glory day

Dental blahs

You know it’s not going to be a great day when your first waking thought is “I have to be at the dentist in six hours.”

This will be my 30th dental appointment so far this year (although my first for seven months).  I’m just going to hope that everything stays on-script and that there are no nasty surprises.

But don’t try any of the moves at home

A while back David and I went to see Boy, a really sweet New Zealand movie set in the 1980’s (which you should totally see if you get a chance.  It contains the classic line “Ohh no, crayfish for dinner again!”).  The end title sequence had me screaming with laughter: it was an unholy mash-up of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Poi E -

Wait.  Unless you were brought up in NZ in the 1980’s you probably don’t know the awesomeness that is Poi E.  I think you’d best describe it as a fusion of traditional Maori singing and hip-hop (for a less musically-unaware explanation can be found here).  Most Kiwis think of Poi E affectionately – the video still makes me a bit teary and nostalgic.  You should go and watch it now because I can assure you that the chances of seeing anything like this again are slim to minimal (David’s face when he first saw it!  I have never seen a jaw drop so low.)  The break dancing is omg, so special.

So now that we’re all on the same page regarding Poi E, back to Boy.  The end title sequence features a nod to the lead characters’ love of Michael Jackson and it’s FANTASTIC and EPIC and HERE.  Please go and watch it.  If you can sit through it without falling off your chair because you’re laughing so hard you’re a stronger woman than I am.

Oh my WORD

De, Ke and I multi-tasked so enthusiastically yesterday that I have been good for nothing today.

Thanks for a great day, darlings!

Mult-tasking Sunday

My mum sent me a gorgeous tea-towel this morning:

If you can’t read it, it says “I’m a multi-tasker.  I go to parties, I smile, I talk, I enjoy great food and I have little drinkies”

PERFECT.

Today I am hanging out with De and Ke, so we shall multi-task together.

Ahhh, it must be summertime – the mosquito bites on the backs of my legs are infected.

Seriously, any fabric rubbing over them and OWW the pain.  Sadly however it is seldom considered acceptable for une femme d’un certain age to run her errands while wearing cut-off shorts so there has been the liberal application of antiseptic creams.

If there was one thing I could change about any part of me, it would be my mosquito-attracting abilities.  It would be so marvellous not to spend six months with varied infected sores on my legs.

Oh actually, much as that does sound great I’d still probably rather have my teeth.

~~~~~

I was reminiscing recently about a trip that De, Ke and I took to Port Douglas:

We went to Breakfast with the Birds and fed kangaroos.  That was such a great trip.

I got a whole pile of xmas decorations today

Massively bad day at the shop today – we didn’t even hit $300.  I hate a bad retail day, it’s very demotivating.

`````

Tonight I’ve had a few drinks with De and April, and really, I’ve not got a lot to say.  Would you like a picture of my cat?

Here he ignores the pernicious reindeer racing up the stairs – a reminder that xmas is coming!

Such sad news

God, what horrible news about the miners in Greymouth today.  My thoughts are with their families.

~~~~~

I don’t really have a lot more today.  I just lit a stick of incense downstairs and now my house smells of burnt dead goat.  Why I just don’t throw out that incense I don’t know.

~~~~~

Anyway, a propos of absolutely nothing, here is my cat sniffing the china I bought for my first birthday High Tea:

That was one of the top 10 days of my life, ever.

The cockroaches weren’t even the worst of it

This is the restaurant where David and I first met:

The writing is so faded you might not be able to make it out, but this was the Singapore Gourmet restaurant where we met within a group of friends nearly 8 years ago.

The meal was absolutely disgusting: I mean, I don’t have particularly high standards but you don’t expect cockroaches to be crawling over your legs while you’re eating dinner!

We now live about 200m from the restaurant (which closed down about 20 minutes after we met)  It’s really strange, though, because it’s still empty.  On this block properties are generally let within a week, so for this to sit idle for more than 7 years – well, it probably speaks to the amount of work needed to make it a tradeable business.

I just don’t like nature, really

I was incredibly daring and took a photo of the stick insect:

It’s blurry because I didn’t want to get too close in case it flew at me (umm, if they even fly) – and look, see how its mouth is open.  Totally waiting to bite me.

When David (the Australian of this partnership) saw it he confirmed it was a stick insect, that they were not in any way harmful – he is told they make good pets, if you want a pet that doesn’t do anything – and that I am a bit of a princess who needs to stop reading Things that will Kill You in Australia Volume 19.

So I was wrong this time, but at least I’m prepared.

I’m trying to pretend it’s not there

Help help help I’m being held hostage inside my home by a scary-looking stick insect.  It’s about 8” long and had really long feelers and it’s creeping me the hell out.  And it’s on my door!

I know it sounds stupid to be scared of a stick insect for goodness sake (although this one is so large it should be called a branch insect) but I am deeply, deeply suspicious of all forms of Australian wildlife with their myriad ways to kill humans.  Biting, poisoning, stabbing to name a few, and who’s to say that the stick insect won’t touch me with its feelers and scare me to death?

Wow, I need a cup of tea and a wee lie-down now.  Inside.  Where there are no stick insects.