Numb butts and dead brains. It must be Thursday.

So I'm soldiering on after a mammoth week starting with driving a few hours to collect # 1 son on Monday (more on that later) followed by a 2 day conference where I came out feeling brain dead and with a totally numb butt....

So I am an assistant and so by nature spend much of my time in an office sitting at a desk, so the abundant sitting (which can clearly be evidenced by the size of my ass) usually isn't a problem. So what's the diff, right? Well my wonderful, amazing, fabulous boss has given me a gazillion dollar Eames leather office chair which seriously is like a piece of heaven and akin to sitting on a wonderfully suspended, swivelling cloud...

Even the most comfy conference chair is clearly going to rate poorly in comparison and I must say I am so happy to have my butt back in the matter to which it has been accustomed.

I have just realised that my first post in like a bazillion years has so far focused on my ass. Oh dear.

Moving on...

So # 1 son went to Sydney for an extended weekend with my stepmother, stepsister and fam, and a cast of other thousands from their side of the family. The purpose was to go see the Lion King at the theatre and well, why not spend some time exploring Sydney too? This was pretty wonderful for a number of reasons, ie. # 1 son hasn't been to Sydney or in a plane for that matter for years so that he barely remembers it. Plus he gets to have an adventure and I get some peace and quiet! Haha.

Anyhoo, because my parents live in Tenterfield, about 3 or so hours away, we tend to meet halfway to do swapovers (I must admit we do feel like battling exes doing the kid swapover in the Maccas carpark at Warwick, but at least we do get out of the car, and you know, exchange words and stuff).

Hence the driving. I think I've probably said before that I'm not the world's biggest fan of driving.It sounds stupid but I really started to effing hate driving when living in Brisbane and dealing with stupid traffic whose singular purpose seemed to be how quickly it could make my blood boil. The more I drove, the more I started to seriously despise every car and every idiot in every car on the road. So whilst I developed an equal hatred for public transport, it was for totally different reasons and at least my blood pressure thanked me for making the switch.

Toowoomba traffic is kinda an oxymoron, so driving isn't nearly as heinous here so I've learned to tolerate it to an extent. I still would much rather have a personal driver at my beck and call but it's OK.

Still not a fan of driving more than a 10 minute distance though, which works pretty well usually as nothing in Toowoomba is really more than 10 minutes away.

I have just re-read this entire post and apologise in advance for either being offensive or dull. If I had the choice, I'd rather be offensive because there's just no excuse for dull.

So anyhoo, completely different topic...50's Housewife has turned me onto The Real Housewives and recommended I begin with New York City or New Jersey. As I can't even tolerate looking at pictures of the one who really needs to laser some of the hair off her forehead, I decided to go with NYC. Another obvious reason I that I am still having a potent and passionately raging love affair with NYC and any excuse to see images of Manhattan is OK by me.

So totally years behind, I get this, but how awful is this rift with Bethenny/Jill and how hideous are alien-eyes Ramona, the manly, permatanned Kelly and The Countess (or Dis-Count or Countess as I prefer). It's a sad state of affairs indeed when the desperate social climber and most hated from Season 1 (Alex) suddenly becomes the voice of reason. I feel quite robbed actually, that the producers made us love the devilish Bethenny/Jill combo and then suddenly you realise that both of them kinda suck.

I am persevering but it is getting difficult as I really have gone from watching in a slightly amused 'who the hell do these completely un-self aware twits think they are' fashion to really quite hating the whole entitled, horrible pretentious bunch of them.

Damn you 50s housewife. And damn you producers for creating such a car wreck of a show where I am finding it difficult to simply just look away.

And don't even get me started on The Bachelor. Or Couples Therapy. Let's just not go there.

So here's to numb butts and dead brains and junk food tv. It must be Thursday.

Bec xx

Diary of a New York wannabe

Dear New York

 It has only been a month since we met, yet I just can't get you out of my head (sorry Kylie Minogue for the blatant plagiarism).

You enter my dreams and many of my waking moments and I simply can't wait until I can see you again. It seems like I spent a lifetime waiting to meet you. It was a tough journey to get to you, full of delays, pitfalls and my serious commitment phobia, and sometimes it seemed like the day would never come.

 But suddenly....there you were.

I will never, ever forget my first glimpse of you. I was in a taxi, after a long and arduous plane trip, feeling grimy and tired and let's face it, looking less than my best. And then I saw you. You took my breath away. And you looked at me like we'd known each other a lifetime. I simply didn't know where to look first and suddenly I was overcome with excitement, breathless anticipation, and yes, a little shyness. All my tiredness fell away and I simply couldn't wait to get to know you better.

The following 8 days were a whirlwind courtship. You whisked me from our loft in TriBeCa to see all manner of breathtaking sights, from the incredible Lady (Statue of Liberty) who is everything and more that I've seen in pictures. I'll never forget rounding the corner and catching my first glimpse of the Flatiron Building, she who has featured in almost every idea of NYC in my memory. We strolled through Central Park, sharing one of the most special moments of my life at the Bethesda Fountain. The Boathouse! The Wollman Rink, sadly empty, where I could only imagine skating together with the lush foliage and skyscrapers looking down on us. We toured the East Village and walked through SoHo together and looked at World Trade Centre 1 every night from our window.

Strolling Broadway and shopping...shopping and more shopping (whoever is responsible for recommending Sephora has a lot to answer for....kids in a candy store, much?).

Strawberry Fields Forever...

 Our midnight escapade to the top of the Empire State Building is something that will be etched in my memory for a lifetime. Words cannot describe the feeling that overcame me viewing the panorama of the most incredible city in the world. I simply fell in love. Walking up those three LOOOOONNNNGGGG and incredible wonky sets of stairs each evening to our loft, I smiled every step of the way, imagining the next day when we would meet again.

Seems pretty cheap...

Sadly the day came when we had to part. What a mixed day that was. On one hand, I had been away from my gorgeous son for quite a while and missed him terribly. And yet, on the other, I had met you, only to feel like I was about to lose you all over again. After spending 24/7 with you for just over a week, I was filled with a sense of melancholy and emptiness at the thought of losing you so soon.

Flatiron!

We just didn't get enough time, and I really feel like I've got so much unfinished business with you.

Magical Bethesda Fountain

They might say that you leave your heart in San Francisco, and this may be true for some, but New York, I have definitely left a big piece of me there. Now all I can think about is seeing you again. I dream of you, I daydream of you, I picture you in technicolor, and miss you so much it almost hurts. I also regret that my son hasn't gotten a chance to meet you. Yet....

 I heart you New York. Until we meet again.

Camera straight...stairs not.

Bec xx