Intergalactic Adventures.... Or Not So Much

No, I have not fallen off the place of the planet. I havent gone into deep out of space. Nor have I ( somewhat unfortunately ) been building a lovenest with Mr Gil for the past week or so. NO, I have simply been shunted off for work and havent had much at all to write home - or blog - about.

As i have previously mentioned, I am working away from home for a little while. I've been sent a long way from home too - interstate to a rural city called Mackay ( Dash, you may be the only person reading this who knows where i am ). I've already passed one week of work - five more sleeps and i'm on my way back to DubVegas. Mackay hasnt been treating me too badly i suppose - i've really only been at work or in my motel room, so there isnt too much that could be going wrong. I will admit to feeling a little out of place on the first day, but that feeling has since worn off. I'm not long back from dinner and drinks with two of my colleagues ( one of whom is also visiting from out of state ) down at the harbourside pub, which was quite nice.

What was also nice - ok, kind of awesome! - was roadtripping yesterday. My old national manager S lives up here, and she always said if i was ever in town i should give her a call and we'd go do something. Ever the diligent employee and friend i did just that - and she decided we'd trip up to Airlie Beach... on a Harley! Woo hoo! Ok, sure i didnt actually ride the Harley on my own ( i road bitch behind her husband ) but it was still great. The sun was shining, riding at 100km/hr into a head wind was blowing me around a bit, the scenery was pretty and i was riding a Harley Road King..... yep, quite a good way to spend a Saturday. Airlie Beach itself wasnt too impressive - we strolled around some markets ( i didnt buy anything ) and had a bit of lunch ( a prawn foccacia and iced tea ) but my skin is now nicely sun dappled ( yes, i know about skin cancer, cut me some slack ) and i can now boast about having taken a Harley ride. Sweet as bro.

Whats not as sweet as is how much i have found myself missing Mr Gil. We have been texting back and forth all day and talking every night before bed, and i honestly cant wait til Friday evening when he picks me up from the airport. It'll be nice to be able to speak with him face to face again, and pick up our fledgling relationship where it left off. Five more sleeps and counting...

Insomniatic Musings

Keeping a Challenge Promise, and an Update

And so, as promised on Andy's blog, i said i would take part in this challenge. Apparently the rules say you need to go to your sixth folder of photos and post the sixth picture, and give a little background on what it is. No worries - seeing as i dont yet have six folders of pics saved to this computer, i've used my Facebook photo albums. Here's wgat you get:

So, as you can probably guess, this is a wedding photo. Well done to all of you who got that one. It happens to be my best friend P's wedding ( thats her there in the middle, in the white dress ) and thats me on the far right. I was very proud to have been her heads bridesmaid for the day, even if it meant having to help her go to the bathroom once or twice ( man, that dress was huge! ). P is one of the closest people in the world to me, and it was great to see her so happy for once. This was taken at her house, after we ladies had finished getting ready and before we headed to the ceremony. I know she was really nervous but i dont think it shows in the photo - she just looks gorgeous.

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And so, to the update - Amy and Mr Gil, sitting in a tree.... K.I.S.S.I.N.G! I know some of you will probably think this is kind of soon, but Mr Gil and i have decided we are officially an item. He said his mum had been asking if i was " the new lady in his life " and he had told her it was a definate yes. He asked if that was okay with me - i didnt have any reservations about it, so we decided we may aswell put a label on it. So yes, Mr Gil is now my 'boyfriend' and he is happy to call me his 'girlfriend'. Really happy in fact - this weekend just gone he took me to meet his nephews. That might not sound like much - a 2yr old and 6 yr old boy arent exactly equivalent to parents, but consider this: his nephews live almost 4 hours drive away. Which means we roadtripped it. And we stayed overnight. So yes, you can say that we went away together overnight for our 5th date. Big step ? Yes. Too soon ? Maybe. Did i have a good time and would i do it again ? Absolutely.

His nephews ( along, obviously, with their parents, Mr Gils brother and sister-in-law ) live in a tiny little town, nearing what some people may refer to as " The Outback ". The population may be as high as 50 people, although i'm only estimating that based on the ( from memory ) 10 or so houses i saw. Mr Gil took me on the back of a quad bike to show me the sights and smells of the place, which was really cute. His eldest nephew wanted to take me but he's only 6, so i promised him when his legs get longer he could escort me around town on his own " four wheeler ". We stayed outside most of the time, having a few drinks and a bbq and playing with the neighbourhood kids, who all wanted to come over and play seeing as " Uncle Mr Gil " ( obviously, thats not quite what they call him, but i'm still not revealing his real name... ) was visiting. I'd never been to a town that small and wasnt quite sure i'd fit, nervous that his family wouldnt like me.... but i loved it. His eldest nephew even once, completely innocently, referred to me as " Aunty Amy ". Yes, i know, wow, thats kind of big for what is still a very new relationship, but it completely made me melt.

And so, i have gone to another state to work for the next two weeks. When i agreed to cover for this store, i didnt have anything but my regular "work-gym-home " routine to keep me amused in DubVegas. Now, i dont really wana be here.... i miss Mr Gil already....

Give It A Rest Already....

So here's the thing - is it wrong if i daydream about wringing my co-workers neck? Seriously ?

No, not J - i love J! Let me introduce you to Prematurely Old Dude - or POD. In my office their is myself and J, our male optometrist, and three staff on the health fund desk. POD is, due to the optom testing all day long, pretty much the only guy in a office full of women. He is only a few years older than me ( he;s 26 or 27 i think... ) but, as you may have guessed by the name, POD is not your average 20-something. POD is 20-something going on 83.... seriously, he carries on like a grumpy old man most of the time. Worse, sometimes he carries on like a grumpy old woman.

Today was one of those days - all he did was whinge and whine about EVERYTHING. Too many clients coming in: whinge. The phone keeps ringing and he doesnt have enough time to answer it: whine. God, i'm so hungry and its not even close to my lunchtime: whinge. Oh, i have to pick up my bike from the repair place and their going to charge me a fortune: whine. Seriously - blah, blah, freaking BLAH! I wasnt too impressed when i went to answer an incoming phone call and POD yelled across the office " Dont answer it - i've got it Amy! ". Firstly, thats not professional in front of clients, and secondly - dude, no need to yell at me. So it really got on my nerve when he had a go at me about throwing the recycling in the regular garbage. No, i'm not some kind of environment hater..... but if you put a few cans, some paper and go knows what else into a regular plastic bag and leave it tied up next to the garbage bin - what else am i supposed to do ? It looked like garbage, it was sitting next to the garbage.... therefore it is garbage!

And then, like the cranky old biddy he is, POD proceded to give me the silent treatment all afternoon. THANK FREAKING GOD.

Thats what i'd been hoping for all morning ....

This Could Be The Euphoria Talking...

And so i promised to keep you in the loop and if there is one thing i really try to do, its keep promises. I've been on a second date with Mr Gil and it was great. So great, in fact, that we've been on a third aswell, less than 24 hours after the second. Does that make sense ?

We had decided after last week that we would get together and so see some movies. We couldnt decide between " Gran Torino " and " Watchmen " and Mr Gil suggested if we couldnt make a decision, why not see both ? I was kind of happy at this suggestion - not only did i get to see two new films, but it meant i got to spend quite a bit of time with Gil. If went badly, well i could just settle into the film and ignore the fact i was on a date; if it went well, we'd have plenty to chat about when i invited him to dinner. Which, you'll be pleased to know, i did. That is, after " Watchmen " finished at about 7:30pm, i asked him if i could buy him a beer. He declined the offer ( not the beer part, he just wouldnt let me pay for it ) so i suggested we get that beer whilst also getting some dinner. So, to tally this up, we saw two movies, ate two scoops of icecream each, shared a good meal, and were the only two audience members for the local pub band ( because we had a few drinks downstairs while they were doing a soundcheck, not because they sucked. They did give us a " Thank you - you've been awesome! " shout out though... that was cool! ). I really enjoyed myself, and only thought that 9 hrs wasnt long enough.

Now, i know that the four wisest women in the world - Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte - say you shouldnt schedule the next date too soon: that we women, no matter how good the date and how much you want to see the guy again, should make ourselves seem unavailable for a few days, so as not to appear desperate. However, i have decided to say pooh to that. I enjoyed myself on the second date and i know Mr Gil did too, so why should i pretend otherwise ? I like him, he likes me and when i sent him a " good morning " text he said he'd really enjoyed last night and would like to see me again. I told him i felt the same way and then next thing i know my phone goes off and i've got " Today ? " sitting in my inbox. Why would i say no ? I wasnt doing anything else and i DID want to see him again so why would i follow the apparent dating rules and say " Oh, you know what , i cant.... ". Thats right, i wouldnt. I dont follow the rules - I'm a dating rebel !

And so i spent four hours lying around in the park with Gil, chatting, laughing and scheming to steal a piece of birthday cake from a chidlrens birthday party a few metres away. We didnt get any cake, but that didnt stop it being the perfect third ( first, second, twenty-fifth....whatever ) date. Mr Gil makes me laugh, and although we arent exactly from the same world, i really relate to him. I've never felt so immediately comfortable with someone. Its nice.
Plus, i spent four hours outdoors and managed not to get sunburnt.

And so, the first three dates - typically the hardest period in the dating game - are out of the way, and they've all been great. We have already agreed we are definately seeing each other next weekend, but then i have to go away for work for two weeks.

I'm going to be honest - i dont really wanna go....

* For the record, " Gran Torino " was great. " Watchmen " was good but could have benefited from being at least half an hour shorter...

Whats wrong with paper?

Ah.... the joys and wonders of modern technology.

I love how the big IT companies tell you that the computer will make your life so much easier - but isnt it a huge pain in the arse when they crash ? I'm writing this* ( on paper - how old school of me ) whilst at work, because the main program my colleagues and i need to function has thrown a full tantrum and is refusing to work properly. We're also supposed to be undergoing a server update and thats not co-operating either. And the best part ? We have two computer technicians here today who cant do any work either until the server has been fixed from our home office. Freaking fabulous! J and I have been able to do some work on other programs but everyone else has just had to sit around with their hands in their pockets all morning. I bet from the outside this looks like a really productive office....

Don't get me wrong - its not like i'd be without technology. God no. I get withdrawal symptoms if i dont check my email at least once a day. It just sucks that we've ( ok... I'VE ) become so reliant on it that we cant cope when it doesnt work. Or that we've become so reliant that we'll do anything, pay anything, to keep in the technological loop. Its bad enough that i'm willing to pay 25c per text message (Telstra, i'm talking to you ) because sending 60 text messages to one person in one evening so much better than actually calling them. However, people are spending small fortunes to buy a brand new, fandangled, MP3 playing, 6 megapixel picture taking mobile phone, and others ( ok, mainly men ) would give their right nut to be set up with the latest in mobile gaming. If eating two minute noodles and endless tins of baked beans for weeks on end is the only way you can afford a new Nintendo Wii complete with Guitar Hero - then thats not cool!

I have a laptop that i bought while it was on sale, a 4 year old mobile phone and Ipod Mini that i won in a work promotion, so i'm not exactly technology deficient....but sometimes i wish we could all just go " old school ", if only to make things less complicated!

* Yes, i wrote the post at work.... now i'm posting it from home, about 7 hrs later

" How was it ? " Can i get a woo hoo!

So - do you guys remember my first date scale ?

It is a scale on which to rate how well this first date went. For those of you who dont remember or never even read that post ( shame on you! ), here's what i'm talking about:
1. " Argh! " = terrible; horrible; could not have been worse;
2. " meh " = yea, it was alright .... i suppose...
3. " Woo hoo! " = great; fantastic; mind blowingly ace;

Well, this past Saturday i had myself a " Woo hoo! ". Yay me! I went on a really great first date with a young guy we shall, from here on in, refer to as Mr Gil. This is not because its his name, but rather refers to the town he lives in ( anyone i date and blog about must retain some amount of mystery - at least for a while ). It wasnt like we did anything crazy/dangerous/fun - like all the first dates are trying to be on MTV's " Next! " - but it was great. We went for lunch at a pub bistro and stayed for almost five hours, having a few drinks and a talk. And it wasnt like some great soul connecting, in depth, meaningful conversation either - it was plain old, getting to know you type of stuff. But it was light and it was breezy and he made me laugh. A lot.

So yep, it was a great date and yes, I'd like to see him again. And, before anyone asks, we are right now, as i really slowly type this blog post, making plans to see each other this weekend. Possibly for a movie marathon, if we can get the timing right ( either way, i'm totally seeing " Watchmen " this weekend.... ).

I'll repeat - yay me! Stay tuned folks...

P.S My sister ate my Furry Friend. What a bitchface.