Kids These Days - Whats Up With Them ?

This is going to make me sound soooooooo old, but: what the hell is wrong with kids these days ? Seriously ?

I'm only 25 years old myself so i'm not quite over the hill yet but i just cant understand the behaviour of (some) teenagers these days. In the last few weeks i've seen a handful of programmes which have revolved around the bad behaviour of teens/young adults and how to set them straight, and i'm horrified to say i'm totally on the side of the " fuddy-duddy " parents. The kids featured in these programmes are absolute little asshats and if they were my kids they would have received a sharp clip in the ear ( or worse... ) a long time ago.

For example, i've been been watching this show called " Worlds Strictest Parents ". Its kind of in the same vein as MTV's " Exiled " ( is that what its called ? The one where the SWeet 16 brats get carted off to foreign villages for a week ? ) - two obnoxious, pain-in-the-arse teenagers from seperate families get flown from Australia to live with a new family, with stricter parents, in some other part of thye world. In the first two weeks we've had a pair sent to a hardline Christian family in middle America, and another pair sent to live with a discliplined family in South Africa ...... and only one kid has come away with any significant change in attitude.

The female " participant " last night was so spoiled i wished i could have reached through the tv and slapped her. She told the cameras she only likes one type of pasta and she'll cry and refuse to eat her meal if its not the right stuff. SHE'S 17 YEARS OLD FOR GOD'S SAKE! 17 years old and she admits to throwing a tantrum over pasta..... and she thinks thats ok!?! She reminded her parents she'd be expecting a present on her return, cried because her new " mum " picked on her by making her eat peas, threw a massive tantrum when she was punished for lying to a teacher at school, and then told her parents that her host family were horrible and cruel and " gross " when she finally made it back to Australia.

What a spoiled, brain dead, little biatch. How did her parents let her get like that ?

Its not just me though is it - i cant be the only person my age, the only person in the upper bracket of my generation, who is alarmed by the behaviour exhibited by some of my younger peers ? PLease tell me i'm not prematurely old and that at least one of you agrees!

Because That's The Last Thing I Needed

Just wanted to let you all know that i havent died - although, if Mr Gil hadnt convinced me to go to the hospital, i might have.

Yea, yea, that sounds quite melodramatic, doesnt it ? Here's the story: Sunday morning i wake up with mild cramps on the lower right hand side of my abdomen which, by 12:30 lunchtime-ish, have become so excruciating that i'm in tears. Mr Gil keeps asking if want to go to the emergency room and i keep saying no - because i was convinced it was just bad " wind" pains that you get in pregnancy, and i would completely mortified if i presented to the ER and all i needed to do was fart. After another 20 minutes if finally decide i better get checked out. 8 and hlaf long hours of waiting later ( yes, 8 and half hours just sitting in a chair in the emergency room ), during which time i saw one doctor, one sonographer, two triage nurses and finally one surgical intern...... turns out i have appendicitis. Stupid appendix!

I had an appendectomy late Monday afternoon and was discharged from hospital yesterday ( Wednesday ) morning. I thought while i was having a brief respite from too much pain ( did i forget to mention that they sent me home without a prescription for painkillers? ) i'd blog a quick update. Let me tell you, this is not pleasant - pain at the wound site, killer back pain, and i've developed a cold, probably picked up off some ratty kid in the ER waiting room. I cant drive for a week which means i'm kind of under house arrest, and i've been given three weeks of work.

Now all i gotta do is make sure this wound heals properly in six months - before i'm due back t the same hospital and same ward to give birth!

Early Morning Blues

I hate getting up for work in the morning. I've been at the same job for 3 and half years, and i've been getting up at the same time for those 3 and half years, so you'd think i'd be used to it. And i am - i just dont like it.

Its not that i even mind the actual going to work part, its just the getting up bit that gets to me. I dont like the alarm the going off ( especially if i'm in the middle of a dream ) and then having to stretch and yawn and shut my eyes again and pretend that 30 more seconds of closed lidded-ness will be enough. Why cant i have a job that will let me start whenever ? That would let me sleep until my bodyclock wakes me and then i could go in ? Oh - because they dont exist! Unless you're a rich, pampered, party princess who counts shopping, buying pets to add your menagerie, and exposing your pantiless privates as " work ".

Once i'm actually up and out of bed, i'm fine. I'm alert and usually in a good mood. Like today for example: I'm up, I'm showered, i've eaten breakfast and am now watching a spot of morning TV before i head out the door. Its just that 3 - to 5 minutes period between the stupid alarm going off and actually having to pull back the covers that i really dont like. Its poo.

Yet, its just occurred to me, approximately 6 months from now, i'll have a brand new, wrinkly, bald, crying alarm and ACTUAL POO to wake up to. Way earlier than i'm waking up now. Ah, something to look forward to.....

The Itchy and Scratchy Show

No, not the famed cat and mouse show-within-a-show. Nope, this one is starring me, and my dry, pregnant skin. I'm itching people, and its driving me nuts.

I did a little Googling, checked my favourite pregnancy website ( www.babycentrer.com.au , if anyone else finds themselves pregnant ) and i found out that itching skin in pregnancy is not uncommon. Apparently, around 20% of women find there skin becomes more sensitive and they experience a generalised itching that they havent had before, which becomes worse in winter ( when dry skin is already an issue ). Which is little comfort really.

Here's the scenario: the sensation comes and goes but i'm finding myself itchy all over my legs and stomach, and even up on my chest. And its an itch i just cant scratch! I cant get comfortable at home, or find myself needing to scratch inappropriate times in public. I checked with a pharmacist ( who also happens to be a yoga teacher.... ) and she recommended i get something completely natural so its safe for the baby, so after some consultation with a naturopath i've come home with goats milk soap and moisturiser. I'll give it a few days and see how it goes.... otherwise my next alternative is either some natural oils that smells like rotting vegetation, or scratching my skin right off. Neither ones of those sounds particularly appealing.

So - anyone have any remedies they wana share ? Any particular utensils you can recommend for maximum scratch relief ? Any help would be appreciated people....

Where are the Locums When You Need Them ?

Dude - this week at work is going to be so poo.

I know that was an incredible use of the English language, but its going to be horrid. I have been away for a week, so going back to work in itself is crappy. But i get back, and poor J has been so busy on her ownesome that we now have some major catching up to do. Thats fine, you say, your both efficient ladies, you can do it!

Well yea, we can.... the thing is we have this one week at work together, and the J is going away. For TWO weeks. Leaving me on my ownesome. Imagine how far behind i'm going to be by then...

Also, after that two week period is up, we will be away from the office for four days while we attend a conference, in Rockhampton. Which, to the unAustralian, is like having ur national conference in Hillbillysville, Red State instead of having it in New York. Granted, its probably not that bad, but its not exactly equivalent to wear the rest of our company had their conference - Star City Casino in Sydney. Ooh, did i mention that i need to prepare a Powerpoint presentation for this conference - during the next three week " the office has gone to hell " period?

Holy freaking Boo Jesus - i may aswell just take maternity leave now and never return....

Welcome to my Humble Abode....

Wow - the past few days have been muy hectic! I have finally moved into my first, non-rented home over the weekend, so i've spent the last week either:
A) Undercoating and painting;
B) Loading or unloading boxes and furniture; or
C) Unpacking and arranging said boxes and furniture.

I'm so glad i decided to take a week of annual leave to coincide with the move, because otherwise i'd have random boxes sitting around for weeks on end. Don't get me wrong, i still have a few odds and ends to sort through, but for the most part everything is in its new place. Mr Gil and I still have a second coat of paint to put on this weekend, and even though painting has proved to NOT be my favourite job in the world, its well worth it to cover up the colours the previous owners had going on. I'm all for colour, but just couldnt handle the Kermit the Frog hued green of the bathroom, or sunflower yellow of the lounge and dining room. Colour is gorgeous and effective when its splashed about - i'm thinking cushions, photo frames, knick knacks..... its more pyschedelic nightmare-ish when its everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere!!

I've also been to have a nuchal translucency test - which is, in laymans terms, an ultrasound and blood test to determine my risk of carrying a baby with Down Syndrome or similar chromosomal abnormalites. Its sounds a little scary, but its just your basic ultrasound. Its also the first time i've been able to see my little person looking like a baby, and not a frog. What relief to know i'm carrying a human and not an amphibian! To be serious, the dating scan at 8 weeks shows the baby at quite an early stage - Mr Gil and i nicknamed the baby Stumpy because of the tiny, stump like, froggy looking limbs it was sporting at the time. But this time around, at 12 weeks now, litte Stumpy is recognisably baby like - tiny little fingers and toes, crazy rapid heartbeat, and fully formed and functional organs. I also think Stumpy is practising baby yoga in there - i cant feel any movements for myself yet but waiting half an hour for him/her to get into the right position to have the nuchal photo taken was like watching a tiny, underwater ballet! At one point, he/she even mooned me, so i have half a mind to ground my child as soon as its born.... what a cheeky rat!

And thats been my week thus far - excluding sleep ins and mid afternoon naps. Its going to be tough going back to stupid work next week....