Happy New Year

Welcome 2012...you have a lot to live up to. In 2011 I got married, watched other close friends of mine get married, bought a house & moved in, had our first Christmas (hosted in fact) as husband and wife, and celebrated the end of the year together.

Yesterday was Sonja's hen's day/night. We went to the Beachouse and mainly stuck to the water rides as it was a forecast 38*C. We had dinner at the Dublin Hotel and then watched the end of Peter Combe's performance, and then the early fireworks at Glenelg. It was a very fun day, and the weather was perfect. From Glenelg a few of us went to Seacliff where the 'other halves' were. We sat on the beach and talked and watched the Glenelg fireworks to ring in the new year. It was such a beautiful night, still 28*C when we were on our way home.

Today is a scorching 41*C and I will be spending it inside. I've just turned the air conditioner on as it was becoming a bit unbearable. The next couple days are looking only slightly cooler.

I hope you all celebrated the new year in style and wish you all the best for 2012.

Kris Kringle

I received an email regarding Kris Kringle for the "other" side of the family the other day - my new family. They have chosen to do Kris Kringle as well, which I think is a wonderful idea, especially in families where all of the children are grown up and money being passed around is a likelihood. My family has done this for the last 3 years, and it has been lovely. Once we had a theme, it had to be a $10 handmade gift - and people made the effort. My brother was given a $10 note cut into a puzzle, I made chocolates for my parents, my other brother was given fridge magnets with the image of my cousin who had made them. This year, I haven't gone with a theme - just a $10-15 present is sufficient. It's a good price where the gift can be meaningful or a gag gift.

The "other" side of the family, however, has decided to have a price limit of $40-50, and the giving isn't anonymous. A list has been sent around, and ideas are supposed to be added and sent back. From out of a hat, I have to give a gift to the organiser of this event, whose gift suggestions are vouchers for 3 different stores. I believe vouchers should not be given for Kris Kringle, it's the same as giving money.

In my opinion, having a Kris Kringle with such a high price range, and having a public list seems like it has all become materialistic and gift-focussed. My solution to this: TEAR's Useful Gift Catalogue. I will buy a gift for someone disadvantaged overseas (I'm thinking a goat, if that's still on offer) and he will (hopefully) see that Christmas isn't all about presents. Charities always need donations and assistance, and I think the gift catalogues they promote are a wonderful idea, as you get a card with an image of what you are buying and how it will assist the individual and their community.

Sorry this sounds like a rant, but I'm getting frustrated about Christmas being about presents, and who had the best haul. I'm leaving it here before I say something I regret.

Christmas is coming

Well, December is upon us and the countdown to Christmas and the New Year has begun. Less than 3 weeks left at work, and only 19 days until Christmas Day. For some reason I volunteered to have Christmas lunch at our place this year, with my family & Jesse's. There will be approximately 26 people. I went and ordered the meat today, and bought plates and napkins and cutlery. This is my only free day before the 23rd of December, so I wanted to get it over with. Names for Kris Kringle were all sent out last night. So now all I have to organise is who is bringing what salads and other assorted foods.

Weekends have just seemed to have filled with little effort. Between birthdays, Christmas parties and weddings there just doesn't seem to be much time for anything else! Hopefully I can catch up with the people I need and want to in the meantime!

We had our final Hills Connect service on Sunday night which I was able to play in. We did some funky arrangements of a few Christmas carols, and it was such fun. The service was awesome. It was about our Christmas Wish List - the prayers and wishes we have for ourselves and others. It will be great to see the services continue in the new year.

OCD

It is both amusing and frustrating to watch someone with obsessive compulsive tendencies. I can see how it effects work productivity, but I don't want to say anything for fear of offending them, especially because the quality of work produced is great. I know they could work faster, though, if they didn't obsess over everything being perfectly straight, lined up to the millimeter. I'm not sure if they notice me watching as they tap on in-trays and tape dispensers, but I see and hear it. The only real issue I have with it is when we're clearly busy, yet lining things up seems to take a priority.

My dilemma is: do I say something? To them, to the manager?

I also wish to mention that Jesse is currently a pirate. He has somehow grazed his eye (how do you do that??) and is now wearing an eye patch. It amuses me more than it worries me.

Letters

Yesterday I rediscovered the joy in letter writing. It felt good to sit down and compose a letter in my own handwriting to a couple of close friends. I know they will feel excited when they receive them, as I do when I receive mail that doesn't require a payment.

It made me think about how much we have lost the art of handwriting. My hand was quite sore after writing the letters, and I took a few breaks. I do a bit of hand writing at work, but definitely not a lot. Writing was an important learning step in our schooling, but now, with computers being taught from such a young age, are the next generation learning this skill?

Dean Koontz

I have been reading a few Dean Koontz novels lately, and have been enjoying myself quite thoroughly. The last four I've read I've barely been able to put down. They are thrillers, and a bit different from the normal type of novel I read. They are all based around the mind; manipulation, enhancement, supernatural and psychic abilities.

One I read was False Memory, about brainwashing, and how a highly reputed psychiatrist was able to gain complete control of people's minds and make them do his bidding. Given his egotistical and sociopath tendencies these tasks turned into murders and suicides. It is only once our main characters start noticing segments missing in their own lives and sudden onset autophobia (fear of yourself) and the apparent suicide of a best friend (who had sudden onset agoraphobia), that suspicions are raised.

It made me think about mental illness. Mental illness is spoken about a lot more often than it used to. Yet, in my experience it still isn't discussed a lot. Perhaps it's just me, and the circles in which I socialise, are sheltered, but I feel like it isn't. As I'm reading through the book, I vividly imagine what the characters are going through and feel the fear and confusion they are going through (the sign of a good writer and my active imagination). I imagined feeling her autophobia, I imagined my life if I had agoraphobia; it would be horrible, and unbearable.

In False Memory the signs of the mental illness were obvious; panic attacks and extreme behaviour. But it was the little things that led to the discovery of the underlying reason.

I am recommending Dean Koontz's books at the moment. So far, in the last 2 weeks I have read 5 of his novels. False Memory, By the Light of the Moon, Fear Nothing, Sole Survivor and Odd Hours (I will finish this one today).

Quick Update...

Wow, it has come to my attention that I haven't posted a blog in a long time. To be honest I haven't really felt motivated to write anything. This last week I have been sick with a virus, starting last weekend, when I was supposed to be with Rosie at her Tupperware party. Monday I was off work, Tuesday and Wednesday I managed to get through the days, and Thursday - Sunday I was confined almost exclusively to the house. I got through 3 hours of work today before being sent home. Hoping to make a whole day tomorrow. It has made me realise how awesome Jesse is, always with a hug, a kiss, and a word of encouragement.

Anyway, on Sunday Jesse and Collie flew to Melbourne and drove back with our new car - a 2003 Corolla Sportivo! So now we can stop putting so many km's on the Mini to avoid dropping the price even more - do you know anyone who wants a 2002 Mini Cooper, ad's up on carsales.com.au.

What I have to look forward to at the moment is Jesse birthday weekend in Renmark - it's going to be awesome fun! We've had a great lot of responses and I'm super excited. Anyway, this is all I can manage to write for now.