Archives for 2007

Earrings and inspiration

December 30, 2007 by Jen

I’ve very recently won something from a blogger that I found this year some time and who I really admire. They are earrings like the ones shown here except I will have taupe coloured stones. I didn’t realise they were being made especially, I just thought they were already in stock. Stacie from Nomadic Creations is the mastermind behind these and I’ve been admiring her jewellrey for a while now.

Besides checking out her jewellrey you could also check out the beginnings of a personal journey for her as she tries to cure herself of hypochondria and the fear that surrounds it. I’m already following her progress with interest to see what, if anything, I can borrow for my own life as I try to change my thought processes around procrastination and self-doubt.

So now I’m finishing this post because it is my way of procrastinating instead of getting back to working on my conference presentation.

And Christmas was pretty good

December 27, 2007 by Jen

We’re back from visiting the family for Christmas and it there were no major family dramas. My two sisters who don’t get on all that well behaved themselves and the day just flew by.

We all took heaps of pictures. Mum and us three girls all had cameras taking photos, some of which I share below. I don’t know if we consciously or sub-consciously took lots of photos of mum and dad because nearly a year ago dad had his stroke and he so easily may not have been around this christmas. Mum also hasn’t been that fit this year so it’s made us all aware of our parents’ mortality.

JJ woke up about half past six and I let him open one present – the big one – the scooter. He would have rather received a laptop thankyou very much but that didn’t happen. My sister and her boyfriend got up and gave each other their presents – a camera and a GPS respectively. I sat there and enjoyed their joy while not getting any presents of my own just yet…

The rest of the family arrived around midday and we finally did the rest of the present opening.

Here’s JJ opening his snorkel and goggle set which was on his list. He was more excited opening this, than his scooter. He also got a ukulele so we’ll be able to practise together now.

We did an obligatory group shot. As I took this I’m not in it, but there are plenty around that might make their way onto the internet. As an aside, I used my sister’s digital SLR on Christmas day to take a few photos and I loved it. She’ll realise there’s a few photos that she didn’t take but I could so easily get used to using it. That will be on my wishlist for the next year or two.

I ate too much and drank too much and after the others left we watched a dvd and I had a bit of a snooze.

I’m back home now and I won’t be blogging too much because I’m on holidays and I also have to prepare for the conference. I am pleased with myself though – I got up just after JJ this morning to do an hour’s worth. I also did some yesterday so it will get done bit by bit. Procrastination is a powerful thing and I’m gradually learning that it’s best just to start doing stuff rather than think about how hard it is to do.

Hope you all have a great Christmas

December 23, 2007 by Jen

I’m off to visit the family for a few days so will be incommunicado as far as this blog goes. I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Such a cliche I know, but I mean it.

I spent yesterday doing visiting while dropping off christmas presents. This now means that my house is a pigsty, that I was up till all hours wrapping presents, and hiding some.

The year’s not over yet and I want to do one of those yearly wrapup posts but in the meantime I’d like to thank my regular commenters and/or supporters in one way or another; Joy, Jeanie, Stacie, Megan, Leigh, Meg, Karen, Michelle, Hazel, and Snoskred.

It’s been an eventful year in a lot of ways and blogging has really helped me get through this year. I’ll be doing more of the why’s and wherefore’s in my yearly wrapup post.

In the meantime, try not to eat or drink to much over the next few days, and enjoy.

Watch your kid at the shops

December 21, 2007 by Jen

We ventured into the city this morning and went into the Central Market. Arriving absolutely drenched from the welcome rain we’ve had all morning, we walked to a couple of stalls and then I saw Santa accepting kids’ wish lists so I asked JJ if he wanted to see Santa. Of course he did so we lined up. Santa was very friendly and chatty to the kids in line before us and when JJ got on his lap he spoke so quietly (which is SO unlike him) that poor Santa had a hard time hearing him.

JJ told him that he’s made a list and he’s wishing for, a laptop, a ukulele, a scooter, snorkel and goggles and a real magic wand.

We walked off pretty happy with that and on our way to the last stop I realised that JJ wasn’t next to me. I looked around and saw a guy who’d obviously got in JJ’s way, or the other way around. Or at least that’s what I initially thought. This guy almost had JJ in a hug while trying to get around him which I soon realised was a bit strange. Usually if a kid gets in my way and I can’t avoid them because they aren’t looking where they’re going, I’ll say excuse me and maybe put my hand on their shoulder to let them know that someone is trying to get past. I won’t give them a full hug. JJ’s since told me that he was trying to get around this guy and this guy kept bumping into him.

This guy could see that I’d turned around and obviously knew I was the adult with the child he was hugging, or ‘bumping’ into to, and let him go. This could have all been quite innocent but I’m not usually given to paranoia and this felt like a strange incident to me. I reiterated to JJ that if he didn’t like the way that anyone touches him, to yell out for me, or to just yell.

Flickr stats for Pro members

December 19, 2007 by Jen

Not to be content just looking at stats for my blog and my RSS feed subscribers, I can now look at stats for my Flickr photos. This was a new feature announced a few days ago on the Flickr blog.

I would have thought it would be announced on my Flickr homepage but I didn’t see it. Mind you it might have been there but I just missed it. The Flickr stats show me a daily graph with photo views then the stats get broken down to referrers, most viewed photos. I’ve often wondered where my photo viewers come from. Now I know. See help on how to get to your Flickr stats. Note this is only for Pro members at the moment.

Tantrums

December 18, 2007 by Jen

It’s that time of year when we’re tired. I’m tired. JJ is tired. I think we’ll all agree that it’s frantic this time of year. School has broken up for the year and there was a big buildup to that with barbeque dinners, concerts, supervising writing of cards for classmates and buying a present each for the teacher and the school care person because they’ve both been fantastic. Unfortunately I’ve still got to work this week before we can both be on holidays for a while. I’m also tired because I’m doing a new job and I’m preparing for that conference I keep blathering on about.

So the tiredness kicks in and it means short tempers all round, around here. JJ has been whining and whining and whining on and off about really petty things and he’s not normally a whiner. The other day at the supermarket we’d finished doing what we had to do, we’d hopped in the car and and he still kept whining at me and I finally lost it and screamed ‘shut up’ at the top of my voice. As I said this, I realised my car window was wound down and there were people everywhere. Definitely not a good parenting look. Shamefaced and redfaced I calmly drove off.

Tonight I was out in the garden watering and JJ found a small foam ball that I think Monty had just dug up. It was the final straw for him and he lost the plot this time. Hmmm, wonder where he gets it from! He kept going on about how it was his favourite ball and Monty must have gone into his room and taken it to put in the garden. I tried to calm him down but nothing worked so I just let him calm himself down while staying very calm myself.

Afterwards he was back to the happy boy he mostly is and I managed to feed him, read to him, he read to me and I put him to bed the earliest he’s been to bed for ages.

I can’t wait until Thursday when it means it’s the beginning of four weeks off for us. There will be nowhere we have to be in the mornings and lunches won’t have to be made until we want to eat them. People have asked if we’re going away and apart from a couple of short trips, we’re not, and I’m really looking forward to getting up when I want, getting dressed when I want and just lazing around. Did I say I can’t wait?

We both need some time to decompress. How about you?

Where Greek dancing meets Australian Aboriginals

December 17, 2007 by Jen

This is priceless. It was first sent to my via my email and then I happened upon the 7.30 Report the other night where a story was done about these dancers.

They are the Chooky dancers, a group of young Aboriginals from northern Australia.

Because of the video being posted to YouTube and their fairly instant notoriety they may be going to Greece next year and they sure know how to dance. They are also working up dances from other cultures which I can’t wait to see.

Direct link to Zorba the Greek Yolngu style.