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 |  My Blog. Generally Intended for Reading-Not Eating!. |
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Rose-Tinted Ramblings ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** A Little of What You Might Expect & A Lot of Everything Else that You Don't!. My writing style for my blog is invariably 'snarkastic'. This is because I am a nice, unassuming and quietly-spoken person IRL-and this blog is where my innermost moments and torments happen. Trust me, I am no exception to that delightful rule. Greetings! Welcome to my THIRD blog here on WDC. A re-incarnation of my earlier version of my Blog, here "Insanties and Sensibilities" this v.03 should prove to be equally...challenging and hopefully, entertaining. That said, life often weaves through our writing in mysterious ways, and this Blog will probably prove to be no exception to that. We are very likely all quite different, yet the same, us writers and our collective little whims, fascinations and insecurities. |
| December 07, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 48 (F) Cloudy Events of Note: Christmas parties (we're not attending) In the Nudes: Greece rocked by second day of riots.  Isn't today the anniversary of Pearl Harbor?. My husband's uncle is one of the few survivors still alive, today. He lives with Alzheimer's Disease, and is convinced that he's been kidnapped against his will. Very sad. Tonight, there's a Christmas party for one of our main clients. It's at a brewery. Not our scene, jellybean, nor is the setting appropriate for "Beanie", so my husband is working, while "Beanie" and I set up a warm blanket fortress on our living room floor. Frankly, that's an optimal option at the moment, as I spent a lot of last night awake, listening to my poor husband coughing...and coughing....and coughing. That was until he took some mild cough expectorant with a sedative, and then it was, snore....snore....snore. Merely providing a statement of facts-not complaining. I'm restless about my hair. It hasn't been cut since last May. I want to add some blonde-surfie streaks, again. It has no real style, but I know, if I get it cut again, I'll just be miserable, and poorer for the experience, too. Decisions, decisions. |
| December 06, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 37 (F) Sunny and chilly. Events of Note: Pre-Season/Non-Spring Cleaning. In the Nudes: Bush says Iran is still a threat.  Took a couple of days hiatus from here to get a jump on some serious housecleaning. Have been eying a pile of junk underneath our stairs, that I was tired of being bothered by. I made it go away, all by myself, last night.  Ten years ago today, I discovered that I had a 30 year old half-sister, who I didn't know existed up until that point. Same mother, different fathers. One of those breath-taking moments, but also an invitation for more complications, disappointments, and heartache. These children are N.Z's 'lost generation'-born to unmarried mothers pre-1977 (when other 'alternatives' became legalized). Ten years on, we keep in fleeting contact-we are both similar, yet so different. A half is no less of a whole. Sometimes, it's more.  Our toilet took a dump all its own and flooded the bathroom and laundry, late last night. My thoughtful husband immediately cleaned up the entire mess, and remembered to put the wet towels into the washing machine, and hit "Wash". I'm blessed. Spoiled. Seriously so.  My pansies and polyanthus are still flowering madly. In December?. Strange. |
| December 04, 2008. Whether the Weather: 50 (F) Sunny. Events of Note: Not spending money. Go, us. In the Nudes: Zimbabwe cholera outbreak "a national emergency"-Reuters.  I'm watching a doco at the moment called, "What Would Jesus Buy?". While I don't entirely agree with the religious slant (being non-religious), the timing of this film is very astute, given the Christmas Holiday Shopping frenzy. Do I need this?. How will I pay for it?. Can I/it wait?. Enough said. |
| December 03, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 46 (F) Clear and cool. Events of Note: Settling in and down (but not out). In the Nudes: Explosives found in Mumbai. In other news de jour, apparently school-teachers in Australia have been told by their education Ministry not to use red pen when marking/grading papers anymore, because it's bad for students mental health. What next?. We live in such a Mad Hatter world, that it's become stupid is as stupid does..."Tip: try not to use red pen-which can be seen as being aggressive-use a different color instead" (AAP). Just scoffed down a "Healthy Choice" dinner because I was too exhausted, er, lazy to prep something from scratch, having spent all of tonight catching up on housework, as I was otherwise diverted this afternoon, with spending $138 on postage of Christmas boxes to Idaho, Nebraska, Australia and New Zealand, as well as grocery shopping for all sorts of nonsensical non-food items, like tiny strawberry ice-cream dots for "Beanie" and 70% organic chocolate sandwich cookies for my equally sweet husband. My hubby's bleeper went off earlier tonight with an urgent client call, which will mean that he's out early tomorrow. "Beanie" still isn't sleeping well, and I'm the one who'll be getting up at all hours to her crying and whimpering - not that I am complaining - but it does wear all of us down, gradually. My internal Mommy monitor means that I'm left drifting somewhere between being dozing and half-awake all of the night. "Beanie" is getting one Christmas gift, and a small stocking this year, just as she has in all previous years. We'll each exchange one other gift on Christmas Eve, as well as on Boxing Day. *Yawn...time for a film, tub and a snooze. |
| December 02, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 60 (F) Sunny and mild, following foggy beginnings. Events of Note: Final postal preparations for this Season. In the Nudes: GM asks for US$18b in financial aid. Uh, yes, mentioning the weather [boring subject-infinitely]-November was a particularly dry, warm and mild month, here. More like Spring. Yet, New Zealand, technically 'supposed' to be experiencing Summer, had snow in November. Add to that, "Beanie's" sleep/waking clock has become somewhat haywire. Has us up four times in the night, while she's snoring throughout the early part of the afternoons. |
| November 30, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Sunny and mild, frosty overnight. Events of Note: Pool birthday party. In the Nudes: Death toll in Nigeria rises to 400. My thanks to everyone who responded to my observations, yesterday. As with such issues, it can often prove all too easy to focus on the negative, generalize, and think that everyone is a bad apple. One additional observation that I will make, in my experience of having lived here, and from my having visited Australia and Japan, is that people here do all that they can to avoid eye contact with you in the street or stores. Perhaps they are preserving their staunch beliefs in maintaining their personal freedom and privacy. We went to a birthday party at an indoor swimming complex, today. "Beanie" still has yet to fully grasp the safety implications of "Walk, don't run" in the pool surroundings, but then the lifeguard thought that "Beanie" was seven years old, instead of three. Still, it was a wonderful party, with a great mix of nationalities, and a lovely lot of children, including French and Japanese families. My husband had an early a.m call-out today, which was essentially a false alarm (invoiced anyway, at weekend rates), followed by an actual 4pm client appointment, which looks as if it could run until 10pm tonight. Makes no difference to us, at the moment. We're accustomed to difficult hours, and that is what proves to be most lucrative for us, too. The Pig Boys are doing well-BoBi2 and Brown Bear. They are a highly complex study in contrasts and comparisons with the late BoBi.Eek-"Beanie" just put her tooth through her bottom lip...Gotta run!. |
| November 29, 2008. While many folks express shock, anger and disgust at what happened at a particular nationwide corporate on "Black Friday", I am not that surprised, merely saddened. Two days before Thanksgiving, I had to 'rescue' a woman who was in a wheelchair which tipped when it became caught in the swinging doorways of a food chain store. As I was observing for a few seconds, five different people looked, then walked by. The chain store was filled with customers busily consuming their lunch, deep in conversations on mobile phones and amongst themselves, apparently so meaningful, that nothing, nothing could capture their attention at all. The woman customer in her wheelchair was studiously ignored, by both customers and store staff, despite her obvious difficulties, distress, anguish and indignity. Apparently, the store staff prefer keeping the doors closed because it's cold outside. As per usual, heaven help them if someone has to actually get off their backside and do anything. Physically, I had a difficult time wrestling the woman's wheelchair free from the door. Still, I managed it. Meanwhile, no-one moved, nor stopped to help. Mostly, people are completely unthinking. They're not interested unless it's happening to them personally. Self-absorbed and consumed. Inattention in this nation, alongside the inability to be introspective and humble has reached pandemic proportions in this country. If you're a Baby Boomer, you'd better be taking notes, as you all age, because no-one's going to be watching your backs for you Never-mind the poor economy. The American psyche is ailing-and the only people who can cure it, is ourselves. Not a bail-out package, nor a new President, and neither can a deep discount on some electronic "toy" provide any long-term respite and relief. Oh, wait-this is America. Everything will be alright. After all, this is just another day in paradise. Right?. Yeah, right... On a happier note, we have two new guinea pigs-and they're about as happy as piggies in mud-figuratively speaking. |
| November 29, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 49 (F) Clear and chilly, lots of sunshine. Events of Note: R.I.P BoBi In the Nudes: Mumbai terror operation is over-Indian officials. BoBi died, in the early hours of this morning. At about midnight, his breathing became very labored, and he could no longer stand up. He died in the early morning. "Beanie" is quite devastated. BoBi is the fourth pet she's lost in less than six months. I'm off to try and brighten the day for a very sad little girl  |
| November 27, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 52 (F) Cloudy Events of Note: Staying home, warm and dry. In the Nudes: Air NZ Airbus crashes into the Mediterranean. Well, 36 years ago, today, I put in my appearance in this world. Showed up in 1972, when I was "supposed" to have been born in late February 1973. So, maybe, conceptually, I'm 37, today?. Age is age, and we cannot deny ourselves that. Nor should we. I'm appreciative of the fact that I still have my mobility, which is largely a consequence of a tremendous amount of hard work on my part, combined with undergoing six reconstructive surgeries throughout my childhood. I look at the scar on my collarbone where I had a central line inserted, to give me life-saving medications when I was in the NICU. At one point, I shared the NICU with my twin cousins, who were born in February, 1973. One of them now lives and works in Australia. His other twin died as a toddler because of accidental strangulation (his sweater became caught on a hook in his crib). I remember developmental milestones differently-that natural progression that a majority of children sail through, even with a little supplemental help, but which became such a major challenge for me. My parents, my brother, my Auntie Fay, all gave me everything that I needed to get where I am, today. So, too, thanks to the medical skills and humane encouragement of my pediatric orthopedic surgeon (who died from cancer in 2006). While still others, have stood by me and mentored me in my professional direction and education, from public health researchers, to politicians, as well as my peers. Perhaps, most significantly of all, the culmination of my life's work, has been my marriage and motherhood. So, my general sense for my year ahead, is that there will be many twists and turning points-despite what the dusty attic that is my mind, may have accumulated over the years. |
| November 25, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 52 (F) Cloudy, looking like rain but not raining, yet. Events of Note: Watching "Hancock". Feeling cruddy. In the Nudes: U.S unveils fresh financial rescue plan. So, here I'm sitting, trying to stave off "rebound symptoms" with a triple shot hot chocolate, with six shots of whipping cream, and am still feeling crook anyway. My rebound migraine headaches are kicking my backside more seriously than the nice little bacterial infection that my bladder is busily brewing. I've already pumped through 1 gallon of water today, before you remind me that I shouldn't really be indulging in dairy at the moment. Yesterday, I was provided with two options:1. Stop taking migraine painkillers, so that I could begin antibiotic treatment for my bladder infection. 2. Keep taking the migraine painkillers, and spend Thanksgiving, and my birthday, in the hospital on I.V fluids and antibiotics for a kidney infection, because, based on yesterday's labs, I had a population explosion of red blood cells in places where there should be none, and a white blood cell count that was categorically through the roof. Amazingly, I wasn't feeling as sick as I have been many times before now. Actually, at this point, I.V fluids are still looking far more attractive than a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings (if you've ever been sick enough to go through a bag of Sodium Chloride, I.V., you'll probably know what I mean-it's the ultimate in hydration). Still, my sweet husband has to work all Thanksgiving Day, and I really hope that isn't also the day that our non-commonsensical relative chooses to drop by.  Oh, and the frosting on my day is that I'm PMS-ing. Have I ever told you how much I love the human body?. |
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