Schools Out!

Okay - so yesterday was my last day of Uni for the year, yay for me!!! I find that while studying I can't read any other books or start any games or anything that I can get addicted to because I lack the self-control to do both (so no blogging etc) Three weeks ago I nearly crashed and burned when I bought an ipod, I became so addicted to downloading that I didn't start my sixteen page essay until three days prior to the due date - cue study til 3.30 AM and getting up the next day for work, followed by more study. See the problem???

I'm quite chuffed that I worked through - this semester has been tough for me - not counting several other assignments and reading the books I mentioned in earlier posts, I did two history mini exams and four papers on 'Socrates', 'Ernst Junger & Propaganda', 'Early Christians & Roman Emperors' and finally a giant essay on 'Violence & Conflict in the 20th Century'. All the research for the essays I picked were a bit depressing actually, but that's over now and I'm getting closer to studying my fave subjects next year. I had my Classics exam at the Wayville Showgrouds yesterday. Was really nerve-wracking at first but it was in the Wayville Pavillion where we used to have our assemblies and it felt very bizarre yet kinda comforting. Definitely more casual but still retaining the long toilet lines... Anyway, not the point - I feel pretty good about the exam, I wasn't the day before but I realised that I did well enough in my papers for the subject that I only needed to get 8.5 out of 40 to pass the entire subject so I guess that took the pressure off ;)

We've had a crazy couple of months and it'll be good to wind down a bit, we've decided to cram in all our missed holiday's over the next twelve months with a likely trip to Egypt (maybe Jordan)in February/March and I've booked ridculously cheap tickets to Tasmania for May. Another possibility is a 4-8wk trip to Europe in September/October - but that all depends on Joel's work (we're officially directors now :) we are called Schulz Investments for PFS Contractors - not very imaginative but still exciting) Joel also wants to take a road-trip or something over this christmas break, so add that to the trip I have to make to Melbourne for surgery and the next few months are looking chaotic...

Last weekend it was great to catch up with family when Kelly and Danielle et al came to SA but the following night I had a giant scare coz my papa was taken to the Strathalbyn hospital with agonizing pain in his abdomen that seemingly came from no-where. He was transferred for tests to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was put on morphine, unfortunately they still aren't sure what the problem is so more tests - poor pup :(

Enough rambling, am off to bed now, must stop downloading tut tut, have a great weekend!

Northern Lights

Ok so Joel has left me... not good. Yep - all alone : ( He's gone to Melbourne this week for a work trip thing where he's tidying up a mess left by some Victorian steel-fixers in preparation for an inspection by the BIG bosses.

Needless to say he feels quite smug and even bought new pants without holes/rips (anyone who's seen Joel after work can attest that this is a large step for him) he comes back on Saturday I think and I must say apart from the dodgy phone-calls with heavy breathing and the inability to reach high up things; I am quite enjoying listening to questionable music and reading up on all my assignments - you see, I usually feel guilty for ignoring him, so I never do any of my homework when he's home).

Anyway Mum & Dad kindly invited me over for dinner last night, so I got to meet Barney. Barney is the lamb that was abandoned by his mother last Thursday that my mother has adopted. Just adorable!

On other matters, I've chosen a venue for Paula & Ricks Anniversary dinner *drum roll*..... its at The Thali Room - a gorgeous little function room attached to the newish British India restaurant. Can't wait! The room will prolly be too dark for photos but I am gonna try - watch this space.

Last week I joined the oldest club in the University: The Bacchae Club, this is where we discuss classics and I get some extra tidbits of info; it falls perfectly into an hour that I have to kill in between lecture and tute. The room is like a techni-colour version of the UN with the massive round table and domed ceiling - very intimidating.

Below I've got some photo's from a recent lighting display with colour projections called 'Northern Lights' that exhibited some of the buildings in my University and others on Nth Terrace.

These are very cool and Nth Terrace looked awesome all lit up like that. Pity they can't stay like that. Anyway off now, hopefully tomorrow I can start talking about the thing I've been so cagey about recently (and no, I'm not pregnant Hayley :P) Love this last one of the Barr Smith Library - oh the times I've lost myself in there (literally)

How can Joel's feet stink, if his shoes are new???

Another week - over. This year is flying past so swiftly its scary. This was my last week doing whatever shifts work asks of me as next week we head into sememster 2.... and I am only available for two lunch shifts, will be interesting to see how that's taken ;) Did go swimming on Monday and have been eating breakfast every morning so far (being a bit of a brat about lunches though, one step at a time I say) so all is well on the fitness front.

Just finished reading Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own' and I thought it was brilliant; once you could get past the erratic style of writing and hopping from thought to thought. I think I am going to become an arrant feminist - loved it!

I am also trying to find a photograph that I believe sums up the 20th century as a whole. Its bloody hard, papa reckons I should just take a photo of my computer considering all the ramifications of its invention but I feel that that is the result of something earlier that made its invention so dangerous. So yes, I am finding that pretty difficult; I bought two lil books on the 40's and 50's in pictures and while some are interesting, many are just devastating. Like the picture of a dead Mussolini and his mistress that I didn't need to see while eating my muesli. I find all these things extremely moving and tragic but it's that inability to look away from a car-crash syndrome that affects historians - even amateur ones.

Next I am writing a short biography on a Mr Reginald Harrington, a man who died in WW1. I have all the basic information such as where he was born, schooled and entered the army, where he was posted and what ailments he suffered, right up to how he died. Sorting through this farrago of information is daunting to say the least, how am I to write about a man who felt it was necessary to take a nail brush into battle?!?

So Joel has just come home and spun off to the gym so I've got a little time before I have to get ready to go out. Apart from going to town, we're not sure exactly what we're doing tonight but Joel is in desperate need of a hair cut and I am always willing to shop around and kill time. Speaking of shopping, I found the most divine dress on Tuesday, a dark indigo blue with a beautiful Chinoiserie-esque print on it. It was the most flattering of cuts with a narrow patent indigo belt, however; the sizing was completely arse-up. I tried on a 14 (with my bust trying a 12 in certain stores is a laugh) and it fit everywhere perfectly APART from my chest area!!! This gorgeous dress made me look as though my chest was growing from my chin all the way down to my waist area, such was the squeeze *tear* I am not impressed - I even considered buying it anyway and chopping it into a skirt but 'twas too expensive to ruin - hmmph, no - DOUBLE hmmph!!!

Back to tonight, I am trying to source restaurants for Rick & Paula's Anniversary dinner. I'd love to have cocktail party at The Apothecary but it's quite pricey and prolly isn't suited to a family gathering. Check out some of the pictures here - I'm not sure when but I AM having a party there!!! Right, moving on, Mesa Lunga is looking strong at the minute, but we've never eaten there as its relatively new. Perhaps we'll end up there tonight for research purposes. I want somewhere beautiful, somewhere extravagant, somewhere unique. Somewhere Paula and Rick don't often get the chance to go to, quite frankly, with 3 kids under 4! I will report back.

Talking about new restaurants (that we haven't been to, not new as in just opened) I am very excited to announce that my parents are taking Joel and I out for dinner this weekend to Osteria Sanso; a tuscan inspired restaurant in Kanmantoo that Joel has been meaning to take me to for about four years. Funny that the extreme procrastinator that is my father is managing to take me there first ;) Can't wait - we love trying new places and then making lil attempts at their dishes at home.

Off to town, ooh what to wear - have a fabulous weekend!

indigestion is not a happy feeling...

Righto, this week, I start reading Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of Ones Own', some Sophocles and Primo Levi's 'Survival in Auschwitz'. So... if this doesn't make me slit my wrists by the end of the semester, nothing will - granted, this is all entirely subjective and some people, somewhere, prolly think this is the epitome of enlightenment! Hmmph, I am clearly not one of them.

So anyway, I had my last rebellious night last night; crawling into bed in the AM yet making myself get up early this morning - this should make me want to go to sleep vv early tonight, ergo the beginning of a healthy sleep pattern! See how "CLEV" I am? (nod to Vicky for the adjective there *wink*)

As for food intake, I started out, at 7am, by having some fruit muesli and toast with vegemite. I am already feeling quite nauseous and almost as though the food is just sitting in my throat, but I will persevere, I am about to have some melon and then I have to squeeze in lunch before I leave for work at 12pm! I don't know how people do this. Just for fun, maybe I'll start slotting in some spinning, pilates and boxing classes at the gym next week - only on the days I don't work, I don't want my body to freak out completely. Hmm maybe I should do some swimming... I mean I can't swim, but I can float and wave my arms about and I think that's the equivalent of backstroke!?! Yes backstroke it shall be! Also, I think I'm gonna get a personal trainer once a week, just to help me with weights and advice on what to do apart from classes and cardio. I really wanna be more active again, I understand the days of sprinting and high/long-jump are gone but surely I can build up to jogging???

On the bright side though, Steven and Eva are coming over for dinner friday. We caught up with them last Sunday and Stevie showed off his "muddling" skills making us Mojito's - our new favourite cocktail that he became addicted to somewhere in the Carribean. Now, I have the Bacardi and planted some mint so we're ready to go; should be fun!

I am very excited about dinner actually - vv nice. We're having a butterflied lamb roast marinated in some yummy Moroccan spices on a bed of roast chickpeas, capsicum and potato drizzled with a white bean puree! Let's hope I don't screw this up - also if Eva asks, its not lamb ;)

So there you have it, I actually like this almost anonymous style of blogging - having been inactive for so long - I can ramble with even less thought for the poor prospective readers out there :)

Good Weekend/Bad Habits

So, we had a lovely lil weekend.

Joel and I took my parents to dinner friday at Charminar Indian in Norwood - very intimate, prolly more suited to dinner for two but oh well. After we went to see "Get Smart", Dad had been talking about seeing it so I figured he'd like that (doesn't go to the cinema much of his own volition, you see). Now personally I am not a slap-stick comedy kinda girl so was really worried about this movie - turns out wasn't that bad, Mum fell asleep but thats not unusual and Dad was giggling throughout so all in all quite a successful night.

Saturday was great too - Kell, Roh and fam came down from Melbourne for our usual pizza night thingo, so it was good to catch up, everyone looking gorgeous and happy. We also had some curries in lieu of pizza, which was a really nice change and perfect if 'slightly' bronzed naan breads ;) I was feeling a bit bleh so I think I rambled on quite a bit, punctuated by moments of space staring silence... so sorry. We also had a brief stint of Singstar where Kell kicked my cheeks with that "chickety china, chinese chicken" song and a great dessert provided by Hayley. (I sound like I'm reading off credits; no animals were hurt in the making of this blog - except Jelly but she's a bed-hog)

Now. On the not so personal, more superficial front; I have some drastic changes to make... I start back at Uni on the 28th and I really wanna get myself sorted. (You see I have a tendency to take on too much at once while still trying to maintain my old habits and its not good - I always get sick, very sick.)

Righto, I'm starting small; the plan is to make sure
- I go bed at 10pm. Sound hard? Try 3hrs earlier than normal - ouch! This way when I get up at crazy times for Uni & gym I'm still getting proper sleep, and I seem to need more than most.
- I must eat!!! (Once again, sound hard? Well for me it is! I don't eat properly so my body is in starvation mode constantly - either that or its just particularly attached to the perimeter of my butt...) So yes, must eat breakfast and lunch - vv important!
- Limit my postmix intake (I'll try, but I don't actually drink anything else - really, just water, 1 glass juice per week and 1 Chai per fortnight - if I'm lucky. I hardly ever drink alcohol, don't do coffee. Is it so bad to have ONE thing I like? Is IT??? *twitch*)

All this is to maintain proper habits, stay healthy and eventually drop 10-15kgs. Preferably 20kg but who's counting? Who'd have thought I needed to eat more to lose weight? Funny old world. I'll report back when I fail spectacularly.....

Now off to work, have a lovely day all you weird latin readers I don't know - Gracias, Me has ayudado mucho - adios

Mini-break

In April Dad, Joel and I took a 'mini-break weekend' in Melbourne coz Dad and I always said that if Celine Dion ever came to Australia we'd go see her.

Mum decided not to come so the three of us spent a lovely few days shopping - Dad luuurves the Victorian Markets - he tormented me with food-court after food-court and we went to the movies to see 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. Joel refused to come to the concert with us but Dad and I had an absolute blast, we were front row and he got up to have a little jig, lotsa fun! Pity I couldn't take any photo's inside - perfect positioning - bloody bloody...

Hmm... what else

So we've settled in Littlehampton for now and are a part of the Mount Barker congregation, its quite different from Strath, double the numbers for one thing, but hopefully we'll get to know people quick enough. Since last year two of our friends have had little girls; Ben and Esther had Daisy and just three weeks ago Jackson and Lisa had gorgeous little Rahni and she IS gorgeous. A gorgeous little pot-pie. Will post some photo's soon hopefully.

Our besties have been in New York & South America these past few weeks - lucky (insert profanity here) so we've missed them stacks. We spent a great weekend with them before they left - we went to Lisa's babyshower

and also babysat Eva's nephew, we played golf and he was fabulously well behaved - such a good lil boy, well for us anyway :)

As for us workwise, Joel is still working like crazy. Now they've got a few more guys working for them - after Trent left to work back with his brother, they were under the pump - so its good now and a lot less stressful.

As for me, I quit work at the Victoria Hotel a few months back to spend more time studying - but they gave me a call about a month ago asking me if I still missed them and would I like to work a few days a week again, I agreed so now I do 2-4 lunch shifts a week which pays for petrol and Uni books oh... and shoes etc. I have holidays at the moment and when I go back I'll be studying more Classics and History. Yay!