Christine, Wondering

Random Musings of a Human Becoming

Sunday, December 31, 2006

The End of 2006

Wow, doesn't that sound weird?

I don't know where this year has gone. I swear it's only a few minutes since I was camped at Mum's house with no job and no house, hoping that everything would come together and I wouldn't wind up too broke.

And yet I know I've lived through an entire year since then - so much has happened!

The most important thing I've learned this year has been about myself: I'm not suited to a desk job. Strange but true. I can happily mooch away an entire day in front of the computer during my own leisure time, but sit me in front of a computer and make me work, and I die of boredom and struggle to get anything done. I need a people-oriented job. That was a very necessary discovery! It makes me very certain that teaching really is the right path for me.

In many ways 2006 has been frustrating, as I've been treading water and waiting for my life to get underway again. But, on the other hand, my life hasn't really stood still. I've grown a lot and learned a lot, and even managed to lose some weight. I'm stronger, surer, and know myself better, than I would have done if I'd just launched straight into teaching after quitting archaeology. This year may have annoyed me at times, but I don't regret it.

Best wishes for 2007, everyone!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

A very nice Christmas indeed

The Christmas whirlwind started on Sunday 24th. J and I went to an Advent mass in the morning, then I went up to Mum's. Mum, Elanor, Robert and I spent the afternoon making various fancy and filled chocolates and truffles. Good fun! I invented two new recipes (one filled chocolate and one slice), both of which were very tasty.

On Christmas Eve we had a BBQ in the backyard, then sat around talking. Eventually 'us kids' all went to bed and Mum and James put the presents out.

On Christmas Morning we had the usual present-opening bonanza. I got:

From Mum & James: A great 4-person picnic set in a backpack, which includes a thermos and a cooler compartment; and a $50 iTunes voucher

From Steven: The board game "Twister"

From Elanor: A pack of silver candles and two glass candlesticks

From Robert: A picnic rug that matches the picnic set

In my stocking: Some Ferrero Rocher chocolates and some chocolate coins. And a Santa hat, which Mum only bought because it said "Warning: Not A Toy. Keep Out Of Reach Of Children" on the label! It amused her :-D

After lunch James dropped me at Midland train station and I went off to Clarkson to meet Daniel. His present was possibly the best of all this Christmas - a full set of the DVDs of the series "Firefly". I really wanted it but hadn't put it on my list. It's sold out in Perth, too - he had to order it in!

After an hour veging at my house, Daniel and I drove back to Nicola's for the Christmas dinner. I set the table with my usual flair (lol) - I'll post pictures when Mum sends them to me. Dinner was a traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a plum pudding with icecream and rum butter. Yummmm.

After a pleasant evening's chatting, Daniel and I drove home, and Daniel stayed at my house.

On Boxing Day morning we had a nice sleep-in, then drove to Dad's for lunch. Lunch was pleasant (seafood and cold cuts), and the conversation amicable and harmless, if nowhere near as stimulating or amusing as the conversation at Mum's. Presents were:

From Dad & Anita: $300 off what I owe Dad!

From David & Belinda: A nice, if a little cutesy, necklace and earrings (all on a purple heart theme - a bit childish but I'll no doubt find something to wear them with)

From "Santa" at Dad's house: A box containing various chocolates, biscuits etc out of a hamper.

Plus we had great crackers at Dad's, from which I got a stainless steel biro and a cute silver-look necklace.

On the morning of the 27th Daniel went home early and I mooched around then got my act together and went to visit my grandmother at her retirement village a few suburbs away. We had a very nice afternoon tea and a nice gossip, and I got a box of choc macadamias (as if I needed more chocolate lol) and a scratch-n-win ticket on which I won $10. I also got a card from my aunt and uncle in Sydney with $40 in it.

So that was my Christmas. Fun, family, fine presents and friendliness. Lol.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

OMG, this is hilarious . . .

A friend of mine from BtN, where I'm a moderator, made up these song lyrics for me:

She's makin' a list,
And checkin it twice,
Gonna find out,
Who's registered twice,
Moderator's cleanin' the town.
She knows just who is posting,
She knows if you're a fake,
She can have you banned from here
So be good for goodness' sake!

That is *awesome*

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

*Yaaawn*

It's the morning of my second-last day in my current job, and I've completely had enough. I'm working during the day *and* in the evening today and tomorrow, then working Friday and Saturday as well, and then Sunday is Christmas Eve! And I'm already worn out.

Bah!

But it does mean that I'll basically get paid double my normal salary for this week, which will give me some extra cash to play with in the new year. Methinks a new swimsuit and my textbooks will come out of this!

Monday, December 18, 2006

I got in!

This afternoon when I got home from work, my letter of offer from Murdoch was waiting for me. I'm now officially enrolled as an education student for 2007! WOOHOO!

I'm so looking forward to being a real student again, and over the moon that I'm going to finish my course in one year. This time next year I'll be a fully-qualified primary school teacher!

Funnily enough, Daniel found out today that he has successfully completed all the requirements to graduate his BSc . . . and it's our 1-month anniversary today! Obviously it was meant to be a great day today.

Some photos from the last few weeks . . .

The roses Daniel gave me on my birthday:

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Our Christmas Tree (my tree, a real living Norfolk Island Pine; my decorations; decorated by Joneen and I):

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The Christmas Cake (made by hand to Mum's recipe, covered with marzipan and fondant icing, and decorated with glace icing and cachous, all by me):

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Tonight's glorious sunset, which seemed the perfect end to a very good day:

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Oh, and Australia won back the Ashes in Perth today (er, that's cricket, for the non-Commonwealth folks). Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

:-)

Thursday, December 14, 2006

A quote

Daniel, on discovering yet another penguin item in the house:

"The penguinness is strong with this one"

:-D

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

What a fantastic birthday I've had!

The 11th was my birthday, and it's the best birthday I've had for a long time. For a start, it's the first birthday since 2003 that I've been home in Perth with all of the family around me. I also got a great haul of presents . . . more about that below.

My birthday celebrations started on Sunday with dinner at Dad's. It was Belinda's birthday on the 10th, so we had a joint dinner, with no fuss. The food was very decent given Anita's style of cooking! Daniel came with me, and met that lot for the first time. We played backyard cricket (well, front-yard in actuality), and I bowled David out twice, even though he plays cricket every week as his sport. Rah! Still got the knack! :-D

I didn't really get any presents from that side of the family - I asked Dad to take some money off what I owe him as a present, and David and Belinda gave me a keyring (which is totally not my style, but I'll find some use for it somewhere!).

The morning of my birthday started with opening a card from my paternal grandmother, which had arrived on Friday, and which to my surprise contained $50. I wasn't expecting anything! She said in the card that it was to help with expenses around Christmas, which was sweet.

The next surprise came when I was just about to leave for work. J is in Canberra with Bec and Jon this weekend, and I thought that they were going to buy a present there, and then I'd get it when Joneen got home (today). But instead, I found a text message from Bec telling me to go look in the bottom of J's wardrobe!! The present there turned out to be Scattergories, my favourite board game that I've been asking for for years. I actually danced around the room with it :-D

At work we had a morning tea for me and another girl whose birthday was on the weekend. We had to provide the cake, though! Then a little later, my team gave me a gift, which was only a hand wash and hand cream set - a little silly since I sell Nutrimetics, but still, it's the thought that counts.

The most glorious surprise of the day came at about 3:30, when the receptionist came walking down the hall carrying a dozen long-stemmed roses that Daniel had sent me. I had no hint that he had planned anything at all (we had dinner together on Saturday and I kind of assumed that that was my birthday thing with him). They weren't just roses, either - they were 70cm-stemmed Black Magic roses, which are a particular type of rare and expensive red rose with dark-edged petals. It even had a hand-written card. He'd been planning it for two weeks! When I phoned him later he was really cute about it - trying to pass it off as "nothing really" but at the same time making sure I knew how much expense and effort was involved. Lol.

After work I went up to Mum's and had dinner with that lot plus Jean and Paul. Dinner was lovely and the cake I asked Mum to make was perfect. I got a very decent set of presents, too. Jean and Paul gave me a Folio Society diary, which is a lovely illustrated diary. They gave me one last year too (for this year) and I have no argument with having another one for next year! Elanor and Robert gave me a beanbag and the beans to put in it, so it's a good thing I had Joneen's car lol. I've wanted a beanbag for years and I'm quite shocked that I finally got one! Nicola and James gave me a great comprehensive general-purpose tool kit and a nice set of BBQ utensils. Steven got me a set of locking pliers (which were the only thing the tool kit didn't have but really needed) and a pair of maroon ceramic candlesticks. They were all things that were on my list so I feel really spoiled!

I'll post a photo of the roses when I get a chance. They really are wonderful :-D

In other news, I've now got *two* waitressing jobs, at two different cafes. One is for weekends and the other is for weekday evenings, so that should work out fine for next year. Yay!

Friday, December 8, 2006

I got a job!

On Monday, I started applying for jobs I could do after hours so that I could do my degree as a real full-time internal student. Today (Friday), I had a lunchtime interview with a café. This afternoon, they called me to say that I'd got the job. I start a week today, on the 15th!

That was ridiculously easy. The labour market is so tight at the moment, they're snapping people up before they get away.

So I'm all set for a year of working my behind off to get myself through this degree. Woohoo! Or something.

It's not going to be much fun working weekends - I'm going to miss out on family things left, right and centre, and possibly never see daylight - but it's only a year (plus however long it takes to get a posting in the city next year), and then I'll be out of it. And it's worth it. Ooh, it's worth it!

Thursday, December 7, 2006

It's all happening in my life right now :-S

Oh, I'm *happy*, don't worry about that. It's just that life seems to be increasingly complicated!

There's Daniel, of course, and all of the (delightful, mind) complications that go with suddenly being in an intense relationship.

Then there's the fact that I've decided to go truly full-time at uni next year, and am therefore looking for after-hours waitressing jobs (and I've had one interview so far and have three more this week, woohoo). And associated with that is the fact that I'll have to wind up my current job, which is complicated.

And on top of that it's my birthday next week, and Christmas 2 weeks after that, so everyone and their cousin wants to see me at least twice.

*Yawn* I really ought to get more sleep to deal with all this, except I can't, because I'm dealing with it all when I should be sleeping . . .