Im running around crazy and all.. today we are having 11 people over for Thanksgiving Day. I think after cooking all day yesterday and tonight, I have discovered why there is leftovers... so the cooks dont have to cook for the rest of the week. And yes, I have already packed up my takehome containers... ya know, the Tupperware 1 Litre sizes.... I plan to take home bitsa everything!

I will be busy taking photos for you. And, I will be taking a piece of turkey home specifically for the neighbor who is pregnant and salivates anytime I mention Thanksgiving. Its quite funny.

And of course, Little Miss already got Fancy Feast Turkey slices (it is Thanksgiving afterall)! Actually she doesnt care what day it is, if your walking NEAR the fridge, she thinks she should be fed!

Must go! Need to shower and iron the shirt and then do the last minute dash of "oh shit, did I remember...."

Love to all.

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I am off to the store to pickup my goodies to make my things for our Saturday Thanksgiving.

I have taken friday off so that I can help as much as possible with all the prep work!

Saturday should see about 14 of us on the verandah enjoying an American Thanksgiving. However, only 3 of us are American, but everyone reserves a spot for the next years Thanksgiving Feast!

I am thankful for so many things in life and appreciate so much. I have also taken a few things for granted, and for that, I have tried to correct those wrongs. I am thankful for my friends and family and for being the person I am. Mostly, I am thankful for each moment.

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend filled with love and laughter and a full belly!

frustration

I was craving Jello the other day. So, off I head to the grocery store. I have been craving odd things since quitting smoking.. Jello is a favorite, but I usually dont have a CRAVING for it!

While I am in the grocery store looking for my Jello, I can't remember which aisle they put it in. See, when you grow up with the JELLO in a particular section of the grocery store and then you move to a different country and they call it something else and put it in a different section... well, sometimes it can make you crazy.

I could not believe I could not find my JELLO.

Finally, after strolling down EVERY possibility on where the hell the Australians classify the JELLO.. as in, is it considered a baking good or would it be near the other miscellanous items with no real home? Anyway, you will be glad to know I finally found it.

Guess where?

Smack in between the cookies/crackers/biscuits sections and the chocolate toppings for ice cream.... thats right.. I forgot thats where they put it! AGH!

Oh, and if you click on the photo, do you notice that they call it Jelly here?

I am sure Jelly is what goes on my Peanut Butter sandwhich, hence a P & J Sandwhich? But then again, they think thats a weird combination anyway here... so I am guaranteed that NO ONE will steal that from the fridge at work!

Christmas is just around the corner. We started a tradition years back where each of us "ADOPT A FAMILY" from our local community. You dont get to know who these people are, your just given the basics. Age & Gender. It really makes Christmas full of spirit for me. It seems that there are only so many presents and trinkets you can give to your family that after awhile, its just more stuff.

But, with an ADOPT A FAMILY, you actually can make a difference for someone on that day. The family, or individual, would otherwise have nothing for the Christmas Day, and really, no one wants to even FEEL alone on the holidays.

There are some requirements: you must provide non-perishable food so that the ADOPT A FAMILY can have a meal to consume on Christmas Day. If you want to include presents or any other items, you can, but it is not required.

Its great fun to be able to buy things that you think people need or would like. We have gotten all sorts of things for them before: Xmas Tie, laundry soap, decks of cards, etc. In the past FG & HG have also given things to be added to the baskets for the ADOPT A FAMILY. Its really great to see our friends get involved with such a special task.

If your able to ADOPT A FAMILY in your community, please do, it really is very gratifying to know that you have made someones day by just thinking about someone else and doing for others. The feeling you have on Christmas Day, knowing that you have made a smile on someones face, just enlightens your heart. Its such a great feeling, I just cant describe it.

This year we have chosen:

Female, in her 60's
&
Couple, in their 80's

Any ideas on what we should put in their baskets....? I cant wait to hear what suggestions you come up with!

Its been wet & stormy around here

Just when it seems the rain stops and we get a breath of relief from the mini-cyclone that hit (causing millions & millions of dollars of damage) in the capital city about 1 hrs drive south... it rains again. This time, filling a tunnel with 11 million litres of water and causing massive chaos (the pumps couldnt work fast enough to pump the water out). Then, we get hit again with the rain last night.



Luckily, where I live, it hasnt been that bad yet, but the weather is horrid. Its humidity is so heavy and thick and we are all waiting for the next batch of bad weather to hit. Supp thats tomorrow.



Here is a few photos from last nights sky... the atmosphere was so bizarre. I will def have the camera out this weekend to catch any good snaps if possible! If only I was taller, there always seems to be buildings or trees in my way! I havent touched up any of the photos, the sky just changed so rapidly!



Wish us luck for the weekend... and here's a cheers to everyone for a fantastic weekend your way. Oh, theres a block party in my complex on sunday... hopefully theres some good blog opportunities which present themselves on that occasion!

It happens to you too, doesnt it?

Do you ever listen to music, a song, a melody, and it just oozes emotions from you?

Do you ever feel an overwhelming feeling of wanting to jump up, cry, hug yourself, deep in thought, or the feeling of heaviness or freedom?

All from a song.

Its amazing what music can do when you listen and fall into the music.

Chucking a sickie

Sorry for no blog post yesterday, and apologies for a really boring one today.

I am taking a sickie. My guts hurt and have been crampy all week. Therefore, I just want to lay in the fetal position and make it go away.

Hopefully I will be back tomorrow, and hopefully in better shape.

Bitsa Bites

So. I sit here at work, bored as anything. I still cant believe that I have dragged these few tasks which I have accomplished, to last almost the whole day. Normally, these tasks would have taken me about 1 hour to complete.
There is nothing to do at work. Nothing. Nadda. Zip. Zilch. For all of us. This sucks. One can only venture through the internet world for so damn long.

I went to a concert last night. Why is that men just cant get rhythm? Why is it that EVERY man "dancing" or tapping his foot seemed to be listening to a different song? It totally made me wonder why so many men pick up at a club, especially when dancing. Oh, I was drinking water all night long, so I had clear vision. My only reasoning for why dancing men pick up is that the woman is extremly wasted. There were men bopping up and down, slapping the knee, swishing the head, snapping the fingers, clapping hands in the air, swaying the hips, disco moves, shuffle moves.... I am serious folks.. these men could not get a grip on music. Even mine.

I also attended a birthday party for SUPER NAN (as shes called by her grandkids). She is my neighbors grandma, and she turned 80 over the weekend. She looks 65. I will post photos later. It was my job to make sure that Super Nan had a glass of red wine at all times. I somehow dont think that I was the only one with this job, but I did take my job very seriously. In fact, so serious, that Super Nan let it slip on her secret to looking so young~

I couldn't believe I stayed at the pary from 1pm and didnt wander across the driveway to my place until midnight! It was an absolute blast! I am so pleased I was invited. It was great to spend a whole day filled with laughter, love, and a bunch of people who loved to chit-chat!

Oh but great news... Firestick J returns home today, shes been on holidays and the complex just isnt the same without her! I cant wait for a coffee and catching up tonight. I thought she was coming home LAST week, so you can imagine my excitement about her coming home TODAY cant you?

Hope your well!

Nov 13 blogging block. Today when I put my pants on I .....

I think I have a severe case of Blogger's block.. I just cant think of anything witty or worthy to put into this little column. Sure, theres the typical ideas of whats happening in my life. Well... I dont really think anything all that interesting is happening at the moment.

So, what does one do who cant think of ANYTHING to blog about. Im addicted to blogging, so I feel I must blog. Regardless if I have anything to blog about, I must fulfill that need. Oh, speaking of needs, I quit smoking over a week ago. Its going well. Let me know if you want the name of the homeopathic tablets I am taking.. no nicotine at all! I dont even crave a ciggy! Yippee for me. Its only the 14 millionth gazillinth time I have quit, but hey, so far its working.

Anyway, enough about me .. haha. so I google 'blogging block' and it comes up with all sorts of shit. useless shit. out of date shit. no longer updated blogs shit. AND then... i find this cool thing which gives you little "imagination prompts"... so here it goes.

The prompt for today was: Today when I put my pants on I....

well, lets see, for starters, I am wearing shorts. Rip Curl. Mens shorts (there longer and I like longer shorts). I grabbed them from the basket because of course I have way too many clothes and there is no room in my closet to put any away.. so they sat on the basket NEXT to the closet. I had to pick a batch of Cat Hair off of them, apparently Little Miss Monroe enjoyed a comfy night of sleep on my shorts. It really doesnt bother me all that much, its just part of my everyday routine. I accept the fact that I have cat hair everywhere. I guess its better than having bird shit everywhere (?). I dont know where that came from.. just a random thought.

So, I am dressed and ready to face another day at work. The excitement isnt there. I would rather be home cleaning my blinds or scrubbing the floor. I would rather be productive today. Work is really slow, and some days I JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE I ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING IN 8 hours... anything. Not today, today I will just be in robot mode and try to not let others reactions or actions get to me. Today I will try to not let others grubby attitudes affect me.

Today When I Put My Pants On I.... I couldnt wait to take them off when I get home and slip on my comfy "at home" clothes and enjoy a relaxing evening filled with cat hair.

Funny.. those little imagination prompts worked. Was it interesting..? I dont know.. but I think I like that site...

Sometimes a comment just comes out from nowhere

Im watching this tv show at the moment and a classic line came along. One that I need to remember.. and if its written down, its easier to remember it right?

So, here it goes...

"Its not my job to show them the reality."

I so need to remember that for so many people, for so many reasons. Sometimes I take on too much, take too much too heart, and sometimes, no matter how much I try to help, nothing changes. Except I get frustrated and let down.

Its not my job to show them the reality.

Shame on Slidell Louisiana!

I am having a hard time with this one... did you all hear about the woman who was invited to a KKK initiation ritual in Louisiana and then shot when she tried to leave? Its horrible. The woman was from Oklahoma, but attended this ritual and then decided to leave. Heres the story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450345,00.html (sorry, blogger isnt being friendly, I cant create a link, you will have to copy & paste).

To be fair here, maybe she was journalists looking for a story and then tried to leave, and then was shot? Maybe she got a bit morals before the rituals took place and figured NO GOOD DECENT HUMAN would partake in such acts and tried to leave.

Either way, shes dead. So, now the KKK doesnt discriminate anymore either? Now they kill their own too?


To sum up the city of Slidell, I found these stats (courtesy of http://www.city-data.com/city/Slidell-Louisiana.html)

Races in Slidell:

White Non-Hispanic (81.2%)
Black (13.6%)
Hispanic (2.7%)
Two or more races (1.4%)
American Indian (1.0%)
Other race (0.6%)

Get this stat: "According to our research there were 22 registered sex offenders living in Slidell, Louisiana in early 2007."

Um.. .hello... ?


Population in July 2007: 27,185. Population change since 2000: +6.0%

Males: 13,028 (47.9%)
Females: 14,157 (52.1%)

Median resident age: 37.0 years
Louisiana median age: 34.0 years


I hope the 8 people whom were arrested get their photos slathered across the media and I hope they get the Apache treatment. I just find it hard to have sympathy for any member of the KKK... I somehow dont think they partake in good decent community service. I see them as being very one-sided in their thoughts.

It still baffles me how these "cults" or groups can still exist. It baffles me that in today's world, we still have so many stupid and ignorant thinking minded people.

For my disclosure statement, I am NOT saying everyone in Slidell is in the KKK or behaves in such a way that one would associate them into such group. I am merely sprouting off some statistics in order to enlighten us on the region which was highlighted, if you will, in the media due to a dumbass person!

So now what?

Okay, its November 12, as per yesterdays "insightful" horoscope, its even circled on my calendar. Somehow I am not feeling anything towards it, except confusion. Confusion is exactly what I had when reading my horoscope as well. So as far as knowing what kind of day I was going to have, I am still baffled by what sort of day its shaping up to be.

More to come....

Tomorrows horoscope

This is my horoscope for tomorrow... i honestly dont know what it means but its circled! Any ideas or translations?



"Circle November 12 on your calendar! When love planet Venus enters pragmatic Capricorn, and expansive Jupiter sextiles eccentric Uranus, you'll discover innovative approaches to old issues. Plus, the Moon is full in values-based Taurus. November 16 highlights Mars' entrance into philosophical Sagittarius when the dialogue heats up around people's beliefs."

A star struck moment

All my life, I have loved Mustangs. It goes WAY back to when I was just a little tyke running in the yard naked and free. There was nothing that could make my head turn or my heart beat faster than a Ford Mustang. Simple as that. When a Ford Mustang went driving by, my whole world blanked out and I was one with the vehicle. Seriously, I can hear nothing else but the engine, and I see nothing else but the car.

And its still like that today. The only thing, they are rare as anything over in Australia... and so are Corvettes, so imagine my shock when we stopped to get petrol this weekend and saw Corvettes lined up in the parking lot.

But, imagine my amazement when I saw this Shelby in the parking lot....oh such a beautiful day!

Mr Ethan's 1st Bday Party

Gosh.. its already been a year?

Its amazing how quickly time goes. I cant believe a year has already passed since Mr Ethan was born. Tomorrow is his 1st birthday! Yikes.. seems like only yesterday I was feeling his moms belly waiting for him to kick.


Well, time to wrap some presents!

202 dead.. and now its his turn

Some justice will prevail for the man aka "smiling bomber" when he is executed for his horrible acts of killing innocent people in 2002 in Bali, Indonesia.

Enough publicity as already been giving to this man and his associates (2 others have been convicted for the crime), so I dont want to give him anymore satisfaction by adding to the mass media.

There is no confirmed date yet (as things always go in Indonesia, its always "rubber time" or "maybe tomorrow?") but it is said that anytime from November 01 until November 20th that the executions would occur. BUT, according to Indonesian Law, the convict MUST be given the exact date of execution no later than 3 days prior to the execution.

BUT: TA- DA... I hope the man who is SHOOTING you at YOUR EXECUTION is smiling when he pulls the trigger. And thankfully, you will not be around anymore to cause people harm.

Good Riddens!

It is strange

Whatever your political preferences are or whom you voted for, I hope you dont stop reading this bit of my blog.

I am not going to tell you my personal feelings on the election. I am just glad you voted, if you did. If you didnt vote, you dont deserve to bitch about ANYTHING which occurs in the USA if you couldnt find the time or understand the importance of what it means to vote.

I never thought that we, as Americans, would have a President Nominee be a black man. I didnt think a woman woman would run for VP. It is strange, but they are two factors I really didnt expect to see before I turned 35.

As elated as I am that a new President has been voted for, and the hope and promise of new things to come, which usually follow an election, it still saddens me.

It crutches me that there are people out there who will still make threats on a life because of a color.

It saddens me that at work YESTERDAY, no more than 1 hour after the election was finalized, that a co-worker invited me into a "sweep" or betting game on what month the first attempt on my new Presidents life would be. I dont find such things funny.

I wonder if those who tried to push us down and not want to associate with us because we lived with a "black man" when I was growing up... I wonder how they will feel working for the hard earned dollar and having to look at a "black man" with respect?

I wonder if the cruelty of racism will get better or worse?

I wonder what impact this will have on society as a whole.

I wonder if people, somewhere down the line, will see people as people, and not as a color on the color wheel.

I wonder if more people feel like they have a voice, and can associate with anothers identity now?

I wonder if those who subjected me to racism and hatred as a child due to anothers color,....I wonder how you feel today? Do you feel remorse? Have you learned from your mistakes?

I wonder if at some point we can live more at peace with our neighbors and within ourselves.
I hope for a better future, filled with equality, and filled with patience and understanding of ONE.

It is strange. To be alive for such a monumental event. I hope Miss Rosa Parks is doing the jig and smiling....

I dont care who you vote for, just please get out and vote and lets get our country in a shape in which we are proud of in terms of culture, economics, welfare, international relations, pride, and so forth.

Please do your bit and vote.

House Design of the Year: Australia

This house, near Melbourne, was given the award of "The top honour for residential architecture, the Robin Boyd Award, went to the Klein Bottle House, a bold structure on the Mornington Peninsula." (as per The Age, 2008).

I dont know, but there is something very strange in this house. Maybe it looks like an elephant sat on one side of it? Who knows, but I would love to see the inside of this house and hope that something else would grab me. Maybe part of the "lack-luster appeal" that I seem to have with it, is the house is in an area capable of wide spread views of ocean and landscape. This picture certainly doesnt show any use of windows to grab the outside elements for the beauty that attracts people to that area.

Who knows, all I can say is that beauty truly lies within the beholder.