Saturday, October 27, 2007

Hey! It will be alright, just find a state where everything's passing by

Had a...not great week at work. Getting paid extra is great...but I'm feeling very stressed. The work I can handle, I actually really enjoy it but...I don't know. Although I didn't think I was feeling the pressure, it kind of just hit me this week.

Most of our team has left..or is even on stress leave and while I'm working with some awesome people, its just tough sometimes.

Funnily enough the way I was feeling, when I thought about it was more to do with the lack of sleep I got this week. Ever heard that saying 'never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear'? Yeah, its true. Cotton buds are such a no-no. I've done something to my left ear where if I lie down when I yawn I get a stabbing pain in my ear. It seems to make me yawn too. After being upright for a few hours it gets less painful and then goes away. So sleeping hasn't been working out too well.

Oh well, I'm sure next week will be better. We have a morning tea on Monday, those are always good.

- Jen

Why I wouldn't make a good criminal

Last night we went out! Didn't spend a cent either.

However I did have to masquerade as one of the man's mates girlfriends, but that was okay because he was pretending to be his mate.

Confusing I know, but his mate has members seats for the soccer and couldn't go so he offered us the seats.

There I was in the queue when I read the little swipe card thing that said 'identification must be produced'. This presented two problems for me. One, I don't have a concession card, and two (probably the more obvious problem), I'm not the person the card says I am. I start to feel a bit anxious. Then, I look up at the head of the queue and a girl I went to high school with (in Albury mind you) is the staff member on the gate. Damn! Obviously she's going to know I'm not who this card says I am! She might even know I don't have a concession card! Oh geez!

I casually switch lines. I'm almost at the head of the queue, checking to make sure I'm ready to quickly scan my card (like I've done it before). If I really were a member, I wouldn't screw this up.
The guy in front of me goes to scan his card, the machine beeps - the staff member starts paying attention (damn!), stops to look at the guys card. I'm done for now. They're checking cards.

My turn. I expertly scan my card and the guy waves me through the barrier, still concentrating on the guy before me. I'm free! I'm such a risk-taker!

We go to find our seats, bay 40....bay 40...ah! bay 40. Oh geez! There's another one on the entrance to the bay. Far out! Is THIS where we get asked for ID?? No, no its apparently not. I'm actually pretty sure I could have shown my RACV membership and got through. That or my frequent sippers card from gloria jeans.

What a rush though. Phew. Such an adrenaline junkie.

Soccer was good too. Nice Friday night out!

- Jen

Monday, October 22, 2007

Weird things you see on the road


LlamaCar
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse
Look closely. I apologise for the filthy windscreen.

Its a llama! In a car!!

Went to Canberra for the weekend. Was really nice. LONG drive, so the llama helped.

- Jen

Friday, October 19, 2007

And in case you didn't hear....

How GREAT are Christmas carols!!! I don't know if its the years of setting up Nan's christmas tree to Burl Ives but I really like Christmas tunes! Its 7:54am in OCTOBER and I'm tapping my feet merrily to 'Have a holly jolly Christmas'.

Ah...but...it IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas.



- Jen

Nobody likes you when you're 23

Going to Canberra this weekend (driving) with a mate, to see a mate. Should be good. Long trip though so I've fired up Pinky (4GB ipod mini) who is looking a bit..worse for wear. I swear the thing grunted and then coughed when I tried to turn it on. It may have hocked up a loogie too. Okay I'm exaggerating. It did beep menacingly at me though.

But anyway, I reset it and had to restore it and it seems to be okay now. The battery is shot though. Lucky for the in car charger.

So now I'm putting lots of road tunes on there. Getting all...awww blink 182!! I'll hate them again in three hours but oh the memories! The sweetness of 'Josie'. The awesome-ness of 'Dammit'. It IS alright for me to tell you what I think about you!!!

I have lots of songs that I associate with things/events so it always makes me feel good when I hear them. I haven't been to that many funerals so...wow only two I think. So I don't have that many sad songs. But for instance 'penguins and polar bears' by Millencolin always reminds me of jases and my 'touring' in his green beat up corolla. How much did you sell that for Jase? $100??

See 'Eagle Rock' by Daddy Cool always makes me feel bouncy and happy - but I also associate it with the start of Wolf Creek. You know where you're sitting there with your hand in your mouth rocking back and forth going 'ooh they gonna get killed'. Or was that just me? For the record - they do have Eagle Rock playing in the movie.

'Rise' by Daryl Braithwaite always reminds me of my sister. I'm sure that was her favourite song when she was about five. I think one year for Christmas I got a walkman and she got a tape player. WITH A RECORDER IN IT! So we both got tapes. I got hits of the 90's and she got a similar one with 'Rise' on it. Mine had new kids on the block, guns and roses and Tom Cochran (life is a highway) on it.

A lot of songs just remind me of 'times' in my life. Like songs I used to listen to driving to Melbourne all those times. 'This years love' by David Gray, 'Sunday morning' by Maroon 5 definitely.

Dire Straights reminds me of Dad particularly 'money for nothing' and 'walk of life' - I think I remember vaguely a trip to Wagga, we must have been really little where we went to a zoo and a goat got one of my sisters gloves. Musn't of been a good zoo is what I'm thinking now. Not if goats were an attraction.

Sniff, 'All these things that I have done' by the Killers reminds me of running because I'd use it to get up that blasted hill near the moonee ponds racecourse.

I can't even get STARTED on the songs of Woodstock Crt. The burnt cds with various punky tunes down in the garage which was always playing if some pool playing and beer sinking was occurring. Oh wow!! 'Hey ya' by outkast - The O-week with the americans!! Best toga party EVER!

'Ride with me' Nelly/John Mayer remix reminds me of opening the lan mine on a Saturday morning because I'd crank that up.

I could be here ALL DAY doing this!!! But I won't. I did think the goat story was funny though.

So everyone, what songs do you associate with things/events? Or, what songs make you happy? What songs do you hate!



- Jen

Sunday, October 14, 2007

We went to look at kittens.....

And spent $600 odd dollars on stuff for our overseas trip. Nowhere in the $600 dollars were tickets to GET overseas. But by gosh when we do get there we will be well and truly equipped to carry our STUFF. I really wasn't sure how the big green garbage bag idea would pan out and now we don't have gigantic backpacks!

See the pet shop is across the way from Aussie Disposals and while kittens are cute, they can't carry 20 kilos of stuff around Europe. We know because we've discussed it with our cats and I think Schroddy actually stuck her paw up at me. And hissed.

So into Aussie Disposals we went and the girl was so nice and helpful and showed us the most awesome backpacks (75 litres!) that we bought two...and a sleeping bag for me. Sorry Mum but the metre long sleeping back at home that looks like a big smurf poo will not cut it. Oh and we bought protective sheet thingers for the revolting hostel mattresses we'll be sleeping.. on. I do mean protective for us, not protective for the mattresses. So yeah thats how good a salesperson she was. Not only that but she alleviated our concerns about maybe buying from a place like Kathmandu by telling us how their stuff is the same only called something different, and theirs has a lifetime warranty (they'll fed-ex us a new one if it busts o/s!).

So yay for us. We also bought a vortex (one of those balls with a tail that goes weeeeeee) to throw around in the sunlight. A very fun day.

Also, afterwards we did get to the pet shop windows and they only had doggies. In the window. In the petshop. With waggly tails.

- Jen
p.s we really did just go to look at kittens

SOTM - October 2007

Although I'm about done with this song it well and truly deserves Song Of The Month. My ipod will actually cry if I play it again. I'm sorry shuffleapagus but it really is the perfect song for staring moodily out of train windows to, while watching the building you work in grow closer and closer. It's also the perfect song to listen to after stepping off a train into the dwindling sunlight at the end of the day.

Its ALSO featured in a tv show I'm fond of* (heroes). For those reasons, 'Eyes' by Rogue Wave gets SOTM for October. California by Rogue Wave was also on high rotation this month along with Long Road to Ruin by the Fooies (a catchy tune!).

Eyes - Rogue Wave

Missed the last train home.
Birds pass by to tell me that I'm not alone.

Well I'm pushing myself to finish this part,
I can handle a lot,
But one thing I'm missing is in your eyes.

In your eyes

Have you seen this film?
It reminds me of walking through the avenues.

Washing my hands of attachments yeah,
I can land on the ground,
but one thing I'm missing, is in your eyes.
(Cause I find love),

In your eyes.

- Jen
* Fond of or addicted to??

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Oh, well, I fell. You know, it was so... undashing.

Saturday mornings I usually go to a pump class at the gym, and this week I felt like I really had to go because last week the instructor spent a while after the class showing me how to improve my form.

Anyway I got up at 8am after sleeping on the floor in the loungeroom half the night because the man was smacking his lips in his sleep and me smacking him and telling him to shutup had no effect, so I relocated.

The man was taking the car to go to work so I said I'd walk to the gym (up at highpoint). I really had to get my skates on to get there in time and not having any skates it was a jog and hope I saw a tram effort. I was tracking well and was cutting through a park when I got to a tiny little fence, one my long legs could easily bound over. Or one my long legs could easily catch on and tip me onto the ground. Yes, I fell.

It wasn't like I just tripped, still embarassing but not as bad as flying through the air mid-jump only to be thrown back to the ground from a height.

So undashing. If girls can be dashing. Probably not. Either way, incredibly embarrassing. Worst of all there were witnesses. Luckily they were nice and didn't laugh - to my face. I mostly landed bang onto my knees/chest. My knees which are in great shape and can take a battering. Not to mention I still had a few k's to go.

But I made it. I looked like a five year old when I arrived with my dirty bruised knees. Knees are fine just bruised! Lucky it was grass/dirt.

Sigh. Still a jenu.

- Jen

Thursday, October 04, 2007

No not me, it's 'I'

I'm upset. Last night the man and I had an hour to fill before spicks and specks and ended up watching some of 'Are you smarter than a 5th grader?'

Well. I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader. I'm not smarter than a 1st grader! I got the one about the St Bernard dog and I knew what 10-3 was so obviously I was feeling cocky. Then I (and most of Australia by the sounds of it) got the following question wrong.

1st grad* grammar too!

Max talked to Darcy and ____

a) I
b) me
c) my

EVERYONE knows its 'I'. Well everyone except kids in year one who apparently get taught its 'me'. Seriously, after my misspelling of 'VACUUM' the other day I'm not feeling too happy. Spelling and big words are my thing. Bad at maths, good at English, thats how its always been. Clearly I am not good at grammar. I just cannot fathom how it can be 'me'!! Now I'm not good at anything!!! I just will not accept that all my life I've been spelling vacuum wrong. The DICTIONARY is wrong. Rove is wrong!

What's worse if a kid said to me 'Max talked to Darcy and me' I'd correct them! Well..I probably wouldn't. But if I they were my kid I would*. So, this poses an interesting theory. What if, kids get taught at school its 'me', then they're going home and getting corrected by their parents!! I really think this is a possibility because all the kids on the show chose 'I', the child of the contestant on the show chose 'I'...everyone chose 'I'.

I rest my case. It's 'I'.

- Jen
* if they were I kid me would..
* I KNOW...IT'S A TYPO AND I'M NOT FIXING IT!!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

If you really like carparks..

You use them in your wedding photos. I dunno, maybe there was going to be some major photoshopping done to erase the awful yellow wall behind them....we can hope. I can see how the grass and the railing might have inspired them. But still! It's a carpark!

- Jen

Sunset via phone


PhoneSunset
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse
I thought this looked pretty nice so I snapped a shot of it. On my phone!!

Still enjoying my new toy.

- Jen

Kanga Bangas and GF BBQs

Last Saturday (yes I know, I'm the last person in the world to blog about it) was the Annual Grand Final BBQ put on by the Malloy's. I went last year and despite my best attempts to convince the man to join me I went alone again.

Where as last year I undercooked the cake I made, this year I slightly overcooked the brownies. Brownies are not cake!! Some were still a bit fudgy in the middle though. Not like the picture in the women's weekly cookbook though!

Took 'Kanga Bangas' - roo sausages I found in the supermarket. They're supposed to be better for you than regular snags. Mashed up roo screams road kill though...
I thought they were pretty good so we're thinking of making them a staple. I think 'Skippy Snags' would be a good alternative name though! Not that Kanga Bangas isn't pretty good.

Anyway, the game wasn't that interesting but it was nice to watch Port get trounced.

Again I had a great time, met some new people and caught up with people I'd met last year. Also determined I AM a geek. Wasn't sure I still was but nope, I've still got it.Speaking of new people I got to meet! Got to have a good long old of the quietest baby ever - little Henry, and saw his sister Kennedy for the five minutes she was awake. Babies sleep a lot!!

Thanks Rae and Tony!! I'll work on the man for next year...but no promises. Yes I mentioned the enormous tv!

- Jen

Bye Bye Broadie

This week has been the first week of the new Craigieburn rail line extension. So now, instead of living on the 'Broadie' line, we live on the Craigieburn line!

Woo!!! I wonder if that will do anything for our property prices? Probably not, but still. It's nice to be able to tell people when they ask that I catch the Craigieburn line not the Broadmeadows line. There was always that 'oh' after I mentioned the 'B' word. Of course now it sounds like I live in Craigieburn so it sounds like I might as well live in Albury.

Of course its too hard to have the words 'Broadmeadows' changed to 'Craigieburn' on the tv displays so it just says 'Information Pending'. Grreaat. I freaked out the first time I saw it because I thought all the trains were cancelled (oh GOD I'll have to catch a tram!). Lucky I asked a helpful Connex guy at the station what was going on. He looked excited to tell me they were running as normal. Mind you, now the trains arrive a minute or two earlier. Go figure. I did catch a very nice City loop/Nth Melb to Moonee Ponds express tonight. Desk to door in 15 mins.

- Jen