anyresemblance

Holding pattern

Simple things help.  I like the fact that the guys in the coffee shop I go to know my name and make me a special breakfast if I don't feel like anything on the menu.

My boss's PA just sent me an invite to a "roundtable" with a visiting exec.  Who is he?  I whined.  Just check out his photo on the phone book, she said.  So I did.  He looks like Will Smith with a jaunty smile and his jacket slung over his shoulder.  Ok, I'll go, I conceded.

My ex boss called me last night and we had a good chat about my future.  I talked to a recruitment person yesterday as I am bored with my current job and think I need a change.  We'll see.

The papal stoop

Cardinal Pell is very tall.  That's all I have to say on the subject.  Well, except maybe that the homily was very, very dull.  Not even the lashing out against the da Vinci code we were all secretly hoping for.  We had a last minute panic with older daughter's RE teacher claiming that she wasn't old enough to be my daughter's sponsor and me phoning younger daughter's principal who in turn phoned the priest who in turn ignored the officious RE teacher and said we were fine.

Since their father was in town, I spent time with my friend over the weekend.  I enjoyed hanging out at kinokinuya.  They have a very interesting collection of titles and the most beautiful design books. 

I moved my desk to a better spot, installed bigpond's broadband (my wireless service here at the windy end of town was getting too unreliable), reinstalled my wireless router and have my little network up and running.  I am so unbelievably proud of myself. 

I also made some half hearted attempts to get my tax documents in order.  I am feeling a little bit strapped for cash so need to get my tax return in as soon as the tax year ends.  My dad gave me a nice amount of pounds - he got a small legacy from his aunt's estate and handed it on to his children as he said he had no need for it.

I have booked our flights to London in September.  A fellow blogger may not yet know that I am planning to descend on her and that older daughter has already checked out the web sites of H&M and Top Shop.  My brother's wedding is in a horrible town near the town where I spent my teenage years.  It has little to recommend it as I recall so I plan a minimum of time there but we'll then go to Edinburgh to stay with oldest sister.  From there I am thinking of flying to Geneva if our friend is around and maybe then on to Paris.  I have not been in Europe for nearly three years - my longest absence ever.

I am bored at work.  I was asked to do something I considered unethical by a colleague and told him so.  Now I have to consider how to cover my back as he is slippery customer.

Not much else.  It's rainy.

What not to wear (another in an occasional series)

I've been fiendishly busy at work. 

Had to take the cats to the vet yesterday for vaccinations and the like.  $450 later I find that the bigger (size of a small hippo) cat has to lose 2kg and has a heart murmur.  Sounds like much expense ahead.  The vet was thorough but a bit abrupt.  I realised it wasn't just me when I noticed her assistant bristling at the peremptory commands.

I went to dinner last night with PP and her friend J.  The company was good but the food and ambience were extremely disappointing.  (I should have read the reviews before we went). I had duck with anchiote chilli but it was very dry and not much meat to be had. And the bright white interior made me feel I was in a pharmacy. I wouldn't bother to go there again.

I have sold my house at the coast.  I am a bit sad.  Now I have to clear the furniture.

Younger daughter's confirmation on Friday night.  Her father is coming for the occasion. We went to a rehearsal on Monday night during which the priest got to pretend to be the cardinal.Just pretend I am wearing scarlet, he urged us.  The nun trying to corral the young confirmees was a tad irritated at his frivolity.  I sent older daughter off to Bondi Junction on Saturday with $150 to buy something suitable for church.  She came back with some bright green pyjamas from Target so I have to take her myself tonight.  Since she is so indecisive it's a miracle that she came back with anything, I suppose.

Pour maman

The hoof is cured with lots of stretching and the gentle hands of a nice dr dealing with muscles and the skeleton.  She didn't play netball though but went to watch her team on the shabby Waverly courts.  Older daughter had me take her to basketball at 7:30.  They won which made getting up worthwhile.

Later I made a killer lamb, fennel and coconut curry.  I also made some gingerbread.  I was looking for the right sticky recipe and found it via 101 Cookbooks.  We ate some late on Saturday evening. Not that late, as I did not watch the FA cup final on Saturday night though my visitor did.

This morning, younger daughter made me an excellent cup of tea and brought me scrambled eggs and toast in bed on a pretty little tray she got at the school's mother's day stall.  I also got a cool bag made of recycled plastic from the Philippines.  Older daughter made me a cd including Curtis Mayfield, the Go-Betweens, The Roots, The Waterboys, XTC and Nirvana as well as her favourites, the Darkness.  Crazy, cool presents from my lovely girls.  I finished the day off with a four episode injection of Gilmore Girls while doing all the ironing (including two duvet covers, I am nutty).  I was pleased to note some clever dan brown debunking in Gilmore Girls.  (This is funny, via her.)  We ate roast chicken and peas tonight.  I watched the end of the Alan Clark diaries when the girls had gone to bed.  John Hurt is excellent. 

I'm tired now.  I am feeling melancholy.

Remember to breathe (again)

I was feeling very down in the dumps and out of sorts but then I looked at some of my favourite blogs and the soothing catalogue of the making of a quilt lifted my heart and made me realise how much I love reading about the minutae of other people's lives.

My youngest daughter has hurt her heel and can not put weight on it.  Unfortunately, it is unclear what the source of the injury is - there is no puncture mark, it is not a fracture, there is no swelling. As a consequence she is on crutches  (Gaslight Pharmacy in Old South Head road sells everything, rents everything and has helpful opening hours seven days a week till 10pm).  One Dr suggested a week off school but I quickly scotched that suggestion and with the aid of her teacher, she is elevating the foot.  I think the novelty of crutches in the playground has worn off though.

As a consequence I have had to pick her up from school everyday.  I explained this to my boss who gave me heart by saying "family comes first always".

Yesterday I went to a lunch at the MCA.  A beautiful day but a rather disappointing speaker who had an unfortunate sniff.  The parent in my wanted to hand him a tissue and urge him to blow his nose.

Later I saw my former boss in the foyer of my office building.  My ex phoned me from Canberra that night where he had been to a budget dinner and said she had been there too.  Odd coincidence.

We are preparing for confirmation. My daughter chose her confirmation name, Lilian, which was the name of my grandmother.  Her father is coming (after I told him he had to).  There are 80 children being confirmed that night by Cardinal Pell. I hope they have a good system else we could be there for some time....

Comfort food

Tonight's dinner was a tin of heinz cream of tomato soup and a slice of sonoma soy and linseed toasted.  It was yummy.  I ate at the table but reading a recipe book. 

I'm very tired.  I have worked hard this week.  New boss has been ok but old boss was in town today and I recalled just how much we clicked.  Interestingly both bosses offered me jobs in New Zealand.  New boss somewhat tentatively since he knew this was a role I wasn't interested in and old boss more bullishly, "it's a pity you won't move to auckland and work for me".  I'm just not up for that level of change right now.

I exchanged instant messages this afternoon with a colleague in the UK.  We had worked for the same company 15 years ago in London and now we are both at the same company again.  He is the son in law of this person.  I remember we were all wildly jealous that the cast of the Archers attended his wedding.  We haven't spoken for more than 12 years so it was a bizarre catch up especially when it turned out that he had been in Sydney at Christmas and that his cousin's daughter goes to the same school as my daughter.

I had a nice lunch at the Malaya with a colleague.  Only when we finished did he tell me it was his birthday.  He has just come back from walking the Kokoda trail.  He revealed that he had been at school with the minister for the poor.  I asked him how the portly one had gone on the trek and he said he had behaved quite well until they got to Isurava when the minister started sounding off about how the prime minister was having to send a jet to retrieve him to deal with the cyclone-that-didn't-hit-darwin.  "Catch yourself on, Joe" said my friend, "I remember what you were like as a spotty 13 year old."

Ducky

got this A-Z meme from one of my favourites who I was catching up on tonight. 

Accent: Oh dear, a bit of a hybrid.  I am capable of a broad west of Scotland accent courtesy of 10 years there and relentless teasing about my "posh" English accent.  But years as an expatriate and ten years of Australia have given me quite an educated aussie twang, I think.  Eurotrash, perhaps?

Booze: Yes indeed.  I am quaffing a glass of red as I write this.  I have lived without but I like the taste.  Not much of a spirits drinker.

Chore I hate: cleaning the oven.

Dog or cat: Cats for sure.  Three at current count.  I like big dogs for outdoors.

Essential electronics: GHD hair straighteners.

Favourite cologne(s): Issy Miyake. Stella by Stella McCartney.  Still fond of Calvin Klein's Eternity

Gold or silver: Gold, baby, gold.

Hometown: Lived too many places.  Still miss London but Australia is my home for now.

Insomnia: Very rarely.  Always stress related.

Job title: Too wanky to disclose.  Chief Apologist, Regret Management Unit.

Kids: girl 13, other girl 10

Living arrangements: Top floor apartment (penthouse, if I am showing off), 3 compact bedrooms, large living space, huge terrace, 2 children, 3 cats, hundreds of books, occasional gentleman caller.

Most admirable trait: Calm in a crisis.

Number of sexual partners: None of your beeswax.

Overnight hospital stays: Born at home, two weeks in traction when I dislocated my hip as a 7 year old and consequently missing starring role in the nativity play, one night each for child birth...

Phobias: None.

Quote: None and I despise my co-workers and their pithy quotes at the bottom of their emails.  They probably have "I brake for unicorns" bumper stickers too.

Religion: Raised an Anglican.  Daughters in Catholic school.  Secretly love the Catholic ritual my younger daughter is learning.  Did I mention Cardinal Pell is doing her confirmation next week?

Siblings: Three sisters, one brother, all older.

Time I wake up: anywhere between 6 and 7.  I'm a morning person but I still like calm and quiet in the morning.

Unusual talent or skill:  Reading upside down across a desk.  Very useful with lawyers, clients and officers of the law.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Brussel sprouts.

Worst habit: Keeping it to myself.

X-rays: Breasts, since sister has breast cancer.

Yummy foods I make: Chocolate brownies, meatballs, slow roasted pork with fennel, roast chicken, raspberry clafoutis.

Zodiac sign: Leo.  Yep, I have lots of glossy hair and am a teensy bit bossy and opinionated.

The expectation gap

I am writing a profile for my new boss to go on our intranet. 
What I wrote...

"I am delighted to have this opportunity to lead our team working at one of Australia's premier widget makers.  My priority is to get out and meet as many of you as possible.  I'm a firm believer in listening and taking on board information and advice from many different people, so don't wait for an invitation to tell me what you think.  I'm only an email away".

What he said to his PA...

"Don't accept any appointments without checking with me first"