January 2009 Archives

For the last week the temperatures have hovered around the 40 degree Celcius mark, and hitting 43 degrees yesterday. Alex and I camped in the lounge-room for a couple of nights with the air-conditioner but last night, thankfully, it was a little cooler and I managed a good night's sleep in my own bed. That's probably the worst part - the tossing and turning through the night. I can even handle getting into a car that threatens to burn off your nose hairs and sear your throat, with a steering wheel that you have to keep taking your hands off or they'll burn. But those sleepless nights, they're hard to take.

I haven't seen Carly since Wednesday. Now that she's working she's staying over at Lauren's house a lot more, and Lauren has suggested her own room there. Carly still has her friends and sporting commitments here so I guess she'll continue to stay between both places. It's quiet here without her, no music blaring from her room, no scream tantrums with Alex.

I bought a 2nd-hand whipper snipper just before Christmas at the markets and managed to get the front of the house done for the big day, with the motor idling. The throttle wouldn't work. Then Alex was using it out the back and the head stopped spinning. Now because it's about 5 weeks since buying it, I couldn't very well take it back, so I asked Alex to have a look at it. He's a genius when it comes to motors - it's going better than ever. He fixed the throttle and the head, and even cleaned up around the tap where the grass was so lush from the leak there. His father was also good at fixing motors so it must be in the genes. I'm very proud of him.

Okay, for those of you that know what my title acronym stands for then you know why I haven't posted much lately. For those of you in the dark, it means "Same Shit Different Day". My life has taken on a very rigorous routine and every day is pretty much like the one before it.

This weekend is a little different because Monday is Australia Day and I don't have to go to work. Dad's still in hospital, so holiday or not, he's expecting me there every day to take him outside for an hour. I normally do it after work, so my days have been very long, getting home from work around 6.30pm, then if Carly's working, it's off to Wagga around 8 or 9.30 to pick her up. I don't mind the drive to Wagga, it's a half-hour run, and quite relaxing. Then another half-hour to get back home, but during that time I can catch up with Carly and comfortable even when we don't talk. She's been staying at Lauren's since Wednesday because she's had a 10am start each morning. It's been quiet with just Alex and I, and most nights he's slept at mates' houses.

I've discovered another distraction too, like I need one, and it's taking up way too much of my time. Yes, Facebook. I've been a Facebook user for ages now, but never really got into it until I discovered Hatchlings, one of the many applications that has me hooked. I went from about 10 to 130 friends in a couple of weeks just so I could search their nests (unless you play you probably don't know what I'm talking about). It's amazing, but I've actually met some very nice people from all over the world, who love to chat and actually get to know you. Facebook has built-in chat that makes it easy to talk in real time, and I've found that I'm logging in morning, lunch and night to see who is online. It's crazy, I feel like I've been hijacked.

School goes back next week and today Alex and I went to Wagga and bought everything he needs to start off the new school year. Everyone else must have had the same idea, because it was a nightmare trying to get a park, then jostling the crowds in the school supplies aisles. We survived, and it didn't hurt the budget too much either which was a nice surprise.

Congratulations to Carly who today got her learner driver licence. And my, isn't it costly these days! Nearly $100 later, Carly got to get her photo taken, but not before she went home to put on some makeup.

I picked Carly up from work tonight and let her drive home. It was a wobbly experience, with me so tense in the passenger seat, and on her case about watching the speed limit and the centre line, she probably won't be in a hurry to go driving with me again. Her first drive, and at night, might not have been the best idea. Between toggling the high-beam, trying to keep the car on the road, and me in her ear, it couldn't have been a good experience.

Tomorrow I think we'll try for half an hour around some back streets here in Junee to teach her how to take corners properly. I might also need to think about adding her to my car insurance, just to be on the safe side.

Wow, I remember last New Year's Eve like it was only last week. Alex and I shared a stubbie last year, we had a glass of beer each to toast the New Year. This year he insisted on a full one to himself.

I picked Carly up from work around 9.30pm last night after I picked up Zeke and Riley from Lauren's. She and Daniel had plans for a night out and Daniel's mum got sick at the last minute. I don't mind them sleeping over, they're no trouble at all, and both Alex and Carly are excellent with them. Zeke slept with Alex, and we set up the travel cot for Riley in Carly's bedroom.

Today Emily and Kai came over with meet for a BBQ so we had a bit of a family get-together, which is always nice.