Wombo no!

When I first caught sight of this article in The Age (online) I assumed that some dirty person had been 'interfering' with a wombat. Apparently the New Zealand man's complaint was that the wombat had 'interfered' with him. See here for the article.

The thing that made me burst out laughing at work was the picture attached to the article.



Oh dear.

- Jen

Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity..

Not quite. But it was a lot of fun. We went back to Berrigan (well the farm near Berrigan) for Friday and Saturday. Nice to get away even if it was just for a night. Zeke, the man's nephew got the bike for his 9th birthday and he kindly let me have a go on it. Perfect size really. When I put my feet on the footrests my knees just about came up to my ears. First time I've ridden a motorbike too so it was very much a learning experience.

Don't worry I didn't go very fast because a. I didn't know how to get it out of 1st gear and b. when the man told me how to get it out of 1st I was too scared. Especially because the helmet wouldn't fit on my head.

Came back this afternoon after lunch when 'the talk' re-commenced. Stay or go, buy soon or rent? Rent close or far?

Anyway life is fun. I do think that a motorbike is just about the best present you could get a nine year old boy though. Zeke wouldn't let me bring it home though, I figured I could ride it to work and park it next to my desk. Hmmm

- Jen

Under a wing and a prayer

Travelling back to Berrigan on Good Friday we saw two accidents. Well we think we did. The first looked pretty minor with a trailer losing its load of kids bikes just near the Craigieburn turnoff on the Hume. The second we came across was near Shepparton and we had to actually drive under the rotor of this:

Which was 'parked' in the middle of the highway. Apologies for quality of picture but the man took it through the car windscreen. The bugless part. Don't know how serious it was but the air ambulance chopper was there as well as about three ambulances and of course police. Didn't actually SEE an accident though which was a bit weird. Trucks were banked up on both sides of the road because as well figured out later they couldn't fit under the chopper.

Hope everyone was okay though.

That was the most eventful part of the trip considering we spent the rest of the time talking about what we are going to do now that we are homeless and all.

- Jen

But we can start again, you can depend on it

As I mentioned in my last post, big changes are afoot in the Unsworth/Fankhauser household. Namely that we don't have a house. This afternoon we sold our apartment.

I know. We also only have a short amount of time before we are homeless and I have to start picking people on my blogroll to live with. You guys all like cats right?

Basically someone offered us a 'tidy sum' for the place and its enough to pay off the mortgage, the brand new car we bought last year and solve our body corporate issues. Oh and still have more than enough left over to build savings for our next property adventure.

We're not sure what that is right now. Maybe we'll build, maybe we'll just save like the devil and buy again. We don't know where or when. It will involve property though.

We don't have to worry any more about body corporate problems and VCAT, I can sleep at night without thundering hooves overhead or the Moonee Ponds Cinema Centre on the other side of our bedroom wall. We also don't have to worry about interest rates.

It wasn't an easy decision. Almost everyone we asked hinted we shouldn't sell while at the same time saying 'its up to you guys though'. There were so many tears, firstly about which decision to make and then after I'd said 'okay I think we should sell', which came out like 'blubbblubbokayblubbblubbsniffthinkweshouldblubbsell', because I felt so sad because as much as we don't like living in an apartment its our home. The home we brought the little kittens back to, that I finished the grad program in, that the man proposed to me in, that the housemate used to live in... alright well it is just a home. But still.

In the end we decided that we can make a profit, we'll be happier without being so stressed about money (already I feel better), and we're so young. I'm not even 24 for another thirteen days!

The cats are going to freak out. God help us when we have a backyard.

Haven't signed the contract of sale yet, still organising section 32s etc. But it seems to be easier than I expected*.

Right now though I can't think anymore about it because I'm too tired...

- Jen

* This is going to come back and bite me I can just tell.

It keeps me running

It's just amazing what the threat of 10 burpees can make me do. There are three of us running towards two water bottles in the sand. Obviously last one there gets the burpees. The guy I beat DID have to carry a water cooler bottle with sand in it though.

- Jen

Something fishy about this

This is my Nan's smoked cod which we have every Easter. This weekend just gone I went back to Albury and seeing as Mum and I won't be there for next weekend we had our Good Friday lunch a few days early.

Dad chose( as he does every year) not to join us. Something about his gag reflex. I did very well this year, no bones to Mum's four. Clearly I am the favourite.

It was just about breakfast for me as I went out on Saturday night and also had a late night on Thursday night so a sleep in was in order. Apparently a cinema complex has opened in our apartment building and shows action movies until the early hours of the morning. I could do a whole sarcastic post about how wonderful it is. I'm not sure what other times they show movies but it seems to me that they just show them when I go to bed. I wonder if they have popcorn?

Alright well thats about half a post just there.

I apologise for the lack of posting but I have been very busy and something had to get put on hold, so far its been blogging and exercising. Up until the end of March is just going to be flat out and if I have time later I'll blog about why.

-Jen

Ready or not, here comes the drop - you feel lucky when you know where you are

Another bout of interest rate rises has left the man and I wondering if owning property is all its cracked up to be. We're not as badly affected as some people as our loan is mostly fixed, its just that when our three years runs out (in a year or so) then we might be in real trouble.

There are so many variables though, I might have gotten a promotion, the man might be Australian of the Year or.. I might be Jen and the man, well he might be the man. Interest rates could go up or down and the Melbourne property market might - as our real estate agent so eloquently put it, 'shit itself'.

We don't know whether to hold on to what we have considering there is lots of development happening here (however this also includes new apartment blocks), sell (for a profit) and rent, sell and buy a cheaper block and build in the 'burbs (we could be Rae and Tony's neighbours) or we could sell and move out of Melbourne altogether. Are these turbulent times normal and we should just grin and bear it? It's newspaper articles like this that worry me.

We don't have a clue! Some joker mentioned interest rates go down as well you know. Frog poo I say. Ever since we got a mortgage they've been on the uppity up.

Anyway, suggestions are welcome!

- Jen

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.

Today, 8 March 2008 was our friends Nicole and Rick's wedding. Yep friends of ours getting married. Sc-ary!

They walked down the aisle together which was just the sweetest thing, I almost cried but managed to hold it together. Richards (Nicole) and I have been talking for awhile how we're going to go with the crying thing. She was fine! Obviously its just me we have to worry about!

Anyway the wedding was beautiful, at a really nice chapel in Geelong. Reception was good too, the man was even amenable to bit of a dance. Think he gave up when we remembered I can't dance. Still it was nice.

Now I'm here blogging off too much bubbly before bed. Better to blog than go to bed with the spins.

Also, two posts in a row where I've been drinking...I need to blog more I think. Not drink less..
- Jen

It's biliousness as usual in my corner of the kitchen

Last night was my sisters 21st. Was the most fun we've had on a Saturday night in ages!

It was a nice intimate party in Ballarat and we knew most of my sisters friends except for the alcohol vultures. Also got to meet the new boyfriend who was obviously packing it. He lived though. For now.

Speeches were good and then the man and I had to light the sparklers on the cake. Doesn't sound dangerous. But try as I might I could not get the thing to light! I think it was Dad who pointed out I was trying to light the wrong end. In the midst of the howls of laughter I turned the sparkler around and grabbed hold of the other end. The end I'd just spent five minutes applying a flame to.

It. was. hot!

I got more laughter instead of sympathy though. Everythings harder when tequila is involved. There was lots of shots. Its funny enough doing shots with your mother but even Nan got talked into having one!

We went out after and found ourselves at some pub where we found some articles of clothing someone had left on the floor. Following the rule that if its on the floor its yours* we acquired some warmer garments for our stumble to the next pub. Oh and bouncers still check my ID. Unlike the man who barely gets looked at.

After too many watermelon and vodka slices the man and I headed home. We walked about a block too far past our motel before we realised nothing looked familiar but we found our way back eventually. This morning my sister regaled us with tales of her not quite voluntary removal from the pub. Think there was a tantrum involved.

She also really liked her present of diving with the sharks, which will be another fun weekend. We get to drop her in a tank of sharks and take pictures!!

Now the man and I are back home having a very gentle Sunday afternoon. No sudden movements and we should be okay.

Oh! And good news, we finally used the camera! Pictures are on facebook if anyone is interested.

- Jen

I heart pushups...

EarlyMorning
Originally uploaded by trojen_hoarse

I signed up for the four week 'crunch and grunt' training I mentioned earlier this month. It started this morning at 7:45am down at South Melbourne beach and being punctuality pete I got there at 7:10am (time of photo).

Looks nice doesn't it? Well it was not nice.

It. was. freezing!

I grabbed a jumper on the way out the door and its lucky I did otherwise, well otherwise I would have been even colder!!

Once the others got there though and we did our warm up of running down the beach and back I started to feel warmer (funny that). After what seemed like kilometers of walking lunges, kilometers of walking lunges + carrying sand filled water cooler bottles, pushups, dragging sand filled bottles, shoulder pressing sand bottles and of course burpees....I was ready to go for a swim, well almost.

Got my 'I heart pushups' t-shirt as well. Awesome.

And no Mum and Dad I still do not know where the fitness thing came from. Must have skipped quite a few generations.

I didn't mention on the way there how much I enjoyed the tram trip (#1 tram to the end of the Sth Melbourne Beach line) it was great seeing another part of Melbourne.

Afterwards we went to the South Melbourne Market for coffee. I kept an eye out for Tony and Mr High Riser. Of course I'm not sure what Mr HR looks like so that was difficult. But finally I've been to the South Melbourne Market! And no I did not get a dim sim.

One of the other 'grunties' was kind enough to drop me back at Flinders St making it extremely easy for me to get home. Starting to feel pretty sore now but am blogging because there is doof doof music coming from someones apartment and I can't sleep. Only 33 minutes until I'm 'allowed' to go and complain.

- Jen

If I had eyes - SOTM February 2007

Not such a tough decision this month. I was always pretty sure that it would be a Jack Johnson song from his new album Sleep Through The Static. It was a close run thing between 'if I had eyes' and another song from the same album, 'go on' but the piano sound won out. If I had eyes takes a little bit to get into the 'good part' but its the number one song I'm listening to at the moment.

And that's why its Song of the Month....

Click here to see & hear it.

- Jen

Dear Cat, we would like to advise you....

That your vet quota for the [insert period we haven't decided on] has been reached. Further veterinary visits may involve serious discussions about your future as a pet in this household. Also, you are now suspected of being the Backpack Bandit. You should probably consider not scratching either Human 1 or Human 2 they make you swallow tablets twice a day for the next few days as Human 2 is not particularly impressed with you right now. Human 1 still loves you.

Yours sincerely,
Human 1 and Human 2
-------------------------
After a scare that had me in tears intermittently for about 36 hours, it turns out that Matilda is fine. The blood test results I mentioned came out with a higher level of creatine than normal and the vet wanted to do a urine test. So of course jenu being jenu stressed out completely and stupidly googled creatine in cats. I should have known better because googling medical related things never ever ends well. Ever.

For 36 hours I thought her kidneys were failing and we'd have to put her down. I may have overreacted slightly.

But when you look into a face like this......

Note the shaved part of her neck. The man (Human 2) has taken to calling her Shavox. She's now sporting a cute bandage on her paw too so she looks pretty tough.
So this morning I had to take her to the vet for the teeth cleaning and urine sample. The vet told me to put her in her cage first thing so she couldn't go to the toilet. Not cool. Of course as soon as I put her in the cage she peed in it which meant handing over a urine soaked cat at the vets. I kind of think if there is $780 involved the vet can't get upset about a stinky cat (smelly cat!). The urine had a very familiar smell about it too. But to be fair to Matilda I'm not about to compare their urine to find out who the Backpack Bandit is. So far our investigations into the matter have been fruitless.

Anyway all is well now and I think it best that we avoid the vet until after our overseas trip.

- Jen

We bite and scratch and scream all night..

This morning was the kittennats annual checkup at the vet. It was not a fun time.

The man and I agreed when we got the cats that there was a 'limit'. I'd never heard of such a thing but basically you pick an amount and if there is something wrong with the cat (or animal) and it costs over 'the amount' then, well....well it doesn't end all that well for the cat.

Its an awful awful thing to have to think about and this morning when I had to take two very annoyed cats to the vet I hoped they would be okay (the man was at work). Schroddy is about twice the size of Matilda even though they seem to eat the same and the scales at the vet confirmed that Schroddy is 1.1kg heavier. The rest must just be bigger fur or something. The vet was shocked they were from the same litter.

So it turns out Matilda's teeth need cleaning. I didn't realise that was something I was supposed to be looking out for and she's got infected gums. You learn something new everyday. Apparently the $60 cat food they eat isn't good enough and they need something else. Surprise surprise teeth cleaning isn't cheap. $360! So back into her cage goes Matilda and out comes a very angry Schroddy (complete with hisses) for her needles and worming and her teeth need cleaning too. Luckily they're not infected like Till's so the new food should fix that.

The vet suggests a blood test for Tilly seeing she is so tiny and I agree. Didn't realise it would involve shaving part of her. This is the kind of cat who doesn't like being held normally let alone being wormed, having needles and then having two vets try and pin her down to shave her. Her claws won out and the vet asked if I minded if they gassed her. Matilda has about twenty razor sharp claws that she has no qualms about using so I agreed. Schroddy and I sat in the waiting room and then the vet called me back in to talk about how much money I wanted to spend on the blood tests. Turns out there are all kinds of different tests. The most expensive was $180 but then the vet said I could get the $80 one and then 'upgrade' if it showed anything dodgy. So I did that and she totalled up everything the cats had been through that morning and without the teeth cleaning for Till it came to $260.

But even if the teeth cleaning was more than the 'amount' I couldn't have a pet put down because of TARTAR! Awful! But its still a big dent in our bank balance. Especially seeing Schrod will have to have hers done soon enough. I guess thats what happens when you get pets.

They seem to have calmed down now, Schroddy stormed out of her cage when I got home, and Matilda just strolled out (she was a bit subdued from the gas). Now they're doing as cats do and napping.

Have to go and pick the man up from work now. Will advise him he just spent today and yesterday working for the vet.

- Jen

Square eyes.

I realised I do have some small amount of geekiness left in me. Gus who is staying with us for the weekend mentioned he had a spare 17 inch LCD lying around in the boot of his car. If we wanted it...

That's itunes we have sitting up there, for easy access. The man hasn't seen it yet but he's heaps geekier than me now anyway. Still waiting for him to notice the dual monitor awesomeness.

- Jen

Maybe get a blister on your little finger, maybe get a blister on your thumb

I actually thought Dire Straights 'money for nothing' had more to do with microwaves for some reason. Thats why my post was supposed to be about but googling the lyrics, the song seems to be about delivery of home appliances not the appliances themselves.

Aaaanyway...

Our microwave is growling at us. I thought it had always made the noise when the man mentioned it to me. But lately when microwaving things I'm becoming more and more freaked out by the noise. I sure wouldn't be using it if I was pregnant but so far my third eye has been more help than hindrance. I actually suspect the microwave is uprising against its use to heat three day old McDonalds cheeseburgers not to mention melting vegemite and cheese onto cruskits. I for one don't blame it. I just wish it didn't growl at me. Doesn't it know that I'm also against these things? They stink - for one, and two well its just not normal is it? IS IT?

Neither is eating McNuggets in packs greater than 12 (oh yes they do sell them in 20 packs). But these are things that I've resigned myself to accepting. Grudgingly. I'm going to be mad if I have to donate my heart because someone's is too full of cheeseburger to pump any blood.

Maybe a new mentally stronger microwave is in order. I wonder what they run at these days. Ours is so small that it only just fits a dinner plate in it. I bought it when I moved out of home but I suspect that for a microwave that its not had a particularly long life. My argument currently is (while I sit here sipping my microwaved hot milo) is that we don't need a microwave. My other half, thats the three day old cheeseburger fiend) disagrees.

We'll see. It's turning into the vacuum thing (sp?). Once it gets too loud I'll stop using it completely.

- Jen

Checkout chick on a power trip

After I finished buying some fruit and vegies this morning at the market near our place I stopped by Coles to pick up the necessities for tonights 'mexican' dinner (tacos). I don't think I looked like a criminal although I did look like a bit of a bogan I suppose. Trackies, rugby jumper and cons. I think I looked like any other yuppie on a Saturday morning.

So anyway the checkout chick is scanning my cereal, nescafe blend 43, eggs, chocolate bavarian, mango and the mexican stuff I actually went in there for when she asks to see my bags. Fair enough so I willingly showed her the bacon and the fruit & vegies I'd got from the market.

THEN she wants to see a receipt. I found the receipt for the bacon in my purse but couldn't find the one for the vegies (I actually don't think they gave me one). THEN she told me that next time I had to have my receipt blah blah blah blah blah blah. I felt like saying "does this enormous nice FRESH looking lettuce and these nice ripe red tomatoes look like they come from your store"? Far out, if they had nicer produce in Coles I would have bought it there in the first place! But of course I didn't say anything just went red (I think) and didn't say a word to her.

If it wasn't for the fact Coles is literally across the road I'd shop at Safeway (a block away).

End Coles rant.....for now.
- Jen

There is change, there is pace - and nothing is in its place.

I've been having a hell of a time at work lately, both good and bad kinds. Hell as in busy but interesting and even fun sometimes. Then there is also the hell when you have to just grin and bear it and go with the flow, which I'm not particularly good at.

We found out we might be moving to a different office which would mean I'd get to work about 8 minutes quicker but its on the other side of the city from my gym and favourite coffee haunt. I don't like change and would prefer to stay where I am, with the nice view and sunshiny window desk.

But what can you do. The fun and interesting parts of work are keeping me where I am and I know that for an almost 24 yr old I'm doing pretty well. Also realising that as much as people think age affects older people at work, it also has some influence for younger people. Clients can see that I'm young but it was only when I got talking to one the other day that they were shocked about how young.

Everything changes everyday from my job security to the work I'm doing and its starting to get me down a bit. But like I said, the fun and interesting parts are keeping me in it.

I had lunch today with my two work mates and we worked out there were three generations sitting at the table. Knowing how old I am, you figure out how old the other two were. And we all work together. Probably the fun part in the 'fun and interesting'.

Anyway I came home early to go and see a movie with the man who I feel like I hardly see anymore. Except he's still at work playing with mousies. So I thought I'd organise our contents insurance and had a very informative and enjoyable conversation with some guy at AAMI who sold me $372 of insurance. Would have been $525 if we didn't have our car insurance with them. There must be some wriggle room in insurance premium quotes... the man probably would have got it for $100 cheaper but I'm not as smooth a talker and our other insurance had already expired. Naughty busy people we are.

- Jen
p.s. Also screw you Commonwealth Bank. When our fixed rate is up we're going elsewhere. Probably. Maybe.

Matilda Bay - Rooftop Red Lager

Tried a Matilda Bay Rooftop Red Lager (an MBRRL) this afternoon. Was really nice. You read about toffee and caramel flavours and wonder sometimes if you're eating icecream or drinking beer - and then you taste the beer and it tastes like...beer. But this was different! For a start it looks like toffee, and it definitely had some kind of toffee-ness going on.

I really enjoyed it and think it would be great sitting down with some good quality dark chocolate.

Yes, drinking on a Thursday - starting the weekend a tad early.

- Jen

Review - Cafe Fidama

After this mornings tough but awesome effort we jumped in a couple of cars and went over to Yarraville for breakfast. Cafe Fidama to be precise. Wasn't bad but not great either. I was still very much cooling down so didn't have a coffee, just the salsa eggs on english muffins. I enquired about the type of bread they had not wanting to get some hideously evil spongey white bread appearing on my plate. I cannot stand white bread, bleccch. The waitress told me they only had sourdough bread, but I think she got confused by the table's look of dismay (about no wholegrain) so she added 'its smothered in butter'. Funny. Service wasn't great either. Yarraville was really nice though, its been awhile since I've been there and I forgot about all the cool cafes.

I didn't hate it but I'm betting Yarraville has much better to offer.

- Jen

Cause the chase is all you know, and she stopped running months ago

Its no secret that I take my fitness pretty seriously. I've been going to the gym regularly since January 2007 (see here) and after quitting my Maribyrnong gym and going to the one in the building I work in, I'm more 'addicted'. I've been thinking lately that I go too much and that I should cut back. At the moment I'm going once a week day doing different classes like spin, boxing and circuit with a day of weights. But when I sat down and thought about it I didn't want to quit any of my classes. Its also a social thing now too and there is a whole bunch of us that are in the same classes and we've got a pretty good friendship thing happening. A group of us were talking about it the other day how you spend all day in an office and it feels good to do something else and socialise with people who have similar interests.

I've made friends with my friday morning trainer and yesterday he invited me to come to a bootcamp type of thing he runs with his partner on Saturday mornings. Its a four week course called 'crunch and grunt'.This was the last week of the program so they were doing fitness tests comparing their scores to when they started.
I was really nervous but went along to Fawkner park this morning at 7:45am. I was pleasantly surprised by four other 'grunties' who weren't at all scary looking and who were very easy to talk to. There were chin ups and push ups and dips and sit ups and then...there was the beep test.

I haven't done the beep test since high school and it was still as boring and evil as I remembered. I'd hoped to do better than I did, an 8 (2 shuttles), and I could have done more probably a 9 or a bit more. For some reason I just stopped! But anyway I looked it up when I got home and 8 is pretty good. Then there was push ups, squat jumps, hill running, pull ups, more running etc for another 40 minutes.

So I think I might sign up for the next Crunch session in a few weeks, or maybe the one after. We've got weddings and 21sts in March so a bit busy! Although 7.45am on a Saturday morning frees up the rest of the day!

I don't know where the fitness thing came from because you wouldn't call our family sporty at all. Its hard to explain why its fun because describing it to people makes it sound like hell, but fun it is. I don't have a hobby and I work a lot so having something to do that I enjoy outside of work, that also keeps me fit can't be a bad thing.

Never fear jentopia readers, I'm still hopelessly addicted to coffee and dark chocolate. Yay for easter and dark chocolate lindt bunnies!

- Jen