Friday, June 29, 2007

There's a moment in my mind I scribbled and erased a thousand times

I have a lot to report, I think. The trouble with not blogging for awhile is that you have all these great things to blog about but can't remember them. I KNOW there is something I'm supposed to be writing about because I was somewhere with the man the other day and I remember actually saying 'I am so blogging about this'. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.

I do think about blogging regularly. I really wish I had a better camera on my phone because I regularly see weird things in the city, like a wombat the other day. Thats right, corner of Lonsdale and Spring Sts, a wombat. I also see Tony's old signs all the time (I'm telling you Tony my side of the city is a goldmine). Plus coming home from the gym, I see the sunrise and the skyline of the city which is always nice.

But anyway, to be fair after staring a computer screen for ten hours, the last thing I want to do is come home and blog about how I stared at a computer screen for ten hours. Well ten hours is the exception usually. I mean I'm not an assistant commissioner.

In a couple of hours, when the man gets home from work (I hardly think its appropriate to hurry him along when he's researching cancer) we're heading off to Mansfield for the weekend to see his family and maybe squeeze in a bit of snowboarding... I figure it will be a good test for the knee. Can't run, can snowboard out of control down a mountain.

But anyway, I have a couple of mini posts up my sleeve.

- Jen

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

It's the end of the year..

Well the financial year. So I'm flat out at work. Updates to come....soonish

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Can go over it, can go through it


Sugarloaf / Mt Piper
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse
Yesterday we went mountain climbing. Sounds way cooler as 'mountain climbing' than 'walked up a big hill' The man and I went to Broadford to see some family (including my 75 year old Nan) and to climb what we know as Sugarloaf, but what is apparently "Mt Piper".

I've climbed it before - maybe 10+ years ago and remembered it being hard work but not too bad. So I wasn't sure whether it would be harder or easier being 'grown up'.

Anyway there was about 15 of us (at least) and the man, nan, one of our cousins and I set off together until we got to a break in the path. Some of the group had kept following what looked like the right way to go and some had gone up what looked like a fire trail (wide but straight up). We hesitated and Nan decided to go the 'normal' way with our cousin, while I bullied the man into going straight up. None of this walking AROUND the mountain for me. I found it pretty easy and I was disappointed until I saw the man gasping for air about 20 metres back. Yay!! Now I KNOW I'm fit. Although I still wouldn't take him on in a race or anything. At walking speed though - I'm queen.

After lunch at the top, us younger ones decided to head down the opposite side and try and find the mines (there are two we know of). After walking/sliding down the rocks and loose dirt (I had a particularly painful fall onto my arse) we found one of them but it was blocked up by a metal door a couple of metres in. The second one though we got about, well I estimated 100 metres in but I think it was more like 20-30. There was about 9 of us that went in and I was second from last so the torch light at the front of the line was non-existent for us. Today when I googled it I saw they've done a study on bats living in those things.

We finally meandered our way back to the carpark expecting to see everyone waiting but only half the group was there. Most noticeably missing (for me at least was Nan) - did I MENTION she's 75?

Apparently they decided to come and look at the mines as well. Did I MENTION the slipping and falling? After about 20 minutes and after I'd thought about whether I'd be able to carry Nan down with her probably broken hip, they turned up. I asked Nan how she got down there and she said 'oh we slipped and slid down'. Good one Nan.

Pretty fun day though - then afterwards it was back to Aunty Maureen's (for all you family out there) for some freshly made scones with jam and cream.

- Jen

For poorer or poorer

So we've recently come to the conclusion that while we have enough money to keep ourselves fed, clothed and watered - and moderately entertained - we don't have enough money to do things we want to do. For instance, we were planning on going overseas next year which is starting to look doubtful. We're also supposed to be getting married in 2009, which is yes, ages away but if we're going overseas it leaves considerably less money for a wedding.

I've come to the conclusion that the wedding business is the business to be in. Not only do you know who's who and what's what, you'd be making some serious pocket change as well. I have heard if you tell the flower guy that the flowers are for a funeral you get them cheaper. By 2009 you'll probably have to give a death certificate with your flower order though.

Another five seasons of friends will keep us entertained, and we can afford to pay our power bill and the new car saves us money in that we won't need to start having expensive services and even though we eat the same meal two (or three if we're especially thrifty) times a week - there's not a lot changing in our bank account balance, although its not going down either. My salary is up a bit at the moment while I'm on a 'temporary promotion' but soon I'll go back to my old moolah. The man's talking about getting a part time job but as I pointed out, he couldn't work in retail - he's too Bernard Black for that, and besides no-one would hire a 26 year old check out guy for a saturday shift at safeway.

I know that at our age and time in life things are supposed to be tight - well maybe not at our age but I suppose not many 23 and 26 year olds own (ok have a mortgage on) their own place. We're not eating any red cabbage yet but still deciding if we're really hungry or if we could save that piece of (home made) pizza for lunch tomorrow? Before sneaky cats try to swipe leftovers they're carefully secured in the fridge or freezer for lunches or dinners and there is nothing like hanging onto your expired monthly ticket in case Connex offer compensation.

Of course I guess we're not about to extend our family by 2 + persons and our things we want to do are just that, wants. We don't need to go overseas but we really really want to.

As the man says, clearly we just aren't trying hard enough to win powerball. My suggestion is that he goes on a game show, I think he'd win. That's game show not reality tv show - although he'd be pretty good on survivor.

- Jen

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Carparks, Coffee & Cittens.

Couldn't resist, ...kittens with a 'c' - ew.

I'm back in Albury for work and boy is it weird. W-E-I-R-D. I was driving through town at about 3pm and as I was going past the uni I looked at the carpark and still felt the same ..'aargh it's full'. Then I remembered I don't go to uni anymore.

Then I drove past my old high school and there were all the year 12's cars in the carpark with their P plates...and that was weird too. I used to park there too y'know!..well I don't know if I'd call it parking. I stored my car there.

This post isn't going the way I anticipated...it seems to be about educational facilities and their carparks...

Anywho. I went and visited my nan which was good. I proved my theory about instant coffee tasting nice when other people make it for you. It is SO true. When I make that stuff it tastes like rubbish but when anyone like my mum or nan make it, its a different drink!

Now here I am at the lan mine and guess what Jason...I got to see Elspeth first and I got to hold her and EVERYTHING! Nyer to you now! I'm also sitting here on a pc (entered the secret code..) eating two killer pythons and thinking that somethings don't change. Although how I ever managed to eat two killer pythons in one sitting is beyond me. The sugar plus the instant coffee = brrr. Not even attempting a lanmine coffee. I think if I tried to make a jenlax I'd probably kill myself - drinking the coffee not in a horrific milk scalding incident (although I wouldn't rule that out either).

Anyway now I'm off to dinner with Dad and my sister. I'm missing out on my friday session at the gym tomorrow but thats probably a good thing as I need a bit of a break, my dogs are barking (kittens meowing etc).

Speaking of kittens I'm currently 'training'* Schroddy to walk with a harness on. Thats going...well. Number of angry kittens: 1 , number of successful walks in the harness: 0

- Jen
* training consists of squeezing the cat into the harness while it meows pitifully and then trying to convince the cat to walk while it sits awkwardly and refuses to budge.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Tell me its cool, I just don't believe it.

On Saturday the man and I went to a house party for our good friend Nicoli's 23rd birthday. Thats right - out on a Saturday night. Believe you me, not staying in and working our way through another season of Friends was strange stuff.

There was alcohol involved. Myself, I was behaved I only had three beers, a vodka shot (I can do that now!) and...some ghastly cognac.

That is awful, awful stuff. I was waiting for this brilliant warm flavoursome thing that would make me cultured and dignified 'here I sit...drinking cognac' - perhaps (if I smoked) I would have had a cigarette, on a long stick. I could have talked politics and moaned about those vile creatures watching those insipid sitcoms instead of watching television programmes like 'four corners'.

Instead I made a face and thought 'oh my god there is a whole shot glass of this stuff'. One of our other friends took the 'easy' way out and simple shotted it Which is apparently NOT the right thing to do. Just smelling this stuff hurt, there was no way I was digesting all of it.

The other thing to not do apparently is 8 + shots of vodka, + a shot of cognac and whatever other drinks you've had before that. Don't do that. It is messy and when your friends don't know the location of containers in your house, the only empty vessel they will find is the saucepan containing remnants of dinner. Good luck eating that dish again soon.

But nevertheless, a very fun (and social) night! We should do that (socialise) more often. Talking to cats and one other person all the time and you run out of things to talk about. 'How about those people upstairs'...'yep', 'stop biting my ponytail cat', 'hiss'.

- Jen