Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Easter

It's that time of year again.  Yep, where the Easter Bunny hides the eggs for little kids, the Christian Church reminds us that Jesus died on the cross for us - then rose three days later - and we have four days off.  In the past, I've had really good, bad or downright ugly things happen to me over this time of year.  This year?  I got new neighbours; and for once, they're nice.
Another thing I have is time to myself to read... and that feels great.  In the last few days, I've been doing some odd jobs around the place so that I can have a worry-free long weekend to do nothing but read or play the piano or watch a few dvds... or nothing at all but play around on the computer and internet.  And it's been a great feeling to get a fair bit of the jobs I was supposed to get done in Summer done now (my only reason for putting them off was because we've had a really stinker of Summer).  So, I've gotten the few things I've promised myself done.  
Over the next few days before Good Friday, I'll be doing a little more gardening, vacuuming the lounge, stairs and my bedroom.  Then, there's the office to clean up (I haven't really gotten into it since the Library Book Cull late last month), the bathroom needs cleaning up a little and all the floors need washing and then there's the dusting.  
Also over this long weekend, we'll be going in to April and on 356 project I've suggested a challenge to everyone to put up a month of photos of animals.  They could be their pets, animals they work with, animals they see every day... just about any kind of animal that is around.  And just when I thought people weren't going to take part, I had 16 replies overnight!  People wanted to give it a go with their pet rats, cats, dogs, horses, birds... well, you name it, they're going to dig into the archives of their computers and put them on 365 project.  I'm so pleased people want to do this!

Well, this is what I'm doing over my Easter Long Weekend.  What are you guys up to?  And if you don't celebrate Easter in any kind of way, what do you do with the four days we have anyway? 

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Just Can't Win

It seems that I can't seem to win.  I've been trying to date online and offline for some time now; and just when I think I've figured it out, it seems that I scare the men away.  And last week was a great example of how to scare somebody without really meaning to.

This guy and myself had been talking on the phone and internet for about a week or so.  We hadn't met up due to both of us not having all that much money and his car being at the shop for repairs.  Both of us enjoyed a lot of stuff in common: music, reading, sports and cooking delicious food!  We hated the same stuff too: junk food, smoking and couldn't suffer fools.  So, I'm wondering what went wrong between last Sunday and today (we were supposed to go to the markets near me).  
Last Wednesday, he smsed me and told me that his car cost him more than he expected and he felt rotten about telling me that we'd have to give today a miss.  Then.... I didn't hear from him after that.  I tried calling him, but his phone either went to message bank or told me it was switched off.  And don't you hate it when people do that do you?
Mum smsed me today - thinking we were/are at the markets - and I called her back from home telling her that I wasn't there but here alone.  She was surprised.  She asked what happened and I told her.  However, Mum thinks there's more to it; and so do I.  I've been put through many excuses of bullshit before; and the list is long, but there are a few favourites that keep getting used:

It's not you it's me.
I'm sorry, I flat broke this week.
Did you really want to go out?
My car broke down an it's cost me a fortune to get it towed.
I think we're growing apart.
Um... I have been dating other women.  Haven't you been seeing other guys?
Well, we might have too much in common.
I only like you as a friend, but not much more, sorry.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lame excuses men will use to get away from women.  But, there are some real doozies when they want to get near you!  However, they are for another post at another time.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

March Is Something Different!

Wow, another month is over and I've been busy; but you wouldn't know it.  Unlike last month, I haven't been busily cleaning... no this month, I've gone out and stayed in equally.

At the beginning of the month, we had a lot of rain and I did my volunteer work at the Logan Art Gallery on my own.  So, I got a lot of reading done there of a couple of books; but three-quarters through 'Under The Dome', I put it down.  It just got too much with all the detailed description about every single person's lives and how bad each personality was and who was bad and who was worse.  Ugh!  Just get on with the story please.
But as the rain fell - as did the temperature - I found that a few fungi grew in my garden; mainly in the pots.  And once you get those in your soil, they don't go away.  But they can look just gorgeous!  So, I took an absolutely wonderful photo while juggling my umbrella and my digital camera and uploaded it onto 365project; and did I get some great comments!

On 8th, March, a few friends and I went to the Globe Theatre in Fortitude Valley to see 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars'... but I didn't make it all the way through.  So, one of my wonderful friends took me to see a great photographic exhibition at The Powerhouse Museum where I took some gorgeous shots of the rose gardens and the outsider art and the flood markers.  Very cool.  Once the movie was over, we made tracks to Taringa and had the most delicious dinner I had ever eaten!  And mine cost a little over $10!  Not bad if you ask me.
By Tuesday that week, I had won a trip to Mooloolaba for two to stay at Mantra on the beach!  So, I chose to take Mum with me... and she's thrilled to come.  Now, all we have to do is pick a date when Dad's around to feed and care for my little bird for a few days.  I can't wait to go.  I'll blog about that too!

Then, yesterday was Purple Shirt Day for Epilepsy.  This is an official day to bring about awareness to the public about this somewhat invisible - but horrible - condition that afflicts people with minor and major seizures.  Seeing I'm a sufferer of this degenerative condition, I felt strongly enough to let people know about it on Bookcrossing and 365 Project as well.  But we made it more fun on the latter and turned it into a theme day getting people to wear purple shirts and outfits and get a photo of themselves dressed that way.  Well!  The reaction was fantastic!  So far, we've gotten more than what we expected in photos showing up under the tag 'Purple_Shirt_Day' and there's more to come as the weekend keeps going.  

So, that's my Do Something Different this month.  It doesn't seem much, but for me was.  Stick around and find out what I do that's different for me next month.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Purple Shirt Day

I thought it would be wise to do this one the day before so you can all get into it on the day. Tomorrow is Purple Shirt Day. It's the international day to wear a purple shirt and be aware of Epilepsy world wide. Epilepsy has been described as a short circuit in the brain. A wiring problem. All kinds of things. However, there's a multitude of cultural differences in how it's explained across the globe. For me, my brain just works differently to others... a lot differently.

When I asked one of neurologists to show me on an EEG print-out where my brain went wrong, he pointed out a little ^ which should have been pointing down the other way. I was amazed such a little thing could screw things up; but it did.


I'm still amazed.

Being born with the condition, my life hasn't always been ideal. I've had some bad times. During my childhood, I remember going to get blood tests many times during my school years; and detesting it. As I got older, needles became a fear I couldn't control; however I found ways around the pain of them and when I talked to the nurses, they told me how to prevent how much the tests hurt. And I can tell you now, water has a lot do to with how much a blood test will hurt. If you drink about four glasses of water beforehand (about two hours before), you'll feel less pain. Honestly, you will.


However, as I entered my 20's - and wanted to drink, smoke and party, my condition came back. I had also burnt myself out after returning from a trip overseas (something I don't recommend to anyone. The burnout, not the overseas trip). It's taken me since the age of 19 until now to get myself worked out and my brain organised. And now, I have been seizure free for 6 years only yesterday. A lot of that has to do with new medications, my lifestyle and how I deal with stress.

And all I ask you to do tomorrow is wear a purple shirt for the day. It's so you and others around you can be aware of how many people around you have this condition; and believe me, it's more common than you think.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Autumn.

I love the change of seasons between Summer and Winter; when the sticky hot days slowly disappear and the cool winds of Autumn make their presence known. And the nights are lovely too; right down to the crispness of the night air when the sun vanishes below the horizon. It's just lovely. My Mum loves it too. I think it might be the English/Scottish blood in us that makes us look forward to the slow-cooker meals, cold nights in front of the oil heater and hot chocolate. But Summer just doesn't cut it for me.

In Summer, I get the heat rashes, heat pimples, sun burnt, heat stroke, dehydration and sleepless nights (because it's too darn hot) and stupid television shows because our Summer goes over Christmas and New Years and it's not a great time to show repeats of old shows.
But when the seasons change and it becomes cooler, you can really get into the hot meals, dress warmly, jump into the garden (because most of your plants turn dormant and it's the best time to repot anything that needs it). And then, there's the freezing cold nights where you can cocoon yourself in your duvet and sleep like the dead and wake to a darkened cold morning, peek out the top of your covers and think: 'Nope, not yet! It's too dark and cold to leave the confines of this toasty burrow!'.
Yep, I love Winter. It makes me get in and do things. I dress in lovely long-sleeved, turtle-necks and highly-polished shoes. I eat the most delicious home-made pastas and sauces. I knit long, long scarves and get into reading wonderful books about other countries and other places while it's freezing cold outside. My art takes off too; with paintings about anything and everything; with warm colours abound and cool colours touching the edges.

Winter here in Brisbane may not initially last all that long, but there's a run-up to it; where we have cold days and warm days and the cold nights and warm days. Even though we're in a tropical climate, it can still get quite chilly here and people don't realise it. Anyway, I wouldn't mind a little bit of snow once in a while. It'd be a lovely change to a cold day; besides, the last time I saw it, I was 19 and in New Zealand.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St Paddy's Day!

Being part Irish, I really don't have to dress up for this day; seeing I have the red hair and all to set off the day. But I do, and I love wearing a green broach or a green jacket; and today, I wore my Celtic Cross ear-rings as well. And it being a shopping day, I was ready to take off into the lovely day with my blue shopping trolley and handbag; when I closed the front door, locked it, turned around and the heavens opened up! I stood there and thought of one line from 'Jaws' that everyone says when something like this comes up: "We're gonna need a bigger boat". In my case, I needed a bigger umbrella! So, I unlocked the door, and swapped my small umbrella for my big one and - once I locked up again - walked off towards the post office.
After posting off two items, I headed off to the bus stop and it arrived within 10 minutes. My day was going okay. I ran into a friend at Woolworths in the vegetable section and we chatted for a few minutes; and another lady (Robin) showed up too, who was helping my friend with her shopping. It was so good to catch up with them both at the same time. Also there were some school kids from Woodridge Primary School all learning how to read price tags and items on the shelves with the teachers. It's a good idea to do that so they can teach their parents. Before Woolworths, I had picked up some lovely coin purses and wallets from Life Line. I was so chuffed to find them; after around a month or so not finding a single one in their boxes, I finally found some wallets worth photographing and enjoying the use of.
Once I walked to Logan Central Plaza, I dropped in True Hardware to pick up some PVC glue for my collages (more this time as I'm going to be doing a bigger one) and had the help from one of the guys there who was lovely. He angled me towards the bigger ones that were cheaper but not of a name brand; yet were just as good. I grabbed a $7.95 container of it. It ought to last me a few collages. Then, I went to 'Woodys' and paid $10 off a layby; but ended up getting 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' off layby instead... what a great movie! I love it! Tim Curry in those sexy outfits is just brilliant!
I did the rest of my shopping pretty quickly; purchasing bird seed on the way through and seeing the most gorgeous gray budgie in the cages at the pet shop. Coles was my next stop and I bought exactly what was on my list - well okay, I bought liquid paper, I needed it! - and then I jumped in a cab and came home. On arriving, the cab driver and I found the car gate to my unit complex wasn't working... and we were locked out! OMG!!! I had my trolley and five bags of groceries to get up to the back of the complex by myself!!! What a disaster! So, I tried calling Mum and there was no answer on either the home phone or the mobile. Then, I saw a neighbour come out and asked them to help me (this was after I organised the groceries into three bags; but they were still too heavy for me to carry on my own!) and the lovely lady did!
Once home, I thanked the lady and Mum returned my phone call. I told her about the gate and she told me to call the Body Corporate and they'd get somebody to fix it. *Sigh!* what a day! I'm exhausted! And now all I want to do is fiddle around on the net here; and that's exactly what I'm going to do!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

To Be Lost So Young

I was shocked this morning to hear on the news that Corey Haim has passed away from what was reported as an accidental drug overdose. It's reported that he had been using over-the-counter prescription drugs and collapsed at his Mother's house in California late last night. Corey was a child-star and had a massive following of fans throughout the 1980's. He shaped a generation in his roles with such movies as 'The Edison Twins in 1982 (which was his first television series), 'Silver Bullet' (1985), 'Lucas' (1986), 'The Lost Boys' (1987), 'License To Drive' (1988), 'Dream A Little Dream (1989), 'Blown Away' (1992), 'Merlin' (2000), 'The Lost Boys 2 - The Lost Tribe' (2008), 'American Sunset' (2009); he starred in over 35 films and produced a number of others as well.

After 'The Lost Boys', he was often seen hanging out with Corey Feldman and the two got together and did a reality television series called 'The Two Coreys' which was canceled in its second season. But the two kept in contact and stayed friends; starring in 'The Lost Boys 2 - The Lost Tribe' in 2008.
I've been digging around on the net and found out a lot about his life and read a lot of sites that have conflicting news reports on them.

However, I did find his official myspace and website for you all to have a look at and read up on him. Corey Haim will be remembered as a great child star who had problems, but I personally will remember him in 'The Lost Boys' as Sam. That film was the best teen vampire film by far!

Corey Haim 1971 - 2010. May He Rest In Peace.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday, I had the best time. Actually, it was the afternoon when it all happened and even though the weather looked like it was going to pour at any second, it didn't. At 2pm, my friend Geoff Treagus picked me up from my place and we drove to West End where we picked up Will, another buddy of his. From Will's place, we walked to Musgrave Park to watch Bike Polo. It's a new form of Polo; kind of what they do on horses, but it's on a bike. The best thing about this is that the bikes don't get an attitude and they don't crap everywhere. Also, it's a very original way of playing the game.

From there, after I took a few photos, we walked back to Will's place and drove to Stu's house where he got in the car and Geoff drove us all to Fortitude Valley to the Globe Theatre where 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars' was playing; along with 'Labyrinth' - both David Bowie flicks. However, I didn't last long in the first one as it was a film of his 1973 concert and it was chock full of strobe lights and I hate them with a passion (they make me feel really sick and give me headaches; no matter what they do to my epilepsy, I still hate them). So, Geoff and I went to The Powerhouse Museum at New Farm Park while Stu stayed at the Globe to watch the rest of the film and Will went home; he was tired.

The Powerhouse used to be just that: the place that powered Brisbane. But as the city grew, the demands on its power needs did too. So, the place became obsolete; and it closed. In recent years, it has been turned into an entertainment place with a restaurant, art gallery, stage and concert hall areas. There are also markets held there nearly every weekend. It's a very cool place to go on weekends. What Geoff and I saw were photographs of rock'n'roll bands, singers and guitarists all framed and well-presented. There were the likes of Henry Rollins, Angus from AC/DC, Nick Cave and Iggy Pop just to name a few.

On the way to the car from the movie, Geoff and I were walking around a corner in Fortitude Valley when I heard somebody tapping on a car window. I turned and looked to see my brother and his girlfriend waving madly at me just before the lights changed. I waved back just in time for Geoff to ask who the hell that was... hehe... I told him that was Gabe, my bro and his girlfriend and we kept walking talking about his band; and me not realising - forgetting - that they might be playing around the area and we could have gone there instead of the Globe. Oh well, next time.

By the time we got back from the Powerhouse - and I took some pretty cool photos with my digital camera - we were all hungry. So, Stu, Geoff and I headed off to Taringa to a tavern and had some food. I ate the most delicious Barramundi burger I've ever eaten in my life! And I was home by 8:30pm. A pretty cool afternoon was had by all... and it was fun. I'll have to do it again in the next few months Brisbane's brief idea of Winter comes around.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tropical Lows and Floods Out West.

Over the last few days, we have had a lot of rain! It began on Monday night and didn't stop! I remember it because I was just getting to sleep at around 11pm after I turned out my light when it began. When my alarm went off the next morning, it was still going!

And it kept going all day.

However it wasn't just us in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast that got it, all the country towns out west got hit first. And some of these places haven't seen a spot of rain in decades... a few have never seen rain since they began keeping records of rainfall. It's been amazing and dreadful. Our dams have filled to overflowing; which means we've had to open the
floodgates and let some out.
It means that Charleville, Roma, Birsville and St George are just some of the towns that have been declared 'Disaster Areas' by the Queensland Government and there are some people out on a cattle station who live on the Injune Highway (if you're reading this guys, I'm thinking of you all!) who I know are cut off from anyone in the surrounding towns. I have tried to get in contact with these people; and so all I can say is that I'm thinking and praying for them each time the rain falls... and that's every hour or so at the moment.


After all this time that a good part of Australia has been drought-stricken, all this monsoonal rain has brought it all to an end. Some parts of the outback are going to be green for the first time in a very long time; and that's good. I only hope these flood waters subside before the next deluge. But at the same time I also hope this return of the rains continues... just not in one big hit like this one.