Friends of Parks Forum 2005

Well I can't believe the weekend has been and gone already and I'm now back at work. Bummer!

So I got into Victor Harbor at about 3:30pm on Friday, a little earlier than I thought I might as the drive went really smoothly. I was staying at a place called Villa Victor with two elderly ladies, Betty and Shirley (so cute, the even have 'old people' names) but I was the first to arrive, so I went for a bit of a tour around Victor while I waited for them. After the arrived we went and had dinner at Albert's Place then headed to the Forum venuw for the opening night's events.

On Saturday morning, despite the idea that Villa Victor was meant to be a B&B, we had to get our own dinner, but thankfully Betty and Shirley came prepared for such an event. After the morning forum we hopped on buses for a tour of the Waitpinga cliff line. The weather was gorgeous and we took roughly a 3 hour walk along the Heysen Trail, and the views were spectacular. On Saturday night was the Forum Dinner, which was held at Hotel Victor. The Environment Minister was there as a special guest which was pretty cool, because I like John Hill, not that I personally got to meet him. The food was yummy and I got to meet some people from other Friends groups and it was a great night :)

On Sunday morning I was up bright and early, packed up my car and made it in time to the cooked breakfast that was being supplied for us. After that, it was back to the forum topics and discussions and some more guest speakers (including the CEO of the place I work for) and then the weekend was over and it was time to drive home. I really enjoyed it, considering it was my first forum, and I gor to meet some cool people. Next years is up at Echunga so no need to be away from home as that's not that far away, bit of a bummer really.

I hadn't been to Victor Harbor for about 8 years. The place hasn't changed in some ways, but in other ways it's changed heaps. For example, there are so many new houses along the shoreline than there used to be (and apparently they're a hell of a lot more expensive).

I had yesterday off work just to catch up on washing and stuff, and I'm glad I booked an extra days leave because over the course of the weekend I lost my voice due to this cold I picked up. It's back now, just has moments of squeekiness. Last night we had the Le Cornu footy tipping awards dinner which we went to as the whole family's in the footy tips there, but alas, no luck for any of us (although, not surprising).

Anyway, the workday is almost over so I'd better wrap things up here. Until next time.

Weekends are aces

Just like that, too much time has passed since my last post. It's the fault of Dungeon Siege 2, as most nights are spent playing a co-op game with Ivan. And when we're not playing, we're watching old DVDs of The Sopranos, starting from season 1 and working our way through them.

Anyway, so apart from that the highlight of the week was probably last weekend, when Cathy and Buster were in Adelaide on their way to Perth. They'd already been through Brisbane, Gold Coast and Canberra, and they were spending a few days in Adelaide so we got to meet up with them. Alex and Mick also came along to help show them some SA hospitality.

On Friday after work we started off with drinks at The Grand, not realising they were doing renovations. Needless to say, it wasn't very cosy. We headed off down to the marina to try and find another pub. We eventually found it tucked away, but it was pretty full and there was nowhere to sit, so we headed back to Jetty Road. We had dinner at Hog's Breath and then went to the Jetty Road Hotel for some after dinner drinks before we wished them well and said our goodbyes. They're such lovely people, it was great to catch up. The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet, I just went to Mum and Dad's on Saturday and that was about it, due to the crappy weather.

This weekend looks like it'll be gorgeous and I'm glad because I'm off to Victor Harbour for the Friends of Parks Forum. I've never been to one before so I'm looking forward to it. Betty and Shirley, two sweet old ladies, are letting me stay in a place with them so our accomodation is pretty cheap. I'll be leaving in a few hours and arriving back some time on Sunday, so I'll have to do an update on my return.

Suppose I'd better go and do some packing now...

Balance restored

On Monday morning when I went to catch the train I discovered that over the weekend almost ever brick at the station had been covered in graffiti. This morning there was a man painting over it all, thus restoring the balance.

As I walked past Borders today at lunch I noticed a bunch of gothic teens sitting outside. Perhaps at lunch tomorrow there'll be a group of old ladies wearing fluorescent colours outside, thus restoring the balance?

Interesting theory...

Rest in Peace

Late last week my grandma's sister (who I met when we went to Yugoslavia) died. She has been unwell for a long time and had really deteriorated over the last few years, so rather than a sense of loss the family feels a sense of relief. A relief that she isn't suffering anymore, as she wasn't really "living" lately anyway. For a long time now she's been bed-ridden and needed everything done for her. Before it got that bad, when she was still able to move around, she'd often wander off because she forgot who she was. Things have been really sad there for a while, and so my grandma and my parents (who grew up with her around) are doing ok.

I was 3 years old when we moved to Australia, so if it weren't for our 3-week holiday in Yugoslavia 8 years ago I wouldn't even remember her. So, I don't really know what to feel, to be honest, because I didn't really know her. I remember I really enjoyed her company. She was so much like my grandma, their mannerisms were so alike. My grandma thinks of me as her kindred spirit, so it made our holiday in Yugoslavia a lot easier, because it felt like I had my kindred spirit there. So, I will miss her, but I have fond memories and I won't let those go.

Sending lots of good wishes to my family in Yugoslavia...

xxx

Don't defy the salad

Every day I have salad for lunch. I'm a regular at Leaf and Ladle and would be lost without them. But today, it's so cold that I felt like something different. I had cravings for some yummy Ravioli Bolognese, and being that I now work in Adelaide, it's piss easy to find a place that has what you crave. However, I should not have gone against Mr Trusty Salad. 'Why?' you ask. Because it seems inevitable that I would slop the sauce on my nice white shirt, thus staining me for the rest of the day.

Seems to be a week of weird stuff. I have my ears pierced but for some reason yesterday when I put in a pair of earrings I was half asleep, not having one lined up right, and thereby stabbing myself with the earring. I started bleeding, for goodness' sake. People don't even bleed when they get their ears pierced, but for some reason, I find a way.

My dreams have been extremely weird lately. It seems I didn't have a dream for a long time and now all at once I'm having really weird dreams every night. Last night I dreamt that Michelle was getting married (even though she already is) and for some reason to get to her wedding we had to go through several airports around the world and have big communal showers. Yeah, that's not weird AT ALL! And when we got to the church for some reason she was sitting in amongst the crowd, not up the front with her hubby.

So anyway, not much aside from mad stuff has been happening. I haven't been logging on during the evenings this week and I tell you what, not logging on after work sure frees up your time! I've done so much reading and catching up with other stuff this week, it's very refreshing. No doubt I'll tire of all this free time soon.

Oh ffs, wish Sandra had turned off her mobile phone before she went to that meeting. This is the 4th time it's rang since I started typing this. SHE'S OBVIOUSLY NOT ANSWERING, LEAVE A FREAKING MESSAGE!!!!

Anyway, had better dash. Hey if you're reading this Jun, update your blog (unless you have in the last couple of days)...

Go the Goose!

It's been a bit of an up and down week. I really need to make more of an effort with writing here because it seems like a lot has happened (not anything any more interesting than usual though).

Having that Friday off a week and a half ago was great. But as is always the way when I have a day off, I'd planned to do lots of things and instead spent the entire day watching Dr Phil and playing Battlefield 2. It was a really nice way to relax though. On that weekend Mum and I went shopping and I bought a few clothes, including a couple of pairs of jeans as my other ones were getting too big (yay! usually it's the opposite). That night Alex came around and I ate lots of pizza, thus negating my newly purchased "mid-weight" jeans.

Last week was ok, work as usual except I had a couple of days off mid-week due to a) laziness, and b) really bad headaches. Not sure what's causing the headaches as I think I'm getting enough sleep, only bought new glasses a few months ago, and think I'm eating well, but bought some multivitamins anyway. Not that they're helping the headaches much. Might have to go to the doctor and get a blood test. I'll try to have one without almost passing out this time...

Last Friday was our 6 year anniversary (we got there eventually) so to celebrate we went and had dinner at The Greedy Goose. Unfortunately, Justine had the night off (possibly saving me the embarressment of gushing over a reality TV personality) but we had a really nice time. The food was great and the staff were lovely, and we went home with our bellies satisfied. If I must find a complaint about anything it would be that it felt like I was sitting closer to the people on the next table than I was to Ivan, the tables were a bit close to each other. But that'd be my only complaint.

On Saturday I went and did my tax return (I'm being bloody robbed!) then we went to Mum and Dad's for Dad's 55th birthday. It was a pleasant day and we finally got to see Maria and Steve's wedding photos.

Sunday I did shit all except read and watch X-Men cartoons, and today I'm back at work, with only this to say...

Go the Goose!!

Definitely time to hibernate

I agree with Shane's comments in my last post - all this lack of energy and motivation is probably a result of needing to hibernate. Poor Ivan has not been well the last few days, spending most of his days in bed, so methinks his body is a little worn out. I'd previously booked tomorrow off work and all this week I've been counting down the days, anxious for a bit of a sleep in and a day without having to go out into the cold or rain. Although, I must admit, the fog in the city was absolutely gorgeous this morning, I'm glad I witnessed that.

This post is just to kill some time really - work has been flatout but now there is some calm before another storm. Our database is offline for some financial processes until some time this afternoon, after which time I'll attempt to get through this backlog of work that's been piling up on my desk. The files are now in 3 piles, and I don't want it to grow any more.

Last night we watched Madagascar and I really enjoyed it. It's a bit more childish than something like Shrek but some parts really made me laugh. I loved the penguins, funny little things.

Dad's birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get him. Mum and I are going shopping on Saturday for it, so I hope she has some ideas. It's hard to know what to get my dad, he has pretty much every power tool, plenty of shirts and socks (the old traditional gift) and never ever tells us what he actually would like. So hopefully Mum's sussed something out.

In other news, I am still loving Battlefield 2, despite the annoying things that can happen in a server. I just wish I had more time to play. I don't understand how people can hold down a job, a relationship, and look after a home while still getting enough sleep, and still find time to play it every night. I do have a TV addiction I suppose. But I find that on nights when there's nothing on the TV, like last night, I get carried away with playing the game and the thought of "I'll just play for like an hour" is quickly thrown aside and I end up playing for several. Oops.

Anywho, I suppose I'd better go and find something else to do to look busy. I wish there was some way I could incorporate reading Harry Potter into my workday without it looking suspicious...

251 low-quality posts and counting!

Once again it's been a while since my last update but things have just been busy lately and time seems to run away from me.

Work has been pretty flat out, as I've been relieving for my Coordinator for the last two weeks. This week I'm back to my normal duties, then I'm relieving again for another 5 weeks. It's been really interesting and I've learned a lot, but it's just meant I'm too busy to surf the web and update my blog.

During my evenings I've been doing the usual - either going to a club meeting, watching oodles of television, or playing BF2, although I've not been playing much in the last couple of weeks.

Maria and Steve return from their honeymoon today, so after work tonight we're catching up. It was Maria's birthday while they were away, so we're having an informal dinner at Mum's tonight to give her her gifts and catch up.

The Saturday just gone Ivan and I went to the football with some of his workmates as his work have a Corporate Box there, and this time they offered the Box to staff. It was a completely different experience to how it normally is at the football and it was aces. We got so much food and drink, and even though it rained we hardly noticed the weather in our protective shell.

I can't think of what else I've been up to but there ya go, a bit of an update :)

Recent happenings

I don't have much time to write at the moment because work is hella busy today, but wanted to let everyone know that in the last 24 hours Ivan and I have worked things out for the time being and are giving it another go. It's very much conditional and a "last chance" effort so there are no guarantees, but the relationship is worthy of the effort, I believe. This'll be make or break now.

Anyway, better click "Publish Post" before my boss catches me!

No title can summarise

I realise it's been a couple of weeks since I last updated, and for that I'm sorry. My birthday was nice, I got to catch up with my friends and family and just like that, another birthday was gone. Then work got really busy with the end of financial year, so I didn't get time to update. On June 30th I was at work until 10:15pm.

Last week I was only at work for a couple of days because I took some time off for my sister's wedding which was on the weekend that just passed. So I had a few days beforehand to prepare and do the last minute things, and then yesterday off to recover. Her day went off without any dramas and she looked beautiful and happy. They left for their honeymoon yesterday and are gone for 2 weeks, so hopefully they'll get time to relax.

It was a very emotionally draining time, and the last place I feel like being is at work today. While my sister gets married, my own relationship is pretty much over, and my days are mostly spent with tears stinging my eyes. I don't want to talk about it too much in great detail except to say this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Now it's time for me to look for somewhere else to live, and so tonight I'm off to an inspection on a unit. It's made worse by the fact that we're both still in love with each other, but these underlying issues can't be solved or compromised on. So that's all I've got to say about that. I will most likely not be in the mood to write for some time.

A great day!

Today is my Birthday, yay!! I only have to work half a day today, yay!! And Battlefield 2 was released today, so I get to go home and install and play it, yay!! A great day indeed!! :D

Sleepy Smurf

Once again I seem to be going through a patch of little sleep during the night. I'm not sure why - perhaps the late nights over the weekend threw my body out of whack or something, but for some reason over the last couple of nights I've been waking up at 5am and not being able to fall back asleep, so I'll either lie there until my alarm goes off, or get annoyed and get up. Anyway, no biggie, just that I wish it was the end of the workday already (more than usual).

Tomorrow is my birthday and it seems Ivan and I have had no luck trying to book a place for dinner. The Greedy Goose is booked out for another month and the other place I wanted doesn't do dinner on Wednesday nights so it might end up being a quiet one at home (not that I mind that). I'm only working half a day tomorrow as I'm taking a Flexi for the afternoon, so it'll be nice not to have to be at work for the whole day.

Yesterday I went and spent some of my birthday vouchers. I bit the bullet and pre-ordered the next Harry Potter, and also bought The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Third Day, The Frost. Have I mentioned how much I love books?! I still have another voucher to use at Target but I'm not sure, perhaps I'll put it towards another winter jumper or something. Today is freezing!

I also went and got my stitches out yesterday afternoon and got my biopsy results, and everything is all good, so thankfully, that's all over!

Anywho, that's about it for today, more another time!

PS Did anyone else think it was hilarious that Tom Cruise got squirted with water during an interview? Chuckles galore!

Weekend of gecko woe

Well, the time since I last updated has been a bit stressful to say the least, all to do with my new geckos. I noticed on the first night that the little one, Geckotron, had a bit of a strange walk, with her front legs looking a bit rubbery. I finally called the person I bought them from (let's call her 'S') on Friday to see if she had noticed anything before selling them. She said she hadn't (to which I though 'bullshit') and we discussed the possibilities of what it might mean. We came to the conclusion that Geckotron has a calcium deficiency, and S conceded that it probably occurred when she put both geckos together and didn't make sure Geckotron was eating properly. So, I've now inherited a sick gecko, and needed to get her some calcium drops. They've been ordered and will hopefully be here by tomorrow so I can start administering it.

On top of all that, the two girls have been fighting. We'd noticed a bit of aggressive behaviour with the big one chasing the little one down, but on Saturday night it seems Geckotron finally fought back, taking a chunk of skin off Merckenschlager. This happened at about 1:30am, so I called a 24 hour emergency vet for advice, then tried to find a chemist that was open to get some Betadine. We discovered there aren't chemists open 24 hours in Adelaide any more. Joy. That night I separated the two by dividing their tank with cardboard.

On Sunday morning I ummed and ahhed about what to do for a good hour before calling S. It was cruel to keep them both in a small divided aquarium, so I thought I'd just have to get rid of one. Not an easy decision as I'm already attached to both of them. When I called S and told her what had happened she suggested separating the two until Geckotron grew to full size (about a year away). I told her that's great but my tank is too small for them like that, so she offered me a tank that she had spare for free. Lifesaver! I went and picked it up on Saturday morning (a 100Km round trip) and thus my plans to do nothing on Sunday fell through. They're both set up now, divided so they can no longer fight and should have enough room to be happy while I wait for the little one to grow. Crisis over!! Now I just need to cure this calcium deficiency. Hopefully it's not too late...

Apart from gecko woe the weekend was pretty good. On Saturday we went to Mum and Dad's for a family birthday lunch and it was really nice. I got vouchers galore (spent them today) and a pair of diamond earrings and was generally spoiled (as is necessary on one's birthday :D).

I'm leaving work in just under half an hour as today I get my stitches out. This is a good thing as I am no good at short showers. Hopefully this is the last I'll see of this doctor (although I guess that's dependant on the biopsy results).

I'm tired. The girls upstairs were arguing again last night. It's really not normal, if you hate each other so much why would you stay living there? And with them being the drama queens that they are, they don't simply yell at each other but also slam doors, which is just lovely for us people in the same block of flats. And then this morning at 6am they continued. I can't wait until we buy our own house...

Could time possibly drag any more?

It feels like it should be time to go home by now and yet there is still two and a half hours to go. I don't see how that's possible. I would very much like to walk out right now, but I won't, because it's not the right thing to do. Today is just so boring and non-constructive. I've even already cleaned out my email, and although I don't normally take a lunch break, I went for a walk for lunch today to kill some time. It appears to have not had any effect.

I really should stop going into Borders at lunch time as it's inevitable that the list of books I want (nay, need) just gets longer and longer every time I visit a bookstore. Not that I have an official list, the list is just in my head at the moment. Perhaps I should really jot it down somewhere...

There is less than a week until my 26th birthday and although I'm not doing anything to celebrate, I still can't wait. I already have my gift from Ivan (which was gecko stuff) and know he'll be taking me out to dinner next week (to the Greedy Goose, yay!) but I do love surprises and love being spoiled so am looking forward to the weekend when I get to spend time with some people I care about to celebrate my birthday.

I'm still trying to kill time, as I think you've no doubt realised by now, so let me try to find some other things to ramble about...

What is it with those idiots on Big Brother using the word "confliction"? There's no such thing, you twats! It's really starting to piss me off because they're trying to sound intelligent... I think I may be going off BB *gasp*

Because I'm a geek, I've also been thrilled lastely by the release of the Battlefield 2 demo. The game *should* come out next week and I can't wait to get my copy! I haven't had a great deal of time to have a look at it but from what I've seen I loved it, apart from a couple of things they need to iron out, but that's the way games go. It's times like this you realise just how old your body has become. It used to be that I could spend several hours a night playing a game but now I need to be in bed early enough or I can't get out of bed the next morning. 26 is great but I wouldn't mind the stamina I used to have...

Ah bugger it, I'd better go do some work. And will possibly leave early at the rate I'm going...

Pictures of my baby girls!

Geckotron strikes a pose :)

I have a captive! Muhahahah!

Merckenschlager's the big one

I love my darlings, they're so cute!!

The long weekend hangover

Not that I actually have a hangover, it's more a figure of speech. You know, it's that usual sluggishness you feel after a long weekend when you wake to your alarm to get ready for a short week at work.

The weekend was excellent and lazy and very rejuvenating. Saturday was a bit nuts though, with a lot of running around to be done. I started the day with a facial, but in hindsight probably should have finished with it instead. I then went for a drive to Lonsdale to get the gear for my geckos - some sand, a thermometer, a water dish and some crickets. On the way back into town I popped into Home Hardware to get some plywood, then the search for the polystyrene began. Bloody hell, who would think it would be so difficult to find a sheet of polystyrene? Thing is, I needed the heat mat to sit on it for insulation, and so I needed a heat resistant grade. When I finally found a place that had a sheet, not only would they not cut it to size for me but they didn't know if it was heat resistant. "Oh, you should be ok". I should indeed. I bought the stuff anyway after another hour and a half spent trying to find a place that could at least be helpful. Conclusion: my geckos' home is complete! I pick them up tonight and can't wait!

Saturday night was Maria and Steve's faux Hen's and Buck's night and it was quite good. It was nice to finally meet Steve's family and we had more fun than I thought we would. I think we were the first to leave though, but them's the breaks. Apparently there was one incident, where one of the guys decided to get a tree from next door to throw onto the bonfire rather than use the wood that Steve had in his backyard. Needless to say the neighbour was not pleased one bit, and Maria and Steve had to pay her $150 to replace the tree. Let's hope they get that money back. Must be a guy thing - I didn't find it funny but Ivan did.

Sunday and Monday were so lazy I can't quite believe how little I did on both days. There was just the usual washing to be done, and the rest of the day was spent doing a lot of reading and a lot of nothing. Very rejuvenating!

In world news today: Michael Jackson was found not guilty of all 10 counts against him. Wonder how long it'll be before someone else lays charges...

As a long weekend approaches

Hooray for Fridays! Hooray for long weekends! Hooray for hoorays!

Not that the insane cheering has passed, I shall provide a brief update of what's been happening the last few days, shall I? After all, this blog is more of a diary of events than anything else (although I'd like it to be so much more) so let us begin.

Work this week both sucks and blows. I'm not really sure what it is, just my usual "I'd rather be curled up at home" mentality, but there you go. So, how do I combat that? I apply to relieve for a supervisor so I can be given more responsibility and more reason to complain!

One of the Coordinators here is going on Long Service Leave at the end of this month so I applied for the relief work. I really would like to move up in the Department, and need more experience, so thought it's best if I apply. Myself and another girl here have pretty much the same skills, and rather than choosing between the two of us, they've asked if we wanted to split the role. So I'm doing the first 4 weeks, and she's doing the second. I don't mind sharing, I'm more interested in getting the experience really, and a little extra pay will help.

All of this mole removal and stuff seems to be costing way more than I thought it would, as I received a bill I wasn't expecting for it yesterday, and am expected to still fork out $200 for the privilege of feeling the doctor slice up my back. I know Medicare covers some of it but I still feel as though my life is just one big bill and my credit card will eventually wither and die.

Anyway aside from giving my money to other people, the evenings have been busy lately. On Wednesday night I went to a Field Naturalist's meeting. I've been a member for a couple of years now and have never gotten to a meeting, so it was nice to attend and very interesting actually. I dare say I'll go more regularly from now on.

Last night I met Maria and Mum at the bridal store for Maria's second dress fitting. It's really coming along beautifully and she only has one more fitting to go before the big day.

Tonight should be relatively quiet but tomorrow will be hella busy. In the morning I have a facial, then I need to go to one end of the city to get some polystyrene for insulation for the heat mat, then head to the other end of the city to get some sand for the geckos, then head to Bunnings. Finally, during the night we're going to Maria and Steve's for a BBQ. Neither of them are into strippers or shenannigans so they're not having official Bucks or Hens nights, so this BBQ is pretty much it I think, their last event before their wedding.

I plan to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing.

I guess that's about it then! I really want to write some personal stuff here but will refrain I suppose...