Sunday Scribblings: Skin

Isn't it funny when something just pops right into your mind after reading a prompt?

This week, I'm going to keep it short, sweet and completely unoriginal. Well, original in that I thought of it and that it means alot to me, but unoriginal in that I didn't actually write it. If only I could lay claim to such brilliance but alas! I cannot.

Here are the lyrics from one of my favourite bands (from a couple of years ago, but I still love the old stuff now) - Taxiride. The song? Is called SKIN.

It could have beenThe smell of your skin.An innocence I've never seen,Find myself reaching for you.I couldn't ask for anymore,Feels like I've met you once before;You've opened the door to a brand new me..

Some things are meant to be.Now you've shown me the way,Got me thinking that maybe..Something just keeps telling me,If I gave you my word;Some things are meant to be.

A message left on your machine,Now I'm waiting for the phone to ring.It's in the way you look at me;I'm trying so hard to believe that..

Some things are meant to be.Now you've shown me the way,Got me thinking that maybe..Something just keeps telling me,If I gave you my word;Some things are meant to be.It could have been,The smell of your skin..

Some things are meant to be.Now you've shown me the way,Got me thinking that maybe..Something just keeps telling me,If I gave you my word;Some things are meant to be.If I gave you my wordSome things are meant to be.

It's one of those songs that is hauntingly beautiful, and absolutely perfect live. It's amazing and classic and I still feel it rings true to me right now.

Enjoy other scribblings (most likely more indepth than my own!) right here; http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/

EzyDVD EzyDVD, How I love thee!

My faith in online DVD stores is restored! Restored, I tell you!

Anyone remember my my slightly peeved rant about my locked Gilmore Girls DVD?

I arrived home from the gym today, hot, sweaty and slightly sore (Why does the shin bone in just ONE leg hurt like hell? Someone please explain?) when mum passed me a note. She had taken a message for me from EzyDVD, who had called to talk to me about the comment I had recieved on the forementioned blog post;

Hi Aly,

I found your site from your blog about Gilmore Girls
DVD (cool site btw). I am the General Mgr of EzyDVD - sounds like we
did a good job messin' you around with the red tag security device -
not sure how or why this happened but please accept our apologies for
this oversight. If you let me know your ezydvd user ID by email I will
ensure that we provide you something to even the ledger. Hope your
Gilmore Girl DVD's all arrived in tact, and you had a good viewing
session.

Cynic that I am, I thought it was a fake email. -cough- So, I emailed the support to query it. As you do.

Turns out that YES. That email WAS genuine! And I feel like a complete dork! Hoorah! Perhaps I should go and edit the cranky old post? Hrm.

The lovely folks at EzyDVD credited $20 off my next purchase - which happens to be CSI Season 4, which I have on pre-order. THANKYOU EZYDVD. You have made my evening! Now go and buy from them. Pronto! I'll even give you the link! Aren't I wonderful? www.ezydvd.com.au

Now. On to my next purchase.... Shall I go for Season 5 of Gilmore Girls, or more ER? I foresee lots of television in my future...

Hot and Sweaty Musings

No... Not that kind. Perves!

So I was thinking about this earlier, when I was in the middle of my workout, and had to make a blog about it. (May I please insert here that I have been a motivated little chook, who has made it to the gym every day this week all by herself again? Go me!) Anyway.

I was bouncing around on the exercise mats like a loon, with my arms swinging wildly by my sides, minding my own business (with the exception of peeking at what the other ladies were doing on their own exercise mats, for future reference, you know) (And I may also have been looking to see if anyone else was as red or hot as myself) (Oh, and seeing if their boobs flung up as high in the air as mine do when they're bouncing) when I heard someone call out my name.

Low and behold, there is my uber glamourous cousin standing in the doorway, all glammed up and looking a million bucks. I think my jaw dropped, before I puffed out a "Hi, how are you?" and then tried to subtly wipe the dripping sweat from my forehead and yank my t-shirt over my gut at the same time. I don't think I succeeded in either. I don't really keep in touch with this cousin at all, despite the fact that they live in the same suburb as me, bleh, family stuff, you know?

But it's funny - Mum had mentioned just the other day that she didn't mind running into people at the gym, so long as it wasn't _______ (insert name here). For me? Anyone I went to high school with. It's bad enough that I've gained stacks of weight since high school, but I definitely wouldn't be too keen on looking like a big unco-ordinated whale in front of them. I know I'm not very important in the grand scheme of things, but can't a girl have her dignity? Thankfully this is a chicks-only place, so no guys allowed, which makes my self consciousness a LOT better.

So my question is? Who is/are the person/people that you would MOST dread running into at the gym?

P.S. I think I have a calf muscle forming! Hoorah!

Take them back!

Having a full class is over-rated.

Now that my two kids are back from their classroom hiatus (broken leg in hospital and holiday to Macedonia respectively), I have barely had a student away in the last couple of weeks. Every day I sit down and we mark the roll together, and everyone is here. Down to the same kids every day who always waltz in ten minutes late. Drives me crazy how predictable it is!

T. (the kid with the broken leg) isn't too bad. He's a noisy bugger, but he was doing hospital school during his stay, and his mum was insanely over the top about me giving him work while he was off school. I virtually photocopied bits out of my teaching programme for her to give to him; spelling, maths quizzes, journals and dozens of worksheets and home readers. He's back, he's chatty, but he is alright. Mum still scares me though, I've taken to sort of hiding as much as possible, otherwise I'm stuck talking to her for hours on end every afternoon about the same old stuff.

D. on the other hand? Is downright giving me the shits. His family took him to Macedonia for a HOLIDAY, for three and a half months. He left in Term 2, missed most of that, and also missed nine weeks of Term 3. He wasn't brilliant to start with, but I had just started making some progress with him, especially with his writing. Now? He's gone majorly backwards. Reading, writing, attitude, even his English - all suffering.

And he's a STINKING TURD.

He's taken to disrupting my class, which had settled down a lot. He has the maturity of a fly, thinks he's funny when he is just a twit, and has found himself already in trouble within a week of being back. Mmm-bleh. I'm disliking him alot. Especially after this afternoon.

""Miss, your belly is so very huge, it looks like you're going to have a baby. Look how huge it is!"

What's that, D? You want an "E" on your report card? Righty-o then! Hardi-har-har. Turd!

Yet Another Belated Idol Post

Since I was an upset Aly yesterday, I forgot all about Idol - watched it, but didn't blog it.

But hey, better late than never, yes?

This week I thought I'd see what Idol sort-of-look-alike (but not really) dolls I could find floating around the internet. THERE ISN'T MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM PEOPLE, so go ahead and groan. The girls all look like whores, and the guy dolls all look like they're on steroids. Ohemgee!

KLANCIE the hooker.

What the HELL have the style team got to say about themselves with their styling of this poor girl? She started off alright, a wee bit over dressed for some occasions, but she does live on a farm, so give the girl a break? But the fugly hair? And skank makeup? And whore outfits? Surely anyone with half a brain wouldn't call that flattering.

Anyway. She sung Shania Twain - If You're Not In It For Love. I hardly think anyone hooking up with Klancie backstage is in it for love, if you know what I mean. I have to say, all the "trying to be sexy" hair ruffles didn't quite do it for me. Neither did her hyper little squeals, although I'm sure the audience was pumped. Or not. I think Klancie and her trashy wardrobe are out the door.

DAMIEN the leprechaun.

I have to say, I really do love the Irishman. He's just so like-able, I have no idea why. If Tomorrow Never Comes by Ronan Keating is the world's most boring song, yet I didn't throw shoes at the television when Damien sung it. That's a good sign. I want him to sing some pretty high notes again. They are hypnotic.

By the way, this doll does nothing for Damien's gangly Irish legs, and who knew he was so buff? I think he'll be safe, all the nannas (and me) think he's grand.

LAVINA who should go away, now, please.

So I only choose this doll because of the hoodie. I don't REALLY want to see Lavina wearing short shorts with matching flip flops. I did look for a daggy Adidas-wearing, tattoo branding doll, but no luck. Just think back to last week's dreadful Evanescence performance and prepare to be scared. I'd hate to run into her in a dark alley.

Anyway. Why the judges all flattered her on her outfit, I have no idea. That back camera view of her ass made me glad that I'M working out at the gym. The shirt was sort of bar-maid style, and just sort of looked.. awkward?

Don't Leave Me This Way - Just another screamy number. This is just turning into last year's Idol - but it's not rigged. Oh no, no way.

Brother CHRIS whose doll picture disturbs me.

Don't ask me why the dude is holding a gun thing. It was the only damn doll I could find that had longish hair. He's rather scary, but if you close your eyes and imagine curlier hair, a hawaiian shirt and possibly lose the gun, you might get yourself a Chris clone. Once again, or not.

Against All Odds - Phil Collins - great song, but for Idol? I didn't think he was too bad, his voice is still lovely and raspy, even on the soft notes. I think the judges were ready to pick on him from the start; no bias though, as we all know. --insert snorts here-- I still like Brother Chris. Peace out.

DEAN "oh baby, oh baby" Geyer.

Ever since I mentioned he was hot (or possibly even HOTT, as Jen would say) Jase has been giving me shit. So he's cute, yes, but he's no Jason. Although he does have good taste in music. (Jason sent me a text message last night after Dean's performance saying "Drooling yet?" - haha, funny boy.)

I was looking forward to, yet at the same time dreading, hearing Dean's performance this week. Iris by the Goos is one of my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE SONGS. If he had screwed it up, I would have voted for Lavina out of spite. But you know, for someone who isn't the BEST singer in the competition, he did a damn good job. I'm sure Johnny Rzeznik (who is MUCH hottter (with a TRIPLE t! than Dean) would have been proud. GO DEAN, I wonder if next week he'll sing some FRAY!? Haha - I would die on the spot.

MUTTO who fucked up last night.

I've been waiting for this moment all my life. Hey, isn't that another Phil Collins song? Brother Chris, are you listening? Throat condition, what the hell ever, if you audition for Idol and you have a sore throat, THAT IS TOUGH BECAUSE YOU ARE ON IDOL AND WE WILL PICK ON YOU.

I had to laugh after reading a fellow Idol Blogger's Sunday write up (read it here, funny lady she is) when she said she always gets fabulous Sing-Star scores on The Reason - Hoobastank. I said the EXACT same thing to mum, who as you well know by now, is my partner champion of Sing-Star. Hoorah! And even BETTER than him fucking it up? Wait, there is no better. Bye-bye Mutto!

JESSICA queen-of-the-touchdown.

Hee, isn't this doll pretty? What better dress to use than a white formal frock, which is what she appeared to wear yesterday. As soon as I found out she was singing Beautiful - Christina Aguilera, there was no doubt she'd get a touchdown. Damn predictability. It can bite my butt.

She was beautiful! And fabulous! And fabulously beautiful! And even though she sucked during all those pop songs in the last few week, I am once again a Jessica fan. -snort- Mark Holden looks like such a tool when he actually gives the touchdown. Perhaps we should re-name it? The Tool's-Down? Any suggestions welcomed.

BOBBY who I just typed as Booby.

Why couldn't those bastards just shut the hell up and leave poor Bobby dear alone? Perhaps he had a pet mouse that died. Perhaps he was PMS-ing. He was my kindred spirit yesterday, and I felt like beating those assholes with a large stick for trying to make him talk. Sure, spilling his guts on national TV is SURE to make him feel better. Tools! The lot of them!

The sung he chose sucked ass, and I'm worried that he might go, because I love the Bobby like I love paddlepops in summertime. Please be kind, do not vote off the UNIQUE one. He's so UNIQUE and special and he wears UNIQUE clothes and his hair is UNIQUE and you will never find anyone like him because he is UNIQUE. He has UNIQUE emotions too, fuckers, so leave him alone!
RICKY the wide-mouthed tree frog.

So, I much preferred Ricky when he was displaying his insanely psychotic and completely terrifying facial expressions. Last night was so boring that I don't even want to talk about it.

Don't.
Want.
To.
Talk.

Nothing to see here folks, moving right along.

Piss off LISA, you're boring.

Lucky she chose that song (A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton), seeing as it's probably kept her in Idol this year (dangnabbit!). Funny, though. Vanessa Carlton is boring. Lisa Mitchell is boring. Are we seeing a trend?

Her voice which once soothed my cranky soul, is now sounding more and more whiny and annoying with every coming week. She is dull, the obvious favouritism with the judges makes me want to vomit, and I just don't like her. Go away and ride a pony into the sunset or something. A thousand miles away, would be nice.

Who will stay? Who will go? You'll find out in less than two hours. Riveted, I'm sure.

The VERDICT

Klancie was all skanked up, but she's outta here. Yee-haw! We have a ho-down! I repeat, a ho-down!

AND IF YOU ALL DON'T VOTE FOR DEAN NEXT WEEK I'M GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND SINGSTAR YOU UNTIL YOUR EARS FALL OFF.

Penny and Me

Sad news, this weekend has brought.

Yesterday was great - meeting Julie for the first time (even though it felt like we'd known each other forever!) and having a nice girly weekend once again.

Until I got the text message; One of my beautiful mice, Penny, passed away. We have no idea what happened, she just left us - and I'm really quite surprised how sad I am over such a small creature. I was upset yesterday when mum told me (especially since she had been fine in the morning, she had even given me her usual sniff and cuddle in the morning).

But then I came home today and completely lost it. I loved that mouse. She was the only one of the three that actually responded to people POSITIVELY. The others are still quite shy, but Penny? She would always (ALWAYS) come and greet you when you walked near the cage. She was my favourite, and the kids favourite too - because she actually enjoyed being held and loved.

Here are some of my favourite pics - and it's bittersweet that I decided to use a beautiful pic of me and Penny for my new blog header a couple of weeks ago. Photo credit for some of these goes to Jen. I can't believe just how miserable this makes me, and just makes you realise how fragile life is.

Thankyou Penny, for the hours of entertainment, the sweetness you showed to the kids, and for being the cutest (and smallest) damn mouse I have ever had.

I'm going to miss you.

Sunday Scribblings: Instructions

How appropriate; my Year 1/2 class has been learning about procedures all term. My turn to do something different, though.

I guess there are many ways to take the "Instructions" prompt, but I'll take it as I see it. Remember - always start each step of your method with a verb, kids!

How to begin a lifestyle change, in 10 easy steps!

Things You Need;
A Mirror, Self-Consciousness, Some cash stashed away, Motivation and Enthusiasm. Or at least one of the above. But definitely the cash.

Step One;
Decide that your current efforts aren't working. Have a good cry to anyone who will listen, and decide to try something new.

Step Two;
Spot an ad on television while you are running and watching Oprah (preferably at the same time) which shows a sure-fire (and probably expensive) eating programme to help lose weight.

Step Three;
Ring the fore-mentioned company. Check out menu, food looks good, decide "What the heck?" and go for it.

Step Four;
Read out credit card numbers. Buy programme for one week trial. Feel guilty for spending, but excited for being pro-active. Anticipate the food that will be delivered.

Step Five;
Walk past womens gym that has opened in local shopping centre. Pop in, be mesmerised by the circuit course, be sucked in by the helpful store owner, and walk out - with a 12 month membership. Ka-Ching!

Step Six;
Eat healthy food. Eat normal food too. Have fun eating, and NOT being on a diet.

Step Seven;
(Optional) Attend line dancing course, jump around like a crazy woman with no co-ordination, but have a wonderful time. Win raffle - that's a free class next time! Hoorah!

Step Eight;
Dig up mother's old line dancing music, and practice sporadically at home. (Decide to teach your class at school said dances, and become tremendously excited.)

Step Nine;
Go to gym every day for training sessions. Sweat and pant and turn red.

Step Ten;
Complain about stiffness. Have lovely partner give sports massage. Fail to stop talking about being a gym member to anyone who will listen. Enjoy it!

Just another weekend

And isn't time flying?

For some reason, this week has been very hectic. Taking extra sports practice teams at lunchtime, visiting other schools, going away on buses - everything has been go, go, go. And I tagged along too, of course.

Visited the gym each day, now we're off the "babied" version and onto the real thing - all by ourselves! Hoorah! I even have a spiffy little paper card (or not so spiffy) that tells me what weights to use. I'll be back on Monday after work. Heee. I am still embarrassed that I even LOOK at gym equipment and I turn the colour of a ripe tomato that has been doused with water. Seriously. The sweat factor is embarrassing - my hair just gets dark with it. You'd think I'd run a 10k marathon or something.

I was majorly disappointed that Ticketek decided to be a turd today - and Jason wasn't able to get John Mayer tickets for Kirby and I. Not his fault, but fucking Ticketek - I could go after them with a shoe. Or even two shoes. No John Mayer. THAT'S TWO CONCERTS I'VE MISSED! I even saved enough to go. Not fair, so not fair. How I hate thee, Ticketek.

HAPPY FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Well, for yesterday. Four years! How on Earth does he put up with it? Hee.

Not that I'm complaining. I love him very, very much. He bought me flowers (apparently because I whine about never getting them - gotta love him!) and a beautiful card and a contribution towards my gym fund. Love, Love, Love.

Tomorrow sees me drive out to Kirby's place (deary me, I hope I don't get lost) - it then sees us drive to the airport to meet JULIE! I am very excited, but a wee bit nervous too - about the drive, mainly. Once I'm there, it will be good. I wonder if there's one of those car wash swishy machines on the way. Perhaps the girls will be good enough to come along with me - the thought of going through one by myself freaks me out. It's like the making of a really dodgy horror movie.

Will update soon - have a good weekend, loves.

One should be worried when..

They go out line dancing with their mommas, and enjoy it.

Haha. I am a LINE DANCER! With sore legs! BUT I DANCED! In line! With jeans on! No hats, sadly.

And it was FUN! And I want to go AGAIN! And I should stop using CAPITALS now!

I'm even going to teach my kidlets the line dance for their CONCERT! Damn, there go those capital letters again.

I am a big, gigantic DORK! (And I think that warrants being capitalized, don't you?)

No time like the present

As the Procrastination Queen, this post may surprise you.

I'm a gym member, once again. A paying, one year gym member. Why is this special? Because now I have made a contract, I'll damn well be visiting often to get my money's worth. In all honesty, it wasn't that expensive - only just over $10 a week. It's not much when you think about it. I'm good at justifying anything, though.

A new women-only gym opened at the local shops not long ago; Mum and I went to check it all out yesterday. I was surprised to see that it is actually a really big circuit course, with about 20 different machines and stations. You spend 45 seconds on each station, and rotate around - there is music overhead and a cheerful recording telling you to change stations. Every so often they do a pulse check too. Then you do warm down stretches.

We decided on the spot to do it; even though we probably won't do it together. The plan was going to be to go in the mornings - but the place doesn't open until 7.30am, and that's when I leave for work. So instead, I'll be doing afternoons and mum will do mornings. So basically, I'm going to be brave and go alone.

Today was our trial - looked really easy, and wow. 45 seconds goes fast, but then so slow! Fast for the machines, but sloooow for the cardio stuff. My killer? Punching out on the spot with weights, and doing twist jumps. 45 seconds later and I feel like I'm going to fall over. Loving the machines though, I always did enjoy the weighting machines at the gym.

We were shown around by two ladies today - a trainee middle-aged woman on her first day, and this very pretty, VERY flexible trainer. Let's call her Heidi. Heidi has legs that go on and on and on, makes everything look graceful and was very polite as I showed her just how unco-ordinated I really am. She is the swan; I am the duckling. I don't understand how one is supposed to make twist bouncing look graceful, but damn, she could do it.

After the first round, my hair was matted with sweat and I had turned bright red. Damnit, happens everytime I exercise; so embarrassing. Mum was fine. o_O By the end, I felt like I was going to drip on the mats. I didn't, but there's a first time for everything. It was good! I felt exhausted, but sort of pumped. It doesn't seem like a lot, but because you're constantly moving, you don't have time to think.

(I was rather bummed that the Jitterbug song came on AFTER we had finished working out and were stretching. I could bop away to that song for hours.)

The verdict? Hoorah! Good! All ladies is good, even though I'm still self conscious. But at least I'm there, I'm going, and I still WANT to go. I want to try and make a habit of it - keeping a gym bag in the car so I can pop in after work. I spend way more than 30 minutes on the computer each day, so I'll squeeze it in. Wish me luck, even though I won't need it. Perhaps I'll learn to be graceful about the whole exercising thing one day.

AND THE PICTURES? WITH LADIES SITTING ON MACHINES WORKING OUT WITH PRETTY HAIR AND NO SWEAT?

They can go away. For good.

Blogging from School

I don't particularly feel like marking books right now, so instead, I think I shall do some whining.

I've found myself getting very irritable lately with the kidlets here. Perhaps it's because it is coming up to the end of term 3 (already - I know!), perhaps it's because I'm tired, perhaps I'm just a mean ol' grouch. Anything is possible. But the smallest things are bugging me.

# Danny and his stupid stubbornness.
# Messy tables. And messy floors. And messy, unsharpened pencils.
# The two kids who have been off class for the last three months, that arrive back and disrupt EVERYTHING. And make a big fuss about doing it. And their parents. Who expect everything to be perfect for said kids, despite the fact that THEY took them out of school for the WHOLE DAMN TERM.
# The kids whining about the fans being on in the classroom. It's HOT, damnit, and I'm the teacher, so just let me keep the fans on before I overheat already!
# Why must the kids forget to use capital letters every time?
# Why do they not do a margin, or make it a complete mess, when it drives me completely insane seeing messy books?
# Why are my kids fabulous spellers (mostly), yet when it comes to doing a writing task, they cannot spell a word right?
# Why do other teachers feel the need to drop comments that basically imply "Gee, your class isn't doing as well as the other 1/2 class?"

Having this 1/2 class kills me sometimes. I love them, they're great for the most part - but when I have some kids that could happily do their times tables until their faces turned blue, and I have some kids that don't even remember their 2x tables, despite doing them every day, blech! I don't quite know what to do! I split them into ability groups as often as I can, but even then, am I doing enough? Am I doing it right?

Oh, and another thing.

Why do I always feel so bad about taking a day off when I am legitimately sick (five damn flus this year, anyone?) yet today there are heaps of other teachers not on class and that's completely okay? Growl! I think I need some serious shopping therapy, or at least someone to whinge to today, and tell me to snap out of it.

P.S. Mum and I are starting Lite and Easy for a week starting tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes, and if the food tastes like cardboard. Random, but good. I'm off to slouch around and be grumpy again. Hoorah!

500, baby!

Hoorah! 500 comments! I feel so loved!

A hearty congratulations (and thankyou!) to Miss Belinda, for her fabulous 500th comment:

"OH COME ON!!!!!!
See you tomorrow"

Glad to be of service, with my missing Australian Idol post. I promise I won't let you down next week !!

Happy Tuesday.

Missing Idol? Who, me?

I was too busy out having Thai food last night to watch Australian Idol. -gasp-

I'm about to go and watch it now, and luckily fast forward through all the boring ad bits and Mark Holden talking. No write-up this week though, alas. I'm too lazy, and not in the mood.

Just got off the treadmill (I HATE walking in the afternoons, damnit) and now I'm all hot and sweaty and grouchy. I can't do my walking in the mornings because mum hogs it, and I simply cannot get up earlier than 6am to start the walk. It kills me! So afternoons it is - hot, sweaty afternoons - can someone please call up Mother Nature and beg for her forgiveness? It's supposed to be 30o (celcius, people) and it's JUST turned from Winter to Spring. Wah!

Dinner last night was great! We got completely lost trying to find poor Stefi at Parramatta station, seeing as there is absolutely NO reasonable way around anymore what with all the new renovations. There is enough bus access to compare it to the airport, yet nowhere to actually stop the damn car and pick people out. We finally hijacked Stefi, nearly ran her over, stuffed her into the car and off we went for Thai. I forgot my camera. I am a bad friend.

Food was yummy! Chicken and cashew stir-fry with rice for me, and Garlic Lamb. J. and I shared. Thai food, oh how I love thee! I could happily eat that forever and ever. Minus the carbs and the whole cost expenses, and the rest. But GOOD! Good food! Yummy! Did I mention that yet!?

Oh and lastly? Pool is fun, until you start losing so badly you begin to sulk. And it's rather sad when the most amazing shots you do, are the ones that happen when you're not even trying. Heeee!

Nothing Special

Howdy, from Jason's house.

I figured I should at least type this up now, in case I forget this evening. Had a lovely evening yesterday; why does food always taste better when it's cooked by someone else? J. made apricot chicken and rice, followed by my second favourite dessert - apple crumble! I'll give a dollar (or not) to the person who knows my all-time favourite..

It's Sunday already. It really isn't fair that weekends go so quickly, but the rest of the week takes its leisurely time. Tonight we are meeting up with Stefi (hoorah!) ~ if I had no school tomorrow, we would have been meeting in the city somewhere, but instead, Stef is coming out here so we can take her to dinner in the 'burbs.

Don't know where we are going yet, I keep suggesting the cute little Mexican restaurant that is around here. We haven't been in ages, and it's something different! Who knows. We might just end up going to a cafe somewhere in Parramatta. Have to wait and see!

Not much to write about in fact; I'm being a nanna again and worrying about Jen. You wouldn't think she is actually older than me, right? I'm a weirdo.

AND.. I have a split bottom lip. I don't know how I managed to get it cut, maybe just dry lips overnight? Now it's sore, and it looks like I've taken a piercing out or something. My brother is the one with the lip piercing(s), not me. Yuck! Bring on the Vaseline -- oh wait, I probably shouldn't have written that. Who knows what searches will be looking up Vaseline with Piercings?

Two really is enough.

I finally managed to get my Gilmore Girls locked DVD open.

With the help of Jason, several pens, a spatula and a pair of kitchen scissors. Hoorah! My other seasons have arrived too, along with House. My viewing is almost complete; it will be perfect once my Firefly and CSI: Season 4 discs arrive too.

I cooked dinner for Jase last night, and we opened up a bottle of wine to have with it. Well. The wine was so good, we paid a visit to the bottle shop to see if we could find some more of it. Found some, as well as another one we thought we'd try - which was quite cheap.

Our night consisted of sitting on the lounge watching 80s and 90s Party Max, which was fabulous. It's amazing how you sound so much better singing when you're.. a wee bit tipsy. That one bottle turned into two; and the cheap wine? Was very nasty. Smelled a bit like pee. Yeah. We drank it anyway.

I think I was the smart one who decided we should open the third bottle.

Did I say smart? (-cough- I needed to borrow Jen's vomit-box in the wee hours-cough-)

Blech. Funny though, until the sickness.

Perhaps next time I should just stick to my drinking at dinner. Brought back Contiki memories, and not the good ones. I feel fine now though! Just craving food, any kind of food, I'm so hungry. Mmm. I think on that charming note, I shall scurry off to the kitchen. Hope your Friday night was grand!

Sunday Scribblings: Research

Today's prompt has left me sitting here for a while wondering what to write about.

Which is strange, because usually I've always got something that I can fit smoothly into the Sunday Scribble for the week. Since the ball is in my court this time, and the topic hasn't been handed to me on a silver platter (I'm so spoiled!) - it is much more difficult. I'm going with something random which I'm SURE I know the answer to, but it seems to have slipped my memory since seventh grade science.

How are rainbows formed?

Rainbows have always intrigued me, and even now they brighten my day when I see one after a storm. They're sort of bittersweet too, seeing that I have a strange fascination with storms - so usually once the rainbow appears, the storms are finishing up. And there's the elusive pot of gold analogy, who can argue with that?

And, er, I take no responsibility if these facts aren't accurate. I'm just the researcher.

DID YOU KNOW?

That you can only see rainbows when the sun is shining behind you and it is raining in front of you?

That all rainbows are part of a whole circle, but we can only see part of it because the Earth is in the way?

The traditional sequence of the colours of a rainbow are:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Rainbows don't have an exact location in the sky; where they appear depends on where the person is viewing them from.

In GREEK mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger between Heaven and Earth.

In CHINESE mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by a goddess using different colours.

In HINDU mythology, the rainbow is the symbol of the God of lightning and thunder.

In NORSE mythology, a rainbow connects the gods to the people.

In IRISH history, the leprechaun hides his secret stash of gold at the end of the rainbow (although one is never able to reach it.)

As for me? I just think they're beautiful, a wonder to behold. Why, just last week the "end of the rainbow" vanished into a field across from our house. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to see what lies there?

E N J O Y =)

My First Troll!

I think I'll go email Amalah.

You know, having a public blog has its perks - and being able to write about the past six months has been really quite interesting.

My blog has just given me something that I never thought I'd get; a TROLL! My very first blog troll! Behold the troll-ish goodness!

For a teacher you certainly are a poor speller. Where did you get your
qualifications... out of a cereal package or did you just do a Photoshop job and
make something up? Have you not heard of editing before publishing? What about
using a spell checker at the very least or is that a bit too high tech? I hope
you only teach rats and mice and not human young. You?re a disgrace!

The strange part? That it was from a message I posted oh, only two weeks ago or something. There's only one thing better than a troll, and that is a lurking troll!

Trolls are such shy creatures. Which is a shame, because I'm sure we all have that inner passion to get to know the real trolls. Everyone is beautiful, inside and out. No need to be shy. We don't judge. We love.

So L.T. Spelling, with your witty remarks that made me smile (and yes! I have mice! Three of them! See? Not all trolls are lacking in the intelligence department!) -- you have a great day now! And thankyou for being yet another milestone in my Ramblings.

Name: L.T. Spelling Email: learntospell@bjatkinson.com IP: 202.173.132.128

P.S. I can't use Photoshop to save my life. Could you teach me, please?

Random Fray Goodness.

Whatever would the internet be these days without YouTube?

First you can go and see The Fray performing "Vienna" (one of my favourite songs) live @ the Gaelic Club from THE concert. No, I didn't take this but it's cool so enjoy. Not bad sound, either.

Then you can go and watch a fake film clip for The Fray's "Little House" (wow, another song I love, go figure!) - made only using the Sims 2, this chick is awesomely clever.

And then there's the clip of that girl miming to "Over My Head" using some sort of mirror that makes her look like an alien, and which is rather amusing, really.

Also while you're here, don't miss the "How To Save a Life" videoclip which features snippets from Grey's Anatomy Season 2 and looks amazing. I love Grey's Anatomy. I love The Fray. What a match. And I had tears in my eyes and I haven't even SEEN the second season yet, damnit.

Le sigh.

How can you not love them?

A Pretty Average Day

ajhgjkhjgkd Is it Friday yet? ajhgjkhjgkd

Because damnit, I'm over this week.

1. It was hot. Pretty day, but still hot. Hotness = sticky, smelly children. We did sport, and it was hot. And I was on the oval playground duty. And it was hot.

2. A child somehow managed to get onto the roof of the school. And proceeded to spend the entire lunch hour running (RUNNING, for fuck's sake) around the school roof, meaning the rest of the school watched in horror/amazement/amusement and everyone had no idea what the heck to do.

3. A student called me a "fat, ugly witch" to the rest of his class, and his punishment is spending one lunchtime in an office. Wonderful.

4. I HAVE A FREAKING CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD OF MY NEW FREAKING CAR.

Someone just shoot me in the foot, please? PLEASE?

Or just pour me a Pina Colada.

Damnit EzyDVD!

NOW how the heck am I supposed to start my Gilmore Girls viewing session? Huh? HUH!?

Seasons 2 and 3 arrived on Monday. I can't even START watching yet, because I refuse to watch them out of order.

I'm still waiting for Seasons 1 and 4, even though they only shipped A DAY after the others. If they're lost in the mail, I may scream. And send of nasty emails. And scream some more.

But Season 3 is in a weird plastic packagey thing, and has a big giant red padlock on the side - not a REAL padlock, per say, but it has a locking mechanism. I can see the green padlock, however there is no way to unlock it unless I take a large sledgehammer and bash the crap out of the packaging.

And I like my DVDs too much to risk that.

So I emailed them, thinking I was having a very blonde moment and that there was some really obvious way of unlocking the discs that I wasn't aware of. This is what I recieved.

Hi Aly,

Thankyou for letting us know.

We apologise for this inconvenience however that tag should have been removed, so can we please suggest that you take it to a store to be removed for you. Perhaps you can call them first to advise that you will be doing so to avoid confusion when you get there.

No shit!? I'm not crazy? They sent me a locked dvd. Damnit!

Now I'm allowed to whinge, because whinging is what I do best. Now I have to wait until I get time to go to an actual EzyDVD store just so I can open the damn box. And I didn't BUY my stupid DVDs from the store. I bought it from the ONLINE WEBSITE. Fuckers!

(Yes, I realise I won't get up to Season 3 in a very long time, but this is just a pain in the ass.) Can't they send me some freebies or something to make up for it? Or at least have Seasons 1 and 4 (which are mysteriously floating around in post office land at the moment) arrive on my doorstep PRONTO?

Growl.

Randomly Lyrical

"Think about a time when you have misheard or misunderstood the lyrics to a song."

Since I'm tired today and not really feeling a writing mood (gasp - the horror) I found an appropriate short prompt from Writing Fix.

The first one that comes to mind is in Sick Cycle Carousel, by Lifehouse. These are the real lyrics;

"If shame had a face, I think it'd kind of look like mine."

I heard?

"I'm shaving her face, I think it'd kind of look like mine."

Heehee. I still love that song, but every time it plays I have a bit of an internal giggle. Another favourite is "Alex the Seal" (aka Our Lips are Sealed) which is made even cuter because I was all of like, three, when I made that up?

Now it's your turn - EVERYONE who lurks here: What is YOUR favourite misheard song lyric?

Australian Idol Finals (1)

This is belated, since I missed the episode last night and am now watching it taped.

I never realised (well yes, actually, I did realise) how wonderful television is when you can fast forward your way through the ads. I really enjoyed it, skipping through the crap. Too bad we can't do that always.

Are they ever going to get a new intro to the show? I think they should have one like America's Next Top Model, where they have a flash of all the contestents before the show starts. Maybe I should write to them. James looks sharp as always, Andrew just looks like a stupid mannequin as always.

Oh look, there's Dean and how cute he is! Ack - is Damien in a straight jacket? And what is up with Lavina, she looks like a moron in that hat. Ooh! Bobby has two eyes tonight! Awesome! Can't wait for the songs. Is it just me, or is that stage completely massive compared to last year? I'd hate to be stuck up the top and not be able to see. Can we please try for Idol tickets this year - Belinda? Mum?

Blah Blah Blah judges Blah Blah Blah. Wait? Is this a free choice show or something, because I must have forwarded through that part. Ho Hum

Wow, can Dean get any cuter? And that accent? He's fabulous. HE SUNG A GOO GOO DOLLS SONG in that clip of him. See Jase? You can't hate him now! For You I Will, great song. I love this song. Can this guy ever have a bad hair day? He was a bit quieter tonight with his singing, but was still good. I want him to sing some Incubus, so I can really freak out!

Joseph is just so adorable, I could pinch his cheeks. And then rip out his eyelashes and glue them onto my own. Right Here Waiting. I also love this song! Good choices, boys. Good to see Joe without any dorky hats on tonight. He sung beautifully, although still looked terrfied. When is he going to do some nice funky music again, though? Can I call him Stool-Boy now that Nathaniel is gone?

All I caught in the next clip was Jessica shoving maraccas down her shirt? I loved to hear her singing that Delta Goodrem song even better than Delta can. Have I mentioned that I can't stand Delta? Ooh. This song is Stick WIT You. I wonder if she'll sing it like that? No, she didn't. Haha. This was boring until she hit some of the high notes. And as much as I love Jess, she aint no Pussycat Doll, if you know what I mean. Hang on! She just said "Wit". My life is complete.

Heehee! It be the leprechaun. That footage showed Damien wiping his lips after his wife kissed him, reminds me of Jason. Started off tune to With Or Without You, that's not a good sign. He better not ruin this song, it's one of my favourites. He wasn't too bad actually! Although I was singing over the top of him, so who knows what he actually sounded like. The Oh-Oh's were good. And trust me, I know my Oh-Oh's.

Ricky is still a pretty boy. I have Walking Away on my playlist, and I think it'd suit Ricky's voice. He looks like he is wearing grandpa pants, do they come up to his armpits or what? Geez, from the waist up he looks just like Anthony. Which means he won't win the competition either, probably. Nice singing today though.

I hate to say it but Lisa is as boring as batshit, apart from her nice voice. Not confronting? Yeah, wouldn't have picked that. Fall At Your Feet. (cough, do I even bother to mention that this is one of my favourite songs as well?) A tweaked version? Don't know that I'll like this. All of her songs sound exactly the same. She looks gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous, but is just so boring. The music is better than she is. Yawn.

Oh look, there's Lavina. Did you know that she is Emilie's sister? Yeah, no way, right? If I Aint Got You. This song was ruined a few years ago by that annoying girl whose name I don't remember, and besides; noone can do it as good as Alicia Keys. She does have a decent voice, but like Lisa, her songs always sound the same. She did the chorus beautifully. I love how I'm so critical, but I am the world's worst singer, but whatever. I'm allowed to criticize. And there's also something very manly about her face. That was random, I wonder what made me think to write that.

Alright, are we nearly done? I'm getting tired. And if I see this stupid seamless underwear ad one more time, I may strangle myself. And I'm even fast forwarding through it. Gah.

Brother Chris is up next, wearing a shirt that a large parrot seems to have shat on. I like Brother Chris better than Courtney. Except that I hate this song, very much. Wish You Well. He needs a shave. And he's doing funny things with the hand that doesn't hold the microphone, which is making me laugh. Alot. He's very cool though, easy to listen to. That shirt really is horrendous, who dressed him anyway?

I find it absolutely gorgeous that Klancie's dad has the chin quiver going every time he talks about his baby. It's lovely! She's very down to earth, but did we really need that bikini shot? Wow. She's singing country? Who would have guessed that..? Jolene. Sounds like a lame song already. Got a good set of boo... I mean, pipes on her. Looks very nice all dolled up, and her boobs appear less saggy lately. I'm glad she discovered the humble brassiere.

Mutto is a T-O-O-L. I just don't like him at all, less every week. I think it's just because he appears so full of himself; and thinks he's 21? More U2. Where the Streets have No Name. He's talking to the crowd like a tool. His caterpillar eyebrows scare me. Dare I say that he can actually sing this song quite well, though? No more comments from me, because I need to just stop talking about Mutto. Blech.

Reigan is really quite stunning. Her voice is wonderful too, so she's quite a nice package. I KNEW she would sing George, I just knew it. She looks lovely in that dress. She's quite like Katie, but she keeps on missing some of those lower notes. I wonder if the home viewers will like the mellowness of the song; it's definitely not as good as the original, but not a bad cover of it.

Bobby! That voice. Amazing. He's just so damn mellow. And he loves his momma, and his girlfriend, what a sweetie-pie. When the War is Over. I never liked Cold Chisel, but this is one of the few good ones. Wonder if this was a good song choice? I can't help it, I think he's great. And he's made this song so different! I don't think he'll win because, let's face it, he's a weirdo, but that doesn't mean he's not cool.

I will edit this soon to say who got kicked off, and my thoughts. Because I know there are thousands of readers just awaiting my every word. Hah! Now you better go and vote for Dean, or I shall hunt you down and annoy you until you do. And vote for Bobby too, but just not as much as you vote for Dean. Thanks.

Update:

Poor dimply Joseph. He did such a beautiful version of that song tonight (too bad he was so nervous last night!) and I was so sad for him; thought he was going to cry and then I was going to cry. Jessica should have been in the bottom 3, and NOT Lavina, as much as I despise her. Sigh. Thems the breaks.

And now for the really long and random Friday night review!

The great concert rundown, that you have all been highly anticipating! Warning; very random self-taken photographs (with and without blur) included. ((I may also use too many brackets.))

By the way, I had to stretch the bloody pictures because Typepad was being a bitch. So we're not all as wide-faced as we look. Well, I am, but the other guys aren't.

So Friday the school day (heehee) started off really well. I was in a great mood, looking forward to the afternoon - although not a single person noticed my flippy new hair except for a little kindergarten girl who said "I like your hair Miss S!". That made my day. I don't think my kids have ever seen me quite so, well, cheerful for lack of a better word. I even enjoyed my Newcombeball training! Go figure!

Sped off just after school got out, nabbed Jen from the station - got home, took her to see the bunnies and the menagerie of animals I own in this house - and within about 10 minutes, the doorbell rang - Kirby had arrived! Heee. We spent an hour or so in my room with deep and meaningful conversations consisting of exchanges like "But I don't match. You guys match! I'm wearing black!", "Is it going to be cold? What if it's hot?", "Wow, that's a lot of makeup Jen, and why are your hands shaking so much?" Pretty intense stuff. Our chaueffer (otherwise known as my lovely momma) arrived to shuttle us to the train station in the limosuine (otherwise known as her red Mazda) - nothing too eventful here except for my internal panicking about missing the train, banging my head in a spectacular way as I was leaving the car, oh, and car photos!

We encountered the Ticketing Nazi at the train station - where I was forced to pay an extra $2 for my train ticket just because my Student ID didn't have some damn sticker. I even played dumb, but got nowhere. She hated Kirby too. Bitch! Jen got her cheap ticket, but a load of good that did her (as you'll find out later on.) We got to the station, waited a short while and took random station photos!

There's only so many things one can do on a train. One can sleep if they're brave. One can talk quietly amongst friends. One can observe the other passengers. We did all of those things (except for the sleeping bit) and plus, we had a camera!

Oh, and I must tell you some of our neighbours from the train visit. We had the strange man who was on for a couple stops, who would say the station name about five times every time we would pause. "Strathfield Strathfield Strathfield." Then we had the scary and possibly drugged out dude in the carriage downstairs who sounded like he was puking on the train (everyone else thought he was just coughing, but I thought puking, damnit) - which was even more suspicious when he moved seats halfway through the train voyage. And then there was the guy who came on the train near the end of the journey who sat there talking to himself and humming weird songs which had me inching as far away from him as I could.

After arriving in the city (here's where the pictures stopped for a while, boo - our starvation overruled our need to photograph everything!), there was a moment of mild panic when Jen lost her train ticket which had us all madly rifling through her wallet (and we still have no idea where it went either). A nice railworker just let us walk through after I told her what happened, and Jen bought a spare return ticket early to be safe. We headed out into Surry Hills, where I felt like the world's biggest tourist. Following Julia's wonderful instructions, we found the Gaelic Club pretty easily - and there was a queue an hour early to get in. We hunted around for somewhere to eat for a while (Pizza or Kebabs, anyone) and admired the sights of Surry Hills - Our favourite place? The Ding Dong Dang Karaoke Bar (Oh how I would like to visit there one day.)

The wind completely demolished my nice hair and after all that, we ended up walking back through the station to get to Broadway. Appetites filled, we headed back under the station AGAIN to get in the queue. Nothing eventful happened in said queue. Nada. Zilch. Got into the club, found a nice spot near the toilets but sort of left-angled to the stage where there weren't TOO many heads in front of us. Plenty of room. Jen even sat down for a while, since she had a bit of a stomach ache during the concert. See?

The support act was Kate Miller-Heidke (that's prounounced Hi-Kehhhh! to you and me, folks) who was this gorgeous little thing with a beautiful dress and cute hair who sat at a keyboard. I thought I was going to be expecting some nice keyboard mellow music - but instead?

She turned out to be this quirky freak who appeared as though she was suffering from Tourette's Syndrom crossed with some sort of psychotic personality reaction. She was a complete nutbag who made the worlds most hilarious faces as she was singing. And the songs! So lyrically genius! I like the one (that she wrote ALL BY HERSELF, omg!) about "That time I had the hots (her words) for this boy, but he didn't feel the same way - can you believe it?" I also liked the one about "That time I went on a date and the guy talked about himself all the time and I wished he would just shut up!" Yeah. These are some lyrics;

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ? Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ? Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ? blah blah dog diggity blah

Then there was the song about "That time I moved into my own apartment!" And who can forget that one about "That time I watched Australian Idol!" In fact, that one was so bad, I think I'll post some lyrics. Good grief. She turned demonic at one point, whispering "I love you.. I love you" and then ROARING "I LOVE  YOU" in this completely terrifying way. I'm still disturbed.

I was having a bad week - I crashed the car and the cat carked it ? Weighed myself outside Woolies and I?d put on 4 kilos ? Arranged to meet an old friend for coffee ? I poured my heart out - told her all about ? Poor dead fluffy, and the bloody car, and did she think I should go on a diet? ? She studied my face, trying to frame the words to say ? Just the right blend of sympathy and advice ? She took a big breath. And looked into my eyes and she said: You should go on Australian Idol! ? Even if you don?t win, you?ll have a great time. ? Don?t worry that you don?t look like a supermodel ? They?re even letting fatties on there now so you should be fine.

What the fuck? If you should require some more of her insightful lyrics, you can go here. Why you'd want to, is another story.

It was at about this time that my personal space started to become a little bit squished. A whole gaggle of drunken American females (save us!) decided to squash in down the front to get a good spot for when the Fray would play - shoving like elephants to get to where they wanted. I was trying to take the above wobbly possessed Kate photo when this stupid blonde girl just appeared in front of me, completely knocking the camera away. Not so bluntly, I asked "Are you planning on moving?" to which she replied "Oh, am I in your way?" -coughs- "Yes, well, only when you stand straight like that." Thankfully they shoved their way further to the front.

But then along came rude hat boy (yes, another American, go figure!) He stood completely in front of me. And was probably over six feet tall. Couldn't see a bloody thing. I made several cranky faces to Kirby, seeing as Jen was still sitting on the floor at this point. Grr. And as soon as the techies and roadies came out? Goodbye, personal space. Hello, random strangers touching me.

I had Hat Boy blocking the front, more drunken Americans closing in from behind, and a hyper group of Asian kids going insanely camera crazy next to me, meaning every so often I'd be jabbed in the ribs by the guy trying to hold the camera out for self-taken pictures. Lovely! Jen was being squished by the drunken Americans in thongs. Kirby kept getting felt up by the people shoving past her (who knew boobs could also double for hand-rails?) and I kept getting my hair touched and ass squished up by the girls behind me. Ew.

I was very tempted to do some of the following;

a) Poke the Hat Boy in the ribs until he moved.
b) Shove the stupid American bimbo brigade (shall we call them SABB?) so they'd all topple over like dominoes and shutup with their drunken stupor already.
c) Start stomping.
d) Whinge.

I did whinge. Alot. And louder than I usually would have. But it made no difference to these rude people, who just kept trying to shove and push and close in. I've never been touched in so many places in my life. Blech.

You know, even at M-One a couple years back with those huge crowds and bajillions of people - I haven't ever been to a concert where people just didn't give a fuck as much as last night. The SABB had taken over the building, with the herd behind us as well as a batch down the front. Guys were just randomly shoving in (tall guys at that!) and not giving a crap about the people behind them. And then came the turbans. Tall Indians. Already blocking the view. But with turbans on that gave them another couple of inches to their height. A couple of rows in front. They blocked the view, and everytime they would bop one way, we'd have to quickly bop the other way to get a peep at the stage. Gaaaaaaaah. So, we took a photo of it.

I like how you can sort of artfully sort-of-see The Fray if you look to the right.

In the meantime, the Fray came on and started rocking out and were WONDERFUL. Absolutely perfect. Isaac (the lead singer) is fabulous, and I swear he was singing right to me. Yep. I'm sure of it. Even though he probably can't see a thing from the stage and sees only lights, haha, it sure LOOKED like he was singing right to me anyway! And that voice... wow. Jen still felt sick at that time, though. I knew nearly every song, which was awesome. What a fan, I am! Haha.

I think it was about now when one particularly blonde member of the SABB decided to jump on her man-whore's shoulders and be all WOW! I'm UP HIGH! Blocking people's views! ROCK ON! -random squeal noises here- And not a single person politely asked her to "Get the fuck down, so we can see!" Nice. She eventually disappeared but between that and the twin turbans, there wasn't much of a view. Somehow one of the Asian photography gang had also weasled his way in front of me, so I had a mixed view. Sometimes I'd catch glimpses of the band, sometimes I'd catch glimpses of the dude's spikes. Gah.

Spikes? Are so not fashionable. SHAVE 'EM.

We did manage to get some pictures (albeit blurry) of the Fray. Also, the SABB members behind me were making not-so-subtle plans (I suppose when you're drunk you don't realise how loud you're actually talking?) about how they wanted to get past me and squeeze closer to the front - to which I started my bodyguard pose, bracing myself and keeping them from moving past me. Hee. I took evil pleasure in that!

If I ever spy those SABB members again (the ones with cameras) I shall kick them hard up the ass.

They look much better in real life. Love!

The Fray rocked. Seriously. With the exception of the crowd, haha. I looooved it, and I'd go again (though not to that venue, unless I was wearing my "Anti Bimbo and Tall People" spray). After their encore, they came back and did my all-time favourite song. Look After You. Live. BEAUTIFUL. You are soooo beautiful. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it.

If I don't say this now I will surely break ? As I'm leaving the one I want to take. ? Forgive the urgency, but hurry up and wait ? My heart has started to separate ? Oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, Be my baby ? Oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, Be my baby ? I'll look after you ? There now, steady love, so few come and don't go ? Will you won't you, be the one I always know? ? When I'm losing my control, the city spins around ? You're the only one who knows, you slow it down..

If ever there was a doubt ? My love she leans into me ? This most assuredly counts ? She says most assuredly ? It's always have and never hold ? You've begun to feel like home ? What's mine is yours to leave or take ?What's mine is yours to make your own

Jen still felt sick, and after poking her a couple of times, I asked if she wanted to move - she said yep, she wanted air. We moved to the side but she still felt bad, so we left early. I'd heard all the songs I wanted to hear though, so it wasn't bad at all. Poor Jen! We have bad luck at concerts. Same thing happened a couple years back when we were at the Metro!

Afterwards we went looking for a coffee shop and found that nothing was open. Nothing! And it wasn't even 11pm. What the? I thought the city was supposed to actually be alive at nights, on Fridays? Everything on Broadway was closed. We grabbed a frozen drink at McDonalds, and while Kirby and I were in line, Jen disappeared all of a sudden. I thought she'd headed to the toilets, but er, no. You're lucky we stopped taking pictures right about now. Jen was making friends with a box on Broadway, showing it what she ate for dinner. Heehee! I shall forever be now making PukeBox jokes to my dearest Jen from now on. Hey, I wonder if I could re-do the words to that stupid Robbie Williams RudeBox song! OhOh! This could be good!

All in all, it was a good night minus all the bad points I pointed out. We also didn't have to catch the delayed train home though; lucked out big time, seeing as that dad offered to pick us up on his way home from the airport. Got home, blabbered away for a while, and crashed after 2am. Jen is home now. Kirby is home now. And we shall meet again in a few weeks for girly weekend number two, with the addition of Julie.

To finish up, some random Fray lyrics. Go and download as much music as you can. They really are amazing. This one is called Little House.

She doesn't look, she doesn't see ? Opens up for nobody ? Figures out, she figures out. ? Narrow line, she can't decide ? Everything short of suicide ? Never hurts, nearly works. ?Something is scratching its way out ? Something you want to forget about.

A part of you that'll never show ? You're the only one that'll ever know ?Take it back when it all began ? Take your time, would you understand ? What it's all about? ? What it's all about? ? Something is scratching its way out ? Something you want to forget about ? No one expects you to get up ? All on your own with no one around.

I had a ball. And loved spending time with these girls.

Sunday Scribblings: I would never write...

I guess having a public blog fits in well with the prompt for this week.

I'm always conscious about what I write, who might be reading, and what implications my words might have - no matter how harmless they seem at the time. I don't use names for school related posts. I don't use colleagues names. I don't use names of people who I think would feel uncomfortable if they knew it was made public.

So I sat here wondering what to write about today; what DON'T I actually write about? I like to think I'm pretty open; Even though I am completely aware that this is public, I'm still pretty honest about my opinions and my ramblings (or at least I would like to think so.)

All I could come up with? That I don't write about my fears that often.

With no further blabber, here are a few.

# I fear not finding work again for next year in a place where I feel comfortable.
# I fear not doing as good a job as other (more experienced) teachers, even though I feel completely at ease teaching my guys.
# I fear I'm a person that others aren't interested in spending time with, compared to more outgoing people.
# I fear what people think of me - I'd like to know, and I wouldn't like to know at the same time, you know?
# I fear that I am a hindrence to my family, with still living at home.
# I fear not knowing what the future holds.

I guess they're pretty standard fears? I don't know. I found it really hard to actually think of things that hit home to me to post about - I just don't know. Maybe one day I will take each of those and go into it further, but today is not that day.

On that note - what I WILL write about later on this afternoon once Jen gets home and sends me some photos - is what a good time I had last night.

Drats to this "Having a Life" business!

Made me miss a day of blogging. Boo!

And now, since it is past  my bedtime (and because my feet hurt) I am calling it a night/morning. Pictures tomorrow. And stories, yessum, indeed stories are to come!

xo

What a Great Bondage Session!

Damn, I hate to think what google searches will find THAT heading. Hee.

Mum and I have spent the afternoon indulging in a lovely girls day out. After driving into the city, that is. (cough) Started at 3pm, when we had our hair appointments. Mum had hers first, mine came afterwards. I should pay $10 every morning to have my hair shampooed and conditioned and massaged like they do at the salon, would be money well spent. Mmm.

So, I was brave. I did it. I got the chop.

Haha!

Well, not exactly. Me with short hair? Never happen. But I chopped a fringe into my hair. That's a big step for me, since the last time I had a fringe I was about 10. And it was permed. I know. I KNOW. Anyway.

It's not super short, it kinda goes off to one side and I THINK I like it, even though it's been driving me crazy all day. I'm getting fringe-headache. Thank goodness for pins. I'll take pictures (LOTS OF PICTURES, OHEMGEE) tomorrow night, when I see JEN! And the Fray! And Kirby! And JEN!

Let's hope I don't break the camera.

I also bought some cheap summer strappy sandals, a nice skirt and top, and clear mascara for my newly tinted eyelashes (yes, we went all out at the salons today, special occasion, why not?)

And I spent money on my furry babies. Mice food and bedding. A rabbit carry hutch and toy. Why mum wouldn't let me bring home a Maltese or Chihuahua puppy from the petstore, I don't know. Ridiculous.

I need a new baby. Good times!

Well, wouldn't you know..

Geee. Guess who Aly got for the school Australian Idol sweep?

-coughs-

Jase, if you're reading this, avert your eyes. (AND I SWEAR THAT I DIDN'T DO THE SWEEP MYSELF, rofl)

I got me DEAN! Teehee.

So make sure your butts are votin' for him each week. I'm already sour about being ONE PLACE from winning a jackpot in the NRL Footy Tipping Competition, so I'm looking for a good run of luck for now.

That is all because I am tired.

P.S. Greys Anatomy is love.

afhjshfdks !!

I just wanted to show you my current favourite video clip, that's all.

But NOOOOO. YouTube has to be a bitch and not work for me. Anyway. After much SingStar usage, this is now MY song. And I am learning his sexy moves and I wish my figure was as good as his. And that I could dance so well with tape wrapped around a tablecloth wrapped around my legs. Yep. Go and enjoy.

DAMN IT ALL YOUTUBE YOU SUCK BECAUSE YOU WON'T LET ME PUT THE DAMN VIDEO ON MY DAMN BLOG JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT BLOGGER YOU SUCK YOU SUCK YOU SUCK!

And if someone can please inform me how the hell to get the damn video actually PLAYING on my freaking evil Typepad blog, I'll be a much happier camper. The end.

Aly + Life = Omg!

These comings weeks will bring me more outings than I've had in the entire year..

.. And I'm SO excited!

Friday night (yes, THIS Friday night) is The Fray ~ Jen! Kirby! The Fray! I am so excited, I'm planning on taking a bazillion photos so that there will be at least ONE decent one of me and my gal-pals. Fray Fray Fray! Saturday I plan on kidnapping Jen until the afternoon or whenever she has to leave, and we shall be girls and do girly things. Hoorah!

Next weekend, my darling Stefi is back in Australia ~ Stefi we've stalked a few times now, in Italy and last year when she came to visit. I'm nabbing a night out on the town with her when she's here, which should be amazing.  Fweee!  It's been a while since I've drunk, perhaps this will be the time to break the habit? (P.S. Last Friday did not count, since we were at home, and I wasn't even tipsy, alright?)

And the FOLLOWING weekend, is Julie weekend! Julie lives in Melbourne, and even though we've talked for years and years, we've never managed to catch up. So, it's another girly session, which I'm looking forward to!

This having a life business sounds exhausting, but I'm really hyper about it all. And of course, I will always squish Jase in there as well, because I don't see him enough at the best of times -- Have I mentioned that in 2 weeks, it will be our four year anniversary?

I think I like September so far.

Absolutely Ka-Nackered.

It can't possibly only be Monday?

I'm buggered. Can't exactly tell you why, either. Could have been wearing in my new wedge shoes which cost me a whopping $16 at Big-W, but man, they're cute! Good times.

So bummed, though. Came 6th in my footy tipping competition at work - DAMN YOU PANTHERS! Hah! I would have tied for third, or at least gotten fourth, except for two people who scored a perfect round and got 3 extra points each. Drats! Ah well. Next year I shall win! I am not competitive! Oh no!

Because I am so ka-nackered, I won't even give my usual bright-as-a-daisy Idol rundown. Most of my picks were right, except for Mutto, who is blossoming into a bigger tool than I ever thought possible. What the hell was he wearing tonight? Planning on robbing a bank after the Idol show, perhaps? Yay for Klancie, Yay for Ricky, Yay for Brother Chris. Amen.

And no, the change to this years Idol is not a secret. We'll be able to save or not save, which means nothing really, except that the money from all the bloody voting is going to end up paying for Kyle's next Jaguar or something. Whatever. I'm the biggest Idol freak, yet have I ever actually rang up and voted? Er.. Wait, I think we did at one point, I don't remember. But my votes are sent through telepathically instead. Much cheaper that way.

Now I am off to sleep and watch Grey's Anatomy.

Oh, oh, and one more Idol thing before I go ~~ Lalaaaaaaaaaaa; Last year the tickets went open (freebies) on Sunday nights, or Monday nights, I can never remember, but they released them after the show. And we just happened to be freaks who refreshed a lot, and won a couple of shows. Heee. I want to go again.

Australian Idol Wildcard Show

And you thought my Idol posts were over!

Tonights show started with Andrew G sporting a stripey t-shirt I swear I've seen a million times before, as well as washed hair, methinks. And James, looking suave as ever. Have I mentioned here that I have met Jimmy before, and completely annoyed the crap out of him? (I won't go into it here because it's really not all that important, but omg, I was on TV in the last series of Idol and it's probably my only claim to fame!)

The highlight of tonight's show? Seeing the Top 12 contestants so far, sitting there looking completely and utterly bored. Sideshow Bobby was staring off into space (communicating with his lovely home planet, perhaps?),  Little Lisa looked like she would rather be at home in bed, and it looks as though someone JUST woke Lavina up; who actually wears a full white Adidas tracksuit with bedhead on national television?

First up was Boner Boy, who finally listened to my telepathic pleas to take the damn hats and grandpa jumpers off and throw them in the trash. Although his hair was sort of ick, so I can see now why he wears them. May I suggest he puts them back on? I've now dubbed his movements tonight the "limbo dance"; the whole grooving down to the floor making almost-obscene crotch gestures disturbed me. As did his eyebrows. Didn't like his prancing, did like the song mix-up though. I don't think he should make the Top 12 though.

I was very sorry to see that Stool Boy Nathaniel wasn't actually using a stool tonight. -sniff- Instead, he replaced his funky look with his pimping pinstripe suit, and that hair; man, how I'd love to have the female equivalent of those curls. He sang alright tonight, but it sounded an awful lot like plain old karaoke. Perhaps he'll get the old lady vote? I don't even have anything else to say, so his performance wasn't that wonderful.

Next up was Redneck Klancie WHO HAS APPARENTLY DISCOVERED BRASSIERES! Fabulous - except the outfit she was wearing was completely Supre-ish and horrid. Redneck woman, indeed. Seeing as though my mum is completely bonkers about that song and I've had plenty of first-hand listening to it, I'd have to say that she did an average job. Mum sings it just as well, if not better though! I still really like Klancie, but the country music will be the death of me. Hee. She cracked me up with her grammar though; someone please translate this: Just gonna make me even wanna try harder! Wtf?

What were the judges thinking when they invited Wobbly Graffiti Boy into the Wildcard show? Seriously! Another song that I love that ended up ruined. Ruined because of the damn wobbling! The squint eye paired with the wibble-wobble is not going to be the new Macarena. No freaking way. He was bouncing so much that the bloody cameras couldn't even keep up with him, let alone me at home who was going into convulsions. Blech.

On to Mutto who is starting to act as though he's too fabulous for words. Thank God for the beanie. I hated this, even though everyone else will probably like it. But I've been a fan of BFRW for months now, and it just seemed too overdone. All the slow motion hand movements and stuff, ack. I almost couldn't watch. I don't think his voice is that bad (except for some shocking moments in the song!) but I only found it listenable because I was waiting to hear how he'd ruin the song. Heh! Marks' head actually does sound hollow - but I agreed with him. Didn't like it.

My dad joined us watching Idol at this point, and tuned in long enough to hear Jimmy introduce the next singer; Amanda Silvertits. (Don't ask me how he heard this, I don't know, perhaps he's been watching The Meaning of Life too?) I actually preferred her Powderfinger number tonight over the Pink song last week; but I'm already starting to get a bit tired of her same old raspy voice. At least she's trying though; and she had a nice corset top on. Ugly shoes though. Interesting that the judges have had a bit of an abrupt change of heart towards her; I thought Mark wanted her to have his babies at one point.

And now for the taller and better looking version of Anthony Callea, Pretty Boy Ricky! He's finally one who should be in the Top 12; he's cute, he can sort of sing and he can sort of move. Isn't that enough? Just vote the damn kid through already (even if his facial expressions were really, really creepy tonight, and I thought he was going to swallow the microphone at one stage.)

And to finish off the night with Brother Chris, how predictable Idol is! We didn't even have to hear him sing a word; isn't it already too bloody obvious he'll be in the Top 12? A bit like Lavina -- It's all just too organised here for cynical little me. Heee. His shirt said "Woo" for a while there, that was amusing. Whatever. I sort of like him even if he is a bit weird, but what does it matter what I think, seeing as he's probably already moved into the damn Idol house already?

So that is it for tonights show. I'm debating whether to join in and watch tomorrow, because I can smell the time fillers from here. Don't forget Shannon Noll! And other filling-in-time stuff! And Shannon Noll! Yep.

And I'm not giving tool points out tonight because.. oh, well, actually, I suppose I can give SOME out. To the annoying Garnier hair products adverts, and their excessive use of the "Woo Woo!" noise. That's all. And yes, I am possibly just jealous because I want my hair to look like the blonde chick in the ads' hair, and damnit, I used Fructis and MY HAIR DID NOT LOOK LIKE THAT, BITCH! So nyer to Garnier and their "Woo Woo!" -- I'm not buying your lame ass shampoo again! (Although I may buy the Nutrisse hair colouring because it's almost a perfect match to my natural hair colour but YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO KNOW THAT, DO YOU??)

Welcome to my Blog!

As you might know, I'm always amused by the way people find my ramblings.

Usually it's via Sunday Scribblings or Amalah (through the comments) OR looking for lyrics to Stabilo or Eskimo Joe. I've become highly visited for my "Because I Am Helpful" post apparently. Hah.

Sadly, I didn't realise Typepad wiped the old visitors stats pages after a while, I had some beauties saved in there that I didn't bother to write down. So therefore, I'm now in panic mode to at least copy down the searches into WordPad before the blog eats them all.

These are some of the most recent ones which I found amusing.

"How to tackle fussy parents .. kindergarten teachers?"

I have to say I'm a bit confused -- was this person wanting to know how to tackle fussy parents, or fussy kindergarten teachers? All parents are fussy, and I think they have a right to be. I know I'll be a fussy parent one day, especially in regards to their education, because I'm a teacher too. I'll probably be a really annoying parent to the teachers, I can see it now. As for the how to tackle them part - is there really a solution to this? Smile and nod? Really, I'd have to just say respect their concerns. If you're a parent, you'll know what I mean; your kids are off at school for 6 hours of every day - the classroom teachers see them and interact with them more than you probably get a chance to, what with work and the rest. Of course you're curious to find out what's been going on in that time! Does that make you fussy? I don't know. But it's something that I can understand as a teacher, and I'm not even a parent. Wow. That was deep.

"Can you mix Nurofen with Panadeine Forte?"

Er, I don't know, but I don't suggest you use my blog for medical advice. -wink- Not the smartest tool in the shed in that department.

"What to write for thankyou for sympathy"

What does that even mean? The grammar is killing my brain. Help! Help!

"Shoes and socks"

That was it. So I don't quite know how to even comment on that one. I do wear shoes and socks. Do you?

"How to know if someone is shy or rude"

I couldn't even help you there love.To me, I'd go with shy - unless the person was being openly and obviously rude. But that's just because I tend to be on the shy side myself. Anyway. If you figure out a sure-fire way to tell the difference, please let me know.

"Free Writing: Dirty"

I beg your pardon? Dirty? Haha! If you've come looking for a dirty blog, you're in the wrong place. Sorry lads. But as for the Free Writes, yes, go find that link. Is good. Also recommend Sunday Scribblings. Is also good. That is all.

"Purple People Eater mask"

Obviously when I did this EXACT SAME SEARCH a few weeks ago looking for Purple People Eater masks, I didn't find anything to help me, which is why I resorted to painting a paper plate purple and cutting a hole out of it. Talent, I tell you. If only I had thought to look at my own blog for inspiration. Boo! What a letdown this must have been, considering I haven't even taken a picture of the damn mask yet and oh crap, where did I actually put the mask? Erm.

"Bitchy workplace"

Having problems? Do tell me about them, because like I've mentioned previously, I am nosy. And want to know everything!

"Monty Python - Meaning of Life: restaurant vomit clips"

This one cracked me up. That projectile vomit scene still makes me laugh, in fact, the whole movie does because it is so strangely amusing! Now I must go hunt down the DVD, I'm having the urge to laugh at topless ladies chasing men off cliffs. Hang on! Maybe this is how that dirty free-writing pervert found me! Topless ladies! Topless ladies! Overload! Overload! Meep!

Oh how I wish these visitors would leave me some comment loving. Comments make my day! I can't wait to see what Google searches will bring people to my humble little blog in the near future.. until next time!

The Dental Blog (Part 3)

I SURVIVED!

I had the needle! I had the big filling! I dribbled on the dentist! I have a cheek more puffed up than a balloon!

And I don't need to go back to the dentist for at least 6-12 months.

Hoorah!

Except I forgot to eat breakfast before my 9am appointment, it's now 11am, I'm a wee bit hungry AND I can't eat until I can feel my face again. Damn.

But I'm alive! And with non-holey teeth. And I have found a dentist I would not be petrified to go back to in the future, thank goodness. Although I could still smack the receptionist for being so gorgeous and having the whitest teeth I've ever seen.

Have a great Saturday! I am off to, well, mope around on my own today.

Sunday Scribblings: Fortune Cookies

Have you ever wanted..

..to just keep ripping open the damn cookies until you finally read the fortune that you wanted all along?

That's sort of how I feel at the moment, when I think about fortune cookies.

Perhaps it's because the fortunes are always so generic, so processed, so run of the mill that I'm cynical? Perhaps it's because we don't really even have fortune cookies all that much where I am and it is all a big novelty event.

I wish the fortunes were personalised. Wouldn't that be nice?

At the moment though, I'd love to be anywhere but here on a Friday night. I'd love to be out eating Chinese food (or possibly Thai, but I wouldn't be choosy, promise!) with people that make me smile. I'd love to be at the end of a scrumptious meal and awaiting the rest of the night that lay ahead. And of course, crumbling a cookie between my fingers and eagerly awaiting the infinite wisdom laying between the sugary layers.

My personal fortune? Would probably be something along the lines of this;

"She who stops eating these damn cookies and gets her butt on the treadmill is the smartest cookie of all."

Good times! Anyone care to join me for a night out?

For more Scribblings just follow this handy dandy link.

Australian Idol Thursday Semis

When will the Idol entries STOP??

Okay, after tonight, I'm having a break. Until Sunday. Heeee.

I picked it again - Lisa and Lavina. (I think I should be getting some sort of prize for this.)

Boo to dragged out Idol shows. I thought we'd gotten rid of that this year, but no apparently not. I wandered away during the backstage crap, Guy crap (sorry Jess) and Anthony Callea crap (sorry any Anthony lovers), Dan England crap (not sorry to any Dan fans, he was a snob last year and refused to come and meet the fans waiting outside, so boo on you and your stupid song DAN) but blah blah blah, whatever, cut to the wildcards please so I can go blog.

Brother Chris - No surprises there. Anyone think he looks just like that Courtney dude? (insert sarcasm here.)
Boner Boy - Ewww. What the hell? I can't even remember what freaking song he sung in his semi-final, what would they bring him back for? And he wears stupid lame hats and has caterpillars for eyebrows.
Nathaniel aka Stool Boy - He wasn't too bad, so that's an alright choice. And a cutie too, though not as cute as HOT FLUSH INDUCING DEAN, OMG, SO HOT.
Rocker Momma Amanda - Yay! That's all! Grrroooowwwl.
Saggy Boob Klancie - Heee, I'm all happy for her. AND her boobs seemed perkier tonight. Found a good bra perhaps? I may have to change her title!
Mutto - Bleurrrrgh. Another what the.. Sucked.
Wobble Boy (Chris) - I hated this guy. He wobbled too much. And he sang badly. And wobbled. And danced badly. Did I mention he wobbled?
Pretty Boy Ricky - Glad he got in, he deserved it. I'm surprised the girlies didn't vote for him the first time over the Talking Mullet, heee, but I'm glad that Bobby got in. Hoorah!

I think that Lydia girl was expecting to be picked, she looked pretty cut up while the rest of the -cough- losers were sitting down there. I don't know, I thought she was alright but not spectacular - I just can't wait for the actual Top 12 performances to start, they're so much more interesting than the auditioning part. Although I've enjoyed it so far this year..

Now I'm in the mood to go to be in the audience again! Minus the 'blah blah blah let's see how much time we can eat up' part of the show.