Its my life

                    

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bring on the rain!

My adventure into the city on Wednesday all turned out good, met aunty heather and cousin emma with no problem at all, walked around the city a bit, watched some whacky buskers in the mall, had lotf, dodged the charles dickens and that was about it. There is a big push for us to get to coffs now for Nans 80th as EVERYONE is going to be there which means meeting more aunts, uncles, cousins, and half brothers that I have never set eyes on or spoken to before... we shall see. Its going to cost a small fortune if we do go, it is cheaper to fly to Darwin 4000kms away than fly half way up the coast!

Thursday was another epic journey into the city with Paul to view the Salvador Dali exhibition. After sleeping in (due to waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy too much wine the previous night) we missed the earlier train but were in plenty of time for the next one. So we walked down to the NGV in great anticipation of the great artist and his surrealist work. The lovely NGV men in black suits directed us to the line..... and OH what  a line it ended up being. It wove around and around and took us 37 minutes just to get to the ticket booth. Paul managed to engage in a lovely little chat with the ticket selling lady about the Pompeii exhibition that is on at the Melbourne Museum at the moment. Laugh and relief ensued from the said ticket lady when we told her that we both went to the exhibition many years ago as kids when it was here last time. (I'm guessing about 28 - 30 years ago) the ticket lady was just so happy that someone else knew that yes it had been on before and that she wasnt making it up when she told her friends she had seen it once upon a time too. Sheesh.... take a breath ticket lady and dont panic so much about the past!

Anyway.... we did get into the gallery and much to our disgust it was packed out! it was like queing again which I can tell you we had quite enough of already! We managed to weave and doge through the swarming crowds and see lots of great stuff and then simply back tracked at the end and did it all again backwards catching the things we didnt see the first time through.

We were going to have a look around at other stuff at the NGV but Paul had had enough by then and was eager to get his fix of LOTF, which I agreed with also. Sadly it wasnt a good LOTF experience this time, we both agreed that it might be better to stick with the known rather than make hasty ambitious decisions and venture out bodly with different sauces.

So off to the Charles Dickens it was after that, a couple of pints of Tetleys for me and coke for Paul (how can a pub not have sarsparilla????) as we listened to some idle banter from the two gentlemen next to our table speak of how the place had a great IRISH feel to it! FOR GOODNESS SAKE YOU IDIOT! It SCREAMS ENGLISH all through.... glad the poms at the bar didnt hear you.
A funny thing was set up on some of the tables though.... lovely tea pots and cups and saucers with bowls of jam and cream.... yes! There was to be a high tea party at the Charles Dickens English pub. They came in their various groups, all the elderly and seemed to have a lovely time, we did leave before them though so maybe they hit the hard stuff later on.

Off to China Town where despite walking from one end to the other and ducking into various shops no Joss papers were to be found, which was an integral part of venturing into the city that day too. Paul was not impressed but resigned himself to ebay instead.

After a long day and myself feeling sicker and sicker as the day progressed we were glad to get on the train home again. It was a fun day as always though.

As for Friday..... what else is there to say but COLLINGWOOD WON THE FOOTBALL! albeit only by one point but a win is a win!

today I venture into the depths of the big city without a mask! how daring is that!
today I meet my aunt and cousin for the first time ever, Emma is 16 and Aunty Heather is ?? but must be about 10 - 15 years older than me I think. It is going to be a bit weird I guess but pfft, been through it with different long lost family members before and if we do get to coffs in October at least I will know someone else!
Thankfully it looks like it isnt going to be too much of a bitter cold day, this morning when I was up with the birds taking missy to the train the sun was actually looking like it was going to shine which is a good thing.
Im a bit sick of hearing about MJ already and we have the whole day to still get through.
Perhaps I should have hired some news crew to do the whole live tv reunion thing with me, Emma and Aunty Heather, might have taken some of the spotlight of the poor Jackson family. Afterall, this is big news in the Jones family! They have been waiting 39 years for this... blah blah blah

In other news, the flat tyre on hilda the hybrid ended up costing $160 cause the tyre was stuffed after she drove on it :(
stupid cars, her father should have bought her a horse and cart

today saw us heading down to the valley in earnest searching of appropriate NGV attire for the padster. Many a bargain was purchased from OP boutiques much to the joy of all. But the ironic thing was that the appropriate NGV attire was actually retail and brand new but still so so cheap from a clearance outlet. Who says you need to pay full price for anything!
My kids all scored well with various pieces of clothing and I even managed to get a pair of jeans...woo hoo me! Another purchase was a brand new still in box George Forman grill thingy which may or may not end up being sold on ebay as due to the size of it it really is no good for my family's use. A really nice day out in all and home just in time to pick up Missy who was in the city for the day catching up with some Monash girls. Yes all is good except for the fact that we all spread our lergy germs all around the valley today. But my mum always taught us to share...

"Family nightmare as dog dies of fear in war zone"

and this one

"Brave mum saves daughter from firing line"

these are headlines from our Top End Newspaper "The Territory News"
Honestly when I was up there last year and again just last week I was intrigued by the headlines of the main newspaper of the NT that are crazy, unbelievable or just plain stupid.
Although these stories (when you do take the time to actually read them) tell you that it was all about firecracker night in Darwin, I guess it does sell papers.

 

                                     

So our 4000km (well 3700km approx if you ask James) return trip to Darwin came to an end this morning as we headed through some fierce turbulence in the last 200km.
Had a fantastic week, met some great new people, drank loads of beers in the sunshine, went deep sea fishing, caught some amazing fish and just had a wow of a time.
The wedding went really well, and James was actually amazing to us all.
Last year when we were up there we didnt get down to Litchfield but we sure did this year which was just gorgeous..... went to Adelaide River too which has every store except the post office that sells alcohol.
So next year when we go back for Fiona's 40th (wishful thinking perhaps) all I really need to do is go out to Humpty Doo which is one of those bogan 'must do' things apparently that the locals don't really seem to keen on doing!
AND I know where I was the day Michael Jackson died and just what I was doing too.... even though he over shadowed Farrah.
Now I just need to kick back, get used to the cold weather again and enjoy my next 3 weeks off work.
Would love love love to catch up with some people that I havent seen or spoke to for a while but we shall see what happens I guess.
We are all pretty knackered after the flight home but have all had a fairly lazy day doing not too much which has been great.



Photos to follow.......

just three I mean four more sleeps until we shall be complaining of the hot weather
busy day at work today, trying to tie up loose ends before Im not there
had a disturbing conversation with the principal regarding one student
spent way too much money after school but did manage to get a very cool logitech headset amongst other items purchased
I now own two pairs of REAL winter pyjamas, I have not owned pyjamas as such since I was a kid! but I have just been so so so cold of late that I had to do something
this morning when I got to work this morning two of the fingers I have remaining on my muppet hand were  white with cold and took a long time to come back to normal.
went to la porchetta tonight for dinner while missy was at the movies, there was a very strange man sitting at the table next to us with his wife and kids, he was actually a total tool, very up himself and condescending to his family.
early morning tomorrow which sucks but oh well....these are the things that life throws at us and no matter how much we try and duck to avoid them they still seem to hit us square in the face

hate it hate it hate it
hate the silence
hate the lack of contact
hate the silent treatment
hate being ignored

stolen from http://wayne.blat.co.za/2009/06/17/greatest-tattoo-ever/

so so cold today,,, the fog was thick this morning and didnt lift all day...
can't wait until this time next week when we are soaking up the sunshine in Darwin

saw this on the way home from work today.. as always it looked more specky in real life!

The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.

and why won't she contact us?

Since it has been such a long time since I have posted an entry I thought that I should write something.
But I came up with nothing to tell really.
Life is the same old same old.
Work, home, sleep, work, home sleep, quite rhetorical actually.

the cold weather kind of sucks and makes one quite reclusive and anti social too

but the good news is..... 10 days until we are soaking up the sunshine in Darwin, can't wait for that although this time last year when we were up there I did get rather sick of being hot. Sheesh some people are just so hard to please arent they!

Eddie delivered a load of redgum this morning so the home fire is a burning nicely, a chimney sweeps dream (or nightmare) comes in the form of red wood burning burning throughout the winter.

note to self: must get the chimney cleaned out soon too

You Are Rain

You are dark and dramatic. You tend to be a bit over the top. You have strong emotions and they can change quickly. You are tempestuous. You are wild and unpredictable. You tend to overwhelm and surprise people. While you are aggressive, you are also a homebody. You don't really care for physical activities.

my life is one big recurring nightmare

youtuber

just not impressed

May 8: wwjkd

Dear LJ friends,
I don't really know how to tell you this, but The mafia wants you. I think I realized it That night you picked your nose in a clown suit and I saw you Sit on My corned beef hash . I'm sure you're Scarred enough to understand That I get turned on only by garbage men. I'm returning the couch cushions to you, but I'll keep your collection of butterflies as a memory. You should also know that I am better off without you and thanks for the cocaine
Greetings to your frog Leonard,
Steph








Here's how you do it:
Dear (someone you recently talked to),
I don't really know how to tell you this, but (1). I think I realized it (2)(3) and I saw you (4)(5). I'm sure you're (6) enough to understand (7). I'm returning (8) to you, but I'll keep (9) as a memory. You should also know that I (10) and (11).
(12),
(Your name)
then tag 15 people


1) What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - I'm in love with your cat
Red - Our affair is over
White - I’m joining the Convent
Black -Our romance is over
Green- Our socks don't match
Grey - You're a leprechaun
Yellow - I'm selling myself for candy
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - Purple hedgehogs want to destroy you
Other -I dislike your eyelashes

2) Which is your birth month?
January - That night you picked your nose
February -When I quoted Forest Gump
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on peanut butter
May - When I finally changed my underwear
June - When you put cuffs on me
July – When I saw the purple monkey
August - When you smacked my ass
September - Last year when you peed your pants
October - When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
November - When your dog humped my leg
December - When I threw up in your sock drawer

3) Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Chicken- In your car
Pasta - Outside of your office
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad – As you were eating Kraft Dinner
Lasagna - In your closet
Kebab - With Jean Chrétien
Seafood - In a clown suit
Sandwiches - At the Elton John concert
Pizza - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a street light
Other- With George Bush and Stephen Harper

4) What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Ignore
Red - Put whipped cream on
Black - Hit on
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - bite off
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the pants off of
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive over

5) What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My boyfriend
White - My father
Grey – The Catholic Priest
Brown – The Montreal Canadian’s goalie
Purple - My corned beef hash
Red – My knee caps
Blue - My salt-beef bucket
Yellow - My illegitimate child in Ghana
Orange - My Blink 182 cd
Pink – Your ‘My Little Pony’ collection
Other --The elephant in the corner

6) What do you prefer to watch on TV?
One Tree Hill - Senile
Heroes- Frostbitten
Lost - High
Simpsons- Cowardly
The news - Scarred
American Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Open
Top Model - Middle-class
Other -shamed

7) Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful you are
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That I get turned on only by garbage men
Angry - That your smell makes me vomit
Depressed – That we’re related
Excited - That I may pee my pants
Nervous - The middle-east is planning their revenge on you
Worried - That your Ford sucks
Apathetic - That you need a sex-change
Silly - That I'm allergic to your earlobes
Cuddly - That Santa doesn't exist
Ashamed - That there is no solution to you being a dumb kid
Other - That your driving sucks

8) What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your toe ring
Yellow - Your love letters to me
Red - The pictures from Vegas
Black - Your pet rock
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - Your car
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your nose hair clippers
Grey - Our matching snoopy underwear
Purple - Your old New Kids on the Block blanket
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your Hannah Montana underwear

9) The first letter of your first name?
A/B - My virginity
C/D - Your photo with the mustache drawn on it
E/F - Your neighbors dog
G/H - The oil tank from your car
I/J - Your left ear
K/L - Your results to that certian blood test
M/N - Your glass eye
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X – Your sucide note
Y/Z - Your credit cards

10) The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Love your sweet, sweet ass
C/D - Always will remember the pep talks
E/F -Never will forget that night
G/H – Will not tell the authorites that you stole the whale from the backyard.
I/J – Mocked you behind your back constantly
K/L - Hate your cooking
M/N - Told in my confession today about the moose poaching
O/P - Told my psychiatrist about the bruises
Q/R - Get sick when I think of your feet
S/T - Always wanted to break your legs
U/V - Will try to forget that you broke my heart
W/X - Haven’t showered in a month
Y/Z – am better off without you

11) What do you prefer to drink?
Wine- Our friendship is ruined
Soft drink – I’m off to lead a new life as a lemon
Soda – I will haunt you when I’m reincarnated as an Eskimo
Milk - The apartment building is on fire
Water – I'm scratching my butt as you read this
Cider– I have a passionate interest for mice
Juice – You ruined my attempts at another world war.
Snapple/Vitamin water – You should get that embarrassing rash checked out
Hot chocolate – Your Cucumber-fetishism is weird
Whiskey - I love Oprah Winfrey
Beer – Thanks for the Cocaine
Other – you should stop picking your nose

12) To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand – Warm tingly sensations
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
France - Love always
Spain - With tears of sadness
China – You make me sick
Germany – Please don’t hurt me
Japan - Go milk a cow
Greece - your everlasting enemy
USA - Best of luck on the sex change
Egypt – Kiss my butt
England - Go drown yourself

Who Should Paint You: Gustav Klimt

Sensual and gorgeous, you would inspire an enchanting portrait... With just enough classic appeal to be hung in any museum!

I too shall be hung in a museum with old relics



courtesy of i_am_clarice 
via hippypaul august_baby27

http://www.dutchorangeday.com/
 

shame its a bit too cold and wet and windy to trek into the big city to enjoy this great event

 

You Are A Loyal Sidekick

You aren't the most visible one in your group, but that's okay. You're always up for a good time or conversation. And you stick with your friends no matter what. You're unbelievably loyal. You may feel under appreciated - but it only seems that way! Your friends would be lost without you.

The Bible


because everyone should read the Bible

the Douay Rheims version

Happy Birthday
to you
Happy Birthday
to you
Happy Birthday
dear Paul..... (ratlikeboy)
Haaaapppppyyyyy Birthday
to you

xx

an engaged (busy) signal when you try to phone someone

You Are a Doer

You are primarily concerned with what is actual. You tend to be a practical person. You love to stay busy, and you are always immersed in projects. You are in touch with your senses, and you enjoy indulging them. You're likely a crafter of some sort. You crave different sensations in life, whether it's working with your hands, playing sports, or eating your favorite meal.

Done and done..... 5 day Ignatian Retreat in the middle of nowhere many yeas ago

None of Your Needs Are Being Met

Needs not being met: Physiological, love, safety, esteem, and self-actualization needs While it may seem surprising to you, none of your core needs are being met. You are not getting enough fuel to keep you going, and it's hindering every aspect of your life. Go back to square one. Work on getting enough rest, eating right, and even exercising. To be happy and fulfilled, your physical needs like food and sleep need to be taken care of.

an early start to the day with a quick drive to take one to work at 7.40am and then the need to feed the hungry led us to macdonalds (ewww) for a quick drive through breakfast sans meat being Friday and all.

lazed about for a couple of hours, did some jobs around the place and wondered why oh why was the water pump still running.... checked all taps inside, outside and then ventured out to the sacred teenager territory to find that the WC there was still running. Flushed and checked, still running but then noticed the drip was NOT from the inside of the bowl but the outside of the cistern!

turned water pump off under the house and went into town to pick up birthday present bicycle and tried not to think about plumbing for an hour or so

had to deal with it once home of course....

begrudgingly hailed landlord on tractor in driveway on his way to feed out the bovines, who came and checked it out, got some tools and proceeded to pull about the cistern, hence water flowing freely

after much deliberation and meek suggestions from myself, I offered to pick up some new washers that he thought may be the issue as I was going out again anyway to pick up missy from work

all was achieved and landlords ute was waiting eagerly for my return, so off he went to 'fix' things

well............. 3 hours later with the landlord making two trips into town for various parts that needed replacing after trying to fix things  and much water loss from our depleting tanks, including water gushing from UNDER the  floor and an anxious landlord racing to turn the pump off again and again, the problem is still there dripping into a bucket that he said hopefully will not overflow overnight!

and since the occupant of the said area is not even speaking to me there is not much I can do for now except do as I am told and 'if it is still no good in the morning steph, just holler out and I'll have another look'

we have dealt with the bushfires, dealt with earth tremors but floods from a cistern............. no thanks!

Temperature	6.6°C
Dew Point	2.9°C
Relative Humidity	77%
Wind Speed	33.3km/h
Wind Gusts	73.0km/h
Wind Direction	NW
Pressure	0.0hPa
Rain Since 9AM	0.4mm

Awoke to wild winds with the house shaking and windows rattling, trees down and just waiting now for the resident bovines to fly past the window

The Easter weekend holiday is officially over and we didnt score too badly this year in the traffic fatality stakes....only 1! woo hoo Victoria!

Pretty uneventful Easter was had here by all really, I worked up until Thursday and then Missy worked Good Friday (shock horror how heathenic (yes there is such a word) and Trevor gladly sold meat to the crowds too) and she worked Easter Sunday also which cut a huge chunk out of acually doin anything or going anywhere anyway.
We did venture out to the Rokeby market on Saturday though which turned into being a day of good purchases including basil, garlic chives, choc mint, aloe vera, a venus fly trap, dutch Poffertjes and of course the must have sausage and onion in bread. The most fancy purchase of though was a kit to make an alpaca and merino scarf using the 'felting' method. Very nicely turned out for a first try too, well done missy. But next time will be even betterer.
We hadnt been out there for quite a while so it was a bit of a novelty and everyone kept calm and happy.

And so today brings a morning of dentistry for two children which shall cost abot $200, then I feel the need to perhaps indulge them all in hot greasy chips and perhaps check out the goings on at poverty point to fill in a couple of hours and sulk over the cost of being financially responsible for teeth that arent even your own.

Then it is off to the pediatrician to hear the same thing as usual I guess, but how good would it be to hear some good news instead.

Thursday might just see a wee trip into the big city once more with yabbie and her simpson family to check out something at IMAX so the kids have done something half exciting over the holidays and can then answer pointless questions and complete useless projects on "What I did during my holiday" when they return to school. I do feel the need to introduce these unsuspecting people to LOTF and then Walkers Donuts that sell TAB, Cherry Cola and Dr Pepper and see what their reaction is.

This Sunday coming is the big Lardner market which is just a must go to event as i doesnt happen very often.

Also this week there is to be a purchase of a bicycle for the youngests birthday next week, so all in all my remaining days of the week are pretty much covered give or take one or two which must remain as relaxing days of course.

I've had an extra here the last couple of days which has helped keep one boy occupied and happy. They actually were running around yesterday making a movie and producing it on the computer which was better than being in front of the PS2 all day.

Oh its going to be a loverly day today says the radio man, so I really should leap up and greet the sunshine I guess.

and a pretty great day in the big city of Melbourne today with the kidlets, off to the Queen Victoria Market we did venture and just for the sake of it (being Lent and all) decided to walk through the fish and meat market to endure some last minute penance. Well with the youngest nearly dry retching by the end of it, all seemed good. A bit educational it is to walk through that part of the market, well I have never seen a whole sheep head on display to buy from a butcher before!

Spent a couple of hours wandering around and looking and not much buying done, but it sure filled in the time between trains.

and they were so well behaved too which was  great bonus.

The young boy had his first try at LOTF and was more than impressed, once tried there is an instant addiction!

AND..... we found Cherry Cola at the donut shop next doo to LOTF which I have never seen sold here before... my brothers did bring some back from the USA when they were in Kansas for school many many  years ago.

AND AND AND...... I found TAB which I have not seen since I was a pre pubescent teen!
I thought it got taken off the market for a reason???

Oh and of course it is  full moon tonight, theabove mentioned boy is going abslutely troppo beyond imagination.... life is never dull
but for now I am off to watchthe mighty magpies hopefullly whip some serious Cats in the footy

and yes they did make it to the top and back down again, strange thing to do on a Sunday morning, but we all have our own hobbies I guess

it came and it went, as simple as tha

no question about it....
abso fecking lutely I would tell

So whilst others are off swimming, beaching, shark catching, I find myself once again awake and driving far too early for a Saturday morning.
But with any luck it shall shortly change to every second Saturday but still every Sunday.

the passing time has been rather uneventful all round, the second earth tremor hit on Wednesday afternoon (yawn) which caused a bit of concern from some people as it was another 4.6 and the epicentre was in the same place.

A big thankyou must go to Mr Rudd for playing Father Christmas once again to his faithful taxpayers.
A furniture shopping spree was well overdue for our humble abode. We shall now have a new tv cabinet that our tv will actually fit on top of without the risk of falling off!
And the boy gets a new bed which we are all hoping quite insanely will help somehow cure the disaster zone his bedroom rapidly becomes. The idea is that the more floor space we can cover (hence the double bed) the less floor space will be covered with lego and crap!

Sadly and ironically after purchasing these new items that we shall have delivered later, that same night my washing machine decided to make funny noises and emit smoke and a terrible stench from its underparts.
I was told by a friend that maybe I should just claim it on insurance depending how high my excess is. Which will sure beat using Kevins money all at once!

so on this gorgeous sunny saturday, I shall soon find myself amongst the unemployed, or other creatures that have no washing machine  and have to go to the laundromat

such is life so they say, and humbling ones self is said to be good for the soul

I am: Isaac Asimov One of the most prolific writers in history, on any imaginable subject. Cared little for art but created lasting and memorable tales.

this was stolen from i_am_clarice who stole it from hippypaul 

Which science fiction writer are you?

http://www.theage.com.au/national/earth-tremor-rocks-metropolitan-melbourne-20090306-8rgc.html

 

It was all a bit surreal when it happened,
the kids got a bit of a fright, the noise came first and then the shaking of the house
who wouldnt want to live in Gippsland!

tomorrow could be more horrific than Black Saturday according to all the media hype and the added sms on our moble phones from the Victoria Police.
313 schools closed across the state tomorrow (but not the one I work at)
I guess it is better to be safe than sorry but after last Friday and the warnings and closures I think people are going to be a bit blase about things as nothing eventuated then.
My friendly neighbour and landlord is going to 'keep an eye on things' though in case it turns nasty.
All should be ok our way really but the poor buggers up further north are going to be in a bit of strife I dare say.
So no work for me tomorrow again which kind of sucks a bit. And we are supposed to check the Dept of Ed website tomorrow afternoon to check to see if schools are open on Wednesday or not.
Just wish the skies would open up and the rains would come down.




other trivial information............. our cat got into its first fight (if you could call it that) tonight. I turned the outside lights on and off like a shot went one of the farm cats. I found our big brave kitten hiding behind one of the deck chairs all shaky.
Just a taste of things to come I feel