We're off

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Hello friends!

Well today is the day, and we are off.  This is only my second overseas trip ever, which is why I'm so excited.  This afternoon we fly to Auckland and are staying with my grandmother in my childhood home.  Then on Thursday we fly to Sydney.  I have convinced Adam to take the laptop with us so I will post if I can! I'm so excited it's stupid! 

xx

Happy Weekend!

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Well the weekend is almost over for me, but happy weekend to those of you in other parts of the world with a few more hours left.

This weekend was really fun.  On Friday I met Adam and a friend in town after work.  We had dinner at a great cheap and cheerful Malaysian place.  After that we went to a fancy beer bar in town where they have a ridiculous amount of imported beers.  Adam was incredibly excited.

Then on Saturday we slept in and then headed to a friends wedding in the city.  I really love weddings, and this one was beautiful, held in an old museum hall.  The reception was lots of fun, great food and wine and lots of people I hadn't seen for a while.  We have both been really reclusive for the past few months, and I'm been avoiding social situations like the plague, but this went better than I expected and I had a great time.  I also had a few glasses of wine, which probably made things seem less awkward than they would have been otherwise.

Today I've spent the whole day in my jarmies. We watched a documentary about identical twins.  I did some internetting.  I'm not ready to go to work tomorrow, but on the plus side I only have two days of work this week and the we are off to Sydney for two weeks!  Hooray!  I can't wait.

I have lots of jobs to do before we leave for Auckland on Wednesday and I probably won't have time for blogging or commenting until I get back.  We are not taking the laptop overseas in case it gets stolen so will be relying on hotel computer access. This has all become so much a part of my life over the past few months (particularly reading and commenting) that it's going to be strange not going through my daily routine.    But also I think it might be good to have a break from the internet for a while.  I think that it might have something to do with my increasing social anxiety and withdrawal from the world.  I feel no need to even turn my cell phone on anymore, because I just don't care.  I am getting all my need for social contact from Adam,  my work colleagues, and bloggers.  There is something not good about that, to feel like I don't need (or want) to participate in the real world anymore.


One more thing on a brighter note:  this week we watched Young Frankenstein, which you haven't seen you definitely should.  Since then I may have watched this scene about 50 times.  It's so funny it makes me cry with laughter:



Have a fantastic week everyone! 

One week to go!!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! This time next week we will be on our way to Sydney! Hooray!

This song below used to be on a television ad campaign when I was a child promoting Australian tourism and since then it has always reminded me of Australia

Françoise

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Isn't Francoise Hardy just stunning?  I love the simplicity of her style.  Can you tell I'm loving bangs right now? 

Happy Monday!

I'd do anything to have a longer weekend.  We had nice time travelling up the coast, we stopped and had a snack at a beach side bar, then went to a friends farm to cuddle their new puppies (10 in total! so cute).
Last night we watched movies (Raising Arizona and Zelig), and then this morning I work up early in a wave of anxiety.  It took hours to get to sleep and it was really unpleasant -  you know that feeling when you feel like you've forgotten something really important or done something terrible and been found out.

Some of those feelings were based in reality ( worrying about overdue parking tickets and fines, registering the car, forgetting to sign a form at work, worrying about running out of money on our holiday to Sydney) and others were blown out of all proportion which I think is due to being partly dreaming and the anxiety culminating into something bigger than it needed to be.  I hate that feeling.  Recently my normal anxious disposition has gotten worse, particularly over things which usually don't concern me or matter that much ( I hyperventilated over buying hot rollers! ).

Things are looking better in the day light. I embrace relaxation and rational thought!

In other news,  wouldn't it be great to live on a houseboat?

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Aren't they so beautiful? I feel more relaxed just looking at them.

Happy Weekend!

Hooray!  It's the weekend and I'm so thankful.  Right now Adam is at the supermarket getting things to make Buckwheat Pancakes for breakfast and I'm going to brew some coffee.

The sun is shining but the air is crisp.  This weekend is pretty relaxed for us, we are traveling up the coast a little bit for a friends graduation so we'll make it into a mini road trip and sing along in the car.

Photo by me

Photo by me

Photo by me - this is Gnorman the Gnome. I made him and he travels in the car with us. 

He always looks a little queasy. 

That's us!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!  What are you all up to, and what are you looking forward to over the next couple of days?

xx

I'm not ready

It's getting cold again, and it's too early.
We had a miserable excuse for a summer here, with only about 6 weeks of intermittent warmth and sunshine.  At least that's what it felt like.
And now, the cold has returned.

I need some nourishment today.  I want hot tea and coffee, a warm bed, an open fire, warm porridge with milk and brown sugar, toast with jam, socks, a good book, hot whiskey and lemon.

 

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I also took a completely illegitimate and undeserved  sick day. I'm in bed with a hot water bottle and I'm going to take advantage of the fact that Adam is at work by watching a shameless chick flick in all it's glory.

Also, here is a song I really love. It's a Radiohead cover by Gillian Welch.  I loves me a bit of alt-country.

This Little Bird

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I love Marianne Faithfull's style.  What an icon.  I found a copy of her autobiography while thrifting over a year ago, and it's been sitting on my nightstand unread ever since.  It's on my to-do list.  These photos make me want to get bangs and make shift dresses.

To the beach

How long must I dream
To Helen


Above the strip of beach a full moon
Skewers the Northern sky,
Just beyond the city's phosphorescent
Fingers of light.

From the cabin behind the dunes
Roy Orbison's soul is making
The silver darkness shiver & gleam.
His sweet grieving song mingles
In the grumbling tide.

On the edge of the water
Where the sand is firm an old man
In a suit with no shoes dances
A foxtrot alone.
As the tide draws & drags his feet
He places his hands where his partner's
Hips would be & hold her steady & firm
For one long gentle kiss


- Rae Desmond Jones

from 'Blow Out' Island 2009

All images above are via Aquabumps, which is an amazing website, the photographer is an astonishingly talented man Eugene Tan. We will be putting it on our list to visit the actual gallery in Bondi Beach while we are there. Truly incredible.

Movies of the Week

Adam and I watch ALOT of movies each week.  Probably every night we watch something different and on the weekends, several.  We have become much more reclusive in the past few months, content in being with each other, wrapped up in blankets.

I haven't turned my cellphone on in over two weeks, or been to any of the social events we've been invited to.  I'm not sure why this has happened, usually we are much more involved with the world.  When we first started seeing each other Adam would always be dragging me along to some party or another and wanting to go out.  He is an extrovert, I am not. 

Over the past however long we have been together we have both noticed that we are becoming more like each other in different ways.  Adam, always the idealist, has become more of a realist I think.  And me, always the pessimist cynic, well I'm starting (very very slowly) to become a little more optimistic.  Less tough and independant, more feminine and emotional.  He says it's a good thing, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, the point is that Adam has been infected by my love of being a homebody, and now we both love to stay at home behind closed doors, in a warm room and a warm bed and watch movies.

So these are the movies we watched over the past week:

1.  L.A Confidential

I really love this film.  It had a great plot and amazing style.  Kim Basinger looked amazing.  I got my hot rollers out to recreate the look - haven't mastered it yet.

2.  One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

I've seen this one several times and loved it. We were in a Jack Nicholson mood this week.

3.  Take the Money and Run

This is probably the funniest Woody Allen film I've seen yet.  We are working our way through all his films, and after this weekend we will be at #20 out of 36!

4.  Julie and Julia

I put off watching this for a long time because I heard mixed reviews, but I really loved this film.  I fell in love with Julia Child, she was so vivacious and funny. I loved the line when she took the canneloni out of the pot! This film made me want to eat hollandaise sauce and mayonnaise, and chicken, but we're both vegetarians.  I am going to try her mashed potatoes though.  I am going to read 'My Life in France' - Julia and her husband just love each other to bits and it was really inspiring.

5.  Chinatown

I've seen this before. I love Faye Dunaway, and her cheekbones and style.  She is a true beauty, just like Meryll.  I love the style of this film.  Jack is dashing aswell.

6. Husbands and Wives

This is probably my least favourite of all the Woody Allen films so far.  It was pretty close to the bone I think, as it was released when all the shit went down with their marriage breaking up and then the whole scandal (you know the story), and some of the monologues seemed pretty autobiographical.  I thought this film was really depressing. 

7. Little Big Man

I really loved this film.  It was a little graphic a times and there were certainly some scenes I found disturbing but it didn't take away from the overall entertainment of the film. 

8.  Reds

Wow this film was an epic.  We just watched it last night and it was long and involved.  But really great.  I wished I knew more about the political climate at the time so I could have a bit more context to the story but I did some research afterwards.  Adam and I both agreed that if we had been around during this time we would have been part of this movement too.  A great love story.

9.  Grey Gardens

We actually watched this the week before last, but it was so interesting I wanted to include it.  I actually came across this documentary via another blog which had posted an editorial on the fashion of Little Edie, and after looking around the internet found fansites for Little Edie where she was described as a powerful force for independance and autonomy and a fashion icon in her own right.  After watching the film, it's pretty clear that Little Edie was completely, batshit crazy.  People dress weird when they're mentally unwell - it's called being grandiose and disinhibited (which she cleary was).  I found it really disturbing that people were claiming that she was some kind of trailblazer for strong independant women - that's completely false.  She was paranoid, delusional and suffering.  She wasn't independant, she was living in squalor with her senile mother and living off food stamps.  I strongly doubt that she could care for herself.  It's really sad. But the film itself is interesting,  certainly exploitative I think - and when you find out that the pair actually got pretty screwed over by the filmmakers, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  But there are moments of beauty aswell, which makes it really worth watching.

So those are the movies of the week people!  I'd be interested to know if you've seen any of them and what your thoughts were.

Virtual Choir

This clip is totally amazing. The conductor chose 185 people from all over the world, asked them to download a track of iTunes, asked them to record their individual parts, and then compiled all the clips into one huge chorus:

Three weeks to go...

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In a little under three weeks we are going on our vacation to Sydney for two weeks! This will be our first overseas trip together, and the first time either of us have been to Australia.
This is also going to be our proper honeymoon, as when we first got married almost a year ago we were financially exhausted to say the least. We ended up being able to stay in a friend of a friends parents beach house (it was more like a mansion, we were so lucky) for a week, watched movies, slept in and drunk the majority of the left over wine from our wedding reception.

So Sydney is going to be our real honeymoon. Also, we are going over to try and get a feel for the city and see if it's somewhere we would like to live.

Things in New Zealand aren't great right now (in my opinion), and there are a lot of things going on that I really don't like, and don't want to stay around to witness, thanks to an unjust and corrupt Government ( if you're actually interested in what I'm referring to click here, here, here, here, here).

I could go on and on. Supporting Japanese whaling? Mining conservation land? Increasing GST, irrational and discriminatory welfare reform, and what I suspect is negotiations between NZ and the US to allow nuclear ships into our waters.

It makes me embarrassed to be a New Zealander that the stand we have taken against things that we, as a country, believe are unethical are being so flippantly pissed all over by a Government too drugged up on money than anything else. Shame on you John Key, you spineless puppet.

Many people in our age group are thinking the same thing, and heading overseas. The message is clear.

So, our trip to Sydney will be a mix of business and as much pleasure as we can afford (read: nothing extravagant but just as enjoyable).
Our list of wishes include:

- a trip to theBlue Mountains
- go here and meet a Dugong
- go here and cuddle a koala
- get me a pair of these, extra long please.
- go to Paddy's Market
- go to The Rocks
- go to Darling Harbour
- go to every beach we can (they deserve a post all to themselves).

And.... thanks to the wonderful internet we got a great deal to stay for a night at The Observatory Hotel, which is meant to be fantastic. Look at the pool:



Mmmm.

Can't wait.

Our Love Story

Nicole from My Teacups in Peony does a regular post about how people fell in love, and this week it's me and Adam!
Have a look here.

Thanks Nicole!

Getting to know you

Getting to know you is a regular feature over here and this week I'm joining in:


1 - Why did you start blogging?

I started getting into reading blogs a couple of years ago, then at the beginning of the year thought I would start one too. I like blogging, it makes me feel connected to others, even if I don't post often.


2 - Who's the one blog friend that you would want to meet most in "real life"?

Probably Jenny from The Bloggess. That girl makes me laugh out loud, but I wouldn't call her a blog friend as I'm sure she doesn't know I exist.


3 - Why are you always concerned with losing that "extra 10 pounds" when chances are your husband/boyfriend/friends tell you that you look just fine the way you are?

Why am I concerned with losing it? Probably because I've been brainwashed by the media to think I'm overweight when I'm not. I have alot to say about this, but I'll spare you.


4 - What's the one thing you wish guys could understand about you?

Umm, I don't really care if guys understand me or not anymore because I'm married to a guy that understands me better than anyone in the world.
I'm trying to think of when I was single....I can't even remember. It would have probably been more like "What's the one thing you wish guys could understand about themselves?", which would have been: 'if you're an asshole, it's not polite to pretend to be nice and then inflict yourself on others'.

5 - Tattoos. How many do you have and how many are visible when you wear your "everyday" clothes?

I have four. Three on my back that I got when I was 18/19. None of them I particularly like anymore. And I have one on my left wrist that says "Loved".


6 - What was the best year of your life and why?

Hmm. I really enjoyed being 14/15. Things were so easy, school was easy and fun, I'd just got my first part time job on the checkouts at Foodtown and I was so proud. I got paid $5.60 an hour before tax but I felt rich and independant. And I was doing soul searching stuff that some teenagers do: reading alot of Yeats, painting and journalling and listening to Joni Mitchell. That was a good time, from memory.
I hope that I have better times ahead though, it would be pretty sad to peak at 15.

7 - Name three things you would do if you were a man for one day.

Get drunk, piss on a wall, have sex (hopefully Adam would let me have a free pass for the day otherwise I'd have to have boy sex with him and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't consent to that ), eat horrific amounts of food, maybe get in a fist fight.


8 - What's your alcoholic drink of choice that usually raises a few eyebrows?

A Rusty Nail. Double shot of whiskey and a single shot of drambuie over ice. It's usually an old man's drink but I love it.


That's it!

Pip Lincolne taught me to crochet!

That's right people! After months of failed attempts and temper tantrums over something as simple as wool, I have completed my first crochet granny square with thanks to Pip from Meet Me at Mikes.
I am incredibly grateful.



Not perfect, but hopefully the first of many. For those of you struggling to grasp crochet I would encourage you to watch Pip's how-to videos. Huzzah!

I'm Sick

I'm sick, and haven't been around for a while. I have this auto-immune disease that I thought I was well rid of, that has come back with a vengeance. My hands and feet are swollen and sore, my bones ache, I'm exhausted for no reason. I've been worrying that maybe my toenails may pop right off.

Last week I had a bit of a cry because I thought something was seriously wrong, like kidney or liver failure. The doctor said it was unlikely, but possible and ran some tests. I hate this so much. I don't like being sick, and even more I hate obsessing about what awful things could be happening to my body.

I love the internet but one thing it is not good at is reassuring you that you are going to be ok when you enter your symptoms in diagnose-me.com or whatever ("your symptoms indicate you have.......Ebola"). It just fuels my anxiety. I need to just stop it.

I'm such a drama queen most of the time anyway that when I am sick I feel very sorry for myself and pull the whole dying swan routine. This morning, walking to the bathroom , my feet were hurting and I thought to myself "I'm just like The Little Mermaid!" and had a little sob. Seriously how much more self-pitying can you get than that!

Speaking of The Little Mermaid, look at these stunning illustrations by Sulamith Wulfing:

All images from this tribute site.

Interestingly enough, my all time favourite, Stevie Nicks, found inspiration in these paintings and then created the cover art for this album. Funny how you see something and it resonates with you and then realise that it's connected to another thing that really resonates with you.

Anyway this was meant to be a post about MY sickness and now it's ended up being about art and Stevie Nicks. Go figure. Anyway I'm going to the post office now to do some chores and try and cheer myself up.

Here's a clip from that album: