Cathy's 50s housewife Friday. And a walk on the Warhol side.

Began today with Turbo Negro - f*#k the world...I see the power line and I want to taste it...best lyrics ever!

And homemade pancakes with maple butter for my two "sick" children who were both very I'll this morning, but then as soon as they knew they were staying home from school both made startling recoveries and started ordering from me as if they were on the phone to Room Service...

Regrets, I gotta few.

But considering I had my operation two weeks ago today, I am just happy to be sitting here at the computer for the first time in what seems like forever, and being able to concentrate on writing something intelligible for y'all without the cloud of surgery hanging over my head.

I know I sound like a sook but I have never had to "go under" before and I have been terrified. The anticipation, as always, was much worse than the actual procedure. I kept telling myself "you had a 10 pound 2 ounce baby with NO drugs...you can handle this!!" and in actuality the operation was nothing on that! And here I am, 2 weeks later feeling like my old self... Couldn't have said that two weeks after having Xavier the giant baby!

I was worried hat I may not make it through my surgery as I discovered Andy Warhol DIED having my exact operation, which was kinda funny. I just never knew how he died, so I googled it literally 2 months before my surgery and started to freak, randomly, panickedly asking people "do you know how Andy Warhol died? GALLBLADDER SURGERY!!!!"

No-one seemed as concerned as I felt they should have been by this information...I was making out wills and worrying who was gonna raise my children when I was dead and imagining the complete 'ho that Dan would choose when he remarried probably a yet after my death (she was a piece of work, let me tell you!!)

I had also read in the paper about psychotic doctors killing patients in Gold Coast hospitals so I made sure I discussed all this with my nurses. I specifically asked to have those particular doctors kept away from me and was assured that there were none at the Royal Brisbane. They also assured me that Andy Warhol was a completely different kettle of fish to me and that I should be fine...

They were right of course, but my little glimpse at the other side made me realise how lucky I am to be bossed around constantly by my boys and to have them, in turn, to boss around. And if making them maple syrup pancakes and have them being demanding little bastards around the house all day is the worst that happens to me today then I'll take it!

Have a great Friday, y'all, and be thankful we're alive!

Cathy xx

Toowoomba trivia.

I have learned:

The local rag The Chronicle is referred to (not so affectionately) as The Comical. It's not exactly rocket science to figure that one out.

Sushi hasn't quite found its way to the palates of the general populace. Reactions when asking where the nearest decent sushi places are = priceless. Excited to find a Sushi Station has just opened on the main street.

Most people born in Pittsworth end up living in Toowoomba. Obviously.

A showgirl does NOT mean the same thing in Pittsworth as it does in Brisbane. Nor in pretty much any other part of the world.

People from Pittsworth would do anything for 20 bucks. Oakey people would do anything for $5 and a lift to Pittsworth.

People in Pittsworth would do almost anything for a lift to Toowoomba. Oakey-ites, once again would do anything for a lift to Pittsworth.

If you relocate from Pittsworth to Toowoomba there's a great likelihood you'll end up working at my company.

Only people judged and approved as suitably classy by Pittsworth-ians are allowed to sit at our lunch table. Which is basically everyone except people who come from Oakey.

**disclaimer: as I have visited neither Pittsworth nor Oakey the comments above are paraphrased from ex-Pittsworth-ians and may in no way reflect reality. In fact it may be a complete load of BS made up for comical effect. So be it.

xx

No Internet.
No Internet.
No Internet.

Now we have to have the Optus tech visit the house and they can't come until Tuesday, which requires an adult to be present! Gah! And of course they give you the timeframe of 8am to 12pm so does that mean an entire morning off my new job? Getting massively frustrated but feeling like a broken record so moving on...

So the weather gets a tiny bit colder every day and it's starting to bite! Wandering outside in our office gardens today was, shall we say 'bracing' and if I put more pawpaw ointment on my lips to stop them drying out, I'm gonna start buying stock in the company!

Last week we put on our little heater to watch TV whereas this week it's the heater plus a woolly blanket. I'm dreading what next week (and the weeks thereafter) might bring! Hopefully once we buy the proper winter accoutrements we'll cope much better. Lucky for me my doona is toasty warm and once I'm under I'm can almost get too hot!

Counting down till the weekend now. I've had a great few days assimilating into my new job which if it starts as it means to go on will be fantastic. A challenge for sure, but that's pretty much what I wanted so I cannot complain!

I'm getting progressively more brain dead though so very much anticipating the weekend and a bit of me time. Although it may take some time to fill the fridge and cupboards as we've pretty much cleaned us out!

So today my gorgeous boy packed my lunch for me and wouldn't let me look until I got to work. Of course I had to look and I got:

1 Vegemite sandwich
1 peanut butter sandwich
1 rice bubble bar
3 marshmallows in a ziplock bag

The pinnacle of the ultimate 11 year old boy lunch! Have to say it was pretty damn good though, although I didn't eat the rice bubble bar and may save that for another day.

He also just made me a yummy hot chocolate.

God love him!

Right now my heart is full to bursting with love and pride for this amazing little dude. He's strong, resilient, adaptable and so, so cool. Without getting too sentimental, I couldn't have wished for a more awesome kid EVER.

On that note I'm now going to go and stamp my feet a little in anticipation of yet another Internet-free weekend! At least I might be forced to pull my finger out and actually finish of the organizing of my place, although given the choice who wouldn't rather catch up on Gossip Girl??!!

xx

Wednesday shenanigans. Scarves and telephone company bashing.

It's now day 11 without Internet and still no resolution! I come home every day, turn that little modem off and on and wait with bated breath...for nothing. Again today I thought surely today is the day, yeah? I mean, they said 'probably Monday or Tuesday' so being hump day and all, surely it's not too much to ask?

But it wasn't to be.

I keep walking past the flashing modem knowing that silly blinking light means yet another night of no connection. Boo Optus! Just boo.

Thankfully I've had a fantastic day otherwise which makes our lack of connection to the all-important outside world more bearable. I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on my new job and getting the names and faces put together much better every day. In for a long day tomorrow with more training but then hopefully I'll know what I'm doing instead of just sitting there giving off the aura that yes, of course I'm all over it but secretly having no farking idea!

Some of the girls took me for a wonderful lunch today at Gips, which is apparently a long-standing Toowoomba favorite and was definitely somewhere I'd go back in a hurry! I got some sort of bourbon soaked steak sandwich which was like nothing I've ever tastes and I'm still salivating hours later!

I also got a little tour of some hotspots and some awesome advice on where to go for hair and beauty services, the best butcher in town (surprisingly not the one I've discovered either), best places for breakfast etc. Can't wait to get my Internet back so I can get my google earth map updated so I can navigate myself around all the recommended hotspots!

I have some friends coming up next weekend and am thinking I really MUST try to finish unpacking and sorting this weekend do the house is in a decent state for their arrival. My friend is a total neat freak and she's the sort that if I haven't put stuff away properly, I'll wake up and find her doing it for me. And as tempting as that is, I would love for them to walk into our finished house (furniture, pot plants etc still TBC).

I think I've been procrastinating as when we're done we will have one room with a rug, a few bookcases and nothing else...once I get some cash I'll have to start looking around for some furniture to put in it! I also have some lovely neat garden beds and hedging but the beds are mostly bare so I'd love to get a little herb garden going.

Becoming a right little domestic goddess in my grown up (but not old) middle years!

So halfway through the week and all is pretty damned good in my little space (Internet notwithstanding).

Speaking of domestic things and lack of internet, due to the extra time I've discovered whilst internet-less (scary how much of my life I spend online), over the last two nights I've made myself a lovely red scarf which I even wore to work this morning. Yes knitting like a little grandma, although as I only know one stitch my grandma would kick my butt at it!

Hope your week is going well. Any tips on how to keep my cool with Optus on the phone tomorrow???

xx

Tuesday. Brick walls. Good times and sledgehammers.

What a day! You don't realise how draining it can be to just soak up craploads of information and then try to make sense of it all and then figure out how you fit into all of it. I don't have a physical job but my brain feel like its gonna explode with the information overload!

I was pretty lucky today to spend time with one of my bosses who very kindly took the time to explain a lot about the business which really helped me fit a lot of the puzzle pieces together. It was a really productive time as this morning we felt like we were running into brick walls at every turn. You know what it's like when you're new, your access to systems sometimes isn't quite right and you need approval for this or that...but the person who needs to approve it is AWOL...that kind of thing. I know we've definitely made strides but there's still a few hurdles to overcome. At least the most important one is sorted...you guessed it, payroll haha. Always a priority!

I've realised I'm not so good at being the new girl. I've been so used to being the one everyone relies on for answers that it is really weird to not know how to do the simplest of things, and makes you ask the most ridiculous questions (example: how do we answer the phones here?) and leaves you feeling a tad stupid. I've been apologizing to everyone using the old standby 'I just started yesterday and know nothing!' which seems to work for now but won't hold water for very long.

Another great day for E, he is just LOVING this whole walking to school business, he is at school in 5 minutes, is actually racing home to do homework! Mostly so he can then play outside and also his school gives them detention for any homework not handed in, but still! Result! We've been doing the homework dance for so many years now and most parents will understand how completely frustrating it is, unless you're the mother of THAT girl, you know the one at the front of the class that cries if she gets 49 out of 50. In which case either shut up or go away. Please.

There's only a few weeks left of term so E is anxiously awaiting the report card that will dictate how much cashola he's scored to spend on Ninjago. Refer to my previous post of bribing your kids...oh yeah I'm guilty.

But this has been the best year so far with regard to E's attitude and school marks so I have no shame. Whatever works! (don't judge me haha).

He's made a couple of friends already and seems so happy which really makes me believe we were so right in coming here. Everything seems to be falling into place.

It's amazing talking to some of my work people at lunch how many have relocated from big cities for the lifestyle that Toowoomba offers. It so reminds me of the Brisbane where I grew up as a teenager. Kids can walk down the street and play in yards and have the freedom which is so lacking these days down the mountain. Right now I can honestly say I have no regrets and once I wrap my head around my new job, it will be brilliant.

Oh and once I get a delivery of firewood. Nights are getting progressively more brutal and these little heaters are working overtime but not quite cutting the mustard.

Tomorrow I'm being taken out for lunch by some of the girls so that is something to look forward to! Hopefully we can also iron out some
Of our technical issues and take a sledgehammer to a few brick walls. Subtle.

Still no Internet! This is starting to get ridiculous. I'm giving Optus until tomorrow before I start to cry and explore my prepaid options. The one rather large and ugly fly in the Toowoomba ointment. Give me my lifeline, dammit!

It's not too much to ask, is it?

xx

Official 'first'. Done.

So today was my proper first day at work and now I'm at the back end I'm feeling much calmer and more prepared that yes, I can actually do this!

To be fair it probably wasn't a 'proper' day seeing as my boss is away for most of the week and I spent much of my day just meeting people, exploring the systems and processes and getting some more training from my buddy.

Speaking of my buddy, I was introduced to Wendy this morning and for about ten minutes was just thinking she looked awfully familiar...then it hit me, I used to know her in Brisbane and she worked in my building for years! Coincidentally she also moved to Toowoomba from, you guessed it, Chermside, and took on what is now my job!

Ok that's just weird!

She's got a gorgeous little girl now and is trying to be a stay-at-home mum but the siren call is luring her back in and she's been kind enough to take on the gargantuan task of training this little black duck, as my role has been vacant for some time. And thank god for that.

And like an excellent assistant does, she immediately googled me and stumbled on my blog! So if you're reading this Wendy, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for giving up time with your daughter to help me out. I would have been lost today without you!

Everyone to date just seems so nice and friendly and helpful...although that may be just because I'm assisting the big boss and they think they kinda have to be...ha.

I got home eager to here how E's first day at school went, as I left the poor little fella knocking his knees in the school office this morning. To my huge relief he LOVES it. Made a couple of friends already (although in typical boy style didn't ask any of their names). Teacher is good, didn't turn into a frozen Popsicle so I'm counting it as a win. Homework even seems manageable so we are a happy family tonight!

I was so nervous for him! He's been at the same school since year 1 so hasn't experienced being the 'new kid'. Personally I had great experience being the new kid, with three primary schools and two high schools under my belt. I think it also helped that I'm the 'new kid' at work so we can discuss how it feels and positive strategies to make it work for us. So far so good.

On the downside...still no Internet. Boo.

This time last week we were just moved in and completely unaware of what life was going to bring. What amazing changes can happen in a single week, huh? New home, new school, new job and total change of lifestyle. I tell you something it's so much easier to deal with the cold when you run to your car and drive for 5 minutes as opposed to hiking it to the bus and then sitting on said bus for 40 mins or so!

One funny thing I'm going to have to get used to is that I used to work on a secured floor where if you went to the bathroom you had to take your security pass with you or else you couldn't get back in. Every time I had to go today I automatically reached for my purse and started scrabbling for my pass before remembering that my pass is no more...guess a 7 year habit will be hard to break! And I'm sure my cubicle mate was wondering what the hell I was doing...

So now E and I will decide which of our three pre-cooked meals to heat up for dinner and then curl up in front of the heater for the obligatory Monday night The Voice viewing. I know I have previously said that we'd picked our top 2 but after last week's round there were at least three other standout performances by people I'd never even noticed before, and unfortunately Lakyn put on a less than stellar performance so now I'm undecided. Pretty sure Karyss will be unbeatable overall though.

Hope everyone is having as fantastic a day as me today! I'll leave you with E in his new school uniform which elicited the response 'I feel weird'.

xx

Cooking up a Sunday storm.

I don't pretend to be a 50s housewife nor will you find it anywhere on my bucket list but every now and again I get into this cooking groove and go a little nuts in the kitchen.

These episodes have been few and far between in recent years due to a teeny kitchen and a seriously can't-be-assed attitude. But today I decided to give my kitchen the full work out and I'm happy to report no disasters, fiascos or fire brigades called!

So over the last few hours I've conjured up meals for the rest of the week, with portion controlled veges in little containers ready to be steamed and everything! With a lasagne bubbling in the oven as I write this, plus beef stroganoff and teriyaki beef and rice all in their containers in the fridge (can you tell we are not vegetarian?) plus lunch made for tomorrow, I'm feeling a certain sense of domestic goddess satisfaction.

I know this week is gonna be crazy, settling into my new job and easing E into his new school plus this cold weather that we are still trying to acclimate to... I thought it best to be prepared with some decent healthy meals that we can pop into the microwave at a moment's notice.

God I'm good!

So the plan is to be the professional working princess during the week and the cooking storm goddess on Sundays.

Yeah that'll happen!

So today we went to the bowling alley with Willow and her kids. E and Willow's daughter had a fantastic time amusing themselves bowling and Willow and I got to finally catch up in between giggling at her youngest who is simply THE most adorable wind-up doll I've ever seen!

Afterwards I googled the magic butcher and we found it! Success! Turns out its actually just around the corner from my work so now I know where it is I'll be a regular visitor. Another visit to the vege shop - $6 for a bag of veges and bananas thank you very much! Me likey. A lot.

Then home to the cooking extravaganza. I was going to imitate Cathy and start a-baking some cupcakes but my bechamel sauce took FOREVER to thicken and by that stage I'd run out of puff. Something for another day, methinks.

So tonight we need to make sure we are organised for the official start of work/school...excitement!

How was your weekend? What are you looking forward to this week? Make sure you click on the subscribe button to follow!

xx

The key to winning a million dollars.

I've just learned that in order to win large sums of cash, firstly you need to enter a competition of sorts. Generally you don't just get a letter in the mail notifying you that you've been randomly selected to make rich. Well yes you do, but experience tells me that these such letters are a LIE.

So it appears that I will NOT be becoming a millionaire tonight either, as I didn't buy any tickets/enter any competitions and that pesky guy from Nigeria hasn't gotten back to me on my inheritance. Shucks.

So today has been lovely, somewhat productive and farking, freaking COLD. We've selected a few pictures for the hallway/loungeroom and are making really good headway on pretty much everything except the bonus room which looks like bomb hit it. I had to issue E with an ultimatum to get his room in order - I've been asking all week with no result and finally when threatened with no dessert, suddenly we have action in less than half an hour! Its definitely true that a way to this man's heart is through his stomach!

And now E has a cough that sounds like a barking dog which is so not good, although he assures me he feels perfectly fine. He's dosed up with cough syrup, sausages and plenty of Vegas and is now contentedly sucking on a lemonade ice block so hopefully he will be good in the morning.

We're going to go bowling with Willow and her kids tomorrow. Well the kids will bowl whilst W and I have a long overdue gossip session, as first as residents of the same town! Awesome!

Then we have to get E organised for his first day at his new school and I'm hoping to cook a couple of meals that we can then pull out during the week as I have an inkling that I'll be far too brain dead after my new job to bother cooking. Plus it gets dark here so early that it feels so much later and depletes any urge to create anything but the most basic meal.

Now that I actually have the room I'm hoping to get my hands on a decent cheat freezer so I can cook up a storm and always have something respectable on hand. I often get the cooking urge on Sundays and will happily cook 2-3 meals at the same time but have never had the room to store everything.

Speaking of food, we just cooked up some thick sausages that I got from a butcher the other day (when I got lost) and they were simply the most amazing sausages I've ever eaten! I so need to get lost again and will hopefully stumble onto that butcher again. We also bought a beef stroganoff mix that we had the other night and it was delicious so this might become the go-to butcher, if only I can ever find my way back...

If I don't freeze myself solid this evening then I'll update you on the bowling experience!

xx

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

Not that I've been eagerly awaiting 'Internet day' or anything, but we were up bright and early to race out and buy the adapter and cord required to finally get connected!

Was so excited rushing home and quickly plugged everything in with great anticipation of a return to normalcy (ie extreme Internet addiction).

So the lights came on...but no one was home. We got all the wireless stuff recognizing the network and excitedly clicked on Facebook and...nothing.

As a good little IT geek I turned everything on and off, checked all the connections, held my breath, hoped the wind was blowing the right way and tried again...

Nothing.

A prolonged call to Optus has confirmed an unprecedented fault on the line. Bah! Our Internet is currently coming through at the lightning speed of 128kps, which for those that don't speak geek is like not having Internet. At all.

A technician will be working his magic 'hopefully on Monday or Tuesday' (direct quote) but until then we remain in a most frustrating holding pattern with access so tantalizingly close (the lights are on!) yet so far.

I can honestly tell you I think I won't be using my iPhone for some time once we do finally get online as I'm heartily sick of this teeny keyboard and keep making endless typos.

Moving on from my 'rich people' problems, today we woke up to a 5 degree morning with the sun shining brilliantly, certainly a lovely change from yesterday's rain and wind, and most unexpected as the rain was forecast for all weekend. So far our first weekend in Toowoomba, barring technical issues, has been lovely.

The iPhone weather app says its currently 6 degrees at 11am but I think it must be wrong as I'm sitting in the sun in my backyard (my backyard!) and provided you're directly in sunlight it's absolutely lovely. Yes I'm wearing my Cobar mans socks and a rather fetching pair of trackies (which I did NOT go out in public in this morning, in case you were wondering) but I'm thoroughly enjoying soaking up the vitamin D through the (very few) patches of visible skin on my body.

This weekend's plans include little more than trying to finish off the unpacking before life as our 'new normal' begins on Monday. Willow and I have delayed our shopping trip for now until I actually have some cash to spare. It's far too frustrating to need things and not be able to get them!

So hope your weekend is shaping up to be awesome! I am going to put my technological frustrations aside and thoroughly enjoy my 'first' weekend in my new hometown! That's if I ever leave my sunlit backyard.

I leave you with a depth that I will never sink to...unless I get really, really cold.

xx

Cathy's 50s Housewife Friday.

50s housewife Friday first track selection: Faith No More, From Out Of Nowhere.

An excellent accompaniment to the double choc chip cookie baking extravaganza that has just begun. Making a platter for our back neighbours who have very kindly bought our house and would love for us to keep living here!!

The power of my 50s housewife Fridays baking spells...bwahahaha

Today's 50s housewife Friday sedation is proudly sponsored by Endone. Mmmmm delicious Endone, the morphine that keeps on giving...for 4-6 hours...

Cathy xx

Induction. Internet. Succinct and not winning a million dollars.

Induction day and what a day! So firstly alarm didn't go off as somehow the volume button got pushed to zero sometime during the move. Luckily for this earlybird I woke about 10 minutes after the appointed alarm time, so no fatal faux pas for this little black duck.

I layered up quite significantly in anticipation of the 'freezing' morning and raced to the car in plenty of time. However it may have reached 5 degrees at some point during the night but was already 15 degrees by 7am so all in all I quickly regretted a layer or two.

So can I tell you I'm mega jealous that I wasn't the first person to open a drive thru coffee place in Toowoomba? Driving past Zaraffas the line was more than 7 deep and the shop inside packed. Winning.

Of course still being on Brisbane timing I left way early which was an inspired choice seeing as in my supreme confidence that I knew EXACTLY where to go, I missed the turn and got lost. By the time I realised I was heading to Gooniwindi and turned around, my time advantage had dwindled and I arrived with just 10 minutes to spare. Lucky I haven't quite adjusted yet!

So induction. I had more information thrown at me today than this little brain could possibly handle, plus tours of two different facilities, my first introduction to safety goggles and ear protection and the world's longest IT induction known to man. Seriously I
Could've run that thing in a hour, et he stretched it out to four solid hours plus has arranged to see me Monday! Ah!

It was hard work stifling my snigger when he asked us to be succinct and then took more than three minutes to explain what succinct meant. He was the only one who missed the irony!

On the plus side I got to spend some time with my new boss and met a lot of lovely people and I do feel I'm going to like it there. Phew!

As I didn't win a million dollars yesterday I will need to turn up on Monday so it's just as well.

Do today was Internet day! I got home so excited to get hooked up...before realizing we have several obstacles.,,

Firstly we only have the old style phone connections here and only modern ones in my tech-box.

Secondly the only phone point is in my bedroom so we're gonna need a monster cord to reach through one or two rooms to reach the study.

So until we get the accoutrements we need we can't get connected...BOO.

Of course it doesn't escape my notice that if I'll pulled my finger out yesterday I would've known this and been able to get what I needed on the way home. Of course I could do it now but it's COLD and WET and I'm too tired (sadface).

So there's my day. Still on the iPhone, hanging on the couch with my boy and watching TV. It might be boring to some but is exactly what I need right now!

Stay tuned as I'll be posting the return of Cathy's 50s Housewife Friday shortly! Great to see her back on her feet and of course, baking!

xx

Making sense of the unsensible.

Not sure if that's even a word but the brain is too clogged with dust to coherently think of an alternative.

I just read back my To Do list from this morning, which I hereby dub my 'Wish list' as clearly I was dreaming.

So E is all set for school - tick. We have uniforms, books and all the forms filled out, gone on a tour, met his teacher and freezed (froze?) our jacksies off all the while. Glad he's going to that wind tunnel and not me! All that's left is a school bag as he's decided it would be bad form to tote the old one emblazoned with his old school logo. But I'm sure I can hook him up from my extensive collection of backpacks I have in a box...somewhere...

I washed my hair! Result! I actually sucked it up and did it this morning before visiting the school thinking it was probably best not to let them think that I'm 'that mum', at least not on the first day. It was a prolonged experience but not impossible, although I now want to marry the heat light in my bathroom without which I don't think standing there for that amount of time would be possible. I'd say it's an experience I don't want to repeat but the alternative is too horrible to contemplate.

I also took a bunch of empty boxes and stored them in the rafters of my garage so that's three things off the list. Check!

As for getting ready for work tomorrow and setting up the computer gear...ummm....

Hey I'm easily distracted and instead decided to unpack boxes, lay down my rug, hang pictures and all of that crucial stuff instead.

As much as it pains me, the Internet setup may need to wait to the weekend unless I come home completely energized from my work induction tomorrow (which as it consists of a four hour safety induction followed by IT, I'm thinking that's a no).

As for the forms, well we all know that will be a crazy 6.30am job tomorrow morning when I'm madly trying to get ready for work. I'd say I'd do it tonight but who are we kidding?

So I just checked the weather forecast for Toowoomba and it appears I'd better not get used to the sunny days we've been enjoying, where if you stand in direct sunlight you can forget momentarily that you're freezing your tits off.

Tomorrow morning is going to be a killer. Walking the 10 or so metres from the back door to the garage might just finish me off. And it's supposed to be raining, which is just the icing on the cake.

So on a completely irrelevant aside, I love LOVE my new kitchen! I've now tested out all the appliances and they're awesome! I don't know what to do with myself with all the bench space and I've said this before...a dishwasher that washes dishes! I'm in heaven and have already rediscovered my love of cooking which had been dormant in the face of crappy/tiny kitchens for the last several years. So stay tuned as I'll likely bore you with pictures of my culinary creations (warning: they taste better than they look). Or maybe it's because I've had too much time on my hands with having the week off work...

You'll be pleased to know that my trackies/fluffy socks sojourn of yesterday frightened me sufficiently to lift my game today. Hair, makeup, dress, tights and a woollen hat that E assured me looked cute but I have a sneaking suspicion just made me look stupid.

So wish me luck tomorrow! It's just induction day but I'm really nervous, it's been 7 years since my last induction and I still remember struggling to stay awake in that one.

Oh and I just realised it's 'insensible' but I've decided I like my version better.

xx

Washing hair. School. And winning buttloads of cash.

It's now the day before my official first day at work and I can't believe how quickly the week has flown by. It seems just earlier this week we were still in Brisbane...

Oh wait, I was.

Anyway whilst we've definitely made headway this week, there's still so much to do and clearly not that much time to do it in.

Today's agenda and goals include:

Interview at E's new school
Set up our computer gear in anticipation of the INTERNET (oh how we've missed you). Tomorrow's the magic and highly anticipated day and we want to be ready!
Move the flattened boxes to the garage, locate our dining table underneath the boxes and move it to the dining room. It will be a novel experience to eat at a table instead of off our laps!
Get ready for my first day of work tomorrow including locating all the forms and personal information I need, which is in some random box...somewhere...
Wash hair. I've been delaying the inevitable and embracing the wonders of baby powder (which works just as well as dry shampoo by the way) but the time has now come where whilst my hair still looks ok, it barely even feels like hair. So I've decided a midday cleansing when the day is warmest is the timing of choice, and I'll be arming myself with a bucket for rinsing as I really do not think my stingy water pressure is gonna cut it. Wish me luck.
Win a million dollars. I haven't quite worked out the details on this one so I'll get back to you.

So there's my riveting day! I've told E to make a good impression or else they'll give him the mean teacher, you know there's one at every school. Think I've scared the boy witless!

xx

Last night I had the strangest dream.

No I didn't sail away to China, as per the song (random 80s flashback) but I did have me one weird-ass dream.

I don't think it was as cold here last night as I went to bed with the same clothing and coverings but woke up a time or two as I was too hot, and this either aided or contributed to my mind working in strange ways than usual.

The first thing I remember is being in a department store and trying on a dress I didn't like. Instead of getting dressed I grabbed two pillows to cover myself and went to look at shoes and I remember having an argument with the salesgirl who was tying to make me buy a particularly ugly pair of red vinyl boots.

Then suddenly I'm hailing a taxi, still starkers with the pillows front and back, and decided to head for my mates house. We went through an area that looked suspiciously like Spring Hill in Brisbane before he pulled over and started trying to attack me as clearly I wanted it for being naked (with pillows) in his cab.

I fought him off and ran down the street (now without pillows) to the nearest shop which sold accessories and the nice girl behind the counter gave me a length of electric blue sequined fabric to tie around myself sarong-style. She also hid me in the back of the store as we could see the cabbie looking for me.

I rang the mate whose house I was going to and asked him to come get me and explained the situation and then inexplicably started helping the girl out in the store while I waited.

As you do.

Anyhow after awhile I rang my mate to see why he was taking so long and his flat mate informed me he wasn't coming as he didn't want to put himself in any danger and maybe get hit.!!!

I was thinking a few choice four letter words and crossing him off my Christmas list when I woke up.

So what's the verdict? Are there any dreams analysts out there that can give me ant clarity on wtf that all means? I mean, I've heard about being naked at school but in a taxi? Blue sequins?

Huh?

xx

Urban princess to suburban goddess. The transformation is complete.

It's been about 72 hours and my transformation from spoiled image-conscious city princess to ultimate suburban goddess is already complete.

Let me explain.

Monday found me showering, applying makeup and dressing in clothing likely entirely inappropriate for moving and more suitable for a stroll around a shopping centre. Even the removalists told me I should have put on a pair of jeans instead of my (far more flattering) dress.

Boo to them. Clearly they know nothing about fashion.

Over the past few days even though there's been nothing on the agenda other than unpacking and sorting out my new house, I've made an effort to put on a dress and tights and do my hair (I forewent the makeup as that would just be silly).

And then this morning I donned my jeans(!) and boots for my medical appointment. Clearly the transformation was already in progress as I have friends I've known for 20 years who haven't seen me in a pair of jeans. Because I was wearing boots I wore pink striped fluffy socks underneath as I figured noone would see them.

When I got home I changed back to trackies for comfort whilst I went about the endless business of unpacking. Later this afternoon I realised we needed washing detergent and dish washing powder so we raced out to the nearest Woolworths to pick some up.

You see where I'm going with this.

Yes, I didn't change out of my trackies and just threw on a pair of black ballet flats...OVER my socks. It wasn't until I reached the shops that I realised the fashion tragedy I was perpetuating.

Oh dear.

Now by no means was I the worst dressed person at the supermarket, which is disturbing enough in itself. But for me to be actively contributing to the decline of personal dignity is simply appalling.

I don't like the direction this is heading.

I need a fashion intervention. STAT.

xx

Post-medical relief. And shopping fail.

I've been poked, prodded and suffered certain indignities that I will never speak of, but ultimately I've been judged as 'fit to work'. Oh if they only knew.

So I'm not on drugs, I have great eyesight, coordination (take that go-kart that I fell out of) and general good health. The doctor thinks I'm awesome at yoga due to my sterling flexibility and balance. Ha! I have to get my left ear checked out for my own peace of mind as apparently I'm not that great at registering lower level sounds but otherwise all is good.

Big relief.

To celebrate my now confirmed employment status I took myself off to Myer in an attempt to spend my farewell shopping voucher. I say 'attempt' as I got so confused in there and fell in love with pretty much everything so couldn't decide.

I've had no money to buy anything decent for such a long time and have simply avoided decent dress shops due to the fact that it is just too painful to look and not buy. So I was like a kid in a candy store and just couldn't decide. Also thinking back on it jeans and boots were not the best choices when wanting to try on clothes so I didn't bother at all.

Instead Miss Willow is going to join me as a valued second opinion on Saturday so I can finally spend, spend, spend and come away without buyers remorse.

I have buyers dyslexia where it looks amazing in the store but then you catch a glimpse of yourself on your first day wearing it and it's a horror show. Or else I go out shopping and buy a black dress that, you guessed it, looks exactly like 3 others hanging in my wardrobe.

I'm such a dress and accessories girl, probably because I'm crap at pairing tops and skirts and think pants make my ass visible from the moon. Whereas you slip on a dress and maybe a pretty scarf or jewellery and you're good to go.

I must say there was also a divine coat or two that caught my eye also do I'm thinking I might end up putting on a size able lay by come Saturday! It will form part of Willow's job description as personal shopper to restrain me.

I can't stop thinking about that awesome shop I glimpsed this morning but refuse to go back until the paychecks start rolling in.

So we're on the countdown to my first day at work now - I'm scared and excited all at the same time.

xx

Pre-medical panic.

So I'm sitting here in a darling little coffee shop enjoying smaller town hospitality (loving THAT) and an especially good cappuccino in the tiniest little shopping centre that has the right to call itself a shopping centre, wasting time before my work-appointed medical.

I'm way early, still being on Brisbane time, allowing half hour to get there plus 15 mins for parking/getting lost/traffic etc.

So as it took 5 mins to get here I'm about 40 minutes early. Might have to work on my small-town timing.

I know medical checks are pretty standard these days but it's my 'first' and I can't help being worried. What if my intermittent sinus issues preclude me from being suitable for the job? What if they deign that I'm not fit enough to sit at a desk and walk to the photocopier? Or that my caffeine addiction is out of control (it is)? I've just relocated my whole life for this so imagine if it was all to find out I've failed the medical? I mean, the police gave me the all-clear, as surprising to me as I'm sure it is to you. But if the doc says no...then what?

So I'm caffeinating myself, cause that always helps. Really. And I've decided to reward myself by going shopping to spend my farewell shopping voucher, hopefully on something nice for my first day of the new job (medical signoff pending).

So on a completely different topic I just walked past the most gorgeous little shop called Danielle's and I want to LIVE there. Unfortunately it wasn't open so I will have to go back and explore. I think it will rapidly become my new favorite shop, like, in the world if the inside has as much promise as the window.

So it's time...wish me luck!

xx

Warning. Urban princess ahead.

So it turns out that all those years of city living have turned me into a spoiled urban princess.

Three years in a temperature controlled, fully insulated secure building has made me soft. Too hot? Turn on the aircon. Too cold? Adjust temperature on same aircon, by remote of course. Press the button and doors open automatically, swipe your fob and drive into the underground garage. Rubbish down the chute in a permanently lighted hallway. No panic about washing on the line. Door self-locks and automatically closes behind you.

I'll freely admit I took it all for granted
And knew there'd be a lot of adjustments to make in my new house. I took the liberty of ensuring there'd be a least a dishwasher and lockup garage to ease the transition. And I have my own built in bin-boy (sorry E) so at least I don't have to suffer the indignity of racing outside in my pajamas at 5am because I forgot it was bin day.

But one thing I wasn't prepared for was the showers. You see, in my pampered little world of yesterday (literally) I had singular taps which when set just right took a simple tug and a wait of about 30 seconds to dispense the temperature and water pressure that was just to my liking. And then a 1 metre stroll to my (temperature controlled) room to dress. Even on the coldest morning I'd be oblivious until I walked outside.

No more.

I quickly learned last night that my showering habits are going to change forever. We are fortunate enough to have heat lights in the bathroom but there are certain, shall we say, idiosyncrasies that I will need to deal with going forward.

Firstly there's the two tap thing, which is an alien concept to the pampered princess which I have just learned I am. Working out the right hot/cold tap combination has been, ah, challenging. Then there's the fact if you're the first in the shower it takes several minutes for the hot water to come through, and then some lag between adjusting the taps to feel the effect. I figured this out last night when trying to cool down the scalding heat only to suddenly find myself in an icy waterfall.

That was special.

Then there's the water pressure. My house is fully water efficient which means I've been supplied with a water-saving shower head which is code for pissweak pressure and a trickle you have to stand under for days just to get wet. I haven't dared to wash my hair yet and I'm a little scared to. I think I'll be buying stock in dry shampoo just to avoid this during winter!

Lastly I have now learned to collect all my clothing so that I can be fully dressed before leaving the bathroom. Heavy duty socks must be the first things to be donned or else by the time I walk the 3 metres to my bedroom I'll be colder than before my shower.

On the plus side, the hot water system is fantastic so we have no danger of running out mid-shower. I've also showered whilst running the dishwasher and no issue with sharing of the heating resources nor the flushing of the toilet/temperature change that I vaguely remember from yesteryear. So there are some small mercies here.

I'm just wondering if it would be environmentally unsound and completely wrong to install a kickass shower head?

xx

Chaos. Disorder. Yep I'm home.

Hooray for an excellent night's sleep, my first under my doona in a long while and judging by the temperature here, certainly not the last!

I don't think I budged all night and man, could it have been any harder to get out of my warm cocoon this morning?

But chaos reigned so I forced myself into my warm miner socks that I bought last year for a winter visit to Cobar, and a purchase that is already becoming a Toowoomba staple! I then got up and started attacking the boxes like the madwoman so many suspected I already was.

First on the agenda was the toaster and do you think we could find the rotten thing? After ripping open almost every box and half an hour later, there lay the toaster mocking us from an OPEN box right beside the door. Nice one toaster. You're lucky I wanted a muffin otherwise you would have been, well, toast.

Whoever the bright spark who said to wrap everything in newspaper was must have been moving to a place with an industrial kitchen. We've had the dishwasher running full-tilt just to be able to put things in the cupboard.

So accomplishments for the day: TV hooked up and channels programmed - check. Washing machine working and on its first load - check (although keeping an eye on the drainage as its coming perilously close to disaster). Clothes mostly hung up and organised and the essentials like cutlery, plates and the all-important Ninjago box found - check.

We also went exploring to locate such important services like the bowling alley, movie theatre and the crucial Subway. We also stumbled on an awesome little set of shops with a fantastic fruit/veg shop and an awesome butcher. I've been absolutely gagging for some fresh veges and was so excited shopping there that I think my fellow customers assumed I had some kind of problem.

They might be right.

So I got to the checkout and couldn't hold back my intake of breath at the total - the girl at the counter looked at me questioningly and I had to explain the prices were about half of what they charge in Brisbane, and of course the quality so much better.

Now if only I could remember where the damn shops were so I can go back?

I'm anxiously awaiting my first visit from fellow blogger Willow with her kids this afternoon...it has been ages and I just can't wait to greet my new neighbour (well she lives 5 minutes away which in Brisbane speak is just next door).

Can't wait to show her around our little palace - which is doing a damned good impression of a junk house right now but oh, the possibilities! And it has a dishwasher that...wait for it...cleans my dishes! What a novel concept - my old place you had to basically wash them by hand first and then run them through the machine twice.

Maybe my dad is right - clearly I actually do need a life.

So we're making some order of the chaos and have had some fun today. E told me I'm cool and was them rather horrified when I divulged that I fully intended on deliberately embarrassing him in front of his mates at every opportunity when he became a teenager. He doesn't quite get that it's in the job description.

But he will! (insert evil laugh here).

We also raced out and bought a cheap little heater as one night shivering whilst wrapped in blankets in front of the TV was quite enough. We will be getting that delivery of wood sooner rather than later and also factoring in some heavy duty heaters into the budget in the very near future. Otherwise E will be running away from home, at least until he realised it might be cold inside but it's a butt-load colder OUTSIDE (insert another evil laugh here).

Enjoying our first 24 hours in Toowoomba despite impersonating icicles! Hope your day is awesome too!

xx

First, last and always.

To quote Sisters of Mercy 'first, lasts and always'.

So here we are, official Toowoomba residents for the first time, after saying goodbye to our Brisbane abode for the last. The day has been busy, bittersweet and exhausting and I'm so glad to be here, even if I have simply relocated 'box city' for the moment.

The day started off with tears (me), tantrums (me) and cranky outbursts (also me) but I'm happy to say has ended well. The removalists arrive. On time but our landlord was completely AWOL, no lift key, no moving curtains in the lift. Took him about an hour to appear which slowed down the move significantly. Why is it that he seems to be up in our business 24/7 until you actually NEED him?

Anyhow after that the pace started to pick up and we finally departed fair Brisbane about 11am.

The drive was actually a nice respite from all the craziness, a good opportunity to just breathe, and then panic wondering what the house we will now call home looks like. And am I doing the right thing?

What have I done?

Well I considered it a good omen that for the first time ever I managed to take the correct turnoff to Toowoomba, thus avoiding the usual lengthy detour through downtown Ipswich (not recommended). Success!

First stop in Toowoomba was the real estate to pick up the keys for said mystery house, which was perhaps not such a good omen! We were behind a guy who was begging the property manager for a rent extension due to the fact his rent money had been stolen and then burnt so that no-one could spend it?

Looks like I've got stiff competition for tenant of the year.

So keys in hand we set the iPhone maps to our address and we were on our way.

It was a lovely surprise to have dad waiting outside welcoming us to our new home!

So we drove up the driveway to the freestanding garage that looked exactly like the photo, minus the basketball hoop (but with the right holes so we can install our own). We then went to the front door and anxiously tried the keys so we could see our new home!

And the verdict is...

It's AWESOME!

So much bigger than we thought, both bedrooms are absolutely massive, the kitchen is great and we've scored an extra living area that we weren't expecting. Bonus! Sure the bathroom is a little basic and some of the lighting fixtures questionable (we literally have a torch shaped light at the front of the house - wtf?) but it's really big and spacious and more than enough for E and myself. The only thing that's going to cause any grief is that the only toilet is at the very back of the house which is going to make nighttime winter trips an event and a half!

We still haven't gotten the tv hooked up right with only analog channels coming through at the moment, but as long as we can watch The Voice tonight we can work the rest out later!

We've made our beds and E is excitedly unpacking his toys and finding new homes for everything but frankly I've given up for the day. Sooo exhausted and as long as I have a warm bed to sleep in, everything else can wait until...you guessed it, tomorrow!

We've stacked up all the boxes in the bonus room (as frankly I have no furniture to put in there yet anyway). We then went exploring to find our local shopping centre (less than 5 mins away - yeah) and bought a few things to fill the fridge and then grabbed some takeaway on the way home so we're fed and watered and that's good enough.

Fark it's bloody cold already! I think a heater shopping trip will be in order sooner rather than later! Lucky dad gave me a few heavy duty blankets that they don't use anymore as I think they will be used very very quickly!

So tomorrow I've got the smoke alarm dude coming and plan to ring E's new school and that's pretty much it. So excited just to potter around and find homes for everything and hang all my pictures and everything!

Oh I have a mantelpiece! I've never had one before so have all these wonderful decorating ideas already.

So there we are...eventful, exciting and exhausting. So glad the hard bit is behind us and I'm so looking forward to discovering lots of 'firsts' in our new hometown.

Hope your day has been much less eventful but just as exciting as ours!

xx

Go to packing hell. Do not pass go.

They say that death, divorce and moving house are the most stressful things you have to experience in life.

Well I haven't done the divorce thing but they're right on the money with moving.

So all the best laid plans went out the window last night. Instead of packing I substituted watching Pretty Little Liars instead. Now I'm all caught up so bring on June when they grace our television screens again!

Scarlett O'Hara would be proud.

Just as well I did too seeing as my Internet got disconnected at 7 am this morning... I did ask for a Sunday disconnection but somehow assumed that meant Sunday night, not morning. Who'd have thunk a phone company could possibly be efficient?

So begins my week without Internet. It's going to be rough, I tell you. I'm tempted to go buy one of those prepaid thingies but then feel stupid...surely I can go a few days without it? After all I do have Internet on my phone but typing this on my tiny phone keyboard is already doing my head in.

On the plus side, removing the computer distraction has helped enormously in focusing on the task at hand and I can now sit down and say that apart from a couple of bits and pieces, we are DONE.

And thank god for that. I don't think I could've stood another day. I'm tired, dirty and have so much dust up my nose I've given myself a sinus headache. Joy.

Thank god we're getting cleaners in, my building requires it, because I look around at all the dirt and dust and debris that seems to always appear only when moving and can barely face it. At least tomorrow after the removalists leave I can let the cleaners in, hand the keys back and be on my way...finally!!

It's only been a few weeks but it seems like its been so long and drawn out, I'm sick of moving and sick of myself and just want to get there! Last obstacle is looking at the house where we're going to live and hoping we can make it work. Here's hoping I'll be pleasantly surprised, as we need to make it home until at least January as per my lease!

And after the hell of this move I'll definitely wanting to be staying put for quite some time. I didn't realise the significant difference of moving inter-city, which I've done heaps to times, compared to moving to an entirely new town. Whatever we can't fit in our car simply HAS to go in the moving van and I swear it doubles the amount of boxes you need. Usually I'll do a couple of car trips when moving but as we plan to leave and not come back (not never, but you know what I mean) we can only take a single carload. And my couch cushions take up a single box just on their own.

Toowoomba better be the place to be because I have a feeling they're stuck with me whether they or I like it or not!

So packing purgatory has led straight through packing hell to box city. Next stop better be worth it!

One more sleep and then hopefully it will all be good! I usually give the removalists a hand but have made the executive decision to give them access and then make myself scarce so they can do their thing.

Can't wait to sleep in our new house tomorrow night!

Love to everyone in Brisbane, I'm sure I'll be back for a visit soon.

xx

2 more sleeps!

Two more sleeps until the removalists come on Monday morning...then we'll be sleeping in our new, unseen Toowoomba abode! Time's speeding up now that we're on the countdown to bigger and better...although technically it's smaller, but you know what I mean.

Strangely I'm feeling much less angsty today, I think the stress of anticipating finishing work was overwhelming me, and now that I've ticked that off The Toowoomba Project list, I am now feeling much less panicky about the whole thing.

Today has been pretty industrious, we've knocked over a fair portion of the packing. Momentary panic when we ran out of boxes - who'd have thunk it?  But after an emergency run to the box shop (yes there is such a thing) and then scoring a backseat-load from a mate, we're cooking with gas. In fact we now have way too many, but at least I won't have to freak out when all the shops are shut tomorrow and I'm box-less.

So what I'd really like to know is how can I have accumulated so much stuff in such a small apartment? Seriously, we've got boxes stacked to the heavens here which seriously if you spread end-to-end I really have to question how we fit it all in? And although I still have to make a run or two to the skip downstairs, I'm really not throwing that much away. One of the great mysteries of the universe.

We still have a cupboard or six to empty but on the whole, doing very well. The washing machine will be commissioned for quite some time tomorrow to make sure all our sheets/towels etc are all clean before the move, because who knows when I'll be bothered again to throw on a load?

The problem with everything left to pack is that it is all the 'miscellaneous' crap. You know, you want to keep it but it's not easily sortable or able to be categorised in a box easily. You know, you can put all your cups and plates in one box and label them 'Kitchen cups and plates' but it's much harder to label a box 'miscellaneous crap'. Well it isn't really but I know I'll pack something and then be needing to find it and won't be able to.  

We all know how this will end - I'll just upend the drawers into a box and work it out later. I may as well just get on with it.

All in all, it was a pretty good day. My mate came around to finish fixing our walls where we took some paint off (huge thanks to him for that) and this afternoon I went for coffee and homemade scones and apple turnovers with some great friends of mine. Fabulous company and unimaginably good food, what a great way to finish the day! It's been so lovely having them just a suburb or two over so I will miss them terribly but they've promised me they'll be regular guests and I know they enjoy their 'road trips' so I'll be holding them to it! This is the same couple who I have written about before in Strange Addictions - you can always tell when she is angling for a new Kitchenaid attachment (ahem food dehydrator) due to her apparent dissatisfaction with the fact that they don't have a flat screen TV. Classic misdirection - she asks for a TV, they settle for a Kitchenaid attachment, which frankly is much less expensive. He then buys matchbox cars and the cycle begins again. She's also currently pimping him out on Facebook but that's an entirely different story.

Great friends are really hard to come by so I hold mine close and wonder sometimes why I'm moving away from them. But because they're such great friends, I know distance won't change anything and in fact will likely make us try harder to ensure that it doesn't.

Shout out to Cathy who in typical Cathy fashion came out of her surgery yesterday to still make quote of the day:

Hey guys, thanks for all ur concern. Am waking up slightly and on lots of good drugs, must be good cause the nurse said I've been muttering about John Lennon and Jesus!!! Wtf???

So I'm determined to knock over some more packing before bed tonight so that we can just enjoy our last day in Brisbane tomorrow. So far the weather has been amazing, so I'm trying to decide what to do with our free time. Any suggestions?

I'm also so gonna need a pedicure when this is all over.

xx

Classic E and I - hard to believe he was ever so little!

A huge 'last'

So today was the day. The last day of work. Wow, I'm emotional just thinking about it. It was definitely bittersweet.

Saying goodbye was so much harder than I thought it would be. I got a special morning tea where my boss said the most wonderful things. I mean, he sort of HAD to, seeing at it was my last day and all, but it was really, really lovely.

Of course then it came time for me to say a few words. It was so surreal that I know I rambled on for quite a while but really can't remember what I said. Hope it was coherent enough to express my thanks and gratitude to all the amazing people I've been lucky enough to work with.

The tears were definitely prickling in my eyes but I'm proud to say that managed not to lose it completely!

I also scored a hefty shopping voucher as my leaving gift which is soooo needed and appreciated!

Handing back my laptop was the strangest thing. Coming home on the bus I felt like I was forgetting something. I'm so used to carrying it around that it has become like an extension of me. So now I'm stuck with crappy old home laptop for the duration, until my new job gives me my laptop on my first day. Not such a big problem as I just found out the installation of my internet at my new place doesn't take place until next Friday so it's relatively moot. Thank god for iphones is all I can say at this point, at least I won't be completely cut off from my beloved online world!

So there were four parts of today that were so, so hard. The morning tea and handing back my laptop of course, but also writing my farewell email and finally walking out of the building altogether.

We have a lovely tradition at our work where people who leave write our team a farewell email full of all the things they will remember from their time there and thank yous to people who meant a lot to them. After 7 years there, I certainly had a lot of people who have come to mean so much to me and so many memories and funny stories from this awesome, crazy bunch of people. Funny that before I worked there I bought into the stereotype of the boring accountants...however I probably have more insane and nutty memories of that place than I do of any previous workplace!

Anyway sitting down and writing that email was so hard. What do you say to certain people that you rely on every day? How do you write something meaningful, grateful and yet still uniquely me? I have to say it took me quite a while to compose and as one clever wag said, probably longer to read! Hey, I've never been short of a word or ten!

I think I managed it though.

I went through my thank yous to all the people who've meant a lot to me, threw in something about wanting to be someone's minion when they take over the world, apologised to another who I was terrified of when I started but ended up being one of my closest colleagues and then randomly talked about my extensive collection of wigs, costumes and false eyelashes that I've collected during my time there and how I walked through the Valley dressed as Red Riding Hood.

I then remembered all of my favourite times and things that stood out during my years. These ranged from 'winning' the Magoo Award when go-karting (so not my fault - I blame the dangerous driving of another), the fact that I still proudly own the title for the most barrier tyres knocked down at Kingston Park Raceway and my all-time favourite quote from an ex-colleague:

It's awesome when I can walk 10 metres to the printer and pass a sword, rasta wig, treasure chest, feather boa and viking helmet and think that it's perfectly normal.

Completely sums up what I will miss about that place.

I think I ended on a schmaltzy note, getting a bit teary over how hard it was to leave and what a great place it is and also quoting one of our senior people who once gave a presentation about seizing opportunities.

Oh yeah and I mentioned the fire thing. Obsessed much?

So there you are. The end of an era. The closing of a chapter. I'd say the finish of something else except I'm out of cliches.

Oh yeah, quote of the day from my farewell card:

Since you are now leaving, any chance you can destroy those incriminating photos of me when I was a grad???

Yeah THAT'S gonna happen!

So I've officially passed the torch, handed over the keys, yada yada. So completely weird and I don't think it will hit me for a while.

So I hope you all had a less eventful Friday than me. My thoughts are with fellow blogger Cathy as she recovers from her surgery today and I hope she'll be back up and rocking and baking before we know it. Meanwhile I have some pics below which remind me of some of my favourite times with my colleagues over the last few years (as you can see the costuming is kinda a requirement for any kind of get-together).

xx

Last day at work. The prequel.

Ok I'm on the bus headed for my last working day in Brisbane.

Incidentally, is it a good or a bad omen that I only have enough on my go-card to get TO work and not home again?

Bringing back my work appointed laptop bag feels weird. I swapped it straightaway for a backpack but have to hand the work one back today. Carrying it over one shoulder instead of two just makes the day really different.

So on the agenda today:

Clean desk
Pack all my crap
Clean up my laptop and hand it in
Attend my farewell morning tea (assume it would be bad form to skip it)
Complete a million checklists and forms to satisfy the company that I've been 'exited' properly
Write a heartfelt farewell letter to my team designed to make them cry and miss me before I even leave

It feels completely surreal.

So wish me luck!

By the way 50s housewife Friday courtesy of fellow blogger Cathy is postponed for this week due to a medical procedure she needs. So our thoughts go out to her today...I'm sure she'd rather be baking!

xx

The topknot. Fashionista or fashion fail?

Everyone has that one hairstyle that they just can't bear the sight of. For me this has always been the topknot.

Of course there's also the reverse porcupine, but we won't even go there. There are some things that are just too traumatic to discuss.

From teenagerhood where my boyfriend described the topknot look as being 'like a dog doo on her head' to present, the topknot has been one of those things that I've always looked at and cringed.

And don't get me started on the loose topknot/tight headband combo which leaves the wearer looking like an upside-down mushroom. I have coined a term for this look - 'the inverted mushroom' (patent pending).

However in the past year or so something strange has happened. The topknot is currently enjoying a fashion resurgence, which generally would fill me with the utmost horror, however every now and again I see a girl rocking it and actually...well...rocking it.

I've been studying this trend and think I might have discovered that magical difference between looking fashion forward and fashion fail.

Look, if you're heading to the shops in your trackies and Uggs, and you want to throw your hair in the so-called classic topknot to get it off your face, then knock yourself out.  My gripe is with those who are clearly trying to be fashionable, OK?

Here's my tips if you must insist on being a trend follower. My preference is to do my own thing, but hey, we all dance to the beat of different drums:

1. Location: the perfect topknot location varies from person to person depending on your headshape. It must be high enough to categorically BE a topknot. Otherwise it's just a bun. But if it is even a smidgen too high, you go from looking chic to well, for want of a better term, looking like a dick. If it's hanging over your forehead, you look like an idiot. Someone has to say it.
2. Size: I really hate the tight topknot that looks like a little knob or antenna hanging off the top of your head. But then sometimes you see an effort that goes just too far the other way, like they were involved in some sort of inexplicable science lab explosion and forgot to fix their hair. Rule of thumb: if it's bigger than your head, you've gone too far. The happy medium is slightly loose and wispy, not too 'done' but not too underdone either. The whole point of the look is to appear like you just threw it together in a few seconds. But the same rules apply as the 'no-makeup makeup' look - to achieve the perfectly undone looking topknot, you need to spend longer to make it look like you spent less. Makes perfect sense, right? If you actually DID throw it together in a few seconds, unless you're a hairdresser, it's likely a fail. OK?
3. Foundation: the initial ponytail that forms the foundation of your topknot can't be too loose. Or tight. Your hair should look relaxed and casual but if you do reserve the right to 'do' the inverted mushroom, I reserve the right to laugh hysterically.
4. Hair: the condition of your hair plays an important part in this too. Dirty, bedraggled hair in a topknot looks like you've just given up. Seriously, use a brush. And please, and I mean please, never do this with wet hair. If I need to spell it out then this post is not for you.

There's even 'tools' available in stores these days - those little donut thingies that supposedly allow you to achieve the perfect 'fat' topknot. Apparently you can replicate one at home with a rolled up sock, but clearly you need more skill than I as I simply look like some sort of weirdo with a visible sock in my hair.

Personally I think I'll leave the trend alone. I don't think I have the right shaped head for it and frankly, pulling my hair on top of my head for extended periods of time just gives me a headache. Or perhaps that's just post-traumatic-stress from so many years of ballet classes and being forced to scrape our hair into immovable buns with pins sticking every which way into my brain.

Actually that explains a lot.

So what's the verdict? Do you like the topknot? Am I just fashion backwards and 'past it' for my aversion to this trend?

xx

I don't hate this.

Get a life. Or your dad will get one for you.

So whilst I've been busy packing up our lives in Brisbane, it appears that my father has been working pretty hard himself....on finding me a life.

Last night on the phone my dad uttered six words that I am sure he thought he'd NEVER in his life say...

You need to get out more.

I was more than a social butterfly before my son was born, I'd probably go as far as saying I was a social animal (some might say anti-social animal). There was nary a Friday or Saturday where I wasn't out on the town making a fool of myself, generally always accompanied by copious quantities of fruity alcoholic drinks. And never mind that there was many a Thursday and Sunday night thrown in the mix as well as the weekends...you get the picture.

For many years my father despaired of me ever growing up and actually spending a night at home. Oh the horror!

Life has changed a lot since E was born and I'm quite a homebody now. Unless I get a great invitation to go out, I'm generally far happier just chilling out at home with my boy or hanging with friends at their houses. I rarely drink anymore and quite like the quieter life.

Clearly my dad doesn't think much more of this new lifestyle than he did of the old.

So on this note, he then advises me he's gone ahead and found me a life. WTF?

One of my stepmother's good friends has a son who lives in Toowoomba. I probably have met him once or twice over the last 20 years but to be honest I don't really have any recollection of him. Anyhow, he is apparently involved in a social group that first started as a couple of mates hanging out and now has become a regular event of about 50 or more people who get together at various different venues. Dad is now going to 'set me up' to have a coffee with him so he can explain how it works and then get me involved.

Hmm.

If this guy wasn't living with his partner and his daughter I'd be thinking there is some nefarious plot behind this hook-up however it actually does genuinely sound like dad wants me to get a life.

How embarrassing.

To preface this, my dad is really not the meddling type. He is interested and involved, but usually sits back and waits for me to come to him. So he must think this whole getting-out-more thing is pretty important to go ahead and arrange my life for me.

So I'm not so sure how I should be feeling about my 65 year old dad organising my social life. On one hand, this group sounds really interesting and quite like the sort of people I'd like to hang with. On the other, hello? My dad has to organise my social life?

It sounds pathetic when you say it like that.

So I know I have to shake things up, and as part of my new outlook of not letting fear stand in my way of new experiences, I'll give it a go. It's definitely outside my comfort zone - I've never really been a 'joiner', I'm more likely to do the opposite just because I hate being told what to do. And it's a little hard to stomach that I need my daddy to make friends for me!

So I've clearly got a lot of new experiences to look forward to in Toowoomba, including a ready-made life courtesy of dear old dad!

So I'd love to know - do your parents still go ahead and make life decisions for you? What ways do they still interfere with your life?

xx

Apprentices and masters.

Dicko's a winner in my book

So I don't know about you but I've been riveted by the Australian version of Celebrity Apprentice. The final is still showing and I couldn't resist giving my live commentary as the show goes on. They've done their presentations and we're in the Boardroom right now waiting to find out the ultimate winner.

I must admit I've been rooting for Dicko since Day 1. Loved him on Idol, he was fabulous on Dancing With The Stars and I just think the snarky one-liners that just trip off that Pommy tongue are hilarious. Seeing another side of him on this show has been awesome, he's shown himself as a savvy businessman, a supportive team player and has displayed incredible humility. His tears and gratitude during the homeless challenge was really touching, as was bringing the homeless dude into his final video clip - a perfectly played but genuine game.

Quotes of the night:

If I win, I owe Tania a debt of gratitude, but she gets on my tits.

It was a beautiful train wreck, sir.

It's a mid-life crisis. Some people run off with their PA. Some people buy a sports car (on why he's come on the show)

Love it.

The young bloke Nathan who I'd never heard of before (apparently he won the Amazing Race) is pretty impressive and a worthy finalist but I think Dicko nailed it tonight. It's a true battle of the teacher and the student.

Wow, Dicko is tearing up over Nathan's video clip now...and telling him he always wanted a son and is so proud of him. Watching him build up his opposition and give him props is really very cool. The usual Boardroom antics of tearing down your competition is completely absent.

I get the feeling Dicko has the win because Mr Bouris (aka 'Sir') has nailed Dicko to the wall and built Nathan up, which is usually television-speak for misdirection. Ah yes I'm wise to their game. Or perhaps that's just me hoping!

It's an ad break now so I'm still waiting with bated breath.

We're back and Dicko looks like he's falling on his own sword here. He's basically telling Mr Bouris that he thinks Nathan needs it more. Tactics? I am generally very cynical but I think I believe him.

OK here we go with the result...

...and the winner is...

DICKO.

Hooray! 

Aw and now he wants to split some of his winnings with Nathan's charity.

Dicko, I love you.

xx

Happy hump day!

Happy hump day! So I just re-read my post from yesterday and what a wonderfully charming, happy, completely sane human being I was...I'm sure my popularity was at an all-time high.

The less I say about my worsening mood after I got home, the better. Needless to say my decision to isolate myself from the world in general was an excellent judgement call.

You'll hopefully be as pleased as I am to know whilst brain fog is still persistently present, crankiness has dissipated somewhat, despite a very busy and stressful day culminating in being co-opted last minute for a project with a completely reasonable deadline of oh...less than an hour.

Everyone got a smile and a 'no problem' and I'm sure no-one even noticed that I (very pleasantly) invited the printer to step outside where we could 'discuss' his attitude and lack of ANY sense of urgency in a gentlemanly fashion.

Moving on...

So I can't stop reading about those poor kids whose father now has a legal right to remove them from the country and take them to Italy against their will, DESPITE officials assisting the mother escape with them in the first place. And despite allegations of abuse and the girls writing heartbreaking letters to him saying they're afraid of him and want to stay with their mother.

The Hague Convention is crucial in helping so many families overcome spousal kidnappings, however surely judgement should be exercised on a case-by-case basis? To unilaterally return these poor kids to a possible environment of neglect or abuse because their mother removed them from the same dangerous situation in the first place doesn't bear thinking about. Yes the father has rights but they are taking away the children's rights in front of our eyes.

Here's hoping common sense will prevail in this situation which has really gripped my heart.

Whew!

So on a much deeper note, I ask you, Joel Madden: drunk or not drunk on Monday's The Voice?

Personally I didn't notice and think he's so hyper and 'on' all the time that it'd be impossible to tell. I do have to thank him for his comment on getting laid which segued into a VERY interesting conversation with my prepubescent son! Awesome.

So I'm headed home and determined to get stuck into some packing followed by the finale of Celebrity Apprentice and a sneak peek at the HIMYM season final (thanks news.com.au for already letting the cat out of the bag on who is the poor sucker lucky lady who marries Barney).

But let's face it, I'll start browsing on Amazonand forget entirely about the whole packing business. Don't get me started on my search for warm, flat boots that don't make me look like a lumberjack and don't cost me a week's wages.

And in my random brain-fogged segue of the day, I also just realised that celebrity has very similar spelling to cemetery. Weird.

E is at a 'last' playdate at his mates house this afternoon and won't be home until later. Poor kid is being a champion but you can see he's starting to visibly stress about leaving all his friends (sad face). Reality is definitely sinking in and both of us are freaking out! I'm glad he gets this time with his friend before we leave.

I know things will be fine when we get up there but the unknown at this moment in time is just terrifying!

So hope you're enjoying your hump day..what's the best or weirdest thing to happen to you today?

xx