Avatar

Saw the ads on TV and decided I wasn't in a hurry to see it.  It looked a little environmental soppy and political for my liking.

But then I did see it.  In 3D.

Man.  Do you remember going to see Star Wars in 1977?  Do you remember how you were wowed by the effects?  How did they get stars to twinkle like that?  How did that huge Star Destroyer seem to hover over our heads in the theatre?

Well go see Avatar.  Sure it has that environmental soppy political theme to it but thirty years on and finally we have a whole new cinema experience.  The 3D? Just go see it for yourself.

It barely needed a plot. And I'm not your Transformers/Terminator/Special effects blockbuster kind of chick.

'twas the night before Christmas ...

The wreath is on the door.

The tree is dressed and ready.

Carrots and sugar have been put out for the Reindeer.

And the ham is being glazed as I type.

It must be almost Christmas!

A very merry Christmas to you, and yours. And a safe, happy and prosperous New Year to you all.

Love M xxxooo

Breathe out ...

A couple of weeks ago I took a huge breath in and prepared for the manic last weeks of school. One child finished school on Wednesday and one finishes next Wednesday but given that the last three days of school consist of packing up books, holding a 'talent day' and going to the park I consider it to be more akin to babysitting than school.

This last week has been particularly manic with performance reviews due at the office, speech night for the youngest, concert band performing at the local carols evening, presentation assembly for the eldest and then her clarinet exam today.

On Wednesday night my 9yo was given the above award at his speech night. Its held in a local church with a long aisle and plenty of room for all parents. PL had to walk the length of the aisle to receive this well deserved award.

Blossom was inducted as a school prefect for 2010 at her presentation day yesterday. We learnt that the school will increase to 750 students next year. When Blossom started in 2004 the school had 500 students.

Blossom (R) and Mozzie looking over the examiner's remarks after their 3rd grade clarinet exams at The Con today. They were both thrilled to get a B+.

It has been a long week and I look forward to a sleep-in tomorrow...

Hands up who wants to move Christmas?

• Gifts for teachers - check
  
• Christmas pudding made - check
  
• Interstate Christmas Gifts posted - check (mostly)
  

Just over a week ago I had a mild panic about Christmas.  Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have Christmas AND the end of the school year so close together?  Really, couldn't we maybe move Christmas to late February then we could have the whole summer to plan.

And of course some daft-minded companies schedule their annual performance reviews for right now.  

But anyway I think I'm mostly under control.  

Except for Christmas Cards.

Every year I send out Christmas cards by the 1st December or thereabouts.  I wonder what will happen if I don't send any this year?  Do you ever wonder how many of the cards you get are simply 'reply' cards.  Perhaps I'll see who sends first... a little childish but it'll be our little secret.

But you know I won't be able to help myself.

It's like New Year's Eve.  I said I wasn't going to host a New Year's Eve party this year.  But, you know, I actually like having a NYE party - so I've sent out invitations.

The 9yo finishes school tomorrow and he told us tonight that he will be getting a certificate.  I'm not sure whether that means he gets a certificate at Speech Night or at their final assembly. And we have no idea what the certificate is for.  Either way we are extremely proud of him because it's his first year at a new school where he had to learn a whole new routine and make new friends.  It's been a great move for him.

Our 11yo, Blossom, has her presentation assembly on Friday.  She has been announced as a Prefect/Leader for Year 6 next year (I'm not sure what to call it, the school are using the terms interchangeably).  The School and Vice Captains will be announced out of the prefect group at the Assembly.

Just to ensure that we are not bored this week Blossom's school band is playing the carols for the local carols service on Thursday night and she has her 3rd grade clarinet exam on Saturday.

Like I said earlier - school end or Christmas has got to be moved.  I vote Christmas because I'm quite fond of the summer holidays.

Randomly placed sentences

My brain has stopped working in neatly ordered paragraphs so I present you with randomly placed sentences.

• It's official - the iPhone is cool.  It wasn't cool until I got one because before that they were naff.  I just want to look at its black box of marvelousness all day.
• There are not many benefits to working in an office, however air-conditioning has to be the biggest.  Is it hot outside? Who'd know?  I almost had to put on a cardigan today and it was pushing 40 degrees in the Western suburbs.
• Working for a French company it has become more and more obvious that I'd better brush up on the language.  In the last couple of days I've received two emails with attachments only in French.  I now know that when you add the words 'a pied' to a description of a camera it means tripod, not 'on foot'.  
• There's a chance I'll be in Paris in May next year so that's my target to speak passable business French, again.
• I've been back at work for 6 months.  My probation ended on the 5th November.  They seem to want to keep me on.  Go figure.
• Is anyone else's diary spinning out of control in the lead up to Christmas?  I know I should expect this but it always seems to catch me unawares.  Next week I have bookclub, an awards dinner, a Christmas dinner with bloggy mates, the end of year school band concert and the end of year ballet concert.  
• When on earth am I going to make the Christmas pudding?
• Cripes. Christmas cards. 
• We put in a Development Application (DA) to council for some minor changes to our house and entry from the street.  Our crazy neighbour objected to our new street entrance and has stalled the whole process.  We've had to delete the new entry so we can get on with the main part of the renovation.  Our crazy neighbour has objected to every DA in the area.  Now no-one talks to her and she's a virtual prisoner in her giant 5 bedroom house.
• We've decided not to host street drinks this year on account of the strained relationship between our crazy neighbour and everyone else in the suburb.  We feel we'd have to invite her and then it would all dissolve into petty awkward silences.
• Not sure whether to host New Year's Eve again this year.  I'd like to but Firegazer is not so keen. He wants to wait until the renovation is finished.
• Last Sunday marked the end of an era.  Firegazer sold his Sporty V8 and has bought its complete opposite - a Hybrid family vehicle.  Meanwhile I'm about to sell my sensible family car and buy a small zippy commuter car to drive the 45 mins to work each day.
• While I'm rambling I should mention that I hate ironing.
• I've read some GREAT books.  Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy is all over the independent charts at the moment for good reason.  And Fairlie introduced me to The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.  All excellent reads.
  

I'm off to have a shower and read my next bookclub book:  The book of illusions by Paul Auster. Night all.

iPhone users - give me the low-down

Calling all iPhone users.

I'm thinking of joining the mob. Thinking.

I need the low-down.  What plan are you on and why?  How much do you really download?  

Do you have one and regret it?

Jet-no star Service

Main Beach, looking towards Surfer's Paradise,  7am

Last week I was our quarterly management meeting, held on the Gold Coast. At the same time, Firegazer was overseas at a "strategy meeting" (meaning: company-sanctioned golf trip). We had to employ a live-in Nanny for the children. For some people this is easy. They ring an agency, a nanny arrives, end of story. Me? The thought of another person who is not related to me looking after my children for days on end is a little terrifying. Especially when she is a complete stranger. Anyway, I wrote copious instructions, the nanny arrived and I left for the airport.

You will understand that it was extremely important to me that for financial reasons the trip away be productive and for personal reasons that I arrived home when I said I would.

Enter the famous Jet-no star Service.

I arrive at the airport on Tuesday and check-in the required minimum 30 minutes prior to the official departure time. Those who have travelled Jetstar will know that you must do this regardless whether the flight is delayed from its official departure time or not. Sure enough, once I had checked-in I was told the flight was delayed an hour. Fine.

An hour and a half later we board the aircraft. After an additional half-hour we are told that there is a problem with the audio system and they would have to re-boot the aircraft. Can't fly with a dicky audio system.

Half an hour later, audio system still not functional. And the engineers can't fix it. No matter, there is a spare aircraft so we will offload and board that one.

Meanwhile our 7.30pm dinner arrangements are looking a little dicey.

At 8.30pm, three and a half hours after our scheduled departure we finally take off. When we arrive at the Gold Coast we have a funny story to tell at the dinner that we finally have at 10.30pm that night.

To lose one audio system, Mr Jetstar, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness

The management meeting was scheduled to run for three days but as I had children to return to and the others were going to spend the third day playing golf I decided to leave at the end of the second day. The Nanny had to return to her day job early on the Friday morning so I was to get home by 10pm on Thurs and then she would leave.  The kids had rung me each night to say how they missed me and PL said he couldn't sleep.  I said I'd be home on Thursday night and on Friday morning when they woke they would find me in my bed.

Again, the flight was delayed an hour.

And again, once on the aircraft after a half-hour wait we heard that the audio system wasn't working. Surely not. Am I an audio system jinx? This time I was on the last flight out. There wouldn't be a spare aircraft hanging around and we were about to miss curfew at Sydney airport.

I rang the nanny. Could she PLEASE stay the night and get the kids to school the next day? Luckily she could as long as she could get them to school by 8am.  The kids were already asleep so there was no way she could warn them I wouldn't be in my bed when they woke, like I promised.

Then the pilot spoke again. Not only did he confirm that we would have to stay the night but that there was some sort of fire emergency at the airport and the buildings were being evacuated. We would have to stay on the aircraft for the time being.

I was originally on a 7.30pm flight. At 12.30pm I arrived at our overnight hotel knowing that I had a 3.30pm wake up call to catch the first flight out the next day. I had a choice - spend 30 minutes finding some food or get an extra 30 minutes sleep.

Despite having not eaten since lunch I chose sleep.  I dreamed of never flying Jetstar, for business, again.  That is until next time I have to choose the cheapest possible flight.

Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa!

... I trust this made it to your birthday present pile this morning.

I hope there's still enough chill in the air to make use of this in the evenings while you read your books.

What I've learnt recently

Now that I'm becoming accustomed to 'office speak' again I remember that the verb 'to learn' has a noun version -  'learning'.  

So here are my recent learnings.

Learning #1: Having a chef on your trivia night table is a good thing. That is until the MC fines your table $50 for having restaurant-quality food.

Learning #2: If you combine champagne and the general good humour that surrounds a school trivia night you are sure to come home with the class art prize - at great expense.

Learning #3: Champagne is safer than Sambucca. It's lucky I wasn't the one one our table who drank a bottle of Sambucca. She went home with prizes she didn't realise she'd put a bid on.

Learning #5: Wearing black all winter is a little bit, well, wearing. So I've splashed out on a summer party dress that is in no way related to black. It's long and I will wear it with red cork wedges.

Learning #6: Know when to give in, just a little. After 12 months of telling the tween that she should wait just a little longer before she reads Twilight I relented. She read it in 48 hours. Over two school days. She's on Team Edward BTW.

Learning #7: I'm more hopeless than the tween. I thought I'd quickly re-skim the books to satisfy myself that it was okay for her to read them and ended up re-reading them all, including the 12 released chapters of Midnight Sun, over a weekend.

Learning #8: Re-reading was a good thing. I've told her Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are out of the question unless she wants to have an embarrassing talk with me.

Learning #9: Talking human to human is almost extinct in the modern office.

Learning #10:  If I want to make a point in a meeting I'd be better off sending it via email across the table.

True story:  a couple of weeks ago I raised a point during a meeting.  After the meeting had finished I went back to my office to discover that the person who was sitting opposite me had responded to my question via email (via his BlackBerry) while the discussion was in progress.

What have you learnt recently?

Sydney, 6.28am

This was our view of Sydney harbour and surrounding houses at 6.28am this morning.

I woke thinking we had the most amazing sunrise. With fog. Only to realise that it was the biggest dust storm since about 1938. The sky was orange until about 8.30am. 

The dust is coming from dry, drought-affected properties in the West of the state.

Dust is everywhere and in everything.

It was in this weather that I sent my 9yo baby off to his first school camp. He seemed happy enough.

Who is a Super Hero and What is a Super Villain? Surely it can't be that hard.

The EasternMax family often plays a version of 'twenty questions' at dinner time.  Generally there is a theme.  The most popular theme is "transport".  In this game one person thinks of a form of transport and we take it in turns to ask a question that has a yes or no answer such as "is it a land transport?", "does it have wheels?" etc until one person works out the answer.  Various house rules have developed over time and it is generally fun and non-contentious.

This week we tried a new theme - Super Heroes and Super Villains.  All was going swimmingly until I chose Catwoman as a Super Villain.

According to Firegazer Catwoman is not a Super.  Catwoman, he says, is just a bad girl in a leather suit.  We have since become so embroiled in an argument over what constitutes a Super Hero or Villain that we have not yet managed to have a successful second attempt at the game.

Is Batman a Super Hero? Some say not because he is just a guy with a suit and cool gadgets - he doesn't have special powers.  What about Iron Man?  Again, a guy with a cool suit.  The Phantom? Ditto, he doesn't even have gadgets - just a horse and a dog.

What about The Joker? Surely he is a Super Villain? Or is he just a sad man with an oversupply of pancake makeup? Surely Syndrome is a Super Villain; or do the jet boots count against him?

I accused Firegazer of sexism because he would not accept Wonder Woman as a Super on account of her using bracelets and a lasso rather than super powers.  Wonder Woman is from another planet, just like Superman; surely that qualifies her as a Super?

In order to get on with the game we have come up with a working definition of a Super:

• Must wear a suit when crime-fighting, cape and mask optional.
  
• Must have a Super Power that comes from within, not with the aid of technology.
  
• Must keep his or her identity a secret and have an alter-ego.  For super villains this alter ego should be a CEO of a technology company or a Geeky Scientist. For super heroes the alter ego should be 'mild mannered'.
  
• Super Heroes must be some sort of adjunct to the local police department/military/secret service.
  
• Super Villains must want to rule the world.
  

The problem is we can't name many Super Villains that meet all these requirements and some of our favourite heroes are left off the list.  Surely Batman is a Super? The Fantastic Four don't hide their identities...and surely Lex Luthor counts as one of the best Super Villains of all time?

I'm starting to think this is a problem too complex for mere mortals and we should go back to simpler themes. I'm thinking of a transport - you have twenty questions...

The real signs of ageing

I have a friend who is way into her forties who only admits to being thirty-four. It can be so confusing judging age these days that I think many of us could get away with an age anywhere within about a 10 year range, some even more.  One can be craggy-looking at 34 and fabulous at 44. The number of stunning 50-60 year olds I've met is simply quite daunting.

Still with an 11 year old daughter I figure I can only get away with being 34 until she is about 15 before I start getting asked tricky questions.  That is unless my daughter is prepared to lower her age as well.

Even if my daughter is complicit in my plans there are a number of tell-tale signs starting to show that will foil them.  I call these the REAL signs of ageing.

First, I've bought my first moisturiser with the name "Riche" in the title.  Nothing so tell-tale as a woman who needs a little extra hydration on her skin during the day. 

Second, while reading the other night I noticed that I've started holding my book a little further away than usual. When did that happen?  A girl can't pretend to be 34 while holding her book a metre away from her face.

Third, I recently spent an evening tut tutting about the content of the music videos the young are watching these days.

Fourth, I've started considering 9.30pm a late bedtime. Seriously.  I've been putting it down to exhaustion at work but I think it's really a sign of getting old.  Not only do I feel like going to bed at 9.30pm, I look forward to it all evening.  Soon I'll be going to bed before the kids. Maybe I could get them to read me a bedtime story.

So as I pop off to bed at 9.30pm with my Hydrance Optimale Riche moisturiser on and my large print book ready on my bedside table, pausing only to shout "turn down that terrible noise!" to the teenagers next door, I ask myself When did that happen?

Sigh.

How I know Dilbert and I must work for the same company #1

Cack yourself silly with this Dilbert cartoon from here.

A heavily pregnant senior Manager calls me to discuss her upcoming maternity leave.  She works, on average, a 50-60 hour week and is concerned that no obvious plans have been made by her manager for a maternity leave replacement. 

That's no problem, I say, perhaps your manager needs a gentle reminder. I comment that it is unusual that I haven't been consulted on this but I'd be happy to work out a few options to present to her manager.  

Later that day the heavily pregnant senior Manager calls me, a little shaken.  "I spoke to my manager about a maternity leave replacement and that we had spoken and he is absolutely furious.  He said that I am HIS employee and it is nothing to do with HR whether he has organised a maternity leave replacement or not."

Then to show that his maturity has no bounds he doesn't speak to her for more than two weeks.

Test Pattern

Hi guys,

A quick note to say, I'm still here, I'm still reading and one day soon I'll post something.  I'm being such a boy at the moment - having trouble multi-tasking.  I'm finding my paid work so mind absorbing that my real work (living life) is on the back burner to some extent.

I'm off interstate tomorrow so hopefully I will return with tales to tell.

Cheers,

M

Tenacity

Two years ago Blossom received an award for ballet which cited 'tenacity of purpose' as one of the reasons for the award.

Tenacity is the bane of my existence at the moment. Blossom has the jaws of an African Wild Dog and the energy of a Kelpie.

The early signs were always there. At her birth the midwife said she could tell the personality of a child by the way they entered the world. Blossom entered the world with her eyes open, took one look at her surroundings and bellowed at the top of her lungs. The midwife looked at me and said I had a wild one.

Blossom presents as being quite shy with those she doesn't know.

But once she decides what she wants she locks down with her African Wild Dog jaw and hangs in there until the bitter end.

Example 1: The Red and White Border Collie

Blossom wants one of these.

I grew up on a farm and know a little about Border Collies. Like that they need to run about, oh, 14km a day. That they herd stuff. That they are tenacious.

Oh, I see why she wants one now.

Blossom is obsessed. She's researched. She's presented counter-arguments to all our reasons why this would be an entirely inappropriate dog for inner-city Sydney.

She talks about red and white border collies incessantly. She truly believes that we will get one, and that it will be soon. Apparently her name will be Bronte. I would not be surprised if I drove home from work one day to see Bronte sitting on our front porch. I believe Blossom is tenacious enough to convince someone to send down a dog 'on approval'. It worries me.

Example 2: Pierced Ears.

Blossom has only been talking about having her ears pierced since 2005. Some weeks she doesn't mention it. But that's only because she's too busy providing additional evidence why we'd be crazy not to get a red and white border collie.

I know many parents couldn't care less whether their daughters had their ears pierced young. In some cultures it's de rigeur. But I just have a thing about it. I'd prefer that Blossom waits until high school. Why? Don't have an answer.

I'd say "how can I convince my mum to let me pierce my ears" would've been a top Google search in our house over the last couple of years. Blossom knows where to get them done, how to look after them and to counter-act my last argument found out that her future high school does allow pierced ears provided that small silver studs are worn. Sheesh.

To top it off, the girl she shares a Clarinet lesson with can get her ears pierced if she gets an A in her exam this year.

Example 3: You Owe Me Money

According to Blossom we always seem to owe her money. She gets an allowance each week. While there are weeks that we forget to pay her the allowance, mostly I'd say we are up to date.

I'm sure Blossom keeps a ledger in her room. I'd like to think it is a leather-bound ledger book written in with a Quill and ink. Every week she presents an argument why it is that we haven't paid her for the 2-3 weeks previous. The money we allegedly owe is always in $10 or $20 lots.

This week she claims we owe her $10. Despite explaining that we do not owe her $10 she is holding onto the hope that we will be worn down and pay her out of exasperation.

Not only is the $10 slipped into most conversations (eg. Mmm, yummy dinner, you owe me $10.) but a reminder is written on our white board and last night I went up to the office to find "Dear Mummy" note about a completely different subject which contained in small letters at the bottom of the page:

PPPPPPS: You owe me $10.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh!

I know that I'm being played and yet why do I get the feeling that in the not to distant future I will be sitting on our front porch patting a red border collie called Bronte while an 11 year old with pierced ears is tucking $10 into her wallet...

I really need a manual on how to survive the teen years.

Happy 9th Birthday Padawan Learner!

My little boy is nine today!

This afternoon the birthday boy and 15 friends (yes, I know, way too many) will go bowling. Having started at a new school this year he wanted an equal representation of friends from both schools and he has been indulged. Will I survive 16 crazy nine year-olds at a bowling alley? Who knows...

In the tradition started last year I present Padawan Learner's answers to The Birthday Questionnaire:

How old are you? Nine

What is your favourite colour? Yellow

If you could be an animal, which animal would it be? A Cheetah because I'd want to be a FAST animal.

What is your favourite food? Pizza

What is your favourite drink? Milo

What do you want to be when you grow up? Rugby Player (Wallaby) and a Scientist

Where is your favourite place to visit on Holidays? Thredbo

What is your favourite subject at school? Maths

What subject to you like the least at school? HSIE (Human Society in Its Environment, or in 1970s terminology - social studies)

Favourite book? Just Macbeth by Andy Griffiths

Favourite TV show? Ben 10:Alien Force and The Secret Saturdays

Favourite Movie? Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen

Favourite music? Pirates of the Caribbean: The Lost Pearl (theme music)

What or who makes you laugh the most? Andy Griffiths

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Tom

Happy Birthday Padawan Learner!!!!!!

401 Posts and a Ripple Blanket

In celebration of my 401st post I show you my latest finished object: a Neapolitan-flavoured ripple blanket crocheted for the 1yo daughter of a friend. This blanket was completed on Tuesday night and is already well-travelled having visited both Perth and China recently.

It is very snug and had been looked-upon lovingly by the cats of the family. However, their attempts to sit upon the blanket have been unsuccessful and it will be wrapped this evening ready to pass to its new owner.

Next on the to do list? Either a pair of socks, for me, or a blanket promised to dad for his birthday.

Where the girl from The West travels to The West of The Far East

A day or so after starting my new job I was asked to a one-day meeting of my fellow HR Managers from the APac region to be held in China in July. In Chengdu.

Where is Chengdu you ask?

Think Western China. Think last stop before Tibet. Really. Apparently you still can't go to Tibet unless on a registered tour, but that's another story.

Here's a map to help.

It may be more familiar to you as the location of the 2008 earthquake.

So what did I think?

Well, apart from the long distance to travel for 1 1/2 days of meetings (six flights of four or more hours in seven days) it was well worth the trip.

I spent most of my time in a conference room. I also spent a good deal of time thinking I was going to die from over consumption of extremely spicy Sichuan food. But apart from that I experienced things that make such visits all worthwhile.

• Ate an amazing 16-course lunch where every course was either steeped in, covered in or made from five types of tea (white, green, black, yellow and oolong).
• Played Mah Jong, in China, to local rules (I won).
• Caught local taxis that were driven as if they were bicycles.
• Caught a ride in a taxi that went through red lights, pedestrian crossings and the wrong way up one-way streets.
• Was spoken to by a 7yo Chinese girl, in perfect English.
• Was told that Chengdu was the 'laziest city in China'. I think a better translation is 'most laid back city in China'.
• Realised that there are certain medications that one should take when visiting a country whose national cuisine is likely to upset a delicate western stomach.
• Found that, in the absence of such medications, flat Coke is quite a good cure-all.

There is, apparently, a local saying that roughly translates as "The Sun is High and the Emperor is Far Away" which would aptly describe the laid back approach in this city far from the sights of Beijing.

Waving again

Well that felt better. Sometimes writing something down is all you need to turn the corner and feel better about a situation.

I wrote down my frustrations with work and they've largely stayed on the page.

Since my last post I've been thinking about all the good things that come from being back in an office.

• People listen to me. As the parent of a Tween and a Tween-in-waiting this is becoming a rare thing.


• Not only do they listen, but even more weirdly, they often do what I say...immediately. This takes a bit of getting used to.


• I have to pretend to be a grown up. This means I have to 'look for solutions, not problems'. I can apply this to dealing with the kids when I get home. Useful.


• I get to talk to grown-ups. Although some of the grown-ups I talk to hold that title a little dubiously.


• The kids pack their school bags more carefully because they know that I can't run their forgotten hat/homework/school project up to school later.


• The kids have fewer options and have to make (sometimes tough, for them) choices.


• I value my spare time more and jealously guard it against interference from work or home tasks.

I've been wondering should I have taken a role with fewer responsibilities? But then had I done that I wouldn't have the flexibility I have now. I can move my days around as I please and I can work from home if needed. All I have to do in return is have my job on my mind 24/7.

What I miss the most is the ability to drop everything to watch a netball game, or go to a school performance. I'm hardly ever at either school anymore and I don't feel in touch with what's going on there.

But, on balance, I think this job is a Good Thing. It's just taking some time to get used to.

Oh, and believe me I'm still right on with this*.

*apparently you can buy this as a badge. Google it, you'll find it.

Not waving, drowning

Don't panic, it's really not all that bad, I just like the title.

But returning to paid work after five years is a little like slowly drowning. I wonder would it be different if I was in a stand alone role with no other accountabilities other than completing the work in front of me that day. That, however, is not the role I have. You know the story, you've all heard it loads of times before.

Girl gets part-time job that is really a full-time job. Outwardly others say how fortunate she is to find a job like that. Senior role, travel opportunities, a seat at the Excom. But she has three employees, two of whom have told her that the third employee bullies them. She has been given a hospital-pass of a project that is slowly spiralling into the ground which, in the days she is not at work, threatens to go belly up. There are so many fires to fight that it is hard to see the wood for the trees. She feels the weight of stress across the organisation of people desperate to keep their jobs despite them working impossibly long hours in a company hemorrhaging in the GFC.

And to top it all off there are serious hygiene issues being faced in the women's bathroom. Really. Think your worse thoughts and then double them. Why on earth is this an HR issue I ask?

Friends either tell me "I told you that sounded like a crazy job" or "welcome to the club".

These are not helpful comments. Is it worth being mentally exhausted every night, is it worth not wanting to blog lest you appear boringly negative, is it worth not reading as much, not knitting as much, not writing as much?

I can tell you that if part of last night's Lotto jackpot came my way I wouldn't have gone to work this morning.

So, it was fabulous to see a new order of yarn arrive in the mail

I've started on a crocheted blanket for a 12 month old girl. It strikes me that it is in fact a Neopolitan Icecream Blanket.

And I've finally got around to winding up the yarn that I bought from Suse. Do you think this looks like a pair of socks? Not yet, but one day.

These are the things that relax me so I think I'll go off now and meditate into my crochet and forget about work.

Oh, and I read The Slap. Gave it 4/10 at my bookclub. Clearly I have been living in a Jane Austen inspired bubble.

PS. I hope you have all been well. I look forward to visiting you again soon.

You know it's winter when ...

... you find a cat-sized lump under the doona in the middle of the day.

Lindfield, 6pm: GOLD!

These Year 5 & 6 kids all complain about their silky Concert Band shirts, but they look fabulous on stage.

But fashion horrors were all put aside by these 10-12 year olds when they heard that they were awarded Gold at the Yamaha Music Festival this evening.

Our Blossom is one of the blurry over-exposed clarinetists in the second row. You can't see her, but she's there somewhere.

Bondi 2pm

Gosh, winter in Sydney is tough.

Eleven: The birthday questionnaire

Blossom is eleven today!

The Birthday Questionnaire

Years ago I started to ask Blossom a series of questions on her birthday with the hope that I'd keep them for posterity. However, like many of my ideas, I never followed through and have no idea where the other lists are. Now, at least, I can post this list to cyberspace where it will float for all eternity...

(for last year's questionnaire, see here)

How old are you? Eleven

What is your favourite colour? Silver

What is your favourite animal? Polar Bear

What is your favourite food? Spag Bol and Avocado/Tomato/Hummus Bruschetta

What is your favourite drink? Banana Smoothie

What do you want to be when you grow up? Author

Where is your favourite place to visit on Holidays? Vail

What is your favourite subject at school? Art, Sport and Science

What subject to you like the least at school? Maths

Favourite book that you've finished reading? The Dragon Keeper series

Favourite TV show? Avatar, iCarly and Phineas & Ferb

Favourite board game? Cluedo and Trivial Pursuit

Favourite music? Classical

What makes you giggle the most? My friends

If you could travel overseas where would you go? Val d'Isere, France

What is your favourite car? Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Audi

What is your favourite item of clothing? My Felix the Cat jumper.

Methinks this little author had better write a bestseller to afford those cars and that trip to France!

Happy Birthday Blossom!

Favourite Books

This month my bookgroup has decided not to review a book. Instead we will talk about our favourite book or books. Members can bring their favourite book, or give a list of 5 or 10 favourites or simply talk about a book that influenced their thinking or that made an impact of some kind.

Some years ago my Melbourne bookgroup did this. It was fascinating to hear about the books that made it to each member's favourite pile and the reasons for it.

Over the last week I've been thinking about the books that make it to my current top 10. I say current because my top 10 changes regularly, and this top 10 is vastly different from the top 10 I presented all those years back in Melbourne.

This month my top 10 represents books I loved at the time and which I would both recommend to others and want to read again.

In no particular order

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke

How do Humans react when they first encounter an object floating in space that has clearly not been made on Earth?

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Such a toss up between this and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. One a rise in social position, the other a fall from grace. I chose the fall from grace.

Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells

The prequel to Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. And, oh, so much better. I so hope you didn't bother with the movie...

The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtssen

A rollicking saga of the viking age. Published in 1952 this is both hillarious and illuminating.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

A group of scientists seek to preserve knowledge as the civilizations around them start to regress.

Cautionary Verses by Hillaire Belloc

The story of Jim who ran away from his Nurse and was eaten by a Lion and other fabulous verses are a staple from my childhood and best read with an English accent. I hear Stephen Fry has recorded the verses. He would be excellent.

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein

Hobbits on a mission to destroy a ring. Seriously, this hardly needs an introduction. A complete classic which the movies, while excellent, hardly touched in any meaningful way.

The Secret River by Kate Grenville

The story of Kate's convict ancestor, Sam Wiseman, disguised as William Thornhill. The story of convict settlement on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney at the very beginning of white settlement in Australia. Does not pull punches.

Jonathon Strange & Mr Norell by Sussanah Clarke

An alternate reality where magicians really existed as a once-respectable profession in 18th and 19th century England. No cloaks and wands in this one. But at over 1000 pages leave it for the holidays.

Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

Oh man, this book is so amazing. A saga of indigenous Australia set in the Gulf of Carpentaria and starring the North of Australia. Written in the style of indigenous story telling this book took me 240 of its 520 pages to 'get' but once I got it I loved it and then re-read it straight away. It's one of the few books I have full of yellow post-it notes.

I always worry when I put together such a list that I have forgotten a long lost book that I love. But no matter, it can always go on next year's list.

How about you? Anyone else want to share a favourite book?

White People Like Writers Festivals, and other stories

This weekend just gone Fairlie and I spent 50 hours at the Sydney Writers' Festival*. This is the fourth SWF I've attended, the second with Fairlie schlepping up to Sydney to stop me from being a sad lonely housewife sitting by myself in the back row.

Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) in conversation with Leigh Sales

After listening to Christian Lander, internet celebrity and founder of http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/, tell us that white people like yoga, adopting babies from exotic locations and moleskine notebooks I looked around me and decided that white people also like going to writers festivals. I would've pointed this out, however with 60 million hits to his blog since he started it on January 18, 2008 (!) I'm sure someone else has already done this.

The sheep races where one lines up for the free events.

This year's SWF was seriously good. Fairlie and I saw eleven sessions over our 50 hours and I don't think there was a dud among them. Fairlie was a little suspicious when I dragged her along to Marcus Chown talk about his book Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, and was a little bemused that I wanted to listen to a controversial geopolitical futurist tell us that America will dominate the world stage for the next 100 years. But what's not to love about a guy who can talk about String Theory in words of one syllable and a former military strategist who when told he might need a gun while riding in Montana just happened to have one on his person.

Book signing station at the Heritage Pier

Over the two days we covered the First Fleet, astronomy, parenting, music in literature, blogging, the middle classes, theatre, truth in writing, murder, quantum theory and the hazards of filming in North West Pakistan. I ensured that Gleebooks would survive the GFC by buying 11 books and I practised my patented queuing technique for getting an author's signature toute suite. My most excellent queuing technique was of particular use when I managed to beat a hoard of fellow bookclubbers to the line to get my copy of The Slap signed and thereby managed to get not only a signature but a between session snack as well.

Conversation stage at the Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay

The one thing Fairlie and I never learn is to ensure that we have sufficient breaks in the day for food. With half and hour between sessions which are usually taken up with book signing and walking to the next venue we mostly ate quickly, and on the run. I have never eaten so many apples in one weekend.

Daily run sheet, and sold out events

For an excellent rundown on the book highlights of the festival click over to Fairlie's blog. My only addition to her list would be Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You. Unlike Fairlie I don't yawn at the thought of String Theory or singularities. Baffled perhaps. But interested.

Having been a long time supporter of the Melbourne Writer's Festival* I finally declare that in 2009 Sydney has surpassed its rival. Sydney's festival is fun, easy, atmospheric and full of quality sessions both free and ticketed. I look forward to the Melbourne festival in September but it has a lot to live up to.

*I've placed the apostrophes where the individual festivals choose to place them in each instance.