A Message From The Cold Frog

Its starting to get colder - and i'm not liking it. Its no secret that i am so NOT a big fan of winter, but truth be told i dont enjoy the change of seasons either. I read so many blog posts and magazine articles about how individuals enjoy the change of seasons from autumn to winter - the crisp freshness of the air; the colours of the leaves as they dance on the breeze; the opportunity to rug up in winter coats and drink cocoa. You know - all that poetic stuff. Well not me.

The air is not so much crisp as chilly, giving me goosebumps that have absolutely nothing to do with pleasure; the leaves dont change colour or fall much here because the majority of Australian native trees are evergreen; and i dont drink cocoa. So the only plus there for me is the rugging up bit - winter coats and scarves and Ugg boots. Yep - i said Ugg boots. I was coveting Christian Louboutins in my last post but come winter, nothing beats a pair of Uggs.

So sure, all you snow bunnies out there relish the chance to start planning your annual ski holiday. And all you lucky people in the Northern hemisphere enjoy the transition into sweet, sunshiney, summer. I'll be here in my Ugg boots and knitted beanie, scowling at the cold in my bones....

I've Been Stimulated

Ah.... the global economic meltdown. I'd like to say that you amuse me, but truth is... you dont. I dont think your amusing anybody, not even rich fatcats sitting up in their mansions because they're losing money along with everybody else. Truth be told, i'm not doing too badly - i have a good, stable job and i dont have any investments dragging me backwards. Plus, i've just received a nice little monetary gift ... courtesy of Uncle Kevin Rudd.

Who , you say ? Uncle Kevvie or, as you non-Aussies may know him ( if you've heard of him at all ... ) Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia. Thats right people, the Australian government is giving money away and i've got me some! If you're an Australian taxpayer who earned less than $100 000 last financial year ( uh, yea... i'm waaaaaay under the qualifying mark ) the government will give a $900 cash injection. The idea is that everybody takes their " free " $900 and spends it, thus stimulating the Australian economy.

Question is: what do i spend it on ?

High Definition TV?

Fancy new mobile phone ?

Sky high pair of Christian Louboutins?

I dont really need the new phone, and although i would die to be wearing gorgeous Louboutins ( i'd sleep in them i'd love them so much! ) i dont really need them either. I am actually tossing up getting a TV to replace my old flat screen but im going to wait til the price is right. So where will my K.Rudd money being going ? For now, into my savings account. Boring, i know, but until i can decide exactly what i want to do with it - tearing down a wall in my new house or investing in a new piece of furniture being two other seriously considered options - i'll be keeping a good hold on it....

Out of the Loop

So - you know how when your in high school you think you're going to be friends with these people forever ? Like, totally forever? You couldnt possibly imagine ever growing apart from the people populating your English and Math classes? Yea, well.... it happens. And i'm not talking about the majority of your high school class ( who you do the awkward " hey, how are you ? " conversation with if you see them out and about ) - i'm talking about the select handful that you call your "best" friends. How did i manage to grow apart from them ?



Not P.... P and i are still as thick as thieves ( although to be fair, i was pretty upset when she cancelled lucnh on me this past Saturday. I kind of get the feeling she doesnt really want to meet Mr Gil, and i dont really know why.... ). No, i'm talking about A and Em. The four of us were bestest of buddies during our final year of school and have been ever since, but just in the last year ( since the whole Mary Incident ) i've noticed a chasm opening up: A and Em on one side, myself on the other. I expected it after the whole Mary thing, especially with A ( she is Mary's sister after all ) but it still feels strange.



Dinner with the girls, as mentioned in my last post, just wasnt the same. I felt competely on the outer. My relationship with A hasnt exactly collapsed, but i'm not close to her anymore. We dont call or text each other, and the only emails we exchange are of the chain letter/lame joke variety. I havent been to visit her in her new town where she got a new job - but the other two have. The majority of Friday nights dinner conversation revolved around A's new flat, her work colleagues, the little adventures they'd had together since she'd moved. I dont know the people they were talking about, and wasnt " in " on any of the "in" jokes. Even when i brought up other topics of conversation - movies, music, my fledgling relationship, Easter activities, family and other friends - things kept circling back to A and her brand new life. My thoughts kept alternating between how left out i felt, and how much i'd rather be anywhere else than alone at a table with three other women i used to think were my platonic soulmates.



I know when this happened, and i pretty much know whow .... but why ? How did i end up being the one pushed out ? And why didnt anyone tell me ahead of time ?

Easter Bunny Business

Why does the four day Easter long weekend always seem so much shorter than four days ? Its because Easter inevitably always ends up being so busy. Friends that have moved away come back to town, the relations call in to visit, and there always seems to be some kind of festival or parade or event to attend. Now that i find myself in a relationship, my Easter activities magically doubled this year. No wonder its now Monday evening and i feel like i've barely stopped all weekend!

Mr Gil and I have been shuttling back and forth between his town and mine ( a trip of 30 minutes on a good day ) since Thursday night and its finally catching up with me. Starting Thursday afternoon:
* I finished work and drove out there.
* Stayed Thursday night at his sisters place, but ate dinner with his mum and dad at theirs.
* Visited his dad at his workplace Friday morning, played Wii at his mums Friday afternoon.
* I drove back Friday evening.
* Made a pitstop at my uncle's house for my baby cousins 1st birthday.
* Had a casual dinner of fish and chips with P, who was home for the weekend, and two of my other school friends AJ and Em.
* Slept at my own house that night.
* Mr Gil drove over to my town Saturday morning.
* Had a lunch scheduled with P and her husband - the first time my best friend would be meeting my new boyfriend- but P had to cancel.
* Instead, Mr Gil and I grabbed a quick takeaway lunch and drove back to his town.
* Visited with his mum and played more Wii Sports.
* Headed back to his sisters where we would be staying the night.
* Attended his ten year high school reunion. Mr Gil and I are the same age, but his school held a reunion to celebrate ten years since the 10th grade; mine will celebrate ten years from 12th grade.
* I drove Mr Gil to the local truck stop at 3:30am because he was really hungry and only something hot, greasy, and really bad for him would cure that hunger.
* Drove out to the property where Mr Gil works to feed the farm animals. As his boss is away, yes this technically means he had to work on Easter Sunday.
* Took some Easter Eggs to his mum and dad.
* Packed up my stuff and drove back, again, to my town.
* Played Easter Bunny to my little cousins who are visiting town and whom Mick was meeting for the first time. Nobody cried, so that was good.
* Had dinner with my mum, dad and sister. Received a late visit from my brother and his family on their way home from Sydney.
* Went to bed and almost immediately fell asleep. No early morning munchy trips called for.
* Woke up and got sucked into watching a few episodes of Parental Control on MTV.
* Went to have lunch a local pub only to find the bistro wasnt serving. Mr Gil and I sunk a few dollars in the poker machines instead.
* Went and saw " Monsters Vs Aliens ". Yes, its a kids movie and no we didnt take any kids with us.
* Came home to find both my parents snoozing on the lounge. Retired to my room for a quick nap of our own.
* Woke up right on schedule and said a hard goodbye for the week to Mr Gil, who had to get on back to his own town.
* Wished he was still here.

And that brings us update. I may expand on a few of those points tomorrow, but for now i've given you everything i have to give. Whats that ? Oh yea, i think i hear my pillows calling ....

One Quarter Down, The Rest Of The Year To Go

So, i thought seeing as we are one quarter of the way through 2009 ( god, already! ) that i might quickly review how my goals for the year were going. AS it turns out, i think i'm doing pretty well!

Continue the gym/health kick: Ok, to be fair, this one has slipped a little in the last month. I was away from home for two weeks so i didnt make it to the gym at all - i did go for a few walks after work, but going for a walk just doesnt make me feel the same. And i've been sick with the latest icky bug the past week and, consequently, havent have only been to the gym once in the past week. However, its not like i have stopped going because i couldnt be bothered anymore, which would mena a big fat FAIL on this goal. NO, its only been circumstance that has stopped me, so i'm going to give myself a 6/10 on this one thus far.

Spend as much time with my neices as possible: I'm going to give myself a pass mark on this one. Admittedly, since the arrival of Mr Gil to my scene i have not been as frequent a visitor to my brothers house as i once was, but all the time i do spend with H and BellaBoo is quality. BellaBoo is three months old now ( ah, how convenient for her to have been born on New Years Day ) and she is a chubby-cheeked little cherub with fluffy brown hair. She gurgles and laughs now, so you can pull funny faces and make her laugh, as opposed to pulling funny faces and just looking like an oodball. H seems to have gorwn closer to me since Bella's arrival - i think both being the oldest we have a thing going on, because i know what she's gona experience being the oldestof the brood. I've tried to pay her a little more attention than Bella sometimes to make sure she doesnt feel like the baby has " stolen " everyone away from her. That makes me a good aunty right ? 8/10 on this one.

Try saying " yes " more often than " no " : Yep, this train is definately still on the tracks. In fact, i credit how much i'm enjoying my new relationship with Mr Gil to the fact i am more open to saying " yes ". We met online, and he didnt have a picture on his profile - in the past, i wouldnt haven't struck up an email " relationship " without having seen a picture first.... but i this time i said " yes ". When he invited me to roadtrip with him to meet his nephews not soon after we'd met, i could have freaked right out..... but i said " yes ". Even the fact i ignored the so-called dating rules and went on a handful of dates with him inside of two weeks was me sayign " yes ". And look where its got me ? For the happiness i'm exeperincing right now, i give myself a resounding 10/10 ! Yay me!

So there you have it.... the three month review. At this point i would also ( appropriately ) like to wish everyone a Happy Eatser however your spending it ( catching up with family and attending Mr Gil's 10 year school reunion ). Please remember that chocolate is your friend, but even friends can turn enemies if you get too much of them. Safe eating everyone!

Sorry, But My Dog Ate My Blog Posts...

Well holy guacamole boys and girls - it feels like i havent posted on here for months! It hasnt been quite that long of course, but even a break of a week or two feels like an age in the blogosphere. Barely anybody is reading me anymore - or at least, they arent commenting - and i cant blame them.... why would they bother coming back when there is nothing new to come back to ?

So lets see. In the last month i have:
* Met an absolutely gorgeous, sweet man who is making me incredibly happy - Mr Gil is his (code)name
* Been sent to another state to work for two weeks
* Ridden on the back of a Harley for the first time
* Spent ridiculous amounts of money on magazines to keep me amused in my motel room ( Madison, Marie Clare, Glamour, NW .... )
* Eaten far too many chicken and tzatziki foccacias ( so damn good! )
* Bookended the month with two great weekends spent entirely in Mr Gils company
* Discovered the charm of Taylor Swift
* And have witnessed the deifnate change of seasons here in DubVegas

So, all in all, not such a bad month. You would have thought that with all that time on my hands spent on my own in my motel room i would have blogged a little more.... but aside from what was going on in my temporary place of employment ( boring! ) all i would have had to blog about would have been my extended phoen conversations with Mr Gil ( private! ).

So there you have it - my reasons/excuses for my absenteeism the past month. If you are still reading firstly, thankyou, and secondly please keep checking back. I promise to make myself more available in the future, as i fall ever deeper in love ( the way things are going, thats almost a given ), take more roadtrips ( semi-planned already ) and win the lottery ( what? That'll happen! )....