The plane was on time. The flight was uneventful. I got a free cup of tea. We landed in sunny, warm Sydney and taxied to the terminal, but the moving bridge wouldn't work so we all had to exit through the rear door and walk across the tarmac and up a gozillion flights of steps to get into the terminal.
There were a gozillion people at the airport all shuffling together and refusing to give way to anybody.
I was met by the smiling, but stressed Knight in Shining Armour, who rushed me through the airport to the baggage claim area and my bag arrived on the conveyor belt at the exact same time that we stepped off the escalator! Excellent timing!
We then walked to the car, which was on the 3rd level of the carpark and try as we might, even following the 'way out' signs, we struggled to find the way out!! It took us about 15 minutes to FINALLY find the exit!!
The worst part was the number of cars driving in the wrong direction and us trying to squeeze past them and then the one woman who decided to do a u-turn in her large 4wd and had to do a 23 point turn to do so. We sat for about 8 minutes watching her do that.
We easily found our way to the motel and I checked in. Knight in Shining Armour dropped me off at the Miranda RSL where I found BGWLBH, who had arrived about an hour before me.
Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour arrived a couple of hours later and we all had dinner together, which was delicious! A glass of wine with dinner and watching Cronulla beat Cowboys on the big screen in the distance. There's nothing better than being in 'The Shire' when the Sharks win a football game .. it happens so rarely these days!
We were back in our room by 7pm and are now sitting up watching telly and checking out youtube videos.
Despite the loud street noise and a few noisy patrons in the hallways, I think we will sleep well tonight.
It's almost 10pm and I'm going to sign off here. No photos yet. Shopping tomorrow.
Nite all.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Is it too late?
Do you think it's too late for me to have singing lessons? I wonder? I've always wished I could sing and I wonder if it's necessary to have natural ability, or if you can learn to be as wonderful as Barbra Streisand or Pink or Celine Dion.
Recently, I've been posting videos, on facebook, of little kids singing. A four year old singing "I Will Always Love You" and an 18 month old singing along to Elvis's "Hallelujah" and now this eight year old singing an Ed Sheeran song.
I wish I could sing. I'm going to consider lessons.
Tomorrow is the big day.
I'm leaving on a jet plane and heading south where it's bloody cold and grey and foggy. I'm leaving the beautiful mild Queensland Winter sunshine that I love, that I've been longing for over the long hot Summer and will be spending two weeks wrapped up in a coat with scarf and gloves!
I don't generally feel the cold, so I can't imagine that I will suffer too much.
I'm excited at the prospect of playing with my camera and my imagination is picturing all sorts of pretty Winter scenery.
I'm also excited about seeing BGWLBH again!
It will be great to catch up with Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour tomorrow.
I'm keen to do some shopping. Retail therapy is always fabulous.
The search for great food will be a worthy challenge.
It's going to be a fun holiday.
I'm up for it!
As usual, it's almost midnight, so I'm off to get some sleep. I didn't get everything done on my list today, so I have a couple of chores to do first thing in the morning before I leave.
See you tomorrow, from the big smoke!
Nite all.
Recently, I've been posting videos, on facebook, of little kids singing. A four year old singing "I Will Always Love You" and an 18 month old singing along to Elvis's "Hallelujah" and now this eight year old singing an Ed Sheeran song.
I wish I could sing. I'm going to consider lessons.
Tomorrow is the big day.
I'm leaving on a jet plane and heading south where it's bloody cold and grey and foggy. I'm leaving the beautiful mild Queensland Winter sunshine that I love, that I've been longing for over the long hot Summer and will be spending two weeks wrapped up in a coat with scarf and gloves!
I don't generally feel the cold, so I can't imagine that I will suffer too much.
I'm excited at the prospect of playing with my camera and my imagination is picturing all sorts of pretty Winter scenery.
I'm also excited about seeing BGWLBH again!
It will be great to catch up with Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour tomorrow.
I'm keen to do some shopping. Retail therapy is always fabulous.
The search for great food will be a worthy challenge.
It's going to be a fun holiday.
I'm up for it!
As usual, it's almost midnight, so I'm off to get some sleep. I didn't get everything done on my list today, so I have a couple of chores to do first thing in the morning before I leave.
See you tomorrow, from the big smoke!
Nite all.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Halfway There
I'm almost packed! Can you believe that? Totes organised!
Tomorrow, I need to spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen.
Two weeks worth of dog food to be prepared, ANOTHER 50 energy balls because Adoring Husband is a guts and has eaten almost all of the ones that I made at the beginning of the week and a few batches of the butter chicken sauce so that AH only has to add the meat.
At AH's request, I am not going to prepare any other meals, because if he doesn't eat them, I get cranky and question him about what he has eaten while I've been away! So I've made his bone broth for the mornings and will make the energy balls for his snacks and he will be in charge of all other meals!
It was a beautiful day today, aside from the short, but very heavy downpour mid afternoon, the weather was sunny and mild for the rest of it. I spent some time with bare feet in the sand on the beach at low tide this morning.
I found myself a comfortable rock and sat with my coffee, soaking up the sunshine and watching the lazy world pass by.
I love this time of year here. Winters are so mild during the days and cool enough at nights to snuggle under the covers and sleep soundly.
Anyway, before I head off to bed .. this movie looks like a bit of fun and hopefully BGWLBH and I will get to see it during our holiday. If not, I'll drag somebody to see it when I get back.
I'm getting good at this ... it's 11.10pm ... way before midnight!!
Nite all.
Tomorrow, I need to spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen.
Two weeks worth of dog food to be prepared, ANOTHER 50 energy balls because Adoring Husband is a guts and has eaten almost all of the ones that I made at the beginning of the week and a few batches of the butter chicken sauce so that AH only has to add the meat.
At AH's request, I am not going to prepare any other meals, because if he doesn't eat them, I get cranky and question him about what he has eaten while I've been away! So I've made his bone broth for the mornings and will make the energy balls for his snacks and he will be in charge of all other meals!
It was a beautiful day today, aside from the short, but very heavy downpour mid afternoon, the weather was sunny and mild for the rest of it. I spent some time with bare feet in the sand on the beach at low tide this morning.
I found myself a comfortable rock and sat with my coffee, soaking up the sunshine and watching the lazy world pass by.
I love this time of year here. Winters are so mild during the days and cool enough at nights to snuggle under the covers and sleep soundly.
Anyway, before I head off to bed .. this movie looks like a bit of fun and hopefully BGWLBH and I will get to see it during our holiday. If not, I'll drag somebody to see it when I get back.
I'm getting good at this ... it's 11.10pm ... way before midnight!!
Nite all.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
One Down
I sat my Musculoskeletal exam today.
There was one question that I could not answer. I had absolutely no idea, not even enough of a clue to bluff my way through!!
There were about 4 questions that I could not complete .. they had four parts to them and I was only confident with three of the parts. Remember when I told you about the muscles having origins, insertions, actions etc? I struggled with the 'insertions' parts.
Aside from those few questions, the rest was much easier than I expected! So I'm feeling confident of a pass.
The challenge, for me, has kind of dulled now that they've changed the marking process. There are only two marks ... 'competent' or 'not yet competent' and then you get second chance to become competent. This disturbs me because in real life, when the life of a human being is in your hands, you don't get a second chance!
To be honest, I feel a lot less pressure with this marking system, but less pressure stops me from pushing myself and it's the 'pressure' and the 'pushing' that I thrive on.
Anyway, I'm glad it's done and dusted. Now I can relax and look forward to my road trip before the next exam is due .. two weeks after I get back!
I wrote out my packing 'to do' list this afternoon. We had a lazy Roz's dinner of chicken broth with diced chicken thigh, shallots and sweet potato noodles added. Strawberries and cream for dessert. Yum.
Now I'm heading off to bed before I have to say "It's already after midnight" because it's only 11.15pm, so it's an early night for me!
Nite all.
There was one question that I could not answer. I had absolutely no idea, not even enough of a clue to bluff my way through!!
There were about 4 questions that I could not complete .. they had four parts to them and I was only confident with three of the parts. Remember when I told you about the muscles having origins, insertions, actions etc? I struggled with the 'insertions' parts.
Aside from those few questions, the rest was much easier than I expected! So I'm feeling confident of a pass.
The challenge, for me, has kind of dulled now that they've changed the marking process. There are only two marks ... 'competent' or 'not yet competent' and then you get second chance to become competent. This disturbs me because in real life, when the life of a human being is in your hands, you don't get a second chance!
To be honest, I feel a lot less pressure with this marking system, but less pressure stops me from pushing myself and it's the 'pressure' and the 'pushing' that I thrive on.
Anyway, I'm glad it's done and dusted. Now I can relax and look forward to my road trip before the next exam is due .. two weeks after I get back!
I wrote out my packing 'to do' list this afternoon. We had a lazy Roz's dinner of chicken broth with diced chicken thigh, shallots and sweet potato noodles added. Strawberries and cream for dessert. Yum.
I know you will love this little video of a four year old boy singing a Whitney Houston song. He is pretty amazing!
Now I'm heading off to bed before I have to say "It's already after midnight" because it's only 11.15pm, so it's an early night for me!
Nite all.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
The Fleeting Visit
Chicklet's itinerary:
We will work our way up to longer visits until eventually, Chicklet will come home on the train with me and spend time here without Mamma and Dadoo.
After the fam left, I rode to the butcher and picked up my order of chicken frames and thighs and then came home to put on a big batch of chicken broth so that Adoring Husband has enough while I'm away next week.
I got some study in, but then when nothing was staying in my head, I decided to finish the job that Chicklet started, and sorted through my jewellery.
Vegan Chickie, quite rightly, described the giant mess as 'obscene'. She was referring more to the amount of jewellery that I had acquired, than the actual mess itself.
So today, I decided that it was time to do a brutal cull.
After at least two hours of back breaking sorting and culling, I tossed a full plastic shopping bag full of junk and dress jewellery and STILL what is left doesn't fit in my two large jewellery boxes on the dressing table. I STILL have MANY MANY necklaces hanging off both corners of the dressing table mirror!!
Anyway, I feel good because I've been wanting to clear that mess for months, but kept putting it off .. it took Chicklet's visit and her attempt to look at everything in the tangled mess, to motivate me.
By the time I'd finished sorting, my back was complaining, so I took the easy way out and prepared leftovers for dinner. Luckily, my back only needed resting because it's fine again now.
Now, it's time for an early night in preparation for my exam tomorrow so ...
Nite all.
- Arrive at Poppy Barry's and Bozzy Wozzy's house.
- Use the toilet (fast!)
- Meet SEB the cockatiel.
- Meet the chickens.
- Collect the eggs - three of them.
- Give Bozzy Wozzy a belated hello hug.
- Gather together and count all the frog garden ornaments.
- Have lunch.
- Greet Poppy Barry who arrives home late for lunch.
- Play tag with Bozzy Wozzy in the back yard (while Bozzy Wozzy is surprised at how well Bozzy Wozzy can run!)
- Open the bag of goodies from Bozzy Wozzy.
- Meet psychotic dog Ruby.
- Drive to the beach with Poppy Barry, Bozzy Wozzy and Mamma.
- Explore the beach and collect shells with Poppy Barry.
- Have a bath with Bozzy Wozzy's supervision.
- Watch TV while Bozzy Wozzy cooks dinner.
- Eat dinner.
- Read 5 books with Bozzy Wozzy.
- Have a mini meltdown.
- Sleep.
- Wake up and say good morning to everyone.
- Sort Bozzy Wozzy's jewellery, by moving it from the dressing table to the bed, in it's tangled mess.
- Hide in Bozzy Wozzy's wardrobe while she gets dressed.
- Collect the eggs with Dadoo - two of them.
- Go to morning tea with Bozzy Wozzy and meet her friends.
- Play with Archie the dog, whose Aunty was at morning tea.
- Collect Bozzy Wozzy's mail from the post office box.
- Collect Lady Lynn's mail from the post office box.
- Go to the park and play on the swings with Poppy Barry and Bozzy Wozzy.
- Run up and slide down the skate ramps with Poppy Barry.
- Say goodbye to Poppy Barry.
- Have long cuddles with Bozzy Wozzy.
- Climb in the car and drive home to Sunny Coast.
We will work our way up to longer visits until eventually, Chicklet will come home on the train with me and spend time here without Mamma and Dadoo.
After the fam left, I rode to the butcher and picked up my order of chicken frames and thighs and then came home to put on a big batch of chicken broth so that Adoring Husband has enough while I'm away next week.
I got some study in, but then when nothing was staying in my head, I decided to finish the job that Chicklet started, and sorted through my jewellery.
Vegan Chickie, quite rightly, described the giant mess as 'obscene'. She was referring more to the amount of jewellery that I had acquired, than the actual mess itself.
So today, I decided that it was time to do a brutal cull.
After at least two hours of back breaking sorting and culling, I tossed a full plastic shopping bag full of junk and dress jewellery and STILL what is left doesn't fit in my two large jewellery boxes on the dressing table. I STILL have MANY MANY necklaces hanging off both corners of the dressing table mirror!!
Anyway, I feel good because I've been wanting to clear that mess for months, but kept putting it off .. it took Chicklet's visit and her attempt to look at everything in the tangled mess, to motivate me.
By the time I'd finished sorting, my back was complaining, so I took the easy way out and prepared leftovers for dinner. Luckily, my back only needed resting because it's fine again now.
Now, it's time for an early night in preparation for my exam tomorrow so ...
Nite all.
Busy Chicklet Day
It's after midnight and I have to sleep, but just wanted to pop in and post a couple of pics.
I'll tell you all about our day in tomorrow's post.
Nite all.
I'll tell you all about our day in tomorrow's post.
Nite all.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Ready Mr Music
Ready and excited for the family to arrive tomorrow!
We've left eggs in the chook pen so that Chicklet can collect them. We have a bag of goodies for her .. clothes, toys, books and 3 rubber duckies to play with in the bath. The dogs are bathed - especially Ruby, because she's the only one happy to play with kids. Hopefully, we will get to collect shells on the beach and of course we'll have to go to the park!
We only have a short time together, so we'll pack as much in as we can.
I tried for another sunset this afternoon, but it was a fizzer.
I got some good study in and made some choc energy balls, groomed and bathed the psychotic dogs, watched my Broncos beat Melbourne Storm and cooked dinner.
Now I have to mop the floors before I head to bed. Short but sweet tonight and hopefully I'll have some Chicklet photos tomorrow :)
Nite all.
We've left eggs in the chook pen so that Chicklet can collect them. We have a bag of goodies for her .. clothes, toys, books and 3 rubber duckies to play with in the bath. The dogs are bathed - especially Ruby, because she's the only one happy to play with kids. Hopefully, we will get to collect shells on the beach and of course we'll have to go to the park!
We only have a short time together, so we'll pack as much in as we can.
I tried for another sunset this afternoon, but it was a fizzer.
I got some good study in and made some choc energy balls, groomed and bathed the psychotic dogs, watched my Broncos beat Melbourne Storm and cooked dinner.
Now I have to mop the floors before I head to bed. Short but sweet tonight and hopefully I'll have some Chicklet photos tomorrow :)
Nite all.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
So much to do ...
So little time.
Tomorrow, I have to groom the dogs and do some cooking in preparation for the family coming on Monday.
And I have to study. I sooooo need to study. I just don't feel ready for the exam. It's going to be a tough one and I need to be better prepared.
It's so intense and there is so much information that I need to learn, I have to take regular breaks, because otherwise it all starts to sound like blah blah blah.
At least I got to enjoy a nice sunset this afternoon ...
I slept in this morning and didn't get out on the trike at all. Adoring Husband delivered my coffee bedside again and I took my time greeting the day.
I seemed to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in between study sets. A big bacon and egg breakfast. Fresh fish and salad for lunch. Bone broth. Steak and veg for dinner tonight.
Now I'm trying to fatten up AH by feeding him some carbs. A big batch of fried rice yesterday and a big fat baked potato in it's jacket for him tonight. Who'd a thunk that I would ever be trying to fatten him up!!?
The trick now is for me to avoid the carbs that I prepare for him. I found my food niche .. the perfect foods that don't negatively affect me and I need to stick with them to maintain optimal health. It's so easy to be tempted to eat the foods that I once loved.
I had some rice last night and suffered with indigestion and reflux for two hours between 2.30 am and 4.30am! I finally made my way to the kitchen and took a swig of apple cider vinegar. That mouthful stung my throat so badly, I thought it was being stripped bare! But within about 30 seconds, I felt my stomach settle and the indigestion and reflux miraculously vanished!
This is why I slept in ... trying to catch up on those lost two hours.
It's almost 11pm, so I think I'll try for a solid night of sleep.
Nite all.
Tomorrow, I have to groom the dogs and do some cooking in preparation for the family coming on Monday.
And I have to study. I sooooo need to study. I just don't feel ready for the exam. It's going to be a tough one and I need to be better prepared.
It's so intense and there is so much information that I need to learn, I have to take regular breaks, because otherwise it all starts to sound like blah blah blah.
At least I got to enjoy a nice sunset this afternoon ...
I slept in this morning and didn't get out on the trike at all. Adoring Husband delivered my coffee bedside again and I took my time greeting the day.
I seemed to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in between study sets. A big bacon and egg breakfast. Fresh fish and salad for lunch. Bone broth. Steak and veg for dinner tonight.
Now I'm trying to fatten up AH by feeding him some carbs. A big batch of fried rice yesterday and a big fat baked potato in it's jacket for him tonight. Who'd a thunk that I would ever be trying to fatten him up!!?
The trick now is for me to avoid the carbs that I prepare for him. I found my food niche .. the perfect foods that don't negatively affect me and I need to stick with them to maintain optimal health. It's so easy to be tempted to eat the foods that I once loved.
I had some rice last night and suffered with indigestion and reflux for two hours between 2.30 am and 4.30am! I finally made my way to the kitchen and took a swig of apple cider vinegar. That mouthful stung my throat so badly, I thought it was being stripped bare! But within about 30 seconds, I felt my stomach settle and the indigestion and reflux miraculously vanished!
This is why I slept in ... trying to catch up on those lost two hours.
It's almost 11pm, so I think I'll try for a solid night of sleep.
Nite all.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Friday is my Favourite
It's Friday!
I love Fridays.
I love meeting my friends at the Club on a Friday night.
It was a special night, because Mardi's daughter, Aunty R was there with her J-Man. I REALLY like J-Man - I think he's the real deal.
I should have taken pics, and I probably would have if we'd gone into the restaurant for dinner as planned, but AH has had a big week with SES duties and I have had a big week with studies and, having been given an 'out' by Mardi, we decided to come home instead.
We had lunch leftovers for dinner and as I write this, it is ticking over to 9pm .. as soon as I sign off here, I am off to bed.
Hopefully, tomorrow, I will rise early and take advantage of that photo opportunity that I spoke about yesterday.
I am feeling very weary and I have plenty of study tomorrow, as well as preparations for the Vegan Chickie family visit on Monday.
So much to do above and beyond study before the exam on Wednesday and then the road trip at the end of next week.
I feel it all creeping up on me.
Ciao for now and chat more tomorrow.
Nite all.
I love Fridays.
I love meeting my friends at the Club on a Friday night.
It was a special night, because Mardi's daughter, Aunty R was there with her J-Man. I REALLY like J-Man - I think he's the real deal.
I should have taken pics, and I probably would have if we'd gone into the restaurant for dinner as planned, but AH has had a big week with SES duties and I have had a big week with studies and, having been given an 'out' by Mardi, we decided to come home instead.
We had lunch leftovers for dinner and as I write this, it is ticking over to 9pm .. as soon as I sign off here, I am off to bed.
Hopefully, tomorrow, I will rise early and take advantage of that photo opportunity that I spoke about yesterday.
I am feeling very weary and I have plenty of study tomorrow, as well as preparations for the Vegan Chickie family visit on Monday.
So much to do above and beyond study before the exam on Wednesday and then the road trip at the end of next week.
I feel it all creeping up on me.
Ciao for now and chat more tomorrow.
Nite all.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
There was Light
Adoring Husband and I arrived home from The Bay yesterday right on sunset and the sky looked like it might have something special in it, so I jumped on my trike and pedalled like crazy down to a different part of the river than my usual spot.
The sky didn't quite reach the heights of colour that I was expecting and I actually ran up and over the grassy dune that was between me and the mud flats to get a decent shot before what little colour there was, disappeared.
Did you take that in? I RAN! It didn't even hurt! And I lived! I lived to tell the tale!
Anyway, I came across a big old abandoned boat beached on the sandy bank with a big chain hanging down off the bow, so I used it to my advantage to add a bit of interest to the shot ..
Once again, nothing to report for the day. I studied.
I was given a tip about a great photo opportunity, which I'm going to follow up tomorrow morning, so watch this space!
It's almost midnight again, so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
The sky didn't quite reach the heights of colour that I was expecting and I actually ran up and over the grassy dune that was between me and the mud flats to get a decent shot before what little colour there was, disappeared.
Did you take that in? I RAN! It didn't even hurt! And I lived! I lived to tell the tale!
Anyway, I came across a big old abandoned boat beached on the sandy bank with a big chain hanging down off the bow, so I used it to my advantage to add a bit of interest to the shot ..
Once again, nothing to report for the day. I studied.
I was given a tip about a great photo opportunity, which I'm going to follow up tomorrow morning, so watch this space!
It's almost midnight again, so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
State of Shame
The second State of Origin game was played tonight, in Melbourne.
Queensland won the first game three weeks ago, and for those of you who don't know about the State of Origin series, it's the best of three games.
Tonight, before the game, they announced 1 minute of silence for one of Australia's greatest athletes, Ron Clark, who passed away earlier today at the age of 78.
A large portion of the crowd was a disgrace during that minute, chanting and yelling and swearing throughout the entire minute and behaving in such a disrespectful manner that I was appalled, as I'm sure, many other Australians were too.
It was positively shameful.
It was a bad start to a bad game. Poor refereeing by both the video refs and the on-field refs (those poor decisions were made for both teams). Nasty tactics by the NSW captain and most (but not all) of his team. It seems that NSW can only win with rough-house tactics because they don't have the skill to win a fair game.
NSW won, so there will be a decider played in Queensland in three weeks time.
So .. I've had my say on that terrible game .. had to get it off my chest .. thank you for listening!
This afternoon, I attended our community hall to take a group photo of some ladies called 'The Village Voices", who often have morning or afternoon teas where they entertain the local community and raise money for various causes.
Today, they were raising money for the children of June Wallis. June was murdered by her husband (the children's father) in March this year and the children are now in the care of their grandparents.
One of the ladies told me that the only group photos they have, are of them looking down at their music sheets, or with their mouths wide open singing, so I volunteered my services and also offered to take photos to be published in our local newsletter that is circulated monthly, to show how the community take care of each other.
I will share them here another time.
Adoring Husband and I spent the afternoon in The Bay. I had to get an enlarged print of a photograph for someone and also stock up on some pantry items. I enjoyed a little retail therapy as well.
We've had some good rain today. It also rained very heavily in The Bay while we were there. We need it and the garden is very happy. I picked some bok choy from the garden when we got home and it was full and crisp and delicious from the rain.
I thought I'd share this trailer for a documentary that I have been keeping my eye on for the last year or so. It asks for donations to help in the creation of the documentary. I just wanted to clarify that I'm not sharing this to ask for money on their behalf.
I'm sharing it because I think just about every woman who I know reads this blog, has body issues .. hell who hasn't? I believe that it will be a very interesting documentary, and will show us that we are not alone with our negative thoughts.
Oops! I may be turning into a pumpkin! It's just past midnight ... again!
Nite all.
Queensland won the first game three weeks ago, and for those of you who don't know about the State of Origin series, it's the best of three games.
Tonight, before the game, they announced 1 minute of silence for one of Australia's greatest athletes, Ron Clark, who passed away earlier today at the age of 78.
A large portion of the crowd was a disgrace during that minute, chanting and yelling and swearing throughout the entire minute and behaving in such a disrespectful manner that I was appalled, as I'm sure, many other Australians were too.
It was positively shameful.
It was a bad start to a bad game. Poor refereeing by both the video refs and the on-field refs (those poor decisions were made for both teams). Nasty tactics by the NSW captain and most (but not all) of his team. It seems that NSW can only win with rough-house tactics because they don't have the skill to win a fair game.
NSW won, so there will be a decider played in Queensland in three weeks time.
So .. I've had my say on that terrible game .. had to get it off my chest .. thank you for listening!
This afternoon, I attended our community hall to take a group photo of some ladies called 'The Village Voices", who often have morning or afternoon teas where they entertain the local community and raise money for various causes.
Today, they were raising money for the children of June Wallis. June was murdered by her husband (the children's father) in March this year and the children are now in the care of their grandparents.
One of the ladies told me that the only group photos they have, are of them looking down at their music sheets, or with their mouths wide open singing, so I volunteered my services and also offered to take photos to be published in our local newsletter that is circulated monthly, to show how the community take care of each other.
I will share them here another time.
Adoring Husband and I spent the afternoon in The Bay. I had to get an enlarged print of a photograph for someone and also stock up on some pantry items. I enjoyed a little retail therapy as well.
We've had some good rain today. It also rained very heavily in The Bay while we were there. We need it and the garden is very happy. I picked some bok choy from the garden when we got home and it was full and crisp and delicious from the rain.
I thought I'd share this trailer for a documentary that I have been keeping my eye on for the last year or so. It asks for donations to help in the creation of the documentary. I just wanted to clarify that I'm not sharing this to ask for money on their behalf.
I'm sharing it because I think just about every woman who I know reads this blog, has body issues .. hell who hasn't? I believe that it will be a very interesting documentary, and will show us that we are not alone with our negative thoughts.
Oops! I may be turning into a pumpkin! It's just past midnight ... again!
Nite all.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Specifically
Surely it's impossible to know all of this stuff.
I can totally understand, now, why doctors 'specialise' in a specific field of medicine.
Once again, I thank the internet gods for youtube, google, practice quizzes and online flash cards!
I was thinking today about my method of study.
If I began studying at a steady pace, from the beginning of each semester, by the time exams rolled around, I would never remember what I learnt at the beginning. I would be panicking just as much trying to review it all before exams, as I do now simply learning it at the last minute.
Anyway, after another great morning tea with the girls, I studied for the rest of the day, only stopping to make lunch with the delicious whiting fillets that 'The Captain' dropped off this morning.
So nothing to report, but I wanted to share this funny video of goats. I giggled a lot when I watched this ... a cute way to end my day.
It's almost midnight again lol.
Nite all.
I can totally understand, now, why doctors 'specialise' in a specific field of medicine.
Once again, I thank the internet gods for youtube, google, practice quizzes and online flash cards!
I was thinking today about my method of study.
If I began studying at a steady pace, from the beginning of each semester, by the time exams rolled around, I would never remember what I learnt at the beginning. I would be panicking just as much trying to review it all before exams, as I do now simply learning it at the last minute.
Anyway, after another great morning tea with the girls, I studied for the rest of the day, only stopping to make lunch with the delicious whiting fillets that 'The Captain' dropped off this morning.
So nothing to report, but I wanted to share this funny video of goats. I giggled a lot when I watched this ... a cute way to end my day.
It's almost midnight again lol.
Nite all.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Studious Me.
Study Study Study
That's about the long and the short of it today.
Oh I had a visit from my Jehovah's Witness friends today! Once again I denied them entry .. only because we were just about to sit down to our very late lunch.
The story goes like this ...
About 6 years ago, I made friends with a couple who come to our town every year over the Summer months. They own and work a mine out west, but it's too hot in Summer, so they bring their caravan and spend about 3 months enjoying the cooler coastal weather. He is in his 80s and she is early 60s.
I only just found out early this year that she is a Jehovah's Witness. He is not. She talked about how horrible people are to JWs when they knock on doors, so I naively promised her that I would be nice to the next JWs to knock on my door and invite them in.
As I'm sure you've guessed, two days later, two JWs knocked on my front door!
I was very friendly to them, but I just couldn't invite them in because I was 24 hours away from an exam and couldn't pause my studies for them, so I offered them a genuine apology and suggested "maybe next time".
The next time was the day before my birthday morning tea and I was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Once again I apologised and offered another 'maybe next time'.
The next time, was today.
Adoring Husband had been in town all day on SES duties and arrived home for a very late lunch .. which I cooked as a main meal, because he had to attend an important SES meeting tonight and had to leave quite early.
We were ten minutes away from sitting down to lunch, when they rang the doorbell.
So, as it turned out, third time was not lucky for them .. but they could smell lunch through the open door, so they knew I wasn't telling fibs. They kindly left me with one of those funky little magazines and promised to return next time.
Yay! *sigh*
I must admit that I've always been curious to hear what they have to say and I'm sure I will have some tricky questions to ask them, so ...
I will definitely invite them into my lounge room one day when AH is not here, and I will have the obligatory discussion about their idea of 'god' and then I will thank them for their time and request that they avoid my doorbell during future visits to our town.
I see that puzzled frown on your brow! I like to keep my mind open to new experiences and I like to hear how 'other people' think, especially with subjects that I've always been taught to disrespect. I only have preconceived ideas about JWs because of what other people have told me, never from first hand experience.
So when it finally happens, you'll be the first to hear all about my JW discussion!
I'm certain that you all know me well enough to realise that I would never be recruited into the JW way of life!
Now, I'm picturing the JW trolls trolling through the internet and discovering my blog and rubbing their hands with glee and sending out a posse on the recruitment drive!! Haha!!
Back to the books.
Nite all.
That's about the long and the short of it today.
Oh I had a visit from my Jehovah's Witness friends today! Once again I denied them entry .. only because we were just about to sit down to our very late lunch.
The story goes like this ...
About 6 years ago, I made friends with a couple who come to our town every year over the Summer months. They own and work a mine out west, but it's too hot in Summer, so they bring their caravan and spend about 3 months enjoying the cooler coastal weather. He is in his 80s and she is early 60s.
I only just found out early this year that she is a Jehovah's Witness. He is not. She talked about how horrible people are to JWs when they knock on doors, so I naively promised her that I would be nice to the next JWs to knock on my door and invite them in.
As I'm sure you've guessed, two days later, two JWs knocked on my front door!
I was very friendly to them, but I just couldn't invite them in because I was 24 hours away from an exam and couldn't pause my studies for them, so I offered them a genuine apology and suggested "maybe next time".
The next time was the day before my birthday morning tea and I was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Once again I apologised and offered another 'maybe next time'.
The next time, was today.
Adoring Husband had been in town all day on SES duties and arrived home for a very late lunch .. which I cooked as a main meal, because he had to attend an important SES meeting tonight and had to leave quite early.
We were ten minutes away from sitting down to lunch, when they rang the doorbell.
So, as it turned out, third time was not lucky for them .. but they could smell lunch through the open door, so they knew I wasn't telling fibs. They kindly left me with one of those funky little magazines and promised to return next time.
Yay! *sigh*
I must admit that I've always been curious to hear what they have to say and I'm sure I will have some tricky questions to ask them, so ...
I will definitely invite them into my lounge room one day when AH is not here, and I will have the obligatory discussion about their idea of 'god' and then I will thank them for their time and request that they avoid my doorbell during future visits to our town.
I see that puzzled frown on your brow! I like to keep my mind open to new experiences and I like to hear how 'other people' think, especially with subjects that I've always been taught to disrespect. I only have preconceived ideas about JWs because of what other people have told me, never from first hand experience.
So when it finally happens, you'll be the first to hear all about my JW discussion!
I'm certain that you all know me well enough to realise that I would never be recruited into the JW way of life!
Now, I'm picturing the JW trolls trolling through the internet and discovering my blog and rubbing their hands with glee and sending out a posse on the recruitment drive!! Haha!!
Back to the books.
Nite all.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Salubrious Sunday
I was awake early .. for a Sunday!
I walked into the back room to get my tracky dacks to wear for the day, when I noticed, at the end of the bed, my pile of 'small' clothes that I haven't been able to wear for about 6-7 years, due to weight gain, and for some strange reason, I decided to try them on.
Well, what a surprise and what a nice way to start the day! All but one of them fit perfectly and the one that didn't, is just a little tight. I started my Sunday with a smile on my face.
I visited my boys and then got my coffee, but I couldn't head straight home, because the morning was just so glorious. A perfect sunshiny Winter's day that sparkled with perfect light, clear air and vibrant colours, so I pedalled to the beach, kicked off my shoes, grabbed my camera bag and headed out onto the sand flats at low tide.
I saw only two birds. A Curlew and a Seagull. So there was no photography to be had, but it didn't matter, because it meant I could just feel the cool water running over my bare feet, the sand between my toes, the sunshine on my face and the fresh air in my lungs.
I walked for about half an hour and enjoyed every single solitary minute of it, avoiding the few people that were out and about at that hour.
When I got home, I had a little serving of chocolate chia pudding with strawberries for breakfast and a handful of nuts and sat down at my desk to study.
Before lunch I did some washing and then heated up some chicken broth for lunch, which was delicious. Broth is one of my favourite foods these days. It's so rich with flavour and very satisfying.
I gave up on the study at around 4pm so that I could watch the football and before half time, I began preparing dinner. Adoring Husband was due home and I knew that he would be hungry, so dinner was going to be early. I was also hungry after my light lunch.
Crispy skinned chicken (one of our favourites) with sweet potato chips and salsa, served on a bed of fresh lettuce from a neighbour's garden. Then for dessert, chocolate chia pudding with strawberries and berry syrup. A most satisfying and healthful dinner to end my salubrious Sunday.
Today, my study involved muscles. If I was surprised by bone, then there are no words to describe how I feel about muscles. This is going to be as tough, if not tougher, than Chemistry. Let me give you an example .. this is something that my teacher wrote in an email responding to another student's question ...
*** The lats, pec major and teres major all insert into the lip of the bicipital groove - this groove then is a major landmark for us. Many times the landmarks are named after a muscle that attaches to them (eg deltoid tuberosity) or what the landmarks looks like (e.g. groove) so try and use any such connections to help you remember them. i.e. why is something named like it is. ***
I walked into the back room to get my tracky dacks to wear for the day, when I noticed, at the end of the bed, my pile of 'small' clothes that I haven't been able to wear for about 6-7 years, due to weight gain, and for some strange reason, I decided to try them on.
Well, what a surprise and what a nice way to start the day! All but one of them fit perfectly and the one that didn't, is just a little tight. I started my Sunday with a smile on my face.
I visited my boys and then got my coffee, but I couldn't head straight home, because the morning was just so glorious. A perfect sunshiny Winter's day that sparkled with perfect light, clear air and vibrant colours, so I pedalled to the beach, kicked off my shoes, grabbed my camera bag and headed out onto the sand flats at low tide.
I saw only two birds. A Curlew and a Seagull. So there was no photography to be had, but it didn't matter, because it meant I could just feel the cool water running over my bare feet, the sand between my toes, the sunshine on my face and the fresh air in my lungs.
I walked for about half an hour and enjoyed every single solitary minute of it, avoiding the few people that were out and about at that hour.
When I got home, I had a little serving of chocolate chia pudding with strawberries for breakfast and a handful of nuts and sat down at my desk to study.
Before lunch I did some washing and then heated up some chicken broth for lunch, which was delicious. Broth is one of my favourite foods these days. It's so rich with flavour and very satisfying.
I gave up on the study at around 4pm so that I could watch the football and before half time, I began preparing dinner. Adoring Husband was due home and I knew that he would be hungry, so dinner was going to be early. I was also hungry after my light lunch.
Crispy skinned chicken (one of our favourites) with sweet potato chips and salsa, served on a bed of fresh lettuce from a neighbour's garden. Then for dessert, chocolate chia pudding with strawberries and berry syrup. A most satisfying and healthful dinner to end my salubrious Sunday.
Today, my study involved muscles. If I was surprised by bone, then there are no words to describe how I feel about muscles. This is going to be as tough, if not tougher, than Chemistry. Let me give you an example .. this is something that my teacher wrote in an email responding to another student's question ...
*** The lats, pec major and teres major all insert into the lip of the bicipital groove - this groove then is a major landmark for us. Many times the landmarks are named after a muscle that attaches to them (eg deltoid tuberosity) or what the landmarks looks like (e.g. groove) so try and use any such connections to help you remember them. i.e. why is something named like it is. ***
Gobbledy gook huh?
Every muscle has a name, an origin, an insertion, an action, a palpation and an innervation.
So, for example, there is a muscle in the jaw called 'temporalis'. It's origin is the lateral surface of the temporal bone. It's insertion is coronoid process and ramus of the mandible. It's action is to retract and elevate the jaw. It's palpation is lateral surface at temple. It's innervation is cranial nerve V (trigeminal).
Right?
So every muscle in the body has all of those things and all of them are different and I have to learn them all.
*sigh*
I have to do that in the next 8 days, so that I can sit my exam before I go on holidays.
I'm beginning to feel just a little overwhelmed.
Anyway, now that I have your sympathy, I'm off to bed.
I thought this quote appropriate for me ..
Nite all.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Road Trip is ON!
This has been on the cards for a few months now, but I just wasn't sure if I could manage it financially, with my studies, possible visitors plus Adoring Husband's SES duties, but it seems that the Gods have smiled upon us and except for one small hiccup, which can be overcome, the road trip is ON!
I have booked my flight to Sydney and BGWLBH is driving to Sydney on the same day .. but that's as far as our plans have progressed. We haven't finalised any accommodation details. We have no idea what direction we are heading, if at all. It's just going to be one of those 'follow your nose and decide as we go' situations.
It will be nice to get some camera time in and BGWLBH has a new lens that she wants to play with, so we'll be searching for some great photo opportunities.
Knight in Shining Armour will be picking me up from the airport while Bubbles is at work and then hopefully, we'll spend Sunday with them before we embark on our adventure.
In the meantime, I have to study with intensity and sit an exam before I leave, then upon my return, I will have two weeks until my next exam! Two weeks after that I'll have an assignment due! So I'll be pushing myself to my limits!
Ah well, that's life.
Do we all love Meryl Streep? It took a lot of years for me to warm to her, but now I am a fan.
As an SES volunteer, Adoring Husband has to participate in a land search tomorrow for a missing man in our area. I can't imagine that I could ever do such a thing. The idea of possibly coming across the remains of a fellow human being, fills me with dread, so I have great admiration for the people who have the courage to do it.
I can only feel grateful that I will have a full day of silence to get in some of that intense study that I mentioned.
So I'd best get some sleep.
Nite all.
I have booked my flight to Sydney and BGWLBH is driving to Sydney on the same day .. but that's as far as our plans have progressed. We haven't finalised any accommodation details. We have no idea what direction we are heading, if at all. It's just going to be one of those 'follow your nose and decide as we go' situations.
It will be nice to get some camera time in and BGWLBH has a new lens that she wants to play with, so we'll be searching for some great photo opportunities.
Knight in Shining Armour will be picking me up from the airport while Bubbles is at work and then hopefully, we'll spend Sunday with them before we embark on our adventure.
In the meantime, I have to study with intensity and sit an exam before I leave, then upon my return, I will have two weeks until my next exam! Two weeks after that I'll have an assignment due! So I'll be pushing myself to my limits!
Ah well, that's life.
Do we all love Meryl Streep? It took a lot of years for me to warm to her, but now I am a fan.
As an SES volunteer, Adoring Husband has to participate in a land search tomorrow for a missing man in our area. I can't imagine that I could ever do such a thing. The idea of possibly coming across the remains of a fellow human being, fills me with dread, so I have great admiration for the people who have the courage to do it.
I can only feel grateful that I will have a full day of silence to get in some of that intense study that I mentioned.
So I'd best get some sleep.
Nite all.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Crunchy Deliciousness!
A huge 'thankyou' to Judi!!!
Judi's advice to get the pork crackle crunchy, worked a treat, and for the first time in my life, I got a deliciously crunchy crackle on my pork belly. THE FIRST TIME EVER!!! The whole thing was crunchy and salty and delicious!
*happy dance*
I do believe that we will have pork belly regularly from here on in!
Go here for a nice positive way to start your day.
It's Friday night and we had a good night at the club .. none of us were winners, although I got a small win on the pokies, and I have a keno ticket riding.
Sleep is looking like a really good option right now ...
Maybe, just a little lol
Nite all ... or HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Judi's advice to get the pork crackle crunchy, worked a treat, and for the first time in my life, I got a deliciously crunchy crackle on my pork belly. THE FIRST TIME EVER!!! The whole thing was crunchy and salty and delicious!
*happy dance*
I do believe that we will have pork belly regularly from here on in!
Go here for a nice positive way to start your day.
It's Friday night and we had a good night at the club .. none of us were winners, although I got a small win on the pokies, and I have a keno ticket riding.
Sleep is looking like a really good option right now ...
Maybe, just a little lol
Nite all ... or HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Oozing Brain
Who knew that bone was more than just bone?
Well, ok, I knew that there was marrow in bone and I knew that there was cartilage somewhere on the bone.
A bone also comprises of epiphysis, diaphysis, compact bone, spongy bone, periosteum, medullary cavity, nerves, blood vessels and four types of cells - osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts and bone-lining cells.
But wait! There's more! I won't bore you with it though - I hear your sigh of relief.
With every single day of study, I am more amazed by the human body and how it works. We really are quite a miracle of nature and I often, in the course of my study days, find myself shaking my head in disbelief.
I got some good hours of study in today, despite Adoring Husband conducting his SES business very loudly in various parts of the house!
For lunch today, we had a big plate of roasted sweet potato, cauliflower, zucchini, carrot and tomato with last night's leftover kangaroo heated up in a cashew cream onion sauce.
Dinner tonight was turkey mince. In the turkey mince was turmeric, paprika, cumin, butter, onion, garlic, rainbow chard, sweet potato, choko, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, chilli tomato sauce, chicken broth and cashew cream. I really loved it and there is some leftover for tomorrow night.
Tomorrow, I am going to attempt pork belly with crackling again .. I have it drying out in the fridge overnight and I'm going to do my darndest to get it right for our lunch time meal. Wish me luck!
Thought you might get a giggle out of these pics ...
Nite all ... or ... HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!
Well, ok, I knew that there was marrow in bone and I knew that there was cartilage somewhere on the bone.
A bone also comprises of epiphysis, diaphysis, compact bone, spongy bone, periosteum, medullary cavity, nerves, blood vessels and four types of cells - osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts and bone-lining cells.
But wait! There's more! I won't bore you with it though - I hear your sigh of relief.
With every single day of study, I am more amazed by the human body and how it works. We really are quite a miracle of nature and I often, in the course of my study days, find myself shaking my head in disbelief.
I got some good hours of study in today, despite Adoring Husband conducting his SES business very loudly in various parts of the house!
For lunch today, we had a big plate of roasted sweet potato, cauliflower, zucchini, carrot and tomato with last night's leftover kangaroo heated up in a cashew cream onion sauce.
Dinner tonight was turkey mince. In the turkey mince was turmeric, paprika, cumin, butter, onion, garlic, rainbow chard, sweet potato, choko, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, chilli tomato sauce, chicken broth and cashew cream. I really loved it and there is some leftover for tomorrow night.
Tomorrow, I am going to attempt pork belly with crackling again .. I have it drying out in the fridge overnight and I'm going to do my darndest to get it right for our lunch time meal. Wish me luck!
Thought you might get a giggle out of these pics ...
Nite all ... or ... HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
The Question of Conformity.
There are two comedians in this world who have always left me feeling cold and flat. I couldn't understand how people could find them funny and after my first experience with both of them, I avoided watching all of their movies and anything that included them on television.
I formed an opinion on first impressions (as most of us do) and then couldn't be swayed from that opinion.
Those two comedians are Jim Carrey and Russell Brand.
For 25 years I avoided everything Jim Carey and for 10 years avoided Russell Brand.
Actually, I'm still not a fan of Russell Brand's style of comedy and I think he is a bit confronting and offensive .. however, that's my problem, not his. I do however, believe in his belief system and his revolutionary way of opening our eyes to what's happening in the world today.
We all swim along the river of conformity like a school of fish. Have you seen the footage of huge schools of fish in the ocean and as they move in unison, the sunlight glistens off their scaly skin and flickers through the water? That's us.
We don't even realise we're doing it.
Conformity is actually hard work and takes all of our thought processes to keep ourselves close to the school.
You know what happens to the fish who become detached from the school? They get eaten!
Somebody makes rules, so we follow them.
Somebody sets standards, so we aspire to reach them.
Somebody creates lifestyle cliques and we choose one.
Somebody brands certain life decisions as 'bad' and we avoid them.
Somebody tells us we must choose 'something', so we make our choice and then close our minds to all other 'somethings'.
Somebody tells us that women are the home makers, so all women become home makers.
Somebody tells us that all men are the providers, so all men become the providers.
Somebody tells us that a single mother is a failed human, so we look down upon and judge all single mothers.
Somebody tells us that a single father is a wonderful example of successful parenting, so we all look up to and judge all single fathers.
Somebody tells us that the sign of success is accumulated material possessions, so we spend our lives accumulating houses, cars, boats, caravans, big screen televisions, overseas holidays, expensive breeds of pets etc.
Through the decades, somebody has told us how to think, what to believe, where to go, when to stop, who to trust, who not to trust etc etc etc.
BUT they always find a way to put the seed of doubt in our minds. So we are always questioning inwardly, whether we have done, or are doing, the right thing. That way, our minds will always be preoccupied with all of the trivial matters that I've mentioned - and they are only a spit in the ocean - until our aim is to disappear into the mediocrity of the niche that we've created for our lives.
We don't want to stand out. We don't want to be noticed as different. We want to look like we are doing as well as everyone else, but not so well that others think that we believe we are better than them.
We spend our entire lives obsessed with creating the so-called perfect life.
I've discovered that these two comedians have not followed the flow of conformity. They detached themselves from that flow, at a young age, and they believed in themselves and they didn't care what other people thought of them. They became successful doing what they loved.
Yet they've realised that with success, comes responsibility and accountability.
They've realised that success, both spiritual and financial, does not bring happiness or comfort.
They know, that with their fame, they have the power to show us and teach us that we all have a choice.
We don't have to conform.
We have the power to change the way things have always been and we don't have to fit into any niche or clique or class system.
We can be unique.
We can be perfectly wonderful, just the way we are.
We can release the pressures of conformity.
They question conformity.
They try to open our eyes to what is outside our protected shell of a life.
They break the barriers.
That's what makes them confronting and offensive.
They force us to see outside our own existence and they question our ideals, just as we should always be questioning ourselves.
This video of Jim Carrey goes for almost 30 minutes. His speech is uplifting and he makes so much sense. I have become a fan. I still don't like his brand of comedy much, but he is a great serious actor and his take on life is inspirational.
I honestly believe that if I'd heard this speech in my teens, my life may have been entirely different.
Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before a deadline.
This has been #369 from 'The Art of Procrastination' by Roz G.
Nite all.
I formed an opinion on first impressions (as most of us do) and then couldn't be swayed from that opinion.
Those two comedians are Jim Carrey and Russell Brand.
For 25 years I avoided everything Jim Carey and for 10 years avoided Russell Brand.
Actually, I'm still not a fan of Russell Brand's style of comedy and I think he is a bit confronting and offensive .. however, that's my problem, not his. I do however, believe in his belief system and his revolutionary way of opening our eyes to what's happening in the world today.
We all swim along the river of conformity like a school of fish. Have you seen the footage of huge schools of fish in the ocean and as they move in unison, the sunlight glistens off their scaly skin and flickers through the water? That's us.
We don't even realise we're doing it.
Conformity is actually hard work and takes all of our thought processes to keep ourselves close to the school.
You know what happens to the fish who become detached from the school? They get eaten!
Somebody makes rules, so we follow them.
Somebody sets standards, so we aspire to reach them.
Somebody creates lifestyle cliques and we choose one.
Somebody brands certain life decisions as 'bad' and we avoid them.
Somebody tells us we must choose 'something', so we make our choice and then close our minds to all other 'somethings'.
Somebody tells us that women are the home makers, so all women become home makers.
Somebody tells us that all men are the providers, so all men become the providers.
Somebody tells us that a single mother is a failed human, so we look down upon and judge all single mothers.
Somebody tells us that a single father is a wonderful example of successful parenting, so we all look up to and judge all single fathers.
Somebody tells us that the sign of success is accumulated material possessions, so we spend our lives accumulating houses, cars, boats, caravans, big screen televisions, overseas holidays, expensive breeds of pets etc.
Through the decades, somebody has told us how to think, what to believe, where to go, when to stop, who to trust, who not to trust etc etc etc.
BUT they always find a way to put the seed of doubt in our minds. So we are always questioning inwardly, whether we have done, or are doing, the right thing. That way, our minds will always be preoccupied with all of the trivial matters that I've mentioned - and they are only a spit in the ocean - until our aim is to disappear into the mediocrity of the niche that we've created for our lives.
We don't want to stand out. We don't want to be noticed as different. We want to look like we are doing as well as everyone else, but not so well that others think that we believe we are better than them.
We spend our entire lives obsessed with creating the so-called perfect life.
I've discovered that these two comedians have not followed the flow of conformity. They detached themselves from that flow, at a young age, and they believed in themselves and they didn't care what other people thought of them. They became successful doing what they loved.
Yet they've realised that with success, comes responsibility and accountability.
They've realised that success, both spiritual and financial, does not bring happiness or comfort.
They know, that with their fame, they have the power to show us and teach us that we all have a choice.
We don't have to conform.
We have the power to change the way things have always been and we don't have to fit into any niche or clique or class system.
We can be unique.
We can be perfectly wonderful, just the way we are.
We can release the pressures of conformity.
They question conformity.
They try to open our eyes to what is outside our protected shell of a life.
They break the barriers.
That's what makes them confronting and offensive.
They force us to see outside our own existence and they question our ideals, just as we should always be questioning ourselves.
This video of Jim Carrey goes for almost 30 minutes. His speech is uplifting and he makes so much sense. I have become a fan. I still don't like his brand of comedy much, but he is a great serious actor and his take on life is inspirational.
I honestly believe that if I'd heard this speech in my teens, my life may have been entirely different.
Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before a deadline.
This has been #369 from 'The Art of Procrastination' by Roz G.
Nite all.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Wasted Day
It's been an enjoyable, but wasted day .. and by wasted, I mean a wasted study day .. again.
I saw my boys this morning, then had a really enjoyable morning tea with the girls, bought some groceries, picked up a borrowed item from Gentleman Jim's, dropped the groceries at home and picked up my bags of preloved clothes to deliver to someone who might enjoy them. I then returned home and cooked crispy skinned chicken with sweet potato and choko puree and baby spinach for our lunch.
By this time it was already 2pm and all I wanted to do was sit down and put my feet up. I sat at my desk, but the motivation had well and truly passed, so I did the healthy thing and 'let it go'.
Let's try again tomorrow!
Tonight I cooked up a kangaroo fillet for Adoring Husband and served it with a garden salad of baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, capsicum, onion, pear, avocado and balsamic vinegar.
I had a pear, two energy balls and a bottle of water because I was still satisfied with the rather large lunch that we had consumed.
Adoring Husband is always hungry, always has been and always will be a 'bottomless pit' for food. He has no 'full' button, nor does he have any self control, so, in the last 12 years, I can probably count on one hand how many times he hasn't been able to eat everything on his plate.
For example, I made 36 chocolate energy balls 5 days ago AND a choccado tart (similar to a cheesecake). I ate a third of the tart and 6 energy balls. There is nothing left of either of these sweets.
All of these Paleo sweets and two cooked meals every day, plus chicken broth most mornings .. and he is lean. Leaner than he has been since he was competition dancing back in the 90s. It's amazing what taking processed foods, sugar and carbs out of the diet can do.
Here is a link to a story about saturated fat and cholesterol, which you might find interesting.
Here it is, almost midnight again.
I'm outta here.
Nite all.
I saw my boys this morning, then had a really enjoyable morning tea with the girls, bought some groceries, picked up a borrowed item from Gentleman Jim's, dropped the groceries at home and picked up my bags of preloved clothes to deliver to someone who might enjoy them. I then returned home and cooked crispy skinned chicken with sweet potato and choko puree and baby spinach for our lunch.
By this time it was already 2pm and all I wanted to do was sit down and put my feet up. I sat at my desk, but the motivation had well and truly passed, so I did the healthy thing and 'let it go'.
Let's try again tomorrow!
Tonight I cooked up a kangaroo fillet for Adoring Husband and served it with a garden salad of baby spinach, cucumber, tomato, capsicum, onion, pear, avocado and balsamic vinegar.
I had a pear, two energy balls and a bottle of water because I was still satisfied with the rather large lunch that we had consumed.
Adoring Husband is always hungry, always has been and always will be a 'bottomless pit' for food. He has no 'full' button, nor does he have any self control, so, in the last 12 years, I can probably count on one hand how many times he hasn't been able to eat everything on his plate.
For example, I made 36 chocolate energy balls 5 days ago AND a choccado tart (similar to a cheesecake). I ate a third of the tart and 6 energy balls. There is nothing left of either of these sweets.
All of these Paleo sweets and two cooked meals every day, plus chicken broth most mornings .. and he is lean. Leaner than he has been since he was competition dancing back in the 90s. It's amazing what taking processed foods, sugar and carbs out of the diet can do.
Here is a link to a story about saturated fat and cholesterol, which you might find interesting.
Here it is, almost midnight again.
I'm outta here.
Nite all.
Monday, June 8, 2015
To Your Knees
Grab a tissue and sit down for this one. If this doesn't bring you to your knees, nothing will.
Yes, I am procrastinating. I should be studying, but the neighbour has his kids for the weekend and he lives in a raised house with timber floors. I swear every time they walk anywhere in the house, they are pretending to be giants, because their footsteps echo with a boom through my house and unfortunately, my office window is directly opposite his house/verandah. Boom. Boom. Boom.
It's just one of those things .. you know those little things that you just can't stop from driving you to a point close to insanity? Like the continuous sound of pigeons cooing in your back garden or like chalk on a blackboard or the touch of knitted wool to someone else. Anyway, it can't be helped, so I have to find a way to deal with it!
Yes, I am procrastinating. I should be studying, but the neighbour has his kids for the weekend and he lives in a raised house with timber floors. I swear every time they walk anywhere in the house, they are pretending to be giants, because their footsteps echo with a boom through my house and unfortunately, my office window is directly opposite his house/verandah. Boom. Boom. Boom.
It's just one of those things .. you know those little things that you just can't stop from driving you to a point close to insanity? Like the continuous sound of pigeons cooing in your back garden or like chalk on a blackboard or the touch of knitted wool to someone else. Anyway, it can't be helped, so I have to find a way to deal with it!
I had a good night's sleep .. about 7 hours last night, but I still didn't care to get up out of bed this morning. It's one of my guilty pleasures. Sitting in bed til mid morning, reading or facebooking on my iPad, or playing with my new app that teaches me about the skeleton and other body parts.
Adoring Husband bought my morning coffee and delivered it bedside for me, so I had no reason to get up til I felt like it.
I made some chicken nuggets for lunch today, with a sticky sweet and spicy sauce. Instead of using breadcrumbs, I used (what I think was) LSA, a combination of ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds. This mixture was in an unmarked plastic bag in my pantry. It looked and smelled like LSA, so I am assuming it was exactly that.
I coated the bite sized chicken pieces (which I cut up from boneless thighs)in tapioca flour instead of cornflour or regular flour, then egg and then LSA seasoned with Himalayan salt and cracked pepper. I baked the nuggets in the oven on a greaseproof paper lined tray for about 20 minutes on high (220C).
The crumbed coating turned out quite hard and crumbly, but not as crunchy as breadcrumbs.
The sauce was 1/2 cup raw honey, 1/3 cup of my home made spicy tomato sauce, half a teaspoon of H salt and a teaspoon of garlic powder, well combined and heated in a saucepan on the stove. The recipe that I based and modified my lunch on, stated that the sauce should be poured over the nuggets at the 20 minute mark and then cooked for a further 10 minutes in the oven, but I poured the sauce into ramekins to dip the nuggets into instead.
Served with a garden salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, avocado and pear.
A very pleasant lunch .. nothing to RAVE about .. but nice nonetheless.
I guess it's time to get back to my studies. A good procrastinator knows when to stop procrastinating.
Nite all.
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