Settling Into the Hacienda.......!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Another glorious, sunny, Sunday afternoon. No storms, no hot, no humid = perfect weather. It's been beautiful all weekend. In fact, the last few weeks have been really, really nice - no storms like they've been predicting for every day, which is a huge bummer for the plants and grass but they usually recover after a quick sprinkle. Yes, the weather's been perfect - the birds are relaxed and chirpy-happy with the gentle breeze to carry them along. Kona is happy to have a balcony to chill out on, occasionally getting yelled at by the odd Noisy Miner but he just ignores them and keeps napping (good boy, because those stupid birds are a protected species!). But we're here now - got a nice, cool glass of the standby white Stoneleigh Sauv Blanc, got the hip n' groovy jazz tunes, got a little breeze shuffling the happy clean sheets around on the laundry line outside, Kona is napping happily somewhere in the new, vast, spacious Hacienda - yes, life is good.

So work. Yep. Is good. Still being data entry monkeys, but

as we've all agreed, if they want to pay us good money to do data entry, well, that's OK by us. And the best (only) perk is that it most certainly makes the day, even the week, simply fly by. Other than that, there isn't much to report. Again, always happy to have someplace to be and get paid decent to be there!

And then there was the weekend. Quiet. Not as productive as I'd hoped but as I learned from running errands last weekend, if I leave the house I spend money. And right now, with my head full of interior design ideas, staying home is the safest place for me and my bank

account! Now, if I could have three days off I know I could get more done..... Hell, to get a head start on this weekend, I did all the chores Friday night. Yet come Saturday, I only had the energy to just fluff around. Tho I did muster enough energy to load the dishwasher and run it. Ver-ee exciting. I haven't had a dishwasher since my first [nice] place in Spring Hill - and even then I never used it. But man, sooooo nice to have! Such clean! Such sparkle! Otherwise, I'd really like to finish unpacking but I'm still unsure about the entertainment unit area thingy, so those boxes are still stacked up in a couple places...... And annoying me. Yeah, I really should just bite the bullet and put the stuff I'm not sure about on eBay and get stuff I want, or that will suit the space better........ Hmmm.

I took a few more photos of the place... Again, they're not glamor photos, but hopefully they'll be just enough to give you a rough idea. I even took a few little videos but the interwebs and I disagree about file size, so in a folder they shall remain.Stoopid interwebs. But so far so good - I'm really glad I moved. It's quiet, breezy, gets a nice amount of light, it's solid, safe and clean...... The bank isn't so happy I moved with the new rent that

has to be paid, but I'm happy. Will be even happier when I can dress the place up a bit better/differently....... It's a nice space and I'd like to do it up a little....... $$$$ ! One day.........! 

Otherwise all is well. Quiet, but good. Ohhh, hee, one little thing - today is Kona's eighth "Birthday", or rather, eight years ago today I adopted him from the RSPCA! Wow. Eight years. That was quick. Still, it's been fun and interesting if nothing else with that cat-dog! But other than that, there's not much to report really, sadly. But like I said, the bank account is safer if I stay home, and the next couple of weeks a couple of big bills  have to be paid so really have to keep an eye on the ol' dough...... And then, before we know it, I'll be up there for a visit - YAY! Looking forward to coming up... Mmmmmm Mexican foooood!!!!

So there you have it. Short and sweet with a little dull sprinkled on top. Oh well, boring for you, boring for me, thrilling for the bank! Say, drop a line if you have any design hints or tips! Gee, you'd think I'd have this design stuff down after all the experience I had in the Palace...... Apparently not.... Or maybe I do I just don't have the checkbook to back it up! Hope you're all well up there - see you soon!Oh, and hey, I mean it - get planning and c'mon down - you can have your own room! Waahhooooo!

BYE!

J!

From Palace to Hacienda!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. A bit late, but there're always good reasons why the delay...... Moving tends to have that effect on a routine (looking at you, phone company)......! But we're here now - got the cool hip happenin' jazz tunes, the birds are out there chattering away and being tossed around by the breeze under clouds that like to think they're going to rain but haven't in over a week and some, and this time, instead of the standby white, I have my favorite beer - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! OK, so it's like three times the price here as it is there, but so is everything else. Just happy they even have it this far away from the Sierra Nevada's! Ahhhh yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Busy being little data entry monkeys. Our Manager got it in his head to create a database of alllllll the chemicals our customer uses, which will one day link to all our publications. Meanwhile, who do you think gets to input, check and double-check all 650+ chemicals? Yes, that would be us - all six of us working flat-out over the last two weeks putting all this boring data into a big database. Fun. The only positive I will give it is it makes the day go by super fast. Not like there was ever a problem passing the time before, but wooooowweeeee, will be happy to see the end of this little project! Otherwise, work is good. Happy to have permanent gainful employment - that novelty just never gets old (nor has it totally sunk in yet)!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Well. That first weekend of the 3rd/4th was spent moving and settling into the new digs! Hired a moving company (two young Brazilian dudes) with what I thought was a decent sized truck and in the end we walked every single one of my worldly possessions from The Palace to the new place (yet to be named - am thinking The Casita, The Hacienda.... something along those lines....)! And for half of the day it rained! Thankfully not on anything that would melt tho, just the boxes. And once all the dust settled and the boys drove away with their fistful of $384 dollars, I looked around and realized I have too much stuff. Yeah. Who'da thunk it??? From a teeny place of zero storage to a normal place with closets and stuff, not to mention a whole second bedroom, and I have too much stuff. Well, put it this way, the stuff I do have is, well, not a lot, but kinda awkward. I don't know how else to describe it. It's like wearing shoes that are slightly too big....... So.... huh. Guess it's time for an interior re-design (am leaning towards beach/coastal chic....)! But only after the savings account recovers from the battle damage, of course. But all in all it's gonna be/is awesome, once all the boxes are unpacked, some of the furniture gets sold with new stuff in its place....... Honestly, it's way bitchin' - just like normal people. So the rent is almost double what I used to pay, I get a quiet place,

secure, warm and dry, with windows I can see out of, a balcony that can fit a couple chairs and a little table, a perfectly normal kitchen with a dishwasher, a little bath tub that fits me fine (anyone bigger might be a little uncomfortable), a carport that's solid and dry, and bonus - Kona is legal, which is suuuuper rare in these here parts. Oh, and the new real estate agency actually seem competent and friendly, and they're only across the street from my PO Box, Doctor, groceries, newspapers, etc. Niiiiice. It's worth the money. Definitely. So get your stuff together and get down here for a visit! OK, well, after I get a bed, a little dresser/desk thingy to put your stuff in, coupla more hangars, some pillows, sheets.......!

And then last weekend was more of the same, only with more of a cleaning bent to it. Oh, and a little break from the boxes and chores, for a few hours on Sunday I got to hang out with my very pregnant friend Kim, who was actually due to have her little baby girl this weekend but baby's had other ideas and has so far decided to stay put. Fair enough. So we just ran around and shopped (she did really well for being super pregnant), had some lunch and generally just caught up on everything. Was super good to see her, and her husband Carlos, briefly. Can't wait to see their new little baby once she finally arrives! And then it was home to more chores and laundry. Put it this way - I was still doing chores at 8pm! Which is OK I guess - I still haven't replaced the TV so it's not like there was some awesome movie I was missing... Or maybe there was, I just didn't know...... Again, something to be rectified once the savings recover. Probably after I get back from visiting up there.....!

So there you have it! The new place is great, or will be eventually once I get settled. Funny thing is, I can totally see (and hear, a little) the old Palace next door, because, well, it is right next door, but nothing like it was living there, which is a big, peaceful relief. In a way I miss it, but not really. So c'mon down - I have normal digs! YAY!

BYE!
J!

A Moving Invasion of Cleanliness and Paint!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Slightly late but am here! Whew! What a busy time. Thankfully had all those extra days off to get stuff done. And thankfully too the weather has been really nice. But we're here now, birds are happy out there twittering away because we've had a little tiny bit of rain and it's still cooling off (more or less, it will for reals...... eventually). I love any season here that isn't summer.......! Have the excellent tunes as usual, tho it's the Paris radio station this time, have a super nice, cool glass of the stand-by sauvingon blanc, Kona is climbing all over Box Mountain in the kitchen (including a couple of empty ones just to keep it interesting) - yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. All caught up with all the little things that sometimes like to get away while I'm being snowed under. So it was good that most folks took the extra days off in between holidays which meant the office was pretty quiet - got lots of stuff done. Still with a few things to do tho, which is always nice, but not rushed off mah feet. And, well, that's really it! No gripes - ah-mazing! Yes, working for a company that can get its act together now and then can be pretty good - who knew?!

And then there was the weekend....... Felt more like they were a couple of nice, long weekends which has been totally swell for getting stuff done without having to rush home and kill myself in the evenings after work. And man, has there been lots to do - for such a small apartment with zero storage, who knew?! Have been buuuuusy with spot-painting, cleaning, packing - all the usual moving crap. It's great in a way tho - going through and throwing stuff out, giving stuff away - streamlining, tho there wasn't that much to streamline. In fact, I had to have a guy come pick up mah poor dead, not-even-four-years-old TV because, hell, who'd move a dead 42' plasma TV, an ooooold DVD player, a dead laptop battery, and a little portable DVD player?! There's more I could do but will wait til am in the new place to really have a look at what's left and toss or sell stuff - am in no rush or pain to hang on to some of the stuff... Hate to dump stuff that I could easily sell (now that I have the hang of this eBay business!)...... and the movers come Friday so don't want to make hasty decisions... Tho maybe that would be a good thing.....? Am determined not to collect crap just because I'll have more space! But yes, pulling everything out of the cupboards has been good and an education - who knew mice were so active in the outer reaches in back of the cupboards? I had no idea. Glad they didn't eat mah food - just the bottom of one of the crappy curtains that came with the little place and some Ziploc bags......

Oh yeah, and in between all the packing and cleaning fun the real estate had

an open house (or a "viewing" as the locals creepily put it) on Saturday morning, so I went to hide outside downstairs while folks tromped through mah little place, with boxes piled up as neat as I could get them..... They had something like 11 people through but only one real application has been submitted... The agency is reluctant to rent to the applicant tho, just because it's a husband and wife and their four year-old. HA! I personally don't see a problem with it.....! So they're going to have another open house tomorrow while I'm at work (eeeeeeeek!)..... Part of me wants to tell the real estate to drop dead and leave me alone until Monday when I hand them the keys back, but part of me says who cares and just hope someone rents it soon. Poor Kona - the little illegal stowaway. I'll just be happy when this is all over with!!!!!!

And really, that's about that. Busy getting stuff together for moving, cleaning, that's pretty much all it's been for about a week now. You haven't missed a thing!

Oh, wait - I know one thing - I bought my plane ticket to come visit! For some reason $2,000 magically, suddenly, dropped off the price so I totally had to buy it. Awesome! So, for folks who'll be around and available - I'll see you soon!!!!! Yay! But if we don't catch up, once I get that spare bed, c'mon down, stay in comfort - with no possums!

BYE!
J!

Work, Residency Applications and Moving - It's On!

Hi!

Well. Here we are! Veeeery late in checking in (good, plausible excuses to follow). But we're here now! Thankfully the weather has mellowed out a bit with the heat and humidity and things can actually get done without wanting to faint or melt. Whew! And I've noticed the birds have been extra chirpy lately, especially those crows..... See? I always knew it wasn't just me who didn't like the hot humid days! And all those storms they kept saying we were going to get throughout the season were never nearly as exciting as they predicted, which is kind of a bummer because those summer storms can be real rippers (as the locals say - means pretty awesome)!  But here we are, got the hip happenin' jazz tunes - honestly, what did the world do before internet radio and being able to listen to exactly what you wanted to, without commercials or shouting, vacuous DJs, for hours, days, weeks, etc on end?! Hooray for the interwebs and streaming radio stations! And for something different, I have a new beer Steamrail 'Ghost of Eyre' Pale Ale...... It's not bad, not nearly as good as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (hands-down my all-time favorite) but it's pretty drinkable. And just now looking it up, I discovered it's by one of the two major grocery store chains, Coles. Huh. Who knew they were getting into the craft brew business? Pretty clever if you ask me. And now most of the chores are done - laundry has just been brought in - thankfully bird poo-free! Things have been vacuumed with the awesomest vacuum ever... Yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still quiet but I always have stuff to be doing so am rarely staring into space. Still pretty cool to even have a real, permanent job! It's a relief more than anything, just knowing come contract renewal time they won't let me go - or the fact there'll never be a contract renewal time again! Cooool! And, how's this for cool and mind-bogglingly amazing - HR rallied the brain cells again and managed to get all my info to E&Y to hand in for my PR application - which was officially handed in at 4.42pm, Tuesday April 15th! Errrrrr, at least that's when I got the email from the migration agency......! Holy cow Batman, you could've knocked me over with a feather. So it's really in the system..........! Exciting! Now just have to wait for them (La Migra) to process it, which according to the really nice gals at E&Y, could take anywhere from 3-7 months........ So now the waiting begins.........! Eeeeeeeeeee! Exciting! Fingers crossed immigration like the sound of me sooooooo much that they fall over themselves to approve my application! And then I only need to have PR for a year until I'll be eligible to apply for citizenship..........! But for now, just have to wait while the application floats through their system............. So, I'll be damned, HR actually did two major things for me in as many weeks' time....... Does this mean I'll have to alter my opinion about the competency of one of the world's notoriously questionable corporate departments.....? Nah. It took them three and a half years to do what they were meant to do in Nov/Dec of 2010! So yes, work is good!

And then there were a fair few weekends in there...................... Hmmmmm. I know I had real good reasons for not checking in.... Let's see how far back I can remember..... Well, this past weekend I had intended to (I always intend to, it's outside factors that delay me!) but I got caught up sewing some clothes..... Apparently over the last year or so I've lost about ten pounds (oh my god, I know, I never thought I had it to lose either!), and about 4 pairs of my pants were pretty baggy, so I taught myself how to take them in - and they look pretty good! Good enough to wear in public anyways! And, bonus, I must've saved myself a hundred dollars if not more by not taking them to my seamstress lady. So come time to check in, I was well into it and to stop, well, I just knew I'd never get back to it. Yay for being productive! Look out New York Fashion Week! Otherwise that weekend was the usual chores and boring fluffing around.....

And the weekend before that.......... Nope...... Can't remember what I did the last two weekends before that........ Obviously not a lot but something exciting was happening Sunday evening to stop me from checking in.....! Apologies for not checking in. So much for that New Year's resolution. See? This is why I NEVER make New Year's resolutions. Maybe if I'd promised to check in once a month I'd probably check in every weekend! Sometimes tho I like to think I'm sparing you the dull tedium and repetitiveness that are my weekends........ Why tell the same dull story every weekend? Oh sure, I could go out every weekend and paint the town red, but until I get a raise and hire a maid...............

Say, that's a nice enough segue to my next topic - I'm MOVING! Yes - after six and a half years I am finally to be freed from the Palace and hopefully its curse - the folks who've lived here the longest have all died!!!!!!! It's all a bit sudden, yes. Basically, a two-bedroom apartment came available in the building right next door to mine (the building I can't help but look out of my windows at everyday because it's like right there) and seeing as I've paid the car off waaaaay early (in yer face Westpac bank!) and my job finally decided to adopt me permanently, I figured it was an opportunity I really would kick myself for not taking. It's a little more than what I'm paying now....... heh, who're we kidding, it's $170 more a week than what I pay here, and power isn't included there...... But it's just been painted (which, for a rental apartment here in Australia, is a big deal. They won't paint unless it looks like kids and animals have been crawling on the walls for 10 years), and they'll put in new carpet and blinds before I get there. Fresh and clean - not like how this place was the day I moved in with clumps of hair all over the carpet (and strips of gaffer tape holding sections of said carpet together), a filthy moldy toilet seat and boogers on the wall of the shower. Yeah, chicky babe (and her strange, hippie-who-rode-a-go-fast-motorcycle) who lived here before me were Class A Animals. Where this place is 70+ years old and very badly maintained, this new place is in fantastic shape, probably 20, 30 years old? I won't go on about it for now, but suffice to say am very excited. Sure the whole moving thing sucks, but the reward will hopefully be worth it. So I take the keys to the new place on the 1st of May and booked movers for the 2nd of May, and then I hand in the keys to the Palace that Monday the 5th and I'll be freeeeeee! A little broke, maybe, but freeeeeee!

So, needless to say, the packing has officially commenced. Thankfully, because of Jesus, we got this past Friday and tomorrow off for Easter (thank you Jesus!), so, plenty of time to think and get somewhat organized. So far I've done most of the little living room..... Washed and aired all the little throw rugs (probably won't need them where I'm going!), vacuumed up most of the (dead) spiders and their abandoned webs....... Yeah. There's a bit to do but I have the time do it (she says, optimistically). And then we get this coming Friday off for Anzac Day (it's like Memorial Day), so there're another three days....... Eeeeeeeeee - exciting! So, barring Optus (phone company) shutting my internet and telephone off before I told them to (May 5th), hopefully I'll be able to check in with the latest progress next weekend!

So there you have it. It's all go down thisaways! And just think - once the dust settles from the move and paying all the big mid-year bills (and buying mah plane ticket), you'll all have a normal, comfortable place to stay when you finally get down here! YAY! But don't rush, I don't have a bed for the guest room - yet! But get planning and come on down!

BYE!
J!

HR Through a Whizz-Bang Vacuum!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another hot, muggy and slightly rainy Sunday afternoon. And yes, summer is still hanging on by its fingernails, and the humidity isn't in a rush to go anywhere it's wanted either. So, even tho the sun has been rising later and later, the awful summer weather is still here. Which is all a big bummer because it basically means the longer this summer hangs around, the sooner next summer will arrive! Hmmmmm maybe will move out of the little apartment after next summer is over - get as much from the "free" a/c as I can! But enough with the whining about extra long summers (5 months of this so far, but who's counting). We still have the hip n' groovy jazz tunes (they just never seem to get old for some reason), got another nice glass of that Taylors Estate Chardonnay, got a nice little breeze - yes, life is good!
 
So work. Yep. Is good. Believe it or not HR finally did something to validate their existence. They waited until 4pm Wednesday the 26th to present me with a permanent contract. Nice work guys, way to rally the brain cells at the last minute. So that's a pretty big hurdle - only took 3 years and 4 months but we got there in the end. Biiiiig relief too, to finally have a job with no end date. In fact, it's my first permanent job since I worked for A&E in NYC - and that was in 2000!!!! And this little permanent contract qualifies as the last bit of info to turn in for the PR application. Now the trick is for those HR brain donors to actually hand the application in......... I suppose they need a vacation tho to restore all those brain cells they exhausted getting my contract together........ Fingers crossed they actually turn the application in...... Watch this space....... But yes, I finally have a "real" job! YAAAAAAY! And say, sit tight for a wee while and maybe one day I'll be able to transfer with the company to the US (California... somewhere).....?! So there you have it - gainful employment for the long-term, foreseeable future! HOORAY!!!!!

And then there were a couple weekends in there. Apologies for not checking in last weekend. Saturday was busy getting things together for the world's smallest "American" BBQ. My friend Dave came around and we watched, via the good ol' interwebs, baseball's season opener of the Dodgers and Diamondbacks down in Sydney! Oooooooh how I wish I could've been there, but never mind, the bank was pretty happy I wasn't. It was a pretty decent game too, tho the D'backs lost. Meh, am more of a Padres fan anyways.... Still, it was pretty bitchin' to have hamburgers and hot dogs, potato chips and french fries, coleslaw and potato salad while watching baseball in mah little living room! Cooooool!

And then Sunday was quiet - catching up on all the chores neglected over the week and Saturday........ Dull but necessary.

And then this weekend was just as quiet, which was fine. It was a really stressful week with the fretting and worrying about my job (thank you HR for all those extra gray hairs I didn't need) so by the time Friday rolled around, I was absolutely beat. In fact, I meant to do all the chores yesterday but just couldn't gather enough energy. Although, I did manage to clean the bathroom and vacuum - with the world's coolest vacuum cleaner going! Wooohoooo! Pretty good to have a real vacuum cleaner. Life is sooooo much easier with one that actually works amazingly well! I could probably vacuum these floors for a week straight and never pick up everything that lives in there (~shudder~). And it's something to just look at too. Vereeeee modern. Space-agey. I love it. Highly recommend it. And then that was all the energy I had for the day. I know, dull dull dull.

And today was meant to be slightly more productive than it's turned out to be. The owner was having a repair dude come out to fix up a couple of bald patches in this supremely crappy carpet (of which, amazingly, the vacuum cleaner only ate a little of) around the little apartment. But no. At 9.30am the owner showed up to tell me the guy wasn't coming because he was "sick" (hhhrrmmmm 'hangover' more like, but maybe he has a 24-hour flu. It could happen....... Naaahhhh!) And for a second I was terrified the owner was going to try to fix it himself as he thinks he's a dab hand at being a handyman (he isn't really, but he thinks he is and who am I to tell him otherwise - the collapsing, rotting Palace is testament to his prowess as a useful owner/handyman). So who knows when this dude is meant to come around, probably while I need to be at work.... Hmmm. In a fit of insanity, I offered to pay for half if the owner took out all the carpet and

put vinyl flooring in. He appeared really confused at that, just muttered something about demolishing the place in a few years. Maybe he works in HR? So the rest of today has been laundry, grocery shopping and general fluffing around. The weather bureau has threatened wicked storms, but that warning was issued at 9.30am and it's after 2pm and we haven't had much more than sprinkles.... And wait, is that sun? Hmmmm. Maybe I will bake... something? Naaah, too hard when it's 90% humidity.... Maybe will watch an episode of something on the little laptop as the TV is still dead dead dead......? Naaaah, too couch potatoey.....Maybe I'll sew something....? Ooooh, so many options to be productive! Then again, napping is productive.....!

So there you have it. Gainfully employed for the foreseeable future and have happily welcomed the coolest vacuum ever to the family. It's been a good couple of weekends. Honest, every weekend of summer means it's gotta end sometime and then you'd be more than welcome to c'mon down! So get planning and c'mon down already!

BYE!

J!

 

Cheesecakes in Ikealand!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Another hot and muggy Sunday afternoon. So much for summer waltzing off into the sunset. I don't mind, just one more chance to use the a/c a little bit more (and enjoy not having to pay the power bill) - hooray! The birds have been happily chattering away out there all day - they're locals so must be used to this stuff. Tho you'd think that after 8 years I'd be used to it too (7 & 3/4 without a/c). No. Humidity + heat = crap no matter where in the world you are. Tho I must be honest, having picked up the a/c so late in the season, I was kind of sad about the weather turning cooler..... So here we are on another hot muggy day - yay! Both the little laptop and I are always eternally grateful to the lil' ol' Pinguino! So we're here basking in a cool breeze with the usual hip n' groovy jazz tunes, and in the spirit of trying new things, we're trying a new white - Taylors Estate Chardonnay - there're a bunch of silver medals across the label so it must be good, surely...... Ahhhh yes, with a/c, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Going through a little quiet streak at the moment, which is fine. I always have stuff to do but there's no mad rush to do it, which

is nice. We're all in the same boat, our little team, so we sometimes spend half the morning solving the problems of the world, or predicting where that poor missing plane ended up........ We'll be moving to a new building in July so every now and then an update will come through the grapevine about how tiny our kennels will be and how the whole floor will be "open plan", a set-up none of us are looking forward to. And all because they're too cheap to spring for higher kennel walls. I suppose it's time to start investigating noise-canceling headphones...... Then again, I always meant to buy a good pair for the plane rides anyways..........! Still no word on the PR or a contract extension - that ol' clock is ticking down - I'm due to finish on the 28th of this month and then the money stops! Eeeeek! I hope a couple of those brain donors down in HR can organize a brain cell or two among them to cough up an extension and get it to payroll in time.......!? Otherwise, all is well. Happy to have the work..... for another two weeks at least! fingers crossed something good happens in the meantime?!

And then there were a couple weekends along the way..... Apologies for not checking in last weekend. It was a busy weekend. Saturday was chores and cheesecake-making for the neighbors to celebrate their new, tiny baby boy! He's sooooooo cute, and so small! And then Sunday was spent with my now ex-neighbor and her adorable little boy at Ikea where she bought a couple bookshelves for their new place. I love my little Rav4 and it's ability to haul everything from three-seater sofas to 7-foot bookcases, even if it does spend most of its time as a lawn ornament......! Then I hung around to babysit and help her build them. It was actually a really nice, fun day. Then again I'm always up for a trip to Ikealand! Thankfully the place was a mob-scene and we were on a mission, so I wasn't able to stand around and look and ponder - that always makes my bank account nervous. This time I managed to walk out with a set of sheets, a shower curtain liner (plus new rings), a set of thin room-divider curtains, and a little lamp for my desk....... A safe trip by the bank's standards! But I do have a very grand idea to give the little apartment a complete makeover, seeing as will be here at least another year trying to get the savings up....... watch this space!

And then this weekend was fairly quiet. Chores and lots of internet surfing getting ideas for how to change this place around and yet not spend a ton of dough, tho I'm not too worried - I'm pretty good at dressing this place up for next to nothing and still have it look good. It's been pretty much the same for what, 6 years, so it's way past time for a change, although not so much the little living room, I like it pretty much as it is, but the rest of the place........ Am thinking "beach hut resort style"..... or something like that. Hmmmmm......! The TV is still dead, so have only been watching a couple things on the computer. I did manage to buy a new vacuum cleaner tho (good lord it was expensive, but a friend has one and it's the best thing since sliced bread - better be, cos it's the last one I'm ever buying. Ever.), so hopefully that will arrive next week........ The one I've had for 7 years is finally falling apart so bad I can barely use it. Ha! I see what I did there - chose a vacuum cleaner over a TV - different priorities I guess! Hell, depending how I do the place up, maybe the next TV will just be a little thing - I'm not that devoted to it....! 

And that's about it really. I was this close to buying my plane ticket today but chickened out because I bought the vacuum cleaner instead. Might see if the ticket price comes back down a little more, will get paid this Wednesday and hopefully I'll hear something about mah job........ I am coming up there for a visit tho - fear not! 

So, hope you're all well up there! Honest, summer really should be on its way and you'll be good to c'mon down any time!!!!! And if you time it right, I may have designed it all with a better way to sleep besides on the couch (tho I've slept on it lots over the years and it's actually pretty good)! C'mon down and try it! And maybe by then I'll have a TV too!

BYE!
J!