Shopping, Selling & Serena

Picture it. Sydney. January, 2021. A bustling shopping centre. A steaming cappuccino. And me. With my parents. Because it's perfectly normal for a grown ass woman to go shopping with her folks. Isn't it? Sniff.

This was our Monday morning ritual. In fact, we were regulars at the local shopping centre. It was practically my home away from home. Until lockdown life became a thing. Shopping is now an altogether different experience.

Image credit: Free Stock Photos · Pexels

I do like shopping for the most part.  Occasionally all the noise, brightness, people and potential decision making  becomes a bit too much for this aspie. Yes, in case you forgot or didn't know, I'm on the autistic spectrum. It sometimes seems like I forget this myself. Or at least push it aside and try to do all the things and then it's all suddenly too much and I have to hide again. But back to shopping.

As a child I was terrified of lifts and escalators. Specifically I didn't like attempting to step onto what was essentially moving stairs. Sometimes this fear still crops up as an adult. Especially because I have recurring episodes of vertigo. Not fun. 

Because of this, I often feel more secure when I'm pushing a trolley.  It gives me something to hang onto. However there's also the fact that trolleys are kinda gross. People leave rubbish in them. Not to mention their germs. Add the pesky old global pandemic thing and there's a whole new level of super germs and grossness. Totally a word. I think. Maybe? Probably not, but you know what I mean. 

All this is to say that shopping is an interesting experience for me. I have spent a good deal of my life out shopping so obviously I like it on some level despite its challenges.

Just before the current Sydney lockdown I was getting into going to  op shops. I've always been a fan of them for used books, but now I'm also interested in second hand clothes. I can only afford cheap clothes which are often the product of sweat shops and don't last. Alas, op shops are all closed at the moment. 

The other option is online shopping. I haven't managed to fully embrace online shopping. I've never done an online grocery shop, even during lockdown. 

The other week our kettle died, so Mickey Blue Eyes went to Kmart to get a new one. When he got there it was a deserted wasteland. Meaning it was closed. Only click and collect was available. Makes sense. I don't see how K Mart being open for 24 hours is 'essential'.

We decided to order a decent kettle from The Good Guys via click and collect. According to Mickey Blue Eyes the process of picking it up  was convoluted. He had to wait in the car for an eternity. Clearly everyone desperately needs electrical goods in the middle of a lockdown. Yeah, that tracks. What else are you gonna do besides stay home and play with your gadgets? Or something...

When we unpacked the kettle at home it was smaller than we'd thought from the picture online. I guess we're just old, but sometimes it's better to sight certain items before purchase. Ultimately we decided that since the prospect of having anyone over for a cuppa in the foreseeable future is rather slim, a smaller kettle would suffice. 

Side note: we almost never have anyone over pandemic or not cause we're slack arseholians. Oops. 

A few months ago I tried a bit of Facey market place buying and selling for the first time. Quite the interesting experience if I don't say so myself. Not really a fan. Zero stars. Do not recommend. 

One of the things I've noticed is, I tend to take things literally. Another aspie thing. So if someone lists their location as Suburb X, I expect it to be literally that suburb whereas it could be within a rather wide radius. There are specific rabbit warren suburbs I refuse to drive into with the same commitment and antipathy I reserve for certain stores like IKEA. Not happening. Nope. Never again in this lifetime. 

I drove Mr 17 to one such suburb to pick up something earlier this year and I thought we'd never get out. We ended up on foot trying to find the house. No thanks. Again: zero stars. 

When I enquired about an item on market place, the seller pounced on me and tried to sell me a bunch of other shit I wasn't interested in. Then she was all cloak and dagger about her exact location. I get being cautious, but I'm old fashioned and like to know in advance where I'm going rather than winging it with Google maps. 

When I said I'd changed my mind she shouted at me in caps and blocked me. Which saved me the trouble of doing it to be fair. The blocking, not the caps lock shouting. Not really my thing. OF COURSE IT'S NOT! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??!! Tee hee. 

Then I decided to dabble in a bit of selling. I listed a coat I've had languishing in a cupboard for years. It only fitted me for one winter when I was on Weight Witches. These days I am a very bad witch. Picture a plus sized Serena from Bewitched. Actually, that sounds pretty awesome to me, just quietly. A plus sized Serena would be totally groovy and farout. 

Serena would be groovy at any size. 

Back to my listing. The questions starting pinging on messenger:

Can you drop it off in Woop Woop?  

Can you post it to South Australia? 

No, and no. Postage or petrol would cost more than the 20 bucks I was asking for it. 

I finally sold it to another lady, but as soon as I saw her in my driveway I knew the coat very likely wouldn't fit her. I'm not saying she's also bad witch. I'm just saying the coat is very snug. 

As expected she messaged me later:

It doesn't fit 😔

I said sorry and told her to bring it back if she wanted.  

Then came those little dots as she typed...

I tensed.

It's ok I'll give it to my granddaughter.

Phew. No caps lock shouting and no refunds necessary!

Not sure if I'm in a hurry to repeat the experience, though. 

One thing I would like to repeat is my Monday morning cappuccino with my folks as soon as it's safe. Fingers crossed! 

Hope everyone is staying sane and safe. And enjoying online shopping! 

Until next time,

Ness

Do you like shopping, online or otherwise? 

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Memories of Dogs and Dresses

Hello, dear people! Today I thought I'd take a take a delightful stroll down memory lane and recall the dogs I've loved and dresses I've worn. Why not? 

Incongruous perhaps, but that's how my mind works. Or doesn't work, as the case may be. Details. 

DOGS

Samantha

My devotion to dogs began early. At the age of around 3 or 4 mum and dad bundled my brother and I into the old Datsun 1200 and we drove to my auntie's place at Fairfleld.  My cousins were getting a puppy and we decided to do the same. Why not get one from the same adorable litter? 

Enter, Samantha the sausage dog.

Samantha and I circa 1981

She had to be Samantha because Bewitched was my favourite show at the time. Side note: let's take a minute to also appreciate my mum's glorious garden and my original shade of red hair (see above). It's hard to believe I was bullied and called a red headed rat rooter (among other things) because of it! 

Things I remember regarding Samantha:

• Singing the Olivia Newton John song Sam (badly) to her
• She went ballistic when the milkman came to deliver milk (remember those?!) Later we discovered he'd been unkind to her. And she wasn't about to cow down. Not our Samantha! 
• I believe I tried to smuggle her into my bed once. Mum was very house proud and dogs were not allowed on beds! 
• She loved food and became quite portly at one stage.
• Eventually she was plagued with the back issues that effect the breed and passed away.  That was a devestating day for us all. 
• She was truly unique. I know everyone thinks this about their dog but she was! Of all the dogs I've loved she was definitely the most intelligent. I swear she understood everything you said as if she was human. But better. Cause everyone knows dogs are better than humans. 

Skippa and Penny 

Left: Samantha and I circa 197?
Right: Penny, Skippa and I circa 1985ish

To be honest I can't remember which of this duo came first. They had a litter of puppies together. Skippa also had the same back issues, but Penny plodded into old age and keeled over in my parents backyard one day. They were both sweethearts. 

Betsy and Jake

My parents didn't have any more dogs for a while. Then they got a beautiful beagle named Maggie. By then I was out of the house,  married to Mickey Blue Eyes. Maggie had a litter of puppies and I wanted one. Enter, Betsy.  I earnestly promised Mick I'd  pick up after her etc. Spoiler alert: I didn't. Oops. 

My beautiful Betsy girl

Now in the meantime we had also ended up with Jake. A little yappy overgrown rat. Betsy and Jake were quite funny together and chased each other around the outside of the house. Watching their antics was hilarious. 

Admittedly, I had a love/hate relationship with Jake but Mick adored him. He yapped his little bum off until the ripe old age of 17. 

Cookie 

The magnificent Miss Cookie 

Another very special girl. Cookie was our first rescue dog but she rescued us, really. She was so sweet and gentle. Unfortunately she'd had breast cancer before we adopted her and it returned. We had to let her go last year and it broke my heart. I'll never forget Cookie.

DRESSES

All of the following dresses were sewn by my talented and generous Mum. She's a bloody legend, and I have been rather spoiled over the years. There has been some talk of selling them, but to be honest I'm not sure I can let them go. To have such beautiful garments, including my wedding dress, handmade by my mum is something so special I can't put it into words so I'll let the pictures say everything: 

Year 6 Formal

I don't have any scanned photos 
of 11 Year old me wearing this but I did.
And I adored it. Still do. 

Year 10 Formal 

Gotta love the hand on the hip pose. 

Year 12 Formal

Other formal dresses 

Wedding dress

The Vogue pattern mum used 

And that concludes today's memories of dogs and dresses. Cue wistful sighing.

Until next time,

Ness 

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Ye Olde Blog

Hello again! Things are pretty boring and blah so I figured I may as well post write a blog post to keep you entertained. So let's do it.

Aaaaaaaand...

Clearly I didn't think this through because I have nothing scintillating to report. Oops. 

Sydney is in lockdown so no library shifts for me. Sigh. However, I've been able to continue my permanent part time job doing end processing of DVDS for libraries. It's great cause I get to indirectly do work for various libraries all over Australia without going to the actual libraries. It's like magic! This past week I had to stay home but I'm back again this coming week. 

Our fabulous and favourite furry friend Chandler continues to become more lovable each day. Needless to say he loves lockdown. Plenty of walks, pats and company. Pets have really come out the winners here, that's for sure. Except those unfortunate pets who were obtained by eejits who were bored and impulsively got a pet without thinking it through and then dumped them when it got difficult. GRRRR. Not cool. 

The boys are keen to get Chandler (see above) a playmate and I like the idea but I have to convince Mickey Blue Eyes. We shall see. 

Mr 12 and I have binge watched a few series such as Superstore, Kim's Convenience, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the later being our favourite. This is one of our favourite songs from the show:

Oh yeah, it's a musical and totally rad and underrated. Can you tell it's my current obsession? 

When I think about it they always start with C: 

Cakies, Carpenters, Crazy Ex-girlfriend...

Oh wait, books and dogs don't. Except our two most recent dogs are the late beloved Cookie, and our current cutie pie Chandler.  Both of their names begin with a C. I didn't actually choose the names but there they are. Interesting coincidence. 

There's definitely one thing starting with C that I passionately LOATHE. You guessed it: Cancer. Fuck that shit.  Related: A friend of ours passed away recently. May he rest in peace. 

Also; Covid. Kindly go away and leave all of humanity alone, you  nasty virus, you! Yeah, just fuck off. I think this situation warrants an F word. 

Continuing the things beginning with C theme, I've done a bit of cooking because we like eating. That's truly the only reason I cook. Not a fan of the process. Here's some chocolate chip cookies I prepared earlier. They are literally the only thing I cook that my boys like and ask me to make. 

That reminds me. When I sign off I have to go and peel potatoes for dinner. I loathe peeling potatoes. I  adore eating potatoes. The eternal dilemma. Doh.  

Last week I got my drive thru flu jab but they didn't give me any fries with that. Rude. I prefer chips anyway, but still. At least I took a rare selfie because I was bored and anxious (see below):

What can you say about lovely old lockdowns and the pandemic that hasn't already been said?  I will say this: 

You know how back in the 60s hippies sang about a new world coming? Well I don't think this is what they had in mind. You know how Patsy Cline sang Stop The World and Let Me Off? Yeah, THAT.

Next week I get my first Covid vaccine jab. I would have had it sooner had it been possible but this is the first opportunity I've had to get it. Not my fault! Meanwhile Mickey Blue Eyes is fully vaccinated. 

In the midst of all this madness, it became obvious that I need to start to practice some actual real self care of the not inhaling cake variety. Turns out that's self-indulgence NOT self-care. Who knew? 

So anyway, I'm exercising a lot (well, most days)  because I got lazy about it and then this pesky little thing I call Agnes (aka anxiety) started to tap me on the shoulder. Oops. Plus, I figure it might be helpful to actually ingest some vegetables, get adequate sleep and practice some mindfulness. With this in mind I've even busted out the old adult colouring in again. Nice.

Whilst doing this I also burned a lavendar candle. I know lots of people loathe lavendar but I think we've confirmed that I've always been a bit of a Nanna at heart so I love it! 

Speaking of nanna's (or grandma's as my mum prefers), my beautiful mum turned 80 on the 26th of July and I couldn't see her. Wahhhhhhh. But we had a virtual cakie and a toast which was nice. Let's be thankful for technology I guess. 

Is it truly August? I can barely remember what day it is let alone what month. Mickey Blue Eyes will also have a lockdown birthday on the 11th. At least there will still be CAKE. It's a birthday so I'm allowed to be self-indulgent! Shut up. 

As if Covid wasn't bad enough, I've also got another crisis on my hands.  I'm not reading enough! GASP

I knowwww. Tragedy! The problem is that I don't wanna read depressing or gruesome stuff but generic romance or whatever doesn't hold my attention anymore. I started reading The Family Doctor but abandoned it because it was pretty intense and graphic from the first chapter. Following this I switched to a historical romance but the male characters were so awful I just couldn't deal with it.

Anyway, I picked up a paperback I'd got at an op shop called Everything Is Beautiful and I'm reading it verrry sloowwwly. It's kind of sad because it's about hoarding brought on by trauma or loss, but I think there may very well be a hopeful ending. Fingers crossed. 

You could say the same thing about podcasts. I need to dial back the murdery ones and listen to something else. But what?  Audio books are good idea. Duh.  And I'm supposed to be a library professional?! Ahem.

Podcasts for me are basically just a way to force myself to do dull stuff like dishes, cooking or folding washing. I need something in my ears to get it done. Otherwise I will poke my own eyeballs out with boredom. I mean, you can tell I'm just dithering here to avoid the afore mentioned potato peeling. 

As expected I don't have anything of note to report, but nevertheless it feels good to just type some random words. Just as randomly I began using instagram again. My account was sitting there forlornly, sad and dejected, just like this blog. The thing is, I have no idea how to use hashtags so if someone could explain it I'd be grateful? Never mind I'll just google it myself like a normal person. Me? A normal person? Bahahahahaha! Normal is overrated, right? 

Do you ever find yourself wondering why someone reacts with an angry emoticon to a fairly innocuous comment you made in a Facebook group? Definitely a sign that lockdown has gone on tooo long and you need to get out more and off Facebook. Once again I've gone off on one of my tedious tangents. But you get that. The pointless dithering, that is. Done!

Ok people, stay groovy (and safe!). 

Until next time,

Ness 

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Announcement

Greetings, groovers and shakers! I trust you are well on this most marvelous of Mondays.

It's time for my rather splendid announcement. Brace yourself for a stunning revelation of epic and monumental proportions!!!! Or something...

Drum roll, please! 

Ok, so you have to imagine the drum roll. Got it? Good. 

My announcement is....

I have been officially offered a casual library job AND, I commence on Tuesday, January 12 for induction and training! 

If you are reading this on Monday Jan 11 that means tomorrow! YAY!!!! 

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! 

Also...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!

I'm scited. That's totally a word. It means scared and excited all at the same time. Mostly excited. But kinda sorta scared. 

I looked up words that mean nervous excitement and there are many. Such as:

• Agitation
• Antsiness
• Clamour
• Flurry 
• Fluster
• Perplexity
• Tizzy
• Transience
• Tumult

I really thought flurry meant something else. A maccas sundae, maybe? Um, no. That's a McFlurry. My mistake. Ahem. 

Another interesting tidbit (speaking of great words...) is another word for nervous is the term screaming meemies.  

I thought a screaming meemie was something like this: 

Since we are making announcements I should also declare that I purchased a dress with POCKETS. Now that truly is a big statement. Almost bigger than the job thing. Well, do you know how a rare an occurrence it is to find such a thing?! It deserves a drum roll AND a trumpet call. Again, your imagination is key here. 

In other news, we were thinking of getting away for a few days next week, but you know, there's this pesky little global pandemic thing. Sigh. We shall see what happens. We have not been away since 2016. This is not ideal, but what can you do. 

I've completed a tremendous amount of paperwork in order to commence this casual position. I'm starting to understand why people never leave council or government jobs. There's so much red tape!

On Saturday, I went with Mickey Blue Eyes to check out where the library branch is. It's right near a favourite old cake shop I haven't been to in DECADES. We had a pleasant little stroll down memory lane recalling the time we got sausage rolls and I accidentally squirted one of those little squeezey tomato sauce sachets all over my front. As we were dressed up and on our way somewhere (can't recall where), it was most inconvenient. Thinking about it now is curious because I'm not even particularly keen on ingesting  tomato sauce let alone wearing it.  Weird.

Oh yes, there's also an op shop in the same street. Could be dangerous. Or delightful! Cakies and books FTW!

Anyway, wish me luck! I may need it. As we were heading back to the carpark a black cat sauntered directly across our path. Good thing I'm not superstitious. Not AT ALL.  Nope.  No way.  Not me. Well, not really. Gulp. Shudder. 

See you on the flipside! 

Until next time,

Ness 

PS. On Sunday we were in a different carpark and another car reversed out straight into the back passenger side of our car. Nothing to do with the black cat thing, right? Superstitions are all complete nonsense, RIGHT? Good. Therefore crappy things can't happen in threes... I hope. Fingers crossed! 

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I Miss Blogging

Hey. Remember me?

I just suddenly felt like typing some words here again. Apparently I have not done so since September of 2019! It is now 2021. Just an FYI in case you were unaware.  I'm very helpful with the Captain Obvious stuff. 

Oh, and there's this pesky old global pandemic thing happening. Fun times. Said no one ever. 

Consequently it felt a bit silly and unimportant in the scheme of things to keep on rambling on here in my ridiculous way. I dunno. I do overthink  things, because only a handful of people read my ramblings anyway. Which is how I like it. So on with the proceedings. 

Anyway, a few things have happened since September 2019. A bullet list is always a lazy yet efficient way of imparting information  So let's do it. 

• I have continued being a volunteer administrative support assistant at Blacktown Community Hub St Vincent De Paul Society *waves at Vinnies people* 
• I have finally completed my Diploma of Library and Information Services and am participating in the Australian Library and Information Association's mentoring scheme as a mentee. 
• I completed my industry placement at Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney in order to (finally!) achieve my diploma. You may or may  not recall (or even care) that I was scheduled to begin a placement at University of Western Sydney back in April, then BOOM: Lockdown. Luckily I was able to keep my enrolment open in case a truncated placement became an option. And it did. See above. 
• I have applied for a billionty jobs and had one or two interviews. Although I did not get the position I interviewed for I was offered to be put in the casual pool. I'm quite pleased with this outcome. I had my pre-employment medical just before Christmas, so fingers crossed some actual shifts in a library may be on the horizon. YAY! Unless we go into lockdown again... In which case I imagine libraries will close again. Related: wear a freaking mask, people! 
• Last June we farewelled our lovely rescue dog Cookie. Such a beautiful soul. She rescued us, really. She was quite old and her cancer returned. She had previously had breast cancer before we adopted her. It was really difficult to let her go, but in the end it was the kindest thing to do. 

RIP beautiful Cookie 

• We welcomed another rescue dog to the family! I always knew we would get another dog, but I've gotta admit it happened a hell of a lot quicker than I had imagined. But I am glad of it. Enter Chandler.  See below. He's a Jack Russel and Fox Terrier cross. He was a lost doggy at the local pound who was not claimed by his previous owners. All I can say is, their loss is our gain. He's definitely one of the family now! 

• Mickey Blue Eyes and I have continued our tradition of scintillating Sunday drives. Here are a few highlights: 

• Oh yeah, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last November. That's kinda a long time, right? 

• I have a milestone birthday coming up next week! Hoping to have an appropriately socially distanced celebratory dinner with my family. And, of course, CAKE! 

So basically some things have changed, but on the other hand nothing ever changes with yours truly. 

Why mess with what works, right? 

Until *next time,

Ness 

*Next time could be next week, next month, next year... Who knows? 

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Taking Stock: September 2019 Edition

Greetings and salutations, spectacular creatures! I trust life is treating you well. So here we are in September! Astonishing really, since it was January yesterday. WASN'T IT???! Just me? 

Anyway, I figured it's a perfect time for a stock take! So on with the show...

Making: Toast. Tea. A million dollars. Okay, I made up the last one. But if I manifest my desires the universe will provide it, right? Snorts. 

Drinking:  One of those fantazamagorical (totally a word) cocktails with a fun little umbrella. Manifesting again! Really drinking tea. Sigh. 

Reading: Recently I have read:

 The Truths And Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris.

The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary

I Thought I Knew You by Penny Hancock

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah someone or other. And many more. We could be here for days...

Have also been listening to numerous audio books. I still prefer paper books for fiction but listening is good for non-fiction.


Wanting: A shoulder massage would be nice. 

Looking:  At old houses, mostly in America, on this Facebook page, for no reason whatsoever. Well, I suppose I need a plan in place, in case I should ever decide to change my identity and disappear forever. An old creaky house in Maine or somewhere should suffice. Yep, definitely been reading too many novels again...

Deciding: Whether I'd like the million dollars (see above) in full or installments. However the universe in all its abundance decides I guess. Just hurry up, universe. Hmph. 


Wishing: That shitty shit wouldn't happen to good people. 

Enjoying:  The arrival of spring and its enchanting sunshine of the last few days. Of course I'll still moan like a b$#ch when summer hits. That's just how I roll. 

Waiting: For the universe to get its act together. I'm terrified over here. 

Liking: I'll tell you one thing for nothing: I've been getting up early and exercising. And I like it! I mean, not nearly as much as I like cake, but still. 

Wondering: About TAFE assessments. I have two to complete and another submitted. The latter one is concerning because I have a hideous sinking feeling I may not have passed. Stay tuned. Sigh.

Loving:  The simple things like patting Cookie dog and cups of tea.

And this rather spectacular thing: my tit crushing results were all clear. Woo hoo! 

Listening: To Dateline on the telly and YouTuber Sheldon Tweedy (Mickey Blue Eyes is a fan, something to do with soccer or whatever, don't ask me) Cause yeah, it's important to have an informative current affairs programme on to ignore while you faff about on the internet. Works for us. 

Considering:  Options for my eventual work placement for TAFE. I can choose a type of library. It's exciting! Shut up. I do get out. Usually to the library. Details. 

Buying:  I would be buying that old house in Maine (back up plan), plus a new one in Sydney, if the universe stepped up. So rude. 

Meanwhile, groceries from Aldi it is!

Watching: The Downton Abbey movie. Well, I will be on Saturday. Squeeeeeeeeee! 

Marveling: At life, the universe and everything. By everything I mean that million dollars I'm still waiting for... Waiting, waiting waiting... 


Hoping: I'm wrong about the failed assessment. Gulp.

Needing: Definitely need a neck massage. In addition to the shoulder massage I mentioned before. Also need a word with the genius who coined this whole manifesting palaver. It's almost like it's made up bollocks or something.


Questioning: So many questions. What to have for dinner? Why do so many young women  have terrifying eyebrows? Will I fail the afore mentioned assessment? Why doesn't this manifesting bollocks work? WHY???

Smelling: Roast chooken and choc chip cookies. I've been cooking like a ninja.

Wearing: An attractive array of garments. Currently they consist of : pyjama pants, an old jumper, a fluffy cardigan over it, and a foolish expression. Nice.

Noticing: I couldn't help noticing that Cadbury blocks were $3.50 in our local IGA supermarket the other day. Foolishly I bought one. Should have bought half a dozen. DOH. 

Knowing:  Knowing when to leave may be the smartest thing that anyone can learn! Flyyyyy...

Ahem. Sorry. Carpenters/Bacharach song. You probs don't know it...

Shoulda went with ABBA instead: Knowing Me, Knowing You! Ahaaaaaa...


Thinking:  If I really think about it, I'm sure I'll think of something for Thinking. Hmmmm. I don't think so. 

Admiring: My children. I made gorgeous humans.

Getting: Up early. But I already mentioned that. And now that I've been all smug and superior watch me slip back into slothfulness. Serves me right, really.

Opening: Books, handouts, websites, documents and databases related to my studies. It's all happening.

Closing: Facebook. Sometimes. Shut up. I do!

Feeling: Apprehensive about that assessment. Delighted about the mammogram. Also: hungry. What else is new?


Embracing:  Early mornings. I know. I need to shut up about that. So I will...

DONE.

And considering it's September right after January I may as well take this opportunity to wish you a happy Christmas and a merry New Year! I'm afraid to blink cause then it'll be 2020...

Okay, I'm off to find some toothpicks to lodge in my eyelids.

Until next time, stay spectacular!

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Book Fetish, Miracle Baby Turns 18 & Other Bits & Pieces

Good evening to you! Or morning, or afternoon, depending upon where and when you're reading this. Figured I'd check in to my lonely little blog. Because what else am I gonna do on a Saturday night? Go out. Meet people. Socialise, you say? Bahahahahahahaha.  NO.

In my defence, my Friday night was COMPLETELY WILD AND CRAZY. It was spent on the couch buried in blankets, reserving library books online. This was despite the fact that I already currently have 17 items on loan. See? Crazy shit, huh? Not so wild as it turns out. But definitely crazy. So there's that. Shut up.

I'm with you, Steve!

In other news, I'm one week in to a four week break from TAFE. Semester One, DONE! Semester Two begins July 23. Eventually I will officially be some sort of Library Technician-y thing, just like I was in the olden days (early 1990s - totally prehistoric), but, you know, different. Cause apparently they do more than just put books on shelves and things these days. Probably just as well. I may have a book fetish. See above. Ahem.

Anyway, what else can I tell you? Oh yeah, I'm still going gangbusters in my volunteer role at Vinnies. I have no idea whatsoever what 'gangbusters' really means but it sounds impressive, so let's just go with it.

Yesterday, all the phones and computers were down due to a power outage the day before. This meant we couldn't take any calls (duh!) so the other admin lady and I read magazines and copied recipes we'll likely never cook. Until the mobile phone they'd diverted calls to actually worked and then I had to answer it and speak to a person in need. Rude.

No seriously, I'd rather have stuff to DO. There was a bunch of groceries delivered and I helped unpack them. Then there was a bunch of toiletries donated from a church. Some of the hand wash bottles were not screwed tightly and had leaked. The overwhelming intermingling and clashing scents gave me a throbbing headache. Sometimes I forget I'm autistic and have sensory issues. Luckily I had some extra strength paracetamol in my bag and managed to nip it in the bud quickly.

When I finished for the day there was a bunch of food trucks setting up for the night markets, but I resisted all the churros and other treats on offer because clearly I'm broke a health fanatic. I wandered into Westpoint to get a few groceries instead.

In keeping with the health fanatic thing, a bbq chook and hot  chips were bought for dinner. In keeping with my fetish, Mickey Blue Eyes picked me up in the library car park... Just kidding! I mean yes, he did pick me up there, but not because of my fetish.  It's actually easier to do this because the parking at Westpoint is farked due to ongoing work fixing structural damage. Supposedly it's going to be resolved soon-ish. Fingers crossed.

In approximately 11 days I will officially be the mother of an adult son. Mr 17 turns 18! He was my so-called 'miracle baby' 18 years ago. Long story. Read about it here and here if you're interested.

He decided he didn't want a party but he wants to go to a buffet and feast on all the things. As you can see, I've totally instilled the health fanatic thing into him. But it's a wise decision. He's soooooo skinny. He may as well enjoy the illusion of being able to eat until you burst and remain svelte while it lasts. I believe I too was skinny once, a very long time ago. Well, perhaps not quite THAT skinny, but reasonably so. Sigh.

On that note, I know I need to do something about my weight but I'm so stuck for a number of reasons:

1. I like cake.
2. I've tried various things over the years: groups at the women's health centre, the Get Healthy service thing-y where some one rings you to discuss being healthier, a dietitian, exercise addiction (worked when I was at least 15 - 20 years younger and not menopausal), and, of course, good old Weight Witches (worked really well...until it didn't...)
3. I like chocolate.
4. Each time I did Weight Witches I ended up fatter in the long term. See above. So clearly the whole 'diets make you fat' theory definitely...erm...holds some weight for me...  (Terrible puns FTW!)
5. I like FOOD.

I generally don't talk about this shit because there's nothing more boring and super annoying than someone complaining they're fat then shoveling cake in their gob. Plus I see people in my volunteer role who don't even have basic food and I feel pathetic cause I'm basically whingeing that I have too much food. Seriously?! So I'll shut up about it now. 😥


At least I know the Mother Of The Decade Award is still mine. Managed to forget Mr 10 had an excursion on Wednesday. Consequently he missed the bus and stayed home. He was thrilled. Winning!

And now for the breathless anticipation that arrives at this time of the year. Nope, I'm not one of those lunatics who starts counting how many days until Christmas mid year. You know who you are. STOP IT.

My breathless anticipation revolves around having my tits crushed. It's time. Soon. I'm reasonably confident that all is good, but still. The FEAR. It'll be four years this year. So yeah, keep everything crossed for me!

I'm sure I could go rambling on forever but I better not. It's weird how I think I have nothing to report but then I get started and waffle on about everything and nothing. You're welcome.

OK, I better tackle those library books!  So I can borrow MORE. Look, it's a harmless fetish. You're just jealous! Sniff.

Over and out!

What's happening in your world? Do you have a (G-rated!) fetish?

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