Grinch-y rant.

I'm thinking about spending next Christmas overseas.

Oh, I know, Christmas is supposed to be the time you spend with your family blah blah. So I'm a bad person.

Its just, my family is my grandparents, my mum, Sandy and Kady. All people who live two hours from me and who I see semi-regularly. I'm not religious so the day holds nothing beside lunches full of foods I don't eat and present-swapping that I can do on any day.

Again, I'm probably horrible and sounding grinchy.

Its not that I don't like Christmas. Man, I love Christmas. I just hate Christmas in Taree. I left this place for a reason, why do I need to come back here for a day that SHOULD be awesome?

So next year, I'm not gonna. Decision made.

The Christmas season has officially begun for me. Finally. In years past, I've always just managed to mostly ignore Christmas duties, tagging onto my parents/Sandy and not paying all that much attention to it. This year, I've been a bit more proactive.

Mum, Sandy and I piled in the car and drove to Wauchope to see one of my great-grandmothers. My aunty and her two boys are up from Melbourne, too, which is pretty rad. Except I'm used to being the tall guy in the family. I go to hug 15 year old Troy and realise he's almost a foot taller than me. While I'm recovering from that, 16 year old Lucas comes in for his hug and he's at least a foot and a half taller than me. Wholey moley.

I somehow convinced my mum to let me drive her car. She hasn't let me in it since I was on my Ls. To be fair, her car is fairly new. And I wasn't a very good driver... but now I reckon I'm pretty awesome at it. Sandy, not so much. She was in the backseat with Kay grimacing around the mountain roads at Wauchope.

On the down side, I wasn't aware of how lovely my family members are. The boys, Sandy, Kady and I were sitting out on the verandah chillaxing (read: we were really fucking bored). A wander into the kitchen to refill drinks found the grown-ups having a discussion about how all Americans are fat, loud and arrogant, how Murray got mugged by "two big fuckin' black niggas" in the US and then an in-depth discussion about how useless the coons are and how the government gives them too much. *sigh*

Now I'm at my mums step-mums place to see another great-grandmother. Im having trouble blogging cos I'm being distracted by my mums half-brother. To give a bit of backstory on him, I'll give an example of why he is now "so fuckin' cashed up, man". About... a year or so ago now, he was on one of his infamous drug deals that go so wrong. He was shot in the face by one of his customers.

So yeah. I'm duelly pitying him for existing while being scared shitless of him. He's trying to make conversation with me but its not really working cos when he asks me a question, I get a maximum of three words out before he relays a story of his own that answers his question. Tis hard.

And there's plenty of pot around, it stinks. Funnily enough, the teens/early adults are the ones shaking their heads at the lame grown-ups with the drugs.

I'm sure I have plenty more adventures coming with the various strands of my family. Maybe I should start writing a book.

My sunburn didn't peel!

Yet. I got burned on Sunday... so I'm gonna go ahead and assume I'm a bronzed god-like figure by now. Almost god-like. I'm Hercules.

And let's hope that Hercules is immune from skin cancer.

I'm not sure what's happened in the past month or so, but life suddenly found a whole new level of awesome. While I used to use this as an almost-catalogue of outstandingly awesome/terrible things that would happen to me, I find it difficult to pinpoint things that are standing out because everything is just... fun now.

Beach visits, too much ice cream (with too-close calls of being caught naked), mini-road trips, hospital visits, awesome books, mucho swooning, rad gigs and lots of new friends. Oh, and the new foods... frak yes.

I kind of feel like I'm wondering what I've been doing for the past little while. Yes, I started dragging myself out of boring slums when I left Taree but then I fell back into routines of long periods sitting at home and being bored. Mess built up around me as I became intensely lazy (heh) and just spent far too much time sitting around wondering what I could be doing.

Idiot. Things are happening now, though, and it's all good stuff. Proper road trips, gigs, christmas lights... other important stuff that shall remain off my blog. Life is pretty frakkin' brill.

That said, I do feel shitty that I've seen so little of the Parkhillians. Random gettogethers like Trents remind me of what I'm missing. Maybe once the holidays are over and things settle, we'll start hanging again...

In other awesome news, I no longer have anything to do with the wench that is Jameseth. I miraculously found someone to take over the contract for his phone and I drove all the fucking way to Branxton to grab the comics of Mikes that he was threatening to burn (dick!). In my memory, Brano was only 40 minutes or so away... turns out it's about twice that. My poor old car decided she needed a break on the way home and died. Thank gods I'd just picked up a box from James' with photos in it. Not so good part? Mark finding old photos of me hilarious. But what made up for that? Finding pictures of certain wenches dressed as a woman. Yes, this will come in handy... but back to the point: I can now leave that part of my life well and truly behind.

I have to go to Charlestown now to renew my licence... not that I can really afford to do so...

I love...

...that technology has gotten to the point where I can stand in line at the bank, venting my frustrations by writing a pointless blog.

What I don't love as much is the old woman behind me trying to read what I'm typing. I think she's testing how easily I'm distracted cos she keeps trying to slip in front of me in the line.

I got my braces off this morning. It was nowhere near as painful as I was warned by various people that it would be. The worst part is just the mental images as you feel/hear the crunch of individual braces being snapped off one by one. But Westley taught me to take my mind to a happy place when you're being tortured and it makes it al better.

Old Woman, stop looking. If you can read this, frak off.

Stupid bank! And stupid Christmas shoppers! I'm going to be late for work just cos I need to pay rent. Speaking of technology, I need to organise this money exchange thing so that its all done without the need for a me...

Sick of feeling shittyyyyyyyyyyy.

A Very Parkhill Christmas...

...was last night. So there was no pizza. But there was these awesome little rectangluar potato things that Trent always seems to serve...

I felt kind of awkward for the first little bit. It's been weeks and weeks since I was at a proper Parkhillian get-together. We mostly sat around outside, catching up on everything and talking about oh-so-appropriate-for-dinner topics such as what herbs would taste best on human flesh. According to Annie, it would depend on their nationality (lemon myrtle for Australians, in case you're wondering). Once the Chrissie crackers were popped and the sun went down proper, things seemed to chill a lot more. Except my stupid cracker didn't have stickers?! As such, my paper hat was plain and boring. Hmph.

Then came the kamikaze beetles. I love that my best friends are terrified of beetles. I know that makes me a slack person but it provides me with endless hours of amusement.

The movie sucked balls, so Annie and I ended up in the kitchen. Then came Sarah. In the end, the whole party ended up sitting on the tiled floor in the kitchen while the muppets rambled on in the other room. High fives for starting a trend. There may also have been photos of me whoring around the room. Hmm.

A few hours of freaking ourselves out with ghost- and break-and-enter- stories rounded off the night. Okay, so as a second-hand story, I haven't done the night justice. It was so brilliant just being around these people again and remembering why we all click so well.

Also incredibly saddening knowing that it's probably our last real Parkhillian event. =(

At least we have Trent's farewell tonight. Not everyone will be there but it will be brill nonetheless. Probably. I forgot to report my earnings so I don't actually get paid 'til tomorrow. That means that I will no longer be attending in dress. Nor will I likely be drinking. So less brill than originally intended.

Today is the work Christmas party. The kind where we're taking all of the kids to the local pool. ALL of them. I'm scared. If only for the precious eyes of all the pool-visitors who will be subjected to the blinding light reflecting off my pasty white body. Heh.

Disco-clad stalkers.

I see the world in a very wide-eyed way and I'm happy with that. I can do something a whole bunch of times or see the same landscape-view every day and still think it's awesome.

The world is pretty fucked up, though, when people see that as strange. I don't want to feel weird or like I'm being childish for being happy. I enjoy as much as I can of my life and I don't want to be labelled as something that is odd because I'm not cynical and/or jaded.

I guess labels are an issue for me. .

I've been on a bit of a kick today. I'm starting to recover my motivation for actually doing stuff again. I've had enough of letting crap pile up around me just because I've only got myself to worry about. It's time I got up off my arse and got myself organised again. Good feeling.

In other equally-exciting news, tonight is the Parkhill Christmas get-together. I can't flippin' wait. It's been so, so long since we got together as a group... stupid life stuff getting in the way. It sucks -- a lot -- but it'll be brilliant to have such awesome people together again. Leesh's presence will be sorely missed, though =( I'm envisioning mucho catching up, very little actual movie-watching and hopefully pizza. Pizza would be a definite plus.

Sidenote: I keep finding all of these small, circular pieces of reflective material around my house. Little mirror-like disks, only a few millimetres wide. I just found another sitting on my big toe. What the hell, man? I can honestly think of no reason I keep finding them or where they are coming from. Except now I'm envisioning some sort of disco-clad stalker sneaking around my house when I'm not home... and I'm scared.

So, life at the moment? Very different. I'm not sure what it's all heading toward but for now, I'm not complaining. I'm doing a lot of things I've never done before. Dancing, for example. At G. Perhaps I am acting like a tourist (=P) but that's sheltered old me. I'm just going with it all and hoping it doesn't end up in a burning pile of flaming debris.

Turns out holidays aren't as bad as I thought.

Job offer

I've come across an interesting (also flattering) dilemma.

I had just started work today and had to go pick up Taen from the hall at Mayfield West Demonstration. I kinda interrupted some presentation and it was semi-awkward. One of the Stage Two teachers, Mrs Millar, approached me. (I know who she is from prac: she was the psycho teacher who loved to embarrass children at assembly by explaining what they'd done wrong two days prior in front of their whole stage -- go back to uni, lady, and do some 1004/1005: affective filter, anyone!)

...Millar was wearing no make-up. Normally, I wouldn't mention that but I couldn't stop staring at her face -- I was kind of zoning out, trying to figure out why she looked so weird...

Anyway, from the snippets of conversation I caught, she was telling me that I'd apparently been the hot topic of conversation amongst the teachers at Mayfield West. The silly woman thought I was in her class to begin with (I was two classrooms up -- shouldn't you remember something like that?) but that's not really part of the point. Apparently, the teachers had thought I was 'impressive and mature' on prac. Not seeing how they gleamed that considering I only interacted with my classroom teacher but okay, let's roll with it. She said that the teachers were impressed I'd stuck around for 'other projects' and that I'd 'strengthened my ties' with the school by getting a job at WEMOOSH. Mostly, I just needed a job and they gave me one but man, this is all adding up in my favour. All of this combined with the fact that Millars two kids go to my oosh and I get along really well with them has added up to a bunch of teachers thinking that I'm pretty rad.

Millar then goes on to tell me that a few of the teachers aides are leaving and won't be back for '09; they need replacements and would I be interested?

So here's the dilemma.

On the one hand, I could choose to favour uni. In this decision, I would enrol in 4 units next semester as planned and remain with that number. I'd stay on the same amount of income (just enough to get by) and finish up in 4 years. But it would be a really long 4 years with minimal fun due to funds and not much monies saved in the long-run.

Option two is that I take the second job, drop back to... maybe three units or so a semester and work lots. My weeks would be insanely full and weekends probably full of assignments BUT I'd have money again, which would be awesome. Means I could get a new bed, some proper furniture, get to buy new clothes once in a while... the lifestyle sounds awfully appealing. The major downer? It would take me an extra year or two to finish my degree. So I'd be, what, 28 or so by the time I finished my degree. A plus with that? A long time working at a school would establish me enough to maybe slide into work there in the end. A minus is that it's a really, really long time of being a student.

Of course, all of this is precarious because I forgot to ask whether it's even paid work. I'm assuming it is -- surely Millar wouldn't propose an unpaid job for me knowing that I'm working 5 days a week already and juggling full-time uni? Well, maybe she would. I know, I should maybe be leaving off all of these thoughts 'til I find out such an important detail but it's all very intriguing.

Lots of hard thinking to do, methinks...

FOUND: one (1) greedy fuckers christmas list.

I found this at Borders today. All I can say is that this bitch is one greedy fucker.



I wish I were her. I'll probably get $50 from my mum and a tenner from my grandma. Apparently,I'm difficult to buy for. I say I swap with Miss Greedy Melanoma.

...'cept the sewing lessons, she can keep those.

And I'll be generous and pass on the make-up and stuff to others. See how awesome I would be at being rich and spoilt?

New list. Old one was lame.

So my last list was kinda boring and I couldn't cross things off for years yet. This list is much more achievable in the short term. Plus, it sounds way more fun.

Let's aim for... end of 2009.

I've only done 6/87 things since the beginning of 2008. That's the kick-off point. =D



01. Swim with something big (whale, shark, dolphin, turtle)
02. Skinnydip at the beach at night
Friday night. Myself, Rosie and Mark. Some random fellow skinnydippers. Newcastle pools.
03. Take a car for a test drive
04. Build something that will outlast me
05. Hold a tarantula
06. Take a candlelit bath with someone
07. Take a dancing lesson
08. Hug a tree
09. Research my family tree
10. Watch a lightning storm at sea
11. Stay up all night long and see the sun rise
12. Roast marshmallows over a fire
13. Go to a huge sports game
14. Get involved in a protest rally
15. Write a letter to my grandchildren, telling them about 2008/2009
16. Catch a fish and eat it
17. Sleep outdoors watching the stars
18. Smile at 100 strangers (apparently about 73 will return the smile)
19. Take a trip in a hot air balloon
20. Watch a meteor shower
21. Get drunk on goon
"You're junk, Drohn." 'Nuff said.
22. Give more than you can afford to charity
Sponsored a child for a few years until I had to give it up this year due to being on a very restrictive student budget...
23. Look up at the night sky through a telescope
24. Have a food fight.
Whether you count the Great Ice Cream War of '09, the watermelon fight a couple of weeks previously or the grape fight at Kates birthday yesterday, Markus has helped very much with this one, repeatedly.
25. Play on a sports team.
I play netball now!
26. Read a Shakespearean play
27. Scream as loudly as you possibly can
Sandy and I used to do this in the car for no reason at all... pretty cathartic, though.
28. Do the 40-hour famine
29. See a total eclipse
30. Give mum + Sandy + grandma a dozen red roses and tell them I love them
31. Dance like a fool and don't care who's looking
I was going to use either the Silent Disco at BDO or any night at G to cross this one off. Then I remembered my performance of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' dance in front of the giant mirror at the gym. Yes, that works well.
32. Paint a picture on a canvas for my wall.
My house looks like an amateur art gallery now between Marcus and I, but I have now contributed TWO pictures to the walls! The latest was a blue and red Indian-esque style tree... I like it even if noone else does (looking at you now Mike, you bastard).
33. Visit all 8 states and territories
34. Take a vow of silence for a day
35. Dance with a stranger
36. Leave a lovenote on a windscreen
37. Steal a sign
I steal a lot of signs... only one street sign but also posters and stuff, whenever they take my fancy.
38. Build a giant sandcastle
Does a giant pod of whales count? Hell yes it does when you win FIRST PLACE for them and get a TROPHY for your efforts! =D
39. Be a member of the audience in a TV show
40. Go indoor rock climbing
22nd birthday, a bunch of us went indoor rock climbing, followed by laser-tag, followed by more rock climbing. Pretty fucking scary but still awesome.
41. Take a midnight walk on the beach
42. Punch a monkey in the face.
Okay so technically I didn't quite achieve this one. I was sooooo goddamn sick when I visited Bali's monkey temple that I mostly wanted to throw up on the monkeys. Luckily, a baby monkey jumped on my head. By the time I got rid of him, he tried to repeat offend so i kicked him a little bit. There's a video on youtube if you want proof.
43. Wear fancy dress for a whole day
44. In a restaurant, sit at a stranger's table and have a meal with them
45. Visit a foreign country.
One week in Bali. Suck that, List.
46. Milk a cow
47. Walk a marathon
48. Pretend to be a superhero
I do this one all the time in my daily life what with my Cptn America, Spidey and Superman shirts... but officially a dress-up event at work in '08 covered this one...
49. Sing karaoke in public
50. Plant a tree
Do herbs count? I helped plant the basil and I relocated the parsley... and I helped pot Pete!
51. Pretend to be invisible
52. Go scuba diving
53. Shower in a waterfall
54. Play in the mud
55. Play in the rain
56. Send a message in a bottle
57. Write a season of a television show
58. Tour an ancient site
59. Take a martial arts class
60. Play WoW for more than 6 hours straight
*sigh* I miss WoW. But it's probably for the best that it's not around anymore... unfortunately, whole days and nights could be sucked up by that game...
61. Go on holiday with no luggage
62. Make cookies from scratch
63. Spend one hour in a lift
64. Get a tattoo
65. Make a snowman
66. Spend Christmas Day in Lapland
67. Teach someone illiterate to read
68. Speak more than one language
69. Spend Christmas Day helping
70. Take an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
71. Experience weightlessness
72. Learn to juggle
73. Write an article for publication
That's right. I just wrote an article for the Star on a circus skills workshop. Y'all need to actually pick up your copies of the Star of your lawns and read them before you drive over them (yup, you're totally being targeted Mike) and read it. Then pretend Mark wrote it.
74. Touch a stingray
75. Help an animal give birth
76. Learn to meditate
77. Ride a horse
78. Swing through the air on a trapeze
79. Learn to throw a boomerang
80. Eat sushi
81. Make a kite and fly it
82. Take a surf lesson
83. Snowboard
84. Communicate with someone without sharing a common spoken language
85. Build my own PC from parts
86. Shave my head for charity
87. Build a treehouse
89. Buy a couch.
Okay so this one isn't as exciting as playing sports and hurting animals... but I did this a while ago, halving the costs with Mr Macus... okay, technically I'm still paying my half off, but the couch is in the house! It totally counts!
90. Marry David Tennant

Hospital visits...

Possibly the most emotional weekend I've had in... a really long time.

I spent Saturday at the RNS hospital... Bah. It was pretty full-on, anyway. I had a bit of a break-down. Sandy called and I just lost it. I had to leave the room and have a blubber on the phone to her, telling her that her and Kaydance are so very important to me and how I needed them to know that. That's one thing I really do like about me. The people I love will never lose me and wonder how I felt about them. They know how important they are to me and that I love them.

Hmm.

I guess it balanced out, for my own selfish reasons, at least. I had a pretty sweet weekend.