Ok, I've Moved Already

I really don't like blogger - so I've moved already to here.


No time like the present I suppose

Renovating The New Place

We built this place 2 years ago, and because the builder charged more to paint the house if you wanted coloured walls *gasp*, we went for a sort of pottery colour all the way through as we knew we'd change it.

I look at sites like Lori's and wish I was the creative decorating type, instead of the "oh I dunno, does that look OK I really have no clue" type. I want to have more money to spend on things. Things that make your place your own. Stuff I like. Nice objects on my walls, vases, shelves for interesting bits and pieces...though I wonder, when you have all that stuff, how do you dust it all and prevent it from eventually turning into what looks like a mound of dust on your shelf? Especially when you loathe housework with a passion.

Still, having tackled the two teenage boys rooms (ones blue and ones an awesome sea blue, aqua colour), and the lounge room (dark moss green)I want to do our bedroom, because it's bland and awful. Old doona cover, boring walls, totally insipid. I want a beautiful bedroom. Somewhere that looks relaxing and peaceful. Somewhere conducive to sleep. Somewhere that's not too girly that it frightens the husband off to the spare room where the vacuum cleaner lives. Why the vacuum cleaner is relevant, I have NO idea...

2020 Summit - Bring Your Ideas, But Make It Snappy

So this weekend in Canberra, our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is having an intimate get together with 1,000 of Australia's best and brightest, in a debate on our national future. Among the invitees are actors, sports people and business types like James Packer. During the festivities, the rest of us who are presumably Australia's worst and dimmest, are doing the grunt work that makes this country great. We're at home cleaning in our jammies, we're out playing the pokies, we're at the footy, we're posting on our blogs, we're racking up more on our already overburdened credit cards and generally having a fine time.

While the summit goes all weekend, the actual time for debate amounts to about about 4 minutes and 20 seconds for each delegate - one hopes they can all speak very quickly. Still, all is not lost if some good ideas are put forward, albeit speedily, and then implemented. The word's "implemented" Kevin, none of this is any good at all if it's not put to good use. I know that's not always the forte of a government in power, but try anyway will you, there's a good chap.

I find it surprising Cate Blanchett is attending just 6 days after having her 3rd baby, and looking fresh as a daisy. Is she brave, has she got this motherhood thing down pat, or is she still just nuts on drugs from the hospital? Then again I guess, why not? He's portable, and just needs feeding and changing and some sleep - he's not going to disrupt proceedings by crawling around under tables and trying to pull himself up to stand using Kevin Rudd's legs or demanding to watch The Wiggles or whatever it is little people demand to watch nowadays. Thing is, I recall after having my sons, the last thing on my mind would have been attending a political summit. Attending my bed to get some sleep was about all that was high on my agenda. But then, I'm not "our Cate".

You can bet I certainly wouldn't have called my kid Ignatius, either.

On Comments and Traffic and Other Blogs

OK, I've read quite a few blogs here and there (as well as the ones I read religiously), and I have to say, I find it can be quite daunting for a number of reasons. I think I am slightly in awe of Other People.

Other People seem to write so well, to express themselves so perfectly. I haven't quite mastered the art of being entirely open yet, and admire those who effortlessly seem to throw a few words together and make that jumble of words flow beautifully. They make it seem so easy, while I often struggle to release the thoughts in my head coherently.

Other People are so much funnier, and witty and entertaining! At times, I read back on my own posts and think how boring they must appear in comparison. It can be difficult to be amusing in print. I struggle with that, too. Getting bogged down with choosing the right words, then losing 'the moment', reducing my supposed amusing account into something entirely different. While everyone else is hurling witty anecdote after witty anecdote into cyberspace.

Other People lead such interesting lives. My own life at times seems so dull! What happens here? Not a damn lot actually. Just life in general. Maybe that's just us, or maybe I just don't appreciate my mundane little life enough? Occasionally, I haven't converted an occurrence into a post (even though I wanted to) as I wondered "What will Other People think?".

All this is why it is rewarding to receive comments. I think in some way it gives what I am saying validation. When something makes no sense to me, or I think I am the 'only one', up pops a comment from a person who understands. Because it has happened to them, or because they have the same sense of humour, or just...because. Someone, somewhere out there has taken the time to read what I have to say. Has bothered to spend that extra minute or two to say "Hey, I know how you feel" or "What crap, get over yourself" (actually, I haven't had the second one yet, it's a wonder though - so feel free!).

Traffic, on the other hand, is somewhat meaningless. Sure, I know people have dropped in. But what did they think? Did they agree? Disagree? Think I am a nutter? Fall asleep at their keyboard? Or were they just trying to build up their BE credits? (For what I don't know, haven't figured out what those credits are for yet) Should I even care if anyone reads my blog at all, or if they do, what they think of me? After all, it is MY blog.

The fact is, I do care. I like the communication. The small interactions with others. The feeling that I matter in some tiny way. Feeling like I have a voice. That I may say say something interesting (doesn't happen often, but on occasions I have surprised myself).

Ona global scale, it gives me faith that despite there being so much ugliness and hate in this world, there is hope. That no matter what country we are from, no matter what beliefs and value systems we hold, we can communicate. Understand. Empathise. That comments left on a blog are largely anonymous (as log-in name does not an identity make), matters not. People can, and do, still care.

*Ed: I wrote this on another blog I had, ages ago, and since I just started this one, it still rings true.

Wagging...

Wagging....

Or whatever you call it when you take the day off school for no reason. The husband was away with his son, my sons were at their dads, so I took a day off work so I could remember what it's like to be home alone. I never, ever get any time alone. There's always someone about, wanting something, talking to me when I've only been up for a few minutes (well OK, 2 hours), needing dinner cooked and generally, just being around.

Mind you, I think a large amount of the pressure I put on myself to be "doing stuff" is is coming from guilt somewhere. Guilt if I do nothing. Guilt if I'm setting a bad example by being on the computer all day. Guilt if the house isn't clean enough, guilt if.......God, I'd make a good Catholic, pity I'm not remotely close to being one. Anyway, I'll shelve the guilt theories until I work out where it comes from.

So back to when I dropped out of life for a day.

I wish I could say I did something grand and indulgent. But I didn't. I didn't leave the house. All day. I sat at home, on my own and did nothing.

Awesome.

Like A Virgin

I suppose the first time you do anything is always the hardest, so why should blogging be any different. The chance that the first post on your new blog is going to be totally lame is enormous. I mean, who really wants to read "hi my name is....", or "I have 3 cats and a husband and enjoy knitting...". But with no introductory sentences, who's going to get to know you? Then again, do you want anyone to get to know you?

This blogging thing is a strange beast. I've read quite a lot of blogs, some witty, some clever, some dreadful. I have no idea where mine will fit in with all that - probably dreadful. My hope is that it will prove to be somewhat cathartic for me, allow me to get my thoughts straight and give me a sense of history as it unfolds. God, how grandiose.