I don't think Chickie quite understands it yet...
The scene:
Chickie had finished his dinner - including all his veges, so that meant he could have a little 'something special' (we don't really do desserts in this house).
Chickie: Can I have a Tim Tam and two pieces of chocolate?
Me: How about a Tim Tam and just one piece of chocolate?
Chickie (in his best bargaining voice): How about just a Tim Tam?
Me (in a voice full of feigned reluctance): Oh alright then.
In the end he didn't even eat all the Tim Tam (sacrilege!), so I had the other half. Yum!
13 March, 2008
04 March, 2008
Misnomer
Why do they call it a 'near-miss'? 'Near-hit' doesn't have quite the same ring to it but that's really what they are.
My little incident yesterday was definitely a miss... thank goodness!
It was nothing big but it left me a bit shaken up. I was driving home from work and a lady, coming the other way, quickly darted into the drive-way of a car park to my left (right in front of me). Only thing was, she didn't just pull into the car park, she was actually doing a u-turn. And she didn't bother looking when she pulled out onto the road again.
It's a good thing I had new tyres put on my car a few months ago. With my old tyres, my car would have been all crumpled on the front left hand side. It's also a good thing that the speed limit was 50km and I was slowing down already as I was coming up to an intersection.
Seriously, what idiot does a u-turn in front of traffic and then doesn't check to ensure said traffic isn't using the exact piece of road you're wanting to drive on?
My little incident yesterday was definitely a miss... thank goodness!
It was nothing big but it left me a bit shaken up. I was driving home from work and a lady, coming the other way, quickly darted into the drive-way of a car park to my left (right in front of me). Only thing was, she didn't just pull into the car park, she was actually doing a u-turn. And she didn't bother looking when she pulled out onto the road again.
It's a good thing I had new tyres put on my car a few months ago. With my old tyres, my car would have been all crumpled on the front left hand side. It's also a good thing that the speed limit was 50km and I was slowing down already as I was coming up to an intersection.
Seriously, what idiot does a u-turn in front of traffic and then doesn't check to ensure said traffic isn't using the exact piece of road you're wanting to drive on?
16 February, 2008
Ah, the things kids learn in school...
I picked Chickie up from school the other day and he was telling me about his day. He told me that something funny had happened. He said:
"D likes L, so they had the sex and he kissed her".
He obviously had no idea what sex is, because the kissing was the amazing and very hilarious part.
He's 5 and a half! Perhaps I'd better buy that Where Did I Come From book? I remember that one being around when I was a kid and I seem to remember it being quite informative.
"D likes L, so they had the sex and he kissed her".
He obviously had no idea what sex is, because the kissing was the amazing and very hilarious part.
He's 5 and a half! Perhaps I'd better buy that Where Did I Come From book? I remember that one being around when I was a kid and I seem to remember it being quite informative.
07 February, 2008
spoke too soon
Recently I made a comment on house & baby's blog about how Chickie had picked up every cold and bug that was going around when he was at childcare - but had been healthy so far at school. Well, obviously I didn't knock on wood hard enough, or didn't cross my fingers tightly enough... because he now has a cold. He seems fine - apparently two mouthfuls of cough medicine will fix him right up (so he says) - you have to love the resilience of little kids. J, however, seems to have caught it too and didn't look very good at all last night.
This morning I felt fine when I got out of bed, but not long after I arrived at work, I started feeling achy and my throat started to feel all scratchy. Then a bit later I started having this strong craving for raw carrot. That's always been my signal for the start of a cold or whatever. I could never figure out why I'd feel like eating carrots when my throat is sore and I'm feeling under the weather. Am I weird or do others get strange cravings when they're sick (please tell me I'm not weird!) . Anyway I've come home from work early to try to rest (in the hopes of getting rid of it sooner) and as soon as I've finished my lemon and ginger tea, I'm off to bed.
In other news, Chickie has now lost both the teeth that were being pushed aside for the big front tooth. The big front tooth is taking up the space that used to contain two, so I'm thinking dental fund is a good idea (and a big holiday, if he doesn't need, it is a great idea hehe).
My twitch is mostly gone. Stretching, heat etc didn't really seem to do anything to it, so I don't know what's caused it - or caused it to go away again.
In other big news - J and I might be visiting New Zealand later this year. I'm so excited! I might get to go skiing, which I've never tried before.
Right, tea's finished, so I'm off to lie down.
This morning I felt fine when I got out of bed, but not long after I arrived at work, I started feeling achy and my throat started to feel all scratchy. Then a bit later I started having this strong craving for raw carrot. That's always been my signal for the start of a cold or whatever. I could never figure out why I'd feel like eating carrots when my throat is sore and I'm feeling under the weather. Am I weird or do others get strange cravings when they're sick (please tell me I'm not weird!) . Anyway I've come home from work early to try to rest (in the hopes of getting rid of it sooner) and as soon as I've finished my lemon and ginger tea, I'm off to bed.
In other news, Chickie has now lost both the teeth that were being pushed aside for the big front tooth. The big front tooth is taking up the space that used to contain two, so I'm thinking dental fund is a good idea (and a big holiday, if he doesn't need, it is a great idea hehe).
My twitch is mostly gone. Stretching, heat etc didn't really seem to do anything to it, so I don't know what's caused it - or caused it to go away again.
In other big news - J and I might be visiting New Zealand later this year. I'm so excited! I might get to go skiing, which I've never tried before.
Right, tea's finished, so I'm off to lie down.
27 January, 2008
twitch... twitch... twitch...
That's what my leg is doing right now.
I have a muscle twitch in the middle of my right thigh, at the front. It's the weirdest feeling. How do I get rid of it though? It's starting to drive me a little nuts!
I'm sure it will go away eventually. J's a little amazed that I've never experienced this before. I guess I've had a twitch in my eye before (I tend to get that when I'm stressed or over-tired) but it's never happened in my leg before.
Has anyone else had this before? And more importantly, how the heck did you get rid of it?!
I have a muscle twitch in the middle of my right thigh, at the front. It's the weirdest feeling. How do I get rid of it though? It's starting to drive me a little nuts!
I'm sure it will go away eventually. J's a little amazed that I've never experienced this before. I guess I've had a twitch in my eye before (I tend to get that when I'm stressed or over-tired) but it's never happened in my leg before.
Has anyone else had this before? And more importantly, how the heck did you get rid of it?!
23 January, 2008
omg...
The news reports are saying Heath Ledger has died of a drug overdose. I'm stunned - he didn't really seem the type to me.
22 January, 2008
What is it with...
* little boys and their 'aim' in the bathroom?
I went into the toilet after Chickie used it and nearly slipped over in the large puddle of wee next to the toilet. I was not amused. Moral of the story here - always turn the light on when entering.
* shops stocking up on the next 'holiday item' so early?
Seriously, I saw hot cross buns in the supermarket on December 27th! Easter is what? March, April? Now the shelves are stocked with easter eggs and I'm going to have to live with the gooey deliciousness, that is the Cadbury creme egg, calling my name for months!
* my lack of motivation to look after myself?
I have type 2 diabetes that is controlled by diet and exercise. I haven't exercised properly in two months and while I try to watch the diet, the last two months has also seen a lot of icecream being eaten. I keep saying that I need to exercise but I can't seem to actually drag myself onto my bike. My next HbA1c is going to be awful I think (and the point above won't help...)
* grumpy customers who can't seem to accept that sometimes you do need to take some responsibility too!
Honestly some customers drive me mad sometimes. You get so many customers that just don't believe you when you suggest that the problem may be something on their end - even when you can prove to them that they don't have the problem when they unplug that phone or stop using the 70 gazillion metre phone cable. We had one customer who went ballistic at one of our reps, even after her brother (who is a telephone line technician by trade and had checked the wiring inside her house) told her the wiring was the cause of the problem. Considering this brother works for the opposition, I'm inclined to believe him.
The one that blows my mind is the lady I spoke to a few months back. She had a new service that hadn't worked from the start. She was furious when I spoke to her and was demanding we refund her full monthly fee. The problem? Well, she'd plugged the filter in backwards. Now I can understand that some people get confused about how the DSL service is supposed to be set up. That's why we include a pamphlet with pictures showing how to plug it in (this customer told me she hadn't bothered to look at that). We also include a little animation on the setup CD showing exactly how to set it up (she told me she skipped that part of the setup CD). Finally our service also provides free 24 hour phone support if there are problems or you want help setting things up. This customer waited over a week to call us, and when she did she yelled at the rep she spoke to and basically wouldn't let them troubleshoot. It was passed onto me and fixed in 10 minutes. She didn't get to use it for a week and wanted the whole monthly fee back. I didn't give it to her. If she'd been nice about the whole thing though, I would have been happy to give her a credit for the week she wasn't able to use - even though it was a problem she'd caused.
Thank goodness there are plenty of nice customers out there though.
* Chickie's teeth!
I'm amazed at how quickly straight teeth can shift once the adult tooth decides it's not waiting for the baby teeth to be lost first.
In the last few weeks of school last year, Chickie's teacher took photos of all the kids so they could make a frame as a Christmas present for their parents. Chickie's photo is very cute and his teeth are quite straight. Then by Christmas day, two of Chickie's front teeth have been pushed aside so far he was able to fit a straw in the gap (one of the big front teeth and the smaller one to the left). The big front one was overlapping the other big front one, while the smaller one next to it was almost sticking out at right angles! Neither of these two were loose, by the way, and I was about to make an appointment at the dentist to have him check things. Then on my birthday he came home with the big front tooth in a paper towel. It had finally been pushed out far enough. He's funny sometimes though, he told the vacation care supervisor that she could have his tooth as a present. She kindly declined, suggesting he might want to see if the tooth fairy came (she did).
You can now see the adult tooth and it's huge. It's basically taking up the whole gap where previously there were two baby teeth. I'm worried the poor kid's not going to have room in his jaw for all these huge teeth that he seems to be getting (this is his 4th adult tooth and he has two more wobbly teeth! Not counting the one that is still sticking out at the front).
Can anyone reassure me that he'll grow into his teeth? Or should I be starting a braces/dental fund now?
I went into the toilet after Chickie used it and nearly slipped over in the large puddle of wee next to the toilet. I was not amused. Moral of the story here - always turn the light on when entering.
* shops stocking up on the next 'holiday item' so early?
Seriously, I saw hot cross buns in the supermarket on December 27th! Easter is what? March, April? Now the shelves are stocked with easter eggs and I'm going to have to live with the gooey deliciousness, that is the Cadbury creme egg, calling my name for months!
* my lack of motivation to look after myself?
I have type 2 diabetes that is controlled by diet and exercise. I haven't exercised properly in two months and while I try to watch the diet, the last two months has also seen a lot of icecream being eaten. I keep saying that I need to exercise but I can't seem to actually drag myself onto my bike. My next HbA1c is going to be awful I think (and the point above won't help...)
* grumpy customers who can't seem to accept that sometimes you do need to take some responsibility too!
Honestly some customers drive me mad sometimes. You get so many customers that just don't believe you when you suggest that the problem may be something on their end - even when you can prove to them that they don't have the problem when they unplug that phone or stop using the 70 gazillion metre phone cable. We had one customer who went ballistic at one of our reps, even after her brother (who is a telephone line technician by trade and had checked the wiring inside her house) told her the wiring was the cause of the problem. Considering this brother works for the opposition, I'm inclined to believe him.
The one that blows my mind is the lady I spoke to a few months back. She had a new service that hadn't worked from the start. She was furious when I spoke to her and was demanding we refund her full monthly fee. The problem? Well, she'd plugged the filter in backwards. Now I can understand that some people get confused about how the DSL service is supposed to be set up. That's why we include a pamphlet with pictures showing how to plug it in (this customer told me she hadn't bothered to look at that). We also include a little animation on the setup CD showing exactly how to set it up (she told me she skipped that part of the setup CD). Finally our service also provides free 24 hour phone support if there are problems or you want help setting things up. This customer waited over a week to call us, and when she did she yelled at the rep she spoke to and basically wouldn't let them troubleshoot. It was passed onto me and fixed in 10 minutes. She didn't get to use it for a week and wanted the whole monthly fee back. I didn't give it to her. If she'd been nice about the whole thing though, I would have been happy to give her a credit for the week she wasn't able to use - even though it was a problem she'd caused.
Thank goodness there are plenty of nice customers out there though.
* Chickie's teeth!
I'm amazed at how quickly straight teeth can shift once the adult tooth decides it's not waiting for the baby teeth to be lost first.
In the last few weeks of school last year, Chickie's teacher took photos of all the kids so they could make a frame as a Christmas present for their parents. Chickie's photo is very cute and his teeth are quite straight. Then by Christmas day, two of Chickie's front teeth have been pushed aside so far he was able to fit a straw in the gap (one of the big front teeth and the smaller one to the left). The big front one was overlapping the other big front one, while the smaller one next to it was almost sticking out at right angles! Neither of these two were loose, by the way, and I was about to make an appointment at the dentist to have him check things. Then on my birthday he came home with the big front tooth in a paper towel. It had finally been pushed out far enough. He's funny sometimes though, he told the vacation care supervisor that she could have his tooth as a present. She kindly declined, suggesting he might want to see if the tooth fairy came (she did).
You can now see the adult tooth and it's huge. It's basically taking up the whole gap where previously there were two baby teeth. I'm worried the poor kid's not going to have room in his jaw for all these huge teeth that he seems to be getting (this is his 4th adult tooth and he has two more wobbly teeth! Not counting the one that is still sticking out at the front).
Can anyone reassure me that he'll grow into his teeth? Or should I be starting a braces/dental fund now?
17 January, 2008
It's official...
I am now officially the answer to the "Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".
Just thought you'd like to know...
Just thought you'd like to know...
12 January, 2008
Back into it
It's now been a week since Mum and Dad left for home. They should arrive home today after a slow drive home with the caravan. They were here for a bit over three weeks, with my sisters and their families here for around a week (over Christmas).
It was really great to see them all. Some of the family had never been down here (and we've been here almost 10 years now), and some I haven't seen in over a year. The amazing thing was how grown up the kids are getting. The oldest nephew didn't come - he was actually in Japan over Christmas (got back the day before yesterday). He's 18 and finished school now so I guess it's to be expected. At least we got to see him when we went on our holidays earlier this year.
There were a few stresses and annoyances during the whole time. I suppose that's also to be expected (there were 10 adults and 7 kids around for a lot of the time and our house isn't that big!). I was debating with myself about posting some of my gripes here, but I've decided to just let it go. I think that might be healthier!
So, I'm back at work now and nothing really changes. I mean that literally. We're still dealing with issues that were a problem, before I started my holidays! Although, there was one change. The no shorts policy has been temporarily changed back to allowing them - due to the extreme heat. Same rules as before - below the knee, dress shorts, no board shorts etc. So I can wear my capris again. A good thing, as I did wear one of my skirts to work and I just felt I wasn't dressy enough (like I do in my capris!).
Thank you all for your good wishes for T's dad. At this stage it will be a bit of a hard road for him as he recovers. He's lost one foot (up to mid calf as prosthethics available for this amputation are better) and the heel from the other. They were able to save his toes on the other foot and grafted a muscle from his stomach to reconstruct the heel (basically from his arch to the little bone that pokes out on the side of your ankle was lost).
T says he was very lucky. He was doing the work on his friend's property and she was home so heard him yelling for help. They also have neighbours, very close to the area he was working in, who also heard him - these neighbours are both nurses, so he was able to get medical help very quickly. If this had happened on his own property it's quite likely he wouldn't have survived apparently.
I'm going to try visiting all your blogs soon and I know I need to do some work on my template. A lot of my links need updating and I need to fix up my header/photo, so I have a bit of work to do. I was thinking of redoing my header pic again anyway, so this will be a good opportunity for it. I have no idea how long it will take me though!
Feel free to comment and update me with how you're doing. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and 2008 is a wonderful year for you!
It was really great to see them all. Some of the family had never been down here (and we've been here almost 10 years now), and some I haven't seen in over a year. The amazing thing was how grown up the kids are getting. The oldest nephew didn't come - he was actually in Japan over Christmas (got back the day before yesterday). He's 18 and finished school now so I guess it's to be expected. At least we got to see him when we went on our holidays earlier this year.
There were a few stresses and annoyances during the whole time. I suppose that's also to be expected (there were 10 adults and 7 kids around for a lot of the time and our house isn't that big!). I was debating with myself about posting some of my gripes here, but I've decided to just let it go. I think that might be healthier!
So, I'm back at work now and nothing really changes. I mean that literally. We're still dealing with issues that were a problem, before I started my holidays! Although, there was one change. The no shorts policy has been temporarily changed back to allowing them - due to the extreme heat. Same rules as before - below the knee, dress shorts, no board shorts etc. So I can wear my capris again. A good thing, as I did wear one of my skirts to work and I just felt I wasn't dressy enough (like I do in my capris!).
Thank you all for your good wishes for T's dad. At this stage it will be a bit of a hard road for him as he recovers. He's lost one foot (up to mid calf as prosthethics available for this amputation are better) and the heel from the other. They were able to save his toes on the other foot and grafted a muscle from his stomach to reconstruct the heel (basically from his arch to the little bone that pokes out on the side of your ankle was lost).
T says he was very lucky. He was doing the work on his friend's property and she was home so heard him yelling for help. They also have neighbours, very close to the area he was working in, who also heard him - these neighbours are both nurses, so he was able to get medical help very quickly. If this had happened on his own property it's quite likely he wouldn't have survived apparently.
I'm going to try visiting all your blogs soon and I know I need to do some work on my template. A lot of my links need updating and I need to fix up my header/photo, so I have a bit of work to do. I was thinking of redoing my header pic again anyway, so this will be a good opportunity for it. I have no idea how long it will take me though!
Feel free to comment and update me with how you're doing. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and 2008 is a wonderful year for you!
25 December, 2007
Merry Christmas everyone!
Hi all, sorry I haven't been around lately. With my mum and dad visiting, and now having all the family here, things have been very busy. It's been lots of fun - with a bit of tension thrown in. There's always a little bit of tension when you get that many people together in one place, I suppose.
For those that celebrate it, I hope you're all having a lovely Christmas day. We all trooped over to J's parents' place for lunch. It was lovely. Too much food though (isn't it always the way?).
The rest of the family have now gone to where two of my sisters, and families, are staying. They have a pool there, so everyone else has gone off for a swim while we give Chickie the chance to quieten down, play with his new toys himself and have an early night. The last few nights he's gone to bed so late and since he doesn't know the meaning of sleeping in, he's been over tired. An earlier night is sorely needed! Plus, it gives J and I a bit of a break too.
And finally, I don't want to leave things on a downer but if you can spare some positive vibes I'd appreciate it. A friend's father had a farm accident a few days ago and has lost one of his legs. They've rushed him to a big Sydney hospital to try to save the other and it looks good, but they say there's always the chance they won't be able to save it. Any positive vibes you can spare would be welcomed. My friend (T) and her family were our next door neighbours whilst growing up and we're quite close. T is very close to her dad and she was quite shaken when she called to let me know.
It was quite a coincidence really - just days before, a girl (that T and my sister D went to school with) was on Today Tonight before going to jail for fraud. Then the morning before T called to let me know about her dad, the rest of my family were discussing the story of the accident they read about in the newspaper. Since my home town is fairly small, they presumed they knew the person - even though the article didn't give any names. Was a bit of a shock to find out it was my friend's dad.
Anyway, hope everyone has a lovely holiday season - take care and have fun. I'm sure I'll be round to read everyone's blogs once everyone goes home again!
For those that celebrate it, I hope you're all having a lovely Christmas day. We all trooped over to J's parents' place for lunch. It was lovely. Too much food though (isn't it always the way?).
The rest of the family have now gone to where two of my sisters, and families, are staying. They have a pool there, so everyone else has gone off for a swim while we give Chickie the chance to quieten down, play with his new toys himself and have an early night. The last few nights he's gone to bed so late and since he doesn't know the meaning of sleeping in, he's been over tired. An earlier night is sorely needed! Plus, it gives J and I a bit of a break too.
And finally, I don't want to leave things on a downer but if you can spare some positive vibes I'd appreciate it. A friend's father had a farm accident a few days ago and has lost one of his legs. They've rushed him to a big Sydney hospital to try to save the other and it looks good, but they say there's always the chance they won't be able to save it. Any positive vibes you can spare would be welcomed. My friend (T) and her family were our next door neighbours whilst growing up and we're quite close. T is very close to her dad and she was quite shaken when she called to let me know.
It was quite a coincidence really - just days before, a girl (that T and my sister D went to school with) was on Today Tonight before going to jail for fraud. Then the morning before T called to let me know about her dad, the rest of my family were discussing the story of the accident they read about in the newspaper. Since my home town is fairly small, they presumed they knew the person - even though the article didn't give any names. Was a bit of a shock to find out it was my friend's dad.
Anyway, hope everyone has a lovely holiday season - take care and have fun. I'm sure I'll be round to read everyone's blogs once everyone goes home again!
09 December, 2007
Day three
Yes, it's already day three into my holidays and I'm exhausted.
First day was spent being very very lazy.
I did nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Well ok, I tidied up a little bit (aka: toss Chickie's toys into his room and shut the door, to be dealt with later) and a few loads of washing (well I needed clothes for day two, you see...). Oh and I did play a bit of World of Warcraft.
Day two saw J, Chickie and I at the shops. Specifically the toy shops. On a Saturday. A few weeks before Christmas.
Were we mad???
Ok, so we were scouting out for ideas for Chickie and for my niece and nephews. Didn't really need to bother with Chickie though. All he wants is Star Wars stuff. Star Wars Lego specifically. I'm just glad we didn't have to go through any checkouts and that it only took us one and a half goes around the car park to get a spot. I'll go back during the week when (hopefully!) things will be slightly quieter. If I go this week, at least school is still happening so that's going to make things easier.
Then today, day three, saw us dealing with Chickie's room. Chickie comes from a long line of hoarders and for a long time wouldn't even let us throw out the boxes of some of his toys from last Christmas. His room was a mess. J was quite ruthless with the old toys though. Anything broken got tossed, anything no longer played with is in a plastic tub (with the view of seeing if a friend with a 1 year old wants any of it), and his room is a lot more spacious. On the other hand our lounge room is a bit of a mess. I moved all Chickie's old clothes out there to be sorted through. I'll keep a couple of sentimental pieces but the rest will be given to charity (if I can find somewhere with a charity bin that's not already overflowing). That will be my job tomorrow.
That, along with shopping, cleaning (my parents arrive this week), more washing, posting presents andrelaxing (ah well, perhaps later).
First day was spent being very very lazy.
I did nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Well ok, I tidied up a little bit (aka: toss Chickie's toys into his room and shut the door, to be dealt with later) and a few loads of washing (well I needed clothes for day two, you see...). Oh and I did play a bit of World of Warcraft.
Day two saw J, Chickie and I at the shops. Specifically the toy shops. On a Saturday. A few weeks before Christmas.
Were we mad???
Ok, so we were scouting out for ideas for Chickie and for my niece and nephews. Didn't really need to bother with Chickie though. All he wants is Star Wars stuff. Star Wars Lego specifically. I'm just glad we didn't have to go through any checkouts and that it only took us one and a half goes around the car park to get a spot. I'll go back during the week when (hopefully!) things will be slightly quieter. If I go this week, at least school is still happening so that's going to make things easier.
Then today, day three, saw us dealing with Chickie's room. Chickie comes from a long line of hoarders and for a long time wouldn't even let us throw out the boxes of some of his toys from last Christmas. His room was a mess. J was quite ruthless with the old toys though. Anything broken got tossed, anything no longer played with is in a plastic tub (with the view of seeing if a friend with a 1 year old wants any of it), and his room is a lot more spacious. On the other hand our lounge room is a bit of a mess. I moved all Chickie's old clothes out there to be sorted through. I'll keep a couple of sentimental pieces but the rest will be given to charity (if I can find somewhere with a charity bin that's not already overflowing). That will be my job tomorrow.
That, along with shopping, cleaning (my parents arrive this week), more washing, posting presents and
29 November, 2007
Hand over fist
That's how our money is heading out of our household at the moment...
We've had a few upgrades to things furniture and pc-wise lately. Stuff we've been looking at getting for months really, but we finally just went ahead and bought what we needed (we have a new lounge!).
Then last weekend J's car had a bit of a fit. He found the motor is on the way out and has been contacting people for quotes on repairing or replacing the motor (that's cheaper apparently). Last night he was about 10 minutes from home when the motor had another hissy fit. He said there was smoke and oil everywhere. I'm glad he was so close to home when it happened since he had actually been nearly 45 mins from home at one stage. His dad was able to tow him home safe and sound.
Unfortunately now, we're looking at a minimum $1500 to replace the motor. Expensive things these cars...
It's going to be a bit of swapping and changing while organising around one car, a bit of a hassle when you're so used to having two. Thankfully J's dad works in the same area as J, so they can carpool. Plus I'm on holidays from Friday the 6th of December (did I mention I have a month off work at all? hehe), so that will make things a bit easier then. I've no idea how long it will take to get it fixed.
We've had a few upgrades to things furniture and pc-wise lately. Stuff we've been looking at getting for months really, but we finally just went ahead and bought what we needed (we have a new lounge!).
Then last weekend J's car had a bit of a fit. He found the motor is on the way out and has been contacting people for quotes on repairing or replacing the motor (that's cheaper apparently). Last night he was about 10 minutes from home when the motor had another hissy fit. He said there was smoke and oil everywhere. I'm glad he was so close to home when it happened since he had actually been nearly 45 mins from home at one stage. His dad was able to tow him home safe and sound.
Unfortunately now, we're looking at a minimum $1500 to replace the motor. Expensive things these cars...
It's going to be a bit of swapping and changing while organising around one car, a bit of a hassle when you're so used to having two. Thankfully J's dad works in the same area as J, so they can carpool. Plus I'm on holidays from Friday the 6th of December (did I mention I have a month off work at all? hehe), so that will make things a bit easier then. I've no idea how long it will take to get it fixed.
22 November, 2007
Grrr...
I am so annoyed at the moment.
Our work has a casual dress policy - we can wear smart casual clothes. It's company wide, however some parts of the company are customer facing so they wear business attire. Most of our callcentres are not open to the public though, so our clothing is more relaxed and comfortable. There's obviously certain rules - no inappropriate slogans on t-shirts, no revealing clothing, no ripped/dirty items etc. All fair enough if you ask me.
Now we've had a directive from management to say that no shorts of any kinds will be allowed. Nothing that shows the ankles will be permitted. This leaves the guys with one option - long pants. We're coming into summer and it's going to be a hot one I think. We've had some very hot days already and we're not even into summer proper yet. I really don't think that's fair for them.
Women can wear skirts apparently, but there's a few problems that I have with this - one is that the few skirts I own (I'm not really a skirt person) are the full flowing type of skirt. I just don't feel that I'd be business like enough in them. I feel more business like in my long shorts (capri pants). If I don't wear the skirts though, I'm going to be stuck with long pants (and the only long pants I have are jeans). I really don't want to have to wear jeans to work in 40 degree days!
To me, it feels that they want business wear policy back again so they're kinda doing it by stealth... When I started we had to wear business attire and it seemed so pointless. We never saw anyone but our workmates. We were thrilled when they brought in the casual dress policy. People still had the option of wearing business attire but hardly anyone did - in our building at least.
I'm not sure what's brought this on. I've never seen or heard of anyone wearing inappropriate shorts. It really doesn't seem fair on the guys - almost discriminatory.
I'm currently trying to convince the guys in my team to wear skirts/kilts to work...
Our work has a casual dress policy - we can wear smart casual clothes. It's company wide, however some parts of the company are customer facing so they wear business attire. Most of our callcentres are not open to the public though, so our clothing is more relaxed and comfortable. There's obviously certain rules - no inappropriate slogans on t-shirts, no revealing clothing, no ripped/dirty items etc. All fair enough if you ask me.
Now we've had a directive from management to say that no shorts of any kinds will be allowed. Nothing that shows the ankles will be permitted. This leaves the guys with one option - long pants. We're coming into summer and it's going to be a hot one I think. We've had some very hot days already and we're not even into summer proper yet. I really don't think that's fair for them.
Women can wear skirts apparently, but there's a few problems that I have with this - one is that the few skirts I own (I'm not really a skirt person) are the full flowing type of skirt. I just don't feel that I'd be business like enough in them. I feel more business like in my long shorts (capri pants). If I don't wear the skirts though, I'm going to be stuck with long pants (and the only long pants I have are jeans). I really don't want to have to wear jeans to work in 40 degree days!
To me, it feels that they want business wear policy back again so they're kinda doing it by stealth... When I started we had to wear business attire and it seemed so pointless. We never saw anyone but our workmates. We were thrilled when they brought in the casual dress policy. People still had the option of wearing business attire but hardly anyone did - in our building at least.
I'm not sure what's brought this on. I've never seen or heard of anyone wearing inappropriate shorts. It really doesn't seem fair on the guys - almost discriminatory.
I'm currently trying to convince the guys in my team to wear skirts/kilts to work...
19 November, 2007
more musical leanings?
A few posts back I asked a question about what age is good to start learning a musical instrument, in case Chickie is ever interested. Now I'm thinking perhaps I should look into some sort of musical type program - even if he hasn't actually directly expressed a wish to learn an instrument. Something that's fun with some sort of musical theme, if you know what I mean (I have no idea what's actually available).
Now most of the time Chickie will tell me not to sing - because I can't. I freely admit it - and still do it! He's 'allowed' me to sing along with the radio in my car, because well, it's my car and I'm going to do it anyway. He sings along too actually.
The only other time I'm 'allowed' to sing is when I put him to bed. He even asks me to sing him a song or two. Last night he started giving me musical direction...
He's watched the video clips of some of the songs I sing and was telling me that I need to sing lower at one point. Later he was saying I was doing it wrong because I wasn't starting softly and getting louder (lets forget the fact that I try to sing softly because I want him to get sleepy!). There were lots more 'suggestions' from him, but to be honest, I was concentrating more on just remembering the lyrics!
He's obviously got a better 'ear', than I have, for music.
Now most of the time Chickie will tell me not to sing - because I can't. I freely admit it - and still do it! He's 'allowed' me to sing along with the radio in my car, because well, it's my car and I'm going to do it anyway. He sings along too actually.
The only other time I'm 'allowed' to sing is when I put him to bed. He even asks me to sing him a song or two. Last night he started giving me musical direction...
He's watched the video clips of some of the songs I sing and was telling me that I need to sing lower at one point. Later he was saying I was doing it wrong because I wasn't starting softly and getting louder (lets forget the fact that I try to sing softly because I want him to get sleepy!). There were lots more 'suggestions' from him, but to be honest, I was concentrating more on just remembering the lyrics!
He's obviously got a better 'ear', than I have, for music.
14 November, 2007
Today is world diabetes day
From the World Diabetes Day website:
Today, more than 240 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Within 20 years, this number is expected to grow to 380 million.
This is a huge number and a lot of people with type 2 diabetes don't know they have it. When I was diagnosed with type 2, I had no obvious symptoms. The only indicators I had were a family history and having gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Chickie. I had to have insulin shots while pregnant and apparently this meant I had a 50% risk of getting type 2 diabetes within 5 years. Due to this my doctor sent me off for a yearly test and that's how it was picked up.
If you'd like more information about diabetes or want to see if you're at risk, try this page.
If you think you're at risk, I would strongly encourage you to see your doctor and get tested. The earlier you find it, the better.
13 November, 2007
fostering an interest in music
I don't know if I've mentioned this in the past, but when listening to the radio in the car, Chickie has to know the name of the song, who's singing and who wrote the song. Woe betide me if I don't know the answer...
I've taken to making stuff up, on occasion (hey, it's been quite a while since I worked in radio - I don't know every song out there any more!).
His latest thing is to ask what's making the music, so I've been trying to identify which instrument is playing at the time in the song. Luckily it's fairly easy with one of his favourites at the moment - Into the Night by Santana and Chad Kroeger.
So my question is, for anyone musical out there, if he expresses an interest in learning a musical instrument at any stage in the future, what age would you recommend to start? I don't want to push it all but if he ever does express an interest I'd like to start him at an age that encourages him rather than discourages because it's too much at that age - if you know what I mean.
I've taken to making stuff up, on occasion (hey, it's been quite a while since I worked in radio - I don't know every song out there any more!).
His latest thing is to ask what's making the music, so I've been trying to identify which instrument is playing at the time in the song. Luckily it's fairly easy with one of his favourites at the moment - Into the Night by Santana and Chad Kroeger.
So my question is, for anyone musical out there, if he expresses an interest in learning a musical instrument at any stage in the future, what age would you recommend to start? I don't want to push it all but if he ever does express an interest I'd like to start him at an age that encourages him rather than discourages because it's too much at that age - if you know what I mean.
11 November, 2007
back again
Hi everyone, break's over. So now you'll be subjected to all my trivial thoughts again... Did you miss me? (no, don't answer that - I'd rather keep my little illusion, that you did, intact hehe)
Haven't been doing much over the last month. The usual stuff at work, Chickie's doing great at school and I've been playing a fair bit of World of Warcraft (good to lose yourself in, when you don't want to think too hard ;) and I've made some very good friends there).
I'm totally hanging out for December though. I will have a whole month off. I can not wait!
My mum and dad will be visiting for a fair chunk of it, and then the rest of my family (3 sisters and their families) is coming over for Christmas. I haven't seen some of them in years and some have never visited us here. I can't wait.
J and I are also trying to organise a quick trip to Melbourne to see Spamalot. I just love Monty Python and I've heard this is really good. Will be a bit of a rush but I hope we can organise it for when I'm on my holidays.
Now I plan on visiting everyone's blogs soon, but I'm going to just mark everything in my bloglines as read. It's just overflowing. So if I miss anything important, I'll apologise right now. Congratulations, commiserations, good luck etc for anything I miss. I hope you've all been well.
Oh and I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm really looking forward to my holidays in December...
Haven't been doing much over the last month. The usual stuff at work, Chickie's doing great at school and I've been playing a fair bit of World of Warcraft (good to lose yourself in, when you don't want to think too hard ;) and I've made some very good friends there).
I'm totally hanging out for December though. I will have a whole month off. I can not wait!
My mum and dad will be visiting for a fair chunk of it, and then the rest of my family (3 sisters and their families) is coming over for Christmas. I haven't seen some of them in years and some have never visited us here. I can't wait.
J and I are also trying to organise a quick trip to Melbourne to see Spamalot. I just love Monty Python and I've heard this is really good. Will be a bit of a rush but I hope we can organise it for when I'm on my holidays.
Now I plan on visiting everyone's blogs soon, but I'm going to just mark everything in my bloglines as read. It's just overflowing. So if I miss anything important, I'll apologise right now. Congratulations, commiserations, good luck etc for anything I miss. I hope you've all been well.
Oh and I don't know if I mentioned this
15 October, 2007
Thanks and a short break
Thank you to everyone, for your kind comments after G's death.
The funeral was typical G, complete with Toni Basil's 'Mickey' and Robbie Williams' 'Let me entertain you' played at times. It was still sad though, hearing about other people's stories about her.
With all this, I'm feeling like I need a short break from blogging. I'm just not in the mood at the moment. I will be back soon though, I'm sure! Be well, and I'll come visit your blogs again soon.
The funeral was typical G, complete with Toni Basil's 'Mickey' and Robbie Williams' 'Let me entertain you' played at times. It was still sad though, hearing about other people's stories about her.
With all this, I'm feeling like I need a short break from blogging. I'm just not in the mood at the moment. I will be back soon though, I'm sure! Be well, and I'll come visit your blogs again soon.
05 October, 2007
02 October, 2007
Down
Pardon me, but this will be a bit of a gloomy, rambling and probably self-indulgent post.
If you've read my blog recently, you may know that a friend (G) is currently in palliative care and has only weeks to live. I've visited her a couple of times and the last time I saw her, she seemed brighter but drifted in and out of sleep several times during the half hour visit.
I came away from the last visit in two minds. On one side it was good to see her brighter. She'd been able to have a 'bath' of sorts and the staff wheeled her bed outside since it was such a lovely day. Such small things, but they can bring joy.
Then the down side of things... G obviously doesn't have a lot of energy. It was hard seeing her drift in and out of sleep in such a short time. The conversation faltered as she drifted off to sleep and the other visitors (her nephew and his family) and I fell silent. We looked at each other with the sort of half smile you make when you're trying to be cheerful for someone else. Then a few minutes later G would resume the conversation - obviously unaware she'd drifted off.
Then today I received an email from a friend - K (who is more like a second daughter) and she said that when she'd talked to the nurses today, she was told that G wasn't doing too well. K said she'd let me know if it was anything serious and I haven't heard from her, so no news is good news at this stage, I guess.
The fact that G has weeks to live is so strange to me. She's always been so strong, even when she wasn't physically strong. It's like everything's on hold, and we're just waiting. I can't imagine how it must feel for G herself, or her family.
I'm not really that familiar with death either. I've been to a total of 3 funerals in my life - my grandmother about 10 years ago, a work-mate's father's funeral last year and my friend B's earlier this year. I've had other (usually elderly) relatives die but I've not been around before anyone actually died. It's all so... weird. I know this is all very self-indulgent - it must be ten million times harder for G's family. I feel almost guilty for feeling upset that G is going to die soon (god, that's hard to say).
Hey, if you got this far... thanks for reading my ramble. I like that blogging gives me a way to just get some of this out.
If you've read my blog recently, you may know that a friend (G) is currently in palliative care and has only weeks to live. I've visited her a couple of times and the last time I saw her, she seemed brighter but drifted in and out of sleep several times during the half hour visit.
I came away from the last visit in two minds. On one side it was good to see her brighter. She'd been able to have a 'bath' of sorts and the staff wheeled her bed outside since it was such a lovely day. Such small things, but they can bring joy.
Then the down side of things... G obviously doesn't have a lot of energy. It was hard seeing her drift in and out of sleep in such a short time. The conversation faltered as she drifted off to sleep and the other visitors (her nephew and his family) and I fell silent. We looked at each other with the sort of half smile you make when you're trying to be cheerful for someone else. Then a few minutes later G would resume the conversation - obviously unaware she'd drifted off.
Then today I received an email from a friend - K (who is more like a second daughter) and she said that when she'd talked to the nurses today, she was told that G wasn't doing too well. K said she'd let me know if it was anything serious and I haven't heard from her, so no news is good news at this stage, I guess.
The fact that G has weeks to live is so strange to me. She's always been so strong, even when she wasn't physically strong. It's like everything's on hold, and we're just waiting. I can't imagine how it must feel for G herself, or her family.
I'm not really that familiar with death either. I've been to a total of 3 funerals in my life - my grandmother about 10 years ago, a work-mate's father's funeral last year and my friend B's earlier this year. I've had other (usually elderly) relatives die but I've not been around before anyone actually died. It's all so... weird. I know this is all very self-indulgent - it must be ten million times harder for G's family. I feel almost guilty for feeling upset that G is going to die soon (god, that's hard to say).
Hey, if you got this far... thanks for reading my ramble. I like that blogging gives me a way to just get some of this out.
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