I recently heard that Balga High School had a creche on their premises in order to encourage their students to continue with their education after the birth of their babies. Having grown up in Balga I thought this was the most marvellous thing I'd heard. The birth rate of babies to teenagers in the area is extraordinarily high. By encouraging the girls to finish their TEE, they were giving them a better chance to get off the poverty treadmill.
Battboy and I have just had a major declutter. As a result we have a washing basket full of 000 - 00 clothing. We thought about the child care centre our children are currently enrolled in, but discarded it as most of the babies that come in are over 6 weeks old and getting too big for 000 clothes. We thought of donating them to the Good Sammies, but that thought went through a 90 degree process. If we're going to donate them, why not give them to someone actively working to better the lives of babies and their mothers?
I just phoned BHS and offered the clothes to the woman who runs the creche. I'm so glad I did. It was such a little thing to me, but it made her day. They have two teen mums due to deliver any day. Now I'm looking around to see what else we can offer. After an emotionally gruelling week that has had me second guessing every decision made, I feel on top of the world again.
In other news:
My beloved and I are about to have our first time off in 10 months. Erin's grandmother has said she'd like to include Connor in her Erin weekend. They're both going down tonight and Connor comes back Sunday morning while Erin comes back Wednesday morning. This is fine by me. I'm both looking forward to the two sleep-ins but nervous about being without my baby. I've never had one night away from him, let alone two. Any more than that and I'd be a wreck, especially with Connor's asthma.
If it were anyone but Lynn, I'd never agree, but she has taken Connor on as a grandson from the start and I totally trust her.
Oh before I forget...
If you watch Inxs on a Saturday, the following is a spoiler
Lee and I watched the first couple of shows. Then we dropped it. Then we picked it up again as it neared the end. I saw the episode where JD announced to the band that while his friends were auditioning for a part in a band, he was auditioning for a part in INXS's band. I saw the following episode when the 'housemates' (for want of a better word) jumped all over this and got really cranky. I also watched it when the band said "You know, he's right."
From the moment he opened his big Canadian mouth, I hoped JD would win. Not only was he talented, he was brash and I like that.
So, as of last week we were down to the final three.
Mig. So sexy. For many years I've hated the fact that men stare at my breasts rather than look into my eyes whilst talking to me. When it comes to Mig's abs, I find my gaze unwilling to travel anywhere above his sternum. Yum. Does anyone know if he has a good voice?
I knew they wouldn't choose him, though. He's Australian. If they chose him they'd put the US public off.
Marty. Not so sexy but passable. More Iggy Pop that Michael Hutchence. Good voice, and I thought his song was alright. I even started to sing it in my head after he finished, although I can't remember what it's called now apart from it having something to do with trees.
JD. Sexy, excellent stage presence, involved both the audience and the band members in his act. I loved him and by last night's performance I knew he deserved to win. What he did with "What You Need" wiped the floor with Marty's version of "Don't Change a Thing."
So it's over. Yes, on the whole I enjoyed it. I feel a little dirty to admit it, but I loved hearing the old songs again even if they were occasionally murdered.
But what will happen from here? The eighties child in me loves the idea of a JD-led INXS, but the mother of a fourteen year old wonders about viability of such a thing. Let's face it, INXS hit their hey-day many many many years ago. The final years with Michael aren't march to crow about. Can JD bring a new dimension to an old band whilst acknowledging the RnB generation? Will Marty do better on his own than without the band as a convenient back up?
We'll see.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
How many clues do you need before you realise your current life-style isn't working?
Is it when:
You've been working for 6 1/2 weeks and have already used up 5 sick days to look after your asthmatic baby and his recurrent breathing, ear or throat problems?
Or when:
Your daughter comes home from day care with nits (AGAIN!!) and the staff treat you like a negligent parent even though you know you nuked her hair yesterday morning, and last Friday and the Tuesday before that and...
Or could it be when:
You can stand between the pile of washing waiting to go in the machine and the pile of washing to be folded and they both come up to your knees.
Or:
The last conversation you and your husband had was not about work, kids, books, movies or music. It was about whose turn it is to toss a salad to go with the take away chicken.
Or perhaps it's when:
The dispute ends with "Is salad all that important? Really?"
Is it when:
You've been working for 6 1/2 weeks and have already used up 5 sick days to look after your asthmatic baby and his recurrent breathing, ear or throat problems?
Or when:
Your daughter comes home from day care with nits (AGAIN!!) and the staff treat you like a negligent parent even though you know you nuked her hair yesterday morning, and last Friday and the Tuesday before that and...
Or could it be when:
You can stand between the pile of washing waiting to go in the machine and the pile of washing to be folded and they both come up to your knees.
Or:
The last conversation you and your husband had was not about work, kids, books, movies or music. It was about whose turn it is to toss a salad to go with the take away chicken.
Or perhaps it's when:
The dispute ends with "Is salad all that important? Really?"
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Ouch
I work for a health fund. I've learnt a lot about providers during that time. So imagine my dismay tonight when I broke a tooth while eating rock candy.
"Lee, my love, you need to get a second job!"
Just the thought of dental costs makes me feel sick.
And no, we're not with the health fund we work for as yet, so I can't even look for the cheapest mob through my Lotus Notes.
"Lee, my love, you need to get a second job!"
Just the thought of dental costs makes me feel sick.
And no, we're not with the health fund we work for as yet, so I can't even look for the cheapest mob through my Lotus Notes.
The Little Things
Occasionally, every now and then, you have a win. It may not be a big win, in fact, in terms of beating the odds it's rather small. But, it's a win none the less and it's yours to enjoy.
This morning Battboy and I woke up with a need to get out. For the first time in a long time I didn't have the Triffkids for the weekend and I was feeling the loss. So my beloved and I decided to pack the Battbabies into the car and hit the Canning Vale markets.
As usual the staple fare of these stalls consist of badly looked after 1970's eclectica (I figure the owners must have missed last week's council collection) but we did chance upon a rather wide ranging book stall. Immediately I found a book I'd always wanted, Amistead Maupin's Tales of the City for $10. Not too bad a price, but not great. I also found a copy of Kim Wilkins' The Resurrectionists for $9. I'm a fan but also not a price I was willing to pay to pay for a second hand book. So I girded my loins and offered the stall holder $15 for both.
"Are you kidding?" he stroppily replied. "That would be giving them away." I shrugged, turned and put them back. "Make it $17," came the quick counter offer.
I shook my head, moved on with my little family to the next stall. Battboy and I were in the process of buying a rather amazing Aztec calendar for $10. The guy ran up with both books, shoved them at me and said, "Okay, you can have them for $15."
Obviously the thought of getting $15 for them won over the need to take them home for another week.
I feel ever so pleased with myself.
And a little side note: 1200 words written yesterday on Black Dog Daze.
This morning Battboy and I woke up with a need to get out. For the first time in a long time I didn't have the Triffkids for the weekend and I was feeling the loss. So my beloved and I decided to pack the Battbabies into the car and hit the Canning Vale markets.
As usual the staple fare of these stalls consist of badly looked after 1970's eclectica (I figure the owners must have missed last week's council collection) but we did chance upon a rather wide ranging book stall. Immediately I found a book I'd always wanted, Amistead Maupin's Tales of the City for $10. Not too bad a price, but not great. I also found a copy of Kim Wilkins' The Resurrectionists for $9. I'm a fan but also not a price I was willing to pay to pay for a second hand book. So I girded my loins and offered the stall holder $15 for both.
"Are you kidding?" he stroppily replied. "That would be giving them away." I shrugged, turned and put them back. "Make it $17," came the quick counter offer.
I shook my head, moved on with my little family to the next stall. Battboy and I were in the process of buying a rather amazing Aztec calendar for $10. The guy ran up with both books, shoved them at me and said, "Okay, you can have them for $15."
Obviously the thought of getting $15 for them won over the need to take them home for another week.
I feel ever so pleased with myself.
And a little side note: 1200 words written yesterday on Black Dog Daze.
Monday, September 12, 2005
My baby adds another year
It' s hard to believe, but my Triffitt baby is about to turn 11. Armed with presents, we went to lunch at Willow Pond as requested and sat down to enjoy a lovely afternoon.
The surrounds at Willow Pond, it must be said, are sublime. The weather was perfect and the Triffbatts were able to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the day while overlooking the pond. The food was another matter. While some of us thought it was alright, nobody gushed about it. I love food. My beloved loves food. The kids love food. On the whole, we were all rather disappointed.
And I won't talk about the crappy service. Longest wait ever. Then Aiden found a hair floating in his coke and we had a fanta delivered that we didn't ask for, nor wanted.
After a while we decided to head of to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Half way there I took a look at Aiden and abruptly changed my mind. He looked awful. Very pale, very nervous. We turned around and headed for home with promises we'd try again on Sunday.
By Saturday night, however, A was looking better and we set out again.
A short pause while I tell you about Blakey-boy's presents.
We bought Baldur's Gate 2. Nothing surprising there. It's alright if you like that sort of thing. The boys love it. We thought it would be a good replacement for the Vice City game we confiscated two weeks ago (the violence really was abhorrent.)
But...
My boys talk incessantly about a cartoon called Happy Tree Friends. It's their favourite thing in the world. I know they've told me about it in the past, but, you know, it's like a cartoon, about furry animals and nature and stuff (I don't do nature), so I tuned them out. Anyhoo, Battboy sees a DVD for sale with bonus episodes. He thinks of the upcoming birthday and grabs it. He doesn't read the blurb. He brings it home, shows me, and stashes it in our pressie drawer. I take it out, wrap it up and put it in Connor's bag. Lee gets a card and fills it out. We're off. Lunch happens.
Blakey opens the presents and makes the appropriate excited noises over Baldur's Gate. He then opens the second one. Talk about rapture. This kid went into paroxysms of glee. Naturally he starts babbling about it. Naturally I tune him out. "Can we go home? Can we watch it now?"
"After Charlie," I answer, reading the back of the wine list.
As we know Aiden got sick. We went home.
The boys settled down on the couch and begin to watch HTF.
"Lyn!" my darling calls from the loungeroom. "You should see this."
Like, why? It's about furry animals. Being cute. As far as I'm concerned the only time a furry animal looks cute is when it has a band-saw hanging out of it's butt (Yes, I hate animals, but I have good reason. I keep Claratyne in business.) My lovely husband is persistant, so I settle down next to him on the couch and prepare to be bored.
Remember my flippant band-saw comment. Somebody took me at my word. An hour later I was still sitting on the couch, curled up against my burly protector, hiding my eyes from the carnage.
OH! MY! GOODNESS!
I'm still traumatised.
And to think we took Vice City of them because of the irrational violence.
Now, where was I before the pause. Oh yes. Charlie.
Thirty years ago I was treated to something really special. I mean, ultra amazing, six year old, never to be repeated special.
I was one of the two children in Western Australia who got to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory first. Before anybody else.
My dad and his best friend Bob worked as Props Technicians at the Regal theatre (at least I think it was the Regal. It seems right, but this is a memory 30 years old). They managed to get their hands on the newly arrived reels, set them up in the empty cinema, bought Bob's daughter Jane and myself some of those newly arrived sweeties called Tic Tacs and left us to watch the movie. All by ourselves. In that huge cinema.
We were first, man.
Now, anybody who knows me, knows that my dad was a monster. He was evil. Bad. Not one of the good guys. But that one action keeps him fondly in my memory. He occasionally did that sort of thing.
On the weekend, we took the kids to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I sat down on the chair. Stared up at the screen and made a decision.
I was not a reviewer. I was not a writer. I was not the wife of a mad film goer who holds opinions on every movie ever made. I was not even an adult.
With that settled, I sat back and allowed myself to be entertained. I was totally captivated. The movie was enchanting and I was hooked. It's on my 'buy this' list.
Sunday - The final day
We had cheesecake for Blake's birthday yesterday. Note to all. Fruit jelly and candles don't mix.
All in all, a wonderful weekend.
And now, on with the week.
The surrounds at Willow Pond, it must be said, are sublime. The weather was perfect and the Triffbatts were able to sit outside and enjoy the warmth of the day while overlooking the pond. The food was another matter. While some of us thought it was alright, nobody gushed about it. I love food. My beloved loves food. The kids love food. On the whole, we were all rather disappointed.
And I won't talk about the crappy service. Longest wait ever. Then Aiden found a hair floating in his coke and we had a fanta delivered that we didn't ask for, nor wanted.
After a while we decided to head of to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Half way there I took a look at Aiden and abruptly changed my mind. He looked awful. Very pale, very nervous. We turned around and headed for home with promises we'd try again on Sunday.
By Saturday night, however, A was looking better and we set out again.
A short pause while I tell you about Blakey-boy's presents.
We bought Baldur's Gate 2. Nothing surprising there. It's alright if you like that sort of thing. The boys love it. We thought it would be a good replacement for the Vice City game we confiscated two weeks ago (the violence really was abhorrent.)
But...
My boys talk incessantly about a cartoon called Happy Tree Friends. It's their favourite thing in the world. I know they've told me about it in the past, but, you know, it's like a cartoon, about furry animals and nature and stuff (I don't do nature), so I tuned them out. Anyhoo, Battboy sees a DVD for sale with bonus episodes. He thinks of the upcoming birthday and grabs it. He doesn't read the blurb. He brings it home, shows me, and stashes it in our pressie drawer. I take it out, wrap it up and put it in Connor's bag. Lee gets a card and fills it out. We're off. Lunch happens.
Blakey opens the presents and makes the appropriate excited noises over Baldur's Gate. He then opens the second one. Talk about rapture. This kid went into paroxysms of glee. Naturally he starts babbling about it. Naturally I tune him out. "Can we go home? Can we watch it now?"
"After Charlie," I answer, reading the back of the wine list.
As we know Aiden got sick. We went home.
The boys settled down on the couch and begin to watch HTF.
"Lyn!" my darling calls from the loungeroom. "You should see this."
Like, why? It's about furry animals. Being cute. As far as I'm concerned the only time a furry animal looks cute is when it has a band-saw hanging out of it's butt (Yes, I hate animals, but I have good reason. I keep Claratyne in business.) My lovely husband is persistant, so I settle down next to him on the couch and prepare to be bored.
Remember my flippant band-saw comment. Somebody took me at my word. An hour later I was still sitting on the couch, curled up against my burly protector, hiding my eyes from the carnage.
OH! MY! GOODNESS!
I'm still traumatised.
And to think we took Vice City of them because of the irrational violence.
Now, where was I before the pause. Oh yes. Charlie.
Thirty years ago I was treated to something really special. I mean, ultra amazing, six year old, never to be repeated special.
I was one of the two children in Western Australia who got to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory first. Before anybody else.
My dad and his best friend Bob worked as Props Technicians at the Regal theatre (at least I think it was the Regal. It seems right, but this is a memory 30 years old). They managed to get their hands on the newly arrived reels, set them up in the empty cinema, bought Bob's daughter Jane and myself some of those newly arrived sweeties called Tic Tacs and left us to watch the movie. All by ourselves. In that huge cinema.
We were first, man.
Now, anybody who knows me, knows that my dad was a monster. He was evil. Bad. Not one of the good guys. But that one action keeps him fondly in my memory. He occasionally did that sort of thing.
On the weekend, we took the kids to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I sat down on the chair. Stared up at the screen and made a decision.
I was not a reviewer. I was not a writer. I was not the wife of a mad film goer who holds opinions on every movie ever made. I was not even an adult.
With that settled, I sat back and allowed myself to be entertained. I was totally captivated. The movie was enchanting and I was hooked. It's on my 'buy this' list.
Sunday - The final day
We had cheesecake for Blake's birthday yesterday. Note to all. Fruit jelly and candles don't mix.
All in all, a wonderful weekend.
And now, on with the week.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
The John Hurt Moment
So I'm lying in bed last night discussing with Battboy the possibility of being, perhaps, rather pregnant. Maybe as much as 17 weeks or so.
He tells me to go out and get a pregnancy test tomorrow morning.
Why?
My period has been pretty much on time and of correct duration etc.
I've had no morning sickness.
My breasts are fine.
We've been somewhat careful.
I can't feel the rise of my uterus and after 4 pregnancies I'm pretty au fait with where my uterus should be.
I haven't been going to the toilet any more than usual.
I don't feel like I could be pregnant.
So why did we think I could, in fact, be 'with child' again?
The fact that my stomach keeps tapping. It's not all the time. It comes and goes in intervals. It's not in any one particular area. I can feel it with my hand. I can see it in the bath. It has different depth of feeling - sometimes it's quite hard and other times it's just a slight ripple (like the one I just had).
To all intents and purposes it feels like I have a baby in there. And it's constantly on the move, just like Connor was. Last night, when Lee was asleep I lay with my tummy against his side and it felt like a baby kicking against the compression. Lee even twitched a couple of times when it occured, so I know he felt it, even though he can't feel it with his hand or see it. This started 5 days ago and has been going the whole time. To the point where we've started referring to our alien baby and I've written a story about it. But then last night we got serious. What if I really am pregnant? What will we do? Especially this late in the game? And what hospital would take us now after our experiences with Armadale, Fremantle and King Eddies have been far from perfect? And what about the really incredibly awfully strict diet I've been on this week (1.7kg lost, but not conducive to a growing foetus).We needed to find out as soon as possible, if not for any other reason that to reintroduce carbs back into my life.
So this morning I get out of bed and head to the chemist. I buy a test. I bring it home.
Negative.
Big sighs of relief. We DO NOT want to have another baby. Connor's pregnancy (and eye problems and asthma and ability to catch every cold going) were traumatic enough. We love him, but we don't want a repeat experience. We are, to say the very least, very pleased. I can continue working in my new job, we don't have to worry about the cot situation and I can continue to exclude a whole food group from my diet. (1.7 kg. 1.7kg. 1.7kg.)
Yes, we're very very very happy.
But for one thing.
What the hell is happening in there?
He tells me to go out and get a pregnancy test tomorrow morning.
Why?
My period has been pretty much on time and of correct duration etc.
I've had no morning sickness.
My breasts are fine.
We've been somewhat careful.
I can't feel the rise of my uterus and after 4 pregnancies I'm pretty au fait with where my uterus should be.
I haven't been going to the toilet any more than usual.
I don't feel like I could be pregnant.
So why did we think I could, in fact, be 'with child' again?
The fact that my stomach keeps tapping. It's not all the time. It comes and goes in intervals. It's not in any one particular area. I can feel it with my hand. I can see it in the bath. It has different depth of feeling - sometimes it's quite hard and other times it's just a slight ripple (like the one I just had).
To all intents and purposes it feels like I have a baby in there. And it's constantly on the move, just like Connor was. Last night, when Lee was asleep I lay with my tummy against his side and it felt like a baby kicking against the compression. Lee even twitched a couple of times when it occured, so I know he felt it, even though he can't feel it with his hand or see it. This started 5 days ago and has been going the whole time. To the point where we've started referring to our alien baby and I've written a story about it. But then last night we got serious. What if I really am pregnant? What will we do? Especially this late in the game? And what hospital would take us now after our experiences with Armadale, Fremantle and King Eddies have been far from perfect? And what about the really incredibly awfully strict diet I've been on this week (1.7kg lost, but not conducive to a growing foetus).We needed to find out as soon as possible, if not for any other reason that to reintroduce carbs back into my life.
So this morning I get out of bed and head to the chemist. I buy a test. I bring it home.
Negative.
Big sighs of relief. We DO NOT want to have another baby. Connor's pregnancy (and eye problems and asthma and ability to catch every cold going) were traumatic enough. We love him, but we don't want a repeat experience. We are, to say the very least, very pleased. I can continue working in my new job, we don't have to worry about the cot situation and I can continue to exclude a whole food group from my diet. (1.7 kg. 1.7kg. 1.7kg.)
Yes, we're very very very happy.
But for one thing.
What the hell is happening in there?
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
BB turnaround
I was going to vote against Geneva in tonight's main eviction, but I have changed my mind. Angela, who up until last night I thought was alright, has shown extreme bad sportsmanship and a huge mean streak. She will now be gaining one vote each Lee, the kids (one vote together) and myself. She's made my choice a little easier, after all, I actually liked all three nominees and considered Angela to be one of the smart ones, but now my opinion of her has lowered some what and I'm going to nominate her quite happily.
I've been watching BB and reading the website and am so pleased that Constance and Nelson have gone. What a pair of mouth-breathers (thanks Lee for such a great word).
Quote from Nelson: "Where's my goodies? I want goodies. I want prizes."
Haha. No prizes for you...ou.
These people make Glenn look good.
Having said that. I feel for poor Glenn. He's not a bad bloke. I'm not a fan, but I don't really have anything against him. Then he has to choose one person to be unnominated. He chose Michelle (who wouldn't???) thereby incurring the wrath of Angela after her nomination.
Just so you know...
...my life's not totally dependant upon Big Brother. Today I finished a story. I don't want to talk about it or mention the total due to wanting to send it to CSFG anthology The Outcast (a blind submission) but I can say that it's a story revolving around a 'what if' situation I started thinking about ten year's ago. I wrote 1500 words today to give the story a total word count of 5500 words. This total is 500 words above the limit. I've managed to delete nearly 200 words, but there's still aways to go.
There he goes, there he goes, there he goes...
Connor can certainly get some miles up. Tonight we put him on the floor. So far he's managed to roll over to Lee's feet and then all the way over to the cabinet. He's now watching BB.
Have a great week
I've been watching BB and reading the website and am so pleased that Constance and Nelson have gone. What a pair of mouth-breathers (thanks Lee for such a great word).
Quote from Nelson: "Where's my goodies? I want goodies. I want prizes."
Haha. No prizes for you...ou.
These people make Glenn look good.
Having said that. I feel for poor Glenn. He's not a bad bloke. I'm not a fan, but I don't really have anything against him. Then he has to choose one person to be unnominated. He chose Michelle (who wouldn't???) thereby incurring the wrath of Angela after her nomination.
Just so you know...
...my life's not totally dependant upon Big Brother. Today I finished a story. I don't want to talk about it or mention the total due to wanting to send it to CSFG anthology The Outcast (a blind submission) but I can say that it's a story revolving around a 'what if' situation I started thinking about ten year's ago. I wrote 1500 words today to give the story a total word count of 5500 words. This total is 500 words above the limit. I've managed to delete nearly 200 words, but there's still aways to go.
There he goes, there he goes, there he goes...
Connor can certainly get some miles up. Tonight we put him on the floor. So far he's managed to roll over to Lee's feet and then all the way over to the cabinet. He's now watching BB.
Have a great week
Monday, May 16, 2005
Come back Toto, all is forgiven
Woke up in a tight grip with Lee this morning. No, not due to any pre-waking grope, but because of the mighty crashing and flashing of a major storm.
According to the weather report, our sleepy little suburb was rocked by a tornedo which saw trees uprooted and fences strewn clear into Maddington. Scary stuff. Lee knows I'm not good with thunder at the best of times, and this morning was certainly not the best of times. I was terrified. I wouldn't let him leave the house without me and insisted he take me when he dropped Erin off at child-care. We saw a lot of damage along the way. The people across the road seemed the worst hit, which was quite ironic considering what happened not long ago.
2 weeks ago they decided that the biggest tree in their front yard had to go. They roped it, cut it and let it fall. Directly onto their fence. It smashed it to pieces. They spent the weekend fixing said fence until, by Monday, it was good as new. They cleaned up their mess and no-one was any the wiser.
Enter this morning's tornado.
Battboy and I waited for the winds to abate then ventured out to drop Erin off at 'school'. There, directly across the way, was a repeat of the previous fortnight's carnage. But, much much worse. Two trees were lying across their lawn, without a skerrick of fence to be seen. Parts of their roof was also gone.
There was a great deal of damage in our neighbourhood, but amazingly, apart from four bits of washing ripped from the line and dumped on the ground, we came out of it unscathed.
After the storm
Lee went into the city for an interview. I insisted on Connor and I accompanying him. Yes, nature scares me. We had a coffee at Gloria Jean's (one of my favourite places on earth) then Lee set off for his interview and I walked to the Alexander library with the baby and my laptop. I managed to write a bit more on a story that I'm thoroughly in to, plus start on Kaaren Warren's anthology. I picked two of her stories at random and began to read. God, it's good. Parts were somewhat clunky (one line of The Fresh Young Widow featured not one but two 'dreaded ly' words) but the stories themselves were gripping and well presented. I'm not going to do a full review, but if you like emotion-driven SF then go for it.
Okay, it's late and it's time for bed. Take care and stay away from ruby slippers.
PS Battboy and I voted for Nelson to go tonight cos we're sure Constance will go in the next round. As much as I like Geneva, she's getting my vote tomorrow night because I like Tim and Angela more. They're the only two intelligent people in the house.
PPS I want Logan to win.
PPPS Ju, I miscounted. I gained some proper information and worked it out. It's only 8 days.
According to the weather report, our sleepy little suburb was rocked by a tornedo which saw trees uprooted and fences strewn clear into Maddington. Scary stuff. Lee knows I'm not good with thunder at the best of times, and this morning was certainly not the best of times. I was terrified. I wouldn't let him leave the house without me and insisted he take me when he dropped Erin off at child-care. We saw a lot of damage along the way. The people across the road seemed the worst hit, which was quite ironic considering what happened not long ago.
2 weeks ago they decided that the biggest tree in their front yard had to go. They roped it, cut it and let it fall. Directly onto their fence. It smashed it to pieces. They spent the weekend fixing said fence until, by Monday, it was good as new. They cleaned up their mess and no-one was any the wiser.
Enter this morning's tornado.
Battboy and I waited for the winds to abate then ventured out to drop Erin off at 'school'. There, directly across the way, was a repeat of the previous fortnight's carnage. But, much much worse. Two trees were lying across their lawn, without a skerrick of fence to be seen. Parts of their roof was also gone.
There was a great deal of damage in our neighbourhood, but amazingly, apart from four bits of washing ripped from the line and dumped on the ground, we came out of it unscathed.
After the storm
Lee went into the city for an interview. I insisted on Connor and I accompanying him. Yes, nature scares me. We had a coffee at Gloria Jean's (one of my favourite places on earth) then Lee set off for his interview and I walked to the Alexander library with the baby and my laptop. I managed to write a bit more on a story that I'm thoroughly in to, plus start on Kaaren Warren's anthology. I picked two of her stories at random and began to read. God, it's good. Parts were somewhat clunky (one line of The Fresh Young Widow featured not one but two 'dreaded ly' words) but the stories themselves were gripping and well presented. I'm not going to do a full review, but if you like emotion-driven SF then go for it.
Okay, it's late and it's time for bed. Take care and stay away from ruby slippers.
PS Battboy and I voted for Nelson to go tonight cos we're sure Constance will go in the next round. As much as I like Geneva, she's getting my vote tomorrow night because I like Tim and Angela more. They're the only two intelligent people in the house.
PPS I want Logan to win.
PPPS Ju, I miscounted. I gained some proper information and worked it out. It's only 8 days.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Quick word count
1503 words written this evening. I'm so in the mood to write at the moment. I'm loving it. The words are coming quickly and the ideas are there for me. Next I'm working on a piece for Shane Jaraiya Cummings' new anthology.
Party at Perky's
Went out to Perky's birthday party with Casi last night. We had a nice time and met some new people (Grace and Graeme) who I clicked really well with. The food was fantastic and plentiful. Lee didn't come and I missed him awfully. Naturally, Mynxii, Calli, Kylie and I spent ages talking about Big Brother.
More on BB
Yesterday, Calli and I went out for coffee at Carousel. We discussed BB. I noticed that every table around us was listening. I mentioned Hot Dogs and my opinion of him and immediately one of the women at the table opposite leaned over to her companion and asked "What do you think of Hot Dogs?"
I'm soooooo influential :)
So down
Lee's been really depressed lately and I've been worried about him. The clouds seem to have cleared today and there's been a return to his old vibrant self. I've been depressed before (spent two years on medication as a result) and so tried to be the loving supportive wife. It hasn't always been easy and yesterday I snapped a little. My friends were there for me and didn't tell me off for not remaining positive for Lee's sake. All I can say is "Thank you" for letting me talk through the problem. You were all brilliant when it all became too much for me to cope with. I feel much better today and so does Lee.
Dr Who
Watched episodes 4 to 7 today and they were fantastic! The Dalek episode was both scary and tender and I loved it. The sexual chemistry between Rose and the Doctor is HOT and you just have to love their interaction.
Soccer tomorrow
We're playing Kinross. We've just found out where that is. Early start tomorrow.
Party at Perky's
Went out to Perky's birthday party with Casi last night. We had a nice time and met some new people (Grace and Graeme) who I clicked really well with. The food was fantastic and plentiful. Lee didn't come and I missed him awfully. Naturally, Mynxii, Calli, Kylie and I spent ages talking about Big Brother.
More on BB
Yesterday, Calli and I went out for coffee at Carousel. We discussed BB. I noticed that every table around us was listening. I mentioned Hot Dogs and my opinion of him and immediately one of the women at the table opposite leaned over to her companion and asked "What do you think of Hot Dogs?"
I'm soooooo influential :)
So down
Lee's been really depressed lately and I've been worried about him. The clouds seem to have cleared today and there's been a return to his old vibrant self. I've been depressed before (spent two years on medication as a result) and so tried to be the loving supportive wife. It hasn't always been easy and yesterday I snapped a little. My friends were there for me and didn't tell me off for not remaining positive for Lee's sake. All I can say is "Thank you" for letting me talk through the problem. You were all brilliant when it all became too much for me to cope with. I feel much better today and so does Lee.
Dr Who
Watched episodes 4 to 7 today and they were fantastic! The Dalek episode was both scary and tender and I loved it. The sexual chemistry between Rose and the Doctor is HOT and you just have to love their interaction.
Soccer tomorrow
We're playing Kinross. We've just found out where that is. Early start tomorrow.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Let the abuse begin
Yes, it's that time of the year again. Big Brother is back on our screens and fourteen/fifteen people have basically announced "Abuse me. Call me names. Tell me how much you hate me."
And hate them I do. Apart from a few notable exceptions I find them to be supercilious, nasty, vain and on the whole quite boring.
Let's begin with Michelle. "Waaaaah. It's my birthday. I'm 25. I want a party. Waaaaaah. I'm gonna chuck a wobbly because I'm not doing anything for my special day." Hello, reality check. YOU'RE ON TELEVISION YOU MINDLESS BINT.
Next, Constance. Had her sized up from the first moment. Can't stand her. Trashy. Likes to go around telling people "I'm loud, I'm crazy." Having a personality is like writing a good story. Show, don't tell.
Nelson and Glenn. Ocker guys who'd be the first through the door at the Inseminator's Ball. LOSERS!!!!!!!! Marriage to these two slobs can be summed up in four words: "Where's my dinner bitch?" You just know Glenn's got a healer named Blue at home.
Tim. One of my exceptions. Intelligent, witty. I like him. His personal motto is "Whatever you do, never reduce your complex belief systems into a simple motto." Better than Redneck Nelson's "Relax". Like Duh.
Gianna. If I can quote Madonna (and I think I can) "Strike a pose, there's nothing to it." Loves the camera and will likely gain many nominations due to it. Another bint.
Logan (David and Greg). Another of my exceptions. Cute, fun, sweet. I love them and hope they don't get busted.
Christie. Who? Her name came up on the site when I did a search just now. Can't even remember what she looks like.
Geneva. Ummm. Hmmmm. I have to make a small confession here. Come closer cos I need to whisper it. I like her. Lee doesn't.
Michael. Not at all interesting. Sees himself as a peacemaker. Let them have their bitch fight, I say.
Dean. Lee hates him. Frankly I don't notice him one way or the other.
Hot Dogs. Mostly harmless. Again, fairly unnoticeable.
Kate. On her side only because Nelson is so dead against her. And why? Because she reminds him of his ex. Come on!!!!!
Angela. The only woman I really like for herself. Intelligent, brash. I think she's cool.
At this stage I don't really cares who wins. Okay, if pushed I'd say either one of Tim, Angela or the Logans (although tonight's Logan kissed Michelle. Eugghh.)
Here's Lee's list.
"They're all crap. Especially Dean. He's the crappest. Kill the lot of them. Put them out of my misery." (There was also some stuff about testicles and things being ripped out of eye sockets, but I think we all get the gist.)
In other news.
"The Memory of Breathing" has received a good review from Locus magazine and Rich Horton has put it on his Recommended Reading List for the month. This has really inspired me to keep going and today I wrote over 1700 words. I'm a happy camper.
If I keep this up I might actually be a professional writer by the time I'm 60.
And hate them I do. Apart from a few notable exceptions I find them to be supercilious, nasty, vain and on the whole quite boring.
Let's begin with Michelle. "Waaaaah. It's my birthday. I'm 25. I want a party. Waaaaaah. I'm gonna chuck a wobbly because I'm not doing anything for my special day." Hello, reality check. YOU'RE ON TELEVISION YOU MINDLESS BINT.
Next, Constance. Had her sized up from the first moment. Can't stand her. Trashy. Likes to go around telling people "I'm loud, I'm crazy." Having a personality is like writing a good story. Show, don't tell.
Nelson and Glenn. Ocker guys who'd be the first through the door at the Inseminator's Ball. LOSERS!!!!!!!! Marriage to these two slobs can be summed up in four words: "Where's my dinner bitch?" You just know Glenn's got a healer named Blue at home.
Tim. One of my exceptions. Intelligent, witty. I like him. His personal motto is "Whatever you do, never reduce your complex belief systems into a simple motto." Better than Redneck Nelson's "Relax". Like Duh.
Gianna. If I can quote Madonna (and I think I can) "Strike a pose, there's nothing to it." Loves the camera and will likely gain many nominations due to it. Another bint.
Logan (David and Greg). Another of my exceptions. Cute, fun, sweet. I love them and hope they don't get busted.
Christie. Who? Her name came up on the site when I did a search just now. Can't even remember what she looks like.
Geneva. Ummm. Hmmmm. I have to make a small confession here. Come closer cos I need to whisper it. I like her. Lee doesn't.
Michael. Not at all interesting. Sees himself as a peacemaker. Let them have their bitch fight, I say.
Dean. Lee hates him. Frankly I don't notice him one way or the other.
Hot Dogs. Mostly harmless. Again, fairly unnoticeable.
Kate. On her side only because Nelson is so dead against her. And why? Because she reminds him of his ex. Come on!!!!!
Angela. The only woman I really like for herself. Intelligent, brash. I think she's cool.
At this stage I don't really cares who wins. Okay, if pushed I'd say either one of Tim, Angela or the Logans (although tonight's Logan kissed Michelle. Eugghh.)
Here's Lee's list.
"They're all crap. Especially Dean. He's the crappest. Kill the lot of them. Put them out of my misery." (There was also some stuff about testicles and things being ripped out of eye sockets, but I think we all get the gist.)
In other news.
"The Memory of Breathing" has received a good review from Locus magazine and Rich Horton has put it on his Recommended Reading List for the month. This has really inspired me to keep going and today I wrote over 1700 words. I'm a happy camper.
If I keep this up I might actually be a professional writer by the time I'm 60.
Monday, May 09, 2005
On being a mum
I love being a mother. I love my children. All five of them enrich my life and help make it all the more interesting.
This morning I was woken by my Triffitt children with prezzies (the Battbaby was in bed with us having a cuddle and Erin was at her grandparents). They each gave me something personal and sweet, plus I had two presents that they had bought as a group. Prezzie time over, we moved on to the soccer where I spent time yelling myself hoarse.
Lunch was at Chatters, one of my favourite restaurants before we took the kids home to their father's.
A lovely day. The children were kind, considerate, sweet and well mannered. They were fabulous. Which was why I burst into tears at lunch and have barely stopped since.
This is my second mother's day. It has also been the worst. I couldn't bare the thought that it would end and they would be returned to Jon. It was just so unfair. I know I'm a great parent. I love my children and they know it. I do everything with their best interests at heart. I've never abused them or made them feel less than secure. So why do they prefer him to me? I just don't get it at all.
Okay, change the subject
We just arrived home from our day out to find an email from the wonderful Dave Luckett (husband of Sally Beasley, author extraordinaire and the other half of the duo that gave me away at the wedding) telling me to check out the Tangent site.
A review. A positive review. An absolutely brilliant and glowing review about my story "The Memory of Breathing".
Thank you to Dave for loving the story enough to recommend it to his wife, thank you to Sally for being such a brilliant editor and for placing it in ASIM 17 and of course, a big thank you to my beloved husband for always believing in me and for encouraging me every step of the way.
Last night
Last night was one of the best experiences of my life. We had Martin Livings (one of my favourite authors) and his partner Dr Izzy and Shane Jaraiya Cummings (another author-pal of ours) and his partner Angela Challis (editor of Shadowed Realms) over for dinner. The evening was fabulous. The food was good, the wine bottled and the company both lively and intelligent. Apologies to poor Dr Iz for the copious shop talk, but it was one of the rare occasions when Lee and I found ourselves mixing with other writers. We had a brilliant time.
One of the highlights for me was meeting Angela properly. There are times in your life when you meet someone and you just click from the get-go. Angela and I connected on about a dozen different levels and never shut up all night.
Everyone left about 12:30 and we were fast asleep about 5 minutes later. Naturally it was one of the few nights where Connor slept through until 4:30, and we were awake for most of it.
Soccer
3-2. In our favour. That's all I'm saying.
Okay, we're out of here. Big Brother starts again tonight, so we're off to begin our evening.
Take care and enjoy your week.
This morning I was woken by my Triffitt children with prezzies (the Battbaby was in bed with us having a cuddle and Erin was at her grandparents). They each gave me something personal and sweet, plus I had two presents that they had bought as a group. Prezzie time over, we moved on to the soccer where I spent time yelling myself hoarse.
Lunch was at Chatters, one of my favourite restaurants before we took the kids home to their father's.
A lovely day. The children were kind, considerate, sweet and well mannered. They were fabulous. Which was why I burst into tears at lunch and have barely stopped since.
This is my second mother's day. It has also been the worst. I couldn't bare the thought that it would end and they would be returned to Jon. It was just so unfair. I know I'm a great parent. I love my children and they know it. I do everything with their best interests at heart. I've never abused them or made them feel less than secure. So why do they prefer him to me? I just don't get it at all.
Okay, change the subject
We just arrived home from our day out to find an email from the wonderful Dave Luckett (husband of Sally Beasley, author extraordinaire and the other half of the duo that gave me away at the wedding) telling me to check out the Tangent site.
A review. A positive review. An absolutely brilliant and glowing review about my story "The Memory of Breathing".
Thank you to Dave for loving the story enough to recommend it to his wife, thank you to Sally for being such a brilliant editor and for placing it in ASIM 17 and of course, a big thank you to my beloved husband for always believing in me and for encouraging me every step of the way.
Last night
Last night was one of the best experiences of my life. We had Martin Livings (one of my favourite authors) and his partner Dr Izzy and Shane Jaraiya Cummings (another author-pal of ours) and his partner Angela Challis (editor of Shadowed Realms) over for dinner. The evening was fabulous. The food was good, the wine bottled and the company both lively and intelligent. Apologies to poor Dr Iz for the copious shop talk, but it was one of the rare occasions when Lee and I found ourselves mixing with other writers. We had a brilliant time.
One of the highlights for me was meeting Angela properly. There are times in your life when you meet someone and you just click from the get-go. Angela and I connected on about a dozen different levels and never shut up all night.
Everyone left about 12:30 and we were fast asleep about 5 minutes later. Naturally it was one of the few nights where Connor slept through until 4:30, and we were awake for most of it.
Soccer
3-2. In our favour. That's all I'm saying.
Okay, we're out of here. Big Brother starts again tonight, so we're off to begin our evening.
Take care and enjoy your week.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Can't keep a good girl down
Due to popular demand I've decided to start posting again. I'll do a full post soon, but we have people coming for dinner tonight so I have to get cleaning etc.
I'm feeling rather happy today. I had a better night sleep thanks to my beloved and a sleep in this morning. We've just come home from breakfast at The Crepe Cafe AND I had my favourite coffee from Gloria Jean's. I really want to get a job with them. I love them.
Take care and have a lovely weekend.
PS Thanks to everybody who said "I miss your blog. When are you going to start posting again?" I dedicate this site to you.
I'm feeling rather happy today. I had a better night sleep thanks to my beloved and a sleep in this morning. We've just come home from breakfast at The Crepe Cafe AND I had my favourite coffee from Gloria Jean's. I really want to get a job with them. I love them.
Take care and have a lovely weekend.
PS Thanks to everybody who said "I miss your blog. When are you going to start posting again?" I dedicate this site to you.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)