Rain Can't Stop Dancing Jellyfish From Eating Bad Mexican Food!

 Hi!

Well. Here we are on another Sunday afternoon. Although this Sunday is veeeery wet and rainy and windy. Seems like a biiiiig low has moved in all the way from the Outback and is slamming us on its way to sea by this evening. I don't mind tho. It makes the farmers in the Outback happy - some of them haven't had real rain for years, and we haven't had a good dose since the last quick deluge about 3 weeks ago. Always heavy and fast - it'll be nice the rest of week starting tonight. Although I still don't miss the rain after 4 years of it in NZ, a couple days of rain now and then wouldn't be so bad. We do a get a lot of sun most of the time...... But before the rain arrived all the chores were done (more or less, mainly less), the laundry folded and put away, the junk mail thrown out, etc. So now here we are with the old tyme jazz tunes, a nice, cool, standby beer (I didn't say it was exactly a cold and rainy day!) - yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good, was better this week than the last few, which was nice. Honestly, people. As always with work we can be quiet for a while then get slammed with work that's due like yesterday. Ahhhhh well, always happy to have decent, gainful employment!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Apologies for not checking in these last few - all's been well - no trips to the Vet! Actually, I tell a lie - no unscheduled trips to the Vet. I was at there again that first Sunday in June. But not because Lola did/ate something stupid, this was Kona's yearly exam. Now, normally I would never bother with the Vet unless they're like Lola who eat wierd stuff and have to have it surgically removed, or if they're bleeding. But the Vet/Cattery won't take them unless they've had their shots, and since I seem to check him (them, soon) in there once a year or so, well, there you go. So yes, last week was a big week for the ol' bank account. Coming into the home stretch to payday on Thursday, it's looking battered and bruised and most certainly underfed. Ahhh well, it's only monies, right??! At least the kittehs are happy and healthy, even if the bank account isn't!

And what else did I get up to besides spend money not on myself...... Oh, my friend Kim had a birthday last Tues, so I met her, her husband Carlos and a few of her friends at Pepe's, a Mexican restaurant not far from my house. Ehhhhhhhh. The first two times I went it wasn't too bad, and it's been a while since the last time so I figured it's only gotten better. Well, not that Tuesday evening. The margarita was good, and the rice and beans were good (homemade) but the Chicken Enchilada, well, not so good. Dry. Not much sauce or cheese. I had to drown it in guac and sour cream, which helped, but still. Yuck. Cooked by real Mexicans and everything. Sad. We're just too far away from proper Mexican food and that's just the sad fact of life. Very sad. And really, that's been all the excitement I can afford until Thursday.

And in that money-saving but starved for entertainment vein, I swapped my two beds around. Sit down for this excitement. Moved the nice, single bed into the guest room/office and set up the double airbed in my room. Not such a good idea in winter, even a sub-tropical winter. Airbeds don't get warm on their own outside of summertime without a bit of assistance. So, until that paycheck happens Thursday, there will be no helping it. And in the office I sleep. It's actually not bad at all. Cozy, warm, quiet. After my trip I'm even thinking of renting it out to the occasional student or maybe an AirBnB.....? It's got everything a little student would need for a couple months stay....... Hmmmmm?! 

Annnnd what else....... Planning for the Big Nordic Adventure is going well (yet another reason why the bank account is a bit stretched at the moment) - I finally booked, and paid for, the last of my accommodation. Very exciting. Man, I am totally kicking myself for going through a travel agent tho. Unless you're going trekking through India or safari in Africa on your own, I can't see any earthly reason to use one, ever. Ahhhh well, life lesson #6,327 learned! But at least I was able to book my own accommodation for two cities where I'm left to my own devices, and not on a tour, for a few days. So that makes it more exciting, more real. Now all that's left to plan is the fun stuff while I'm actually there! Yippie! Exciting! Expensive!

And that's about that. Sorry again for not checking in sooner. Not much has been happening tho. Same ol' stuff that thankfully hasn't involved super expensive, unscheduled trips to the Vet. Hope you're all well and happy, and cool, up there! Gee, if you need a break from all that hot, you're welcome to come down here for a cool spell! I hear Qantas is having a sale on Premium Economy seats if two folks book at the same time (it's totally worth it!).....!

BYE!
J!

Vet = 2, Lola = 7, Pigeon = 0, The Moose Drool Wins!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another gorgeous Sunday afternoon. The weather has finally cooled off (wooooo, down to 70 right now and mid-40s at night!) and now I can concentrate for longer than ten minutes - yay! It's been a nice, quiet weekend, although come home Friday afternoon after a very long work-week I got a bit of a surprise, but more on that later. So, here we are now - the chores are mostly done, laundry's put away even, ironing is all done, bed is made, I've been on fire for gettin' stuff done. Kittehs are guarding the balcony, got the hip n' groovy, tho mellow today, jazz tunes, and I got a nice, cool glass of the standby red (yes, crime of all crimes, I keep it in the fridge because it's Queensland and you just have to.... Even tho the weather's finally cooled off, I kinda like it.... Don't judge me), yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. It was a bit of a week, not busy or anything, just.... people. And that's all I'm sayin' about that. Otherwise, it's good and am always and forever happy to have a decent place to come to and earn a paycheck!

And then there were a few weekends in there....... But they were all kinda like this one, which is why I haven't bothered to check in. Because really, what can compare with getting Australian citizenship?! No, the weekends have been good, quiet, literally nothing to write home about (which was why I started this little blog in the first place nearly ten years ago now)! Although last weekend was a bit of a weekend - it seemed Lola was missing the Vet and so decided not to eat since Thursday evening. We were in the Vet's office Saturday, Sunday and Monday trying to get her better. Long story short, and over $700 towards the cause, it was a fur-ball lodged in her intestines. A few doses of paraffin oil, Actilax and Cat-Lax, including an enema (for Lola, not me, thank heavens), and by Tuesday, stuff finally started to move right along. So, that's life #2 for little Lola! Of course, this was also the same week my car registration came due, at just under what it cost to fix up Lola......... Sigh. She's only two years old - brand-new, and I've never had these issues with pets ever! Ahhhhh well, hopefully she straightens up and flies right from now on, otherwise I'll have to go out and get a second job to keep up with her bills!!!!

So that was last weekend and Monday. Then, come this past Friday, I get home at 5pm from a very long week at work, although not before a small detour to a little cafe, Remy's, that opened up about a year ago just up the hill from my house, where I had a quick snack of breads and dips (very good, had a bit of bite to them which I quite liked, although I see from their website/FB page, they're in it for their burgers - will have to try one next time (they do take out, even better!)) and two beers from Montana, as you do when in Brisbane, Moose Drool Brown Ale and Scape Goat Pale Ale - both very good but I was partial to the Moose Drool, so I had two. Hey, it was Friday and work was a pain this week. Anyways, I didn't hang around long because I felt like the oldest person there, hell, I was for about half an hour until other "old" folks like me started arriving for Happy Hour. It's a fun, buzzy, young, hipster kinda place (yes, all the young men sported fluffy beards), but the staff were all very nice, professional and genuinely seemed to like their jobs and their coworkers (maybe I should get that part-time job there.......?). I'm glad I stopped, I'd been wanting to for ages but it's always totally packed-out. So, off I trot down the hill to home, belly full of beer from "home" and snappy dips, only to open the front door to crime scene carnage. Lola, feeling fulla beans again after being revived from death's door, again, somehow manged to catch a pigeon/dove, got it inside the apartment where an epic battle to the death ensued. Feathers everywhere, from one end of the apartment to the other, even in the kitchen. I open the door to this and see Lola bent over the headless corpse (?!), both wings separated from their owner, eating like it was manna from heaven, which I suppose it kinda was. She was very, very proud, and I was too after I got over the shock of the scene. It's impressive not only because of her speedy recovery, but for the fact she somehow caught a bird, killed it and ate every last bit of it (except the feathers), when all she'd ever caught before in her two short years were moths. Sure, she's speedy, but a bird? In a second-story apartment? I can't even imagine how she managed it without sailing over the balcony. All I can think is it may have flown into the sliding glass door or window, laid there stunned for a second and that's when Lola saw an opportunity too good to pass. That's how I hope it happened, because if she perched on the balcony railing, ay yi yi, that will be one expensive vet bill indeed. That's if she survives the drop. If she does and runs away, well, she's never been outside so she's bound to get lost and hit by a car. Geez, who ever said pet ownership can be dull sometimes never owned a kitteh like this!

And that was my weekend! Gosh, now I want one of those burgers and more Moose Drool........ No, saving money for the Big Nordic Adventure. And my car registration. So, there you have it! All's well here, fingers crossed! Hope you're all well up there! So, since the weather's gotten nicer, you're more than welcome to c'mon down and enjoy this window of opportunity - you only have until November, so get planning! And hey, that reminds me, I will be need a house/pet sitter come December...... The job is yours! 

BYE!
J!

Spider Evictions by New Aussie Citizens......!

Hi!

Well. Here we are, although it's not a Sunday afternoon, it's Monday - we have the day off for Labor Day (thank you Unions for always being upset about something and giving us a day off to be upset about it!) - and amazingly, a whole month hasn't gone by! It's been a nice, quiet weekend, for the most part. Ran some errands, got some of the chores done, lots of laundry, tidying, fluffing around, vacuuming up all the spiders that had moved in...... Normally I'm totally fine with spiders, they do good things in the world - but when you have whole neighborhoods setting up house inside my house, well, it gets to be a bit much. And speaking of bit, they bite me after they've been living here awhile, the nerve of the freeloaders, so they were evicted the hard way. Sorry folks. I'm sure we'll catch up in the afterlife (if there is one) and you can tell me all about being suddenly sucked into a big, loud, scary vacuum cleaner. And I'll still feel bad. Anyways, we're here now with the rugs flapping in what there is of a sorry, muggy breeze, the thunder clouds are trying to build up to something big but so far they're doing nothing more than making it, well, cloudy and super muggy. I swear, this really is the endless summer. But still, we have the cool, hip n' groovy jazz tunes - I love this new station so much more than RadioTunes, and they never hit me up for money or pester me with employment offers - bonus! Tho it's a bit early for the standby sparkling, I like to wait until I'm finished writing to break out the bubbles - like a nice reward!

So work. Yep. It's.... good. I've been in a training course all week (last day is tomorrow, whew) for this technical publications software called S1000D. Companies like mine think it's the end-all be-all in tech pubs software but I find it clunky and there are like three additional software applications you have to use to get them all to talk with each other, so it's a bit of pain actually. The tech pubs software we use for our Classic Hornets, XPP, may totally be from the 80s/90s, in fact, the version we use they don't even make or support anymore, haven't for years, but it works a treat without having all the messing around. Whatever. I always wanted to learn it tho, although I didn't put my hand up to do this course, a middle manager did because he thinks if I have this training he can poach me for his program (unless he doubles my pay, I don't see that happening)..... But boy, I'll be happy to be out of that tiny, windowless room squished in with all those people and that lonely lady who I don't think gets to work with actual people very often and won't shut the hell up....... Anyways, once this is over, we're supposed to finally get all that work our customer has been threatening to give us for years.... So we shall wait and see. Otherwise, all is well - always happy to have the paycheck, forced training or not!!!

And then there were a couple weekends in there..... Well, not a lot has been happening. This is the second of our two, three-day weekends, but I've mainly laid low trying to save money, in my dull kinda way. Tho probably the brightest spark in the calendar so far was this past Wednesday night when I had my Citizenship ceremony!!!!!!! It's all finished now - dealing with HR (thank you HR for being that incompetent and costing me $1,200 for the first failed attempt) and all the permanent residency paperwork, c'ship paperwork, all of it - finito! I'm legit! Now all that's left to do is get the passport and then I really am finished. WHEW! That only took two (technically three) failed attempts over five and a half years..... I'm so happy it's all over with I can't begin to say, tho I tried just then......

The ceremony was actually really, really good. At the main entrance they split us up  from our friends to send us through this reeeeeally long snake-line where at the end we had to show the "attend your ceremony on this date" letter Immigration sent us and our I.D. (driver's license) and they gave us our Certificate and Pledge Card (you could pick one of two pledges - one to god and one not to god. So, that was an easy choice) and next shuffled us on to the voter registration table where we, well, registered to vote - it's compulsory here, so, you get fined if you don't get out and vote, and having the newbies sign up on ceremony night is a fantastic idea. They should totally do it in the US. Then we filed to our seats where we had waiting for us a little gift bag with some handouts about Brisbane, voting, the words to the national anthem (whew!), an agenda for the evening, and the best little gift, aside from the actual certificate, was a seedling for a native plant - I got a Callistemon Wildfire (Bottlebrush)!!!! I like Bottlebrush trees, I had one just like it outside my bedroom window in San Diego.... Tho, as a renter I'm not totally sure what to do with it except for to plant it in a pot on my balcony and hope for the best...... And as we were walking in and stumbling around to get to our seats (we were jammed in like sardines) the Australian Army Band played and they were really, REALLY freakin' good! Played all these old swing songs that I like, they had a couple singers who could actually sing and horn players who wandered up and down the aisles in formation. Yeah, they were great. Then there came the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Troupe to welcome us and then the speeches and lectures about assimilating and how the police aren't out to get you so behave, etc. Then we had to make our pledges - godsy folks had to stand up and say theirs, then they sat down and we stood to say ours. Needless to say, there were a lot less of us heathens than there were of them....... The Australian Girls Choir sang a few really, really nice songs (well done girls!), then another speech and a lecture and then the national anthem (that there is the short version for sporting events but it's still good; here's the proper version) and that was that - we were newly minted Australian Citizens! All in all it took nearly two hours. I thought it was pretty good. Tho by the end of it I was ready to not be in that crowded room with all those people and their crying, fussing children another minute, I must say. And I even had a few friends come to watch - some had come all the way from Toowoomba and Redcliffe and Dayboro, and a few from here in town! But seeing as it was a school night and I really did have school the next day, it was a pretty short celebration, and that was fine. I was (am) pretty happy and I didn't need a big party to prove it! So there you go - Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi!

And then what else........ Not a lot, really. Again, trying to save money for my Nordic Adventure so am trying to keep the wallet safe here at home. I'm this close to paying the deposits and stuff, then once that happens, it's on!!!!! Tho Saturday I did stop into the mall to check that H&M weren't going out of business, so I made a small donation and they gave me clothes as a thank you! Geez, everything in there is like $19-39 bucks, so, a small and pretty cheap, yet styley wardrobe update. I guess I just had a serious dose of cabin-fever after a week of being trapped in that tiny training room.

And that there is really that! So, I hope you're all well up there. Say, even tho summer won't let go, it's not as gross as it was, so you have from now until November to come on down and check the place out! And say, when you're doing your research, let me know if you stumble across any useful websites that I can add to the little menu on the right there... I update that every so often, in fact I did a couple weeks back. So let me know if there's more you'd like to see? Then again, you can always do like I first did and just get on a plane and figure it all out when you arrive!!!! Just let me know when I need to pick you up from the airport!!!!!

BYE!

~ J

            

Time Flies When You're Having..... Edits?

Hi!

Well. Here we are, another two months later........ Yikes. Am sorry. In my defense I needed to complete the edits on my friend's book to meet his and his publisher's deadline, which I did and now we're done! But then there was all the other stuff to catch up on that had been neglected during those couple of months, which is now done! So now, all that's left to do is research and reservations for my Big Nordic Adventure this December and checking in with the poor little neglected blog. So yes, am very sorry for the absence but really, if we're being honest, I'm still just as boring! 

But, here we are now - summer has finally, finally given way to Autumn with beautiful days and cooler temperatures, and less humidity. This is the type of weather that makes enduring a Brisbane summer worth it, long as they are. And after this we'll get "winter" so, months and months of nice weather to look forward to. EX-cellent! But it's still nice enough yet to enjoy a standby sparkling rose! The kittehs are still protecting the balcony from intruders and the bed from flying up and out the window. Good guard cats. But one thing I must say has changed is the hip n' groovy jazz tunes station - unfortunately, after how many years of being a faithful SkyFM/RadioTunes listener, I had to kick them to the curb because of their incessant self-promoting ads, averaging three to four ads in a row every third song (all saying the same thing only different, and her voice was super annoying), plus, I wasn't about to pay for their "premium" membership at $90 a year or $9 a month, just so I didn't have to listen to her every second or third song. So I've gone back to AccuRadio, a station that was pretty good a few years ago and has now gotten even better - sooooo many choices and no annoying self-promotion. Well, there's a little but it's a tiny fraction of what RadioTunes does, and the guy's voice doesn't annoy the crap out of me. Plus, they'll do special stations/playlists based on whoever's birthday it is or a new mood they're in. For a few weeks there they had a channel called Yacht Rock - (mainly '70s) "Yacht-friendly radio". Well, I thought it was funny.

So work. Yep. Is good. Still quiet. We hired two new folks to help us with all the work I have yet to see..... I keep hearing 'it's coming!' And this past Friday one of them quit! She found a better gig closer to her home at better pay - who can argue with that. She has two little kids, and working with us in the city, an hour and a half commute each way. Can't say I blame her. Now we're wanting to hire two more people (are any of you, dear readers, interested in being a Technical Writer with us??), and this is after we hired one gal to replace our illustrator who retired! Whew! It's been a bit of a flurry for not a lot of work... yet. Otherwise, it's good. I know I say it every time, am just happy to have a decent place to go to earn a paycheck!

And then there've been a few weekends in there. Well, after the Baseball wrapped up I had the book editing to focus on and that really took up most weekends. I did get out to a few movies - Brooklyn (really liked it), My Big Fat Greek Wedding II (didn't like it nearly as much as the first one), Rams (loved it), The Lady in the Van (loved it), and I'm sure there were a few others in there over the last couple months..... Because really, when there's such a good cinema a short bus ride, or a good half-hour walk away, plus discounted tickets for being in their movie club (of course), how can you resist?? And then aside from the odd errand and I-gotta-get-out-of-the-house-or-I'll-freak-out walks, haven't been up to much. Trying to save money and the wallet is safest locked up in the house away from cash registers, or, modern society that we live in today, EFTPOS machines. See? Told you - still boring.

And that's really about it. See, you haven't missed much - me editing and researching Scandinavia - whoopie! Oh, I know one bright spark - I finally heard from the Citizenship people about my ceremony and it's scheduled for the 27th of April!!!! That's where I get my certificate and it's all real and finished, and I can apply for a passport (heh, #3)! Woooooohoooooo - finally! Exciting! But, it's on a school night, so it won't really be that exciting. You're more than welcome to attend tho - it'll be at the grand and recently refurbished City Hall, so they'll have plenty of room. And I hear Qantas has cheap tickets lately (just checked and a round-trip flight from LA is $1,300)......! Come one, come all! I'll even pick you up and take you back to the airport - now is that service or what?!

Otherwise, I hope you're all well up there, defrosting from what must have felt like an extra long winter (don't worry, we had an extra long summer, so we're even) and getting ready for what'll probably be an extra long summer. Sigh, global warming, it just sucks. Anyways, drop a line and let me know when you want me to pick you up from the airport!!!!! ;)

BYE!
J!

New Year of Brisbane, Blogs, and Baseball!

Hi!

Well. Here we are 2 months later........! Yikes - has the time flown or what?! I didn't intend to let so much time slip past, and there were a few things that demanded my attention these past Sunday afternoons (like editing my friend's second non-fiction book!), but more on that later. We are absolutely here now - happy to have a break in the heat and humidity for the first time in a couple weeks, even the birds are chattering away out there, happy to be able to fly their errands without the danger of suddenly bursting into flames or melting from their branches. The weather has finally taken a [temporary] turn to the more cooler, breezy and overcast - whew! I know this being February is notoriously the worst month of summer, and while it hasn't been that bad, the last few weekends made up for what it lacked in endurance with high levels of temperature and humidity. So yes, enjoying the cooler change even with another good month or so of summer yet to get through! 

But first off, speaking of time flying, this past Wednesday, Feb 3rd marked the day I first arrived here in Brisbane (or even Australia in general) - a whopping ten years ago!!!! Which also means, have been writing this little blog, dull as it can be, for ten years this coming August. Wow! Ten years in one place - that's amazing for me! And talk about time flying, these ten years have passed in a total flash. But it's been really fun, super interesting, have met a lot of nice people, some of whom have been my friends since then, tho I have also learned there are assholes in every country, but after my experiences in NZ, that was almost expected, tho thankfully I've run into far fewer here than when I lived there. And, icing on the cake, am just a pledge away from finally being a real, live citizen! Technically, I was "approved" to be a citizen Jan 5th, but it's not "official" until I "Take the Pledge" at a ceremony, which I have no idea when it'll be, it's up to the whim of the local council, and apparently they can take six months or so to organize it. Tho they do tell me in my letter that if I don't take this pledge and attend a ceremony within twelve months, they'll cancel my application! Hmmm. No rush Brisbane City Council....... But there you have it! Ten years and nearly an official citizen - Coooooooool!

So I did consider, briefly, to celebrate the new year and ten years of checking in with the little blog, I had high aspirations of changing the look of the little blog, but then thought, ehhhh, why go through the couple days of pain and suffering setting up a new template, which is never as easy as merely hitting the "update template" button, those things never go smoothly (and the photo layout never works quite right). So we're left with this current layout. And really, it ain't that bad. So here we are, got the hip n' groovy tunes from the good ol' standby radio who, by the way, has added a few lively new stations, including Nortena! Ahhhhh, reminds me living in San Diego and Tucson and scanning the radio dial for anything besides talk and ads........ And of course, to accompany our little update this afternoon, we have a very nice, cool glass of the standby white Stoneleigh Sauv Blanc. The kittehs are well and happy, with Lola growing bolder as her year of living with has recently passed and who has taken it upon herself to get Kona back for all of his surprise, and not so surprise, ambushes with ass-kickings of her own now - you go girl (it's actually pretty funny to watch)! Ahhhhhhh yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. A little quiet at the moment but we have been assured time and time and time again that we "... should get ready for the onslaught", to use my Manager's words. Hmm. So, in the meantime, we have busywork. But, ultimately, as you know, I am just happy to have a place to come to everyday that pays me an OK wage! 

And then there were all kinds of weekends tucked away back there

in the calendar. Let's see how many of them I can remember..... Xmas. Xmas was nice, as it always is, spent with the Foster Family over in Toowoomba. And it was extra nice because it was Mom's first Xmas in Australia and was able to witness a Typical Aussie Xmas Lunch and try all the lovely food and salads that we usually have - nom! And it was also extra nice in that their son and his wife announced they were having a baby after four years of trying - congratulations! Needless to say the soon-to-be Grandparents couldn't've been more surprised or happy. Yeah, Xmas was really nice. 

New Year's tho, ehhh, passed without a fight - none of us could be bothered dealing with the crowds or the cabs, so around 10pm decided to call it a night. But, we made up for it the next day by celebrating Mom's Birthday by going to a super awesome seafood buffet at the Sofitel (they have a chocolate fountain!). It. Was. Excellent. My friend Graeme joined us having had lunch there before and never being one to pass up an excellent lunch. Then we had a nice wander through the City Botanic Gardens just enjoying the nice, cool, and quiet New Year's Day (I should do that every year while the city is so quiet, and if it's not hot - enjoy it while everyone's at home nursing wicked hangovers!). Then we stopped in at South Bank for snacks and a glass of wine before heading home. It was a really good day! And then not long after that Mom headed home.... That was a good but fast visit! Which means the room is now available if you need a place to stay while visiting..............!!!!!!

Then it was....... Trying to remember what else has been happening..... Baseball! So, I rediscovered baseball here in Brisbane. Turns out when I first tried to find baseball here in town there wasn't really anything. I looked a few times around the 'net but couldn't find anything other than a little team, the Windsor Royals, that looked like a group of local kids who'd get together now and then and play for fun, tho they do have spiffy uniforms and a cool name that even the Queen'd be proud of. Meh. So I gave up. Then, a few months ago while researching it again, discovered that over the years of my not paying attention the local pro team, Brisbane Bandits, was officially reborn and revamped (with half the team made up of young guys from the US) and playing games at a park/diamond a mere ten-minute drive from my house - and had been doing so over the last six years! Well, shut my mouth, I bought tickets and Mom and my friend Graeme, who used to play and coach softball, headed out to our first game. It was great! Tiny little park called Holloway Field, only seats around 2,000 and change (one game we went to they had a "record crowd" of 2,033!). And have since gone to a few super fun games, where everywhere was spotted fellow Americans covered in the gear of their teams. And, not to be outdone, I've worn my own Padres and Mets jerseys and caps! And then last night we went to see their final game of the post-season playoffs and they won the series (of three)!!!!! They even added 2,000 extras seats (bleachers) just for the occasion! ESPN was there with their cameras and cranes and everything. It. Was. FUN! Even tho it actually rained the entire game, even had to pause the game because the rain got so bad at one point. Hooray for rain ponchos! And finally the news carried a story about them - no wonder I never knew there was any baseball happening anywhere (there're teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide) because the news never once mentioned them. Wierd. I guess because there's no blood involved like with their 50,000 brands of rugby.... So, I do believe the local team, the only "pro" team in the state, could well be on the radar next season! Yay! Go Bandits!

And what else has been happening...... Oooooh,  yeah. My little kitty Lola, well. One night I left to go to the baseball and left her with a new stick toy with a long, stretchy string. Well, when I came home I could find the toy and stick with no stretchy string...... Long story short, she ate the stretchy string(!), some of which got caught and blocked her small intestine and it wasn't moving for anyone without a scalpel. So, $2,700 later, she came through her surgery fine and is making an excellent, zippy recovery. Poor kitty. Good grief. But she's good now and I transferred the balance from that big scary bill to a 20 months interest-free credit card. Sheesh.

So, other than that, it's been stuff as usual. Haven't been going to my swing classes because A) the weather is too awful to do that sort of dancing, wait until cooler months, and B) I don't have the dough! Not after Kitteh surgery and saving to go away at the end of the year. Priorities!

And that's about it for now! I'm sure I'll remember more for next time, and hopefully it won't be another two months until check-in..... Otherwise, I hope you've all been well up there - drop a line and let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in the little blog to celebrate ten years - tho technically the little blog's birthday is in August......! I can celebrate my ten years going out and about based on any of your suggestions! And if getting out and about means showing you around while you're here visiting, even better!

BYE!
J!