Season 5 Final Poker Tournament

On Sunday the 9 December Pam and I attended the season 5 Grand Final for Poker at Fremantle Oval. This event catered for 200 pro-league players and 65 free-league players. The pros were playing for a first prize of $20,000. I qualified to play by being in the top 80 free-league players and Pam got in on standby.

It was a tough day especially for Pam who was massively hungover. I myself had not indulged so much as I wanted to have a clear mind at the game. It was a slow process to register and the game didn't start until 1pm despite us being there at 10.30am, so we went for food and some shopping.

As usual we ended up on separate tables, but we both managed to still be in the game after the first break (4 rounds of 15 mins). After the break both of us were pretty low on chips and after I had been moved to another table I ended up on the same table as Pam. We didn't last long after that. Not sure where Pam finished, but I was about 30th.

We went to leave and Frank stopped us and said we had to stay. I argued the point that I needed to get to the city before the shops shut at 5pm and that is when he said that he needed to present me an award. So to cut a long story short I was presented with the Rookie of Season 5. How embarrassing having to collect my award from Frank who was on a stage, whilst he bragged about how I had placed six times at final table and that I had an average score that most players would be envious of (396). Hmmmmm, but I have scanned my award for all to see as secretly I am a bit proud. Still think I am crap at poker, but will be looking for an improvement next season, which starts on 13 Jan 2008 (for anyone who wants to come along - as Pam and I will help you).

Just quickly want to add that although I had the day off today to get my hair done, I did pop into work for my weight watchers weigh in. OMG!!!!! I lost 1.8 kg this week!!! I have no idea how as I had a work Xmas do on Friday and drank heaps on Sat too. I now only have 100g to hit my goal weight. My next target will be 10% body weight loss as I tried the size down in my work pants and they were just a little too tight.

What a crap week - & only 3 days in!

Today sealed the crappiest week I have had in ages. It is full moon and I strongly believe that the universe has plotted against me. Today the tears flowed yet that has failed to relieve anything.
Monday - I get a phone call from my real estate agent (the one I rent from, not the one who looks after my apartment) to ask about the lease as it expires in mid January. The conversation went a bit like this (shortened version):
Aaron (estate agent): Do you want to renew the lease?
Me: Yes, definitely.
Aaron: How long do you want to sign for?
Me: I would be happy with 12 months again.
Aaron: Great as that is what the owner is keen on.
Me: Great.
Aaron: Now about the rent. You are paying $300 per week and the owner has had the property valued recently as you know.
Me: Yes
Aaron: He wants to increase the rent to $360 per week.
Me: What!!!!!!
At this point the conversation deteriorated, however I never swore. I argued that I was a great tenant (reliable, pays on time without fail, maintained the property) to which Aaron replied that market values put the place a lot higher etc etc - you can imagine how I felt! I argued extensively about being an owner of a rented property that it does not all boil down to money, but rather tenants that suit your needs.

To cut a long story short I made a counter offer of $330 and was told by Aaron to rethink my offer and call back in 2 days. I have since researched and hate to say that although I know rents had increased I didn't realise how much. Anyway I saw him today in his office and discussed at length my situation in that I have a house mate to consider and that they (Aaron still thinks that Antonia still lives here, not the new guy Aaron) will move out if it goes up to $360 per week. My offer of $330 was given again with this explanation and now I am waiting for a counter offer.

Monday night - was poker night. For those in the dark I play in the WA Poker League (No limit Texas Hold 'Em) on Monday nights. It was a huge night on Monday with 55 players - a record for the Poker Den! I was knocked out in 22nd position, so missed out on points for the season. Must have been thinking about the rent and not the game. That and I got dealt crap that never matched the flop or anything else. I only won one hand and ended up getting blinded out. Sounds all tech I know, but I will explain this all in another blog soon. I am ranked 5th at the den's ladder as you can see here. They also have photos, so if of the nights and you will find Pam's and my photo on this site.

Wednesday - I had a dentist appointment at 8.00am. I was really worried as my dentist, Zac Chami had died since my last visit. Very tragic as he is my age with 3 kids under the age of about 5 or 6. Details are sketchy, but there is a coroners report pending. So a new dentist call Michael, who is sort of standing in until the practice is sold. I am told that I grind my teeth and as a result a molar which has a rather deep filling has cracked. That explains the occasional pain I get in my jaw. I am advised I need a crown and the process will start now. After an hour and a half in the chair and numerous tears of fear and stress the temporary crown is on. It took 6 needles (3 lots of 2) before I stopped feeling the drill - especially where the crack was. The cost................................... $1300! I didn't have the money so have made a down payment of $400 with the rest due in 2 weeks when I go back and get my new crown fitted.

No worries as I have health insurance and this price will be reduced. WRONG!!!!!! A phone call to HBF to see how much I would get back in order for me to budget this soon resulted in my finding I am not covered for "major" dental work. All I could say was holy crap! Last thing I needed, plus the girl at HBF and my work mates said that $1300 was really expensive. Not like I can shop around now for the best price!!!!!! I have increased my cover to include major dental, as I need a root canal, however there is a 12 month exclusion claim time. ARGH!!!

So my credit card has just about been maxed and I am about to take a midnight horror flight to Victoria with Pam to visit Karen tomorrow night. Bloody typical! Looks like a budget holiday for me and no factory outlet shopping for me at all. Plus my new temp crown has a scratchy bit on it that needs drilling off (discovered this after the anaesthetic wore off).

All I can say is NOT HAPPY JAN!

Quick update

Just a quick update on my world seeing as though it is 10.35pm and getting to my bed time. I have also just started reading the last Harry Potter (at last) and want to get a few chapters in.

Where to start...... I went for my regular blood donation today, but it didn't go as expected. My haemoglobin level was right on the lowest acceptable level of 120, which disappointed me a bit as I have always had good levels. I got the experienced nurse as my veins are crap. Basically they are small, hard to find and tend to collapse if they don't get me on the first go. All was going ok as I joked about trying to beat my last donation time of 5 min 22 sec. She was impressed and said lots of people did this, but they have upgraded their machines and she said peoples times had slowed down. She got the needle in and then the machine wasn't setting up correctly, so she asked for help from some one else. This new person said not to worry - why ........ the vein was pierce (or what ever) and no blood was coming out, but it was filling my arm instead. I have never heard any one apologise so much. I bled a bit and they gave me a bruise cream (to take home) and an icepack. Still got my snacks, which I ate as I felt sorry for myself, then felt guilty about the weight watchers points. (They added up to 7.5 points!!!!!!)

So aquaerobics was out completed as advised by the nurse. Pam and Bradley still came for dinner, which was yummy Thai Chicken with red capsicum and bok choy. At least I had heaps more time to prepare and cook. We played scrabble and Brad beat us convincingly. Took my bandage off my (attempted) donation arm and it started bleeding again, so the bandage was put back on. Its a bit sore, but manageable.

I also have a new housemate called Aaron. He moved in on Sunday. He is a 32 year old pilot. Seems like a nice guy - very quiet, but I am sure we will talk more once we get to know each other. Guess we are still getting used to each other, plus he has just moved out of a house with 4 people to just me, so he is enjoying the peace and quiet. I will give more details about this later.

Work is still crap and stressing me out, but at least I am being paid. Don't feel like talking about it now, so more to come later too. Actually I am tired now so might head to bed. At least a short crappy post is better than no post!

Half way to my goal

I have been sick and tired of slowly gaining weight - you know what I mean - the slow creep, so that your clothes get tighter and tighter and eventually you have to buy bigger clothes.

So I have taken the plunge and decided it is time for a life style change. I joined weight watchers (at work) 5 weeks ago and have been taking an aquaerobics class at least once a week. Despite an initial set back, being what I have I let myself into, I have adjusted quite well. That first week brought the realisation of the crap I was eating, and the strong sense I would never be able to eat these things again. However I have learnt it is about moderation..... and point counting! Yes, my cupboard is still half full of crappy food, but I am damned if I am throwing it away and will work on eating it bit by bit. Kinda like rations, but yummy ones!

I have splurged, what with a Melbourne Cup lunch and numerous nights on the grog, but I am learning how to deal with this and adjust the week to save those damn points for those crappy food days. I have changed from Coke to Diet Coke (which surprised me how easy it was) and instead of shapes biscuits when I come home it is celery & carrot sticks with a tablespoon of lite french onion dip. I have also gone back to cooking some basis meals (meat and vegies) which are soooooo yummy after not having them for a while.

The aqua classes are a hoot. I go with Pam and my mum every Wednesday and sometimes Pam and I go on a Friday too. I think I am getting better at it and my mum just cracks me up with her dancing in the pool! The good thing is Pam used to teach so she gets me on the right track in order to get the maximum work out.

So the big question is ...................... is it working?

YES!

My plan was to loose 5 kilos (this may increase depending what I look like when I get there). Today I got weighed and I am at the half way mark. I can't believe I have lost 2.5 kilos! My work pants are getting baggy, which is a bummer as I just bought all new pants. Oh well, better off being healthier than have nice fitting pants.

The New Housemate

After Neil told me he was moving out to travel I was stressed at the thought of finding a new housemate and relieved that I hadn't had to ask him to move out, as things were not working out as well as they could have. Nice guy, but had no idea how to clean or have respect for other peoples property.

So I first contacted Flatmate Selection and paid $75 for them to look for a housemate for me and have an ad placed on their website. They were quick to take my money, but pretty poor in all respects for their services advertised. They provided me a list of 6 possible housemates. I contacted 4 that met my criteria and all 4 had found places to live at. I checked the website for my ad, but after 10 days it was not there so I emailed them and got some bullshit response that it was the East Vic Park ad. That was a 4x2 place, yet I have a 3x2 place. Not my ad at all, so I emailed again and they fixed it up - no apology for their mistake either. They have since provided me with 2 more possibilities in the last 4 weeks, but both aren't willing to pay as much rent as I asked for.

Fearing Neil moving out on the 13th Sept without a new housemate took it's toll on me. I was very stressed. I placed an ad in the West Australian for the weekend prior to Neil's departure and only 1 girl rang up and checked out the place. She was a definite no-no as she used to live with my ex-housemate Sheryl. Sheryl had warned me about her not paying rent and trying to borrow money of you constantly. Good thing is that she didn't recognise me as I am a brunette now.

The stressed mounted and then I had a call from Bronwyn on Monday evening. She was staying in a hostel and was very keen to look at the place. I had to go to my poker game, so we organised for her to visit at about 9.30pm. Pam stayed to check her out and all I can say is that she seemed perfect. The deal was made that I just needed to confirm the exact date Neil was moving out and perform my reference checks.

Bronwyn passed all checks including a call to her previous real estate agent in Darwin, so she moved in the day after Neil moved out. Talk about timing! It has been 2 weeks since and I could not have asked for a nicer person to move in. Clean, tidy, respectful and intelligent. I hope that she is feeling ok with me as a housemate, and a bit disappointed that she will be leaving in about 6 months to continue her travels around Australia.

Chris & Leanne's 80s Party Photos

80s Party Photos

Stupid Blog!

I am trying to (and getting really annoyed with) uploading a slideshow of the photos taken at Leanne and Chris's 80s Birthday party. I have no idea why it is not working and will probably find tomorrow that every attempt that I made has worked and there are now 3 copies of it.

So now that I have had a quick whinge about it I am heading off to bed as I give up!

Got tomorrow off so I will try again then and update my blog.

Good night!

PS: I have updated my photo to one from the party, so you can have a sneak peak.

Happy Birthday Ashley

Here is a photo of Ashley cutting his Freddo Frog Icecream Cake on his birthday last Friday night. He had a quiet gathering at his house with a few friends and family. I hate to admit that I drank way too much and got completely blind. I discovered later in the weekend that I was sick and this may have contributed to my glass and a half effort.

I hate to admit but I have been extremely slack at keeping this up to date lately. I have been sick on and off (nothing serious - just viruses) and my memory is just out right failing (must be all that drinking from my younger years). I was supposed to meet a mate for dinner on Tues night and forgot. I didn't realise until they rang me from the restaurant after I had just finished eating dinner at Pam's mum's place. Although I am not blonde any more I am sure I am suffering some residual effects.

I may have found my sporting passion, in terms of participation. Those who know me well know that I hate exercise. I had yet to find the sport or fitness venture that I enjoyed, however I went to aqua aerobics last week with Pam at the Somerset Pool in Vic Park....... and I enjoyed it. At first I wasn't sure as I felt a bit pooped and noticed that only 15 mins had passed of the hour long class. Then before I knew it we were starting a warm down and there was only 5 mins to go. I have purchased a pair of chlorine resistant bathers (which make me look white and fat), but I aint going there to impress any one, and they will last a lot longer than normal bathers. My plan is to go twice a week, but so far I have only managed once a week in the first two weeks.

My house mate is moving out in a couple of weeks. He is off travelling with some friends who are coming over from Ireland. I am now on the lookout for a new housemate and have started by joining Flatmate Selection. However they have given me a bit of the run around by not placing my ad on the net and then when I emailed them they said it was the East Vic Park advert, to which I emailed saying that it wasn't my ad at all as it contained none of the details I gave. I really hate the fact she lied to me and would have preferred if she just fessed up and said sorry. She also gave me 6 people to contact and the 4 that I was interested in and contacted have all found places. I am thinking that I have just wasted $75 and that I might give her a call on Monday to voice my grievances.

Looks like I will have to spend more money advertising in the paper again. The whole thing just shits me!

Anyway good to see that everyone else is keeping their blogs up to date - thanks. I thoroughly enjoying reading what everyone is up to and it sounds like everyone is well and enjoying themselves.

The computer is back

Finally I have the computer back!!!
A couple of weeks ago my housemate Neil told me the computer would not connect to the net. When I checked it out and couldn't get it to work I rang my provider (Iinet) and after much discussion and clicking around on stuff as advised (I have no idea what I was being told and considering it involved MSDOS stuff I was was clueless) it started to work. However I was advised by the iinet guy that he thought I might have a virus.
The next day it wouldn't work again. ARGH!! So I phoned dear Mikey and organised for him to have a look at it for me. I dropped the computer off at Ashley's place on Sat (4th Aug) as I was there for dinner. After hearing nothing I sent a text to Mikey on Wed 15th Aug. Mikey got back to me Friday and said that he couldn't find anything wrong with it and thinks it might be the modem.
So here I am connected to the net, no problems (YET) and finally able to pay my bills on line (thanks Pam for letting me borrow your computer). I didn't realise how much I used the damn thing and how frustrating it was not to have it.
Lots has gone on in the past couple of weeks and I will add other posts over the next few days telling all.

The New Job

My promotion took effect from Thursday this week. On Wednesday my team mates of CVC organised a morning team for my leaving. There were sausage rolls, pies, spring rolls and cakes galore, not to mention speeches from my Team Leader (Priscilla) and colleague, Barry. I even got presents and a card signed by most of the staff in the office.

As Barry said in his speech they wanted to find me a present that represented my hobbies and likes, and that only meant one thing - wine! I got 6 bottles of mixed white and red wine, plus an engraved pen (To Rosie from the Hot Shots Team - an in house joke) and a book called The Queen Bitch. The presents were perfect! I even got given a lift home as the wine was too heavy to carry on the bus, plus I feared I would be mugged for my wine.

Reality checked in on Thursday morning as I made way to the Northbridge Office (I was working on St Georges Tce before). I didn't know anything about my new job or have any experience with income tax and large corporate businesses, plus I didn't know one person in my new team.

I made sure I started later than normal so that my team leader would be there. I was introduced to most of the team and then the wheels felt like they were falling off. I couldn't remember any of the names of the people I had just met, my boxes of my desk stuff had not arrived (as expected), I could login to the system, but had no access to the data bases I needed.

But one of the guys took me for a coffee at 9am to talk to me about the work he does and how the team worked. His name was Mark (I think), but everyone calls him Nip ???? He has only been back 3 weeks after being on long leave to work overseas. I felt better after talking to him, but not totally settled.

By lunch time my eyes were popping out from reading info about the new business line I work for on line, so I emailed a friend who works in the building and begged them to have lunch with me, which he did. Thanks Dan!

Back to the grind and I was told that one of my team members needed a court document photocopied. The team leader reluctantly agreed and I was designated my first task, but wouldn't be able to do it until Friday as the colleague was using the document. I tried to look busy all afternoon and struggled and headed off to catch a new bus home (#220).

Today (Friday) I caught my new bus to work. Got the stop way too early - I will have to check this out and see if I can catch an earlier bus. This bus was brand new (like yesterday arvo) and almost empty. Got to work at 7.30am after grabbing a paper and milk on the way from the bus station to the office. I started checking out some induction information and got bored quickly, so decided to start the photocopy job.

OMG!!! This document was huge and bound. I could not take the binding apart as the pages weren't numbered and if an accident happened I would not be able to put it back together in the right order. So I copied each page by page. This job took me the best part of the day. I ended up copying 450 pages. How do I know - I had to count them as the office has this stupid thing where they are monitoring what people are photocopying! I also had to label the sections (all 64) as done by my colleague with post it tags. What a mundane job and my team leader could not apologise enough.

I had intermittent emails from my old team mates telling me they missed me - sob sob! I was told that they felt like some one had died. I can't believe they miss me that much, considering some of the grief I gave them over their reports. At least I get to catch up with some of them on Tuesday as my new boss has said it is ok to go to a lunch with them for as long as I like! I could really get to like this!

Sorry for the delay in my post. I have been busy with trying to wind up at the old job and stressing about the new one. Plus I have the added burden of a new house mate. Lets just say he is not even close to Antonia, however I had a big chat with him about it and he has pulled his finger out. He has also replaced my tim tams and wine, plus he has stocked his pantry shelf and bought some fridge stuff. I think he has a good heart, just been mothered too much! He aint gonna get looked after here!!!

A Local Pub Experience

Last night I went out with my sister to her local pub... Hmmmmm.... that was different. She was going there as some of her work mates were going as one of them was singing in a band there. Where to start......

I got to Bianca's house and still had to straighten my hair and put on my make-up. Then a couple of Attila's work friends showed up as they were going too. Attila took the kids to his mum's and we went with Attila's work mates, who are a couple of 20 year old girls. The ride to the pub was interesting to say the least, with me feeling like a nanna in a "P" plated car and the stereo blasting (I recalled memories of doing this), but found the whole experience too loud, feeling scared of the driver's driving and basically feeling like a complete twat.

The pub is literally a local - quite a dive and full of unsavoury types. There were bikies with lots of tatts, 18 year olds off their faces, sleazy old men and the occasional smell of pot in the beer garden. We even arrived while the skimpies were still on. Nothing quite like ordering a drink from a girl dressed in a piece of dental floss. It was all class!!!!

The band was not bad, consisting of 3 guys, being a drummer, and 2 guitarists. They played easy listening music and Bianca's work mate (nicknamed Princess) sang quite well. I must admit that he will not live it down at work after singing Brittany Spear's Hit me One More Time. That was a crack up!

It was an ok night and best of all Bianca made me cheese on toast when we got home! However I prefer my locals to hers - Sorry Bianca!

New House Mate

I am losing my housemate Antonia - sob sob! Antonia has purchased a 3x1 house in Forrestfield (Congratulations!!) which she is going to lease. She is moving in with her fiance Boyd as she can't afford to live with me any more.

Antonia moved in about 18 months ago and has been the bestest house mate ever. She is very clean, considerate and friendly. She is a pharmacist and has brought home many a goody for me from the chemist, mostly perfume and make-up. I will miss her a lot, however we have agreed to stay in contact and will catch up for dinners.

I met my new housemate yesterday. His name is Neil, he is a 27 year old plasterer and is Irish. He will be moving in next weekend (6 July). The poor bugger was living with a girl who told him she was moving out of their place to go back to England and only gave him 4 days to find a new place. He is going to have to stay at a friend's place from Tuesday until he moves in here.

I will give more updates once he moves in, but he seems like a really nice and fun guy and I reckon he may join us out on the piss sometimes.

I got a Dyson!!!

Who would have thought some one could get soooooo excited about a vacuum cleaner? Well guess who has???

I went to the Harvey Norman sale at the Convention Centre during my lunch break on Thursday and low and behold they were selling Dyson Vacuums (DC08 Origin) at just $399. I could hardly contain myself, but I did. I went back to work and phoned all the electrical retailers I could think of and none of them could match the price, apart from the Good Guys, who offered $398, but it had to be a cash payment and I had to show proof of the price. I didn't have proof, so I returned to the Convention Centre, purchased by new Dyson with an extended 4 year warranty, paid by credit and organised to pick it up on Friday!

I sent Pam and email about the great special as we had checked out the Dysons in Myers a couple of weeks ago. I thought she would never read it as she is on her holiday in Germany and Russia, but fate came into play and she did read it, and on Friday when I picked mine up I bought one for her.

I built it on Friday evening, but I haven't used it yet. It looks so clean and new that I don't want to get it dirty yet. I think I will use my old one tomorrow and then go over everything again with the Dyson to see what the old couldn't pick up. I have never been this keen to get out the vacuum cleaner. I am sure the novelty will wear off pretty soon!

So here is my new baby. Isn't she pretty and aren't I sad?

How to Remove the Pasha Bulker or Not?

Just testing how to add a YouTube video.

Christening of India

On Sunday 17th June 2007 I attended the christening of India Adelaide Lynette Carmichael. She is the daughter of Karen (my work friend) and Chris. She was christened at the King of Christ Church in Beaconsfield and wore a beautiful dress made by her grandmother. I heard that the lace used on it was 70 years old!

India was the perfect baby throughout the christening - wide awake, no tears or screams and smiles all round. She maintained this angelic behaviour at home whilst we all snacked and drank champagne and coffee. Karen kept waiting for the "wheels to drop off", but it never came whilst I was there and India was well and truly overdue for a sleep.

Who's that Girl???

Here is a sneak peak for all those dedicated fans of mine (how deluded??) of the new hair colour. It feels pretty radical at the moment, but I am sure I will get used to it. This post will be deleted soon as the photo is a shocker!

Engagement

A group of us (about 20) attended Charmaine's birthday dinner on 26 May 2007, only to realise that

ASHLEY AND CHARMAINE GOT ENGAGED!!

Apparently they got engaged on the Friday night after the Dockers win over the Saints. I was one of the first to arrive with Angie, Pam and Nicole. I spotted the ring first and started pulling faces at the girls. Nic was the one to ask.

So there you have it. Ash is getting married - never thought I would say that! No date has been set for the wedding, but I will keep all posted when I hear anything. Here's a photo of the couple.

The Waiting is Over .......

Just a quick note to say that yesterday I got an email as follows:

Thank you for your interest in the Wave 2 APS5 Compliance Officer positions which were advertised in the Commonwealth Gazette on Thursday 7 December 2006.

I am very pleased to advise that you have been successful in obtaining a position in Large Business & International Northbridge.

You will be contacted shortly by a Business Line representative regarding the specifics of the position including the details of your new manager and the area you will be working in.

Formal notification of this promotion/transfer/engagement will be sent to you by ATO Appointments within the next two weeks.

So I got a promotion!!!

Not sure when I start but will keep you all posted.

The bad news is that I am moving back to the Northbridge Office (no good coffee shops around and full of ferals and derros), and more importantly I will be leaving my colleagues - whom I have thoroughly enjoyed working with. I think I will find it hard to meet such a great team of people who got along so well and worked so well together.

World Blood Donor Day is 14 June

World Blood Donor Day is set by the World Health Organisation, the United Nations health agency.
The United Nations theme this year is: Safe Blood for Safe Motherhood.
Every year approximately 17% of pregnant women in Australia require a blood product to ensure they have a healthy pregnancy. This product is only available thanks to the support of voluntary unpaid blood donors.

What happens to blood
Most people think blood donations are used to help people who suffer traumatic incidents, such as accidents or burns, or in surgery. But, in fact, the vast majority of blood donations go to people with major medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease, stomach and bowel disease, liver and kidney disease, people with haemophilia and to newborn babies and pregnant women. The blood drop diagram below provides more detail.


Did you know that 430,000 people in Australia receive a blood product each year and it is estimated that 50% of Australians will require a blood product during their lifetime?

Unfortunately I will not be making a donation on World Blood Donor Day, because I made a donation on Wednesday 30 May 2007 and have to wait 12 weeks before I can donate again. Wednesday was my third donation since November last year. I made a New Years resolution this year that I would donate blood at least 3 times in 2007. I have made 2 donations this year and I am aiming for 4.

If this blog inspires just one person to donate blood then I have achieved my goal, however that one person with one donation will have saved a life.

If you feel inspired please phone 13 14 95 for an appointment at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service or visit their website to learn more and make that appointment.

Friday Night Football

Friday night was the last night game that the Freo Dockers will play at Subiaco Oval this year, so I took my camera to capture a moment to share with you. It was always going to be a quiet night as I was working overtime on Saturday from 7am to 3pm, and was on my second 6 day week and extremely tired, so there are no tales of drunken escapades at the footy.

Freo played St Kilda, an extremely injury riddled team in the AFL at the moment. I had tipped Freo to win, but as usual lacked any confidence in Freo winning. The only predictable thing about the Dockers is that are unpredictable!

I took my raincoat as the weathermen had predicted rain in the evening, and I also packed my gloves for when the temperature dropped. In typical fashion of me taking my raincoat - it failed to rain, and to add further insult the temperature never really dropped and I didn't use my gloves. It was almost too warm for my jacket, but I kept in on as I already had enough baggage with the raincoat and gloves in my lap, and the camera, oh and the radio etc etc.

Getting back to the footy, the game was fairly lack lustre. The Dockers didn't look convincing and the Saints were appalling and couldn't kick straight to save a life, especially Gehrig who I dislike with a passion and verbalised this quite frequently to Angie with comments about the way he walks like he has a carrot up his arse and how damn ugly he is. I would just like to add that ugly men should not play AFL football - it is not good for TV.

And the outcome of the game was a Freo win, 101 to 55. At least I have started the round with my first tip being right.

I want to put forward a theory I have on AFL games. That being the first to 100 point wins. Angie and I joke about this often and did on Friday night, but I think this theory is correct and would love to hear from others about this, especially of examples that buck this trend.

PS: Take note of the score in the photo - first to 100 wins!

Waiting ........

I applied for a promotion in mid December 2006. I actually cheated and paid a business to write my job application and prepare a resume for the cost of $220. This round of jobs was supposed to be finalised in February 2007, but some one stuffed up (as usual, and this time the ATO is blaming the recruitment agency - Manpower) in that a lot of job applications were lost during the electronic application.

I heard nothing for ages and the ATO kept posting updates saying this and that was happening, but no one heard a brass razoo about anything. Then one day I was actually talking to a colleague about the process when my mobile rang and low and behold it was a Manpower (not the strippers!!) saying I had been shortlisted for an interview. Great!! This interview was booked and to my horror it was a phone interview. I suddenly became very stressed as every interview I have been to has been in person and usually a panel.

I studied my job application and finally the day arrived. How did I go - SHOCKING! I managed to stuff up an example in true form by missing the end of the question in which the interviewer stated Give an an example of when you have used your understanding of taxation principles and practices to help a client and gave an example of a client that I referred to GST Field for a visit as he was non compliant with me. Field ended up penalising him heaps and he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars and they nailed 2 of his mates and he has done a runner. At the moment the ATO is looking at prosecuting the client, so how did this HELP the client?

I realised my error half way through my example and rather ask the interviewer the question again and start with a new example (that I was not prepared for) I kept going. Arrrgh ....... the pressure.

Anyways I am the only one in my office who has had an interview for the job, and everyone I talk to says that is encouraging. Our intranet site advised late last week that the candidates would be contacted and advised of the outcome the week commencing 21 May 2007.

Today is 23 May 2007- no word yet. I am trying to be patient, and really when you look at the fact these positions should have been announced in Feb, I guess I shouldn't hold my breath.

One thing I have learnt ...................... this may have been the best $220 I have spent in a while. As they say you have to spend money to make money, or was that just have money to make money?

Mothers Day 2007

For Mothers Day this year Bianca and I decided to take Mum out for breakfast, after the first idea of going to the zoo did not seem to appeal to Mum at all.

I managed to get a booking at La Tropicana Cafe at Cottesloe, however the time was for 8.00am as they were almost fully booked. Mum thought this might be too early for the kids, but we discovered it was a blessing instead. We all arrived in separate vehicles within 5 mins of each other and were able to easily get a parking space right near the cafe. Mum was most surprised that Atilla was joining us too. I gave Mum some flowers that I had picked up on the way and Bianca gave her a gift bag full of yummy soaps.

Kisses aside we ordered a big breakfast each, me no egg as usual, and Melissa ordered scrambled eggs on toast and Meagan a toasted bacon sandwich with tomato sauce. When the plates came out they were huge. We battled to eat it all including Atilla.

We then went for a quick walk along the path above the beach and watched the surfers. Despite threatening to rain the whole time it never did, but it was quite chilly with the breeze. If you ask me I think the surfers are mad and Atilla said that peeing in your wetsuit doesn't keep you warm long.

I think Mum had a lovely time as she had never been out for breakfast before. We have decided that we should do this more often as a family, so I look forward to that. I also look forward to it being slightly cheaper as all of the meals had been bumped up in price for Mothers Day.

Despite it being a fantastic morning and enjoying myself immensely with my family, there was a small part of my mind wondering whether I would ever get to celebrate Mothers Day myself. I really do hope so, but sometimes days like this really remind me of the ticking clock and my inability to find that Mr Right.

Nite Out with Karen in Perth

Just a few photos from when Karen visited Perth at Easter this year. We headed out for a bit of a girls night out. The guy with Pam is her brother in-law and the other guys are his friends. I know I was freaking blind by the end of the night!!!

3 Dates in 21 Hours

The speed dating saga continues. I apologise for the delay, but I have been a busy girl as you may be able to tell from the title. Not a bad stat eh?
I finally rang back 3 out of the 5 guys as I didn't want to book myself up too much and quite frankly the idea of 5 dates in a week was overwhelming. Rick and Pete phoned again and I rang Graham. So heres how it went.............
Friday 4 May 2007 6.30pm
Met Graham at the Balmoral Hotel for dinner and drinks. Being a smart girl I drove in case it was a disaster. It all went well and instead of heading home at about 8.30pm to watch my beloved Blues on Friday night footy, I stayed out to about 10.30pm. Graham is funny and the conversation flowed. He is a lunatic Freo supporter, divorced, 2 kids and drives a 4WD. We agreed to catch up again.
Saturday 5 May 2007 11.00am
Met Pete at the Mends St Cafe for a coffee. The conversation flowed easily and we actually had 2 coffees. Pete works in the mining industry, was previously a fireman (I love firemen!!!!) and in the SAS. He is well travelled, educated and intelligent and I found the conversation very mentally stimulating if not some times intimidating as I have never dated an intelligent man. We also agreed to catch up again.
Saturday 5 May 2007 3.00pm
Met Rick at a cafe in Vic Park for a coffee. I got there first and when he arrived he wasn't who I thought he was, but that didn't matter. The conversation did not flow and after half an hour I was over it. I tried so hard by asking questions, but got closed answers. He has no real interests apart from his brothers and their families. This was tough going and I bailed after an hour. Despite how bad it was he thought it went well as he wanted to catch up for lunch the next day - I was suddenly really busy. I just just texted him today and told a white lie that I had met someone else and was pursuing that.

Graham made an appearance at the Balmoral on Sunday arvo whilst I was at my usual Sunday arvo bottle of wine with Pam. He still made me laugh, but he is not the brightest person I have met, but he is a real nice guy. Pam was smart and drove as she was doing her washing at the laundry mat, whilst I got blind and suffered a rotten hang over at work on Monday.

I still have to phone Stefano and Glen to catch up, but have felt a bit dated out, plus too many coffees from cafes gives me the jitters real bad. Keep watching as I will call them soon. I am trying to keep an open mind on all of this, but I think all these guys from speed dating are all too old for me. You all know that I am a cradle snatcher and some things just don't change!!!

Speed Dating

On Tuesday 24 April Pam, Angela and I went speed dating. What a different experience!
We arrived at about 7pm at the Vic Hotel in Subiaco. Angela drove as she had to work the following day from 7am, whereas the rest of us had a public holiday - ANZAC Day. Upon arrival we received a list of 13 guys names and a voucher for a drink. Pam, being an experienced speed dater (only joking!) told us to put our bags on the comfy chairs, so that no one would get them. It looked quite romantic with tea light candles at each table.
I downed one wine and got another before we started at 7.30pm. We only got 5 mins with each guy, and boy that can go by really quickly. I started with Stefano (just back from 9 months in Tuscany), followed by Brendan (jumped the queue at the bar) , Vince ( the dancer), Paul (Pommy guy), Frank (the financial advisor), Peter (the ex fireman) and Mark (the welder). Then it was time for a well earned break.
Another wine and started again with Colin (nice guy), Glen (Pom who owns petrol stations), Graham (the East Freo supporter), Steve (Bill Ray Cyrus look alike), Liam (the Irish property developer) and lastly Rick (real family guy who is close to his 2 brothers). I ended up ticking 9 guys - can't be too fussy when you only have 5 mins.
After the selection sheets were handed in we all congregated at the bar downstairs and got some drinks. Some people started heading home for work and dawn service commitments and as the pub shut at 10pm we moved to the Subi Hotel. More drinks - eeek should have eaten before I came or at least made more of the nibbles on offer!!! Some one mentioned the Casino and on we moved.
Pam, Stefano and myself got a lift with Kirsten. Lovely girl and glad that Pam got her mobile number. We were going to the Ruby Room, but the queue was huge so we went to Paddy Hannans. Danced to the band and chatted with the remaining stragglers before getting home at about 1.30am.
I got a phone call on Thursday from Kristen (the speed dating organiser) and I had 5 matches! Couldn't believe it! The only bad thing was that I was off work sick with a gastro type bug and 4 of these guys rang. I only answered one and said I would call back later when I was better. The others I sent an sms explaining I was sick and that I would call next week. Even today I got a call from the 5th guy. Pays not to be picky eh? Looks like I am going to be busy going on 5 dates.
And for those who want to know who I matched with ....... Stefano, Peter, Glen, Graham and Rick!

Stay tuned for further updates!

The Car Service

Yesterday Pam and I had our cars booked in at Kmart Tyre & Auto at Carousel Shopping Centre. We dropped the cars off at about 7.50am and headed to McDonalds for brekkie. Karen was with us as she is visiting Perth from Melbourne and had spent the night at Pam's place.
When I dropped the car off I mentioned the battery probably needed replacing as I had noticed the cars ability to turn over was lagging. This isn't helped that I tend to drive the car on weekends as I catch the bus to work.
I got the call from the garage pretty early and the news was not good. I needed the following done including the major service:
2 new front tyres (the ones on it were so bad the guy said I couldn't leave without replacing them. Apparently down to a metal part????)
Serpentine belt (this drives everything including power steering, air con)
Rear brakes
Battery
3 lights (park and brake lights)

Total cost $850!!!! Holy smoke, I had not prepared for this or even saved that much for it. I had about $600 put away thinking that would be plenty. I felt like crying in the middle of Target, but kept it together. I told the guy to go ahead and do it all and I would work out the money part ....... somehow? Pam came to my rescue and I now owe her.
The shopping continued but I had lost a lot of gusto. Got my leggings and 2 bras as planned. Saved a heap in Myers (the bras cost me $68 instead of $100 - BARGAIN!) and even bought a birthday pressie for mum even tho her birthday is in mid June. Pam did some mean shopping too, including a fantastic Jamie Oliver saucepan.
Pam got the car phone call later and it was not good news either, but better than mine. Hers was $500 and included rear brakes like me.
We stopped for a cuppa and a recharge. Unbelievably Vanessa Mansford sat at the table next to us. I haven't seen her for about 4 years, but Karen and Pam hadn't seen her since high school. That is 19 years ago!!!!!!! We had a lovely chat and catch up about who we were still in touch with and what people were up to.
We shopped more and eventually picked up the cars at 2.00pm. I was told that I needed about another $500 worth of work and Pam was told about $1800 (this includes air con for $1,000), so that was depressing.
We dropped Karen off at her dads place and then Pam and I stopped in at the Vic Park shops to check out some tops in Jeans West. Amusingly we purchased the 2 exact same tops, heading to Coles for bread and Liquorland for a 6 pack of wine each. Finally got home at about 4.00pm and I was knacked and broke.

Birthday Pics

Birthday

Saturday 24 March 2007 was Pam and my 35th birthday, and to celebrate we organised dinner and drinks at the Balmoral Pub in Vic Park.
Unfortunately for me I got sick during the week and it kind of ruined the night. I ate half my meal and drank only 2 wines and 2 cocktails all night. Pam had tried to come to my rescue during the week, with getting lots of drugs like cold & flu tablets, garlic horseradish and vitamin C tablets, lozegers, and Karvol, but alas I was unable to get rid of the dreaded lurgy in time.
Luckily everyone else had a fabulous time!! In fact some struggled the next day to due rather large consumptions of alcohol and partying on in the city, whilst I was crying myself to sleep. Now I am all better and right and ready for a rematch, but it appears that some of the casualties from that night have vowed never again and I don't blame you as you all looked pretty messy.
Thank you all for you presence and presents, especially those who donated to my digital camera purchase!

Friday Night Scrapping

This is my first artist attempt at scrapping.
I went to Danielle's place with Pam and Bradley on Friday night (16 March 2007) to watch and learn how Pam and Danielle scrapbook. Brad was quite entertained with the big screen TV watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2, whilst we chatted in the front room, drank wine, ate M&Ms and scrapped.
I learnt a lot about scrapping, the most important being how expensive it is, followed by there are a loads of gadgets and gizmoes that you can use and all have special names.
Danielle suggested that Pam and I make mini clipboards and my attempt is pictured. It should have a mini silver bulldog clip on it, but it wouldn't scan well with it. I am quite impressed with my effort and look forward to more nights of scrapping, especially the wine, M&Ms and chatting.

A Week in Dunsborough Part 2

I am not sure this is going to turn out as I want but thought I was better trying to finish the Dunsborough trip, so apologies for the photo arrangements.
Pam and Bradley arrived on the Thursday night and rather late. I am amazed that they found us, but it helped that Angie drove to the town centre to meet them. The joys of mobile phones! Unfortunately the days are muddled in my head so I will just mention what we got up to.
We played Supa Golf one morning. The complex is new and located new the Chocolate Factory. As you can see I tried to play the part clothing wise, but failed substantially when it came to actually playing golf. Brad whooped us (he had had golf lessons previously), Pam came second and Angie and I came equal last. It was actually quite enjoyable, and I think we made a wise decision to just play 9 holes.
Second stop on this day was the Chocolate Factory and as usual I took handfuls (and more handfuls) of the free choc buds and taught Brad to do the same. Even grabbed my usual top up on the way out!! We had lunch at the Providore (new organic place), followed by visits to the deer farm (yummy - sorry Bambi), some wineries and the cheese factory. We also did wineries the following day, so I am not totally sure which day we went where. We also visited the Candy Cow and Brad got to go to the beach to go boogy boarding.
The beach was fantastic at Yallingup for Brad, apart from the first day boarding and his boardies fell down and he was rolling around the surf desperately trying to pull them up and not flash, whilst hid board floated away. I decided not to post that photo for Brad's sake and posted one of him clothed correctly.
The photo of Pam and Angela was taken at Laurence. It was the most fantastic winery I have been too. It seems fairly new and we only went there to take Karlene's advice to check out the toilets. Let me just say that the size of each cubicle was the size of a bathroom - amazing! The wine wasn't bad too.
Brad got over the wineries pretty quickly, but enjoyed the fact that most had dogs that you could pat and play with. I purchased only 9 bottles due to the fact I was stone cold broke, but Pam made up for all of us with 24 bottles!!!
Pam and Brad left on Sunday arvo and Angie I left on Monday morning. It was a fab holiday and I look forward to heading down there again as it is so relaxing.

A week in Dunsborough

5th to 12th February 2007

Angela and I had a week booked in sunny Dunsborough and I can't begin to tell you how delightful and relaxing it was.

Work had been driving me crazy and I hadn't had been on annual leave for a year, so as this holiday approached I did my best to contain my excitement.

Angie was the designated driver for the holiday, as I had driven last year on our annual pilgrimage down south. Pam and Bradley would be joining us later in the week. We arrived at Geographe Cove Resort at about half three on Monday afternoon and boy what a surprise the place was. We stayed in a 3x2 house that was perfect with all the mod cons.

Angie and I settled in and had a few days before Pam and Bradley joined us on Thursday night. The weather was fantastic (30+) for a seaside holiday. Our house was just a walk through the complex to the beach - perfect! Angie and I were lucky enough to experience a few hours out on a boat checking out the coast with Barry (my work colleague) and his wife Carole. It was flat as and I didn't get sea sick at all, which is a small miracle in itself. We moored the boat and had a swim off the shore of a beautiful beach. The water was unfortunately cold in most parts, with a few warms spots, that Barry swears he was not responsible for. It was a lovely afternoon and made me wish that I owned a boat.

We were very well behaved and avoided the wineries until Pam's arrival. Angie and I had our usual trip to 'The Goose' restaurant in Busselton. Again a perfect meal overlooking the 2km jetty, however we bailed on dessert in favour of buying wine and a sweet sticky liqueur to drink back at our new home.

I think I will divide this holiday onto a couple of posts, so that I can add more photos and so that it is quick and easy to read for all. So in my next instalment - Pam and Bradley arrive!

Out with MySpace and in with Blogger

I had attempted to do a MySpace, but I don't like the set up and what it looks like in terms of viewing it and photos. So taking good note of Danielle's and Belinda's blogs I have moved to Blogger. I get the feeling that I may have to visit Danielle for some serious tips on how you create an interesting blog with good photos, and now that she has her computer back I am sure she will be keen - please?

I will give a brief update from MySpace - I signed up for ADSL2 on 29 Jan 2007. Being my usual savvie computer self I couldn't even set the damn thing up without making my first call to my new providers helpline. I decided to try and do a myspace, which was pathetic :(
I was sort of impressed that I was able to add a 2nd posting about a friends new baby including photos, but that was the end of myspace.

I will make my start here brief as I will now have to try and work out how to add a photo to my profile. It is probably really easy, but it doesn't look as simple as browsing for a photo on my computer. Wish me luck.