Saturday, July 31, 2010

July's Something Different!

Well, what a month this turned out to be!  At the beginning of it, I was sick... so much so that missed two of my shifts at the Logan Art Gallery.  One of them I called in and said I couldn't make it and the other I clean forgot I was supposed to be there!  Well, that was the same day I had to pick up Stevie's food and other essentials at Garden City; which was supposed to take only about an hour or so but ended up taking half the day.
And while I was out on that day, I had bought two books from the QBD Stock Take Sale and the most gorgeous little fluffy figurine of Clifford, that I knew where he was going to go before I got him home... on my Mt TBR shelf, of course! 

On 3rd, July, I found myself out and about being the social Butterfly for once.  Some people moved in to unit 26 and they've ended up being really lovely.  And so, that weekend, most of their family arrived and on the Saturday, I chatted with a few of them and got some of the kids around the unit complex to become friends with the kids from Bundy who were visiting.  It was really cool.  The main reason why I got myself outside was because the weather had cleared up and warmed up too; and I didn't want to miss any of it.  

Between 6th and 10th July, I wasn't feeling all that great.  In fact, it wasn't to any virus or colds, I had an allergic reaction to a generic brand of Topamax.  Now let this be a big warning to anyone who wishes to try this out; and doesn't know if they'll be affected; you might be.  If your doctor says to stay on the brand name, do it.
I tried out the generic brand of this product and I felt as though I hadn't taken any of my meds at all.  I was dizzy, nauseous and very tired.  So, I called Mum and told her and she came over with my regular brand and I took that which made it worse!  So, she called an all-night chemist and they said that I may be allergic to an inactive filler they were using; and advised us to take the generic brand back to the chemist I got it from.  The next day, I had to go shopping and just barely remembered to get what I needed... it was a complete fog that day.  That afternoon, Mum took me to the chemist and we got the meds replaced and I took the regular, brand name Topamax and I took another few days to recover.  What a week!

On 11th, July, I had friends dropping by so I had to clean the house up a little and then there was the game between the Hawks and The Cats playing live at the MCG which I had on the television.  So, I did the tidying up and practiced the piano a little and my friends - Geoff and Viv - dropped around.  I made raisin toast under the grill (as the one I buy is too wide for the toaster) and we all sat and ate the delicious hot toast!  Well, I thought it to be a little rude to watch the game and talk at the same time; so we turned off the t.v. at half time and about an hour later they made tracks home.  However, when I went to turn on the television again, I found I had no power.  So, I called Energex and was told that there was indeed a power outage and it would be fixed by 5pm.  I decided to get ready to go out that night... it was only 3pm and I had hours to go, but I didn't like getting ready in the dark.  So a shower was called for and I put on my make-up too.  By 3:30pm, I was ready to leave the house, the power wasn't back on, I had the battery radio going and I was sitting outside reading a book with my mobile next to me. 
5pm came and went and the power came back on and went off just as quickly.  We were told that it would be another two hours before it came back on.  So, Mum and Dad came and picked me up to go to Katrina's Birthday Party at the Punjab Palace on Melbourne Street, West End.  We had a great time with fantastic food, funny people and we went off to The Boundary Hotel to listen to a band where as soon as I found a place to sit, I was chatted up by a New Zealander... haha... no matter how long I've been out of the pub circuit, it always happens.  I don't mind, they're nice people.

13th, July... 25 years ago was the most important time of any X-Gen's life!  It was when Live-Aide was performed all over the world in three major cities at once.  It was fantastic and I remember watching it!  The one thing that really stuffed it was that some of the news channels here in Australia got the dates wrong.
I gotta say it:  vinyls rule!  Also... Rockaways rule too!  There's this great shop not far from where I live and it has the most wonderful array of vinyls I've seen in a long time.  I can walk in with $10 and walk out with 3 vinyls in relatively good condition.  Or walk in with $25 - $40 and walk out with 1 vinyl in mint condition!  And vinyls aren't your thing, they have a huge range of dvds and cds.  They had a sale recently and I went there twice... and scored great bargains.

On 18th, July, the Hawks kicked butt!  They played the Brisbane Lions and slaughtered them by a mile!  Way to go, Hawthorne!  
Also on this date, I went to see my brother's band play at the Music Cafe on Boundary Street.  It's a cool place which a great atmosphere and his band is 'The Spruce Moose'.  My niece, Riley was there as was Katrina.  We all had a great time and it was fun to catch up with everyone.  Gotta do it again!

On 27th, I went to see 'Inception' with Mum... and what movie!  It was absolutely amazing and I loved it!  What a multi-layered thriller this thing is; and believe me, you'll need to see it twice to get it all into your mind right.  I'm still going through it in my head... and a lot of it still doesn't make sense.  But seeing it's about the one thing we understand the least, it's little wonder any of us will ever get the movie on the first viewing.

Well, this week, my paint from the Urban Smart Project people was supposed to arrive and it didn't.  So, I called them yesterday and nobody answered.  I left a message and nobody got back to me.  I'm wondering where the paint has gone and if they are going to deliver it at all.  Dad's under the impression that I have to colour the TSB one colour and one colour only... yeah, it's exactly like a house.  He has absolutely no imagination! 
Today, I am hoping to see my niece at Mum and Dad's house and take her to see the last day of an exhibition at the Logan Art Gallery.  It ought to be great for her as she will love the paintings in there... as well the work from the Wilderness Society.

Well, this was my post for Do Something Different.  It may not have been all that exciting, but it was different.  Until my next post, keep warm - or cool - whatever your case may be.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mid-Week Boredom

Well, it's the middle of the week, raining a little on the chilly side and I'm bored outa my head.  But some great things have happened leading up to the most boring day of the week (well for me anyway; it may have been exciting for you). 

Monday was ... well, Monday.  It began the next working week.  All the kids were back at school; people were off to work again and it was a cold old day here at the unit.  I had had a boring old weekend when I was hoping to get into the garden, and didn't.  So, I ended up knitting, reading and filming Little Miss Stevie doing funny things.
Yesterday, I went to see 'Inception' with Mum.  And what a film!  It was amazing and the special effects were brilliantly done; as was the complex - yet understandable - storyline!  Leonardo de Caprio was absolutely excellent as the lead role.  And there was Joseph Gorden-Levitt from 'Third Rock From the Sun' in it too.  Mum didn't realise until I told her; and she spotted him; as she hadn't seen him on the small screen for such a long time.  But the film had us going from the beginning; there was no boring part in it and thus no time to sneak a peak at your watch... and if you did, you missed something; and that something was like skipping two pages in Lord of the Rings and thinking you wouldn't miss something.  This film goes for 2 1/2 hours and so take something in there with you if you catch a 10:30am session because you'll miss lunch (we got out at 1:20pm).
After the movie, Mum and I talked for hours about the plots, sub-plots, heroes and anti-heroes (the latter are people who are evil the start with and by the end find a little good in themselves to save the day become the hero they didn't want to be).  Over lunch, we talked about dreams and how they changed our lives and what they could be doing for us.  then, once home, I couldn't stop thinking about the damned movie!  It was on the news and advertised during ad-breaks... and if that wasn't bad enough, I found it hard to get to sleep last night because of what I might dream once I did get to sleep!  This movie absolutely had me spun out to a T!   and I haven't even told you about the plot... so if you haven't seen it, go and see it.  If you loved 'The Matrix', you'll love this movie.  It's not a blokes movie, it's not a geek's movie or a chick-flick... it's just fantastic!

Which makes today so boring.  I woke to a sultry coolish day.  The rain has moved in and made it dull and sleepy.  So, there's nothing much to do but some washing up and getting into making the dinner.  Tomorrow is going to be exciting - hopefully - as my paint will be arriving for the Traffic Signaling Box (for the blog on my art and what this is about, go to 'A Natural Background').  And I'm expecting something from Finland in the next week or so.

Yep, I'm hoping the next few days will be a little more exciting and joyful than today... which isn't.  Oh well, can't always have the best and most exciting days all the time.  Until my next post, keep warm - or cool - whatever your case may be.
 

Monday, July 26, 2010

A Week of Unexpected Surprises.

Well... my weekend didn't end up the way I planned.  There was no gardening done and so therefore, my garden still looks the same as it did last week.  I was hoping that I had everything repotted before the rain poured down last night.  Oh well, can't win 'em all!

But that wasn't all.  I was bored outa my head by the politics of 'The Worm' and the two people we have no choice in but to pick between as Prime Minister in the next month.  There's bad... or worse.  Take your pick; and hope and pray our country is taken down the right path.  I just wish they'd just work together on this and agree on each other's policies adding it all together in one little pretty parcel we can all look at and say:  yes!  We want that!
But no... that's not what's going to happen.  They've already picked at each other about the details and piddly things before anything else.  This is why I don't like politics too much.  Once they start picking at each other, it's gets to be a mud-slinging match that neither of them will take responsibility for; and that really sticks in my neck.

So, yesterday, I watched the hours tick by slowly as the day became colder... yep, it was an overcast Brisbane day where rain threatened to fall from the close clouds, but really, nothing happened except we got cold.  Stevie's covers didn't move from her cage and I kept the house closed up for the whole weekend to keep us both warm.
On Saturday night, I began reading: 'He Died With A Felafel In His Hand' by John Birmingham.  What a funny book!  This is about a man who's lived in so many shared and rental properties, he's got more stories than he can handle.  And the best thing is that he's an Aussie... so whatever happened is likely to be true!  From page one, I was giggling my head off in bed trying not to laugh too loud as it was getting close to midnight and I found I had to put it down before I moved myself downstairs to have a good laugh out loud at this book!  My brother had recommended this book to me years ago; but I never had the time to read it.  So, when I found it down at Brunswick Heads, I thought it was time to get my nose between its pages.  I got through about 36 pages of it on Saturday night and read up to page 64 last night.  Yep, I think I'll zoom right through this book; and then pick out another good one soon.

My piano playing is going well; but I'm stuck on the scales.  The red book I've been learning out of is making it harder than it should be to play them.  So, I've gone back to the Sheft book to play them; and it's a lot easier.  Now, to memorise them; and it'll be a lot easier for me to pick up the ones in the red book... the one thing I'm not doing is using the cd in the red book.  It's been recorded off an electric piano and so it sounds like they've been playing an organ to me.  Why can't these cd's be recorded on an ordinary plain piano so as not to tick off the adults when we're learning to play?

Well, that was my weekend.  Dull and a little on the boring side.  But it happened.  I'm hoping a little more exciting things happen this week.  I've been invited to see 'Inception' tomorrow and I'm hoping to pick up the box of paint and equipment from the post office on Thursday or Friday.  So, I hope to get Mum to help me with transporting that; as she'll be my companion during my time at the TSB.  Otherwise, I'm expecting a parcel from Finland and another from Jakarta in the next two weeks.  One has a coin purse in it from a lovely Bookcrosser.  The one from Jakarta has been traveling for more than a year; and I can't wait until it arrives home.

Well, that's all from me.  Until my next post, keep warm - or cool - whatever you case may be. 

Friday, July 23, 2010

Weekend Plans

Well, if this week isn't finally coming to an end!  And about time too!  I'm so happy about it... however there's so much housework to do, I thought to start on it today.  So, the Big Tidy-Up begins yet again!
 
This morning, I put on the laundry and watered some very thirsty plants; as it's been pretty dry lately (even though we had some rain a few nights back, it's not going to keep anything alive for long with this Winter being so dry and cold).  Then, I ate breakfast and started the washing up and then changed out Little
Miss Stevie's cage.  She happily climbing around the inside of the cage when I did that!  But still tried to drop a poo on me while I rolled up her old paper to throw away... cheeky little bird!
Once that was done, I wrapped up the whole rubbish bag and put it into the bin outside, then got ready to go and check the mail.  Once home from there (I got an invite to an art opening and had to buy some milk at the service station), I had to hang out the second load of laundry and put in the third load.  By this time, it was around 9:30 or so.  The sun was out and warm; but the back yard was in the shade and freezing.  So, I had to wear a jumper/jacket to hang out my wet laundry (hope and pray it didn't rain like they said it was going to last night; not even a little bit!).  Then, I came inside and made my drink and came upstairs.  Pretty soon, the third load of laundry had been finished and I went
downstairs to get it hung out when I saw a green bird in a the tree over the back fence.  So, I raced inside, upstairs and grabbed my camera and tried to photograph it.  Such a shy little thing!  I got some lovely photos of it hiding amongst the greenery and branches, then one of it's butt!  Shy?  Yeah, sure... it was being cheeky.  Once I got the laundry out (after it flew off), I checked in my bird book and found it had been marked there by me last year.  It's an Australian Green Figbird.  This one is a young female, but has the most lovely voice.  I was fortunate to have spotted it as they're very shy normally.
Well, today, I've still got some tidying up to do.  There's a list I made yesterday and last night that I need to get at least half of the jobs on it done.  So, seeing the laundry has been done, Stevie's cage has been tidied up and the rubbish up out, there's three jobs off the list done already.  That leaves a few others I have to do.
There's also my garden to fix up - now that the cooler weather has caused my plants to become dormant.  I have to repot a few plants and find homes for a couple of other ones that are all sharing pots together... not a good look for them.  And my Large Leaf Jade needs more soil in it seeing it's now massive and needs more room to move around.  
So, there's my plans for this weekend.  I hope I can get some of it done.  If not, well, next week will have to be it... before I paint the TSB across the road.  Wish me luck with that too.  It ought to be fun!  Well, until my next post, keep warm - or cool - whatever your case may be.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Pay Day

Pay day is the best day of the week - the fortnight - and yet, it's the one day we tend to spend the most money; sometimes without thinking.  My pay day is when my pension comes in and I get to fill my pantry and fridge with food again.  I also get to go out and shop.  It's sometimes rains, is sometimes cold and is quite often sunny.

I do love getting myself out into the Winter air with my blue trolley and having my shopping list all ready, money in the bank and being ready with my walking shoes on; namely my Doc Martens.  They are the most comfortable shoes around.  I do love them when the cooler weather comes around.
Life Line was my first stop and I got a lovely hand bag
and a couple of gorgeous little coin purses.  Two of them were leather - one of them had never been used - and another was a little red 'Hello Kitty' one that I vowed if I ever came across another I'd buy it for my niece.  And so I did.  It's in lovely condition and so I walked out of that wonderful charity store with my bargains and went on to Woolworths where I do my fruit and vegetable shopping.  I also get my chocolate from there too; and I only eat Wittacker's Dark Chocolate 72% cocoa chocolate... yummo!  Seeing I don't eat ice-cream or any other creamy desserts, this is the stuff I eat after dinner with my pot of green tea.

I came across this lovely little white fluffy dog who was waiting outside a loans office on my way to K-Mart Plaza and when it didn't threaten to take my hand off, I knelt down and gave it a scratch.  The owner came out of the office and began to scold it; and when I looked up, the most unexpected person owned it.  A guy dressed in black with tattoos and piercings - the roughest-looking person - owned this cute little fluffy thing that just loved him so much.  He said that he hadn't owned a little dog before and after this one he'd probably get a big one again.  The maintenance is a lot with these little long-haired dogs and he said it got everywhere but he loved this one.  We chatted about my late dog - Jessie - and he said that Staffi-crosses were great dogs; as were anything from the medium-size up.  It's just how you treat them.  Well, he was called inside the office and I went on my way.

I paid off the 'Wolverine' dvd at 'Woodys' and now all I've got to pay off is the first and only season of 'Moonlight'... very wicked and cool! I love my vampire shows; and this one was no acception!  But I couldn't wait to get 'Wolverine' paid off.  
Then, I was off to work through my list I had written up in the last few days.  Yep, I work on my shopping list over a couple of days; as it can change and grow over that time.  And I try not to add to it on the day of the shop as I'm likely to leave it on the kitchen table (like I almost left my entire handbag next to the front door this morning on the way to the bus stop!  I had my trolley, jacket, hat and house key... but not the handbag where my money, bus pass and remote for the car gate was!).
I bought my vitamin supplement at the chemist - along with some tissues - and then went into Coles where I do the bulk of my shopping. They have a pricing war going on with Woolworths rights now; where they've put the prices down and are keeping them down permanently.  Well, I took advantage of that and bought a few things that weren't on my list (one of them being Atlantic Salmon) and the price didn't really change all that much.  I had a few things tossed in that I added on and still the price of my shopping came to around $100 or a little over.  Pretty good if you ask me.

This brings me to this afternoon.  I uploaded my 365 photo, checked all my mail on the net and chatted to a Bookcrosser in the States (who's still in yesterday) and then I harvested some of my crops in Farmville (yes, a fun little game on Facebook I've joined in on; but I'm not obsessed with it).  Otherwise, the day has been good; if still not long enough for me to do all the things I want to do.
Well, until my next post, keep warm (or cool) whatever your case may be.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

The Hawks Won!

I had a great day yesterday.  I worked on here in the morning, did some writing and editing and then watched the AFL game on the television between the Hawthorne Hawks and Brisbane Lions at the Aurora Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania.  What a game!  In the first 30 minutes, the Hawks were ahead by around 30 point or so and the Lions hadn't scored yet; actually they were flat out getting their hands on the ball.  Over the next three hours, the Hawks were ahead of the Lions the whole time by around 20 points the whole time!  It was amazing!  I loved it.  And next week, they'll be playing St Kilda.
During half time I was practicing the piano a bit - as I hadn't played it all week - and I thought to try and play it this week every day.  You see, I've been back into my writing again.  And so, my creativeness has come back.  I've found that I'm sleeping better too.  So, as the weeks have passed lately, my writing and artwork has been going well; and so has the piano.

Late yesterday afternoon, Mum and Dad arrived home from the north coast.  And they invited me to go into West End to see my brother's band play.  So, I said I'd think about it.  Then, I realised how boring my Saturday nights have been getting; and thought to take them up on the offer.  So, after making my dinner and running around to get changed, I was ready.  We made it in there just on time (and had a little trouble finding a parking spot because it was a Saturday night).  And my brother played at 'The Music Cafe' on Boundary Street with his band 'The Spruce Moose'.  We caught the end of the first set and the whole of the second set; and they finished just before 9pm. 
It was great to get out and see him play in a cool little place like this one; it's got a better set-up than 'The Boundary' (which is a few doors down) and it's got better seating and sells meals as well as drinks.  The place has a lovely atmosphere too; with its red and black decor and very laid-back feel to the place.  There's a pool room out the back and a few lounges spread throughout for those who like to kick back more to listen to their live music.
It was cold when we left the Music Cafe and we had a little way to walk to get to the Kombi.  My niece was there too to listen to her Dad play.  He let her get an ice cream up the
road and I accompanied her while she bought it.  I then told her about a 'Mary-Kate and Ashley' short-handled bag I had bought for her at a Life Line which I had clean forgotten to bring with me to give her.  Well, Riley was amazed I had found one; and asked if their faces were on it.  I said no, but it was very pretty and had pockets and flowers on it.  She's looking forward to seeing it the next time we meet up again.  Otherwise, here's what it looks like. I know I said it looked like her corduroy jacket, but I was mistaken; and it's made from suede.  Very nice and pretty on the inside too.
Well, when I arrived home, I wasn't tired, so I put on one of the dvds I had paid off last pay called 'The Lost Boys: The Tribe'.  It's the next installment of this cult film.  Corey Feldman was in it and it's years on where he's lost his brother to vampirism and he's a lone Vampire Slayer; but he's moved on from the last town of vamps.  It was good and gross and had its funny parts in it.  I recognised some lines from the old movie classic in it but I guess they couldn't put killing off a vampire any other way than how they did before.  A good - yet gross - movie if not a little corny.  And now, I've just seen a preview of a 'Lost Boys 3 - The Thirst' which looked okay; but I get the feeling that they just showed us all the good parts.

Friday, July 16, 2010

An Afternoon of Bargain Shopping

Yesterday morning, I was online as usual.  However, I had to be away for a good part of the afternoon to go to the chiropractor's.  This was an appointment that I had postponed due to my allergic reaction to the generic brand of Topamax last week; and so had to go.

On the way there, I remembered that Rockaways was having a dvd, cd and vinyl sale.  So, with around $40 in my pocket in cash, I took off there first (also seeing I had caught an early bus too).  Well, I spent around an hour in the store across the way looking for James Galway records and found two very early recordings of his contemporary works.  They were well-priced too.  While I was there, I found another of an early 33 1/2 speed vinyl of Tchaikovsky for $2.00.  So, I grabbed that one and another of Bill Cosby live at Madison Square Gardens also for $2.00... I thought I was going really well!
So, I wandered back to the shop and began looking through their regular stock and found a 1950's early 33 1/2 speed big band style vinyl and played it... and it sounded wonderful!  There was a heap of piano work on it and I thought it would do well to help me improvise with my piano playing.  So, I grabbed all these vinyls and purchased them for around $12.00... a great bargain!  Just before I left the store, I spotted
what I thought was a 'Beatles' record; but it was an 'Animals' record... but then I spotted in the next lot 'B-52's'.  Well, I just had to look!  And what do you know?  It was a near new 'High Fidelity' record from 1979 for $25... how could I say no?  I looked at it and it was in wonderful condition.  So, I pulled out the last of my cash and handed it over absolutely chuffed about my find!
The owner of the shop and I had a chat about how I always seem to find good things in his store.  He said that the ones to keep looking at were the piles along the bottom.  He told me that I had good taste in music and seemed to always walk out of his shop with a good record in my hands.  I told him that I loved music and the last record I found that was in great condition was 'South Pacific' and he smiled saying it was a good find if it played well; and believe me it does!

Once at the chiropractors, I showed off my treasures to the receptionists and one of them asked me where to find the best vinyls.  I told them of Rockaways and The Record Market on Adelaide Street in the city.  She wrote them down and said that she'd look into them both.  My chiropractor had a look at my records and said he thought they looked wonderful; and he'd have a look at the Rockaways sale when he finished work that day... to see if there was anything there he'd be able to take home.  I said there would be I was sure of it.
Once I brought them all home, cleaned them up and turned on the stereo system, I listened to a little of each one... in particular, I played 'Rock Lobster' on the B-52's album!  What a record!  I love them so much!  I'm so happy I found that record when I did.  Now, I can go and find the soundtrack of 'The Breakfast Club'... now that's going to be hard to find! 

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

25 Years Today!

Twenty-five years ago today, I was eleven years old, it had only been five years since John Lennon was assassinated and it was also a major time in history when Bob Geldolf got a great lot of bands together to put on a fantastic concert in London and Philadelphia to help Africa and it's starving nations of people and children.  It was called Live-Aid and it attracted millions of people to its concerts in America and England.  And for the billions who couldn't be there?  Well, it was the first time ever that something as big as this was telecast successfully across the globe at the same time into our living rooms and everyone could watch it as it happened.  
I remember watching parts of this concert on our old colour television and at Mum and Dad's house and thought it was fantastic to see Phil Collins, The BoomTown Rats, David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, Dire Straits and many other bands playing in their chosen venues to help world hunger on a massive scale.


 


Now, there's so much out there to help these people, but it's now the politics of that country that may be preventing it from advancing.  People in Africa - and all its individual countries within it - are at war with themselves and each other. For such a physically beautiful continent with such brilliant wildlife and a Savannah which is world famous, I am surprised its people still fight like they do.  

So, twenty-five years on, World Vision is still asking for us to help the children of this - and other Third World Countries - to assure them of a future they can be optimistic about.  I do know there is a community of high school kids who have been asking for advanced reading books; mainly Readers Digest.  They are in Zimbabwe and passing their senior levels in English and maths is their best way to leave their town and country to make it into university in South Africa.  The last we heard, their teacher was killed during a protest; but these kids will not let go of this dream of success and still wish to go on.  
These are the kinds of kids that really do need to fight to get what they want in this world.  They are smart and have been working hard at their school work to get where they want to be in life.  I really do hope they have succeeded in getting where they want to in their schooling so far.  After this, they have the rest of their lives to take on.

And to think... twenty-five years ago, in 1985, this would never have been possible for the high school kids in Africa to have this kind of education.  If it wasn't for Bob Geldolf, we'd still be all in the dark about Africa and its plight. 

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Saturday Night

I've had a good weekend; but it didn't start out that way.  Since my allergic reaction to the cheaper brand of Topamax, I've been a little blah... so it wasn't until Friday afternoon that I actually felt anywhere near my old self again.
Then, Saturday came around and I had some cleaning up to do as a couple of my friends were dropping by.  So, I filled the kettle, ate some nice hot raisin toast and tidied up the lounge so that we'd have somewhere to sit.  Just before they arrived, I practiced my piano and turned on the AFL game between the Hawthorne and Geelong at the MCG.  My friends arrived and I turned the sound down so we could talk.  When the second half finished, I turned the television off as the half-time adverts were going to take about 15 minutes.  Anyway, during that time, we heard a loud bang; and thought it was the construction crew next door at the fire station.  However after my friends left to go home, I found that I had no power.  So, I called up Energex and found that we were going to have no electricity until 5pm.  Bummer!  That's when the gamed finished!  So, I began to get ready for my next appointment for tonight:  Katrina's Birthday Dinner.

I was ready about an hour and a half before I was supposed to be because there was nothing else to do.  I had laundry to bring in at 4pm and so I got that brought in and then I closed up the house, covered Little Miss Stevie and had the candles pulled down and dusted off ready to use.  And before long, I had them all lit and my reading lamp out with the battery-run radio going too.  I checked up on when we were going to get power again and Energex said not until 7pm.  Wonderful, I smsed Mum and Dad and told them I was still sitting in the dark.
So, when we left my place, my side of the street was in complete darkness and Energex crews were working hard at getting a transformer back on track quickly.  We arrived at the Punjab Palace and Gabe and Katrina and her Mum and other friends were there.  It was a good night.  I ordered a mild Tikka Masala with prawns and tried out a sweet Lassi (a milk and yoghurt drink) and they were both delicious.  Gabe told me that the Lassi was something he drank every day he was in India to keep his gut from turning against him.  And I reckon it's a good thing I did drink it; as today, I haven't had the usual reactions I do to Indian food.  It's been pretty mild actually.  
When we finished dinner, we walked to The Boundary Hotel and listened to a wicked blues band called The Blind Dog.  And when they had a break, they called upon some of the local musicians who were locals to the pub to fill in for them.  It was really cool... it was like they jumped in for a jam session for a little while then gave back the gear once the original band took a break.  The place was absolutely jumping when we arrived and we had even more people pile in as the music got louder.  It was fantastic.  They covered some great songs too from James Brown as well (one of my favourites). 
And a funny thing happened.  I sat down on a stool - because my feet were killing me - and almost immediately, an Aussie sat on my left (a very polite one who asked if the seat was taken) and a Maori came to me on my right and tried to chat me up.  Ever since I began clubbing, New Zealanders Maoris have been chatting me up in clubs and pubs.  And since this is the first time I've been in a pub after dark for about a decade, it's as if I never left.  This one got me to take a photo with some people, talked to me about the band and the music and got me to mind his beer while he was went to the men's for a minute.  He was nice and all, but really, I still wonder why he chose to talk to me.  I was there mainly to listen to the music with my family.  Soon after, when he had his back turned, I walked over to Mum and Dad and asked when we were going to take off as I had just looked at my watch and saw it was 10:45pm.  They said they were thinking of going after the end of the song; and we did.
We wished Katrina a happy birthday and Gabe saw us off outside.  He was happy I could make it; so was Katrina.  I left a birthday message on her mobile this morning and she smsed me back saying it was great to see me last night.
Well, once home, I found the power was back on and so I watched the last half hour of 'The Notebook' and went off to bed where I crashed and - on waking this morning - found I hadn't moved an inch from the position I had fallen asleep in.  Boy!  I must have been tired!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Bad Night and Recovery Today

Boy!  Did I have a horrible night last night!  Yesterday, I went out to the chemist to purchase some Topamax and was offered up some new, cheaper, Australian-made Topamax.  I said I'd try it out.  However, last night, when I did, I had an adverse reaction to it.  It felt as though I hadn't taken anything at all.
So, I called Mum and she came over with my regular stuff; and I took some of that.  Well, I felt worse!  Mum called up a late-night chemist and he said that I had double-dosed and was feeling the effects of an allergic reaction to the first one; but also I was doubling up on my regular dose.  So, what we did was get me to bed as soon as possible.  And his advice was to not take my morning dose; instead waiting until later on so I wasn't hit so hard.
Today, I felt like I had a hangover; and I had to go and do my grocery shopping.  This was taken very slowly.  I felt like I was blobbing and floating through the day on about three feet of nothing between me and the ground... it was weird... and I had a headache that was getting worse as the day wore on.
Once home, I found I still needed Topamax; so I called the chemist (after I called Mum)and told the lady there what happened.  She happily changed me back to my regular lot of Topamax (the more expensive brand) and she put it on my records that I am to never have the cheaper lot.
What a lesson we've learnt today! 

Well, I'll be making sure I keep myself away from the new meds until they figure out all the teething problems completely.  And another thing will be that I'll be having an early night tonight.... well, after I watch 'Knight Rider' I'll be off to bed, that is. 

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Busy Sunday... Mid-School Holidays

It's mid-Winter and Mid-School Holidays and the dull, cold clouds have parted to give us some lovely warm sunny weather - for once.  And for once, everyone's got their laundry out on their lines nice'n'early; despite the cool start.  Me?  I had all my bath towel, t-towels and hand-washing done and on the line by 10am... and in between the loads, I was eating breakfast, washing up and making sure Little Miss Stevie was warm enough.  Sometimes the Winter sun may seem warm to us, but not to budgies.

Well, since then, a few hours have passed and it's still lovely outside.  I've yet to read the paper.  Yeah, I read a little while eating my porridge but I didn't really absorb anything from it as I was still running around getting the laundry out.  And by the time I finished that, all I really wanted to do was come on here and stuff around on the net for a while... and I've done just that. 
My hands are now cold and I'm almost ready to get in and have a nice hot shower just to warm up.  Then, there's lunch and washing up to do (not that I didn't get into that while I was cooking the porridge) but it needs to be done.

Yesterday, I socialised with the neighbours in the afternoon.  It was too nice to be sitting on my own outside the unit reading.  So, I chatted about all kinds of things with them.  It's good to get to know who you're living with; even if you're only on a 'hello' only basis.  And the new neighbours a few doors down are lovely people who are from Bundaberg; and the men living in the unit had relatives visiting from there too.  They said that Brissie put on the sunshine that day; and were hoping for a good day today as well.  And looking outside, I'm pleased the sun came out today because I really do want to get back out into it again before it begins to rain again.
Also yesterday, I tidied up the lounge room; thinking Dad was going to drop around to see me about some fuel vouchers (these can be taken off your shopping dockets if you spend over $30 at Coles or Woolworths).  Well, I waited all day for him to arrive; and by 2pm, I called the house and Mum answered.  I told her what Dad had arranged and she said that he had been busy all day my Uncle.  So, she said she'd drop by and pick them up for him.  When we met up out the front, I told her that I had tidied up the lounge room and all and she laughed saying that he would have liked that and it was a pity he didn't see it.  I said that the place is beginning to look good now; reasonable enough that I can put things in their place people can come over.
So, the Big Tidy-Up is paying off.  All I need to do now is work on the kitchen table and the whole place will look good; seeing the lounge doesn't take that long to keep tidy.  
This week ought to be good.  There's the shopping to do, the kitchen table to clean up, the rubbish to put out and then the bin (Wednesday is collection day) and then the home office to work on more.  I still have laundry to put away, but it's not as much as it used to be; and the bathroom needs a clean out too.  So, I'm beginning on working on upstairs instead of downstairs this week.  Until my next post keep warm (or cool); whatever your case may be.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Weekend's Here! Well, Almost.

I'm so thankful I had my day out yesterday; because looking
out at the miserable day we have here in Brisbane today isn't very encouraging.  Actually, the only thing I've done today is go and check the mail across the road and that was it; it was straight back home for me.  Once home, I photographed a sketch I did for a design for a TSB and then I prepared a slow cook meal that's been wafting up the stairs and into this office for the last
few hours now.
Otherwise, besides some loud noises coming from the rebuilding of the Woodridge Fire Station next door, there hasn't really been anything to do today because it's cold and grey.  So, I've been bumming around on here for the day and reading a few posts by people on Bookcrossing, uploading a photo onto 365project.  Then, smelling what I'm going to have for dinner come in every so often; and I'm really looking forward to it.

This afternoon, I do have some piano practice to get into and some cleaning up for the weekend to get done.  So, once I have it all under control downstairs and have vacuumed the lounge, I'll be coming upstairs again to have a go at the office and my bedroom as well.  The bathroom is another place I'll be doing out too.  I've got some products there that have been in the cupboards for a while and so it'll be time to toss them out.



Otherwise, I'm thinking of catching up on my reading this weekend once I've gotten some laundry done and other bits finished up.  I haven't really done all that much reading; and 'My Reading List' shows it.  Even though I have a lot of books on Mt To Be Read, I haven't been zooming through that many books; and I have been trying to do just that and failing miserably.  Oh well, you can't control what your mind's into all the time.
For the rest of the School Holidays, I'll be hoping to finish up a few other things on this computer.  This includes doing a complete de-frag and compiling a few other things on this desk.  I really do have to tidy it up and spray it with Glen-20 seeing I've been a little under the weather with this thing that's a cold-but-not-a-cold... a weird thing really.
Anyway, I best be going.  I have a piano that needs playing and a few other things that need putting away not too long after this is posted.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Longer Than Expected

Today, I went out to Garden City to collect a few things that were absolutely needed from there.  But, first, I'll begin with last night.  I was doing my nightly checks of making sure everything was locked up, the television and stereo were switched off at the wall as was the heater and the kettle (not that the latter is a fire hazard, but I just like to save money in my electric bill).  Anyway, I went upstairs after turning off the lights and headed toward the home office to make sure I had turned the computer off at the back.  Well, as I turned the light on in the room, I was greeted with a reasonably sized Huntsman Spider above the window.  He didn't look like he was expecting me either; but didn't try to hide when I raced out and grabbed the bug spray and came back in.  He got sprayed twice; then promptly vanished.  Unfortunately, it was late, and I didn't want to bother anyone in my unit complex; so I called Dad.  I had unfortunately gotten him out of bed... but he came over and helped me find him (because I remember the last time we left a carcass of one of these guys sitting around... I stumbled up him a day or so later and I turned into the World's Biggest Scaredy Cat again).  Well, this guy had squished himself into the back of my desk; which is kind of a backward angled piece that supports the whole desk.  We had to use a mirror and a torch to find him; then a towel to pick him up and put him into the toilet and flush his little body down the loo.  Dad wasn't too impressed that was all he came out to do at 11pm at night; but then he knew that if he hadn't I wouldn't have slept last night.
Today, though, after I got back from Garden City, I made a point of calling him and thanking him for coming out so late.  He said he was sorry for being a little short; but understood that having something like that in my office would have probably attracted other things into the place I didn't want.

It was another cold day today; and so, I dressed for warmth and caught the bus to Garden City to pick up Stevie's food from the vet, find some good brushes for my art project for the Traffic Signalling Box across the road and a few other things.
But what was supposed to be only an hour so turned into four hours... not a good look for me; but then again, I took my time and didn't rush.  And that's exactly what I'm supposed to do.  So, I had a look in at QBD's Stocktake Sale and bought 2 books there (stupid of me really).  One is by JRR Tolkien and the other is by Julie Andrews; talk about two different ends of the scale!  
Then, I scored a bargain at the Riot Art place down near Coles and K-Mart.  I chose what I thought were expensive brushes for the TSB project.  But when I reached the check-out, they ended up being half-price!  What a bargain!  And they're just what I need in the way of brushes for the project too!  Now, all I need is a short-haired roller for the primer to be put on so it doesn't take up too much time.
I bought a packet of Stevie's food for her at Green Cross Vets and they asked me how she was doing.  I told them that I had done a whole month of her photos on 365project for her 5th birthday and the lady at the counter thought that was cute.  I also said that Stevie thought my piano tuner was hot (but not scolding him when he came up close; and just looking him over as though to as him what he was looking at) and the lady said that birds have the most wonderful personalities.  I agreed.  But - I said - that the looks that birds give us is in the morning is funny.  I told her that most days, when I pull up the covers, look at Stevie, I say: 'Hey little bird, if looks could kill, budgies would be mass murderers, Stevie.' then I go and change her food.  She thought was a well thought out and funny.
Well, I ended up going and buying a 'Good Reading' Magazine and getting a de-caf Latte from Gloria Jean's only to not have time to read it at the bus stop and not have any time to drink the latte either... I ended up almost burning myself and having time to repack my bag to I can take everything home comfortably.

When I did finally get home, the sun was out for a few moments and gone again... so Little Miss Stevie barely got any time in with it.  But now she knows it's daylight; at least that's one thing she knows now. Well, it's getting on a little.  Tomorrow morning, I'll be putting on the slow-cooker to make something yummy and vegetarian for dinner.  Yummo!