It's so hot today

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

I've had this Peter Coombe song in my head since we arrived in Brisbane on Saturday. After the weather in Melbourne (tops of 25 degrees, mostly 22 degrees though) these 30-35 degree days (plus 88% humidity) are killing me! Hubs is loving it though, so at least that's something!

It's been a crazy start to our 3 week holiday in Brisbane, but so lovely to see everyone. I'm still fighting my sinus/chest infection so decided to take it easy today which has been bliss! Off to the shops with Nanny and Grandpa tomorrow (which consists of me trying on clothes, not finding anything I like, then Nanny stomping her foot down saying "I no leave til you buy something!") so that should be fun! No doubt a trip to ALDI will also be on the cards.

I spent a lovely afternoon with my Godson Billy-Bob & Billy-Bob's Mum yesterday which was de-lightful! Looking forward to spending quality time with friends and family over the next few weeks, so if that's you, we'll see you soon!!!

Sicko

Friday, December 12, 2008

A whine

Well it must be nearly time for me to go home because I'm sick. Again. That's 5 times since we arrived in Melbourne that I've been sick. (Cold, flu, cold, rubella, sinus infection.) I'm convinced it's because I'm not eating enough veges down here. Or my immunity is shot at the moment. Or I'm still acclimatising to the Melbourne weather. (Right now it's 19 degrees and raining.) Or maybe I actually have a Man Cold. They're pretty serious you know! I'm trying not to be whiny-Wifey but it's SO HARD. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep for 2 days. But we have to pack tonight and I was going to do some "work" on Hubsband's dreadlocks. Aaaah well. No rest for the wicked.

This time tomorrow we'll be basking in the Queensland sun, pining for the cool days of Melbourne. (Maybe I need more Vitamin D!! You don't get much of that down here...)

Okay. I'm done complaining. For now :-)

Mondegreen #9

Thursday, December 11, 2008

In "Goodbye Stranger", Supertramp sing about saying goodbye to strangers and lobotomies:

"You can laugh at my behaviour
That'll never bother me"

or is it

"You can laugh at my behaviour
Or have a lobotomy"

They BOTH sound okay to me!

Mum's birthday brekky

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

On our trip home in October, Khicken and Kturtle put on an amazing spread for breakfast for Mum's birthday. Here is the menu, accompanied by photos.

~ STARTERS ~
Breads, cheese, olives, sun dried tomato.

Smoked trout sandwiches, Dad's salmon & avocado specialty:



~ FIRST COURSE ~
Herbed pikelets with pear and cream cheese, brandy, brie topping:



Asparagus and prosciutto bundles served with hollandaise sauce:



Field mushrooms topped with fun stuff:



Jumbo savoury omlette with caramelised onion (available dairy free as well):



~ SECOND COURSE ~
Grilled figs wrapped in prosciutto:



Seasonal tossed fruit, choice of yoghurts and Birthday Cake! Here's a great photo of Mum and Dad with the birthday cake made by Mum's friend:




And, as always with it was the little touches that made the day super-special. We also had sparkling white wine and coffees with liqueur of choice!

So thanks Kturtle and Khicken for an AMAZING feast and an all-round brilliant breakfast!

It's oh so quiet (sshhh sshhh)

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Since we kicked all the Junior Common Room students out... ahem... since they left of their own accord... a few weeks ago, we've pretty much had the place to ourselves. Oh, apart from the 175 Homeless World Cup delegates who stayed with us for 10 exciting/crazy/entertaining days, and now the 30 or so "maths nerds" who arrived yesterday. Anyway, apart from all of those people, there are only about 30 of us staying here at the moment. It's lovely! We don't have to line up for dinners, the food is even better (we had corned silverside the other night - delish!) and it's just nice and quiet.

I guess we'd better not get too complacent though. They'll be back before we know it! In the mean time, we'll be moving into our new unit (still on college) once we get back from Brizzy and will have much more of a home, rather than just a couple of rooms, so we'll be looking forward to some visitors in the new year to show off our new abode. I'll be sure to post some photos of the new place once we're settled in, but in the mean time I have a bonza (yes, I just said bonza) before and after sequence of Swanston St, where we live.

Taken in late August:



Taken in late November from around the same spot:



Noice huh!? Though, I'm not sure what Mother Nature is playing at the last few days - it's December and it's currently 16 degrees and raining. Can't wait for those 35 degree days back in Brisvegas!! (I'll be complaining within a week, guaranteed!)

Happy Anniversary!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary to Wifey & Hubs!!

Here we are just over 1 year ago:


Hubs woke up to a real treat Monday morning, when I sang a song that my Dad used to sing to Mum on their Anniversary: (to the tune of Happy Birthday)

Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee
Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee
Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy
Happy Happy Anniversareeeeeeeeeee!

Okay, so Dad is not known for his musical genius, but we always knew how much he loves Mum. And now the tradition has been passed on to us! Then Hubs surprised ME with 2 gorgeous roses:


Hand made of course!


(I found out later that he hadn't done any of his uni work for 3 days cos he was working on the roses! TOTALLY worth it from where I'm standing!)

Hubs also gave me this card:


which totally cracked me up!

We had a disc game on Monday night, so we went out for dinner along Hardware Lane in town on Tuesday night.
We had oysters for entree which were SO YUMMY


And the restaurant even sprinkled hearts all over our table for us! We had a lovely night listening to some jazz (which is what you do in Hardware lane)


And just generally had a lovely night out. Thank you Hubs for a wonderful year and I look forward to MANY more to come.

Smile!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

We were playing Ultimate Disc last night when we saw this Smiley face in the sky. It was so cute! And we'll have to wait another 5 years before we see it again!

Job #30 - Newman College

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Started casual work on 25th August, full-time on 20th October 2008

(Wow! 30 jobs in 30 days! It's like I planned it or something! :-)

After my Channel 7 gig, the business manager at college offered me some casual reception/office work when I wasn't working my other job (database admin). So I appreciatively took them up on their kind offer. The receptionist here had taken extended leave and they weren't sure if and when she was coming back, so it was a week-to-week arrangement which suited me fine at the time. About a month later, they offered the job to me full-time and after very careful consideration, I accepted.

When I let my part-time employer know that I was resigning (I stated that I needed full-time work and gave a whole month notice), they counter-offered a full-time job at their company. It was a LOT more money, and longer hours. I did consider this offer - let's face it, the money would have been really great and I would have had a high-responsibility position, but my heart just wasn't in it.

So I made a lifestyle choice and stuck with my original decision to work full-time with the college. They weren't overly happy and they tried to bribe me with chocolate (my one weakness! besides red wine that is...) but it wasn't to be.

So I began full-time employment here at the college just over a month ago and it's going great. I have a 30 meter commute to work and so much free time on my hands that I don't know what to do with! Though, I'm sure I'll find something! It's also very social here and not only do I work with lovely people, I get to have lunch with Hubs most days (bonus!) and there's always students coming in and out of the office which gives the place a nice atmosphere. AND they all stop to have coffee at 10:30am (just like YACMU!) AND they have a special staff morning tea every Wednesday! It's great!

So that's it folks. Scary? Yes. A little depressing? Sure. Frustrating? More than you can imagine. But here I am, in a job that I like, feeling like I make a difference (maybe a small one, but a difference none-the-less) and enjoying a very nice lifestyle. What more could a gal ask for?

Job #29 - Channel 7

Saturday, November 29, 2008

August 2008

Whilst looking for another permanent part-time job to complement the database administrator job, I picked up some temp work through my old recruitment company (they're Australia-wide) in Channel 7's Olympic Call Centre. It was pretty crazy! I had anywhere between 50 and 150 calls per day, with callers mainly asking about programming schedules. And the Equestrian. (wha..?) Unfortunately we didn't get the schedules that regularly, so we often didn't have much to tell callers, which made it interesting at times!

Again, I worked with great people and the money was good so I was feeling a little less financial pressure. We had moved in to College by this stage and the bills had started coming in, so it was nice not to have to worry about money. This job was obviously only for the duration of the Olympics and since we had to know exactly what was going on, there were big screen TVs in all the call centre rooms, so I got to watch sport all day AND get paid for it! It was super!

Job #28 - Chemical Engineers

Friday, November 28, 2008

July - October 2008

Now, obviously I have absolutely no regrets about us moving to Melbourne (LOVING IT!!) but I found it a little frustrating/ironic that I had finally found a job situation that I was really happy with, and I had to leave and start all over again. Such is life.

When we arrived in Melbs, I was determined to start work straight away, which means I perhaps didn't get the most suitable job. I had the idea to do the 2 part-time jobs down here again, but it wasn't to be. I was hired as a part-time database administrator which was okay, but it turns out God had something even BETTER lined up for me. I can't say much more about this without giving too much away, so I'll leave it at that.

(We're so close to the end of November now!!! It's been fun!)

Job #27 - YACMU (What? Again???)

Thursday, November 27, 2008

June 2007 - June 2008 (part-time)

How could I say no? My old project (Child Safe Church) was getting another face-lift, and YACMU wanted me to be a part of it. So they offered me part-time work of 5 days a fortnight to manage the project. Although I loved working at Southern-X, doing the job full-time wasn't very challenging, so I applied to cut back to part-time and only do 2 days per week. They were okay with that, so I started my new work routine.

I worked at the hospital Mondays and Wednesdays, and at YACMU Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday mornings. This meant that my weekend started at 12:30pm on a Friday! It was sweeeeeeeet! I was also at the beginning stages of planning our wedding so this gave me some free time to look at dresses, flowers, decorations and all wedding-related things. It was also nice to be able to have lunch with family and friends or catch up for an early pint at the pub.

This type of work situation really suited my lifestyle and I felt that I had FINALLY found my dream job/s.

Job #26 - Southern X-Ray at Wesley Hospital

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

March 2007 - June 2008

Finally! A job that lasted more than 6 months! I started here full-time as an MIA - Medical Imaging Assistant. I assisted the radiographers in MRI, CT, Ultrasound and X-Ray, and assisted the Doctors with cannulations (inserting teeny needles into veins to inject contrast dye) and a few other procedures (some not-so-pleasant). The MIAs were the gofers of Southern-X, so we didn't get huge amounts of respect from some of our colleagues, but we were adored by the patients. The money was pretty lousy but I got HEAPS of patient contact which I really loved.

I worked with heaps of people - other MIAs, Radiologists (the doctors), Radiographers (the button-pushers! tee hee!), Nurses (they were all lovely lovely lovely), admin staff, orderlies, and patients and I really enjoyed my work, mostly. I DIDN'T like working in "stores" or working with "The A-Team" (they thought they were just SO GOOD), but that only happened every couple of weeks so it was okay.

After a few months, I dropped back to part-time, which I'll explain in my next post!

(Sheesh! I'm running out of days in November!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Job #25 - Qld Health

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

January - March 2007

I resigned from my last job the week after the Christmas party. I mean, I didn't want to be a party-pooper! It was icky and horrible and I couldn't wait to leave to be honest. (To be fair, most of the people I worked with were great and heaps of fun.) I had been offered a 3 month temping contract with Qld Health's Population Health Unit in Windsor, working alongside another good friend of mine. This job was okay, but since it was only a 3 month contract, I was already looking for my next job. The problem with me + government is that I like things to be done quickly. This is not something that happens much in government. Plus I spent most of my days at one meeting or another, not really sure why I was there or what outcomes were being achieved. Again, I worked with lovely, wonderful, fun people and had a great time, and that always makes it worthwhile.

In the mean time, I had been to see a careers counsellor who did lots of cool tests and analysis on me, to see if I could get a better idea of a job that suited me.

To be honest, this would have been really helpful 5 years earlier. Anyway, I found it really useful and even considered going back to uni. But then I remembered my desire to have babies in the next 5 years, and the fact that Hubs was going to be studying for the next few years as well, and decided it might not be such a great move. I WAS however interested in working at a hospital again, so I kept that in mind when I was looking for my next job.

Job #24 - Division of GPs

Monday, November 24, 2008

July - December 2006

A friend of mine worked here as a project officer and a job as the Division Secretariat came up so she suggested I apply for it. It was pretty much in the bag once I got to the interview, and the money was FANTASTIC because employees could salary sacrifice pretty much everything! It did mean that I moved to "the dark side" (southside) of Brisvegas, but I was living with Khicken and Kturtle so that was cool. Not that I was ever home. Right... back to the job...

After 2 or so months, they asked if I'd like to manage Aged Care. I thought that would be great! So I got stuck in to that and felt like I was just getting the hang of it, then after another month they asked if I wanted to manage Mental Health! (My friend who worked as the Mental Health project officer decided to go back to her old job at a different Division, so she had resigned.) So I was a bit put out by their management, after all the work I'd done on Aged Care, but thought I'd give it a go. Another month or so later, they wanted to re-shuffle me again, at which stage I'd had enough. They just didn't know what they were doing and I felt like it wasn't going to get any better. So while I was at a week-long conference on the Gold Coast (the same week that Hubs and I got together!) my OTHER friend told me about a temp job that sounded right up my alley!

(By this stage I was getting a reputation amongst my family and friends as a job-hopper. It kind of got me down (and still does from time to time) but mostly I was just getting frustrated that I couldn't find a job that I liked.)

Job #23 - YACMU

Sunday, November 23, 2008

October 2005 - June 2006

YACMU made me an offer I just couldn't refuse (I NEVER can!) of a contract to re-write the Queensland Uniting Church's Child Safety Policy and training materials. It was a huge job and I really threw myself into it. I was very happy with the final product and proud of the job that I did. I was considering pursuing a career in Workplace Health & Safety at UC and combine it with my Child Safety position, but management had different ideas.

It was an absolute pleasure as always to work with the YACMU crew, and they really got me through some tough times. And it was so nice having some great gals to work with - usually I was surrounded by smelly boys! (ha ha. You know I love yas!)

So as my June 30 end date approached, I had a few interviews and settled on my next job.

Job #22 - Premier's Department

Saturday, November 22, 2008

2 weeks in October/November 2005

This was a bit of a fill-in temp job through my recruitment agency. I worked in the area that prepared all the documents for parliament each week. It was crazy busy ALL the time which was super fun! Lots of deadlines, visits from Beats himself, (the Queensland Premier at the time) and LOTS of leftover morning teas and lunches that we got to sample. Yummy!

I would have been happy here for a while, but I was being called "home".

Job #21 - Suncorp

Friday, November 21, 2008

August - October 2005

After my last job (at the Council), my confidence was rock-bottom and it took me a while to get back on my feet, both physically and emotionally. I took a few weeks off before I started my next job, (that I also got through my recruitment agency) and was a bit hesitant about what was to come. In fact, this next job was perfect for getting me back on my game. It was a 3 month contract with the Suncorp IT Department, organising their corporate volunteer days.

Suncorp pay their staff 1 day per year to go and volunteer somewhere for a day. A lot of groups use it as team-building and everyone wins! So I set up some interactive calendars on the intranet for people to "book" their own days. I had links to websites, contact details and all sorts of fun and interactive things! I had never worked on a website before, and I really enjoyed it!

The people I worked with were really great and always had 4pm meetings on a Friday... at the cafe/bar across the road. I worked in a team of 6 and they were all in their 30s and 40s and were very welcoming to little old me. We actually used to go to the cafe next door to the church Hubs and I later married in! As I said it was exactly what I needed to get back on my feet. I just wish it could have gone on longer, but I was just too efficient and completed my part of the project in the designated time.

So I was back on the phone to my temping agency (who loved me by this time!)

Job #20 - Child Care Centre

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Okay, so I was actually at this job in 1998, but I forgot to put it in! I was only there for 3 weeks, so it's not really worth mentioning at all. I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I applied for this job. I think because everything said I should be in child care, that I thought "yeah! That sounds great!" And perhaps at the right centre it would have been okay. But I was working at a place that was SO dodgy. I had NO training (I was 18 years old) and got left with 12 children between 12 & 18 months. That's just not right!

And one day I had to change about 10 dirty (and I mean DIRTY) nappies in a row. It was horrendous. Plus the fact that it took me 45 minutes to drive each way got very old VERY quickly. Like I said, I don't know WHAT I was thinking.

I was very glad to get the job at Pick 'n Pay after this one!

What's in a name?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I just saw the name Bruce Beer written on some documentation.
Now is that not the most Australian name you've ever heard?

Job #19 - Bris City Council

April - June 2005

I don't really know what to say about this one to be honest. I thought I'd found my dream job, but it turned into a bit of a nightmare. I was employed by the child immunisation department as one of their admin officers. I found out once I got the job that I was one of about 100 applicants, so to get offered the job was quite flattering! The money was good, I got to work a 9 day fortnight, it was in town which was perfect location-wise, and I got to see babies every day! Screaming babies yes, but babies none-the-less!

I really thought this was it. That this was "the one". Then I got to know the people a bit better. Let's just say after discovering health issues that were finally put down to stress, I realised I was in a VERY bad working environment. It was probably the hardest few months of my life, and I felt that I didn't have much support from a few key people in my life at the time which made it so much harder. But thanks to a best friend who worked in HR, and great advice from Dad ("document EVERYthing") I went through the right channels and procedures and got a satisfactory outcome. Well, I didn't have a job again, but to be honest, I'd rather no job and my health, than working at that place and being sick.

Job #18 - Blue Care

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Jan - March 2005

This was a temping job that I got through a recruitment company. I worked in the Toowong office which was closing down, so everyone was being relocated. They had already placed their receptionist in a new full-time role so they needed someone to man the front desk til it all closed down. I also did some work out at one of their nursing homes in Ascot. It was a pretty depressing place to be honest, and I felt quite sorry for all of the lonely people. So I made a big effort to spend most of my days chatting to the residents. It was quite lovely in the end!

I worked with wonderful people who seemed to appreciate me which is always nice. They even had a little going away morning tea for me, even though I had only been there a few months! They were very sweet.

I applied for quite a few permanent jobs with Blue Care, but none of them were the right fit. Plus most of them got filled internally. I was also applying for permanent work elsewhere, and landed my next job in March.

Job #17 - Bio Concepts (again!)

Monday, November 17, 2008

June - December 2004

I was offered a full-time job at Bio-Concepts as Education Coordinator, (it's all about who you know!) so I was in charge of all the seminars (bookings, registrations, some promotions) and I was back working with Mum again. I really enjoyed this job and it was really nice working alongside Mum and a great team of people. I also got to organise the company's 30th Anniversary dinner at the Hilton which was a great night.

Lots of good times and great memories of parties and morning teas and social outings. This is a real family-focussed company and it's always nice to work there. I think I left because I still had a desire to work in the health field and use my degree (though, in hindsight, I perhaps should have stayed at Bio a bit longer.)

Job #16 - Queensland Health

Sunday, November 16, 2008

March-May 2004

I think a friend who already worked (and still works) at Qld Health alerted me to this temp job. It was a 2 month contract at Ipswich Hospital (about a 50 minute train ride from Central) sorting out their asset registry (or ar-sets as we kindly named them). It was a crappy job but the perfect opportunity for me to get a foot in the door of Qld Health. Finally! A chance to get a REAL job to use my degree in Public Health!!

So in between managing my arsets, I was applying for every job I could get my hands on. I was working in the IT division which was closing at the end of that financial year, so I wasn't the only one job hunting. In fact, I think I was 1 of about 40 people and 1 of 10 looking for admin work.

I got a few interviews, but all the jobs I went for were internally filled by people who had been there longer than me. So it was back to the drawing board.

Job #15 - Ford Health Group

Saturday, November 15, 2008

October 2003 - March 2004

My friend got me an interview for a job as an Administrative Officer for a company that does Corporate Health Assessments. Although I was employed as a casual, I mostly worked full-time hours. And I was also back at my old babysitting job at this time.

I enjoyed working here. Nice people, okay money, good location (Spring Hill) and it helped me pay off my travelling debts quite quickly (it also helps when you live at home and have few expenses!)

This was a month-by-month position and the work ran out around March, at which time I got another temping contract...

Job #14 - Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Friday, November 14, 2008

August 2003

This was the most wild month of my life! (at the time!) I got paid 3 pounds 20p per hour and worked crazy shifts - anything from 8am-4pm to 5pm-1am. As a staff member for Gilded Balloon, we got to see all "our own" shows for free so I saw great acts like Flight of the Conchords (BEFORE they were famous!), GUD (with Paul McDermott), Mitch Benn, Jimeoin, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Stephen K Amos, Mickey D, Puppetry of the Penis, (don't judge! I was curious! And fairly unimpressed to be honest... And I'm not putting a link in), The Umbilical Brothers, and many more! This is also where I discovered (yes, "I" discovered) The Cat Empire. And it was the start of a beautiful friendship!

We worked crazy shifts, and Edinburgh didn't sleep for the whole month of August. Normally all pubs would shut at 11pm, and clubs at 1am, but most places stayed open til 5am and re-opened at 10am so there was always somewhere to quench your thirst, rub shoulders with the stars, and generally have a grand old time.

The money was rubbish, we got treated like crap, and the hours were long; but the experience was priceless.

Job #13 - SNIPEF

Thursday, November 13, 2008

April/May 2003

"Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employer's Federation, this is Renae."

Yeah. Quite a mouthful. And I don't know if you guys have ever tried talking to a Scotsman or Irishman from the country over the phone, but I can tell you I needed a translator every now and then. If I couldn't understand them, I'd transfer the call to my colleague Moira (who was always "damn fine splendid") for her to decipher.

I basically got paid 6 pounds an hour to hide in a pokey little room with one other person, on the third floor of the building and answer the phones. That was it. They didn't mind what else we did, so I used to write letters, read books, write in my journal, or if I was hungover, I'd raid the goodie cupboard. It was HUGE and PACKED with chocolates, biscuits and all sorts of yummy hangover cures.

Job #12 - New Edinburgh Hospital

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I think I was only here for a month or so. I worked at the "front reception" which wasn't anywhere near the front entrance to the hospital which frustrated a lot of people. I was situated at the security desk with the security guards who were lots of fun. One guy would sing "Just walk away Renee" to me most days, and was trying to set me up with his son who was living in America at the time. I politely declined!

I was there to give directions and answer the phone. I also picked up some weekend work during the day, re-filing all the files that we'd re-labled at my old temp job, as well as at the maternity front desk. One day when I was working at maternity, a woman came in at 7:30am, had her baby, and had left when I finished at 4pm! I got paid a lot more on weekends (up to 10 pounds an hour) so it was TOTALLY worth it.

By this stage, I was working 3 jobs at once, but I always found time for the pub!

Job #11 - Roxburgh Hotel

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Feb 2003 - May 2003

I can't believe I almost forgot to include this one! This was a pretty funny job. I worked in the functions and banqueting area in this slightly-dodgy 4 star hotel. My first shift started on Friday afternoon at 4pm and ended at 4am Saturday. But don't worry, they gave me a break (15 min at midnight) and paid me well (4 pounds 20p per hour). HA! I usually worked a couple of nights during the week, from about 5:30pm til 11pm (as well as my day job) and I worked a lot of Friday nights (til 1 or 2am) and Saturdays, often finishing after midnight. I'd even work Sundays every now and then if I was either a) desperate for money or b) was being a sucker for punishment.

I had some language barriers with some of the Scottish people barking orders at me, and it would take me a few seconds, once they finished talking, for me to catch up. I worked with some "interesting" (translation: disgusting) chefs but met a few fun people who made the time pass quickly. Left this job to start travelling again!

Job #10 - Edinburgh Hospital

Monday, November 10, 2008

Jan 2003 - April 2003

This was my first temping job in Edinburgh after a few months of travelling. There were about a dozen of us hired to reorganise all the patient files into a new system, label them, and re-file them in preparation for moving to the new hospital site. It was a pretty boring job most of the time, but I worked with lots of crazy fun people, a couple of whom I'm still in touch with! (Hi Ezza!)

We used to head to the pub with our boss (who ended up marrying one of the temp workers!!) every Friday around 4pm which was sweeeeeeeeeeeet! Good times.

Job #9 - Cafe Manna (UC Centre)

Sunday, November 9, 2008

June 2002 - Oct 2002

Once I finished uni in June, I had some free time on my hands, and the cafe next door to YACMU needed an EXTRA set of hands, so in I went! I used to work in the cafe from 8:30am til 11:30am, then head over to YACMU til 5pm. It was the perfect mix of project work (at YACMU) and people-work (at the Cafe). I gotta say, I made a pretty mean latte! It even had LAY-YERS! (This is not one of my lattes, but it looks about the same!)

Again, I left this job to travel abroad.

Job #8 - YACMU

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Jan 2002 - Oct 2002

This was the start of a beautiful friendship!

I was hired by the Youth & Children's Ministry Unit to implement the Working with Children Checks (Blue Cards) in Queensland Uniting Churches. I worked with an amazing group of people, a lot of whom are still there. I must have done something right, as I was offered 2 more contracts with them over the next few years.

I left to travel overseas for a year!

Mondegreen #8

Friday, November 7, 2008

For those of you getting sick of reading about my jobs, here's another Mondegreen to keep you entertained.

You thought Kim Carnes was singing
"She's got Betty Davis eyes" (which is a pretty dumb line anyway)
But what I heard in my youth was
"She's got better days than I" (okay, that's pretty dumb too admittedly)


It's a rainy Melbourne day and I'm feeling particularly nostalgic at the moment. It's kinda noice! Have a great weekend everyone!

Job #7 - Babysitter

2000-2002 & 2003-2004

I babysat every Thursday night from 5:30pm for 2 gorgeous kids while their parents went out on "date night". Sometimes I'd work for 3 hours, sometimes 6 or even 7 hours. It was all cash in hand - the easiest money I've ever made - and the kids were fantastic. We had lots of fun! I left this job when I went overseas in October 2002, and resumed when I came back in September 2004 for another 12 months. I wonder what the kids are up to now...

Job #6 - O'Malley's Fitness Centre

Thursday, November 6, 2008

2000-2001

I was a child carer here, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9am til 11am. The money was great and it was cash in hand which was REALLY great! During school term, I'd only have 2 - 5 kids to look after, and not usually all at once. During school holidays, however, I'd have up to 12 kids and sometimes a couple of them were babies. That was a bit much. I used to off-load the babies onto the trainers and then try and keep the other kids under control.

Fridays were sometimes not-so-fun as Thursday night was student's night at all the night clubs in town which meant $1 drinks. If I didn't have any kids for a bit, I'd have a little kip in the cubby house! I left this job when the place closed down.

Job #5 - Pick 'n' Pay Hypermarket

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

(You'll be happy guaranteed!)
1998 - 2000 Casual

I was a casual check-out chick out at Aspley Hyperhole, as it was affectionately named. I quite liked this job. It was very cruisey work, and VERY social. I got to chat to people all day (some weirder than others!) and I worked with a couple of friends from Aspley UC which was so much fun. Once I turned 20 though, they started only giving me 4 hours per week, so I had to look for something else as well.

Job #4 - Bio Concepts

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

1998 (for about 4-5 months)

Mum got me this job as she worked here (and still does!) as well. I also used to work here over the school/uni holidays with my friend Cicely. We were the envelope stuffers! It was fun working with Mum, and it didn't take me too long to start calling her by her first name, instead of "Mum" but she had a hard time not calling me "darling". It was quite funny! I think I left this job due to health reasons (headaches that turned out to be nothing exciting - I'm a bit precious!!)

Job #3 - Community Aid Abroad

Monday, November 3, 2008

1997-1998
I worked at the MYER Centre shop as a volunteer shop assistant and then they offered me some paid work too. I worked Friday nights from 5pm til 9pm and Saturdays 9 til 5. I worked with lovely, crazy, hippie people and there were a few perks to the job as well. Can't remember why I left.

Job #2 - Vacation care

Sunday, November 2, 2008

1996 Christmas holidays
Casual work at Kelvin Grove State Primary School. I got paid $7.77 per hour!! I also got told to "**ck off" by a 10-year-old. I was most appalled. Amazing the things you remember.

Job #1 - The paper run

Saturday, November 1, 2008

1992
In all fairness, Mum should have gotten paid, not me. I refused to deliver to the houses with scary, barking dogs (I made my brother do them). When it rained, you'd not only have to fold the papers, but also put them in bags.
To be honest, I can't even remember how long I had this job! Definitely less than a year though.

NaBloPoMoNo

Friday, October 31, 2008

There's this thing called National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) where you blog every day for a whole month. So since you've all been so patient, (or you've completely forgotten about my previous promise), I thought I would entertain you... ahem... INFORM you all of my job history during the month of November. Then once I run out of days I'll make stuff up.

So here we go NaBloPoMoNo!

The epiphany toilet

Thursday, October 30, 2008

When asked "what character from Scrubs are you most like?" I have ALWAYS considered myself to be an Elliot. Although I'm not a blonde bombshell, I AM flighty, clumsy, insecure, obsessed about having a baby, and very likeable. I also gain confidence in myself when others believe in me.

But this morning, I realised I'm much more of a J.D. Okay, so I'm not a guy and I don't ride a scooter, but I DO have full conversations in my head, I narrate my own life, (think Jamie Oliver while he's cooking) I analyse things way too much, get very involved in people's lives even when I shouldn't (though, not so much anymore) and am desperate for the approval of people around me. I'm a people pleaser.

Or maybe I'm a combination of both. J-delliot?

Okay, so it's not a HUGE epiphany (are there degrees??). I mean, it's not like the time when I realised I was in love with Hubs when we weren't even together, and knew without a doubt that we would spend the rest of our lives together. That was REALLY cool.

Which Scrubs character are YOU most like?

Classic!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I just noticed that the font I use on my blog is called Trebuchet!

Come on! That's funny, right?

Hockey 1, hockey 2, hockey 3!!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Just a quick post to mention that I played hockey for the college this "season" and had a blast! I was the oldest player on the team (by about 6 years) and probably the most unfit too. But the girls were heaps of fun and very encouraging to an old gal like me!

College sports are generally played in September and October, and you only play about 6 games if you play all the way through to the grand final. Which we did! Both the Newman Boys and Newman Girls played in the grand finals this year which was terribly exciting. Unfortunately, after VERY close games, we both lost. (Boys 1-0, Girls 2-1). It was a little disappointing, but the girls will be back next year to try and end Ormond's 11 year winning streak!

Here's a team photo after the game:

Paranoid hypochondriac

Monday, October 27, 2008

A Whine

I've always been a bit of a hypochondriac. And I've always been a little bit paranoid when it comes to my health. I mean, what if I just ignored a particular ailment, only to discover that it's really serious! Too late!? So I'll often listen to my body, and visit the doctor when I don't feel right.

On Friday morning, I woke up and didn't feel quite right. My joints were really achy and I had a rash on both of my legs. It wasn't a terribly alarming rash, it just looked like a heat rash to be honest. But getting out of our futon bed was really difficult and quite painful. My first thought was that I had been bitten by a spider or something, but I couldn't find a bite mark. So I sucked it in and got on with the day. I was due to go out dancing with my friend on Friday night and since it has taken us 3 months to find a night we were both free, I really didn't want to cancel.

So out I went and danced up a storm at the Turf Bar to some of the cheesiest music from the 80s and 90s. It was fabulous! Trying to walk from the tramstop home, however, was not so fabulous. EVERYTHING was hurting. In the mean time, I wasn't getting much sympathy from Hubs, as I wasn't actually FEELING that sick. I just felt funny and achy. He had commented a few times during the week that I was acting strangely, but I just thought I was being a woman. So on Saturday morning I trotted (rather awkwardly) off to the doctor's surgery.

I was called in by a Russian-sounding female doctor (which made me think of Nanny) who, after looking at the rash, feeling my glands, taking my temp and hearing about my aches and pains, gave her medical opinion: Rubella. German Measles. What the?.... I'd been vaccinated! Apparently, you can still get it, but it won't be so severe. I just had to try and keep my distance from people for the following 5 days. No easy task when I live and work with 250 people.

So when I got home and told Hubs, I FINALLY got the sympathy I deserved. He put me to bed (after we dyed my hair - another story) and brought me cups of tea. I did about the same on Sunday and by last night the aches and pains had started to ease.

All I can say is I KNEW I wasn't quite right. And it might explain the big bowl of crazy I dished up to Hubs over the few days before. (That's what I'll blame it on anyway!)

An amendment

Thursday, October 23, 2008

It was terribly remiss of me to forget to mention my lovely breakfast visit in Brisbane on Saturday morning with the ever delightful Kate and her gorgeous, clever, talented son Liam, who also happens to be my beautiful Godson! We had a lovely play with scrambled eggs and vegemite on toast, and as always, it was wonderful to see them.
(I had to add this in, otherwise Liam would never have forgiven me for forgetting him!!)

A dizzy Brizzy visit

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Our recent trip home to Brizzy has made me homesick for the first time since being in Melbourne. We just had the most amazing time! Well, I did at least. Hubsband wasn't feeling 100% but he made the most of it. Where do I start??

We arrived in Brisbane at 11pm and had to adjust to the 1 hour time difference. After a port/cuppa/glass of wine with Mum and Dad, we were off to bed. We had a lovely morning setting up at Nanny and Grandpa's and Grandpa's 90th birthday party kicked off around midday. It was raging! Well, as much as a 90th birthday party can be! We had a lovely afternoon and got to catch up with family and friends and got stuck in to some Amarula Cream which was just lovely. As you can imagine, there was plenty of food and mountains of desserts. We left around 6pm feeling full and primed for our next "event".

In preparation for our visit, I sent word via the internet that we would be at our old local from about 6:30pm for anyone keen to catch up. I had a few replies so we were expecting a fairly quiet night with a few friends and a few beers. What we got was something entirely different, unexpected, and so very much appreciated. About 20 of our friends rocked up to the pub and we were there drinking beer (and Cosmos!!) catching up and taking VERY silly photos til after midnight! I was truly touched that so many of our friends made such a great effort to not only come out, but to stay til the end! (some even stayed longer than we did!) Hubs and I had to call it quits after midnight. We were utterly exhausted, and we still had 1 more party to go to for the weekend!

Mum celebrated her birthday on Sunday and my bro's gf (let's call her Kturtle) and I decided that something special needed to be done. Since I'm in Melbourne, Kturtle ended up doing ALL the work, but I know that it was a labour of love. You see, the thing about my Mum is that she does SO much for everyone else and expects nothing in return. So it's nice to show her every now and then how much she is appreciated. I'm going to do a separate post about Mum's birthday brekky, as there is just too much to show and tell!

Hubs and I arrived back at our doorstep at 9pm Sunday, happily exhausted after a fabulous trip home. And here's what we have to show for it:

Nanny and Grandpa (check out the size of those cakes Mum made!!!)




The girls after beers, wines and cocktails!


The boys after beers, beers and beers!


Hubs is so pretty...


Sharing's caring! Especially when it comes to Cosmopolitans!

I just noticed...

Monday, October 20, 2008

...I haven't put many photos up lately but that's because I haven't been able to transfer my photos from my camera to my computer (stupid virus) but rest assured I'll have some pics up SOON!!!!

The Music, the Moments

I've been thinking a lot about music lately. And not just about my favourite songs (mostly from the 80s and 90s) but about the songs that I feel have had a huge impact on my life; songs that I will NEVER tire of; songs that bring back some amazing memories; and songs that I have learnt some lessons from.

So here they are:

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (and an amazing cover by Miles from Nowhere). My late teens and early 20s clubbing revolved around this song. Even when I go out now and it comes on, I go nuts. It brings back amazing memories of nights out at the Jazz 'n Blues bar with the girls, dancing to MFN. It was a must-play at our wedding.

Stuff and nonsense - the cover by Missy Higgins (original by Split Enz). This song made me realise that no matter how much you want someone to give you their all, you might not be the one they can give it to. Heartbreaking, but a very important lesson to learn.

I like giants - Kimya Dawson. Loved this song the first time I heard it. It's a very honest and practical look at body image. Now whenever I hear it, I really listen to the words and it reassures me that "I am just a speck of dust inside a giant's eye."

Stuck in the middle with you - Stealers Wheel. Brings back all my memories of living in Scotland. Erin and I ring each other whenever either of us hears this song! And it's a favourite for cover bands which totally suits me.

The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods. I never used to like hip-hop, and although I'm not entirely converted (Hubs is still trying), I do love this song. Hubs told me I should listen to the words instead of dismissing it for a style of music I'd never enjoyed, and I realised their lyrics were quite clever. Plus this song samples Melanie whose music I grew up with, courtesy of my Mum! I love watching Hubs get all hip-hop when he sings along to this tune. *sigh*

Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world - Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'. Hubs and I danced to this at our wedding and every time I hear it now I'm reminded of the most amazing day of my life. Tear jerker for sure.

Call me Al - Paul Simon. One of my favourite songs. EVER. So much fun to dance to and a fab bass solo. No matter how blue I am, this song will always cheer me up.

Time After Time and True Colours - Cyndi Lauper. Two of the songs I grew up with thanks to my Mum's mixed tape. Cyndi sang them both at her concert Mum and I went to this year - such a great night. I didn't really understand the lyrics as a kid, (and perhaps sang a few wrong words) but I really appreciate her music. Plus I LOVE the 80s...

More than words - Extreme. Reminds me of my late teens and a good friend of mine in Sydney. Whenever this plays on the radio I am suddenly on stage, singing this song to a crowd of screaming fans. Hey! A girl can dream!

Ultimate Fun

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I am desperate to blog about our weekend back in Brisbane, but until I can upload the photos, there's just no point, as they explain our weekend so much better than I ever could with words.

So in the mean time, let me tell you about a new sport Hubs and I are playing. Ultimate Disc! (aka Ultimate, flying disc). It is SO much fun and very good for our fitness. My friend from high school and her partner are very into it and invited us along for a game a few weeks ago. Actually, it was 3 games and we ended up playing for 2 and a half hours. That's a LOT of running.

It's kind of a mixture between netball and gridiron. Kind of... We play in Albert Park (St Kilda) on a field about 100m by 30m and there are end zones where, if you catch the disc whilst in the zone you score a point. You start the game and each point with 1 team at each end of the field, lined up Braveheart style. At the start of each point, one team starts off in attack, and the other team "pulls" the disc (throws it as far as they can) and are on the defense. We play either Man-D (pick a player and mark them) or zone defense (which we're still getting the hang of). You can't run with the disc (like Netball) but you can take a few steps to slow down once you have it. You're often sprinting when you receive it, though in my case, it's more of a fast jog.

As I mentioned, there's a LOT of running and it's very fast-paced. The good thing is, after each point you get a bit of a breather. The game finishes either when 1 team has scored 15 points (half time is at 8 points) or after an hour and 20 minutes has passed. It's self-refereed which makes it a very honest game and Ultimate is all about the Spirit of the Game. So much so, that they have Spirit Captains whose job it is to keep the game running smoothly.

Last night Hubs and I both had a great game. Hubs took a massive leap in defence which prevented the opposition from scoring a goal and our Team Captain was so impressed that he ran on to the field to give Hubs a high 10! He told me on the sideline that people will play for 10 years without ever pulling off such great defence. I was so proud. We both went on to score goals in the game as well - Hubs scored 2 and I scored 1. We won 15-4.

At the end of the game we all huddle in a circle, ensuring we are standing between 2 opposition players, and the Captain of the losing team (different to Spirit Captain) thanks their opposition for a great game and perhaps shares how they felt the game went, and gives the team 3 big cheers. Then the Captain of the winning team does the same. It's a bit mushy but it's actually a pleasant way to end the game.

It's a nice way to start the week on a Monday night, though when we play the 8:30pm games, we don't get home til almost 11! Lucky I'm working so close to home these days.

A flying visit

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I gotta say I'm a little excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hubs and I are taking another quick trip back to Brisbane this weekend for my Grandpa's 90th birthday. Even though we'll be completely exhausted when we get home on Sunday, especially now that there's a time difference, it's totally worth it. We arrive in the Vegas Friday night at 11pm, then it'll be all hands on deck on Saturday setting up for the lunch time party, then it's party time! Then we're heading out to catch up with a few friends Saturday night, then it's Mum's birthday on Sunday (Happy Birthday Mum!!!) which we will be celebrating over brekky, then it's a catch up with my Mum-in-law, then off to the airport for a 2:30pm flight.

Phew. I'm exhausted. BUT EXCITED!!!! I love coming home for wee visits. It's so nice to be around familiar faces and streets and weather. And my Nanny always gets particularly excited to see us, exclaiming "where is she" as soon as our car drives in. I always feel like a bit of a celebrity on these types of visits. Even though it's not ALL about us, everyone wants to see us and it makes me feel super-spesh.

I've just done a proof-read of this post, and realise that I've referred to both Brisbane and Melbourne as "home". I guess it's nice to know that Brisbane will always be my home town, but that I feel happy and comfortable enough to call Melbourne home for the time being.

It's going to be GREAT!!

Saving Daylight and wasting time

Monday, October 6, 2008

Just so y'all know we've wound our clocks forward 1 hour down here so we're a bit out of sync now. Actually, I think it's Queensland that's out of sync really, (I LOVE daylight savings!!) but I'm sure they'll catch up some time!

The sun didn't set til 7:30pm yesterday! Though, when I got up at 7am today, it was "really" 6am which is not cool. Apparently the first couple of weeks are a bit tough, but we'll get used to it I'm sure.

But not only did I lose an hour yesterday due to daylight savings, I also lost another hour and 40 minutes watching the WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!! Hubs and I had a free night so we decided to watch "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Now I'm going through the process of forgetting Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It should have had a warning on it saying "This is a crap video. Half way through I wanted to make a cup of tea." (Ref: Jimeoin) It was the biggest pile of poo I've ever watched. In fact, watching a pile of poo for an hour and 40 minutes would have been more bearable.

I thought it was going to be one of those gross comedies like Van Wilder or Knocked Up which I quite liked. But no. It was just hideously boring and cringe-worthy. I would have stopped watching after 15 minutes but Hubs thought we should give it a bit longer. After 45 minutes, it had gotten even worse, but now Hubs needed "closure". Closure shmlosure. I was uncomfortable and irritated and bewildered by the whole process. Luckily, my good friend Adele rang me with 10 minutes to go so I got out of watching the final blows.

I know what you're saying: why didn't I just get up and do something else? Well we were watching this drivel in bed on my laptop and I was enjoying snuggling up to Hubs so at least I got SOME enjoyment out of the process.

I rate this movie negative 87 stars; worst.... movie.... ever....

Counting my blessings

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Spirit

Since Hubs and I arrived in Melbourne, God has been working hard to make sure we settle in okay down here. Actually, he seems to have been working overtime to pre-arrange things and ensure that everything works out for us, just as HE planned, not us. If I had my way, the following would have happened:

Hubs and I would have found a place to rent in the Moonee Ponds area
Which means:
We'd be paying around $300 a week in rent
We'd be paying around $70 per week in food
We'd be paying around $50 per week in transport
Plus bills
I'd have 2 part-time jobs and half a day off to chill-out
We'd find a nice Uniting Church with some young adults hopefully near our place

And here's what REALLY happened:

Hubs and I were offered a place at Newman College
From day 3 (yes, it took 3 days) we have felt very welcomed and included and accepted in a tight-nit, open and inviting community
We pay very reasonable rates for accommodation, all meals and all bills
We live right next door to uni which means no regular transport costs for Hubs
I have accepted a full-time job at Newman College which means no regular transport costs for me
We live 1 suburb out of town - less than 2km from Central Station
We worship at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Newman College and we're really enjoying the services
We've met some amazing people and had interesting conversations over good food and great wine
Hubs and I get to spend heaps of quality time together, as we have no travel time to factor in to our days
Life is good.

I spent so much time and energy (and tears) on worrying and stressing about homes, jobs and money, and surprise surprise, God had it all under control the whole time. And he does this to me ALL the time.

When am I going to learn?

Jobs, jobs, and more jobs!

Monday, September 29, 2008

I just finished writing a post that I'm yet to publish, that outlines my extensive job history. It's frightening. No, really. I'm almost tempted to hit the DELETE POST button and just forget that I ever composed such a hideous list. But in the spirit of not taking myself too seriously, I'm going to keep it and publish it in a wee while.

So in the mean time, I would like to ask y'all, particularly those who know me, to hazard a guess as to how many jobs I've had. And I'm talking about from my first job as a paper deliverer to my current position here in Melbourne. I'm talking, temping, casual, part-time, full-time, permanent, semi-permanent, (are we talking about hair dyes now??) and my favourite, cash-in-hand.

Go on, give it a crack.

There's a hair in there

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Is it just me, or are stray pieces of hair annoying to other people as well? I sometimes get a loose hair down the back of my shirt and it drives me insane. I have to go searching for it and get rid of it, otherwise it just irritates me. And for those particularly illusive ones that take a while to find, the feeling of satisfaction when you finally get that sucker out is pure bliss. I've even been known to utter such things as "gotcha ya bastard" or "ah ha you little sucker!" Yeah. I told you I was crazy.

And what about when you get a stray hair in your mouth?? (How many of you are gagging right now thinking of it?!) Hubs and I were briefly talking about people who chew on their hair and then get a big hairball in their stomaches that they can't digest. Eeeeeeew! Okay, I'm gagging thinking about it now...

But yes. I was mainly talking about the hair down the back of the shirt. It drives me nuts. Is it just me???

Footy Fever

Friday, September 26, 2008

It's grand final weekend!!!! Exciting, I know! Hubs and I have only just started to get in to the AFL down here. We've picked our team - St Kilda - and since they're not in the final (they've only ever won 1 premiership) we'll just be watching the final tomorrow because that's what everyone else will be doing. There's a big parade through the city today which is a tradition that about 50,000 people go to see. I won't be one of them.

So to get into the footy fever, here's a photo of Hubs and I at a game a few weeks ago. We were barracking for our second team - the Bulldogs. (Not of the NRL!!! Yeuck)


The Bulldogs ended up winning this game which was exciting for our friend who is a HUGE Bulldogs fan (and isn't too happy that we've chosen the Saints over the Dogs). One of the most amusing things I find about AFL is that there are little breaks throughout the whole game, where someone is kicking a goal, where the number of people on the field suddenly doubles! There are people running in from everywhere with towels, drinks, pats on the back, and no doubt some magic spray! Here's what I'm talking about:


See all those people dressed in white?? They're freeloaders! Trying to get their 15 seconds of fame! Anyway, the atmosphere around here is very exciting and I'm sure Hubs and I will have a good time tomorrow.

Oh! In case you're wondering, the two teams in the final are Hawthorn Hawks and Geelong Cats. We're going for the Hawks because a) the Chaplain at the college is a huge fan and b) because my bro and his girlfriend live in Hawthorn... Brisbane. It's NOT because of their colours. Who wears Brown and Yellow together?? I mean, really...

The REAL name for misheard lyrics

Thanks Durdlin for informing me of the technical term for a misheard lyric or line in a poem: Mondegreen! What a fabulous word! I knew there was some fancy name for my bloopers, so thanks for letting me know!

Now I can happily sing my own lyrics to songs and know that I'm not the only one out there... until this guy falls down on me... (the sky! the sky!!)

The Alderman

Thursday, September 25, 2008

A Beer

Hubs and I were invited out last Saturday night to a going away party for one of the current college residents. She's off to live at Oxford University in England for a few years which is all very posh and exciting. For those of you who aren't Queenslanders or who hate the footy (shame on you) you may not be aware that the Brisbane Broncos played against the Melbourne Storm in the NRL semi-finals. And being a HUGE Broncos fan, I really wanted to watch the game. In Melbourne, the only time they will EVER broadcast the NRL is if Melbourne are playing, so I was very excited that we were going to a pub for the night!

Alas, when we arrived, it wasn't a "pub" as much as a "trendy la-di-da bar with fancy-pants coctails and ritzy beers on offer". (It's not so fancy that it has it's own website though!) So I had to rely on my good friends Adele and Neil who were at the game in Brisbane to give me updates! Unfortunately the Storm were too good in the end, but this post was supposed to be about The Alderman! See what happens when you get me started on the Broncos??!!

Right. Where was I? Ah yes. One of Melbourne's lovely little bars that you wouldn't look twice at walking down the street, but is well worth the visit. Hubs and I had champagne (okay okay, it was sparkling white) and had a lovely time getting to know our fellow Newmanites off-campus. It was an old Victorian house (or 2) that had been converted into a bar and restaurant with a gorgeous little area out the back that would be best visited in the warmer months. It even had a dart board that kept the boys entertained while us girls talked about girly things together.

I just feel like there are all these amazing places to discover, but we just don't know where to start! Local knowledge is the key! I wish I had some photos to share with you, but maybe next time!

The REAL Lyrics #7

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

YOU thought Huey Lewis and The News were singing
"It's hip to be square"
but what I hear is
"Let's hit the beats yeah"

Makes sense to me!

Before and After

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I do love a good "before and after" sequence (see College Life). Whether it be seasonal change, people's before and after shots, maps showing how an area or country used to be. It's all good. In my own life, I'm pretty good at the after shots, but not so good at the before shots. For example, the trees have been completely bare since we arrived in Melbourne, and I keep thinking to myself "I must take some photos from each season down here." But alas it hasn't happened. And today it's just too darn cold and windy for me to want to venture outside.

I DID however just take an "after" photo of the flowers that Hubs bought me last weekend! (Okay, so I bought them for him to give to me, but a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do! I went to a flower market and these gorgeous gerbras only cost $3.99!! Cost me NOT to buy them!!) They have lasted beautifully all week and now they're droopy but still gorgeous! They're sitting on my window sill as I write this.

Don't I just have the most wonderful hubs in the world??

Actually, Hubs has only ever given my flowers once, but to be fair he did make them himself:

And I still have them after 18 months! They're the most beautiful flowers I've ever been given.

10 things....

Friday, September 19, 2008

I MISS about Brisbane

1. My friends and family (you know who you are :-)
2. Working at YACMU
3. The convenience of having a car
4. The predictable weather
5. Being able to see people whenever I want
6. Mt Coot-tha lookout
7. The warm water at the beaches
8. My Nanny
9. TEA Party & Toowong UC
10. Having a friend or 2 who can just drop around when I need them :-)

4 seasons in 4 days

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I realise that Melbourne is a place of extreme crazy weather changes, but come on! Last Thursday was cold and miserable, Friday spring came along - it was 23 degrees, sunny and lovely, Saturday was pretty damn nice, apart from the crazy wind, Sunday was cold with the most violent winds I've experienced, (and I'm married!!), and yesterday and today have gone back to 9 degrees during the day!! Freezing!!!

Just when I was getting out the summer dresses. *sigh*

On another Melbourne note, if you ever come to visit this wild city, make sure you buy tram and train tickets. Seriously. We've been here for almost 3 months and we've encountered 3 lots of ticket inspectors. Of COURSE we had tickets every time (we're so good like that!) but we saw a few people try and talk their way out of it but got TOTALLY busted. That'll be $130 thank you very much. It's funny cos it wasn't us...

A small insight

The Spirit

I feel like I've been being a bit airy-fairy on my blog. I also feel a bit censored. It's like when I used to write in my diary, and I'd be scared to write what I REALLY felt, in case someone read it and thought I was a nutter, or in case they got offended. It turns out that I AM a nutter, but only a little bit. I still think I hold back a little when I write in my current diary. I guess I just can't help it. Maybe I should try and be a little more out there and honest with the world. My friend once told me that I was one of the most self-aware people she knows. And I am. I'm aware of my crazy thoughts as I'm thinking them; I'm aware of my irrationality at times; even as the craziness is escaping from my mouth and eyes and nose, I'm thinking to myself "Noooooooooooo.... don't doooooo iiiiiittt". What's the use of having self-awareness, when I have no self-control?

It reminds me of the Scrubs episode where Elliot starts dating Nurse Flowers and is trying to act all normal around him. Then one day, "the crazy" just bursts out of her and she spills her guts all over him. And even though she thought it would completely turn him off, he just digs her even more.

I think I come across all together and composed, but really my head is constantly racing with a million thoughts and feelings and insecurities and insane assumptions about people. I'm so hard on myself and am constantly assessing and re-assessing and trying to figure out my place on this earth. And then once I figure it out, I doubt myself, and the whole process starts all over again.

I often wish I was one of those confident, super-cool chicks who seemingly run their lives with perfect precision, knowing exactly what they want, and how they're going to get it. But I wonder if they have the same crazy thoughts running around in their heads. Maybe if I WAS like that, Hubs wouldn't have fallen desperately in love with me. Maybe I'm lucky that he finds my craziness endearing. Yes. Very lucky. And so very blessed.

So maybe I need to embrace this characteristic and let myself be myself, within reason of course. Except for once a month. Once a month I have neither control NOR awareness of what comes out of my mouth.

Stay tuned for more crazy to come.

The REAL Lyrics #6 (this one could be a bit rude)

Monday, September 15, 2008

In Aerosmith's song "Dude looks like a lady" I thought they were saying something along the lines of "Do me like a lady." I have NO idea where that came from... I apologise if anyone found this offensive (I think it's pretty darn funny!!!) :-)

Pigtails for you, Pigtails for me

Friday, September 12, 2008

For a number of years now, some friends and I have been celebrating "Pigtail Friday". What does this mean, you ask? It just means that we all wear pigtails on a Friday in unity. We wear high pigtails, low pigtails, plait pigtails... "As long as there's 2, it doesn't matter what you do!" And sometimes we might take a moment to think of our friends, no matter where they are, and perhaps send up a prayer for them.

So if you'd like to participate, all you need is a couple of elastics and a part down the middle of your head. Here is one way you can wear your pigtails!



(Okay, so TECHNICALLY we're only wearing 1 pigtail each, but I'm allowed to make up the rules!!)

Or if you want to go for 2 on your own:



Get creative ladies! And please feel free to send me photos of you wearing your pigtails on a Friday to put up on the Blog. We can take over the world! One pigtail at a time!!!!

A Toast

Thursday, September 11, 2008

When it comes to public speaking, I'm the type of person to either a) be completely prepared and read off a piece of paper or b) be entirely unprepared and joke my way through it. I've never really been great at public speaking, and unless I'm reading off a piece of paper, or joking around, I don't have the confidence to stand up in front of a group and deliver something to remember. I also generally just get through it and then not really remember much about it afterwards. But last Saturday night, that all changed.

Hubs and I have been audience to quite a number of speakers since living on college, and in our opinion (well, his more strongly than mine) the best speakers are those who a) don't read their notes, b) don't memorise their speech and then just say it from beginning to end, and c) come across naturally and genuinely, only needing notes to prompt them.

Over the weekend, Hubs and I went up to the Vegas for my cousin's 21st birthday and after being there for a couple of hours, I decided that I would like to make a speech. I frantically scribbled a whole lot of notes and started putting something together. Then I stopped. I thought to myself "I can do this on my own. I don't need to write this out word for word. I can do this!" So I wrote down 4 things that I wanted to mention, and left the rest up to fate. I gotta say, I don't think I've EVER been so nervous in my life. Those 3 glasses of Lambrusco (yes, I drink Lambrusco) that I had just drunk vanished from my bloodstream from the adrenaline pumping around my body. My mouth went dry, my palms got sweaty, my legs felt like they were going to buckle and I started questioning my decision to fly solo.

All of a sudden, the floor was open to anyone who wanted to make a speech. I stood up (rather shakily) and as nervous as I was, delivered a pretty damn good speech. (Well I thought so anyway!) I was in the moment. I was actually listening to myself, instead of just reading something word-for-word. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had with public speaking.

So thank you Hubsband, for giving me the courage and encouragement I needed to give something new and exciting a go. I'm actually looking forward to the next time!

The REAL Lyrics #5

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Okay, so I sang SO many words wrong in this one. This song was on a mixed tape of my Mum's that I memorised as an 8-year-old. Firstly, I didn't even know what a Centrefold was - I thought it was some sort of centipede.

Centrefold - Status Quo

Does she walk? Does she talk?
Does she call the police? (Does she come complete?)

Slipped me notes under the desk
Flowers flicking about her dress (While I was thinkin' about her dress)

I was shakin' in my shoes
Bless those blasted betty-boos (Whenever she flashed those baby-blues)

Consealed in that negligee (Too see her in that negligee)
Still it's just too much (Is really just too much)


So yeah. Only found out the real lyrics when I looked them up just now. Hubs finds it rather amusing.

Check it!

I'd like to show off my mousepad and tell you all that it's the COOLEST MOUSEPAD EVER!!!!!



And yes, I still LOVE the 80s!!!

The REAL Lyrics #4

Friday, September 5, 2008

See, I'm not the only one!
Check out FAILblog!

Little Cupcakes

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Whilst my good friend A-dele was visiting a couple of weeks ago, we stumbled upon the most delightful little cupcake shop called, well, Little Cupcakes! And I gotta say they were little beauties!!

I would be most happy to take anyone along for a treat when they come to visit! (jazzy cat - you are going to LOVE this place if you haven't tried it out already!!)

We teamed up with our friend Tegan from high school and had the belgium button chocolate cupcakes.

A Star is Born

I'd like to paint a picture for you. A lovely Sunday afternoon in Melbourne (such a thing DOES exist), some wine, cheese and bickies, a picnic blanket, great company, and a huge oval field of luscious green grass. At each end, 4 giant poles stand in anticipation of the game that's about to begin. The referee takes the field, looking a little worse for wear - like he'd had a big night out the night before. On one side are the Ormondians, geared up for the 4th and last game of their short season. And on the other side are the Newman Stars.

For those who don't know much about arial ping-pong (aka AFL) 18 players from each side take the field and not only did 18 Newman boys run on at the start of the match, they had another full team on the bench. Such is the excitement of playing college football.

A bit of background information for you about the Newman boys: They have 2 teams at the college, The Firsts (like Australia) and the Stars (like Australia A). The Firsts generally do very well (incidently they are playing in the finals next weekend.) The Stars have got a lot of heart, but not much of that translates to points on the scoreboard. In fact, the Stars team hadn't won a game since 2005. But in the first few minutes, they proved to their opposition that they were going to put up a fight. With 2 early goals in the first 5 minutes, they just about passed their total number of points scored all season. And it didn't stop there!

The points kept coming, and in the middle of it all was a young Queensland boy, in boots bought only an hour before kick-off, who was putting his body on the line for his team and for College pride, and on the sideline sat the most proud, impressed Wifey you can imagine! I was also accompanied by a few friends who came down to watch and it was so much fun! One of Hub's friends even came all the way from Brisbane to watch him play!

Hubsband had an absolute ball and after his first game a couple of weeks before, he started using tactics (trying not to get killed) and really got in to it (sometimes involuntarily!!) The final score was something like 65 to 20 and it was a great afternoon. Here are some happy snaps:

Hubs about to take a classic catch (oops, wrong sport) a MARK during warm-up (doesn't he look sexy in his jersey!!??)



A few members of Hubs' fan club



The Team Victory Photo 24th August 2008

10 things...

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

I LOVE about living in Melbourne!!

1. Trams - they come ALL THE TIME!!
2. Public Transport in general - I've mastered the trains, trams and buses and am finding it so easy (okay okay, so I've caught the wrong tram, the wrong train, and missed a few stops on the bus, but I'm getting there!!)
3. Coffee - you can find a decent coffee almost anywhere! AND CHEAP TOO!! I can get a soy flat white or soy mocha for 3 bucks!! (FYI I was paying up to $4.50 in Brisbane at one stage!)
4. Living on college - it's still a little weird sometimes, but generally we are loving it here. The people are great, the location couldn't be better, and the food is... well... it's college food. Let's not get TOO excited!
5. Walking everywhere - It's been great walking to work and just generally getting around on foot
6. The unpredictable weather - okay, so I don't love this, but if I don't embrace it, it will get me down! Actually, it really hasn't been too bad!
7. Great food - ahem... outside the college that is! (in all fairness, the college food isn't THAT bad, I'm just missing my veges!! There's lots of meat, pasta, rice, and potatoes and desserts. Lots of desserts. I'm trying to be good!!) No, the food I'm referring to is on Lygon st, or any other little alleyway you come across!
8. The opportunity to get to know my hubsband - this is the first time Hubs and I have really lived together alone (for more than a few weeks) since we got married and I must say it's been just lovely. We're still learning each other's habits and moods and having lots of fun doing so!
9. The lovely old pubs - Melbourne has a way of doing up a pub without gutting it and ripping out all the old character and style (exhibit "a" in the Vegas - Dooleys aka "The Valley"... yeuck!) We haven't found a favourite yet, but if you'd like to come and visit and help us look, come on down!
10. The endless number of alleyways that I keep discovering - by day they are empty, but at night time the umbrellas, heaters, tables, chairs and menus come out and out of the blue there are a dozen restaurants to choose from!

Sorrento

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Hubs and I took a road trip a few weekends ago down to Sorrento which is about 90km down the peninsular from Melbourne. We tripped in the kombi which was lovely and stayed overnight at Hub's grandparent's house - they own a house about 15 minutes walk from the main street and not much further to the beaches. It was a lovely relaxing time and we hope to visit again soon.

Here are some photos of our trip:

A pretty sunset



It was quite chilly!!



Mmmmmmm.... breakfast....













The view from the lookout. It was lovely up there. We're looking forward to heading back in summer time, though I'm not sure I'm crazy enough to brave the water!