Oh my…

You know Jello.. its that lovely stuff from your childhood and brings back memories galore. In fact, you probably still use it to this day!

So apparently life is tough. Its so tough that a couple in their late 60’s in the good ol state of New York bought some boxes of Jello. 4 to be exact.

They emptied them.

They filled them with sand & salt.

The returned them to the store.

YEP. to the store.

For a refund.

Which, is about total dollars…. under $5.00 for the 4 boxes.. or right there abouts. Except now they also get charges against them for petit larceny & tampering with a consumer product.  Lets hope the judge is stern.

Sad isnt it. Stupid is as stupid does. At least go for something a bit more pricey.

Its come true

So, after many wishes on anything, I mean ANYTHING which could remotely bring me the least little bit of luck.. its happened. After a 9 year process… I now am guaranteed that I can stay in this country, for good.

So, I celebrated this weekend by sleeping as much as I could. You dont realize how much stress & strain 9 years of uncertainty, worry, money dripping to each facet of life.. how it all drains you. Much less that your in your 30’s and apparently this is when I should be having a savings acct, know my life plan… etc.

Shit.. any money went straight towards my future. Immediately. And so, now, NOW, I can save for things. And be secure in the contentment that Im here. No need to rush anywhere else.

Do the jiggy-jig dance for me. Its a celebration y’all. This weekend.

RocKwiz comes to Nambour. [HQ]

RocKwiz comes to Nambour. [HQ]

Heres a brief video of where I was on Friday night.. celebrating with friends... too much too share at the moment.. will update you soon! And, no, unfortunately, none of my gang appeared on stage.. oh well, always next time!  Oh, click the underlined words to get the video to play!

Hurry Up to Wait

Its like a roll of the dice game today.  I got a call that the Pest Control people had done my unit today, rather than on Wed as scheduled. Why? Ah, cuz everyone seems to be an idiot.

So, I bust home to make sure the cat hasnt gotten out, then to open the windows to make sure the cat doesnt die from inhalation of fumes, as well as I dont want to get sick either. I discover that the Pest Control people havent done the backyard, as discussed.

Why? Cuz they didnt have the key to the security screen door. Why? Cuz they were supp to be here on WED not MON and then I would have been home, and could have let the buggers in. But no, they mistakenly did my unit rather than someone else’s (who hadnt pre-arranged a time & date) and so no access to my backyard.

I hunt Mr Pestman down, and discuss with him that he needs to do my back courtyard. He agrees, and then informs me that I had the door locked. My reply, “Correct, because I had planned to be home at the time of you being present rather than this clusterf**k" which has occurred.”   He informs me it was his fault.

Really? I was thinking it was his fault, I mean really, I know that TODAY is monday, and NOT wed… so I was pretty sure it wasnt my bloody fault. But thanks Mr Pestman for confirming that for me.  Too kind.

He tells me that between an hour to an hour and a half.

I call him after 2 hours.

He finally left.

I should be pest free now, esp with all this hassle. Right? Cuz if I see one more huntsman….

Frank’s 70th Bday Party

My neighbor recently turned 70 years of age. His wife has been organizing a surprise bday party for over 6 months, and guess what? Frank hates surprises! All went without a hitch and the party was great. Aside from Firestick J and a 4 year old, I was one of the few younger ones at the party.. now that makes you feel young!  And what better way to spend the day celebrating your friends bday, and the bonus you ask…? Well, they were all ex-servicemen & servicewomen.  Which really means that I wasnt the only one attending the function with more than the 1 token tattoo.. in fact, we all compared tattoos! Great day & great times.

Firestick J (above)

Of course, since it was held at the RSL (similar to the VFW in the states, the Queen was even present!

Speech time.. Frank, his wife Pene, and daughter Kate

 

An emotional Frank

More speeches…

Firestick J going for the cake.. notice the TWO pieces… haha, nah, one was for me!

Some of the ex-servicemen.. I believe this were navy boys once upon a time!

Rainy Days

So, apparently a cyclone is going to hit this weekend. What?  I grew up in Tornado Alley.. and somehow, looking back, it seemed easier.. you just ran like hell for cover when the sky looked funky or the siren blew. But this… the anticipation of watching the news, and the yes, no, yes, no, maybe, yes… the cyclone turns so much and seems so unpredictable, yet scary enough that you want to be prepared. Am I? No. I didnt buy my masking tape yet, I havent made sure the flashlights are working yet. Ugh. Good news.. Im still half packed in the bags of important documents from the Tsunami warning the other week.. guess sometimes its good to be not so efficient in unpacking, right?

Anyway, rain and wind. Its all there is. A few rays of sunshine in between it all. But its days like this, when work is so slow due to this weather that all you can wish is that you were either of these two photos…. cuz it looks so inviting.

All day, I imagined I was either of these two critters, cuz I knew with the rain, the dog would be kicking back relaxing and my cat, well with the wind, she would be eyes open watching everything… but chilling.

Finally!

So, I have been waiting for some documents to come thru since NOVEMBER 2009.  Last year. Yep. There was a hiccup with some of the stuff, which proceeded in a wonderful panic attack for me and analysing my whole entire fate and all that jazz. There was probably a few new wrinkles, or stress lines added as well due to the pressure that was lurking from the wait time.

Well, I have feel as if I have a connection with the people on the phone line at ***-***-**** in the USA.  I have called so many times I know the automated voice in my sleep.. I can hear her telling which number to press to get me where.

I know the office hours of the department. I know the same 5 people who work there, handling the issue. I have even had in depth conversations with a few of them (ass-kissing, brownie points, in depth.. all the same).

So, I knew the documents would be sent on 10 March, according to Charlie at said department. Its been pissing down rain each day, and I couldnt have these documents getting wet. I also couldnt have them torn or damaged due to the postal system, so already with this added stress, I rushed home everyday to check the mailbox. I felt as if it was my birthday coming up, and I was turning 9 again, waiting to collect my goodies at the mailbox.

Each day. Nothing. I knew it was too soon, but still, I could not risk letting it sit there in the rain.  Today, I ran to the mailbox. I saw the normal folded up mail, a magazine, some junk mail, and a folded manilla envelope. It had to be it, right? But if it wasnt, I didnt know if I was ready to deal with waiting another day.

I waited til I got to my house to open it. I flipped it open fully and there it was.. return address just as I wished…

Hooray.. now its on to the next stage in this process which seems to be taking its toll on me. When this is all done, and that sweet residency stamp is in my passport, I think as much I want to party it up, I probably will sleep for days due to mental exhaustion.

How much does the FBI spend to send my 1 sheet of paper which I have waited so so long for?

Yep, a whopping $1.24.

At least now the next stage can begin. Yippee. As for me, Im off to bed, I think I have danced around the house in happiness enough tonight to finally wear myself out and hit the sheets.

Dabble & Dis?

Everyone seems to be so shocked at the death of hollywood stars lately who are in their 20-40’s.  Really.  I dont get what the shock factor is. Sorry you died, yes, I do agree. But, when you start popping pills like they are a fashion item, sooner or later, the chances of it catching up with you just might become reality.
I know, a bit of a hypocrite. I have dabbled. Too much. I saw things I wish I never in my life had seen. I have lost too many people to such horrible things. At some point, you become numb to it. You hear of another one gone. You feel sad, but at the end of it, you just thank your little lucky stars you escaped with your life. Then you kiss the ground and hope you keep on kicking for a bit longer.  Its gruelling to lose someone who has had an interest in your life, but thats how the dice roll sometimes.
Hollywood & money & pills. Seem to go hand in hand. I feel bad a mother lost her son. That a friend lost his pal. That a puppy lost its owner. But, if none of you wanted to do anything to help (and dont kid me.. I was there.. I may not have wanted help.. but an addict is not powerful unless you give them power.. so you can overcome them and provide help. Your just using it as a cop-out), anyway, I digress. If you wanted to help, you should have and you could have. Instead, I have to see how the people are killing themselves and then hear you feel helpless.
Are we all stuck on reality TV so much that no one can open their eyes to whats in front of them? Or, maybe we need to watch the reality of a ‘star’ go down the drain daily and then end up having a heart attack from the pills or lines or whatever… watch it on TV, every moment… then will people do something about all of this?

Ogoh Ogoh

There is a great tradition celebrated, called Nyepi day.  Last year, about this time, I had written about Nyepi day when we were in Indo.  The Ogoh Ogoh’s (one is pictured below) come out and scare away the bad spirits.

Now, believe in it or not.. up to you. Myself, I think if anyone or anything can help get rid of the evil crap lying around.. go for it.  You know those times when you find yourself taking up too much of your own time to weed thru every one else’s baggage, and then you realize your exhausted?  It would somehow be justifiable if it was your own crap that you were exhausted over, but when its someone else’s crap.. NOT GOOD.  We all do it. We all have taken on too much at times, or tried to help another and get overwhelmed, or realize that sometimes its just not your shit to deal with. You dont own it, therefore you need to OGOH OGOH is.. either way, its a fun word to say… try it. Ogoh Ogoh.  In fact, I can imagine one of uncles parading thru the house in a really deep voice screaming this out… ah… Ogoh Ogoh

Anyway, someone mentioned that it had been raining for 6 weeks already. Really? Damn.. that went rather quickly.  While I had my head buried in DVD’s of Weeds & MadMen the rest of society around here was apparently hating the rain. I thought it was a good excuse to kick back and relax. Now, they still want it gone. I still want to use it an excuse to nap. My knees hurt like something else and by the end of the work day the ache is just unbearable. My house is trashed, last night, I barely made it in the door after physio to call a few people, ate dinner (salmon) and then proceeded to drift off into la la land. Until 1 am. Shit… forgot to put the dinner away.. and went to the counter to find ANTS! everywhere.. scurrying around like they were on speed. I dont know if salmon has that effect on ants or if they were just nutz but holy sheet… I have never seen ants zooming around like that. And.. when its been raining here since goodness knows when, the ants are on a mission. I was kicking myself at 1 am this morning.. I knew better than to leave the food out with the current ant problem everyone is having (its not me.. Im not a messy icky person, the ants are EVERYWHERE at the moment).

I finally dragged my ass up stairs after taking the garbage out, killing ants, spraying the ants, and cursing at myself.

Today.. today I think I want Indian for dinner. Because I want to see what curry does to an ant… speedy or slow?

its mean.. i know

So, today I have had quite a bit of time on my hands... and I was hitting the "next blog" button and looking at random blogs.

And, I know, some of you might want to bash me for saying this.. but seriously, can you put up something other than your child on your blog? ANYTHING.   900 million photos of your kid is a bit much. I know.. kids are cute... watching them grow, watching them eat and be sloppy, taking a nap, new outfit.  saw it ALL today.

But heres the deal... would you want me to put 900 million photos of my cat on the blog? I can.. I mean, I think shes cute & all, but seriously.

If you want to use a blog for ONLY photos.. try something a bit more specific.. like, oh, i dont know.. shutterfly, or your local digital place, or that photo program everyone seems to use.. I know, its your blog,  you can do whatever you like.

But when you randomly decide to type a few words other than "boy eating porridge" and write some crap like "someone read me please" you have to wonder, does your audience give a crap that boy eats porridge?

I know, some readers might wander to my page and not like my blog, or content.. but at least there are CHOICES on my blog.. for f**ksakes... 900 million photos of your kid doing nothing is BORING.. and if you are related to said kid.. its still BORING.  Spice it up a little.. add something else. PLEASE.

Anyway, if your gonna bash me.. Im not printing your comment. Why? CUZ I CAN, its my blog!

What the?

I have lived in Australia for just shy of 9 years.. and still, to this day.. some things truly surprise me and make me rethink, “What am I doing here?”

I had to take a photo of this receipt for work… its to help start the crane.. we have something similar in the USA, but for the life of me, I cant think of the name… but I do know that its not called, “START YA BARSTARD”

And yes.. Australia seems to add and  S to some words, normally, in my native USA land, we would say things such as BASTARD or ASS.. but here.. its BARSTARD or ARSE.. apparently its less offensive….. which Im not convinced of. I mean really, if your going to mention my ass or call me an ass, I would rather you could enunciate it properly.

But, I have to admit, I did have a laugh today at this receipt.  Some days, this country can still surprise me.

The last few days

To catch you up on the last few days.. here are some photo shots to ‘entertain’

A random walk thru a friends garden:

 

Still getting on with my knees looking lovely in strapping!

Gorgeous color contrast in the garden…

Still dogsitting.. loving the joy when you walk into the room and they are so excited to see you!

Had dinner which consisted of yummy prawns, and invited mom & our visitor from the states over….

All the rain we have been having has brought other visitors to the house as well…

I was so pleased he turned his head for me!

The road to work… you would think this is a lake, but its actually cane fields.. mind you, FULLY GROWN cane fields (which helps you understand just how much rain came a-bucketin’ down…

This is a road between the 2 fields…

So, now you know the extent of my craziness.. lots happening, and the rain still hasnt stopped. Here’s calling out to you for a rubber duckie…

Have a great day!

Rain Rain Rain

Yes, there is a reason for 3 rains in the title. Its been raining for 3 days. Non-stop. Sunday afternoon, evening. Monday. All day & night. Tuesday. All day & night.

The roads are closed, the rivers are flooding, the wind is howling, and my hair is not looking its best. You cant do ANYTHING to your hair with weather like this. Blah.

I left work today after only being there 2.5 hours. I wasnt sure if I stayed any longer than that if I would get home. We had 25% of staff not at work today due to the rain & floods. I have sent the boss a text message asking if work is on.. but being that the rain hasnt stopped at all.. not even for a 2 minute pause, Im thinking I probably wont be making it to work tomorrow. The road I travel to work was just about to flood this morning, and Im sure with 12 hours of continous rain its flooded and drastic.

So, a day off. Sounds great initially. But, what do you do when it rains and floods you in. Watch movies? Did that today. Laundry? It wont dry all that well with all this rain, and with 90% humidity Im certainly not turning on the dryer.  I could read, clean.. do all those chores I have been putting off, such as get some pictures together for sending back home to my dad in the USA, send off this months birthday cards, etc... but really, all i can think of is just chilling out. Its been so long since I have had a day to do nothing. That the idea of a planned nap is very inviting.  Who knows.. the day will probably fill up quite easily without me thinking too much about it.

I had a great mix of emotions on Sunday.. we had a Tsunami warning issued.  I headed to my place (remember, Im house/dog sitting) and grabbed a few very important documents and my passport and the cat & dog and headed to my parents place on a mountain. I wasnt taking any chances.  But the feelings that come over you in a time like that.. thinking about your home.. will it still be there, everything you work for, your comforts, your memories, your life... and you have to just lock the door, and put everything important off the floor and hope for the best. Its an odd feeling to have.. I cant describe the depth of the possible devastation that you sit & wonder if it for real. In fact, there were many times thru the day where I asked myself if this was all true. A tsunami? Really?

Thankfully, everything calmed down, and by late afternoon they called off the warning. Originally, it was supp to hit us at 9am. I was overcome with relief that although my house looks like a disaster zone with everything unplugged, things on top of the benches & tables.. it felt great to walk thru the door and know things were fine, and I was okay.  People can say they are not attached to material things (sidenote: thats not me. I work damn hard for all my shit & junk & treasures, Im attached to them. Why wouldnt I be? They are a part of me & my personality.) not matter how much someone wants to believe the material things dont matter, they do, to each of us.  Its odd to have that feeling of helpless in your own life. To lock the door and walk away from everything, hoping nothing happens.  Afterall, how does one rebuild their life? Piece by piece. Problem is, Im not sure my emotional status could handle the piece by piece bit at the moment.

Speaking of my emotional status: I called to check on my fingerprints for my residency. I have been doing this for many months now. Im praying for a positive outcome. It just has to be that way. Otherwise, 9 years of my life..... ack. it just has to be okay. Sorry, I strayed... so, i have probably called this particular office handling my prints every other week since November. Did you know this government office changes its codes for departments like every other week?  Serious. You know, one time I pressed 2 for this option, then 5 for the next, then 1 for the other option, all which lead me to Helpful Government Employee.  Then, I would call again, and this time I had to press 9, then 4, then  7 to get Helpful Government Employee. You can see the pattern here... I find it laughable that the same office has to change their options that many times.. and Im pretty sure they think Im stalking them as I have now spoken to that many people in the particular office cubicle, that Im sure I have spoken to all 11 employees. Opps, sorry, Helpful Government Employees.

Well, Im going to go to bed, its late, rainy, and frankly, Im exhausted. Im not really tired, but I think my mind just wants to shut down for the night. Could be that I have enough Ibuprofen (spelling incorrect, I know) in my body tonight after my phsyio appt to constitute a hazy mind thought, but I need to rest my legs, and they get so restless after not being able to bend, or straighten.. or anything. No matter what, its uncomfy. And yet, with the strapping it feels so much better than without it. Guess I never realized the true capacity of the pain I was in before until you start to undue the damage, or for a better term, try to lessen the damage in your knees. You live with the constant pain, and forget how bad it really is.  But, Im thinking this is working and my knees will be good again.. in time. Although I did think earlier while I was trying to sit down on a chair why those celebrities who get their kneecap skin reduced or whatever it is they do to their knees.. why would you willing sign up for the strain and inconvience? And, Im pretty sure they would be hurting much more than I am.

Gosh, its almost like a novel, with nothing important in it. You know, the ones you find in the airport marked down as its too good a bargain to not buy it for your 8 hour plane ride. Then, 20 minutes into it, you realize $5 was probably too much for it and leave it behind for the next sucker to pick it up.

Ah, blame it on the Ibuprofen hazy dazy head space. Its my blog. I can.

Oh, I got some cool photos of a green tree frog last night.. I will post them tomorrow!