anyresemblance

Getting there

Only 7 more boxes to empty.  Most presents are wrapped.  Most are sent or organised virtually. Just one day of work to get through.

Definitely work in progress

On Wednesday, I moved house with a gazillion boxes of books and a large cost.

I had to go back to work on Thursday for an important meeting where I felt like I was firing on about 20% capacity.  

On Friday, we did a morning workshop and then I rushed off to get my hair cut.  Everyone was running late, the toner turned my purple so they had to do it again and I was so tense with anxiety as I had 11 people coming to my house at 6pm.  I raced home, lit all the candles in the house and chucked champagne in the freezer.  Fortunately, PP brought some Turkish bread and dips and we assembled a basic feast.  It was a terrific evening but I drank way too much....

Saturday at 6am I got up and showered and went back to bed.  I eventually got up at noon but felt dreadful.  Mcdonalds and a full coke helped but we did little on the house organising.  That night was my work Christmas party where I was definitely on the water.  That was fine, the food was delicious and I talked to some nice people.

Sunday I moved furniture and finally got the study set up and filled some bookcases.  We sorted out the garage for the furniture the kid is taking to her new place.  We then went up to the old house to do the final clearance the kid reversed the car into a gate post... she was tired and distracted but it is a huge amount of damage to a car that is not ours.... 

Yesterday, I felt like I needed a week's sleep.  I actually went home at lunch time and lay on the sofa for 35 minutes which actually helped.  I emptied 20 boxes of books and watched 3 episodes of Suits.  I had a good night's sleep and am feeling vaguely human but I am holding out for two weeks off at the end of the week and still have not done all my Christmas shopping.  Weirdly, my work is being fired by listening to Dr Dre.

Disorder

The house is in a state of half packed.  I have left all the books for the removalists but spent the day ferrying breakables and clothes to the new house.  It is teeny tiny and I was despairing at how much would have to go in the leaky garage but a miracle occurred and the kid and her friend have found an apartment and I will be off loading some of the furniture within two weeks.

The cat dislikes this upheaval very much and has taken her self to a high shelf where she can view the proceedings with much disapproval.

Somehow a parcel for my daughter was delivered to the wrong old, old address.  This is the house the neighbours bought, knocked down and built a trophy house.  We drove over to collect it and they invited us in to look around.  They have beautiful tiles on the floors in the bathroom and it is very opulent with a 15 metre lap pool but I miss my ramshackle little house.

Things on my list

1. A decent head shot for work.  The one on my corporate directory is nearly ten years old.
2. A storage unit for the extra furniture I seem to have now that I am moving to a doll's house.  I already have two other sofas in circulation which are threatening to come back to me as kids move share houses etc.
3. A car.  The borrowing and rental cars are getting a bit tiresome.  I was going to look at a car on the weekend but the schedule in Sydney got too hectic to fit it in.  I have a loaner at the moment which I could buy.  It's a dream to drive but guzzles petrol and has over 300k on the clock.
4. Going to the post office.  It's no good at being organised in getting Christmas presents if you don't send them off to their intended recipients.
5. Working out what happened to instagram on my side bar.  Something to do with the widget not being free anymore.

Post haste

It's late and it has been a trying day but not the worst.  I'm holding on and did at least get Christmas cards in the post today.

Not so good things

• a mediocre cup of coffee from Silo.  I have grave reservations at them maintaining standards under new ownership
• a flipping tender released tonight for response over Christmas
• having to write assertive email
• a staff member whose lack of enthusiasm sucks the energy out of the room

Good things:

• chicken sandwich for lunch with left over roast chicken
• the tender is at least not due until Feb which means we get some summer hols
• decent command of language to argue my point
• two new interns who have the sweetest LinkedIn profiles

 

 

Chicken in a basket

Yesterday was a late one at work.  I got in at 8 and left at 7.  Not lawyer hours - or more to the point, nurses or junior doctors - but a longish day for me in an office.  When I got home I grilled chicken, got out the tiniest fryer in the world to make chips, made aioli and sat down to what felt like a pub meal with of chicken and chips with a side of coleslaw.  It was delicious.

I banished my phone from my bed side and finished the latest Michael Connolly and went to sleep listening to the Overstory.

Rainbow sprinkles

The weather was spectacular yesterday for the first day of summer.  I spent the morning doing errands: picking up my new glasses, buying a summer dress, buying wrapping paper and some groceries.  Then I went home and wrote a lot of Christmas cards and thought about my sister with her multiple addresses in my address book and how I selfishly miss the balance she brought to our sibling relationships.  I was trying to explain it to my daughter; it's like I'm the only one left who is considered unbalanced and unfinished.  That's probably not fair to my siblings but it's something I'm trying to unpack and make sure I am not just stuck in stunted adolescence.

I went to my daughter's drinks but I found it hot and hard work so left after a couple of hours.  I took the remains of the birthday cake home with me in a uber.  It was a white chocolate cake with raspberry icing and covered in sprinkles.  Every time the cab went round a corner, a shower of sprinkles flew off.  By the time I got out, there was a carpet of hundreds and thousands all over the back seat.  I was very apologetic to the driver and gave him an extra big rating (no tipping here...)

 

Quotidien life

* this is her best friend, who she got for her 7th birthday, sadly deceased

The oldest turned 26 yesterday.  I was reading my archives for her 12th birthday.  So many years.  We went to dinner with her, her little sister and her friend.  It was meh, too rushed and a dopey waitress.  It was redeemed by ice cream at Messina but not a thrilling birthday by anyone's measure.  She's having drinks with her friends this afternoon for which I have an honorary invite.

This morning we went and snooped round the new house, peering through the windows to try and work out where furniture would go.  Youngest and I went to buy birthday cake candles, she got her nails done and I picked up my new glasses.  I can't believe how clean they are and how crisp everything that was hitherto smudged now looks clear and bright.

I also bought a budget Christmas tree made of paper, 4 new novels, a summer dress and a chicken to roast.