Weekend Adventures In Fun

So you may have noticed that i've been missing in action from the blogosphere for few days. ( You didnt notice? Oh...ok. ) No, i havent had any mishaps like last weeks sprained ankle, nor have i given birth to anymore children ( which is what happened last time i had a prolonged absence from my blog ). No, no...nothing like that. So where have i been? I've just been on a long weekend with my beautiful boys....and having fun!


We packed our car up with what seemed like the entire contents of Flynns room ( clothes, nappies, toys, books... ) and one bag of our stuff and headed down to Sydney last Thursday lunchtime. Its at least 4 and half hours of driving, plus a half hour stop for a food/toilet break - which potentially meant a looooooooooooong trip with a toddler in the car. Lucky for us Flynn proved to be a good traveller, and only got really bored and whingey right towards the end of the trip ( although the kilometres and kilometres of roadworks across the Blue Mountains proved to be a good distraction, with all the excavators and bulldozers and trucks to draw his attention ).

Roadworks over the mountains ( pic from here )

As you do when you have a young family and not a lot of funds, you stay with family - we were very graciously hosted Mick's Aunty Kerry and his Uncle Mick ( and yes, quite often their was a bit of confusion about which " Mick " was being spoken to ). Aunty Kerry is the kind of host who cooks enough food to feed a hundred people, so i'm pretty sure i've stacked on at least 2 or 3 kilos in the last 5 days. She is also the kind of host who refuses to let you help with anything, so we end up being completely catered to for a few days, which was really nice.

What was also nice was being able to get out as a couple - Mick and I left Flynn with his great-aunt and great-uncle while we went to see Cirque Du Soleil's " Saltimbanco ".... which was awesome! We caught the train into Homebush and got to pretend we were teenage lovebirds - we held hands, and cuddled together on the train, and stopped for a coffee date before the performance. It was nice to be able to act like a couple, without having an (adorable) little person in tow. It was exactly the romantice date night i was hoping for (but didnt get ) a few weeks ago. Ah - the magic of the circus...

But its not like Mr Flynn got left out altogether. We managed to squeeze in some tenpin bowling - where Flynn got to have a turn, and where i kicked Micks arse twice; a spot of shopping at Penrith Westfield - where i scored 3 cute dresses at a great price, Mick got some much needed new hoodies, and Flynn got spoiled with books and plush " Hoot " toy; lots of running and jumping and digging and tricycle riding and playing with Mia the giant fluffy dog in Aunty Kerry's backyard; and even a shared ice cream or two. Plenty of fun stuff to keep an energetic 19 mth old amused!

And - aside from the Cirque Du Soleil - even though shopping and ten pin bowling and playing in the backyward is all stuff we can do at home... it WAS fun. It was nice to get out of town, to get away from the routine of our everyday lives and just be somewhere different for a few days. It was nice to eat bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of cereal; it was fun introducing Flynn to new experiences; it was good to catch up with family over a few drinks, and around a suprisingly warm outdoor heater. It just " was " and i enjoyed it.

Yay for Cityrail! ( Pic from here )

What about you? What did you get up to over the weekend? ( If you went to Blogopolis i'm sure you've already blogged it tho... )

P.S Please excuse the lack of original photos with this post. I did take my camera but kind of forgot to get it out most times....

A ( Long ) Weekend By The Numbers

Its been a while since i've done a Weekend By The Numbers post ( the last one was in October of last year! ) and, seeing as i'm not inspired by todays #Trust30 prompt, i've decided to skip it and do a weekend run down instead....

Image from here

1 - date gone on with Mick. Oh yea, we left Flynn in the very capable ( and loving ) hands of my parents so we could go to the movies together.

3 - movies watched this weekend. " Pirates 4 " at the movies with Mick, " Shrek Forever After " at home with the boys and " Black Swan " at home by myself. Can i just say - Nina from "Black Swan "? Total nutcase...

140 - dollars spent on two suits and two ties for Mick and his best man for our wedding. They were business suits marked down from $200 at Lowes - oh yea, we are awesome savvy shoppers!

10 - blissful hours of sleep on Saturday night, when i had the night to myself. Mick had gone away to his brothers for the night, and i asked my parents if Flynn could have a sleep over so i could have sometime to myself... and they said " of course! " so i gotta to sit home Saturday night, watch " Sister Act2 ", Twitter, blog, read some of my book ( " Deliverance From Evil " by Frances Hill ) and eat icecream....all whilst being uninterrupted!

7 - hours spent in the Emergency ward early Monday morning with Flynn ( and his teddy bear, Bruce ). He'd come down with croup (again - this is the 3rd time in about 9 months ) so i had him in bed with me so i could monitor his breathing. He'd had the cough before, but never the horrible, wheezing stridor. At 1:30am he sat up, crying, trying to get in air but all you could was the squeak as the air struggled to get down into his lungs, and he was twitching his limbs and hot all over. I hastily put on my slippers, warm dressing gown ( and, strangely, my bra... ) and took him straight to the hospital. They put him on some nebulised adrenalin to open the airways, and then gave him a shot of steroids to help keep them open. 4 more hours of monitoring ( and trying to sleep on a narrow ER bed... not.comfy. Jan ) and we were allowed to go home... and, thankfully, he was much better last night. ( Oh, and in case you were concerned, Bruce the teddy has hit ears and his heart checked and he is ok aswell ).

25 - dollars my Mum spent on a pair of boots for me, just 'cause she wanted to by me a present. You have to love the specials at Rivers - boots that were originally $80 for $25? yes please! And oh - thank you Mum!

50 - approximate number of times Flynn has said " Luff you Mummy! " this weekend. Some when i dropped him at Poppy's for his sleepover; some at the hospital when he was all upset, cuddled up on my lap; and a whole bunch yesterday afternoon when he had his strength back a bit, running around the loungeroom like a man man. Gotta love those 3 little words....

A Weekend By The Numbers

2.5 - hours spent bored on Friday night. Seriously, there was nothing on free-to-air tv ( and we dont have Foxtel ) that i was interested in, although Mick was quite happy watching " boy " programs on the new 7Mate channel. I thought i could start reading a new book ( and by new i mean one from own library that i havent read in a while... ) but i didnt want to seem like i was ignoring my sweetheart. So lie down on the couch next to him, shoved my feet on his lap and asked for a massage. It didnt work...

$169 - spent on this weeks groceries. A little more expensive than usual, bu that did include a new tin of formula, a 10 pack of AA batteries and sensitive skin shaving cream - all relatively pricey items we dont usually buy. And i managed to do the groceries in under 45 minutes because Mick decided the weather was that shitty i could go do the groceries on my own and he'd stay home with Flynn. See what i can do without the two male distractions in my life?

2 - movies watched. Yep, the crappy weather meant it was perfect for a movie day, so we chucked the spare mattress on the loungeroom floor and veged for the afternoon. We watched " Iron Man 2 " which i really enjoyed ( even though i fell asleep and had to catch up the half hr i missed later in the evening ) because, lets face it, i'm kind-of-not secretly a comic book movie fan; and " Shutter Island " which we both agreed was a great movie ( despite Mick falling asleep and me having to catch him up on the half hr he missed ). I'm not going to give away an details for those who havent seen it but its one of those head-trippy thrillers that has you questioning everyones motives and everyones truths... ooh, mysterious!

7 +3 - slices of bacon + eggs cooked for breakfast on Sunday morning. Ah, bacon and eggs on a Sunday... its not exactly a ritual around here but is rather kept for special occasions or just as a way to say " i appreciate you baby ! ".

1 - year anniversary. Of what ? Sunday was one year since Michael proposed to me...aww, romantical. Thats why i was making the bacon and eggs...it was both a special occasion and a appreciative thankyou breakfast.

5 - people that we had over for afternoon tea: my mum, dad, brother, SIL and almost-2 yr old neice. Despite my love of baking, i had no time up my sleeve to whip up a tasty treat, so we just grabbed a pack of lamingtons from Woolies. Everyone loves a lamington! Or a mint slice biscuit, as i found out when my neice only ate half of hers before it was time for to leave, and Flynn found the discarded half about 20 mins later when he woke up from his nap. Mmmm, chocolatey mess on the carpet....

750 - millilitres of cheap champas sparkling wine drunk by Michael and myself over a romantic candlelit dinner after Flynn had gone to sleep. He cooked dinner ( a yummy Indian Curry Chicken Rice ) and i made dessert ( Chocolate Mousse with mixed berries ) and we sat and chatted across the rarely used dining table and enjoyed our lovely meal without the interruptions of our ( gorgeous ) crazy baby. Then we retired to our boudoir for the evening....to snuggle. And sleep. What else would we be doing in their you perves ? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

Another Weekend By The Numbers

8:30 - time i went to bed on Friday night. Yep, a Friday night and i'm in bed before most 10 year olds. However, i am pregnant and Friday night i just could not get comfortable AT ALL. There was no remedy for it except to gu lie down and shut it all out.

1 - diamond ring that was presented to me with my breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.

1 - proposal by Mr Gil.

5 - approximate number of times i smiled " Yes!!! " in reply. Yep - consider me engaged...

6 - number of people my mum invited around to my house for an impropmtu afternoon tea on Saturday afternoon. Without checking with me first, but seeing as my mum supplied the banana cake we ate, i didnt mind. My mum just couldnt wait more than a few hours for me to announce my engagement to my immediate family.

$70ish - the approximate cost of the lovely romantic dinner Mr Gil took me out for on Saturday night. We tried a new Thai resturant in town - mussaman curry = mmmmm....

62 - my new top score on Wii Boggle. Mr Gil thinks that i'm a nerd because i'm good at Boggle ( ok, probably true ) but i think he may be secretly reading the dictionary so he can beat me one day.

7 - hrs spent at antenatal class on Sunday. The midwife that ran the class was quite casual and funny, so everything seems a bit less scary now. If literally billions of other women can have babies, so can i!

$600 - approximate amount of money we've spent on the bubba so far. Thats not including clothes and blankets and knick knacks, only big ticket items. We've got a car seat on layby and then we only have to get a cot, and it will be time to set up the nursery.....

Another Weekend By The Numbers

3 - number of kicks felt during a storm on Friday. This is significant because these were the first baby kicks i've been able to feel on the outside of my belly. I've been able to feel little butterfly-ery movements inside for a few weeks now, but the first belly kick i can feel from the outside ? Very special.

1 - christening attended. For my neice, B. She was too cute in her little christening dress with her fluffy hair.

5 - number of hours spent sitting in the sun after the christening. I'd say sitting in the sun drinking, but i wasnt. Everyone else was though - its so weird being the only sober person at a bbq or party.

100 - number of dollars spent on groceries for the week. Mr Gil decided to experiment: we went to a local green grocery for our fruit, the local bulk meat centre for our meat and bought the " rest " at the supermarket, to see if all that running around was less expensive than buying all the groceries in one place ( ah, that being the supermarket ). And it was! Around $30 cheaper in fact.

1500 - number of dollars we could potentially save for the year if we do our groceries the grocer/butcher/supermarket way. Thats the cost of a holiday right there!

6 - pieces of French toast i ate for Fathers Day lunch. I made them, so i figure i deserved an extra piece or two. I had originally planed French toast for breakfast, but Mr Gil was one of those people who spent 5 hrs drinking - so McDonalds egg and bacon McMuffins were on the menu instead.

60 - pages left until i finish the book i've been reading. And by " been reading " i mean i read the first 2 chapters about 3 weeks ago and read three quarters of the rest of it yesterday. In case your wondering which book it is: " A Harp in the South " by Ruth Park. Its an Australian classic that i'm pretty sure i read for school once, but its turning out to be much better than i remember it.

Another Weekend By The Numbers

2 - slices of chocolate Toblerone cheesecake ( made by yours truely ) that i ate on Friday night.

900 - approximate number of calories contained within those slices. My belly is growing anyway - what do i care about calories?

104 - dollars spent on maternity pants. Yes, i bought maternity clothes last weeked but you know what ? I have since discovered that my work pants no longer do up without the help of a saftey pin and my jeans just arent comfortable shoved all the way down below my hips.

45 - approximate number of minutes spent sorting, folding, and putting away the washing on Saturday afternoon. I was trying to tidy up a bit before Mr Gil's sister and brother-in-law came for a visit. They arrived just as i got to folding the underwear....

2 - movies watched this weekend: " Pride and Glory " with Edward Norton and Colin Farrell on DVD, and " My Sisters Keeper " with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin at the cinema.

26 - approximate number of times i broke into tears whilst watching " My Sisters Keeper ". You should not watch a movie like that, with your mother, when you're pregnant - its just far too upsetting.

80 - minutes spent in the sunshine, watching my brothers soccer semi-final.

0 - number of goals scored by my brothers opposition. His team won the game, 2-0. Go the Wanderers!

1 - number of times i applied sunscreen before hitting the sunshine. Did i re-apply ? No. Did i get sunburnt ? Sure did. Does that suck ? Yes indeedy.

6 - number of berry and chocolate mousse parfaits i made for Sunday nights dessert - one each for Mr Gil's parents, and two for each of us! I didnt exactly tell the Mr Gil-in-laws that we had extras though - naughty me....

The Return of: A Weekend By The Numbers

6 - slices of pizza that i ate for dinner on Friday night. And i was scrounging around my parents fridge for a nice piece of fruit after that. This eating for two thing is just weird...

$132 - approximate number of dollars i spent on the lay-by i picked up Saturday morning. All maternity clothes - 2 tank tops, i skirt, i cute top and a maternity pack containing a t-shirt, singlet, a pair of leggings and a tummy band.

35 - minutes spent cleaning the bathroom. I swear the previous homeowners must have barely ever cleaned it - there are rust stains on the floor of the shower recess and faint brown marks in the bathtub that just wont come up with regular cleaners. Its going to have to be industrial strength!

4 - hours that Mr Gil and i spent " out " on Saturday night. My brother and sister-in-law invited us to meet them down at one of the locals pubs for a drink and to see a band; we said sure, we might come for an hour or so. An hour turned into 4 hours and a pretty enjoyable night...

0 - the number of alcoholic drinks i consumed whilst at the pub. I'm a good pregnant lady, see ?

10 - am, the time we rolled out of bed after our little night out. Not too shabby for a Sunday morning.

150 - approximate number of minutes i spent in the sunshine over the entire weekend. Mr Gil and I decided to tackle all our outdoor jobs while the weather was unseasonably warm. Saturday he mowed the lawn whilst i hung out ( and brought in ) a few loads of washing; Sunday he watered the lawn while i swept the front and back verandahs, and then we both planted the first seeds in our vegie patch.

1 - movie watched - " Paul Blart: Mall Cop "

93 - minutes, running time of said movie.

2 and 45 - hour and minutes that it took us to actually get it watched. We kept pressing pause so we could jump up and check the roast that was in the oven ( Mr Gil ), or go to the bathroom ( Me ) or take a quick trip to the supermarket to pick up teh gravy we forgot to buy earlier...

Aww, welcome back Weekend By The Numbers!

An " Its Almost Christmas ! " Weekend By The Numbers

500 - amount in dollars that I got as a Christmas bonus from my company. They may suck most other times of the year, but boy do they give good bonus...

10 - number of people who attended our work Christmas bbq. This included two children. Yes, i work in a small office.

55 - time it takes in minutes for my famous Apricot with Macadamia Crust cheesecake to bake. I made one for the bbq. Mmm....cheesecake.

1 - number of bottles of champagne i managed to drank on my own at said bbq. Cheap champagne too. Its the best kind.

87 - amount in dollars that I spent on presents. For myself. Using some of that Christmas bonus money. Who can resist pre-Christmas sales on open toe wedges ?

4 - approximate number of hours spent watching the Country Music Channel over the course of the weekend. I enjoy country music, its what i was brought with up. Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire ( the unrivalled queen ... ) - all of that type of stuff.

6 - approximate number of websites i trawled whilst researching what type of dog i want to get you know when i finally move into my duplex. I'm thinking i want a whippet.

Whippet - Whip it good!

1 - number of books I finished reading. It only took me a week to get through " Pride and Prejudice " ( by Jane Austen, but you knew that ). Loved the Keira Knightley movie, and thought it was about time i got around to reading the classic. I thoroughly recommend it. Plus, I totally want to be Elizabeth Bennet - she rocks.

35 - approximate number of minutes dancing in our living room with my 3 year old neice. And I am not ashamed to admit, it was exhausting. If we were at the pub, I would have had to have had at least one drinks break in that time. Me neice is some kind of crazy dancing fool!

10 - approximate number of minutes my neice spent screaming and crying after she got smashed in the knee by a bike pedal ( long story ). Apparently it was my fault.

Ooh, and lucky last....

3 - number of sleeps til Christmas. Bring on the Fat Red Man i say!

A Long Weekend by The NUmbers, Plus an Update on the Smile Challenge

So technically it wasnt a long weekend here in Australia - that is, we didnt have an official public holiday or anything. However, seeing as I had both Friday and Monday off, I had my own long weekend. Thus, you get the stats from four days rather than two. Aren't you people lucky ?

4 - numbers of days I had off. I said that already, didnt i ?

10 - amount in dollars that Tradie lunch cost on Friday. Make that a $20 Tradie lunch, because i bought lunch for my auntie as a birthday treat. My 7 month old cousin ate tiny Vegemite sandwiches from a cup.

5 - number of open houses i intended on inspecting on Saturday morning.

2 - number of those open house inspections that actually went ahead. The other three were cancelled: two because of the weather and one because it had been sold.

40 - approximate number of minutes i spent driving around to get to and from these cancelled open houses. What a waste of petrol.

2 - number of naps I managed to fit in over the course of Saturday afternoon/evening. It was one of those rainy, stay-indoors-and-do-nothing kind of days. Somehow i manage to fall asleep easily when it comes to naps, but i lie awake for what seems like forever at night...

87 - approximate number of minutes my mother spent farting around looking at shoes and pretty tops on Sunday morning. Don't get me wrong - I looooooooooooove shopping - but my mother is the most frusturating shopper on earth.

1000 - approximate ( and slightly embellished ) number of jumps my neice did, in a row, on the trampoline at our house. Seriously. We had a barbecue on Sunday night and after she finished eating she was bouncing on that thing for like an hour straight. I dont know how she didnt bounce her little brain to death.

1 - number of Christmas's ruined by my neice. Yep, seems like the three year old can't keep a secret.: " Hey, Aunty Amy - we bought you a yoga mat! ". This prompted her mother to, mockingly, tell her she'd ruined Xmas. " Yea? Well you cant look at me anymore ". Cue (still ) bouncing, now with her back to us.

60 - number minutes of spent getting a facial. Ah, the pampering....

170 000 - amount in dollars i can realistically borrow to buy my first home. My modest first home.

180 000 - amount in dollars i could afford to offer, as a maximum, on a property. A modest property.

6 - number of seperate tests they need to run to try and figure out why i'm so low in iron. I'll let you guess for yourself what kind of tests they may, or may not be.

3 - number of days i need to be on a exclusion diet to run some of those tests. Woo hoo - no broccoli!

10 - number of minutes i spent lying on the floor after i almost passed out at the gym. OMG - so embarrassing. Apparently you should not push yourself so hard on your first day back at the gym after being sick.

And so, onto the smile challenge update. Granted, i havent been keeping a regualr blog list of each and every thing that has made me smile the last week or so but, believe me, I am taking notice. And its working - think my colleagues are starting to think i've gone even more mental. Just, you know, in the opposite direction. And, for each negative thing that happens, i've been able to find a positive and much better side to focus on. For example, no, I wont be able to borrow enough money to build a new home ( boo hoo hoo, disappointment ). However, now that i know my budget and range, I'm looking forward to seeing what i can find and figuring out what i can do with it ( i've been watching a lot of the Lifestyle channel lately. I love Thom Felicia! ). Or so it was rainy and three open houses got cancelled ( wasting my time and petrol - poo to that! )? Yea, well it gave me a whole bucnh of time to catch up with a friend who lives a few houses up my street. She's almost 32 (totally old according to her ....) she has three kids, and she went flying off the rails when her husband died three years ago, but she's getting back to a good place. She's wonderfully funny and irrevent and because of all her derailing at various times in her life, she has great advice sometimes.

A total plus huh ?

My weekend by the numbers: a recap

1 - number of fetes i attended. A fete is pretty much a country fair for all you non-Aussies. I took my neice because i knew she would appreciate the jumping castle and face painting.

4 - times i ate fast food over the course of three days. A serious blow out. The next thing to be blown out ? My stomach.

1 - number of doctors bills paid. Yep, the bill from my wisdom teeth removal.

670 - amount in dollars that it cost to have those teeth removed.

3 - display homes visit. For anyone wondering what a display home is, its a fully built replica of a home you can have built for yourself. I'm kind of thinking of building one, you see - if i can afford it.

245 000 - amount in dollars of the cheapest house and land package being offered in my town right now. Maybe i cant afford it.... but we'll see.

24 000 - amount in dollars the Australian government is offering as a first home buyers grant. Sure helps a bit with that affordability thing....

1 - number of handbags i bought myself. White, textured, Fiorelli tote. Not a Birkin bag by any means, but cute, classy and functional.

3 - number of days i saw my neice this weekend. Yep, that would be every day.

2 - number of days i saw my 7 month old cousin this weekend. Apparently, it was a weekend for the kiddies.

And there you have it. Look forward to next weekends recap - I've taken the Friday and Monday off work because, well, i havent had any actual holidays this year and i figure i deserve a long weekend. The forthcoming recap may or may not involve one or more the following: facials, $10 Tradie Lunch, " Australia ", visits by new reps, trips to the mortgage broker, old houses, new houses, broken hearts and children. Guess which ones i'm looking forward to ?

I heart the weekend

Its raining, and its beautiful. It doesnt rain much where i live, the majority of my state has been in drought for 7 or more years, and so rain is always appreciated. Even though its a long weekend, and i wished for sunshine, I wont complain about the rain. Its still a beautiful day - the sky is pregnant with rain clouds but every so often the sun will poke through, and the air has that beautiful, freshg, earthy smell to it. There is nothing like a spring rainstorm.
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Yes, its Labour Day long weekend here in New South Wales, Australia. I have very little planned, which did make me a little sad, but I am now choosing to say I am up for anything spontaneous. If i had plans, i wouldnt be able to fly by the seat of my pants, would i ? I have my regular session at the gym this afternoon, and we are having a family BBQ later this evening ( prawn skewers, steaks, chicken kebabs, salads, potato bake..... yum! ), but that is as far as my plans extend. So, for example, if some guy who has been wooing me via Match.com decided he wanted to have a coffee or something tomorrow or holiday Monday, i would have no need to turn him down - would i ?
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I am currently watching a countdown of the Top 100 Rock song clips of all time. These countdowns always amuse me because i wonder who actually gets to vote. Is it the experts - the Rolling Stone journalists, the critics and the music programmers ? Or is it the punters, the Avergae Joes who buy the records and watch the clips ? Because i am pretty sure the so called experts would vote in a lot of stuff that we mere mortals probably dont really like all that much. Plus, these kind of lists are always somewhat controversial. I mean, just what exactly makes " Stairway to Heaven " by Led Zeppelin better than " Bohemian Rhapsody " by Queen ? And why was " Hotel California " by The Eagles completely missing from the top 20 of a similar countdown i watched last month ? What a travesty.
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So, Happy long weekend to everyone who is having one and for those who arent - too bad, so sad. Just kidding - enjoy whatever time you may have off !

An Early Weekend By The Numbers

46 - number of candles on my mum's birthday cake on Friday night. Well, not really - thats too much weight for one cake to take! - but thats how old she was turning. Perhaps i should have made it " 46 - number of years old my mama is " ? Happy burfday anyways Mum!

6 - size of the cute new braided leather thongs i bought ( thats flip-flops for you Americans ). Yes, i have small feet.

1 - number of promises i broke. You remember that promise i made in my depressive rant ? No eating bad stuff/no spending money/no forgoing the gym ? Broken.

110 - approximate numbers of dollars spent on myself whilst breaking that promise. I figured seeing as i got my tax cheque back and my bond from the rental house i've moved out of i could afford to undulge a little.

4 - number of dvds bought in that little indulgence. I got " The Day After Tomorrow ", " Dreamgirls ", " Lords of Dogtown " and " Dogma". Seriously, i know Kevin Smith has made a few mis-steps the past few years ( hello " Jersey Girl " .... ) but " Dogma " is some seriously funny shit.

7 - approximate number of hours spent watching video music channels on tv over the course of the weekend. Since my parents have gotten " pay TV " installed, i think we've all become slightly addicted to the music channels. Including the country music channel - yes, you read that right, i like country music. Garth ? Reba ? Tim McGraw? Awesome. Variety is the spice of life people.

3 - number of video clips my mum cried over. Seriously, i get teary in romantic movies or real-life dramas ( say, like " The Notebook " or " Hotel Rwanda " ), and I'll admit to crying almost everytime i see the film clip for " Hurt " by Johnny Cash but my mum ? She tears up over those toilet paper adds that feature little boys and puppy dogs.

0 - number of dates i was asked on. Isnt that suprising....

Everybody's working for the weekend....

Thank freaking boo-jesus that its finally the weekend! Not that i have anything extra-special planned mind you, but rather that its been a pretty dodgy week and i'm very, very much glad that its over. I've had blow-ups with customers and a colleague treating me like rubbish and general work-related crappiness, so its a relief to know that the week is finally behind me. My one saving grace the last five days has been going to the gym. It might sound odd to some of you but i genuinely enjoying punishing myself at the gym. Its a pleasurable kind of pain, pushing myself to finish a run on the treadmill even though my lungs will shortly give out or i'm starting to get a cramp in my left foot; it might not feel all that great whilst i'm doing it but i feel a million dollars when i'm done, knowing i've achieved something. And yep , its an achievement, however small. For example, this week, for the first time in my entire life, I ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill. 10 whole minutes - might not sound like much to some, but it was big for me. Sure, i go to the gym five times a week but i'm stronger and more flexible than i am cardiovascularly fit - running for a constant 10 minutes is a big deal. And a big achievement. And it felt good. So yay for me!

Another " yay! " - its rugby league finals time! It kind of sucks that my team, the mighty Newcastle Knights, didnt make it ( apparently they werent that mighty this year... ) but, hey, neither did my dads team so at least he cant give me shit about how his team is better than mine. I'm watching the first final of the weekend as i type and its been awesomely rough thus far - one guy off with massive concussion and one with a suspected broken arm. Ah, the mayhem!

What is not so exciting this weekend is local elections. Boring! Frankly i dont know how any of you American readers out there do it - dont your presedential campaigns carry on for well over a year? Our elections for our local town council are tomorrow and the campaigning started, i dont know, like three weeks ago and i am sick to the death of it. So i best be off to a polling station to vote tomorrow, if i only so i can avoid the $55 fine for NOT voting.

And thats about it - I'm tossing up whether to go and see Hellboy 2 on my own at some point over the next two days, and will surely be visiting my neice at some point ( the weekend isnt the same if i dont get a hug from Missy Moo.... ) but no spectacular, extraordinary, outrageous plans at all. So consistent, yet so boring sometimes....

My Weekend, A Story In 3 Parts: Part 1 - Introducing P

You may have noticed I've been a little inactive over the last few days and thats because I gave myself a two days of the working week off and had a lovely " mental health break ". It was important for my sanity that I have a weekend to just go, hangout and just " be ". And who was i hanging out with ? P, my best friend.

P and I met in high school. She transferred to my school in Year 8 and she was introduced, by the principal, during my English class. You know, it was one of those, " This is P, she's new here, everyone make her feel welcome " kind of situations. As it happened ( and as i frequently like to remind her ), I tried to make her welcome and she was a gigantic, sour biatch. Yes, thats right, on our first meeting I and my other friend V invited P to hang out with us at lunch time and she just looked at us, turned her back and walked off without saying a word. She likes to blame it on being shy and nervous on her first day - I say she was just a big old snobby cow.

Nevertheless, we slowly developed a friendship and by Year 12, our final year of school, we were bestest buddies. We recited line after line of " Billy Madison " and " Dude, Where's My Car ? "; I jumped a fence to back her up during a fight when she was dressed as our school mascot; she laughed everytime i got in trouble off our English teacher ( Buttman, as we dubbed him ) and followed me when i walked out of his class during our last semester. We never went back. We spent English lessons hanging out on a picnic blanket on the grass, near enough to his classroom that he could glare at us through the window. It was the best of times ..... and i'd say the worst of times , but we've never really had any. We've been pretty solid for around nine years, except for a brief period where i thought i was being " dumped " for someone else. But mostly we've been all sweet, and i've really learnt to love and appreciate her.

P now lives four and half hours drive away from me, with her new hubby and her " fur children " ( their term, not mine ). I get along really well with her husband so its not weird going and spending the weekend with two newlyweds. And the fur chidlren.

So off i trundled on Thursday to spend some much needed relaxation time with P. We had some actual " stuff " planned but mostly it was just a chance to catch up and have the deep and meaningfuls that its not as much fun to have over the phone. Her husband cooked us dinner ( she has him well trained .... ) and we settled in for a double episode of " The Amazing Race ". Her husband faded pretty quickly and headed to bed, which left us alone to discuss important things like my recent dates, the plan i am yet to reveal to you all, trying to get pregnant ( her, not me ... ) and how we would make the most awesome-est Amazing Race team - like ever! You know, all the good and important stuff that best friends talk about. We headed to bed late, tired and thirsty from the chit chat. That made it really easy to fall asleep - i had the best nights rest i've had in a LONG time.

Friday saw us doing mundane stuff - like grocery shopping. In fairness, we did need ingredients for the Toblerone cheesecake i had volunteered to make, and P did volunteer to take me shopping for shoes - but i turned that down. I know, i'm teh biggest freak in the world turning down shoe shopping, but honestly i didnt really have the money to spend - just the time. We hang out reading magazines and jibber-jabbering all afternoon and had dinner with my uncle and his girlfriend ( who, incidentally, he proposed to the next day - she said yes! ) at The Mean Fiddler. I ordered a seafood basket with marinated octopus and put a baby one on my fork and wiggled it at her. Immature yes, but thats how we are.

Did you forget that we can recite line after line of " Billy Madison " ?

Everybody's working for the weekend

Damn straight they are. Seriously, i pretty much start counting down to the next weekend of as Monday, 9am. Not that i ever do much incredibly exciting on my regular weekends, but even the promise of a Saturday morning sleep in and Sunday afternoon nap is enough to keep me going throughout the week. And guess what? Its Friday night, the official beginning of the weekend! Want to see what i'll be getting up to this weekend? Here's a list of five things i will definately be doing:

1. Shopping for underwear - yes, thats right, i will be buying new bras and knickers tomorrow morning. Don't get too excited, i'm not exactly talking Victorias Secret lingerie ( lets face it, i have no-one to wear it for anyway ... ) but more cute, comfy, girlie underwear, the kind we girls secretly slink around in on our days off when there are no boys around. Every morning during winter, after having a shower and smoothing on the mandatory moisturiser, i love to slip into my underwear, pull on a pair of knee high ugg boots, and turn the radio up so i can dance around in the bathroom while i brush my teeth. Dont look at me like that - its a girl thing.

2. Visting my neice - and, by proxy, also either my brother, my sister-in-law, or both. I cannot get enough of my neice, she's one of the shining lights in my life right now. She's two and half and, i dont mean to be the proud Aunty and boast here, but she's verbally advanced for her age. Its really great to have a conversation with her, because everything is so random and innocent and it doesnt matter if it doesnt make sense. For example:
Neice : " Amy, whats your number ? "
Me: " I'm 24. How old are you ? "
Neice : " I'm 3. "
Me: " No you're not, you're only two and half "
Neice: " Two and a half ? "
Me : " Yep, two and half "
Neice : " Georgie-a-girl is 3, i bought her a ballerina "
Me: " Did she have a birthday party ? "
Neice: " Yep and we had lollies and cake. I like cake. Do you like cake ? "
.....see, from their it went on to delve into chocolate is nicer than strawberry, rain comes from the clouds and Georgie-a-girl is not the same as Georgie-a-boy. Why ? Because one is her friend from her babysitters house and the other one is in her day care class ( see, not because one's a boy and one's a girl.... thats not important ).

3. Spending two hours at the gym - yes, two hours at the gym on a Saturday afternoon. Dont call me crazy - i know you're thinking it - its just something i do. I like it. I do an hour of cardio and then an hour of yoga. I'm working my way into liking the cardio ( i've just recently decided i actually like the rowing machine ) and it benefits my yoga ( which we already know that i love ) because i'm already warmed up. Being really warmed up helps you to be extra stretchable. If i can get me some extra stretch in there, if i can improve my postures even a centimetre, i'm a happy girl. And yes, i'm kind of in love with yoga. Truth is, i keep harping on about it because i'm trying to convert you all....

4. Travelling to Wellington to watch my brother play soccer - its not exactly an exciting roadtrip or anything. For starters, Wellington is a small town only half an hour away, and secondly, i'm going with my parents in their car. But its getting out isnt it? And it isnt sitting around DubVegas is it? Sure, it might be cold enough that i could potentially freeze my arse off, but for the sake of " doing " and " participating " it will be well worth it. Plus, i'll be there supporting my brother and he's mature enough now that he shows his appreciation for things like that. That always makes me feel good...

5. Going grocery shopping - ooh, excitement plus! Amy does groceries! Seriously, i know its a completely mundane activity, but its something i will definately be doing , so it deserves to make the list. I mean, if i didnt do it, my sister and I would run out of food and that cant be good. You know what else isnt good? Trolley rage. I'm a big sufferer of road rage and thankfully i dont suffer fully from trolley rage yet. Maybe if i shopped on a Saturday lunchtime - when every single other person in the goddamned town seems to be there - it would be a different story. But, being the smart cookie that i am, i shop on a Sunday lunchtime when its calmer and quieter and i dont have to wait so long for a checkout. Clever me.