Updates

Recently, I moved house. By “recently”, I mean “four months ago”, and by “moved house”, I mean “I moved out of the granny-flat/bedroom-bathroom arrangement built for me under my mother’s house, and into the 3-bedroom double-brick house that I bought with my other half”. But I digress.

While I’d banked on a new found freedom that one only really has when they can walk around in their undies in their own pad, I didn’t realise I’d discover a whole new wardrobe.

My previous lack of storage space paired with my penchant for online shopping saw packages swiftly relegated to bottom drawers or shoved on to my portable clothing rack, buckling at the weight of pretty frocks. They would escape the wrath of my six-monthly-Salvo-donations with promise to wear them before the next clean out, after which I’d thrust them back in to the depths of Narnia. And so the cycle would continue.

It wasn’t until I opened the suitcases and boxes of my apparel on arrival (by “on arrival”, I mean “a day week later”) in my new home that I realised the treasures that had been buried away. There was the faint odour of mothballs, but they had escaped the Attack of the Wet Season Mould; nothing that a good dry-clean couldn’t fix.

I sauntered into work in one of my new-found frocks. “Oooh, new dress?!” Little Miss Moi questioned. “Well… You’d never believe it. In the move I found all these new outfits that I’d forgotten I had!” I exclaimed. LMM raised an eyebrow. “Really,” I continued, “This dress isn’t new. I swear. I found it in my spring-cleaning.”

A few days later I pulled out another dress that had long been forgotten. “Oh, that’s a lovely dress,” a lady at work remarked. “Yes. You know. Laundry-day,” I replied. As if that somehow explained my “new” outfit. Conversation is always a little awkward in the bathroom.

Now, pop over to Little Miss Moi’s pad for her post on cleaning.

25. Smile at 100 strangers

1. Lady with kids on escalator
2. Visiting lady at work
3. New Mail Lady
4. Man at elevator
5. Waitress at dinner
6. Lady with sweet potatoes in vegetable section
7. Sales Assistant at Dymocks
8. Lady with baby at Coffee Club
9. Lady at Check-In, Sydney to NYC
10. Concierge at Trump Towers
11. Sales Assistant at Marc Jacobs counter
12. Man “driving” horse and carriage in Central Park
13. Concierge at the NYC Palace
14. Bellboy at the Palace
15. Waiter at Gilt
16. Sales Assistant at Magnolia Bakery
17. Sales Assistant on shoe floor at Saks
18. Pole Dancer’s friend in our trapeze class
19. Trapeze Instructor
20. Lady walking her Westie in the Village
21. Man at Check-In, NYC – Sydney (who upgraded us for free!)
22. Flight Attendant who brought me tea, NYC – Sydney
23. Guy with pram
24. Elderly man with umbrella
25. Sales Assistant at QBD
26. Lady with umbrella
27. Lady in elevator with briefcase
28. Lady with coffee
29. Older man in elevator
30. Man with baby
31. Lady at Clinque Counter, DJs, Melbourne
32. Sales Assistant at Spotlight
33. Sales Assistant at Bodyshop
34. Lady with kids at Smiggle
35. Guy at Lenards
36. Man at Absolutely bookstore
37. Man with puppy at Vet
38. Lady with dog who tried to eat my dog
39. Lady with Cairn Terrier
40. Sales Assistant at Big W
41. Man at Check-In, Darwin – Sydney
42. Lady checking us in at the Westin
43. Couple with Westie on Oxford Street
44. {Couple with Westie on Oxford Street}
45. Waiter at Cafe Escobar
46. Sales Assistant at Kookai
47. Sales Assistant at Zimmerman
48. Waiter at bills, Darlinghurst
49. Japanese tourists in Martin Place who needed help reading their map
50. {Japanese tourists in Martin Place who needed help reading their map}
51. Bus Driver #326
52. Bus Driver #398
53. Waitress at the Bogey Hole, Bronte
54. “Gary” – Sydney FC Game
55. “Charlie” – Sydney FC Game
56. “Zane” – Sydney FC Game
57. Lady on #380 who offered seat {Bless}
58. Lady and daughter asking directions
59. Lady holding daughter’s hand telling husband they’d go up a shop as they didn’t want to look in EB Games {I hear you}
60. Lady at Mimco
61. Lady breastfeeding her baby
62. Lady with baby getting out of elevator
63. Man at Omelette Station at the Westin
64. Man at Juice Station at the Westin
65. Lady carrying baby in Mosaic, Westin
66. Cab driver, Sydney
67. Lady at Check-In, Sydney to Darwin
68. Guy at Toyota
69. New Security Guard
70. Older lady with puppy
71. New Vet
72. Guy who moved trolley
73. Creepy looking guy
74. Man at Parap Fine Foods
75. Sales Assistant at PFF
76. Lady at Deli
77. Lady with funky necklace in coffee shop
78. Music Therapy Man
79. Music Therapy Man with guitar
80. Music Therapy Man with ukulele
81. Old couple walking their dog
82. {Old couple walking their dog}
83. Waitress at Char
84. Security man at JB Hi-Fi
85. Pretty lady with sunglasses
86. Man who let me go first at newsagency
87. Lady at Medicare
88. Lady at Post Office
89. Man at Newsagency
90. Guy with orange pram
91. Lady entering Petbarn
92. Sales Assistant at Petbarn
93. Young family walking
94. Girl eating apple
95. Lady at vet with pretty dog
96. New lady on floor
97. Kids gushing over Molly
98. Sales Assistant at Cue
99. New Barista at coffee shop
100. Man who delivered birthday flowers and bubbly the day before my birthday

The hardest thing about this 25 by 25 item was remembering to make note of people I smiled at! I realised that I smile at strangers more than I first thought … and the more I smiled at people I didn’t know, the more comfortable I felt with it. I also noticed that some strangers gave me odd looks -  what does that say about the world we live in?

19. Have a night at the ballet

Romeo and Juliet at the Lincoln Center followed by Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and Cake at Serendipity3, in May 2009.

… for my blog re-design!

… to put my 30 page assignment in the post. I can’t look at it any longer.

… for dinner and drinks with friends tonight.

… for our new car to arrive in the country – it should be up here by the end of the month!

… to go shopping for new air-conditioners for the house … let the renovations begin.

Visit Buttons by Lou Lou, and play along!

21. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

I know the post is a few months late, but just noting another 25 by 25 goal was completed. I still can’t believe we were in New York, for the second time, in May!

… for the arrival of Molly’s new Burberry collar!

When we first picked her up at ten weeks, she weighed just shy of a kilo – a whole 900g – and the collar swam on her. Now, a year later, my pumba tips the scales at 6.1kg – and I’ve had to order a size or two up.

You know things are sad when you’re looking forward to the arrival of a (rather expensive) dog collar. If it makes it any better, I’m also waiting on a shipment of DVDs from Amazon.com, and the delivery of a new Tupperware Rice Cooker. No? Didn’t think so ..

Visit Buttons and join in the fun!

… for a three-day weekend!

Visit Buttons by Lou Lou to play along!

… for a trip to my hairdresser tomorrow – I’m hanging out for a head massage while they wash my hair.

… for Ladies Day with a friend .. Frocks, fillies & fun *grin*

Visit ButtonsByLouLou, for more Tuesday fun!

… for a delivery from the Postie – I’m expecting a few frocks (Cooper St, Kuku, Rachel Gilbert, Nicola Finetti [x 2], Madame Marie) and a package from Peeptoe.

… for Friday night wine.

… for the Bastille Ball on Saturday night.

… for Ladies Day next week – we bought our tickets back at the beginning of May, and it felt like the day would never arrive!

Visit ButtonsByLouLou, and join in the fun!

I’ve not been having a great time.

We missed out on an apartment a little over a month ago – it’s a long, complicated story – but I was so looking forward to having my own space. My own breathing room. I’m currently still living at home, in a small bedroom/bathroom that was built under my parents’ elevated house a few years ago. Think smaller than most hotel rooms. At least hotel rooms that I would actually stay in.

To add insult to injury, another apartment in the same small block came on the market last weekend. It’s the same layout, but three floors lower than the apartment we had an offer on. It’s selling for almost $100k more. Ouch. I guess I can’t say I’m that surprised though – we would have got the apartment for a bargain price – most apartments in the block didn’t sell for less than $600k, but the owner was interstate and wanted to sell quickly … the Darwin real estate market is really booming – so much is happening, and the prices will only continue to rise.

I’ve been working 11 hour days, just for the breathing room. I’m exhausted all the time. I’m irritable. I don’t have the brainspace for real conversation.

Nick’s parents have offered to sell us their house, and I’m so desperate to move out of home and have my own space, that I’d almost consider it. But it doesn’t feel right. I would always feel like a visitor. But that might be an improvement on how I feel now.

I cry all the time. I’m miserable. There isn’t anything that I look forward to any more. My health isn’t terrific, both mental and physical. My stomach hurts all the time – I’m starting to think I’ve given myself an ulcer. I make and break appointments with my Doctor.

I miss my brother. I miss my friends in NSW. I wish I had the energy and or the inclination to write, but I don’t. I wish I had that same inclination to eat, but it’s exhausting. I can’t make any more decisions.

My current contract ends in the first week of August, so I’m on the hunt for work. Again. I’m tired of temporary contracts. I just can’t write any more Selection Criteria. Or go through any more interviews.

I don’t have any more to give. I’m barely surviving. When is it going to get easier? I keep treading water, hoping that it will, but after a decade of feeling … like this … I just want to know – when will things get easier? When will it be my turn? Where’s my break?

*exhales*

End whinge.