After a late Friday night (full of laughing and talking with our tattooist... well, we were laughing and talking and DH just grimaced for most of it it was in a painful spot on his arm...) I'm up late after a nice sleep in (til nearly 9am!!)and about to start a weekend chock full of study!
Thought I would update, first though...

The guy who bought the tyres has just picked them up and given us the $60 he owes us. The lady who bought the cabinet dropped by on Thursday to pay $50 off and buy 10 cupcakes she asked me to make for her. She asked if she could pay for the rest of the cabinet next week, as she is a bit short of money this week due to unexpected kids expenses (totally understand - my mum deals with this all the time), I told her it was fine. She is a lovely lady, single with two kids and I think she is doing it tough (obviously not too tough as she can buy cupcakes!). I have her address and phone number, and she has already given us $60 toward it. We could sell it again for no hassles if she changed her mind.

Also, she asked if I made birthday cakes I doubt my abilities with cake decorating, even though that is what I am employed to do. (BTW, 'cake-decorating' as a term, when I use it anyway, actually means: making the cake, and then decorating it... in case people are confused!) I don't like making things for people I know, or people who seek me out as an individual. I am afraid they won't like what I do. I need to get over this, as I realise I can make some pretty good-looking and great-tasting cakes most of the time. (sometimes... most times... better than my boss shh, don't tell him I said that...)

I just don't have any of the supplies or equipment to make them at my house. DH is always encouraging me to 'invest' in these things and I think it's an unneeded expense. Maybe not. I don't know? I could probably make some good side-money, and even if I just bought the decorating equipment and left the actual cake-baking to be done at work, in my own time and paid for the scratch ingredients from my boss. Things to think about, I guess.

Heard back from one of the jobs, unsuccessful. (what a surprise... not). I suppose I will not hear from the other ones. I do not always get an email saying I was unsuccesful, they usually just leave you hanging. Nice.

I have begun taking some pre-conception vitamins (holy dooly, are they expensive! I don't take vitamins as our diet is varied and healthy, but I figured I probably should for this as it's recommended... even at a discount chemist a months supply is $20) DH had a doctors appointment on Thursday and has to get some blood tests done next week. I also have to find a doctor, and get a check up. And go to the dentist. Sigh. Next week...

Work update:
My best friend quit. It was the day after she had that guilt-trip from my boss's wife, and after I had that horrible phone conversation with her too. I did not work that day (worked at my other job), but the next day (thursday) I went in and my boss was SUPER nice to me. Almost too nice. I guess he is afraid that I will up and leave too, because of his wife. You know... even though he is a really nice guy (apart from the lying and obsession with his social status) I wish I was offered a job right now, just so I could ring up his wife and say 'I quit, and it's because of you and your unprofessionalism'.
I know, it's a bit low and immature. But look at what I have had to put up with! Would you really blame me??
My boss would survive. He's worked very long days before. Perhaps his wife will have to help out at the shop a bit more than her token once-a-month visit?

DH has some work this week which is great. Even though he's had a few weeks off, our bank account is still looking healthy.

We have been doing the weekly grocery shop on Saturdays or Sundays, together. It is easier for me this way and saves time with DH coming. (Even though he usually wanders around looking at other stuff). This week looks like it will be a really small shop: we have so much stuff in our pantry it's ridiculous, even though I have not bought a lot of stuff over the past couple of weeks either.

We're doing the shop tomorrow (Sunday) and I am going to make our meal plan off what we have in the pantry, and just nip into town for the essentials, and fresh fruit and veges.

I'm thinking our meal plan will go something like this:
sweet & sour tofu with egg noodles
pumpkin & cashew stirfry with basmati rice
minestrone soup
vegetarian pasta
baked fish, salad & sweet potato
mexican beans & rice
steamed vegetables, tofu & rice

We ate our first bananas since January, last week!!! It was very exciting for us. Since the floods in January bananas have been about $15-$20 a kilogram. Doesn't matter if they are organic or not, price is the same. Well, shopping at our local organic grocer we spied them at $9.99 a kilogram so we bought four little golden, beautiful, sweet cavendish. They were lovely! The oranges have been delicious lately too...

DH is having sellers remorse on some of the items we sold at the garage sale oh well. He sold a PS1 for $7 with a whole heap of games, a chip, two guns etc. His uncle rang him the next day to see if he still had it, and said he would have given him $40! Even still, last night our tattooist said he would have given us $60! What are the chances?! (But, it went to a young high school girl who is no doubt going to have a lot of fun with it... I personally think it went to a good home). In the end, we made $450 and I think the reason we made that much was because our prices indicated we wanted to sell the stuff, not have people umm and aah over the price, but instead go 'hey! I'm going to buy that! Right now!'.

The coffee table (the one I didn't want him to sell! lol!) he sold for $40. Then two people came back that had been in the morning to ask about it, and asked how much he sold it for. LOL. But like the PS1, it has a nice selling-story to it too: the guy bought it because he wants to teach his grand-daughter to play chess. I mean, could you ask for it to go to a better home?!

And lastly, my poor baby Banjo!!! Earlier this week, he kept licking his face and seemed to not be closing his mouth. (He is a dog that pants half the time... so I wasn't especially worried at first, but then it got to a stage where I was a little worried). We tried looking at his gums and teeth, nothing. His breath was a lot smellier than normal. I took him to the vet on Thursday. The vet looked at his gums and teeth (as DH and I did), couldn't find anything, suggested maybe he had a sore throat and got a flashlight to inspect the inside of his mouth. Opens Banjo's mouth and what do we find, but a piece of a stick jammed in the roof of his mouth, horizontally between the molars on the left and right side! (hard to describe...) The vet said 'ahh, this is your problem!' quickly reached in and pulled it out. Our poor Banjo must have had it in for a few days, two great big holes on the inner side right next to his teeth and huge cut across the roof of his mouth (and blood!). The vet gave us some painkillers and antibiotics to clear up the infection. He asked if Banjo had trouble eating or drinking. Nope! I had even given him a bone the day before. Our vet laughed and said 'This ones a tought nut!'

On the trip home he sat in the front seat and when I looked over, he was curled up in a little ball with his paws on his snout. Fresh pain after getting it pulled out... ouch. He was a brave little fellow. I feel so bad that I didn't know, but the vet said unless you knew what to look for you wouldn't have known - he said he didn't expect to find that at all, he just thought Banjo had a sore throat, and that you wouldn't have been able to see without a light, as the roof of Banjo's mouth is speckled anyway, the stick was pretty much camoflaged. Poor Banjo!!! Total cost $70.25 for short vet visit, A/B & pain meds. (worth every penny I should add!!!!)

Here are some pictures of the last time we took them out, to my little sisters birthday picnic in the park:

Banjo:



Jed:

I have cancelled going to a friends birthday to catch up on my studies. DH is still going though, and leaves in about an hour. Hes going early to spend a day catching up with friends and is picking up a piece of art we bought a few weeks ago. He's also giving a friend some items to sell in his shop, fingers crossed that goes well!
Yesterday I learnt quite a few people dropped out of one of the courses I'm doing (sta2300 - data analysis). I'm determined NOT to fail. It is a hard course, but I only need 50% to pass. I have found that the ones who have dropped out and complain about how hard it is, how far they are behind, how Italy it is they have to learn ALL the info in ONE semester... Are also the ones that spend the most time on the university course forum, and the Facebook study page one of them set up. I feel like saying 'maybe if you didn't waste so much time you might be up to date on your studies???' argh. People are so frustrating.

I got some marks back for a small assessment piece (one of the first for this semester). Actually, all I've gotten back is my peer marks - but, they were positive, and I got 4/5 & 5/5 for the peer markings. I have three more assessment pieces like this. Still waiting on the marks from the actual course leader.

I have so many assessments this semester I've actually had to write it all down on a wall calender and put notes of when I hope to have completed sections of some of the larger ones, just so I don't fall behind or forget them (already nearly happened...) It's crazy.

For CIS1000 I have 4 presentations, 2 assignments & one 2 hour closed-exam. For STA2300 I have 9 online tests, 3 assignments and a 2 hour restricted exam. Full on compared to my last subject LAW1101, where I had four online tests and a 2 hour exam...

I enrolled in Semester 3 already. I have holidays in a month so I hope to spend a few days trying to track down cheap textbooks for this one. I am doing ACC1102 (financial accounting). I am actually excited about this one because it mainly involves using the MYOB software package... which I already use for work! I'm looking forward to learning neat tricks and new things I can utilise at work, and hopefully by the end of the subject I'll be able to confidently say I'm proficient in MYOB... instead of just mumbling something about 'using it at work sometimes...'

It's funny, in this day & age I feel I need a piece of paper to say I know how to do something. (Everyone else is qualified in this or has a degree in that, etc etc). Otherwise I have no confidence in myself at all. I've passed on THREE book-keeping jobs to other people. Yes, THREE. And I KNOW I could do them myself, I'm just terribly afraid of making a mistake and feeling like I'm not qualified to be doing something, so why am I charging someone to do it for them?

The funny thing is, one of the jobs I passed on to a friend of a friend (I must say here, I don't particularly like her much) I have had the opportunity to see her work, as the job I gave her was doing the book work for the butchery who supplies my workplace with meat. And I know she's not doing it properly. Every time I see the invoices... I want to go in there and fix his accounts up! Argh! Anyway. It's not my problem. He has an accountant as well - I'm assuming he fixes it. LOL.

Anyway. I'm rambling. This is a university update post.

Assuming I pass the two subjects I'm doing now... will mean I have done five subjects in a year. I'm doing one over the Summer semester. And then... Not entirely sure. Depending on when (if) we conceive, it's possible that a due date will be around exam dates of Semester 1, 2012. And I'm unsure how I'll go studying whilst being pregnant. Don't people get tired and forget things? I'm already tired all the time! Eeek. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself, as I'm not even remotely pregnant yet. LOL.

But, I do plan on doing two subjects a semester after the birth, anyway, whenever that is. Maybe even three. We will see.

I had to buy my textbooks NEW again this semester, grrrr. Spent $370-ish for two subjects! Got three books, three or four different computer programs... AHHH. So many resources, so little time to utilise them properly! Add onto that my actual course CD that I have to work through as well...

On top of the $370 I also have to buy the Microsoft Access program, as my student version of Microsoft Office Suite only had a trial pack of Access (which has expired). I was able to download another trial version that lasts for two months, and can buy it at a discounted rate for $99 online. I had an idea today though, that PERHAPS I will be able to bribe my little sister into giving me her username and password for her school account email, and letting me download ANOTHER trial version. I only need it for four months... this could actually work! (assuming they don't track your IP address, only your email account name...).

When doing my tax return two weeks ago, it became official that I have a HECS debt. I am sure in a few years time I won't be excited to see it, but at the moment it is still a bit of a novelty. I owe $6750.00 so far! Probably a bad thing to get excited about debt - but it is one debt that I don't have to worry about. The interest is minimal, and I am not required to pay a cent back until I earn over a certain amount (I think at the moment it is $47-50k a year... but it goes up every year). If I do choose to pay it back earlier, which, once I graduate and we are earning more, I plan to, whatever I pay back I get an extra 10% paid off as well. (So If I pay $500, $550 actually gets paid off the debt).

Back to the topic of textbooks, I have looked on eBay and some student sites, and I think I may be able to sell the books for roughly what I paid for them, thank goodness. It is good to get some money for them - and with these I won't be marking them in any way either. The only one I have hung onto so far has been my accounting textbook for the first accounting course, ACC1101. I think that they do actually use it in ACC1102 anyway, so I am glad I kept it! Otherwise I'd have to buy it all over again...

Well, time to go and actually do some studying now! Take care gang!

I just checked my account and my tax refund has been cleared. Yay! That means DH's will go through tomorrow.

(I had done mine and looked at the pile of reciepts for DH's and decided to post-pone it to the next night. And thank goodness, it took me nearly an hour!)

I have been inspired again reading Ceejays blog to start a short and sweet health kick regime. Even though we *are* much healthier right now than a month ago (and even then - we were much healthier than a lot of people we know!) I have found I haven't budged any weight that I wanted to. I blame winter, studying, lack of energy etc etc. But, I only have about five weeks until TTC and even though some would think it's pointless (seeing as, well, I'll probably be putting on a lot more weight in the 9 months after...!) I still want to be as fit and healthy as I possibly can before pregnancy.

My aim is to take the dogs for a longer than usual walk/run (around an hour) on a different walking track. This one has a few hilly areas and gives me a bit of a workout. I'm hoping to do that five days a week, one day of rest and one day of yoga. Also hoping to slip a few sessions of boxing in there too, but that's only a maybe, depends on the time.

Diet-wise, I have cut out drinking coffee during the week, and only drink one or two cups on the weekend. This is for a few reasons: firstly sometimes I get weird heart palpitations, sweats and shakes when I have a cup of coffee (I haven't gotten them since I stopped, a few months ago). Also, because obviously I won't be drinking coffee while I'm pregnant, so this is me weaning . And lastly, because DH had to give up drinking, I figured I'd do something too.

You should have seen us the first night! Sitting down to dinner, It went something like this:
---
DH: Can't I just start this tomorrow? I've had a long hard day working with dad and I want a glass of wine.

Me: What! No! If you do that, then tomorrow you'll say the same thing, then the next day, and the next, then there won't be any point at all. And besides, I haven't had a coffee all day and my head feels like it's about to implode. So you CAN'T have a wine.

---

Continuing on the diet discussion, I haven't quite figured it out actually. But I'm thinking along the lines of a few weeks eating steamed vegetables, brown rice, soups etc. Might have one day in there to relax a little and eat something naughty. But for the most part I want to eat fresh unprocessed organic food, mostly vegetables. Minimal dairy. Extremely reduced sugar intake (probably only my 'free' day). Etc Etc. We'll see how I go. It's so difficult trying to study though, with low energy levels. I find my concentration wanes a lot. Now I understand why my old flatmate used to eat 1kg of lollies every week - the sugar keeps you UP. lol.

We are thinking of going to Greazefest on Sunday ( www.greazefest.com ). It is a 1950's car/fashion/style/hotrod/music themed festival that we've wanted to go to for a few years and finally we have the weekend spare when it's on! Exciting. But, we are still deciding, because the day will probably cost $100+ ($25 each entry, petrol to get there, food etc). And DH is just about to spend a bit of money on some screenprinting paint and a bulk lot of blank tshirts. We have a friend who operates an art studio who has offered to sell some of DH's designs.

Even though we're about to embark on running the flooring business ourselves with less input from DH's dad, I think DH wants to find a way to make money without having to do physically draining work, use chemicals, and deal with pedantic clients. (Unfortunately the clients can't be helped, DH's dad runs a premium flooring business that is unlike the subcontracted ones you hire out from a carpet shop who do a usually sub-par job.)

It's been over a month since I last posted, sorry everyone. I have missed SA, and I find I think about a lot of you sometimes. Even though I've never met any of you, you all feel like my extended family. I've tried explaining this to DH once before, and he doesn't really understand. (I suppose, we do use the 'imagine-everyone-you-don't-know-on-the-internet-is-a-huge-fat-guy-sitting-in-his-underwear' example with my little sister when she decides to not use her brain and adds strangers on facebook, myspace, etc).

I see there are lots of newbies here too, welcome! (I was, once upon a time, a 'regular', however it seems I don't get time to scratch let alone write a blog post, and when I do, I find I don't have much content, so I delete it! I'm determined to post this one though.

So, for about a year now I've completely stopped recording our expenditure/earnings etc. The organisational freak in me sometimes has a spin-out and panics a little bit. I did think, about six months ago, that I felt like I had no idea where we were with our savings and expenditure. I feel like I'm walking on a tightrope very high with no safety harness. However, the bank account begs to differ. It seems that once we relaxed a bit with our financial situation, it did the world of good. Perhaps recording everything isn't for us; maybe doing that meant we had more binges and blowouts because we both always felt like we were pinching pennies. Whatever the reason, our bank balance is almost at where it was when we first bought our house and had a bonza of additional funds from settlement. Basically, the EF I've always stressed about having, is actually there for once.

We just submitted our tax returns for the 10-11 financial year too, and are getting a nice $2300 back. Where is it going? Savings, of course.

I passed my last subject, LAW1101. I'm now about to start my third week of STA2300 (data analysis) and CIS1000 (business information system concepts). I'm actually liking them a lot! Having been met with looks of horror and pity when telling people one of my next subjects was data analysis, I think I'm now shocking people even more by telling them I'm enjoying it. But... someone has to right? And if I didn't like it a tiny bit, then why the heck would I be studying accounting anyway?

I've been applying for a couple of jobs a week. So far, no luck, but I'm waiting on three recent applications I submitted. Fingers crossed!

On the current job front, well, things are still the same level of frustrating. Atleast ALL the staff are frustrated, and at the same person (our boss, and his wife). In some way, that makes it bearable. We are able to joke an whine to each other about it, and pretty much everyone is in some stage of looking for a new job.
Our boss seems to be doing a whole lot more lying lately, and is intent on talking himself (and his wife) up on the social status ladder. He goes through stages of doing annoying things. Lately it's this.
I am not the type of person that cares about what someone earns, how big their boat is, what car they drive, how prestigious their house location is, etc. But, I have to listen to my boss talk about his friends in this way. It actually makes me a little sad, as I've realised lately that I don't know his friends names, what they're like, what they do in their spare time (other than sail their yacht around), how well they get along with their spouse, if they're funny, or a little weird, or their quirks etc. When I talk about my friends, that is what I talk about. I talk about THEM. I've also caught him lying outright (to a customer he didn't even know, who happened to have a bank uniform on) about how his wife is a bank manager. First of all, she hasn't worked at a bank in about two years. Secondly, she approved loans, she was never a manager.
Little things like this, EVERY DAY, begin to drive a person insane.

That, and the wife still hasn't apologised for yelling at me after I told her my sister couldn't work because she was in hospital. So, I'm not really a happy chappy at work right now.

In other income-related news, DH's dad is partly handing his business over to us in a few months while he moves interstate to help his parents (DH's grandparents) fix up their house. Before that happens, I am working with our accountant to turn it into a company. I think eventually DH's dad will retire and hand the business over to us. Things are actually going alright in that section of our lives, for once. Normally it is all sorts of hell with the family's business, but not right now.

My little sister was diagnosed with PCOS last week. I am not really sure how they picked it up because she does not exhibit any appearance related signs (hirsutism, obesity, acne etc) but atleast she knows at a young age and can learn to cope with it now.

Tomorrow will be DH's third week of not drinking alcohol. He has struggled with it, but it is for a good cause. We decided long ago that when we wanted to conceive we would stop all drinking and unhealthy habits, for atleast two months before initially trying. So that is another bit of exciting news: we hope that by the end of the year we'll be pregnant. I'm hopeful, anyway. We're both relatively young and so we hope it shouldn't be too difficult, but have known people who have struggled, so at the same time we're not overly confident that it will be something that happens straight away. We'll see.
My sister having PCOS has made me worry a little bit. I'm not sure if it's something that is genetic? Should I be checked for something like that?

What else? Our dogs are well. I actually took them for their yearly check up and was told they are too fat! So, I have begun to feed them slightly less dry food and take them for walks more often. I did slack a bit with the walks during my exam preparation in June. They seem to have lost a little already (it's been a bit over a month).

I think that is all of my news. I have not had much time to scroll through everyone's regular blogs - so feel free to leave me a little update of what's been happening in your life lately in the comments section!

I started looking in earnest for jobs on the weekend - and not just low level customer service jobs. I decided to look at government jobs, council jobs, hospital administration, banking etc etc. I figured there must be some sort of entry level job I'm qualified for (I have several administration certifications...).
There are heaps!

And now I am in a bit of a dilemma. I've found one that sounds like it was made for me:

Financial Planners Assistant at (Big 4) Bank, part-time, must be database & word processer proficient. Suited to someone studying finance (their exact words) or looking for an entry level banking job.

Anyway. So the dilemma is, that is a job that I would LOVE. It would allow me to work my way up and help me on some levels with my studies.

However, we've decided to have a baby next year. I can't with good conscience start a job as an assistant to someone if I knew I would be leaving next year. And it would rule out my chances of working for the copany again, methinks. I don't really want to put off starting a family either - if I start a new job like this, I won't want to leave it after one or two years, so that rules that out.

Anyway. I guess I just have to hope that a position makes itself available when I'm ready to go back to work in two years time or so.

There are others out there, but this one seemed to sing a song to me, lol.

My second dilemma is... Well. It's not really a dilemma. It is just making me nervous, so I have been putting it off for a few days.

I have realised that it's probably fair to tell my employers I'm looking for a job. But I also realised I could give them a chance to offer me something, if they think I'm valuable enough. Either that, or it will help them focus on their OTHER staff members, all of whom feel as though they are being treated like crap at the moment. I figure this conversation can only have good outcomes, no matter how ugly it will be.

What I intend to do first, is ask them if I can use them as a reference. She will then ask 'You're not leaving are you?' (Which is what she said when I told her I had started studying). I then plan to tell her that I honestly don't know, it depends what I can find. Depending on how that goes, I planned to tell her that of what I've looked at, there are a lot of office jobs. I also intend to slip in a few things about pay (seeing as I am underpaid for the work I do). I expect that she will probably shoot back about how they have 'given me' more hours when I 'needed it', of which I will remind her that the only reason I was 'given' those hours were because another staff member left and that if they had not, I would not have been 'given' the extra hours.

That is all I can think of at this stage. I am one of the only staff members that does not mind talking to her - she is extremely blunt and has no people skills. I can be very honest, and don't really care what people think of me, so we manage to have a good conversation where another might be bawling

The biggest problem I have with her is that she always has to remind us staff of how 'good' they are to us - when most of the time, it is only when it suits them. And the psychological mind-games annoy me as well - they will cut your hours, and then 'give you' one extra shift two weeks later, and stand there waiting for you to jump up and down and say thankyou.

Sigh!

---------------------

In other news, I fell asleep on the couch listening to my Law lecture on my iPhone yesterday! :S

I got results back for my first two tests for my law subject - 70% and 80%. So far, so good. Could have done better... but I am passing with a credit so far, which is good! I have two more online tests and the final exam to do.

I have tickets to see the Dalai Lama which is smack bang in the middle of the exam period - seeing as I only have one subject to do an exam for, and the exam period is two weeks, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is NOT on this day. I also have a booking on the last day of the exam period too! Why! Anyway, with luck, it will all work out.

DH and I have made the decision to go back to buying organically grown fruit and veg - where possible. It is just something that we both feel strongly about. We decided to also begin reducing our portion sizes of meals too - so in the end, it will probably work out to be comparative in price anyway. Only thing is I get immediately tired at the thought of going to the market, lugging around heavy bags of produce. So instead I'm trialling a health food store that's local. It has been around for years, and a family member actually worked there a while ago. I have not been there in 10 years - but it's pretty much the same.

To be honest, most of the prices are very much the same that we would pay in a supermarket (that I have been paying, anyway - prices have been ridiculous since the floods...). $3.50 for a head of lettuce, 90c for a bundle of green beans, $1.50 for a bag of carrots. etc etc. Actually, some produce is cheaper because it is local, and much fresher. Produce prices have risen tremendously in the past few months - bananas are $12.99 a kilogram right now. Have not eaten one in about a month!

On the weekend I'm going to a babyshower for a friend. We are supposed to dress up as 50's housewives. I have put together some of my own clothes and think I can get by without having to purcahse anything. I have a black dress that flares from the hips & a polka dot shirt that I was going to wear over it & tie at the waist, and a headscarf. Any other ideas???

We have started handing out the invitations to our wedding party. SIL screwed up her nose at the idea of it not being a 'sit-down' event. I don't think she gets the 'party' bit. She still thinks it's a wedding. Um, no. That's why it says party on the invitation.

DH just didn't want people to be sitting around tables all night - we remember all the weddings we have been to and you end up just talking to the person next to you and missing out on everyone else. Or it's awkward if you take someone's chair for a while to talk to someone else and they come back...

Of course there are chairs, we are just not encouraging everyone to be sitting around all night.

DH's uncle has offered to source, pay for and bring already chilled, champagne for the toasts, around 12 bottles. That is a weight off my mind. Not only buying them (the cost) but also picking one that's nice for not a lot of money, and yes, cooling them.

Uni started today and my textbook arrived just in time. I had to buy it new ($132) because it is a new edition. I plan to only use post-it notes on it and pencil, and then re-sell it. As it is a new edition, I should be able to hopefully get around $80 for it. Yay. Might start looking for next semesters books too.

And lastly, the best news EVER.

I recieved my marks for my last two subjects on Friday. These are the two I did horribly at, stuffed all the answers on the exams, and generally just hated because of the lack of organisation from the lecturers.

For the ACC subject, I got an A.
And for the MGT, a B.



Somehow I managed over 75% in the exams... and the marks from various other tests and assignments helped (my Accounting assignment got 93%).

Such a load off my mind, and gives me more confidence to keep going, knowing that I CAN apply myself. And I am so glad to have realised early on that I don't like psychology subjects, as study material. It would have been something I wondered about for years, to do a management psychology subject early on makes me realise I could never do it in life. I don't think, anyway.

And on a completely random note, DH and I will have been married for an entire two weeks tomorrow

Things have been going alright here. I am pretty much halfway or a little further through in my two uni subjects. I just finished part of a group assignment (thankfully all other 4 members are willing to do the work too!) and recieved kudos from them all for achieving my portion by the due date, which was the day after boxing day. I also completed a major essay for my other subject with 12 days to spare. Whew.

I actually completed a goal this year that I did not expect to: I saw a naturopath! Technically I cheated as he is a family friend who is staying at DF's dads house. The best part was that the session, and one for DF, were FREE as a courtesy for DF's dad giving him a room for a few months (due to relationship breakdown...)

He gave us a copy of a dvd to watch called Food Inc. Has anyone here seen it? Has some pretty interesting info on it.

I think I am now very determined to find a new job in 2011. My best friend (whom I also work with) also has this as her New Years Resolution. Except that her resolution is 'to find an amazing new job' whereas mine is 'to find a new job'. It is not that I don't want an AMAZING job, but really I would prefer one that is low stress and fairly monotonous, so that I can focus on study. I think I really want a supermarket cashier job, or some kind of factory linework job... another idea is Aldi, but as DF's mum works there she has said to me 'DONT get a job at aldi.' The rewards are good and they are good to work for, but you really work HARD and they expect you to work a lot of hours. But then again, whatever hours they give her, she works. So it could be different if I said no once in a while. My other thought is mail sorting at the post office. I always thought that would be fun

ANyway. Those are my thoughts on the job situation. My best friend has this idea in her head that we are sticking together. She keeps saying she is going wherever I go. Which is silly, because she's a qualified baker and pastry chef. I am not. Therefore, she should be reaping the benefits of all the apprentice wage hours she put in, not getting a cashier job after all that hard work!

When I started getting ready to study for uni, I was looking for blogs about people studying and couldn't find many. Now I know why - they are all too busy to blog!
I have downloaded a Wordpress app which I might use to start up a blog there. Though, I've never used wordpress and it looks a bit foreign. Has anyone ever used it here?

Things are hectic here and I'm a bit stressed. To say the least.

I will be glad when Christmas and the New Year is over. All it ever does is seem to put strain on the everyday hustle and bustle and make everything seem so much more stressful and rushed. People are crazy this time of year - driving, shopping etc. Just crazy, rude, unthoughtful...

Study is ... ok. Some days I like it. Some days I hate it. Sometimes I see myself achieving the things I set out to do in terms of study & career... then other days I really just don't.
So, I'm not sure how it will work out. At this stage, I am just taking it day by day, week by week, course by course. I refuse to pay $1000+ per course and FAIL due to slackness or lack of motivation, so I am obviously studying and working my butt off. And I have enrolled in my next two courses for February.
But there are days where I just don't get the grasp of what I am studying and it just seems to make everything hard and difficult and stressful. Of course, THOSE are the days where I want to quit! The days where I am doing fine and picking up the theory - are the days where I imagine myself completing the degree and getting a job. Of course!

Work seems to be getting worse and worse. In the new year, I think I will begin looking for a new job. I am just not sure what is out there, or if I will be any good at a new place. My heart is just not in my current work any more. Well - not in the PLACE - I do like the actual work. It is just the boss really, and his wife, and the way they run things. I just can't stand it any more and my mood goes from relatively balanced to unhappy each time I step in the door in the morning to start work.

I do have some goals for the new year, so hopefully I will get some time over the next week to post them.

All the weight (4kgs) I lost last summer and kept off over winter has returned! So I currently feel fat and unhealthy. I blame my sister living with us - she is a teenager and eats like a horse. When I see her eating suddenly I feel like eating - so that has to stop! (it has, already... but there is a long road ahead of losing those kilos I gained, and further losing the kilos I had planned to lose this year and haven't). Grr.

Aldi has opened last week, closer to us than the other one I used to go to. I won't be going there until the new year, but I am looking forward to the savings.

That's all my updates for now. Whew.

I am going to try and achieve most of the following goals today, so that I have relatively little to do tomorrow. My best friend is coming over tomorrow to look at wedding cake designs with me, as she is going to be making the cake for us. So I want my house clean as it is has been a bit messy lately... Other than that, tomorrow I was hoping to go for a drive and take a look at some of the halls that are for hire, so we can start making preparations for that.

To Do List:
- Finish Module 5 for my accounting subject.
- Laundry (will be a slow process, as it is raining)
- Vaccuum
- Clean the kitchen
- Clean the bathroom & toilet
- Tidy the lounge & dining room
- Put away our clean laundry (a small single pile seems to have grown in our room and now comprises of hmmm... MOST of our clothes).

I also have to decide whether I am going to go to the markets today, or the local fruit & vege shop.

Whew, lots of things going on here at the moment, so I thought it was best for a quick update post.

I am really hating my job right now. Something seems to have changed, and I just dread going to work each day. I think that it is just that our boss and his wife seem to have stopped caring for their employees. They were always fantastic bosses up until the past few months, when everything seems to have just changed.
My boss bought a boat, and so now all he ever does is whinge about money, or talk about his boat, or talk about how he wishes he was in his boat - and no one cares to listen to him about any of those topics. It really doesn't do him any favours, because the first thought that comes into anyones head when he mentions money is 'Well, you just bought a boat, things can't be that bad'.
Secondly, there's no Christmas party this year. I would totally understand if it were for money reasons (even with the purchase of the boat!) but their reason? 'Oh, we are just so busy this year, with a wedding to go to and our son graduating from kindergarten.' Wow. Way to make your staff feel appreciated!
Thirdly, our closing times changed, from 5.30pm to 5pm. This does not effect me or my wages, but the way they went about it was just rude. When shifts were first cut down at the start of the economic crisis, they sent a letter home two months before the shift cuts started, saying they were sorry but they could not do anything about it, costs had to be cut etc. This time? Not a word of warning, no explanation until the changed roster came out. (Rosters are done a week in advance). I just don't understand why they couldn't have done what they did previously!
And lastly, and I guess, most importantly, I just feel like strangling my boss every time I look at him. It is not just me though, it is everyone. He has become erratic, extremely inconsistent with his words and actions. He will say one thing and do another, constantly contradicts himself, blames other staff members for doing things he told them to do, bitching about staff members to everyone but never telling the actual person involved what's wrong... Just so frustrating. He's very passive aggresive, doesn't like confrontations. I actually had an argument with him last week (first argument I've ever had with a boss before - it involved me confronting him over something he'd said about a staff member), and he hid from me for an hour and would not talk to me. Mature!

Anyway. SO I am not really sure how much longer I can last, if things do not change/go back to normal. Perhaps I have been looking for an excuse like this, but then again I do not have great confidence in finding another job and settling in. I guess everyone is like that though. New job jitters?

The thing that sucks is that I like the WORK. It is just everything else that I hate right now.

DF and I had a discussion about children. He has suddenly decided (probably because his sister is due to give birth in January) that we should have children soon. Like, next year soon. I know that there are good times and bad times to have children, but in the end, there is never a 'perfect' time - so many people have said 'there's never going to be that perfect financial/mental point to have a child, you just cope as it happens.' It's totally true. BUT! I think that if we were EVER going to pick a year to have a baby, next year would be the absolute worst time. I am sure we would obviously learn to cope and make ends meet - but I also think if we had any choice in the matter (which we do) we should make the choice to atleast post-pone this for one more year. Why?
Several reasons: 1) this 'wedding party' that DF wants nest year will take up valuable baby saving funds, not to mention time, and will only add stress to our lives. I don't want to have to deal with morning sickness and all the goodies that come with pregnancy AS WELL. 2) We will need to replace my car. It is unsafe, getting to be unreliable, and also extremely noisy etc. What we want will be new-to-us, but will have to be saved and paid for obviously - not going to be easy to do on one wage. 3) I have just started studying. I atleast want to do one year! 4) We are going to have to consider seriously in the next month or two, getting a business loan and starting our own business. Yet again, not something I want to deal with in its' initial stages as well as pregnancy. Eugh! Can't imagine anything worse!

and my last reason being - I want to achieve certain health, weight and fitness goals before I have a baby, as sort of a mental exercise so that post-baby, I can say to myself 'you did it once, you can do it again'. I am currently only half way through, so would like to be able to complete this.

Is that too much to ask?

ANyway, I think DF has given up on the idea anyway. Only because I said all the logical stuff that he agrees with, and the only reason he doesn't agree with me completely is because he 'wants' to start a family now. I told him, waiting one extra year isn't going to hurt anyone, and cousins being 2 years apart is not going to matter that much. (right???)

And I guess the last of my news is that we now have a 'boarder' living with us, in the form of my sister. I know most of you probably already knew this as I posted about it a few months ago; but when I last posted about it, this was a temporary arrangement. It is now about to become semi-permanent. I say semi-permanent, because there are rules involved. If the rules are obeyed, she can stay. If not, well...

We might finally be buying a new tv! prices have dropped a lot lately, and we are hopeful of getting the one we want at roughly $900.

At the moment DF and I are tossing up whether to go to a festival in late February. We have not been to one in two years - and we are really interested in the lineup (one of DF's favourite bands, Primus, is one of the headline acts). It's also pretty different, genre-wise, than other festivals we've been to and focuses on metal. I'd be super excited if we could go. Some of you may know some of the bands (check it out at www.soundwavefestival.com/lineup - I mean, who hasn't heard of Iron Maiden? ) However, it's probably the most we've ever had to pay for a single ticket before - $169 each. OUCH. So, we'll see. It's still a while away and tickets have not sold out yet. So, keep your fingers crossed for us that some special person drops $340 in our lap some time soon!

One way I am trying to save the money (and also, in general, just save money, regardless of whether we go or not) is that recently I've changed a few of our utility providers and a few other things, which should result in atleast $100 a month in savings, if not more.

Hmmm... I think that is all my news for now. Whew! Quite a catchup post, I wonder if anyone made it, reading all the way to the end? You deserve a cookie!

I don't seem to get much time for updates here lately, it appears they are becoming a once-weekly event.

I started studying on Monday. Since it's only Wednesday I don't have a lot to say about it . At the moment I am more concerned with figuring out if I am moving too fast or too slow through the modules, and organising the rest of our lives around it!

I am studying two subjects, and they are both extremely different from each other. I am actually quite glad because they both give relief from each other, if you know what I mean. If I get overwhelmed with one way of thinking, I can switch to the other subject for a while.

One is a social science (organisational behaviour)- which I am enjoying, but because I haven't ever done anything in this field it has a greater difficulty level and I am just at the initial stages of wrapping my head around it.

The second one is basically an introductory accounting course (called accounting in decision making) which focuses on using figures to make financial decisions. At this stage some of it is new to me, but a larger portion of it is stuff I already know. It's easier for me to understand because I already work with books, so I know a lot of the terms and procedures. The only thing that I am not thrilled about is that there is a group assignment due in January. I remember from school that I really *dislike* group assessments. Not to mention that I am studying via distance education? It does say that you can write and ask to do it by yourself, which I will probably end up doing. But what would I say???

At the moment I am working (6am-1pm) then getting home, taking the dogs for a walk or doing half an hour of yoga (ideally I would be doing both each day, but because I am still unsure if I am working at a fast enough pace, I am only doing one activity after work, before study.) I then study from 2.30pm-6.30pm.

One thing that is kind of unfair, is each day when I have gone into my office to study, I have looked outside and it has been the most beautiful day you could imagine, makes me just want to sit on our deck with the doggies all afternoon. Because it's Spring, everything is lush and green. The sky is clear blue and even though standing in the direct sun is super-hot, on our deck there is a slight breeze which just makes it perfect book-and-a-cup-of-tea conditions! *sigh*

DF was all prepared to cook dinner on Monday, but came home with a sore throat and mild fever. It's the thought that counts, I guess. We will see how he goes for the rest of this week/next week etc. Last night we had takeaway pizza, as it was Cheap Tuesday so only $6 per pizza.

Anyone have any easy, man-friendly recipes? He is not super-skilled in the cooking department just yet, but I am hoping that will change soon.

I am going to Dreamworld (a ride themed amusement park) on Saturday with a friend. We got a voucher which admits up to 6, adults at kids prices, so we will be paying $39 per person entry. I can't imagine paying $77, which is the full adult cost. If it weren't for the voucher, I wouldn't be going! We are also planning on sneaking food and drink in, because even though you are not allowed to take it in, they charge huge amounts - $9 for a cup of coke!

Last week I had two new tyres put on my car ($228) and today I had a wheel alignment and something else that I can't remember... which was necesary to do to stop wearing of the tyres and a wobble in the steering wheel, to the tune of $244. Hopefully won't have to spend money on it until atleast it's next service!

Today I bought two exercise books and two highlighters as study aides - it helps for me to re-write things in my own words and I remember things better that way. $5.05.

DF's 30th Birthday went well. He was up at 5am Saturday morning to get the rest of the house ready for the party, and did not go to bed until 8pm Sunday! That's one way of saying goodbye to your 20's...

He got a good haul of presents too! $200 in cash, a $50 GC, Revisited (a 1st ed. book), and Gig Posters (another 1st ed. book), a bottle each of Cognac, Vodka, Sangria, Scotch Whiskey, three bottles of rum, a tattoo, some fancy home brewing mixes, a piece of original art from a friend of ours, two racing car seats for one of his project cars... Whew! Maybe I should throw a birthday party for myself next year...

I just got back from a meeting with our business accountant, and he said as I was preparing to leave, that I was doing fantastically well. Kind of some much needed validation after a few pretty crappy weeks regarding my book-keeping job.

After he said that, I mentioned I was about to start (my uni course) and he was actually excited for me and said I would do well, and that it would provide a lot of pathways in the future. He also reinforced my choice of uni, saying that he did a couple of units through them externally himself, years ago, and they were *the best*.

Getting back to the office, DF called me to tell me my text books had arrived. Yay! And super quick!

My iPhone arrived yesterday too, so I have been playing around with that, probably more than I should.

I bought my little sister a SIM card and gave my old phone to her. She thinks it's because DF and I are being nice, but really it's so I know WHERE SHE IS at all times. She is, unfortunately, one of THOSE teenagers. *sigh* trying to get her to be more responsible and aware of what the world is really like (that it's not actually safe for a 15 year old girl to be walking around the streets at night just because she had a fight with her mother and stepdad). Atleast now she might be 5% more safer with a phone.

Stress has been alleviated slightly at the family business, as work has picked up for the before-Christmas rush, and there's money in the bank to pay bills. So we can breathe easy for a week or two and hopefully everyone will get along.

DF and I need to start making preparations, in all areas of our lives. Will post more about that later.

Question for iPhone users at SA (BA & Frugaltexan... anyone else?)

What cool iPhone apps do you have? There are so many. I am 'allowed' to buy atleast 6, because that's how many DF has already bought.

I ask this because DF is not really an app user - he likes the ones that have novelty value, like the Star Wars light saber (which I actually do think is kinda cool...) But I was wondering if you could recommend any good, functional, useful ones?

I feel rather bad about spending so much, but I just ordered my first two textbooks to the tune of $260.00. DF and I are used to spending sizeable amounts on books - but only because the ones we normally spend this much money on are guarunteed to INCREASE in value... not be outdated in a year and un-usable to anyone except as a reference. Sheesh!

My reasons for purchasing the books new:

- Even though the first units I do will no doubt be the easiest ones, I am still a bit iffy about buying accounting and financial law books that are older editions than the ones required for the course. Laws change so quickly.

- DF thought I was crazy for buying them secondhand.('Someone else has probably written all over them and highlighted the text, and you'll get confused because you haven't made the marks but they're there' he knows me well, my DF).

- The first two books I get come with programs on discs, which can only be used by the first purchaser, otherwise I have to purchase another license to use the disc again - which brings the total up the roughly the same amount it would be to buy the new books with cd - but instead, I would have an old book with scribble in it, and possibly a scratched disc, and the hassle of finding out how to buy another license for the disc. Yay! Hassle I really don't want.

So, next semester I will again look at secondhand books, but will go new for my first ones. I am nervous enough about starting university without having to stress myself out about buying books for the first time.

Over the next few weeks I am going to get myself organised. I need to make up a list of the units I am doing, and which year/semester I am doing it in. It is SO WEIRD to be looking at these and realising that in 2016 I will be doing, for example, Unit LAW3130: Revenue Law & Practice. It seems so far away. *sigh*

Also I am planning on doing up a list of ALL the textbooks I will need for next year, just so I can keep an eye out for them.

So yesterday I recieve the news that I am now downgraded from two days to one day a week at my book-keeping job, and my pay will be cut in half per hour as well. Not sure when it was supposed to start, but I was so annoyed that I decided to not go in to work today. Not sure they will miss me, because I was pretty mad yesterday. I mean, I understand hard times call for these measures. But I don't think they need to be that extreme. If I were being that extreme, I would not cut a workers pay to a quarter of what it was. But anyway. This is why I am annoyed:

- DF's pay will be cut. Not sure how much, but he sacrificed $1.50 per hour a year ago to give his apprentice a pay rise. That apprentice has since qualified and left, and DF did not regain the p/h rate. He also only gets paid a max of 8 hours per day but is sometimes away from home for 12 hours.
- DF's apprentice is being cut from 38 hours a week to just 15 (so is going from full-time to part-time).

And the owners of the business, DF's dad and my mother...?

Nope. That's it. Oh I think they said something about 'oh and we will have to cut back too...' Which doesn't really mean anything based on past events.

Anyway. So yes, I'm very annoyed right now. But I am trying to make the most of it.
I have listed 5 items on eBay and 4 have watchers, and 1 already has a bid.
I'm going to catch up on some internet surveys. Even if it's only a couple of bucks I am sure it is worth it.
Also I plan to do a spot of gardening. It's rather overcast and raining today, which is probably the best conditions for it anyway.
I'm going to get some laundry done and do a lot of cleaning up. We have guests staying on Friday night, and are going away on Saturday for a friends childs first birthday.
I also have to find a tiny little tshirt to screenprint as a gift.

I am going to drop some hints at work and try to pick up another day - otherwise I will begin to look for some part-time work elsewhere. At the moment I am just not very confident in myself, I have had the same jobs for 8 years and 5 years - I am not so sure how I would go in a new environment, you know? I guess it's just the new-job jitters. But, I think I'd like something customer-service-ey or food-industry related - something where I can go and not have to think too much, as with the family business it was all worry, stress, worry, stress. And coupled with starting uni I think the least amount of thinking I can get away with at work is a good thing!

DF and I are in an uncertain times at the moment. I think that my university course was started at a perfect time, because it gives me direction, even though the next 6 years are undoubtedly going to be tough. DF's dads business appears to be coming to a close. His dads inability to control his expenditure and finances, and take in any advice from others, means that in the next few months, unless some miracle happens, he may have to sell his house to pay his debts, and the business which has been running for nearly 10 years will have to fold. This leaves DF out of full-time work, and me out of part-time work. I don't see getting a job to be a big problem - I think that there is a lot of work out there, just not the glamorous, sought after jobs. If DF and I were in need of jobs, we would not be picky, which I think is a problem around here.

In other news, I am close to getting to a point where I feel that I would be better off never talking to or seeing my mother again. People constantly say that family is blood, and you can never let anything get in the way of that. But I know many of you SA'ers out there don't talk to close family at all, and it gives me hope that I am not the horrible person that I will no doubt be made out to be in the next couple of weeks. I don't really want to get into it in much detail (trust me, this entry could be a novel describing the events that have transpired over the past couple of days), as I am sure a few regular readers know of the difficulties I have with my mother and her drinking problems, paranoia and gambling problems etc etc. But basically the latest is that my DF is the alcoholic, and he is a bully and my mother is 'concerned' that I am with him. But when I questioned her on why, apparently it is because he confronted her yet again, this morning and yesterday, about her drinking and gambling habits. After some words from me, now she says she is no longer concerned about me, because I am 'the same as him'.

Seeing as in the 7.5 years DF and I have been together we have never fought and never separated, and always encouraged each other to have friends and have outside interests - I am glad DF and I are 'the same'.

In comparison, my mother and her partner have had hundreds of alcohol-fueled arguments and have separated completely and lived separately four times in the ten years they have been together. My mother has also driven all of her partners friends away and gets paranoid and jealous whenever he attempts to see a few mates who have stuck by him, or play a rare game of golf without her.

So, I guess I am glad that I am who I am, and DF is who he is. In the end, we should surround ourselves with positive and supportive people. My mother is not positive or supportive towards me, and I am not towards her. So I guess it is a two-way street really, and we would both be better off.

On another note, my eldest sister does not talk to my mum either, and has sworn she will not for another 9 years. It was for a completely different reason, but I wonder how many siblings it will take before she realises her mistakes?

A friend of a friend (I would say she's my friend, except that sometimes I feel like strangling her...) posted on facebook yesterday that she had some accounting text-books she wanted to get rid of, and would anyone be interested in buying them?
So of course I said yes, and said I would go and check what ones I needed. She said great, because she needed space on her bookshelf.
So I go away and come back, and lo-and-behold, someone else has written that they want them too, so this friend of a friend writes the ones she has, and the other person gets them all!

Is it just me, or is this rude?

It irks me a bit, but I am saved by the fact that DF's mother and aunt have also done the same degrees and would happily GIVE them to me. So phew.

Still trying to figure out a way to tell my boss I've enrolled at university. I think pretty soon it will get to the stage of ridiculous. You know when you leave things just a little too long? I'm famous for that.

But I have thought of a possible way to slide the news in nonchalantly. I'm going to call my boss and his wife at home just to inform them that in February I'll have to take a few days off for exams. Then they will ask questions. So that solves my problem.

In other news, we are looking after my little sister for a week and a half while my mum is away. I have to pack her lunch and pick her up from school - feeling a little bit domestic right now, I am sure I will be over it by the end of the week though.

Though also feeling rather unqualified to do it all because all I could find for lunch for her on Monday was some banana bread, an apple, a carmans muesli bar, a packet of Vege Chips and some Japanese seaweed rice crackers. Though apparently it's similar to what she takes every day anyway. Like me she doesn't like a heavy lunch and prefers to snack on things every couple of hours. Must run in the family.

Any ideas, fellow parenting SA'ers? I'm stumped. She doesn't want a 'lunch' lunch, like a sandwich or a salad, or anything in containers that she has to carry around all day. Picky thing.

Anyways.

This weekend I have to drive her to work at 6am, then I will probably go to the market bright and early, 6.30am on the way home, right when it opens for the day. I'll have first pick of the produce!

Sunday I have a work lunch to attend. It is paid for me, but not DF. Not sure about my little sister either, though technically she just started working at my work too...? Though the juniors weren't invited. Hmmm. Will have to check on that.

I decided not to get my fitflops, because I couldn't find any under $120. Online they are $80!

Well, that's all my updates for now.

I have completed a few things on my Weekend To-Do List, but have a lot more to do. Always the way!

I got one of the biggest jobs out of the way though. I enrolled! I have picked the first two classes I will be studying as well, starting 15th November through til February, and have finalised all of my funding and HECS-HELP loan. So I think all I have to do now is wait for my course materials to arrive in the mail. Exciting!

It took me ages to figure out how everything works with the courses and prerequisite courses, but I think it will all work out. And it's possible I may finish WAY earlier than in 6 years time if I can handle the workload - but also found out that I have 9 years to complete the course if something arises.

So, feeling a lot better about having all that sorted out.

I also completed and sent off both of our tax returns. YAY! $2900 coming our way in the next two weeks. New TV and the rest is going to savings.

And now this is everything else I want to accomplish this weekend:

- 2 x loads laundry, fold & put away. X
- Wash Dogs bedding. X
- Give Dogs their monthly flea products. X
- Wash Dogs.
- Sweep our deck & tidy, remove clutter.
- Tidy my desk.
- File all loose paperwork.
- Vaccuum & mop entire house. X
- Water outdoor plants. X
- Tidy lounge & dining areas. X
- Clean Walls & Windows. X
- Fruit & Vegetable Shopping @ Markets tomorrow.
- Meet a friend for coffee.


My plan is to get as MUCH AS POSSIBLE done today so I don't have to do anything tomorrow except market shopping & coffee with a friend.

I just did some research and found out that all Australian residents can apply for a HECS loan, regardless of income. So that's some exciting news, and something I don't have to worry about so much now. Also found out my course *might* only be costing me ~$8500, a bit less than I originally thought. And I won't have to pay it back until my annual income exceeds $44k - OR if I choose to pay portions of it back early, I get 10% more paid off for each payment. (So if I pay back $500, the balance is reduced by $550). Awesome.

DF is bottling a homebrew, and then my mother is hosting a dinner party for DF's dad and his parents, who are visiting from inter state. DF and I aren't particularly thrilled about going, it's been a veeeerrrryyy long time since I've been to any night-time sort of function with my mum and I doubt she'll be abstaining from alcohol, even though she knows how everyone feels about it. But DF and I are the only people that ever say anything about it, so we are the baddies. Everyone else just keeps their mouth shut. Excuse me, but I didn that for 8+ years and it didn't help. *shrug* I told DF if it seems like it's going sour, we're leaving, even if our plates are half full.

I just watched the documentary The September Issue. It was fantastic. Has anyone else seen it? It's the real-life version of The Devil Wears Prada, pretty much. Starring Miss Anna Wintour herself.

On a side note, this is my 500th entry!



Currently Reading: And The Ass Saw The Angel, by Nick Cave