Category Archives: Personal

Blogging, Events, Fashion Victim

Out of the habit

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Christmas Dinner

Is Christmas really over?

I’m out of the habit of blogging regularly and finding it hard to get inspiration… so I thought I’d do that old trick of just typing away – stream of consciousness like – and see what happens.

I love hosting Christmas but I also love my house back to normal the day after Christmas after all the empties have been taken out to the recycling and the dishes finally done, extra tables hidden away and the crunchy floor cleaned.

In the days since we’ve been chilling out the back lolling on the couches under the patio we built last year, occasionally jumping in the pool to bring down the core body temp (it is over 40 every day for the next four), lighting the candles in the evening and enjoying the odd glass of wine.

It’s been lovely having my brother and his family to stay too.  Their little one is uber-cute.  Just the cutest 3-year-old ever.  And even though I know I’m going to be approached again and again to play animal matches, or go for a swim, or watch the spelling game stars I don’t care because she is so adorable.

They’ve gone down south for a few days now and the house seems strangely empty.

This year we did a couple of things to encourage “groupness”.

Groupness is a term I picked up from a facilitation course this year.  Basically when you have a new grouping of people it’s important to get them to interact quickly and share.  Sharing is more likely if the peeps feel part of a group.

Groupness can be created in any number of ways…

For example… name tags… not really appropriate for family dinner…

This year we did souvenir holiday teeshirts designed by my artist brother…
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Me modelling the holiday tee

And a dancing video.

If you’ve seen Where the Hell is Matt? you will know the inspiration.

I asked my invited guests and extended family that weren’t coming to the evening to send in snippets of video of themselves so that I could mash them into a video to play on the night.

That way peeps who couldn’t come would still be part of the group… and those who were there would feel part of the group – having gone through the shared experience (pain and humiliation?) of dancing in public.

I guess I’m an extrovert because I loved doing the dancing videos, others felt it wasn’t such a cool thing, but everyone sent something in.

Unfortunately I ran out of time but I delegated (another management technique) to my niece (not the 3-year old) and the video was lovely.

Even the too-cool-for-school teens admitted it was fun in the end and I think – should I ask them to participate in one of my crazy groupness exercises next time – they might find it easier to say yes, lets!

UPDATE: Here is the link to the video. 🙂

OMG.  I’m at the end of a post and I had something to say after all.

Maybe the habit is stronger than I thought…

Fashion Victim

Contact lenses REALLY hurt

Contact lenses of course

I don’t consider myself a wimp.

Indeed I have given birth to two children.

Non-wimpdon confirmed.

But damn if I can get the hang of contact lenses.

I ordered them because my dear husband says I will go from a 6 to a “hard 8” if I don’t wear glasses and who doesn’t want to be a hard 8?

So yes. Vanity.

But apparently I’m too old for my eyes to “truly cope” with multifocals and so really I can only get contacts to go out socially.

Which is fine, except that now that I have them I kind of want to be a hard 8 all day every day.

Well. Who wouldn’t?

Day 1: It takes me 20 minutes to get the right eye in. I try for 15 minutes to get the left eye in before giving up and racing for the train. The left eye pops in when I get to the very well lit bathroom at work, but not before someone asks if I’m okay after seeing my red and bloodshot teary eyes.
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Day 2: Practice makes perfect they say. It takes me 20 minutes again to get the right eye in, and once again I don’t have time for the slippery little sucker to get in the left eye so I wait til I get to work and spend a further 10 minutes chasing a little bit of see-through silicon around the bathroom.

About 2pm I’m back in the bathroom poking myself in the eye to get the wretched things out. I don’t ever find the left eye lens. And now I’m wondering if I got it in.

Day 3: Bugger it I need a day off. But I do get the optometrist to check my eye just in case the left lens is still in my eye somewhere.

She explains that really, at my age (does she have to keep saying that?!) all these are good for is reading menus at restaurants when you go out… They are not for close work, she says.

It’s only women who get these lenses, she says, the men can’t be bothered.

As I said, vanity.

So I will be leaving an extra hour to get ready next time I go out.

And I suspect the 30 pairs of dailies that I’ve bought will last a long time.

Just saying.

Fashion Victim, Modern Life, Shopping

Come to me my precious

I’ve decided I’m a grown up and therefore allowed grown-up (read expensive) make up.

The last lot I bought lasted a year and a bit and would have lasted longer but a certain teenage daughter decided it was really nice and used it.  Grrr.

So this week I ordered some more, this time direct from the States.

Now I would have bought it locally but the pricing in Australia is ridiculous.  Foundation for example… US$30-50 or AUS$70-90.

I do like going to a beautician and being “fitted” for my makeup – finding exactly the right shade and last year I bought locally.

But that is just price gouging.

So why such a mark up?

The US dollar is worth less than the Australian dollar at the moment – it should be cheaper.

Add some for freight maybe… that wouldn’t be more than a couple of dollars for each item max.

And I’d be happy to pay that.

Luxury tax?  Apparently not.

No it seems we are charged nearly 40% more for our makeup because we are willing to pay it.

Well I’m not.

Now the makeup I wanted (and this is the same with many other brands) does have an online presence in Australia, which has the same mark up as the shops.
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The US website does not ship directly to Australia.

How to shop in the US when they don’t ship to Australia directly

I set up a redirect address in the States through a US Shipping company. Just search for “US shipping only websites”.

Then I ordered my make up on the US site and sent it to my new US address.

When it gets there, I will get an email asking me to instruct them on where it goes from there.

Then I pay the freight to Australia.

The freight will be about $28 which is less than the mark up on one foundation.

I hate the fact that I can’t go down to a local business and support them, but if I do, well I will just be supporting an absolute rort which has gone on too long.

And now I have a new hobby… tracking my makeup as it makes its way to me…

I’ll let you know if/when it gets here.

The journey so far

UPDATE:

Getting excited now

Furthur Update:
It arrived. And I love it. And I saved 41.55% approximately by shopping online.

Fashion Victim, Relationships

Retail therapy

Gorgeous

A friend of mine had to go to the specialist today to find out about her prognosis post surgery.

The fact that she’d had to have the surgery in the first place sucked.

That she was going through this sucked.

And I knew, even though the news was expected to be okay, that just having to go sucked as well.

Love the purple underside

Anyway I got the news on my way home that the news was good. Best possible outcome.

Phew.

Thank goodness.

And then I teared up.

I realised I’d been holding my breath all day.

It started raining on my way home and I ducked into my favourite shoe shop hoping that the rain would pass.

There in the window were these beauties.

Half price.
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My size.

Last pair.

And size 40 is never the last pair.

I bought them.

Because LIFE. IS. TOO. SHORT.

And because a last pair in my size is a sign my friend.

In October when I see my friend I will wear them and pop a bottle of Very Expensive Champagne.

Just saying.

 

UPDATE:

Me:  I bought some shoes today.  You’ll hate them.

Groover:  Really? [looks in box]  I like the colour.

 

Fashion Victim, Modern Life, Weather, Work

Out and about in my New York coat

Rainy night in Melbourne

In Melbourne for a training course.

The forecast is for 14 degrees every day, except one which is 13.

Freezing for a Perth girl and I’m very glad to have my New York coat bought after being stranded in Vancouver in their worst snow storm in a 130 years (although it was worse in Victoria BC).

The snow was thigh high.

I was 5 months pregnant.

Planes weren’t going anywhere and we only had hand luggage.

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I became quite attached to the coat and with reluctance handed it back when we got back to the airport.

The first thing I bought in New York was my own coat.

Now I live in Perth so the opportunities to wear my coat are limited.

And… it looks a bit like a dressing gown.

But I am so glad of it here in Melbourne.

UPDATE: And I haven’t stopped wearing it. This week in Perth the weather has been dire and my coat is my new best friend.

Introspection, QLD

The secret signs of cleaners

So I am in Brisbane at the moment.

My last night in fact and tonight, when I got back to my room and headed straight for the bathroom I sighed with contentment when I noticed the message from the cleaner:

The sign of attention to detail

Whenever I see the little folded triangles it’s like the cleaner has left a little sign for me.

See, they are saying, I have cleaned your room.

And I, as the temporary occupant think, yes. My room is clean.

Indeed, the dirty dishes I left soaking on the sink have been cleaned thoroughly and put away.

Perhaps I would feel that my room was clean even if the only thing touched was the toilet paper… it’s possible.

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It made me feel better although I am not sure the other occupants of my domicile noticed.

However.

I don’t think the secret sign necessarily means attention to detail.

Witness:

That is a pillow

Just sayin’

Fashion Victim, Shopping

How cheap is too cheap?

4 Comments

The other day my son said he needed some new clothes.

Now I’m lucky, because he doesn’t care about labels and would rather have lots of cheap clothes than one or two designer pieces.

Except when it comes to hiking gear.

And he is still enjoying the suit I bought him for his year 12 ball.

So we went down to Kmart at his request and for $138 bought:

2 jumpers
3 teeshirts
2 pairs of jeans
socks
jocks
1 pair sandshoes

Not a bad little haul.

But I felt guilty.

The jeans were $7.

How can you make jeans for $7??

You can’t even buy the material.

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Growing the cotton. Harvesting it. Processing it. Cutting it. Sewing it. Delivering it from China to Australia.

Then the mark up in the shop.

$7.

Who have I had to exploit to enable me to buy those jeans?

Today, in order to write this post I went to the Kmart website.

From the website

50 cents?

Must be a typo.

This is getting ridiculous.

The guilt didn’t stop me from buying the jeans this time.

I try and justify the cost against the $150 I spent on my own jeans a few weeks ago.

And that’s stupid too.

This world is crazy.

Bridge, First World Problem

The wall and one’s proximity to it

Morning sunlight

Every morning I walk past this wall and at the time I walk with the sun just rising, the light is very beautiful.

A golden yellowish wash to the day.

I say every morning, but I really mean most mornings.

This morning I slept in and dreamt.

Something about my wedding candles and supplying a church.

And so now, at the other end of the day what I really should be doing is putting on my sandshoes and doing my “morning” lap.

But I’m not.

I have tracky daks on.

I have ugg boots on.
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I have a glass of sav blanc.

I feel as if I’ve been given a free night, as I had got the idea in my head that I was playing bridge tonight erroneously.

And, to be honest, the thought was a little exhausting.

Last week I played bridge until 11pm and felt as if I had hit the wall the next day… run over.

Tired in the way that only a night out in Fremantle can alleviate.

It makes me think that my days of going out late on a Thursday night could be over.

*worried look*

Far better to slip on the sheepskin and cuddle up in front of the telly.

Loving the new season of Game of Thrones btw.

Bridge, Modern Life

Rage quit at Seniors bridge today

Perfect autumnal weather

What a gorgeous day.

Not really a day to spend inside playing bridge, but we did, and we won.  Yay us.

Don’t you love it when older people are naughty.

Today at bridge in the seniors competition (all have to be over 59 – and just in case you were wondering, I don’t qualify), one of the players threw a tanty at another player.

I don’t know what about.

But he got quite fired up and the director asked him to leave to cool off.

Well.  He left.

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Rage quit.

Leaving his partner at the table with six hands to play.

Not the done thing darling.

We’d finished our session and we having a wine and discussion about the play so a sub was easily found.

Nevertheless, scandalous behaviour.

And these are the Seniors playing for a slot in the Australian National Championships in Darwin in July.

I remain mildly amused.

Bridge, Geocache

Easter Saturday sunshine

Geranium

What a beautiful day.

Sure, a little chilly in the morning… we had two duvets on last night, but the sun was shining on my morning walk and I really can’t complain.

No geocaching today for me… although three people found our geocache.  So exciting.

Groover came up with a very witty clue and hidden hint.

In fact I read the hidden hint, and even knowing EXACTLY what we did, I didn’t get it.

Dumb.
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Me that is.  The hint is clever.

And coincidentally, the person that found the hide first was the person who set up the geocache we found yesterday.

We are heading to Duncraig tomorrow so will have to check out a few geocaches up that way.

In other news, I missed out on a sale dress I saw on Thursday (probably just as well) and we TANKED at bridge.

In other news… I have bought A WHOLE HEAP of Easter eggs.

Just sayin’.