Hello to the ether from Robe

Xmas has been mad.
Last year so many things conspired against me and all I could think was how desperately I wanted to be with my family for Xmas because I just couldn't bear what I was going through all alone at that special time of year.
Well, I did and now that I'm back to tell the tale I've been doing a lot of thinking about how it was that I thought being here could possibly help.
My psycho aunt and I have done bitter battle simply because she keeps biting my head off and I've come to the conclusion I don't have to put up with that but she thinks this is somehow disrespectful ? Her responses were so aggressive when I tried to make peace and she was accusing me of needing to grow up.
She just kept pulling out personal attacks because she was so self-righteously angry.
Urghh- family.
Thank god for the sanity of the chaotic Martin farm - sweet relief from the middle-class angst of the Harris'.
SareB rules my world.
As do Sair with frequent sms and Wiz with his sanity saving calls.

Looking forward to New Year's Eve back in Adelaide.
Get to come back to an empty house, quiet work and my wonderful new ride.
Yippppeeeee

Hope everyone has been enjoying themselves.

Seasonal Fear . . Cheer ?

Lack of posts . . .
Still don't have my computer online again.
Have been riding a fair bit this week. Rode to work today despite the heat - I was a beetroot for a good half an hour after my arrival - certainly earned me a few looks. It only takes 30 minutes which is the same as in the car! I just get a massive cardio work out and go really red. FANTAST*C!

Apologies to those to whom I may have spoken to on Friday night after the Blank Tapes movie showing - I have very little idea of what happened. I was having some weird episode where I felt like I was in a dream - I was speaking and responding to what people were saying but don't recall what was said . . only that at the time I was paranoid something weird was about to escape my lips because I had no control - no conneciton between brain and communicative functions. Scary. But I do recall being very happy to see Cuchulain again - such a charming young man!
It was variously explained away for me as a panic attack and low sugar.
Whatever it was was not something I wish to repeat.

I'm back from a little Xmas cheer with my peeps, S&A. I'll miss them terribly in the short time I won't get rides and chats, chai. But I'll proudly wear their wonderful present~! Unfortunately my unpreparedness for the season even extended to them - A got a Xmas Heineken.
Experienced the nuttiness that is SingStar for the first time - the wonders that can be achieved by following lines on a screen despite a complete lack of knowledge of the song you're singing!

Went to Peach's family carols on Tuesday night - saw their lovely house. They live just around the corner yet they work so hard we never get to see each other.
They're getting married on the 17th - the day before S&A! It's going to be one big weekend!

Tuesday was a toughish one. I took a trip to Goolwa which proved revealing.
In terms of my own past and origins.
It's kind of unnerving to have preconceptions of selfhood pulled out from under you.
Then being told not to let it get to you because life is just like that, and well, it's done and happened . . . present day reality is no different. "You just deserve to know"
I feel a little rattled with what I have learned of my own beginnings . . . long suspected, but only in a half-hearted way.
Isn't it strange when suddenly the twistedness of reality appears in your own life - Kind of like my own version of Secrets and Lies.
And now I'm not sure if I should take the on the responsibility of telling anyone else.
Do they need to know ? Did I really ?
Should I tell them now or later ?
Should I let someone else ? Would they feel betrayed if I don't tell them ?
Will they care ?
Will the other people involved feel betrayed because I've revealed something that they themselves refused to disclose to me ? Do they think it's something better left unsaid; unexposed ?

Geet and I have been having my crazy escapades . . . bunny hopping, beach-going and an attempted 'dumpling-off' with Kevin for his birthday. Hopefully it will occur for Geet's.

What else have I done ?
Had a lovely laksa lunch and then had to ride to the physio through the mud and rain - My white dress wasn't thanking me after that - yellow down the front and black down the back.
Also got back my repaired birkis.

Had to return my bike light after it ceased to function porperly the first night I used it and then broke further on Sunday when Wiz and I were galavanting about the Torrens and Elder Park - ahhhh the lure of fireworks for nerdy people. Alison and I have the exact same bike light too - but oh so soon she and her 5 LED amazingness will be departing for Oz tour extravaganza.

Hope to be seeing the wonderful Shelley, lately of NZ fame, tomorrow and then have a crazy-full day of early morning breakfast with Alice, removed to Perth and back here for an Xmas flying trip, work and then the drive to the Mt for family celebrations.

How has this weekend crept up so ?
TOTALLY disorganised!
I have done some super cool framing of photos and the like . . . I love my job. But suspect that perhaps my workplace target potential employees who are likely to spend their pay packets before they leave the store. I have no idea where my latest purchase is likely to fit - in my new and as yet unbought and undiscovered house ?!!

SO I shall take this opportunity to wish all my faithful readers a happy and safe festive season.
May there be many more in the future~!

Merry Christmesssss~

PS Who's up for NYE madness ? So far I only have about 4 engagements . . . What's everyone else doing ?

Time for some music, packing and hitting of the hay - pilates in the morning!

Pa-tei~!

I think I'm in love . . .
. . . . bikesexual~!


Sair and I went for a 'cherry-popper' last night and damn, I'm enamoured of my life right about now.
Weather
Friends
Wheels
Inspiration and motivation
Work

Wonderful!


We had a super nice time at Karenski's party on the weekend.
Met lots of lovely new people and caught up with lots of peeps ~ Will back from China & his friend who was possibly called Simon, Chris & Naoko, Martine, Mykradz, Jess , James, Bel . . . of course, the amazing MikeeG and Karenski, Wiz, Stubby, S & A.


Then I think we all struggled a little to get going for the 2pm start of Stubby's show.
Then I had the best fight I've probably ever had in my life. It set a really important relationship back on it's feet by finally clearing the peasouper about us. Topped by a lovely dinner together.
Ace to you~!

Me at Karenski's pa-tei hardness . . .


Wiz, MikeeG and Karenski and I were all going for the trifecta with a dinner date on Monday, but K had to pike due to illness.
Wiz complained about the nerdiness of his companions but I would maintain that when two nerds cross their standard nerdy boundaries to find common nerdy ground that it's almost not nerdy.
We all then variously rode and walked back to MikeeG's for Wii!!!
I love the fishing game!

Work yesterday was also lots of fun with me messing around with framing my own photos in the morning and then I ended up staying late to help process the two massive orders of preframe stock that arrived together.

Then went via town for bikely madness - Thanks to Geet and Chris.

Winds of . . .

There have been shifts and changes in this past near two weeks.
Hard to define yet things seem a bit different.

There is so much that has happened but it's hard to point the turning points.
Hanging out lots with Geet, Sair, SareB and Beenz has been wonderful.

Talking to Peta for the first time despite having known her for some time, and having numerous serendipitous encounters with the lovely Tamzin. Hanging with old and new friends at the French Festival.

Meeting lots of random new people and having lots of new crazy A-town experiences to get the chronology moving along and taking me away from the landscape of the past.
Starting work at the framers has been great.
Liisa will be leaving to go and work at the Norwood store which is sad, but I might be going there too. I find the work quite enjoyable and inspiring . . . I finally have all these flowering ideas for art and craft again for the first time in so long.
I was also telling the genial MikeeG that I wish to study to be a milliner . . . I plan to look into courses for next year . . . So many exciting possibilities!!!

Yesterday Geet and I such day together. It was almost perfection - culminating in a fantastic purchase which I brought home today . . . Pictures will surely follow when I manage to connect up my laptop to the internet again.

Must away to more funness but just wanted to put some of the good vibes out in to the ether.

ALSO!! I meant to call but forgot on Monday night . . .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILI!!!!

Work, knocks offs/ups and art

No photos lately . . .

But today at work as the predicted flood of people picking up and making orders failed to appear I was getting a little inspired . . . I was looking through our print catalogues and pondering conceptualism and the consummerist/commerical nature of the 'art' we have.
Having seen a little of various of exhibitions on Wednesday night I've been thinking about this a bit. And wondering why I shouldn't do a bit of what lots of others are doing and cash in on the desire for 'art' that matches the walls and preexisting furnishings. It could be the start of a sell-out money-making scheme to finance a life of luxury.
Possibly.

What else . . .
Today I asked "When're you 'til?" . . . bemusedly realising the customer was addressing me, thinking he was referring to my having just filled in my time sheet, I replied "Oh, I'm here til 5".
"I thought I saw little bump there" he said still evidently not embarrassed by his mistake.
So taking a sidelong glance at Liisa, completely flabbergasted and as not to make him realise what he'd said, I piped back that that was also due at 5 too and just waited for him to get out of the shop before we laughed ourselves redfaced silly.
Liisa was worried that I'd be really offended and be rude, but I was more freaked out at the suggestion - what if he was some kind of savant without any social decorum.
Hmmm . . . not that likely. Probably just another northy nutter.
I figured it was my Moo-moo style dress that did it and I'd also like to blame it on his crazy eyes - It's not as though I normally look pregnant . . . weird.
I'll miss working with Liisa when I finish my training. She's such a champ.

Friday night after shutting the shop by myself with numerous incidences.
Had the Xmas party . . . that was also eventful as I didn't know what my coworkers even look like (Liisa being off at the Kylie concert) so I was lostly wandering about the Ed looking for people I didn't even know. Was a lovely evening despite this. Coworkers all chatty, especially enjoyed talking to the other youngy Bec, a jeweller.

Now it's already time to go out with Geet for an evening of party hopping.