and I am cute too....

So it seems that today is the last #blog12daysxmas. I thought we had a day to go. I know I promised to write a post about what I read in 2012 but seriously, I didn't keep track. That's why I just signed up to goodreads now and started a 2013 shelf which I hope to add to through the year to make a 2013 post about my reading habits possible. So far there are 2 things on it. If I crack 50 books for the year I'll probably be doing really well. I do know that I tend to avoid fiction these days - unless it's classic stuff - your Dickens, your Brontes, your Austens etc etc. Contemporary fiction makes me cranky, disappointed and more often than not bored.

What I have read most of during 2012 are memoirs and autobiographies. I love them. Mainly of comics and actors, but other real life stories as well occasionally. One book that I neglected to blog about during 2012 (after I had twitter promised to do so!) was Letters from Aspergia - self-published by @sulischild. Autobiographical - this was a tremendously insightful look at what it's like growing up and living as an adult female with Asperger's Syndrome. It made me look at myself and the people around me with fresh eyes and new understanding. I highly recommend you follow her and buy a copy. It also has beautiful illustrations.

Over the next little while I have to start reading for my research project on community cultural heritage. That's on my to do list for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. I just need to push myself to get started and then I know I will be up and away! Like Super Grover!

of meditation and exercise

Today started a little inauspiciously. I woke up way too early and my brain clicked into gear immediately. My head was also a little woozy which I hate. I made myself do yoga breathing and this passed by the time it was time to get out of bed. I did my meditation before work and felt all the better for doing so. I go back to Saturday morning meditation tomorrow and am resolved to get back into my good daily habit as it really makes a difference. The first two days at work had been full on with so many things flying everywhere that I forgot to take time to breathe. Luckily, today was less hectic and I made time to concentrate in a clearer way. I felt like I had actually made some progress by the end of the day which was nice. What is less lovely is that the aches and pains in my hips (particularly right hip) have returned after 3 days of sitting at a desk. I am trying harder to take more regular breaks - stand up, stretch, short walks - but this pain had disappeared over the break altogether. It wasn't even bothering me in the night. That combined with the thigh pain from endometriosis sometimes makes me feel old. I must keep exercising and gradually increase my physical fitness. At the moment it's very poor! Oh that does sound like a New Year's resolution after all.

reality sets in....and bites a little

I had every good intention to write a post about what I read in 2012. But now it is evening and I am tired and would not do it justice. I also realised that I haven't kept track of my reading in 2012 very well. I can however, write a post about the way my reading has changed since I bought my Kindle in early 2011. So I will do that on Saturday. Today was all about the second day back at work, or as I like to call it - the day when reality started to set in...as well as starting to bite a little bit. My to do list for tomorrow is overblown...and I have started to write things down in my diary for months in advance. That's all okay but I don't yet feel like I have a good handle over the role. Cut myself some slack you say? It's only been two days! Oh, alright then. I staggered home this afternoon and slumped on the sofa, watched some telly, managed to go out to get takeaway and then realised I hadn't done my #blog12daysxmas for today. So this is it. It's not exciting. I just took advantage of the fact that QI came on so I could leave the television and not feel like I was missing anything. I am going to watch Judith Lucy on ABC2 later because she's one of my Australian comedy idols. Then I am going to go to bed and be full of gladness, Pollyanna style, that tomorrow is Friday.

Heigh Ho

Well here we are at the 2nd of January and it's time to go back to work. I feel strangely calm about the whole thing. Anyway, that's boring talk. What happened yesterday? I sewed most of the afternoon. Then my Dad popped over to help me move my dining table into the music room where it now sits ready for sewing and music theory students. I just have to organise my growing stash of fabric into the wardrobe out there and that room is pretty much sorted. There is a big empty space in the dining area waiting for furniture to be delivered this morning. This confused the cat no end last night. Who had cleared this wonderfully big and cool space on the tiles for him? He sniffed around suspiciously for a while and then flung himself on the floor. I went for a walk just before the sun set. It was hot but at least there was some breeze. I felt virtuous. This exercise type activity must continue. MUST. Then it was home to have some ice-cream and watermelon and watch Being Erica. I downloaded BBC IPlayer so have access to the first three series which is nice because when it was on free to air here it was all a bit random in its scheduling. Canadian television....we need more of it! Anyway.... Heigh Ho!

a place for everything

I have spent the morning as I mean to continue the rest of 2013 - catching up with a friend in person! We worked out we hadn't done this for the whole of 2012 and we live in the same town. I need to do much better this year with the whole work-life balance situation. Determination is what it will take. And I am determined. Yesterday was a day of sewing - a dress and a skirt. The skirt needs some altering as the pattern was not quite right. That is the job for this afternoon as well as some other sewing. I also plan to eat some watermelon. Clearly, it's a big afternoon ahead. Later the current dining table and chairs will be moved into the music room and all the sewing things will be finally put away in the big cupboard. Tomorrow the new dining table arrives together with some shelves for my study. I am excited about this as it means the house is in order with a place for everything and everything in its place for the start of 2013. Tomorrow is also back to work Wednesday. The only decision I am going to make about that before tomorrow morning is what I will wear. Stay tuned.

Things I'm not thinking about

Last year I did a post of my resolutions for 2012. I don't think I'll do that this year. Things seem different. This time last year I was about to start a beautiful month of holidays including 10 days in Tasmania which were wonderful. This year I'm going back to work on Wednesday. Last year I was excited about a new role at work and had lots of plans and ideas to implement. This year I also have a new role at work but I'm more apprehensive given the year that has just been. I'm trying not to think about workload calculations, program rules and regulations, QA manuals, duty statements, timetabling, metropolitan campuses, meetings, agendas, minutes, dealing with "challenging" people, sessional staff, contracts and other such things. Clearly, I'm not doing a very good job. I'm also trying not to think about how I am going to fit my piano teaching in this year, together with choir, orchestra and study. The week does not seem big enough. Of course it will all fall into place as it always does but right now I'd love to be starting a long holiday, focusing on getting some exercise and eating right, cultivating some more hobbies and achieving some balance. No doubt I will think about this some more not just today but over the coming weeks and months.

Sorry Russell Crowe.....

I took myself to the movies this morning to see Les Miserables. I am always a bit concerned about going to see films of which I have heard good reviews. Inevitably, I am disappointed. Perhaps my standards are too high? Whatever. This post isn't about me. It's about Russell Crowe.

First though let's talk about the good things. Anne Hathaway has finally delivered a film performance I can praise because let's face it The Devil Wears Prada was too long, very boring and extremely superficial and the less said about The Princess Diaries the better. Her singing was impressive as Fantine and she did the part justice. Of course Hugh Jackman was outstanding as Valjean. Did we expect anything less? If you have seen him in Oklahoma (which let's face it you may not have) you would know the man can sing. Here he is perfect in every way. Amanda Seyfried is fine as Cosette, the most boring part perhaps but she manages to convey some substance. Eddie Redmayne (?) is excellent as Marius. I was genuinely moved by Empty Chairs and Empty Tables. This chap can sing and act. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen are fine comic relief as the Thenardiers. I expected a little more from them. At points I felt like they may have been phoning it in, but they got away with it as the comic foils all the same. The sets and costume were fabulous. The new song, Suddenly fitted seamlessly into the score. Unfortunately though Russell Crowe is dreadful miscast. That is, Crowe can sing but with the high standard surrounding him he fails to bring any sense of power to Javert and that is what is needed. Everyone else tromps all over him and (spoilers) when he falls into the Seine at the end all I thought was "meh" where it should have been a major moment in the plot. Also, he totally failed to do justice to Stars - one of the treasures in the many wonderful songs in Les Mis.
This is what it should sound like: I imagine there are a lot of excellent theatre actors who are currently despairing at Crowe's casting. It leaves a big hole in what otherwise is a great movie version of Les Miserables.

no sewing Saturday

This morning saw me spending an extraordinary amount of money on new underwear. It was time and thank goodness for Boxing Day Sales. Then a coffee stop and a Spotlight stop where I bought some patchwork material and a length of dark green material that I will do something with. And then.....Ta DAAAA...the highlight of Saturday...yet another holiday meal with my grandmother. At least this time we had a buffer with my Aunt and Uncle visiting. And we also went out for lunch so there was not need for lots of food preparation and awkward silences when we ran out of conversation. Then it was everyone back to my parents' place for yet more trifle, cups of tea, chit chat and more Christmas presents. My Aunty Kay who has been paying attention to my Facebook photos of my sewing gave me the awesome gift of fabric. It has come all the way from New Zealand:

I like it a lot! Then I fell asleep on my parents' lounge. My Dad has developed a slightly annoying new habit of taking photos on his smartphone of people while they are asleep. I did wonder why he asked me if I had checked my email a while after I woke up. He's a trick!

Keen readers will notice I am wearing my patchwork skirt. It wore beautifully and hardly creased at all. I lurve it. Sadly, there wasn't any sewing today. I am running out of days before I have to go back to work.

My brain...she is tired

I had every good intention to do work from today onwards. I have an ethics application to put together, a research project to start properly, some QA manual to keep writing and other delightful things. I had even made a bargain with myself that I would have "holidays" up until Boxing Day and then after that would devote part of each day to work tasks. But now that today has dawned I have no desire to spend any of it working. I just want a holiday. I need a holiday. The weeks (and dare I say months) leading up to Xmas were hectic and mentally draining at work. And when I return on January 2 I know I am going to be busy and challenged in a new role. So, although I will feel a little bit guilty, I have changed my mind on the working front today. I'm not going to do a thing. I will sew and read and maybe go shopping. I will plan to go to the movies. I may drink tea and stare out the window. It might look like I'm not achieving anything but in fact I will be relaxing. My brain - she is tired. She shall rest.

tablecloth material

Well I didn't exactly have the Boxing Day Blues but I wasn't up to much today. I did manage to get to Spotlight first thing and pick up some specials in the fabric department. It was really hot though and their aircon hadn't really kicked in so I was feeling a little seedy by the time I left. I did manage to buy some good lengths of seersucker in cute prints so I was happy. When I was little and my mum used to sew clothes I was particularly disdainful of seersucker (or what I called "tablecloth material"). Now though I'm looking forward to sewing with it. Perhaps I am more mature? I did manage to finish off my easy dress that I started on Xmas Eve. I bought some 6 dollar a metre material just to try it out. It turned out well and I made a tie out of the same fabric to wear with it instead of a belt as the pattern suggests. Here it is at various angles. (I really must get a full length mirror)

Then I ate lunch and slept for a solid two hours. It was fabulous and I woke up feeling much better. I even made a cup of coffee. And then I sewed some more. This is one of my standard tops that I had cut out last week. This was the third time I had tried the pattern and I have just about got it sorted out now.

I went for a walk in the late afternoon with my Mum. It was a bit hot still but not too bad. Now I just have to watch Doctor Who and that's Boxing Day. Tomorrow may be movies, sewing, reading, sleeping or some combination of these activities.

so that was Christmas

Christmas is done and dusted for another year. I got lots of lovely green gifts including a complete set of bathroom towels etc, a cute green purse, a green spotty mug, some green tea and new cushions for my lounge. Non green gifts included a scratchie ( I did not win anything), pins and a pincushion and these fabulous earrings.

Those of you who are aware of my penchant for silver filigree jewellery will understand my joy at receiving these from my grandmother. What she didn't know is that I chose and bought them myself and then gave them to my mother to give to her to give to me. My Dad was totally convinced by my delight at unwrapping the gift. I didn't win that Year 12 Theatre prize for nothing. We ate, we drank, we were relatively merry and then we all ran out of puff by about three o'clock. From then on it was napping. I got a headache so took some panadol and had a lie on the bed in the aircon. After my parents took my grandmother home we rallied a little, ate some leftovers (cold lamb and roast potatoes!) and then I further inducted my mother into the ways of the new iPad. I left her sitting in the lounge with a look of glee as she made her way through the levels of Angry Birds. I should probably say something profound here about the meaning of Christmas and suchlike but I'm a little bit tired. I'll let John Lennon say it for me.