As well as having non-conversations with the Big Cheese, I'm the official class parent leader for Will's class for the upcoming school art auction. Sigh. I guess that's what you get when you don't do reading/canteen/uniform shop duty (because you have 2 kids still at home people!!!). Anyhow, we need to do a piece of art that goes to an auction when parents drink too much and then bid too much. One of the mums paid $900 for a large canvas one year, and I heard another once went for $3000.
We live in a nice part of town I guess. Anyhow theme this year is frogs. Have you tried drawing a frog?
Others having been working on theirs for ages, and are creating stunning pieces. As for me, I've spent the little time I have (note 2 kids still at home people), engaging, socialising ideas and smoozing the local art framer, with the intention of only ONE big, big nudge on Tuesday.
I'm even dreaming about it. Will keep you posted, as this mini drama has the potential to implode dramatically and publically.
Note to self. Put hand up early next year for school reading/canteen/uniform shop duties.
A slice of life, whimsical look at just about anything with a teeny focus on living a purposeful life. Love it, live it!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Big Cheese
So I sent the Big Cheese an e-mail - a wee extract is below as a taster...
"....So the revised home page is not reflecting what we discussed 10 days ago, and has changed only a little from the previous page sent through 6/05 - I'm really worried about the way this project is progressing and also how long it is taking, can we please discuss - my website was paid for in full in February, it's almost June - this is unacceptable. What do you need from me to make this move quicker - where is the problem? Are you around for a phone meeting on Monday morning - between 11.30-1.30pm or 3-5pm?...."
After two more days of him not returning my calls, I finally got through. He scrambled and had clearly not read my grumpy e-mail. I got grumpier. And felt a wee bit on the verge of tears which is not cool, so mid chat, flicked on to TMZ.com to distract myself from the tears (works just as well as looking at the ceiling and blinking lots of times).
Conclusion, he tried passing the buck which I slammed back at him, he buckled and promised me that I would not have to pay hosting fees from now on as I'm a nonprofit. Happy. But still no website or as The Husband pointed out - a hollow victory.
So I said we needed to talk MORE. That was 5 days , 2 follow-up e-mails and 4 left voice messages by me ago.
Sheesh.
"....So the revised home page is not reflecting what we discussed 10 days ago, and has changed only a little from the previous page sent through 6/05 - I'm really worried about the way this project is progressing and also how long it is taking, can we please discuss - my website was paid for in full in February, it's almost June - this is unacceptable. What do you need from me to make this move quicker - where is the problem? Are you around for a phone meeting on Monday morning - between 11.30-1.30pm or 3-5pm?...."
After two more days of him not returning my calls, I finally got through. He scrambled and had clearly not read my grumpy e-mail. I got grumpier. And felt a wee bit on the verge of tears which is not cool, so mid chat, flicked on to TMZ.com to distract myself from the tears (works just as well as looking at the ceiling and blinking lots of times).
Conclusion, he tried passing the buck which I slammed back at him, he buckled and promised me that I would not have to pay hosting fees from now on as I'm a nonprofit. Happy. But still no website or as The Husband pointed out - a hollow victory.
So I said we needed to talk MORE. That was 5 days , 2 follow-up e-mails and 4 left voice messages by me ago.
Sheesh.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
An Observation
The nature of my world is that I seem to always rush everywhere and I think that this is just the reality of life when you have kids of a certain age and you're just in that stage where you need to get them to lots of different places and they can't fend for themselves. Although I wonder if there will ever be a day when I give the boys a couple of dollars and the bus timetable and say "see ya after soccer/swimming/tennis practice" . I live in hope. My rushing is notorious, as one pre-school teacher told me off for always rushing in and out and never having a chance to chat, I was too much in a rush to think of something to say back to her as I needed to rush to pick Will up from school. And DON'T get me started on carparking at school. That would take up this whole post, I'll save it for later. All I'll say is I should have done what my clever forward thinking friend Kristin did and get a house 8 doors away from school. Like I said, don't get me started.
Anyhow I had a revelation this morning - Fridays are very rushed days for me as I do 3 dropoffs at different places and then have a magic 2 1/2 hours before picking Smith up again. As I was waiting for a carpark in his pre-school (to reverse into - a small, irritating quirk of Australian schools, kindys, supermarkets, carparks in general is that you are supposed to reverse into car parks - my right front bumper will tell you that I haven't yet mastered that art, and yet I frown with the rest of them when someone has driven into a park - if I had too, then so should they!!!).
Where was I? As I was waiting, I saw a fellow rushed mother, rushing back to her car, and zooming away so quickly that the car behind her tooted at her. I thought she's either rushing to fully maximise her brief window of solitude, or she is rushing a very late child to school.
Revelation....it's not just me.
Anyhow I had a revelation this morning - Fridays are very rushed days for me as I do 3 dropoffs at different places and then have a magic 2 1/2 hours before picking Smith up again. As I was waiting for a carpark in his pre-school (to reverse into - a small, irritating quirk of Australian schools, kindys, supermarkets, carparks in general is that you are supposed to reverse into car parks - my right front bumper will tell you that I haven't yet mastered that art, and yet I frown with the rest of them when someone has driven into a park - if I had too, then so should they!!!).
Where was I? As I was waiting, I saw a fellow rushed mother, rushing back to her car, and zooming away so quickly that the car behind her tooted at her. I thought she's either rushing to fully maximise her brief window of solitude, or she is rushing a very late child to school.
Revelation....it's not just me.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Chocolate
Rafe has been sick - Friday night he pretty much cried all night then slept in our bed until 9am (and this boy consistently wakes up before 6am), so a mercy dash to the doctor where we jammed ourselves in to a teeny spot between appointments and managed to get to Will's soccer game in time where Rafe sat in the car crying the whole time - the joys of only having one car. We knew we were in for a tough time, 10 days of medicine twice a day. Putting this into context, Rafe eats about 5 things - maybe 6, that's his repetoire, and after almost 5 years we have adjusted to this particular quirk. And you guessed it...medicine doesn't feature at all in that list of accepted foods. But chocolate does. So my twice daily battle is convincing him to take his 7.5ml of medicine ("but I feel better now mum") as long as there is a chocolate chaser.
I knew my supply of chocolate was dwindling, but this morning what I hadn't prepared for was The Husband finishing it all off last night. So having taken his medicine, Rafe waited for his chocolate, I looked fruitlessly through the cupboards. One Always knows if one has chocolate hidden in the cupboard, it is never a suprise. So it was no to jellybabies, no to jelly beans (don't feature in Rafe's top 5 food items), with tears imminent.
I didn't want to but I had no choice.
The chocolate worm tablets were in the cupboard (don't ask, and if you're a parent you'll know why). I know that they look and taste like chocolate. And I knew I had to resort to desperate measures.
At least he won't get worms to go along with his tonsilitus
I knew my supply of chocolate was dwindling, but this morning what I hadn't prepared for was The Husband finishing it all off last night. So having taken his medicine, Rafe waited for his chocolate, I looked fruitlessly through the cupboards. One Always knows if one has chocolate hidden in the cupboard, it is never a suprise. So it was no to jellybabies, no to jelly beans (don't feature in Rafe's top 5 food items), with tears imminent.
I didn't want to but I had no choice.
The chocolate worm tablets were in the cupboard (don't ask, and if you're a parent you'll know why). I know that they look and taste like chocolate. And I knew I had to resort to desperate measures.
At least he won't get worms to go along with his tonsilitus
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Pockets in Jeans
Does any one else agree that the front pockets in jeans are unnecessary. In fact my jeans are usually so tight that I can't even get the tips of my fingers into these superfluous pockets.
So on Friday while waiting for my new website to arrive, I decided to do some unnecessary jean shopping so headed to the mall and scouted the jeans shops until I found a pair I liked but which they didn't have them in my size. The shop girl suggested that I try the smaller size on , now this isn't a case of "hey I must have lost loads of weight to fit into these tinsy jeans" coz that is simply couldn't be further from the truth- I wanted jeans at all cost and she wanted the sale. So I swear that after about 5 minutes, I finally got them up, then another minute to do up the button. I crouched down, did major leg bends and all the other atheletic poses and stretches that I normally only do when attempting to squeeze into jeans that are too tight. Another woman next door was doing the same thing but she had her mother with her who kept saying to her - "maybe you should try a bigger size", (and I saw her and unfortunately agreed with her mum). Anyhow thank god for many reasons that I didn't have my mum with me, and only the shop girl who clinched her sale by telling me those all important words "they'll give half a size within the first hour of wearing them". Good sales technique. She got me.
And for those that know how indecisive I am, you'll understand my next dilemma as they were the kind of jeans that were kind of washed out in places so I lined up all 3 pairs in my too small size, and tried to decide which "fading" I liked best. Unfortunately I needed to try on the 3 pairs to do this (x 5 minutes to get up over bum, then 1 minute to do up button), before getting the shop girl to decide for me. And as for those pockets on the jeans, can I get my hands into them? Not a chance!!!
So on Friday while waiting for my new website to arrive, I decided to do some unnecessary jean shopping so headed to the mall and scouted the jeans shops until I found a pair I liked but which they didn't have them in my size. The shop girl suggested that I try the smaller size on , now this isn't a case of "hey I must have lost loads of weight to fit into these tinsy jeans" coz that is simply couldn't be further from the truth- I wanted jeans at all cost and she wanted the sale. So I swear that after about 5 minutes, I finally got them up, then another minute to do up the button. I crouched down, did major leg bends and all the other atheletic poses and stretches that I normally only do when attempting to squeeze into jeans that are too tight. Another woman next door was doing the same thing but she had her mother with her who kept saying to her - "maybe you should try a bigger size", (and I saw her and unfortunately agreed with her mum). Anyhow thank god for many reasons that I didn't have my mum with me, and only the shop girl who clinched her sale by telling me those all important words "they'll give half a size within the first hour of wearing them". Good sales technique. She got me.
And for those that know how indecisive I am, you'll understand my next dilemma as they were the kind of jeans that were kind of washed out in places so I lined up all 3 pairs in my too small size, and tried to decide which "fading" I liked best. Unfortunately I needed to try on the 3 pairs to do this (x 5 minutes to get up over bum, then 1 minute to do up button), before getting the shop girl to decide for me. And as for those pockets on the jeans, can I get my hands into them? Not a chance!!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Face Book Again
How can i have dropped 3 places to now have the third best manners amongst my "friends"? Was it something I said? Did it have something to do with the previous post?
Work stuff
Why is it when I talk about work stuff I always seem to be moaning! This post is no different.
So finally a long awaited phonecall with the big cheese for the web development company who had taken my project under his wing to make it a roaring success. He obviously doesn't look under his wing often as he's been doing a big fat nothing on my project. So during this call as he was faffing, making excuses and other stuff that just annoyed me, I had this revelation - this project is mine, and no, no, no, I've had enough. No Big Cheese, I want all that other stuff that I have agonised over back in my website please, and no Big Cheese, I am not happy not knowing who to talk to regarding my business that I have already paid for - is it Discount Dan the slick salesman who pulled me in?, is it Ineffectual Project Manager - who made me write screeds of (brilliant) copy that Big Cheese seems to have discarded, is it Receptionist Chick who sent me crap last week, or is it in fact you Big Cheese? Who is my main man?
Apathy seems to have settled down on me and them, now it's time to blow that off and get cracking. Having had the wisdom and mentorship of Sir Bob Geldolf at The Husbands Conference, he said to me (and 1000 others) that it won't happen until you COMMITT to it happening and totally go for it. Well Big Cheese, guess what I'm doing. I'm going for it and I expect you to do the same.
So all is good, new proofs coming this week, and the government working group is now taking interest and asking me some scary questions - the horse and cart are both moving quickly.
So finally a long awaited phonecall with the big cheese for the web development company who had taken my project under his wing to make it a roaring success. He obviously doesn't look under his wing often as he's been doing a big fat nothing on my project. So during this call as he was faffing, making excuses and other stuff that just annoyed me, I had this revelation - this project is mine, and no, no, no, I've had enough. No Big Cheese, I want all that other stuff that I have agonised over back in my website please, and no Big Cheese, I am not happy not knowing who to talk to regarding my business that I have already paid for - is it Discount Dan the slick salesman who pulled me in?, is it Ineffectual Project Manager - who made me write screeds of (brilliant) copy that Big Cheese seems to have discarded, is it Receptionist Chick who sent me crap last week, or is it in fact you Big Cheese? Who is my main man?
Apathy seems to have settled down on me and them, now it's time to blow that off and get cracking. Having had the wisdom and mentorship of Sir Bob Geldolf at The Husbands Conference, he said to me (and 1000 others) that it won't happen until you COMMITT to it happening and totally go for it. Well Big Cheese, guess what I'm doing. I'm going for it and I expect you to do the same.
So all is good, new proofs coming this week, and the government working group is now taking interest and asking me some scary questions - the horse and cart are both moving quickly.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
D'ouh
I've gone and got myself on some government working group, hub thing about charitable giving in NZ.
What's the saying - something about a cart and a horse.
Better get cracking.
What's the saying - something about a cart and a horse.
Better get cracking.
Cupcakes
There have been a couple of differences that have stood out between Australia and NZ. Banana bread is a staple of Sydney cafes - usually toasted, about $5 and always on the menu, even at the skanky carwash place I went to yesterday, I saw a woman order some toasted banana bread with her capuccino "free with every superwash".
Petrol pumps are another - often they are out of order or out of petrol and you can't click "fill" and hold your pump, you actually have to hold it down until it's filled, there is no "fill" option. I know a small gripe, but you try holding your pump thingee down for 65 litres.
And cupcakes. In NZ, I guess the equivalent is a muffin, but in Australia, cupcakes are everywhere, you take them to school for your kids birthday instead of a Betty Crocker chocolate cake, you go to the bakery and there are no healthy, stodgy, fibre laden bran muffins, but rather bright yellow cakes with fluoro pink icing and "smarties" on top.
And Smith is becoming a wee fair dinkum aussie - we walked into the bakery today and he ran straight to the counter with a "cupcake mama, cupcake".
But we always buy Watties Baked Beans.
And yes they are very small gripes and worth putting up with to enjoy this gorgeous city! Check out this autumn day at the beach!
Actually what you can't see in the photo (and what The Husband also claimed not to see) were the topless women sunbathing, one was about 50, the other wearing just a smidge of a thong.....
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I don't get it.
I'm a complete novice at facebook, have hardly any "friends" and yet suddenly I've dropped to "last" in terms of being the "most confident" or "most adventurous" as judged by my friends.
Wow, feeling a little hurt and vunerable right now.
Although I am the "best mannered". Right back at ya.
I'm a complete novice at facebook, have hardly any "friends" and yet suddenly I've dropped to "last" in terms of being the "most confident" or "most adventurous" as judged by my friends.
Wow, feeling a little hurt and vunerable right now.
Although I am the "best mannered". Right back at ya.
Back to Work
I know it's been all quiet on the work front from me which is mainly because I have been waiting, waiting for the developers to come back with my redesigned website. Fact: building a website with this particular company is painstakingly slow. And frustrating. And unempowering. I have no idea who I'm dealing with at the mo. I think actually that noone can be bothered with my small project that has already been paid for (and banked), actually maybe noone can be bothered with me as in my frustration I may not choose my words that carefully.
Anyhow, yesterday, small progress. At last after much nagging, an email (from someone I've never heard of) and a redesigned website. My previous site had been 75% complete bar from some major functionality stuff to be nutted through. I now have about 5% of that regurgitated in this new version (and the 5% consists of branding and photos!). So another unhappy voicemail. And finally a message left for me promising a decent chat today.
I'm feeling a tad frustrated and helpless and want to get all staunch and take over control, but in the foreign world of websites and technical stuff, i'm completely lost!
More soon.
Anyhow, yesterday, small progress. At last after much nagging, an email (from someone I've never heard of) and a redesigned website. My previous site had been 75% complete bar from some major functionality stuff to be nutted through. I now have about 5% of that regurgitated in this new version (and the 5% consists of branding and photos!). So another unhappy voicemail. And finally a message left for me promising a decent chat today.
I'm feeling a tad frustrated and helpless and want to get all staunch and take over control, but in the foreign world of websites and technical stuff, i'm completely lost!
More soon.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Another night in the city
By now, you'll know that a mid week night out in the city is never easy for me, and last night we were being hosted to the Rocky Horror Show, 6.15pm dinner for 8pm show in a difficult part of Sydney to get to. I started planning the logistics a while ago. Babysitter booked, swimming lesson delegated, chicken and chips dinner promised (could feed the sitter then - all sorted) Juts a side note, in NZ where you'd normally find a fish and chip shop, in sydney we have Chicken and chips shops. I've seen one fish and chip shop - and it cost a small fortune for a basic feed - go figure? At least chicken is better for you than greasy fish.
Anyhow, the plan started to come unstuck at 1.30am Wed night with Will up and very upset with a sore throat. By morning he was a mess, and could I get in to a stinking doctor?????? IN NZ, I could saunter in almost any time I chose which was often with my 3 kids, yesterday the earliest I could get was next Thursday. Will was so sick he was crying, sleeping, crying and even a puke at Rafe's swimming lesson that I dragged them all to. Actually what would you do in this situation - Will puking, Smith toddling around the edge of the pool, Rafe with clothes half on, wet and miserable - which one should I deal to first?
So finally an appointment turned up (after much nagging) - 5.20pm - but hang on how was I going to get to the function by 6.15 when I'm at least 45 mins from destination. Suddenly the madness started. I was trying to get ready - Will was crying, little boys were bouncing dangerously on the trampoline, hair was being straightneed. baby sitter came, I zoomed to chicken shop, zoomed back, cancelled the cab I'd booked earlier that was now waiting at my gate. Shunted half dressed Will in car (he was having a hot spell), rushed to dr, then waited in a full waiting room. Gad there were three a head of us. Poor Will was so good, unlike his mother who just huffed, glaring at the reception ladies. 45 mins late (hmm, about 6.10pm), we got in, bad case of tonsilitus diagnosed, and we rushed to the pharmacist before he closed who was standing CHATTING to someone like forever. Couldn't he see Will was sick and his mother was FRANTIC. Got drugs, home, ordered cab. Found hole in only pair of stockings, put a blob of pink nail polish on then coloured in hole and leg with black pen (who hasn't done that?) Got in cab. Drove to wherever texting along the way to calm myself down a bit. Made end of dinner - but the spotlight was on me and I could only garble half conversations eg "Lisa, this is Sue, she's also from Dunedin" - everyone waiting for me to say something more intelligible than "white wine please". Made it to the show which was hilarious and bloody raunchy for a corporate hosted thingee. Funny but when Katie and I used to sing all the Rocky horror songs when we were 13'ish I just didn't get it! I even managed to put on a pink bower and do the time warp (although got pink fluff over my black dress - matched my nail polish on my stockings I guess).
What a mad, mad night.
The best part - Will's still home and feeling a smidge better.
And yes I did feel stink for leaving my sick baby at home, even though he's my biggest baby.
Anyhow, the plan started to come unstuck at 1.30am Wed night with Will up and very upset with a sore throat. By morning he was a mess, and could I get in to a stinking doctor?????? IN NZ, I could saunter in almost any time I chose which was often with my 3 kids, yesterday the earliest I could get was next Thursday. Will was so sick he was crying, sleeping, crying and even a puke at Rafe's swimming lesson that I dragged them all to. Actually what would you do in this situation - Will puking, Smith toddling around the edge of the pool, Rafe with clothes half on, wet and miserable - which one should I deal to first?
So finally an appointment turned up (after much nagging) - 5.20pm - but hang on how was I going to get to the function by 6.15 when I'm at least 45 mins from destination. Suddenly the madness started. I was trying to get ready - Will was crying, little boys were bouncing dangerously on the trampoline, hair was being straightneed. baby sitter came, I zoomed to chicken shop, zoomed back, cancelled the cab I'd booked earlier that was now waiting at my gate. Shunted half dressed Will in car (he was having a hot spell), rushed to dr, then waited in a full waiting room. Gad there were three a head of us. Poor Will was so good, unlike his mother who just huffed, glaring at the reception ladies. 45 mins late (hmm, about 6.10pm), we got in, bad case of tonsilitus diagnosed, and we rushed to the pharmacist before he closed who was standing CHATTING to someone like forever. Couldn't he see Will was sick and his mother was FRANTIC. Got drugs, home, ordered cab. Found hole in only pair of stockings, put a blob of pink nail polish on then coloured in hole and leg with black pen (who hasn't done that?) Got in cab. Drove to wherever texting along the way to calm myself down a bit. Made end of dinner - but the spotlight was on me and I could only garble half conversations eg "Lisa, this is Sue, she's also from Dunedin" - everyone waiting for me to say something more intelligible than "white wine please". Made it to the show which was hilarious and bloody raunchy for a corporate hosted thingee. Funny but when Katie and I used to sing all the Rocky horror songs when we were 13'ish I just didn't get it! I even managed to put on a pink bower and do the time warp (although got pink fluff over my black dress - matched my nail polish on my stockings I guess).
What a mad, mad night.
The best part - Will's still home and feeling a smidge better.
And yes I did feel stink for leaving my sick baby at home, even though he's my biggest baby.
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