than when things are super busy. Apparently there's a big bid/proposal coming but no one will tell me much about it...... So I can only sit here, red pen at the ready!

And then there were the weekends... Last weekend was really really good. A guy I used to work with (Julian) at Southbank (my first job here), he always throws a good Australia Day BBQ, and lots of folks from Southbank that I used to work with always come along, some with little ones. It was a fantastic afternoon that went way too late for me. Not that I drank a lot, it was just a very long day. I got up really early to make my bean dip (which they loooove and I have to bring otherwise they'll revoke my invite) and my guacamole (which I just loooooove), and that kinda magic takes time. So yeah, while it was a good day, it was long. Plus he lives a bit far from me, so public transport is always an adventure, especially on the weekends and carrying food and booze. It was well worth it tho!

And then that Sunday, a gal I work with (Heidi) and her partner (Naomi) picked me up (so nice to come and get me) and we all, pups included, went up to Red Beach, the dog beach on Bribie Island (in the photo on the right - the dark bits on the sand there - those are soldier crabs!) that we went to a couple weekends ago. Thankfully the sun wasn't roasting us and there was a good breeze. It's pretty out there, but I still prefer Peregian Beach, even tho there's not much up there at all, it's quite a nice, swimmable beach. Someday when I get another car I'll head up there for a weekend. So yes, by the time I got home from there, it was getting late in the day, I had a shower and laid down on the couch for a minute to catch my breath and ended up having a 3 hour nap!

So that's why I missed last weekend. And then that week was pretty busy for the first half with errands after work, dinner with Kim at Kookaburra Cafe (the best!), and then I put in my first appearance at a meeting of the Queensland Society of Editors, it was more of an info session about accreditation, which I'm kicking around doing. Is tres expensive tho, at something like $680 a pop...... So will kick it around some more..... So yes, busy weekend with a busy week! And on top of all that - the Thursday 3rd of Feb. was my "Australia Birthday" - the day I arrived here 5 whole years ago! Waahhooo it's gone so fast!

And then there was this weekend. Saturday was good because, again, Heidi & Naomi picked me up and we headed out to the "Tip Shop" - it's a shop the city council has set up, they have a few of them around, where council folks go through stuff folks drop off at the dump (or as it's called here - the "rubbish tip", hence "Tip Shop"), pick out the good usable stuff, dust it off, plug it in and test it and sell it for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheap. It's awesome! I picked up a little Ikea wooden (pine) folding table and a matching folding chair for $10 bucks! That sells at Ikea for like $50 bucks at least! And it's in fine shape. Such good shape am thinking of putting a coat of sealant on it because it'll live outside. Coooool. Then we wandered into the DFO (a mall of outlet shops) at the Airport because the girls needed new shorts and I bought two little dresses and a cover/wrap thing for work 'cos our office is so freezing cold. And then we went over to their place to pick up their portable air conditioning unit (the kind where the hose hangs out the window) that they weren't using. They took pity on me living in my toaster oven, so are letting me borrow it for however long. It works pretty well, tho with my place not having insulation it takes aaaaaaaaaaages for it to cool down to bearable. But it's better than no cool, dry breeze! Whew!

And then yesterday was more running around, again with Heidi & Naomi (I think they feel kinda sorry for me not having a car or having seen much of Brisbane in my 5 years, so they take me out and show me stuff. It's fun.), we tried another Tip Shop then drove up near Redcliffe to have a look at the sea and how much crap might be still floating around out there from the floods. Not much stuff floating at all, but it was just nice to be near the sea and to not have it be blisteringly hot. Then we drove around looking for a good place to have lunch. With happy tummy's they dropped me home where I dove right in to get the chores busted out in honor of the real estate idiots doing an "Invasion" on Tuesday. So I have to make the place presentable....... meaning: hide all cat evidence. And by the time I was finished with that I was dying from the heat and the humidity and there was no way my brain, or my computer, would be able to deal with checking in.

So there you have it. A couple of busy weekends compared to how boring I normally keep them! Oh, and we survived the cyclone fine down here in Brisbane, not even any rain. Further north didn't fare so well, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse if it'd hit Cairns. So, overall the state was pretty lucky. And now the outskirts of poor Perth are on fire and South Australia is flooding! Poor Australia is really copping a hell of a lot of crap from cranky ol' Mother Nature! All we did was suffer through 10 years of drought - why all this at once???! So once Mother Nature has finished hammering the country, feel free to come down and have a look at what's left before she strikes again!

BYE!
J!

Beans, Barbies & Babies!

Hi!

Well. Here we are, Monday evening.... Sorry to check in late... it was a busy weekend. A bit of baking, bean dip and much running around. But am here now! Those birds (mainly crows with a few lorikeets) are out there squawking away amongst themselves, probably about how nice the weather's been over the last week or so, no rain for the first time since Sept, so I'd be talking with all my other tree-mates about it too! And yes, the evening is lovely and warm but not killing me with the humidity. Got a cool glass of Jacobs Creek Semillion Sav Blanc Viognier..... eh, it's ok, not bad, kinda sweet, eh, will keep shopping around...... Anyways, a little late but here we are!

So work. Yep. Is good, tho very, very quiet. Every day that goes by I get more and more nervous waiting for the call or the meeting where I suddenly get a ton of work thrown at me... I don't mind but I wish I knew what was coming and when! Otherwise, all's well. I guess it's kinda quiet because lots of folks are still off on vacation (must be nice).... Australia Day is on Wednesday, so that'll be a nice mid-week day off. So I guess it's just wait and see..... Otherwise all's well. Quite like it so far. Ultimately, it's Hooray for gainful employment!

And then there was the weekend. Saturday was busy collecting all the stuff I needed for the 2 child events I had to attend on Sunday. So the rest of the day was wrapping little presents (literally, hooray for small people), baking Mexican Wedding Cookies and making a 3 layer bean, guacamole, sour cream dip thing... a new dip I'm test driving. Seems to be a hit, but then, of course it would, my guacamole rocks! And then I had to clean up the mess from that fun. Plus some laundry. And then that was pretty much Saturday. Amazing how much time it all takes, especially in my teeny kitchen with only a toaster oven and no counter-space!

And Sunday. Was a big, long, busy-ish day. I only know two people with kids and they both had to have their parties on the same day! The first was for Clare and Jason's daughter Sienna, it was her 3rd birthday. That was actually kind of fun. I mean, they're such nice people as it is (in the photo there on the left is Clare holding Reece, the birthday girl, Sienna, is behind the Barbie cake, and hungrily admiring that Barbie cake is her big brother Jack), so it was neat to meet their family and friends (and to see their house during daylight instead of at night which is the time we're usually there for games and pizza!)! But I have to say, kids' birthday cakes have come a LONG way..... that's a real life Barbie doll jammed into that cake, and once the cake is gone, she becomes a gal's "First Barbie". A strange way to do it, but there it is. Must be an Australian thing. And then I had to dash off to a gal from work's place - she was having a baby shower for the little It due in March. That was nice. She got a lot of nice presents and thankfully we didn't have to play any of the retarded games or stunts that these types of parties have declined into. We just sat around, drank, ate nibbles, watched her open neat baby presents, ate and drank a little more and that was that. If I have to go to a baby shower, that's the kind I like to deal with. Thankfully I don't know anyone else in that situation. But yes, by the time I got home from all of that I was way too tired and muddled to write anything. It was all I could do to stay awake for just one episode of that "True Blood" series I'm trying very hard to get through. All I can say is I'm into the 2nd season and it's becoming a struggle. Not sure if I can make it to the 3rd season. And yet somehow, somewhere it's won an award....... Hmmmm.... not for anything I've seen yet...... So if anyone has any suggestions of another show I can get hooked on, please pass it on! And I tried "Rome"....... might still give it one more go, but otherwise, suggestions???

And so there it is. Not so exciting, but that's ok. I don't make New Year's Resolutions as a strict rule, but I had a kind of guideline set for myself this year - that I would try to do at least one cool thing a month. And seeing as in January I spent a ton of money on, well, contents insurance (paid for the whole year in one go. Ouch.) and concert tickets for Feb and March, those sort of took up any fun January would've had. And seeing as January is just about gone, fun is hopefully soon on it's way. One concert coming up, or rather the symphony, actually I'm going to see the Johann Strauss Ensemble with my friend Jan, that's at the end of February. And March's fun will be to go see Chris Isaak (yes, again) at Riverstage (my favorite venue, as you well know) with my friend Kim. So there's some slight excitement coming, though not of the Adventure category. Will work on that. Promise not to look at concert calendars anymore.

So there! I hope you're all well up there! Drop a line, say Howdy, suggest new TV series' I can glue myself to, tell me your news, or heck, even just come on down..........!

BYE!
J!