Man. Tough love is just that. TOUGH.

Especially on the mother of said 20-something child/man. *sigh*

(I'm okay just need to vent somewhere, is all.)

Last week it was announced that we had one confirmed case of swine flu at our school. Maybe it was just as well that my boys were away for a good part of that time. The flu season in general has been so widespread here this year - I heard of one school near us who had 600 absent out of a total of 1500 students! \O/ We have one more week of term before the kids are on holidays for two weeks - naturally I am hoping and praying they are well and truly over any coughs and colds then. Two weeks cooped up with sick kids? OMG. Just NO.

Spent a quiet weekend at home which was lovely - just one day with rugby as reps are finished for the year. On Sunday, I threw in my S1 DVD of Prison Break while I was folding the washing and watched a couple of eps (I've been trying to make time to be at the Rewatches but it's just not happening!) *sigh* God, the show was so good then, wasn't it? Sheer heaven for a Lincoln girl like me -- watching him being all brooding, agonised over his inability to do anything, and so, so passionate about his boy AND his brother. Gah. I watched 'Tweener' and 'Sleight of Hand' -- and realised how much I missed some of the originals of the Fox River 8 - Abruzzi with his god-awful greasy hair, Tweener trying to be a homeboy and fit in, and pain-in-the-ass C-Note who I loved to hate from Day 1, lol. Extra mention has to go to Peter Stomare's comedic timing; seeing him casually drop small rocks of concrete in the yard while wearing that nonchalant expression totally cracked me up, lol. So funny.

Man. I will love Season One to the day I die. Just poetry in motion. *fangirls*

Hope all you American gals had an awesome 4th of July - we saw some of the firework displays on our news bulletins -- looked like you guys went all out! *g*

*smooches*

... just the plain old common cold.

I've had my nurse's hat on lately like so many other mum's I know -- Mitch played rugby on Saturday morning and collapsed on the couch in exhaustion when we got home. He more-or-less stayed there until about Tuesday, poor darling. It wasn't good -- high temperatures, a cough that would rival a barking dog and a distinct lack of energy, just so NOT him at all. This morning he woke up and felt much better so has gone to school but now his place on the couch has been taken up by Harry, all hot and bothered and coughing like a mad thing. :(


I've managed to stay well so far other than a mild sore throat and a slightly Marlene Dietrich-esque quality to my voice, so not too bad. I still feel fine though, so I'm hoping that'll be it! Make sure you top up your Vitamin C intake, y'all. Every little bit helps. *hugs*


Oh and before I go, make sure you check out reflectology today - it's my turn to post over there and we'd love to see you all for a chat and an opinion or two! The more the merrier. *g*

Just a warning... there is an excessively high chance you will be exposed to some large amounts of parental gushing by continuing to read. *g* Just so you know. *g*


My second son, Mitchell, has been accepted into the rugby union talented sports programme at a selective Sports High School next year!! Wooooo Hoooooo!! I went to an information night a while ago about what this school offers its students in the way of academic and sporting facilities and opportunities, and I remember coming away VERY impressed by what I saw and heard.


The rugby union programme they offer is amazing - access to fitness, conditioning, strength and nutritional programmes, with coaching and mentoring from highly qualified staff. And they don't forget about the academic stuff, either - their results in national and state examinations are way above the median scores, giving much weight to their already impressive reputation.


Mitch was almost speechless when I told him he'd got in - I think he'd thought he wouldn't actually make it. It started to sink in when we were hugging each other and dancing around the kitchen in excitement -- one minute we were yahooing and highfiving each other, the next minute he was crying and smiling all at the same time. LOL.


After the sad start to our Friday with the news of two major deaths, this was the perfect way to end our week. God, I'm SO proud of my boy!!!

I made a Devils Food Chocolate Cake today. With chocolate icing.

Somehow, eating a slice while I'm watching 'The Biggest Loser - USA' makes it seem all the more decadent. *g*

Author: sierra_foxx
Title: The Final Con
Rating: R (for fairly salty language, lol)
Genre: Satire, crack, scripted
Characters: Little Big Chief of Writing, Crappy Writer from Cons R Us
Summary: Problem solving raised to an art-form... LBC amazes even Crappy Writer.
Author's Note: I must thank rosie_spleen so much for allowing me to use her characters, Little Big Chief of Writing and Crappy Writer from her awesome Inside the Writers Headspace series of fics - she is indeed a generous woman. *g* This little conversation was inspired by my delayed reaction the PB: The Final Break... it helped me to heal after The End, so for that, I'm very grateful. *g*

( My way of dealing is right HERE... *g* )

Saw this at Candy's journal. I figure it's writing even if it IS in a micro form and I needed to do something creative today!


Microfic meme: try to write different categories of fic (drama, angst, fluff, friendship, humor, PWP, UST, romance, tragedy... can you think of others?) in fifteen eighteen words or less. Author's perogative, okay? I needed more, lol.


( I'm basing mine on Paul 'The Magnificent Bastard' Kellerman, paired with suggestions of a few others. *g* )

I know. I've been very slack and missed several birthdays over the last few weeks - and so this is a bit of a catch up post to recognise all those lovely peeps on my flist who celebrated a birthday recently. Sorry I was late!! *guilty grin*

Birthday gals were: catsbycat, smirkey_turkey, becisvolatile, mata090680, angelicus, and today, wrldpossibility!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful day, despite the lack of a hurrah from me. LOL. I trust there were presents and/or cake, and perhaps even a drink or two to celebrate! I love having you guys on my flist and please know that you're all much appreciated by me. *g*

One more thing - I can't leave without giving something to you all - so here is a laugh or three from one of New Zealand's funniest export, Flight of the Conchords. *g* Enjoy!

I'm becoming a bit of an opinionated old tart in my dotage, it seems, lol. But you know what? I'm quite okay with that.

Found myself leaving a comment to a news editorial I read online, after seeing the story on the telly last night. First time I've ever done that, lol. The story was about UK chef Gordon Ramsay, who continually insulted an Aussie TV journalist, Tracy Grimshaw, at a Wine & Food Expo in Melbourne last weekend, calling her a lesbian and a pig, among other things.

Seriously WTF, Gordon? FFS! While it's true we Aussies love a joke and don't take ourselves too seriously, this was way over the line and totally uncalled for. Personal attacks are not funny or entertaining. Stick to just cooking and spare us your sexist commentary, ploise.

*adjusts horn-rimmed glasses*

Hey.

Have I mentioned how much I hate it when it rains for more than one day in a row? Because, I really do. I mean, I know the rain serves a purpose but I wish it would just do it at night, you know? When I'm asleep. Not watching it. Because then I don't get the backlog of washing that happens with any stretch of rainy days. And we've had crappy weather for over a week now. This is illustrated perfectly by any attempt to enter the laundry. Dirty clothes EVERYWHERE. *sigh*

You can imagine how hard it is keeping a house free of mud and wet leaves when you live with a heap of boys, right? I feel like I'm like the proverbial Mud Nazi around here, poised and ready to strike, eagle eyes on anyone who might bring in more dirt, liable to shriek at any child/older male daring to enter without wiping their feet -- "STOP RIGHT THERE! SHOES OFF!" I'm short and to the point; gotta keep things simple, you see. *g*

Hope you northern hemisphere girlies are enjoying that warm summer weather!

Anyway.

In other, much more exciting news, I'm the proud new owner of a bike! As in pedal power, that is, not the Harley Davidson variety *laughs outrageously at the thought* LOL. That would really stir up the neighbours!

No, it's an Avanti Blade 3.0, to give you bike afficionados the actual details. :) I pick it up next week, and I promise to take a photo for you all then. It's the most snazzy bike I've ever had in my life and I'm so VERY excited about the thought of riding it! My aging knees are looking forward to less jarring of the joints, also. *g*

I've been flat out doing lots around here lately - spent a whole day on Tuesday weeding and replanting the front two garden beds out front, did some more painting of walls inside the house, cleaned out the toy box in the boys rumpus room (OMG - we must go to McDonalds WAY more than I thought - so many Happy Meal toys!!) and finally got the word that the office computer was ready to be picked up from the repairers (it had loads of viruses, too; turns out the Office PC is an even bigger slut than Maxine, lol)

This week is the Queens birthday weekend so we get three days off (thanks Your Maj!) during part of which we will be watching Mitch play rep rugby in our State Championships over the Sat/Sun. He's so excited about it already; it's his first time playing at this level of competition and we're all very much looking forward to it. *g*

Still trying to catch up on my flist - so if I've missed something - tell me, ploise!

*group hugs*

FUCK.

*totally bawls her eyes out*

And this was TPTB's idea of a present for the fans?? Good God.

HELLOOOOOOOO my dear, darling flist!! Did you miss me??!

Maxine is BACK! *happy dance* Honestly, it is more than a little hilarious by how ecstatic I am feeling right now wallowing in the wonder that is the internet. *g*

My cheeky little chick in slimline black is a little shamefaced and VERY apologetic after her 'slutty' behaviour because, as it turns out, was a lot more slutty than I had first imagined. LOL.

*coughs* I'm talking not just ONE trojan virus, people... she uh, had EIGHT. *eyes Maxine with a stern glance* I've obviously been reading WAAAAAY too much NC-17 fic... I mean, where else would she get these multiple-partner ideas? *hoots*

Anyway, I am SO happy to have her home and be able to leave that 'shag on a rock' feeling far behind!

*pours over flist with a grin*

Hello everyone!! *waves* I have had the most TRYING week - not the least of which is having to deal with Maxine being sent to rehab (i.e the computer repair shop) *horrified gasp* I know, right??!

Somehow she managed to catch herself a trojan virus *sigh* and had to be 'detoxed' before I can take her home. And to make matters worse, she has passed on said virus to my office PC as well, so I will have to get him detoxed too. *sigh*

So. No internet for almost 7 days. As I mentioned to rosie_spleen I am feeling a little like the proverbial shag on a rock, totally out of the loop and not knowing a thing about what is going on with all my peeps worldwide!

I am currently sitting at my friend's house in front of her laptop whilst writing this -- thankyou Rachel!! - and as at the moment, Maxine should be home by either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Naturally, I am WAY behind on everything, but I should be back later in the week. *smooches*

Fingers crossed for Maxine's speedy return!!

~ I need to find some new shows to watch... by the end of the week, two more shows that I fangirl will be either on hiatus or finished forever. *sigh* That'll make a total of FOUR shows not screening right now. (Supernatural, Prison Break, Big Love & Dexter) Is it wrong that I am quite disturbed by this? LOL. The trials of a fangirl know no bounds. However, I do have S1 of The Tudors to watch (scored it cheap at Big W, Rosie! FTW!) plus I was also thinking about downloading FNL; so many peeps on my flist speak very highly of it.


~ My official time for the Mother's Day Classic is up - 48 mins 35 secs. Not bad for an old tart, hey? ETA: One more pic! ( The photos were made available today - check them out! )


~ Had to go in for my annual mammogram yesterday, a procedure I must confess, isn't the world's most comfortable. And for those of you like me, who weren't standing in the line for Cleavage, I think it is even less so - it's not like I have enough breast to actually LIFT it up and place it on a glass shelf, know what I'm sayin'? More like stand real close and have a machine clamp the fold of skin between two glass plates. Hard.

To add insult to injury, the chick who was doing it had COLD HANDS!! GAH! *throws hands in the air* FFS. Rub your hands together and create a bit of friction and warmth, ploise, woman! You'd think being female she'd have considered that. LOL. I get the results in about 10 days (which I'm quite sure will be all okay) and hopefully by then the Flaps Of Skin Formerly Known As My Breasts will have plumped back up to their modest glory. Thank God for push up bras is all I can say right now. *g*

*smooches*

*throws confetti*

I did it!! *highfives my coach* I beat my time from last year in the 8km Mother's Day Classic! *grins*

Official results won't be available for a few days but the time I saw on the clock as I crossed the finish line said 48 minutes 35 seconds, which is awesome. That's about 5 minutes faster than last year's efforts so I'm REALLY happy.

As per usual, there were photographers on the course so will post some pics capturing moi fabulous running style, if I find any. LOL. Because I *know* you all want to see my moment of glory, right? *g*

However, there have been consequences, lol. My poor old body, or to be more specific, my right KNEE, is not such a happy camper after 8k's pounding the pavement - it has been quite achy this afternoon but I've had it elevated for a while and that seems to be working. I've had a few niggles in that knee over the last year or so but resting it seems to help.

Life's a funny thing, you know? It just seems a tad ironic to me that now I'm older and actually WANT to exercise, my knee decides that it's NOT so keen on the idea. *rolls eyes*

I am starting to think that longer runs may not be as achievable so I'm leaning toward the idea of having a crack at a shorter triathon (swim, bike, run) later in the year, possibly around September. Less jarring on the joints might be the way to go.

Belated Mother's Day wishes to all mums on my flist - you are all awesome and I hope you were all spoiled appropriately! You deserve it!

Oh, and just an FYI - I'm having a few emailing problems. *sigh* I can receive emails but for some *strange* reason can't reply. *scratches head* I can still connect to the Internet with no dramas but sending emails won't work; I keep getting an error message. Being a person who emails CONSTANTLY about all kinds of 'important' stuff, this will NOT do and is a bit of an emergency as far as *I* am concerned! You can bet that I will be calling my ISP first thing in the morning! So apologies to those of you who have emailed me and are wondering why I haven't responded! I'm DYING to just can't right now - but I will, eventually! Will keep you posted.

Memo to Boys Wot Live Here (BWLH):


Despite *obviously* misconstrued impressions, this house is NOT a hotel.

Management do not charge you to stay here. (Although in light of this post, perhaps we should)

We do not employ STAFF - which includes laundry, housekeeping and/or cooks - or a concierge, in charge of solving those things you forgot to tell me about until five minutes before we are due to leave the house last minute problems. You are blessed with the bloody good luck of having the Woman Wot Lives Here (WWLH) - she very kindly helps out but nevertheless, the fact remains, this is *not* a hotel.

Granted, we do offer full bedroom facilities, with televisions and/or DVD players and in some rooms, a PS2, clean and functional bathrooms, delicious meals served in the dining room at regular hours, and outdoor children's play area.

HOWEVER.

Please note that the WWLH would like it known that she does not wear a name tag, meaning she is NOT at the beck and call of said BWLH 24/7. WWLH would also like to point out that it is Mother's Day this Sunday, just in case you all forgot. *g*


See you all for dinner this evening.

Signed,

Management
xx

*jaw drops*

You have GOT to be fucking kidding me.

If you just heard a piercing scream in your part of the world, it was me. I'm speechless, and that's NOT in a good way. *cries*

FFS... why, Karen Usher?? Was that plot device really necessary?

Hopefully I'll be more coherent tomorrow... 'cause right now, I'm just pissed. :(

*waits*

Can you hear that? Listen REALLY hard. Go on. Do eet. *g*

*waits some more*

Know what that is? No? Why it's the delicious, soothing sound of SILENCE.

*feels body slowly unwind and aural cavity begin to rejoice*

I love my children but boy, do I love the start of school terms! I have my house back! Booyah!

*high fives*

~ One more sleep away from the start of Term 2 -- I get my house back tomorrow!! Wooo hoooo!

~ The mountain of laundry has lessened slightly to a hill. Albeit a fairly *big* hill, but a hill nonetheless. Just pray that it doesn't rain or it will all turn pear-shaped. *crosses fingers*

~ Had my 9 week assessment at the gym this week and I *have* to share because, well, it's pretty damn good, even if I do say so myself: I lost 10cm overall off my body measurements, 4 kilos of weight but, best of all, I lost 8% body fat! *twirls* That now makes my body fat percentage a very respectable 27%, and well within the normal fitness range. So very happy about that.

~ Mother's Day Classic 8km run is in 12 days - I got my numbered bib in the mail the other day so am starting to get a little bit excited. Just want to beat last years time!

~ Autumn is well and truly here in ol' Sydney town - we had to turn on the heater for the first time this year last night; the flannellette jammies are out now too, much to my husband's disgust after I told him I was going for warmth not style!

*group hugs for the flist*

FFS. I must be virtually the only fangirl on the planet who hasn't seen PB 4.18, in all its surprising glory. *wails*

For some reason unbeknownst to myself, my torrent downloading speed is on 'go slow' mode. *sigh* It's taking fucking FOREVER!

I've tried several torrents and the one I'm downloading from now seems to be the quickest I've found so far. It's at 81% so I have my fingers crossed it will be done by the time I wake up tomorrow. Seriously, I feel like a low-rent Cinderella, heartlessly abandoned by her Fairy Godmother while everyone else is getting pissed on free alcohol and flirting with all the eye candy at the ball, lol. *iz dramatic*

While I already know about the 'unexpected news' part of the ep (read a few spoilers a while back) I still want to see for myself how it all comes about, not to mention everything else. *drums fingers on desk*

Man. The wait is KILLING me. *sigh*