A big thanks to Petrina and Nicola for a sensational weekend in Canberra!!
the first of many. :-)
p.s. Petrina, I believe you may find
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
What do you really, really not want to break down when you're away for the weekend?
Apologies for the absence. I’m blaming ongoing work PC issues, combined with being a bit of a social butterfly at the moment, so I’ve not been home much in the evenings.
As compensation, I have a great “Jacki’s an idiot” story for you all.
So, as you may have read, I was away all weekend in Canberra getting up to lots of fun girly family shenanigans. I arrived home Sunday evening and headed out again pretty much straight away to go see not-the-boy. This was followed by arriving back home later, totally exhausted, and heading pretty much straight to bed.
Yesterday morning I got up to get ready for work, and started making a cup of tea. After going through the usual motions of boiling the kettle, emptying the teapot and making the tea, I returned once it had had a chance to steep for a few minutes to do the pouring.
At this point I noticed that the milk wasn’t cold. A quick sniff confirmed that “yoghurt” would be a far more accurate description of the contents of the carton.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I warily checked the fridge. It was as warm in there as the rest of the apartment, and the state of my vegetables confirmed that it probably hadn’t been cold in there for a couple of days. Aargh! The fridge is definitely the one appliance in the house that you don’t want to have break on you and left for a couple of days.
So, being the organiser that I am, I did the following:
I looked up the number of my appliance repair guy (it was on a magnet on the fridge, so it wasn’t too tricky to find) and gave him a call. He agreed to come out mid-morning.
I called my boss to organise coming in a couple of hours late. She suggested that if the fridge was completely dead it would probably be covered by my contents insurance.
I called my insurance company to check that it was covered and received instructions on what I would need to do and what I would need from the repairman if the fridge was fried.
I dashed to my local supermarket. Picked up milk (I did finally manage that cup of tea) a couple of things to eat, and a bag of ice.
Went back home and filled the esky with ice and then the contents of my shopping.
Completed the stomach-churning job of cleaning out my fridge. I think the less said about that particular task the better.
Finally the repair guy arrived. He briefly admired my new dishwasher (advising me on giving up on the old one and giving me excellent advice on the choice and maintenance of the new one was his last job for me) and then set to the task of having a look at my fridge.
He opened the door, and noted that it wasn’t working at all, even the light. Apparently it’s unusual for the light and the engine to fail at the same time. Time to check the power point. I grabbed a hairdryer (it’s not like it’s been used for anything else much lately) and gave it a try.
Nothing.
OK, apparently the next thing to do was to check the fuse box.
As I’m in an apartment, my fuse box is in my hall storage cupboard. I opened the door and it was immediately clear what the problem was – two of the fuse switches were flicked to the “off” position.
I scratched my head and puzzled for a minute and then looked upwards. On the shelf above the fuse box was the travel bag I had just replaced that morning after using it as my luggage from my weekend away.
Best I can figure, when I started packing last Thursday night, I caught the switches with one of the straps on my bag as I took it down off the shelf.
So the good news is that my fridge is fine.
The bad news is that I’m an idiot.
As compensation, I have a great “Jacki’s an idiot” story for you all.
So, as you may have read, I was away all weekend in Canberra getting up to lots of fun girly family shenanigans. I arrived home Sunday evening and headed out again pretty much straight away to go see not-the-boy. This was followed by arriving back home later, totally exhausted, and heading pretty much straight to bed.
Yesterday morning I got up to get ready for work, and started making a cup of tea. After going through the usual motions of boiling the kettle, emptying the teapot and making the tea, I returned once it had had a chance to steep for a few minutes to do the pouring.
At this point I noticed that the milk wasn’t cold. A quick sniff confirmed that “yoghurt” would be a far more accurate description of the contents of the carton.
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I warily checked the fridge. It was as warm in there as the rest of the apartment, and the state of my vegetables confirmed that it probably hadn’t been cold in there for a couple of days. Aargh! The fridge is definitely the one appliance in the house that you don’t want to have break on you and left for a couple of days.
So, being the organiser that I am, I did the following:
I looked up the number of my appliance repair guy (it was on a magnet on the fridge, so it wasn’t too tricky to find) and gave him a call. He agreed to come out mid-morning.
I called my boss to organise coming in a couple of hours late. She suggested that if the fridge was completely dead it would probably be covered by my contents insurance.
I called my insurance company to check that it was covered and received instructions on what I would need to do and what I would need from the repairman if the fridge was fried.
I dashed to my local supermarket. Picked up milk (I did finally manage that cup of tea) a couple of things to eat, and a bag of ice.
Went back home and filled the esky with ice and then the contents of my shopping.
Completed the stomach-churning job of cleaning out my fridge. I think the less said about that particular task the better.
Finally the repair guy arrived. He briefly admired my new dishwasher (advising me on giving up on the old one and giving me excellent advice on the choice and maintenance of the new one was his last job for me) and then set to the task of having a look at my fridge.
He opened the door, and noted that it wasn’t working at all, even the light. Apparently it’s unusual for the light and the engine to fail at the same time. Time to check the power point. I grabbed a hairdryer (it’s not like it’s been used for anything else much lately) and gave it a try.
Nothing.
OK, apparently the next thing to do was to check the fuse box.
As I’m in an apartment, my fuse box is in my hall storage cupboard. I opened the door and it was immediately clear what the problem was – two of the fuse switches were flicked to the “off” position.
I scratched my head and puzzled for a minute and then looked upwards. On the shelf above the fuse box was the travel bag I had just replaced that morning after using it as my luggage from my weekend away.
Best I can figure, when I started packing last Thursday night, I caught the switches with one of the straps on my bag as I took it down off the shelf.
So the good news is that my fridge is fine.
The bad news is that I’m an idiot.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Why is it so?
So favourite topics, they're already quantified over the side. A little elucidation may be in order, however. So here goes...
- Whinging. I'm a bit of a venter. Love a good vent, in fact. A good whinge on a blog always makes me feel heaps better. Thanks for listening. Well, reading.
- Complimentary stuff. I was actually surprised to see that the numbers for this are higher than the whingy ones. Guess I'm not such a sooky-la-la after all.
- Stuff happening. I kind of started this one, and somehow every time I use it I wonder whether it was really a good idea. Pretty much every time I post it's about stuff happening. It's kind of a given.
- World's Greatest Shave. A short but intense period of shameless fundraising. Don't regret a second of it.
- Public Transport. I'm on it every day. It's a big part of my life. I'm trying to cut down on the habit of writing about it. OK, let's just leave it at that.
- Jacki's a clutz. Pretty self-explanatory, I think.
- Guest writers. Love 'em. They're great. Haven't done one in a while (although the last one was particularly memorable). Any volunteers?
- Quote of the Day. New, but good. Love whenever I get a new one.
- Jacki Philosophy. Kind of a catch-all for stuff that I just like.
- Food. Words. Music. Really just me talking about my taste in stuff, and my personal passions. Hope some people out there enjoy them.
So there ya go!
At the Author's Behest, We Forget
OK, I'm not so sure that everything on here was such a good idea. Here are a couple of posts that just maybe I'd rather forget...I'm including links on here out of habit, but feel free to not click on them.
This one, the first of several work update emails. Yup. Nobody wants to hear it. Even I don't want to hear it. I never enjoyed writing it, and finally got around to letting it fall by the wayside.
I think I've done this more than once. Yawn. Probably because I couldn't think of anything original to write on the day. Pure laziness, no doubt.
Whinging about work. Hmmm. Everyone's favourite topic.
Still, not too bad a number of duds given it's 3 in 300. (that's a 1% miss rate, in case you were wondering).
What do I write about?
OK, I started this post, but then realised that, thanks to the wondrous magic of labels, you can actually see this list yourself over there<--------------------and down a bit. Go have a look if you feel the need. In summary, whinging is pretty popular.
My Favourites
OK, this is completely self-indulgent. It's completely based on the posts that I most enjoyed writing. So here we go...top 5.
This post on high heels was my very first real whingey ones. Plus it came with its very own gross photo.
This one was a great one to write. It's nice sometimes to sit back and thank the people you love and who love you
This one was my absolute favourite to write out of everything. I may have lost the plot a little somewhere along the way, but strangely enough this one had quite a few fans as well.
This, this and this. Really only counts as one post. I was so overwhelmed with people's generosity with the whole fundraising effort. Plus the fact that I was suddenly bald.
The culmination of many, many (possibly too many) posts on public transport. The final word. I was pretty much ready to close the door on this whole staple and I did that with this post. And the one that followed, but the whingey one was definitely more fun to write.
This post on high heels was my very first real whingey ones. Plus it came with its very own gross photo.
This one was a great one to write. It's nice sometimes to sit back and thank the people you love and who love you
This one was my absolute favourite to write out of everything. I may have lost the plot a little somewhere along the way, but strangely enough this one had quite a few fans as well.
This, this and this. Really only counts as one post. I was so overwhelmed with people's generosity with the whole fundraising effort. Plus the fact that I was suddenly bald.
The culmination of many, many (possibly too many) posts on public transport. The final word. I was pretty much ready to close the door on this whole staple and I did that with this post. And the one that followed, but the whingey one was definitely more fun to write.
Most Popular
And the winner is......
The most popular post, at least judging by the fact that I got loads of emails, heaps of traffic, and even a comment was...
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
I really try not to get too "battle of the sexes" on here. Generally I'd prefer to be known for my writing and my own quirky sense of humour (at least, that's how I like to thing of it) than my relationship. This is coupled with the fact that the significant other is really pretty uncomfortable with being discussed publicly (he also hates having his photo taken, or being filmed, but that's another story). So for all of these reasons I try to steer basically clear of these sorts of topics. But at the time I wrote this, it was just too funny a situation to leave out.
Seems the rest of you agree. :-)
The most popular post, at least judging by the fact that I got loads of emails, heaps of traffic, and even a comment was...
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
I really try not to get too "battle of the sexes" on here. Generally I'd prefer to be known for my writing and my own quirky sense of humour (at least, that's how I like to thing of it) than my relationship. This is coupled with the fact that the significant other is really pretty uncomfortable with being discussed publicly (he also hates having his photo taken, or being filmed, but that's another story). So for all of these reasons I try to steer basically clear of these sorts of topics. But at the time I wrote this, it was just too funny a situation to leave out.
Seems the rest of you agree. :-)
HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!!!!!!
Yes, believe it or not, but it was one year ago today that I started up this little blog of mine.
And would you believe that it has intersected very nicely indeed with my 300th post!
Yup, I've averaged to post 82% of days for a year. Or 5.8 times a week, or 25 times a month. (I did mention up front that I was a bit of a nerd!)
So, how could I top all of that, I asked myself? And, let me tell you, I answered (sometimes the voices in my head do that...it's very handy!)
The answer that came to me was that I should have a blogging extravaganza!!!!
There will be lists. Oh yes, many lists. A bit of a walk down memory lane and plenty of reminiscing.
We'll take a look back at my favourite posts. We'll revisit the most popular posts. We can take a look at some the the amusing ways that people got here, and I might even walk you through some of my favourite themes.
There could be some questions answered. If anyone asks any questions, that is...you lot are a notoriously quiet lot (even though I know you're there). But if you change your mind and want to post a question or a comment, please go ahead. It's now or never!
Anyway, should be a blast, so tune in throughout the day. Well, actually the afternoon as I'll be doing some work stuff in the morning, but you get the picture!
See you there! Or here, I suppose.
J. :-)
later.....just so you know, my PC was out of order pretty much all of today, so all these great posts following, that I diligently prepared last night, are being posted from not-so-sunny (bloody freezing, in fact) Canberra. Enjoy belatedly. J.
And would you believe that it has intersected very nicely indeed with my 300th post!
Yup, I've averaged to post 82% of days for a year. Or 5.8 times a week, or 25 times a month. (I did mention up front that I was a bit of a nerd!)
So, how could I top all of that, I asked myself? And, let me tell you, I answered (sometimes the voices in my head do that...it's very handy!)
The answer that came to me was that I should have a blogging extravaganza!!!!
There will be lists. Oh yes, many lists. A bit of a walk down memory lane and plenty of reminiscing.
We'll take a look back at my favourite posts. We'll revisit the most popular posts. We can take a look at some the the amusing ways that people got here, and I might even walk you through some of my favourite themes.
There could be some questions answered. If anyone asks any questions, that is...you lot are a notoriously quiet lot (even though I know you're there). But if you change your mind and want to post a question or a comment, please go ahead. It's now or never!
Anyway, should be a blast, so tune in throughout the day. Well, actually the afternoon as I'll be doing some work stuff in the morning, but you get the picture!
See you there! Or here, I suppose.
J. :-)
later.....just so you know, my PC was out of order pretty much all of today, so all these great posts following, that I diligently prepared last night, are being posted from not-so-sunny (bloody freezing, in fact) Canberra. Enjoy belatedly. J.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Things Happening
A big Happy Birthday to Jo for yesterday. Hope you had a great day!
Sorry for the slight lapse. I managed to kill my work PC. Yep, completely dead. Won't even start up. Not bad for 6 weeks into a new job hey?
Soo.....tomorrow is a very special day. Can anyone guess why??
If not, I suggest you tune in. There should be plenty of action. Well, plenty of posts, if you can call that action.
Anyway, you'll have to be here to find out.
J.
And howdy and welcome to all my new visitors. Come back any time.
Sorry for the slight lapse. I managed to kill my work PC. Yep, completely dead. Won't even start up. Not bad for 6 weeks into a new job hey?
Soo.....tomorrow is a very special day. Can anyone guess why??
If not, I suggest you tune in. There should be plenty of action. Well, plenty of posts, if you can call that action.
Anyway, you'll have to be here to find out.
J.
And howdy and welcome to all my new visitors. Come back any time.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mystery Solved
Those keys have found their owner.
And the winner is....(drum roll please!) my Aunty Sandy. Who's place I was at the other week. In my own defense, I was the only woman in the large family group who took a handbag to the funeral. It ended up with a lot of random stuff in it. Including several sets of keys.
So mystery solved.
And the winner is....(drum roll please!) my Aunty Sandy. Who's place I was at the other week. In my own defense, I was the only woman in the large family group who took a handbag to the funeral. It ended up with a lot of random stuff in it. Including several sets of keys.
So mystery solved.
Underrated Accessory
Given my penchant for hats, I feel obligated to link to this post about them.
Although I have to admit that I only own one of the types of hats discussed. Well, two of the same category. You know what I mean.
Any guesses as to which one?
Although I have to admit that I only own one of the types of hats discussed. Well, two of the same category. You know what I mean.
Any guesses as to which one?
Monday, May 21, 2007
Link of the day
PG15+ Warning on this one. It's kind of creepy, but also kind of interesting.
Photos from West Norwood Cemetery Catacombs
Photos from West Norwood Cemetery Catacombs
Hair Colour moment
OK, I've just had it pointed out to me that I made an error on my post advising exactly when I am to become a big-time celebrity.
When programming VCRs, please set them for Tuesday the 3rd of July at 2pm on Channel 10 for the world premier of Ronene and I duking it out on Ready Steady Cook.
That is all.
When programming VCRs, please set them for Tuesday the 3rd of July at 2pm on Channel 10 for the world premier of Ronene and I duking it out on Ready Steady Cook.
That is all.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Oooh...the possibilities are endless...
Jacki likes to giggle .
jacki likes the view
Jacki hates America with a passion unmatched by anything
Jacki hates coffee, she is naturally caffinated
Jacki loves the Peppermint patty
jacki loves her family
Jacki loves being at home
Jacki loves where she lives
Jacki loves to dance
Jacki loves to sew
Jacki loves people
heheheheheeee
jacki likes the view
Jacki hates America with a passion unmatched by anything
Jacki hates coffee, she is naturally caffinated
Jacki loves the Peppermint patty
jacki loves her family
Jacki loves being at home
Jacki loves where she lives
Jacki loves to dance
Jacki loves to sew
Jacki loves people
heheheheheeee
part 2 - What Jacki Wants
Since the last post was so fun, I had another idea...
jacki wants more of course.
Jacki wants to be your everything What more could a hospitable blogger offer?
Jacki wants to dissolve the band Especially if that band happens to be Hanson. Let it go guys. You're too old to be child stars and you were never that good in the first place.
Jacki wants to go to Colorado Springs amongst other places.
Jacki wants to thank Bloomingfoods for giving her soap a spot on their shelves. Very nice of them, I think.
Jacki wants to know what happened. I sure do. One minute I was going to be a historian, the next I was racking up long-service leave working for a bank....
Jacki wants you to know that she did indeed choose some winners. Of course. I'm not friends with losers.
Jacki wants to know...everything. Tell me all your secrets!
Jacki wants the nice big house. But since it's Sydney, she'll settle for her medium-sized apartment.
Jacki wants to go to Ireland maybe even more than Colorado Springs
jacki wants geo education to be better. I'm sure it's very important, for some very good reason, that escapes me just at the moment.
Jacki wants to see the end of poverty, hunger and inequality. The start of sustainable environmental and economic practices. Better education. John Howard lose power (oops...I may have lied about not discussing politics). the invention of chocolate, cheese and chips that are really really good for you and have not fat or bad stuff at all but still taste exactly the same as the naughty ones.
jacki wants to promote the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. It's on these weekend. I'll be collecting around Erskineville, but if you happen to want to make a donation, you can do so here
Jacki wants to come too. especially if you're going somewhere nice.
Jacki wants the flamed dash gauges. The car just won't feel complete until she gets them.
Jacki wants to know what color the van is before she takes a stand. Yep. The van colour is very important in all my major life decisions.
Jacki wants to know how many women have been racing. Ever. At anything.
Jacki wants you to see the cutest kid ever. You can see pictures of her niece if you ask her.
Jacki wants to stand out from the other girls That explains a lot.
jacki wants to go to sleep Yes. It is about time for my disco-nap.
Jacki wants chicken mcnuggets really bad No. No. I'm pretty sure she doesn't. In fact, Jacki doesn't remember ever eating chicken mcnuggets. She can't really remember what chicken tastes like. That is not a craving Jacki gets.
Jacki wants to fly. If she thinks happy thoughts, maybe she will.
Jacki wants the responsibility. I think she's ready for it.
jacki wants to hide things. Easter eggs?
Jacki wants to form a foundation to help third world countries. Well, that's not a bad ambition at all. She might start small though.
Jacki wants to learn the geetar. How did they know??
Whew! All of this referring to one's self in the third person can be quite exhausting!
jacki wants more of course.
Jacki wants to be your everything What more could a hospitable blogger offer?
Jacki wants to dissolve the band Especially if that band happens to be Hanson. Let it go guys. You're too old to be child stars and you were never that good in the first place.
Jacki wants to go to Colorado Springs amongst other places.
Jacki wants to thank Bloomingfoods for giving her soap a spot on their shelves. Very nice of them, I think.
Jacki wants to know what happened. I sure do. One minute I was going to be a historian, the next I was racking up long-service leave working for a bank....
Jacki wants you to know that she did indeed choose some winners. Of course. I'm not friends with losers.
Jacki wants to know...everything. Tell me all your secrets!
Jacki wants the nice big house. But since it's Sydney, she'll settle for her medium-sized apartment.
Jacki wants to go to Ireland maybe even more than Colorado Springs
jacki wants geo education to be better. I'm sure it's very important, for some very good reason, that escapes me just at the moment.
Jacki wants to see the end of poverty, hunger and inequality. The start of sustainable environmental and economic practices. Better education. John Howard lose power (oops...I may have lied about not discussing politics). the invention of chocolate, cheese and chips that are really really good for you and have not fat or bad stuff at all but still taste exactly the same as the naughty ones.
jacki wants to promote the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. It's on these weekend. I'll be collecting around Erskineville, but if you happen to want to make a donation, you can do so here
Jacki wants to come too. especially if you're going somewhere nice.
Jacki wants the flamed dash gauges. The car just won't feel complete until she gets them.
Jacki wants to know what color the van is before she takes a stand. Yep. The van colour is very important in all my major life decisions.
Jacki wants to know how many women have been racing. Ever. At anything.
Jacki wants you to see the cutest kid ever. You can see pictures of her niece if you ask her.
Jacki wants to stand out from the other girls That explains a lot.
jacki wants to go to sleep Yes. It is about time for my disco-nap.
Jacki wants chicken mcnuggets really bad No. No. I'm pretty sure she doesn't. In fact, Jacki doesn't remember ever eating chicken mcnuggets. She can't really remember what chicken tastes like. That is not a craving Jacki gets.
Jacki wants to fly. If she thinks happy thoughts, maybe she will.
Jacki wants the responsibility. I think she's ready for it.
jacki wants to hide things. Easter eggs?
Jacki wants to form a foundation to help third world countries. Well, that's not a bad ambition at all. She might start small though.
Jacki wants to learn the geetar. How did they know??
Whew! All of this referring to one's self in the third person can be quite exhausting!
Jacki needs....
I have to admit I wasn't going to post today. No reason. In fact "no reason" was actually the reason. I normally don't have mental blanks or writer's block, but I can't say I really had anything to post about. I made it to work with a minimum of public transport difficulties, work's running smoothly, and it's just one of those quiet times in my life (If it never rains, but it pours, I'm waiting for a deluge!)
Anyway, I have a little bit of time to kill whilst running a big long query, so I did a bit of reading instead - some archives of one of my favourite other bloggers here.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I came across a meme done here, and had to try it out. The results were funny enough to be worth a post.
Basically, if you want to do this yourself, go to Google and type "*your name* needs" into the search field and then search. Please note that where I have put the little asterisks please insert you actual name, or the game is nowhere near as much fun.
anyway, apparently, here's what Jacki needs....
Jacki needs to get into a rehab routine at home. That's a bit rough. Just because my head-shaving occurred roughly at the same time as Britney's, doesn't make it the same thing...
Jacki needs your assistance in order to make her accessible for even more nationalities. Yep, spread the word. This blog could get right round the world with your help. that's how I'm choosing to interpret that.
Jacki needs every shred action he can get. I don't know if it's worse or better to include the next sentence....as the Scottish Senior Championships start at Lasswade on March 3
Jacki needs to show some respect. No disrespect, but....
Jacki needs to come home soon to make fun of dumb things Now that's one I could manage!
Jacki needs to car-pool with someone either Friday after work or Saturday. Ummm...OK, I guess it beats the train.
Jacki needs prayer that God will strengthen her and use her. Ok, I generally try to steer clear of religion, sex and politics on here. I'm not touching that one with a barge pole.
Jacki needs a prom date....has to be someone under 21. Yup. And hurry. I'm running a little behind in my plans for the prom....like over a decade late!
Jacki needs a life I didn't know things were that bad. I know it's been a slow week and all....
jacki needs to hurry and drop a new cd man! or another hot mixtape!!!!! Well if it's that important, I could work on a mix-tape over the weekend.
Jacki needs help with her homework. ...she's studying "wine appreciation" if that makes the job more appealing....
Jacki needs her ass whooped. Uum. I'm going to pretend this one's referring to board games. I never mind a bit of healthy competition.
JACKI NEEDS TO PAY THE BILLS TOO whoa! that one sounds nasty. As far as I know, I'm actually pretty good at paying my bills on time. Most of them are via direct debit, in fact.
jacki needs to find a boy. Preferably one who cooks, cleans and can fix stuff. ;-)
jacki needs to act like an adult not a kid. No! Don't wanna! I'll hold my breath 'til I turn blue if you try to make me!
Jacki needs to make you a special avatar. Abracadabra! You're a special avatar.
There's more, but I seem to be getting down to the pron end of the search engine now, so I'm just going to stop.
Well, that kept me amused for ages!
Anyway, I have a little bit of time to kill whilst running a big long query, so I did a bit of reading instead - some archives of one of my favourite other bloggers here.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I came across a meme done here, and had to try it out. The results were funny enough to be worth a post.
Basically, if you want to do this yourself, go to Google and type "*your name* needs" into the search field and then search. Please note that where I have put the little asterisks please insert you actual name, or the game is nowhere near as much fun.
anyway, apparently, here's what Jacki needs....
Jacki needs to get into a rehab routine at home. That's a bit rough. Just because my head-shaving occurred roughly at the same time as Britney's, doesn't make it the same thing...
Jacki needs your assistance in order to make her accessible for even more nationalities. Yep, spread the word. This blog could get right round the world with your help. that's how I'm choosing to interpret that.
Jacki needs every shred action he can get. I don't know if it's worse or better to include the next sentence....as the Scottish Senior Championships start at Lasswade on March 3
Jacki needs to show some respect. No disrespect, but....
Jacki needs to come home soon to make fun of dumb things Now that's one I could manage!
Jacki needs to car-pool with someone either Friday after work or Saturday. Ummm...OK, I guess it beats the train.
Jacki needs prayer that God will strengthen her and use her. Ok, I generally try to steer clear of religion, sex and politics on here. I'm not touching that one with a barge pole.
Jacki needs a prom date....has to be someone under 21. Yup. And hurry. I'm running a little behind in my plans for the prom....like over a decade late!
Jacki needs a life I didn't know things were that bad. I know it's been a slow week and all....
jacki needs to hurry and drop a new cd man! or another hot mixtape!!!!! Well if it's that important, I could work on a mix-tape over the weekend.
Jacki needs help with her homework. ...she's studying "wine appreciation" if that makes the job more appealing....
Jacki needs her ass whooped. Uum. I'm going to pretend this one's referring to board games. I never mind a bit of healthy competition.
JACKI NEEDS TO PAY THE BILLS TOO whoa! that one sounds nasty. As far as I know, I'm actually pretty good at paying my bills on time. Most of them are via direct debit, in fact.
jacki needs to find a boy. Preferably one who cooks, cleans and can fix stuff. ;-)
jacki needs to act like an adult not a kid. No! Don't wanna! I'll hold my breath 'til I turn blue if you try to make me!
Jacki needs to make you a special avatar. Abracadabra! You're a special avatar.
There's more, but I seem to be getting down to the pron end of the search engine now, so I'm just going to stop.
Well, that kept me amused for ages!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Strange discovery
Has anyone lost a set of keys?
Well, anyone who's been around me and my handbag over the past couple of weeks.
I found a completely random set in my bag last night. I don't recognise them at all. they don't even look vaguely familiar.
They have a distinctive keyring with "Love One Another" printed on it.
Are they yours?
Well, anyone who's been around me and my handbag over the past couple of weeks.
I found a completely random set in my bag last night. I don't recognise them at all. they don't even look vaguely familiar.
They have a distinctive keyring with "Love One Another" printed on it.
Are they yours?
Interesting link
If you've got a spare 20 minutes and want an interesting read, this is compelling stuff.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sooo....
See ya Ronene, have a great holiday and I'll see ya when you get back. I'm not jealous of your trip to Dunsborough and Margaret River at all. No, not one little bit.
Get well soon Sandy, who is very sore and sorry for herself at the moment. You win the "clutz-off" of the week!
Miss ya Bec. Getting less and less patient with the countdown until Baby Bean comes to join us all out here in the world.
Hello sister P. Looking forward to coming to visit you in Our Nation's Capital next week. Look out Canberra!
Hello to Callum, who I went to high-school with back in Tassie and who has recently started working in the same building as me for the same company as me. It was nice to catch up over lunch today!
That is all.
Get well soon Sandy, who is very sore and sorry for herself at the moment. You win the "clutz-off" of the week!
Miss ya Bec. Getting less and less patient with the countdown until Baby Bean comes to join us all out here in the world.
Hello sister P. Looking forward to coming to visit you in Our Nation's Capital next week. Look out Canberra!
Hello to Callum, who I went to high-school with back in Tassie and who has recently started working in the same building as me for the same company as me. It was nice to catch up over lunch today!
That is all.
Quote of the Day...part 6
"Are you still at work?"
....from the person who had just rung me on my work phone number.
;-)
....from the person who had just rung me on my work phone number.
;-)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A few things that make up for it
In the interests of fairness, I should probably state my reasons for persisting with public transport as my main method of transport to and from work (and other locations, but not as regularly).
- It's cheap. Certainly a hell of a lot cheaper than paying for parking any place closer to my work than my house. And a cool arrangement for paying off an annual pass that's a perk of my job, it's an even bigger bargain.
- It's far less stressful than driving into the CBD in peak hour.
- It's a bit of brainless me-time in the morning and evening. Kind of a buffer between work and home.
- It's an opportunity to read for an hour or so every week day.
- It's an opportunity to listen to music for an hour or so every week day.
- It's good for the environment. Less use of renewable resources.
- I put hardly any kilometres on my car. I can go longer between services, and I only put fuel in about once a month (sometimes even less)
- Far lower risk of accidents. Admittedly, the one's that do happen are pretty nasty, but they're pretty unlikely events.
- You can't get arrested for talking on your mobile phone whilst travelling on a train. Hmm...maybe that belongs in the other list....
- It's more sheltered than walking, especially in inclement weather.
- If you happen to go out for after-work drinks, you don't have to worry about whether you're alright to drive or if you should leave your car and have to pick it up somehow the following day.
- Thomas the Tank Engine is a train and he's pretty cool.
OK, I may have been pushing it on that last one, but I realised I had nearly as many good things as bad, so I thought there would be a nice symmetry if I came up with one more...
Top 10 things I hate about public transport
I haven't had a whinge about public transport on here for a while. I'm sure you've all missed it, so here goes...
The top 10 things I have about public transport.
The top 10 things I have about public transport.
- Trains running late
- Trains running early
- Missing the train
- Accidentally getting on the wrong train (especially when it's an express and I end up whizzing by my stop then have to backtrack)
- Trains that are too full
- People that won't get out of the way of the doors or stairwells to let other people passed them. Or even better...move further inside themselves so that everyone can get on and off in an orderly fashion.
- People who try to get into the carriage before those who are disembarking finish getting off.
- People who take public transport when they have bad BO. I'm the last one to deny that I ever get a little perspiration happening, especially in mid-summer or if I've done a bit of a sprint to make the train, but I'm talking about full on eye-watering days and days worth of smelliness. Take a shower.
- People who put all their bags on the seat beside them when there are people with no seats.
- Tourists at the station with their huge suitcases during peak hour who stand and block the whole walkway whilst looking vaguely around at the different signs. Stand to the side, people!
- People who leave their rubbish - especially tissues and food wrappers - on the train after they leave.
- People who won't get up and offer their seat to those more in need of it than themselves. No, I don't mean me. I mean heavily pregnant women, the elderly, the frail, the disabled or the injured. Selfish prats. What's wrong with you?
I know that's more than 10. Sorry, I can count, just couldn't keep the list down to 10.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Very tired
I'm very very tired today. Very tired. Ask me why...
It's because last night I went to see Pink in concert with Ronene and Danielle. It was GREAT!!!!!!
There is just something about live music, especially a big concert with screaming fans.
Plus she copied my hairstyle. :-)
It's because last night I went to see Pink in concert with Ronene and Danielle. It was GREAT!!!!!!
There is just something about live music, especially a big concert with screaming fans.
Plus she copied my hairstyle. :-)
Friday, May 11, 2007
Black Hole Sun
I love trivia. At one point in my life (not too long ago) I even participated in a regular (and quite, successful, I might add) trivia team.
During that time, however, the one thing I learned, was that every successful trivia team needs to have a good spread of people who are good at different topics.
During this time, I came to realise that music trivia is really not my thing. I'm not too bad with top ten hits in Australia 1989-1993 (something to do with being at boarding school and the fact that sneaking downstairs early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to the common rooms to watch Rage was forbidden).
Nonetheless, I am a big fan of SBS's Rockwiz music trivia show. I certainly can't answer too many of the questions, and most of the guests I seem to be ridiculously oblivious of, but I enjoy the format and the show in general.
But what I really love the most about the show, is the very last segment shown. To give you a bit of background; each team has one singer/musician as a contestant. Then right at the end, they get the unlikely pair to sing a duet to an even more unlikely song.
Somehow it always works. No matter how unlikely.
I know that this show normally airs on a Saturday so I'm a little behind. I'd like to defend myself by stating my philosophy of taping everything I like on VCR timer so I watch TV, the shows I enjoy, when I want to. I never miss them and I rarely end up watching things just because they're on.
So anyway, It's Friday night and I'm watching last Saturday's TV. Let's move on.
Last Saturday's Rockwiz had Glen Shorrock, a sentimental favourite (is it too trite to mention the concept of "reminiscing"?) and one of my absolute favourite contemporary singers (Australian of otherwise, she's that amazing) Katie Noonan (if you ever get the opportunity check out the duet she did with Spearhead's Michael Franti for The Panel's soundtrack part 2 - plus if anyone has a copy of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road that George did on Rove a while back please let me know).
Well, at the end, they did the customary duet - would you believe they sang a version of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun. It was totally sensational. I've just rewound and watched it 4 times in a row and may do a few more times before I head to bed.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. Or maybe I'll let you borrow it from me....if you ask real nice and get to me before I tape over it (Gray's anatomy is on Sunday, after all!)
During that time, however, the one thing I learned, was that every successful trivia team needs to have a good spread of people who are good at different topics.
During this time, I came to realise that music trivia is really not my thing. I'm not too bad with top ten hits in Australia 1989-1993 (something to do with being at boarding school and the fact that sneaking downstairs early on a Saturday or Sunday morning to the common rooms to watch Rage was forbidden).
Nonetheless, I am a big fan of SBS's Rockwiz music trivia show. I certainly can't answer too many of the questions, and most of the guests I seem to be ridiculously oblivious of, but I enjoy the format and the show in general.
But what I really love the most about the show, is the very last segment shown. To give you a bit of background; each team has one singer/musician as a contestant. Then right at the end, they get the unlikely pair to sing a duet to an even more unlikely song.
Somehow it always works. No matter how unlikely.
I know that this show normally airs on a Saturday so I'm a little behind. I'd like to defend myself by stating my philosophy of taping everything I like on VCR timer so I watch TV, the shows I enjoy, when I want to. I never miss them and I rarely end up watching things just because they're on.
So anyway, It's Friday night and I'm watching last Saturday's TV. Let's move on.
Last Saturday's Rockwiz had Glen Shorrock, a sentimental favourite (is it too trite to mention the concept of "reminiscing"?) and one of my absolute favourite contemporary singers (Australian of otherwise, she's that amazing) Katie Noonan (if you ever get the opportunity check out the duet she did with Spearhead's Michael Franti for The Panel's soundtrack part 2 - plus if anyone has a copy of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road that George did on Rove a while back please let me know).
Well, at the end, they did the customary duet - would you believe they sang a version of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun. It was totally sensational. I've just rewound and watched it 4 times in a row and may do a few more times before I head to bed.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it. Or maybe I'll let you borrow it from me....if you ask real nice and get to me before I tape over it (Gray's anatomy is on Sunday, after all!)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
55 Days until International Stardom & Celebrity
Yup, the wait is over for those who've been asking incessantly.
The episode of Ready Steady Cook starring none other than myself and Ronene will be going to air (that's industry-talk for "on the telly")
2pm, Tuesday, 3rd July 2007, channel ten.
So tune in. Check out our magic cooking skills, rapier wit and sparkling repartee. I'm sure Paris and Nicole will be knocking down the door very shortly afterwards, vying for our attentions and wanting to hang out with the latest and hottest celebrities on the block (us, in case you were wondering), so book in some time with us quick smart before that happens.
And try not to laugh at us too much, hey?
The episode of Ready Steady Cook starring none other than myself and Ronene will be going to air (that's industry-talk for "on the telly")
2pm, Tuesday, 3rd July 2007, channel ten.
So tune in. Check out our magic cooking skills, rapier wit and sparkling repartee. I'm sure Paris and Nicole will be knocking down the door very shortly afterwards, vying for our attentions and wanting to hang out with the latest and hottest celebrities on the block (us, in case you were wondering), so book in some time with us quick smart before that happens.
And try not to laugh at us too much, hey?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
International Day of Non-Posting
Well it probably isn't. It's probably just one of those synchronicity things that seems like more than a coincidence. But strangely enough, none of my regular blog reads have made updates today. Maybe there's a strike and I didn't get the memo.
Anyway, a bit of random web-surfing had to replace my blog-reading during my lunch hour today. And I did find this very cool photo below:
It's a picture of the sunset from the Mars Rover. Hope you like it.
J.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Shopping Nirvana
I'd like to preface this post with a statement of the fact that I'm really no shop-a-holic. Far from it. My friends will all tell you that I'm really a bit of a dag.
I do, of course, love a bargain, and if I want something that I'm expecting to have last me a while, I'm prepared to pay accordingly. It's just that sometimes you need things.
It had been becoming more and more obvious that I was in need of a new handbag. The old one was literally starting to fall apart. The lining had torn and things kept disappearing into some alternate universe that had formed in there.
A handbag is a very important thing for me. It's the one thing that follows me pretty much everywhere and gets used pretty much every single day. I'm in and out of it constantly, and often need to find stuff quickly yet have the contents kept safe. for this reason design is very important. In the past I've even taken to drawing my own designs for the perfect handbag (pity I don't have the skills to actually execute the designs...). So basically, I was prepared for a fairly generous budget.
Normally when I shop I'm pretty much a "go - find - buy" type of person, but this particular handbag purchase turned out to be quite a tricky one. No fewer than four previous shopping expeditions has proven fruitless (and handbagless, too).
At the end of my wits, I had decided to try something different and go across to Birkenhead Point, a factory outlet centre in Sydney and try my luck there.
Well, let me tell you. It was worth the drive. I hit total shopping nirvana. First I found the perfect handbag. Perfect size, plenty of compartments, very much my style. And it came in at under half the budget.
Then, whilst leaving, I walked past my favourite shoe brand's store - and they were having a 20%-off-already-discounted-items-sale. As I was also in need of some new winter boots it seemed like it was worth checking out. As luck would have it, the pair I fell in love with at first sight was not only available in my size, but added to the handbag cost, still came in under budget!!
All in about 40 minutes by the time I browsed, tried on and paid.
Woo hoo!
OK, maybe I should have a put a disclaimer on the top about "boys may not want to read this" or something.
Ah well, bad luck. :-)
I do, of course, love a bargain, and if I want something that I'm expecting to have last me a while, I'm prepared to pay accordingly. It's just that sometimes you need things.
It had been becoming more and more obvious that I was in need of a new handbag. The old one was literally starting to fall apart. The lining had torn and things kept disappearing into some alternate universe that had formed in there.
A handbag is a very important thing for me. It's the one thing that follows me pretty much everywhere and gets used pretty much every single day. I'm in and out of it constantly, and often need to find stuff quickly yet have the contents kept safe. for this reason design is very important. In the past I've even taken to drawing my own designs for the perfect handbag (pity I don't have the skills to actually execute the designs...). So basically, I was prepared for a fairly generous budget.
Normally when I shop I'm pretty much a "go - find - buy" type of person, but this particular handbag purchase turned out to be quite a tricky one. No fewer than four previous shopping expeditions has proven fruitless (and handbagless, too).
At the end of my wits, I had decided to try something different and go across to Birkenhead Point, a factory outlet centre in Sydney and try my luck there.
Well, let me tell you. It was worth the drive. I hit total shopping nirvana. First I found the perfect handbag. Perfect size, plenty of compartments, very much my style. And it came in at under half the budget.
Then, whilst leaving, I walked past my favourite shoe brand's store - and they were having a 20%-off-already-discounted-items-sale. As I was also in need of some new winter boots it seemed like it was worth checking out. As luck would have it, the pair I fell in love with at first sight was not only available in my size, but added to the handbag cost, still came in under budget!!
All in about 40 minutes by the time I browsed, tried on and paid.
Woo hoo!
OK, maybe I should have a put a disclaimer on the top about "boys may not want to read this" or something.
Ah well, bad luck. :-)
Quote of the Day...part 5
"Oh Sandy...you've got a new couch outside!"
Said after walking straight past the branch new couch in the lounge room to admire the old couch sitting on the balcony waiting for rubbish collection
Said after walking straight past the branch new couch in the lounge room to admire the old couch sitting on the balcony waiting for rubbish collection
Back Again
Hi all,
I'm back again. Back in Sydney and back blogging. Thanks to everyone who's kept checking for updates over the last week, and a particular thank-you to all my friends who have been so supportive and thoughtful.
So I'll give you a brief run-down in this one post, and then I'm going to leave the topic and return you to you regular viewing.
Thanks loads to Sandy and Brian (my Aunt and Uncle - and also my godparents) who, as always, seemed not in the least put out by having their home invaded by herds of marauding family. thanks to my cousin Simon for giving me a bed and dealing with the late-night debriefs.
The funeral was lovely, It really was something that my Grandpa would have loved. The chapel was packed full of people who loved him, some of whom drove all the way from Cummins (the small country town where my grandparents spent most of their 60 years of married life) that morning and were driving back that evening. It's a 6.5 hour drive.
My cousin Simon also did a fantastic job of putting together a photographic insert for the order of service. The photos were amazing - really told the story of his life.
My grandfather was a farmer and a practical, salt-of-the-earth type. Instead of flowers, there was a sheaf of wheat on the coffin, and instead of handfuls of dirt, we sprinkled handfuls of grain. It was a really touching moment and something he would have had enjoyed.
My mum and her sister and brothers delivered a lovely eulogy - not too long but with all the important things included.
I can only hope that one day I go out as loved and well understood.
I'm back again. Back in Sydney and back blogging. Thanks to everyone who's kept checking for updates over the last week, and a particular thank-you to all my friends who have been so supportive and thoughtful.
So I'll give you a brief run-down in this one post, and then I'm going to leave the topic and return you to you regular viewing.
Thanks loads to Sandy and Brian (my Aunt and Uncle - and also my godparents) who, as always, seemed not in the least put out by having their home invaded by herds of marauding family. thanks to my cousin Simon for giving me a bed and dealing with the late-night debriefs.
The funeral was lovely, It really was something that my Grandpa would have loved. The chapel was packed full of people who loved him, some of whom drove all the way from Cummins (the small country town where my grandparents spent most of their 60 years of married life) that morning and were driving back that evening. It's a 6.5 hour drive.
My cousin Simon also did a fantastic job of putting together a photographic insert for the order of service. The photos were amazing - really told the story of his life.
My grandfather was a farmer and a practical, salt-of-the-earth type. Instead of flowers, there was a sheaf of wheat on the coffin, and instead of handfuls of dirt, we sprinkled handfuls of grain. It was a really touching moment and something he would have had enjoyed.
My mum and her sister and brothers delivered a lovely eulogy - not too long but with all the important things included.
I can only hope that one day I go out as loved and well understood.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
I'm still here
Well, for a couple of hours at least. I'm flying out to Adelaide tonight and will be back Friday afternoon.
Thanks to everyone who's been so nice to me the last couple of days, especially the person-not-called-the-boy-anymore who's been extra nice. I swear I didn't put the post on just to have everyone I know ring me and feel sorry for me immediately, but thanks anyway to those who care enough to do it anyway.
It seems like a big week for goodbyes, apart from the obvious one tomorrow. Cecilia made it out safely yesterday on her big adventure (albeit, I believe, with some last minute travel plan changes due to the risks involved with her planned stopover in Lebanon).
I've also just come back from lunch with the beautiful bun-and-oven pair of Bec and her bump. she finishes work on Friday, so it was our last chance for a while. I'm going to miss our regular Monday updates for a while, although I have to confess I'm looking forward to meeting the newest addition to her family.
In other news, a big congratulations to Nick and Justine. Nick apparently popped the question last night, the correct answer was given, and the question on everyone's lips today is "when do we celebrate?".
So, it's unlikely I'll be back online until late Friday or maybe Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.
J.
Thanks to everyone who's been so nice to me the last couple of days, especially the person-not-called-the-boy-anymore who's been extra nice. I swear I didn't put the post on just to have everyone I know ring me and feel sorry for me immediately, but thanks anyway to those who care enough to do it anyway.
It seems like a big week for goodbyes, apart from the obvious one tomorrow. Cecilia made it out safely yesterday on her big adventure (albeit, I believe, with some last minute travel plan changes due to the risks involved with her planned stopover in Lebanon).
I've also just come back from lunch with the beautiful bun-and-oven pair of Bec and her bump. she finishes work on Friday, so it was our last chance for a while. I'm going to miss our regular Monday updates for a while, although I have to confess I'm looking forward to meeting the newest addition to her family.
In other news, a big congratulations to Nick and Justine. Nick apparently popped the question last night, the correct answer was given, and the question on everyone's lips today is "when do we celebrate?".
So, it's unlikely I'll be back online until late Friday or maybe Saturday. Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.
J.
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