Pay Day !!!!!!

My first real pay day (we normally get paid fortnightly so last time was only a token amount and didn't really count).

I celebrated by going and having my acrylic nails put back on.

When we first arrived here and I was job-less I couldn't afford to have them re-done ... I spent a very weepy, tragic hour in the bathroom one morning shortly after we arrived with a pair of nail scissors cutting and chipping them off ... feeling lower than low and that moving to Dunedin was the worst thing we had ever done because it was cold, and I was lonely and it was literally the straw that broke the camel's back ...

So I now have gorgeous long purple nails again ... hooray for pay checks !!!

Boing ... boing ...

Woke up to the DJ on my favourite radio station this morning coming out with this pearl of wisdom ...

"Have you ever noticed that some people are like slinkies ? Not really good for much, but incredibly amusing when pushed down a flight of stairs ..."

OUCH !!!!!

Well we've been here in our little house for six weeks now with all our mod cons (did I mention we have a dishwasher for the first time ever ?!?!?) blithely throwing our clothes in the dryer and using the power of technology to automatically wash our dishes with heaters blazing merrily in every bedroom ...

Now you knew this was gonna come back and bite us in the butt, right ?

In spite of the fact that we have a coal range which we are using to run the wetback for hot water and that we have a fire in the lounge, and that all our cooking is gas ... somehow we still managed to chalk up a $600 power bill this month !!!

And THAT hurts a lot more than being a little chilly occasionally :(

The Interview Game ...

OK, I thought this would be fun. So I asked to be interviewed. I should have known that there was no way that AP would let me off lightly ...

1. Has the Internet changed your life? (you may choose whether or not you want to explain your answer)
Most definitely, well the "chat" aspect of it anyway. Were it not for the internet and the wonderful, strong, supportive people I met there, I would in all probability still be unhappily married and would have missed out on everything life has had to offer me over the past nine years (yep, it's been nine years AP !!!)

2. What's your most embarrassing moment?
I was in a bookshop with my ex-husband (who obviously wasn't an ex at the time) and for some reason which seemed like a good idea at the time decided to take off my glasses and see what it was like. After I'd wandered around a bit I walked back over to my husband, stuck my hand into his back jeans pocket and gave him a squeeze and said "Found anything you like ?" Of course it wasn't my husband was it ? C'mon ... you knew that was coming !!

3. Who's the best hairdresser you've ever had?
Her name is Kylie ... she's my hairdresser in Whangarei, I miss her terribly and even though we'll only be there for two days I'm already planning to fit in a cut while we're up there in October !

4. If you could go anywhere you wanted for your next vacation, where would it be?
Duh !! Canada of course !!!!

5. What's your personal opinion of men with British accents?
My personal opinion of British men has been pretty much coloured by the one and only British male I have ever known who was rather ummm ... sure of himself. However, the MOTH has just reminded me of Spike off Buffy the Vampire Slayer (yep, I'm a closet addict although the MOTH has begged me to let you know he most definitely is NOT) ... so on the whole I think that a guy with a British accent is sexy as hell and when delivered in a voice like melted chocolate is generally guaranteed to allow the owner to get away with murder.

Now that we're finished ... I'm supposed to tell you that there are rules ... official ones. As follows ...

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying "interview me." (please make sure I have your email address)
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Hay nah ... hey nah ... my husband's back !!

(sorry ... inane sixties-type song swirling around in my head)

The rugrats and I spent the weekend at my folks' place in Oamaru ... and the MOTH's back home where he belongs :) :) :) :) :)

So if you'll excuse me, I have a week's worth of cuddling to catch up on ... will write more (and answer interview questions) tomorrow night ...

Delusions of grandeur ...

I received official confirmation in the mail today that the tax department had indeed screwed up, and accordingly will be sending me a rather large apology in monetary form within the next ten days.

Seeing as we left all our furniture behind at the house in Whangarei, and the house here is basically fully furnished, we made sure the rugrats had what they needed and left our bedroom as it is. Namely a moderately comfortable double bed (which is kinda small when shared with a rather large man, especially when used to a king sized bed), two cardboard boxes serving as bedside tables and a couple of suitcases on the floor.

I miss having furniture. I never ever ever thought I would say this ... but I actually used to enjoy putting my laundry away. And as it is now nearly two months since we left Whangarei, needless to say the novelty of living out of a suitcase has well and truly worn thin.

So this weekend I am going to go and put a deposit on a very large bed and some bedroom furniture. And now I come to think of it, I'm going to be needing clothes to put in those drawers ...

I know I had them yesterday ...

I have a pair of jeans I need to take up ...

... and I can't find the good scissors !!!!!

I'm not sure why ...

... but I'm really loving "The Contender" on TV at the moment.

I'm not normally the kind of person who enjoys watching two men beat the crap out of each other. And I have to admit that it amuses the hell out of me to hear these men tell us (accompanied by the obligatory soulful background music) that they are really just nice guys who want to make a better life for their children (so sure, invite the kids along ringside and let them watch their daddies being beaten to a pulp) ...

So, in spite of the above, I'm not sure what it is ... but somehow I'm hooked.

Two days down ...

I know I said this was going to be a non-negative blog so I'll keep this short.

I miss my MOTH :(

Introducing the wonder children ...

I don't think I have ever seen the rugrats as excited as they were when I collected them from the after school programme today (and that's including the day they had hot dogs and icecream for lunch at school !)

S was just about bursting out of her pokey tails (she couldn't say pony tails when she was little, and it's sort of stuck) she was so proud of herself. She got 10 out of 10 for her spelling test this morning for the first time ever !!!

K was just as proud, albeit minus the pokey tails. His homework research assignment on current affairs and fire danger earnt him an A+ ... and his work signed by the principal and his photo taken to go on the "Wonder Wall" in the main reception / office for the week !!!

Go rugrats !!!

AP, I know how you feel ...

The MOTH is going away for work.

By himself.

For a whole seven days.

Starting tomorrow.

I'm missing him already ...

Would you like fries with that ???

Today at work I found ... a client menu. Yep, that's right. A menu.

In the "Handbook of How Things Should Be Done Properly" there is a section entitled "Greeting Clients".

And contained within afore-mentioned section is a menu. Which we are supposed to offer clients. A professionally printed, laminated menu no less. Offering (from memory) ...

A selection of coffees (including decaf)
A selection of teas
- English Breakfast
- Earl Grey
- Green Tea
- an assortment of herbal varieties
Hot Chocolate
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Tomato Juice
Coke
Lemonade
Mineral Water

And here I thought I worked for an accountant ...

Day 4 ...

Today I did filing ... because the office junior was busy "you know doing mail and stuff ..."

I must say it warms the cockles of my heart (what exactly is a "cockle" and why is it so important that they're warm ?) to see how articulate and verbose today's teenagers are when they come out of high school.

And it was also pay day !!! Yay me !!! My first pay slip in over six months !! I'd totally forgottten how fantastic it felt to see that little slip resting in my "In" tray, the sound it makes when I slowly rip it open, the thrill at seeing my name and all those lovely dollars signs and zeros ... my heart fair skipped a beat :)

And I have discovered that accountants have their uses. Thanks to the fact I've had a somewhat sketchy work history the past couple of years (we keep moving towns and I keep taking time off) and that the nice men (why are they always men ?) at the tax department always tax you as though you're earning for a whole year ... anyway, to cut a long story short, one of the wonderful accountanty-type-ladies at work calculated that I am owed pot loads of money and I should be seeing it in the next three weeks !!!!! And all this in less time than it would take me to sharpen my pencil and say "Tax Department ?" ...

One day to the weekend !!!!

1 ... 2 ... 3 ...

Went to a numeracy workshop at school after dinner tonight ...

S was in her element showing off and colouring in spots on the back of ladybugs ...

K played "addition bingo" ... I'm sure those of you who know him can imagine the skiting that accompanied his triumph ...

As far as the rugrats were concerned though, the highlight of the night was the mini M&Ms they handed out to all the kids who took part ... and stopping for icecream sundaes on the way home. We drove to a look-out and sat in the car looking out over the city eating dessert ...

I'm trying to make more fun memories for the kids ... I hope I'm doing OK :)

Money talks ...

Seen on the back of a truck this morning on the way to work ...

"Anyone who says money can't buy you love ...
has never been in a pet store"

Day 2 ...

I'd forgotten why it was I didn't like accounts work. Now I remember ...

Accountants are sooooooo boring !!!

I'm working for a very very very rigid company. Now, Kassis are not generally at their best in a rigid environment. We thrive on flexibility. Or is that chaos ?

Example ... I answer the phone yesterday "Good morning, (insert name of company), Kassi speaking"

Afterwards I have it pointed out to me that the correct way to answer the phone is "Good afternoon, (insert name of company), this is Kassi, how may I help ?". And not only that, but they have it written down by the phone !!!!

What have I done ?!?!?!?!

Last moments of freedom ...

It's bizarre. Or some would argue maybe merely yet another symptom of the fickleness of the female of the species.

After having spent the past six months unemployed, and wanting to return to work with increasing desperation, now the prospect of actually getting out of bed in the morning and heading off to work scares the hell out of me. And I'm not sure I like this idea that much after all ...

On the plus side, I took the rugrats to visit with the after-school programme lady on Friday night. I don't have to worry that they don't want to go ... I had the devil's own job persuading them it was time to leave. They have pogo sticks !!!!!

Maybe I could go to after-school care instead ?

You paid HOW much ?!?!?

Casino evening with the MOTH's social club from work ...

Excellent fun, especially when $1 real money buys you $1,000,000 in funny money.

In spite of the fact you know it's all fake, it still feels pretty amazing to stick $8 million down on the roulette table ... and win !!

Toss in a few drinks and the first real adult company in over a month and it all adds up to the best time I've had since we moved here.

For the finale we used our "winnings" to bid on mystery envelopes in a blind auction, at the end of which we had the privilege of owning a lunchbox, drink bottle, fishing hat and sunglasses ... at a total cost of $34 million !!!

I've got a job !!! I've got a job !!!

Man, I hope I've done the right thing !!

I just took a phone call offering me the job I interviewed for earlier in the week. They want me to start on Monday !! So I took it.

I really truly wanted the one at the university, but as the MOTH* pointed out, this whole Dunedin thing is temporary, and there are far more chartered accountants I can find a job with back home than there are universities.

What the heck am I going to wear ?!?!?


* Has a better ring to it than HWMBO

Yummmmm .....

The MOTH* in the shower this evening, upon using my new mango and passionfruit shampoo ...

"Great. Now I smell like a yoghurt !!!"


* Man Of The House (I'm trying to decide between calling him this, or He Who Must Be Obeyed) (grin)

I miss my puppy !!!

I miss my dog Max. We had to leave him behind for various reasons, one of which being that he suffers violently from car sickness. If you don't stop every 45 minutes or so, the car will suddenly be filled with the aroma of regurgitated dog biscuits. Not something you want on a ten day trip down the country. We also knew that the chances of us finding a rental property where a dog would be OK were pretty slim. So we left Max in Whangarei with one of the women I used to work with and her family, and they adore him and email me regular updates on his progress.

Still miss him though.

And the cats. We found a home for one of them too with some other friends. And the cat movers lost the other one. The cat we inherited with this house still hangs around occasionally, but the man isn't keen on allowing it inside.

So for the moment I'm petless. And I don't like it ...

Why thank you :)

Brushing N's hair this morning before school.

"Would you like to be me Mummy ?"

"No thank you sweetie, I'm quite happy being me"

"I'd like to be you"

"Oh really ? Why ?"

"Cos you're really pretty and you smell nice"

(Pause for reflection and thought ...)

"Oh .... and you have boobs"

The great job search update ...

At least I'm making it to the interview stage now.

Had one this morning at a chartered accountant firm. It's an intermediate role, probably the type of thing that I would have given my eye teeth for six years ago. But as a good friend pointed out to me, it's a job !! So no point stressing about the potential impact on my career until I find out whether I have it or not.

I have another one at the university here next Tuesday ... and still waiting to hear on the other one at the Med School I applied for.

I can't wait to be working again. I'm not very good at being a stay-at-home mom.

Queen's birthday ...

We were supposed to spend today clearing out the sleep-out in preparation of the man's friend's arrival from Auckland. I'm starting to think the love of my life is procrastinating ... every time I mention the sleep-out he suddenly remembers something else we desperately need to do "right now that can't wait and must be done this very minute".

After a very long lunch (how is it that S can consume two pieces of toast, bacon, eggs, hash browns and spaghetti inside ten minutes, yet can make a sandwich last over an hour ?) we decided to take to the rugrats to the museum.

We love museums. Some more than others. We took them to Te Papa (the national museum) on our trip down the country, and they adored it. K especially. He's a child who wants to know why and how things work (he pulled apart his first tape-deck to see what made it go). And museums have become a lot more user friendly lately I have noticed. Lots of hands-on touchy-feely things for the rugrats to play with. The hard part was persuading them to leave at the end.

We heard an interesting talk, aimed at the rugrats' level of understanding, on fossils, sedimentary rock, and how they tell the history of the world. Coincidentally this ties in beautifully with the rocks and fossils that they found at my parents yesterday when we were there for lunch ... my parents have an old limestone quarry on their farm.

The nice thing about the Otago Museum is that right at the very top is what they call the Animal Attic ... a fully restored, self described "museum within a museum". An animal display the way museums used to be with specimens stuffed and mounted in huge wooden and glass cases. It's great that the rugrats can see all the different types of birds and animals, but sad that they were shot just so that someone could say "Look, I've got one of these thingy-ma-jigs".

Honestly, we humans have an awful lot to answer for !

It's not my fault !!!!

OK ... so I managed to navigate my way from Whangarei, down the entire length of the country and end up in Dunedin with absolutely no problems.

And so I managed to get lost today trying to find my way around Palmerston (very small town - population about 200 plus some sheep).

What I want to know is :-
a) How can a town soooo small have so many streets that are not the one I'm looking for ?? (I drove up and down every single one of them) ;
b) How was I honestly supposed to find my way to where I was supposed to be going when I was following such explicit instructions from the man in my life as "get to Palmerston and turn left" ?? Then what ?!?!?!?!? ; and
c) If you give me crap directions, why do you then stop answering your cellphone ?

No wonder we're always late. Look what I have to work with !!!

Snow, friends and teeth ...

I realise that for some of you this is no big deal. But it snowed this morning !!!

Not at our place unfortunately, we live too close to the beach for that. But a five minute drive into the centre of town and it was snowing on the car as I drove along. A further five minutes out the other side and up into the hill suburbs and I had to stop the car because the roads were covered. I'm pretty sure that the woman standing in her window looking out thought I was insane ... I got out of the car and spun in circles looking up to feel the snow on my face ...

School was a shambles. Three of the teachers couldn't make it in because they were snowed in, and two of them were sent home early in case they couldn't make it later in the day. The kids were put into joined classrooms, and as near as I can tell, not a lot of work went on. In the chaos S lost her tooth. Not just "fell out and here it is" lost, but "lost, gone, no idea where it is" lost. We have to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy and explain what happened apparently.

S had a friend over after school. She's a cute little thing whose mum dropped her off and stayed for coffee and cake. Turns out her birthday is exactly the same day as S's, which S thinks is just the best thing to happen ever and means, by some astrological rule, that they are best friends forever. Her mum's pretty awesome too, so I think I'm on my way to making friends here.

Same old, same old ....

Nothing's happening. So there's not really much to blog about. Life is falling into a very routine type of routine.

* I drop the kids at school
* I come home
* I make coffee and eat breakfast, because in spite of the fact I don't have to get ready for work in the morning, I still can't manage to fit this in before the kids go to school
* I log on and check all the job websites and apply for any that look remotely promising
* I type application letters, print CVs, copy references and put them in envelopes
* I post them off, and never hear anything ever again ...
* I do laundry, make beds, clean, vacuum, make dinner
* I pick the kids up from school

Something exciting better happen soon !! I caught myself dusting the CDs the other day, and I started to put them in alphabetical order ...

The idiosyncracies of the English language ...

Probably because my parents have sheep on their "farm" and they have featured rather more than normal in our everyday conversations of late, I have again begun to ponder something that has long annoyed me ...

If the plural of "goose" is "geese" ...

... why is the singular of "sheep" not "shoop" ?

Hrmm ???