Category Archives: General

Week 9… sort of

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I’m impressed with the people who are still soldiering on through the 100 Happy Days challenge. Impressed, and kind of envious. I said when I started this thing, that it was all about having a go. It was to remind myself that even though times are tough, it is worthwhile focusing on the positives. There are only so many times I can say the same things over and over – ‘oh it’s the little things that matter’, like a tasty sandwich, new nail polish, or managing, somewhat miraculously, to get to my train without having to break into a sprint. Really, I think sometimes it’s the big things that matter, and not the small things, and that’s what is making this project seem like a bust.

This post is about being honest, with myself as much as anyone. So here it is. I have a had a shocking six months, and pretending otherwise is becoming hard work. It’s hard to get out of bed in the mornings, because I don’t sleep well these days. It’s hard to eat properly, because convenience often wins. It’s hard to go out, because going out is expensive. It’s hard to stay home, because I’m not good company. It’s hard to ask for help, because it feels like weakness. It’s hard to go it alone, because I’m rubbish at supporting me. It’s exhausting to soldier on and smile through my work day and say cheerful things and not just fold in on myself, climb under my blanket, listen to sad music and wonder what the hell happened for things to turn out this way. It’s a startling thing to have random abuse yelled at you in the street and not be indignant, but rather wonder how did they know?

But perhaps acknowledging all these alien feelings is a positive thing somehow.

And therefore… Week Nine done.

Week 8, in sickness and health

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As you may have gathered from my last post, I spent a considerable portion of last week in less than tip top condition. It turns out weeks of being run down, stressed out, and sleep deprived will cause your immune system to finally buckle. And buckle she did. So much so, in fact, that a full week since feeling the first twinges, I am still exhausted after minimal exertion, am surviving primarily on antibiotics and soup, and have the most nasal voice in town.

In the ‘happy days’ stakes, then, there wasn’t a whole lot happening. It was all about the small things:

  • home made soup provided by parents;
  • aloe vera tissues;
  • comfortable pillows;
  • cuddly cat; and
  • sleep.
I admit that medication might have made this picture seem more amusing than it is. But at the same time... CAT ANTLERS.

I admit that medication might have made this picture seem more amusing than it is. But at the same time… CAT ANTLERS.

Things are on the up, though, because I can sort of sporadically breathe again. I also got to spend time outside of the house with some of my favourite people at quiz night last night (we lost) and NSO-ing at interleague scrimmage today. All in all, I’m starting to feel a bit more human again, which is actually really nice. I have a few things on the agenda for the coming week too, which should make for more interesting times.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Cabin Fever

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Eight newly discovered facts about being sick when you live alone:

  • Your parents will, endearingly, assume you are dying.
  • If you don’t wash your hair for four days, no one will care that you look like a demon. This is equal parts liberating and depressing.
  • You will be torn between wanting company and not wanting to have exhausting in-person conversations.
  • Perhaps more importantly, you will also be torn between needing to go to the shop for more tissues / soup and feeling physically unable to move from the couch.
  • It’s time to worry when you find yourself watching back-to-back episodes of Bonanza just because it’s on and you can’t find the remote (Channel 44, if you were wondering).
  • Napping is the pastime of the Gods.
  • The fear of choking to death on phlegm and not being found for a while becomes a genuine concern.
  • There is a limit to the number of episodes of 30 Rock you can watch in a day. That number is high, but it’s there.

Look after your health, people. Being sick is the worst.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 7, in which things turn out ok in the end

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This week my multi-layer Laneway sunburn peeled horribly not once but twice, I buckled slightly under the weight of various stresses, making questionable decisions and speaking out of turn just about every time I opened my mouth. My house went on the market, and sleep eluded me again. I took some serious steps to cheer myself up:

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I bet my dinner was better than your dinner.

Adelaide has developed a split personality when it comes to weather. This week a 40+ degree heatwave ended in record rainfall which caused flooding and road closures across the city, and ruined a very comfortable pair of my shoes:

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Just trying to walk home.

But it wasn’t all so dire. The highlight of the week was Friday’s Adelaide Fringe opening parade. Light City Derby and the Murder City Roller Girls were part of the pre-parade entertainment, and I was very proud to don orange and black to muck around on wheels on King William Street. The weather dried up somewhat miraculously and it was a night of skating, fairy lights, free cocktails, dancing, and spending time with some pretty awesome people. I do think, however, that my orderly HR lady image might be irreparably destroyed since I was sprung wearing fluoro orange tights with fishnets and knee high socks in a public place by my colleagues. Oh well, I guess it had to happen eventually.

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Capping off a pretty fun weekend, I hit the Parade this morning for a breakfast date with some of my fave girls:

Total babes.

Total babes.

Winning.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 6, briefly

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Week Six doesn’t deserve much of a mention, I’m afraid. I’m busy and I’m stressed. I’m not home much and I’m not sleeping well. If I’m honest, most of the week passed in a blur.

I do know the week was partially salvaged by skatey times:

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And it was capped off pretty well by Laneway Festival, which was a really fun day despite the lack of shade and resultant sunburn:

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But that’s about it.

So brevity is the order of the day, peeps. Let’s hope Week Seven brings a bit more to the table.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 5: Dudsville

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Here’s the truth: week five of this Happy Days malarkey was a dud. I couldn’t keep my head above water, I chased my tail, I felt like everything I touched fell apart. And I worried, about a lot of things. However would I manage to write a good, positive post when, all things considered, all things were not great?

As it turns out, there is one seriously effective cure for a crap week, and that, my friends, is Eddie Vedder. Throwing caution and budget to the wind, I took myself off to the Adelaide Big Day Out after work on Friday in the sweltering heat and rocked my socks off to some truly awesome bands. It might be two minute noodles for dinner this week, but it was so worth it.

In between it all, when I thought about it, there were actually some other nice things about last week too:

  • Two fun fresh meat intake nights at derby, one of which was followed by beers at the pub and some of the funniest conversation I have had this year.
  • Lunch and a cheeky cider with some former work colleagues who inspire me no end and remind me that I am capable of coping with a lot, even when I tell myself otherwise.
  • Catching the genuinely delightful Saving Mr Banks on the spur of the moment over the weekend, then waxing lyrical about all of life’s ups and downs over some inordinately large glasses of Belgian beer with a good mate.

So all it takes is a music festival and a bunch to drink. Worth noting, people. Worth noting.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 4: that time of year again

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It’s that time of year again when Adelaide is transformed into the City of Lycra for the Tour Down Under, creating a cityscape full of tightly wrapped packages and latte-sipping cyclists at every early morning turn. My week, while everyone was hopping on the cycling bandwagon and there was lots of talk of legs and jerseys which went somewhat over my head, disappeared in a blur of meetings and emails, which resulted in an ever-growing ‘to do’ list and chain-drinking tea like an addict.

It was little things that made the early cut for my Happy Days post: crunchy leaves, new nail polish, fresh flowers in my bedroom:

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But Adelaide puts on quite a good show through the summer months, and yesterday my friend Rose and I hit the city for the first Orchard Cider Festival in Hindmarsh Square. Part of the city council’s Splash Adelaide campaign, it was a celebration of locally made ciders, food and music. All in all, a pretty lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon:

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It’s also that time of year again when the nation is gripped by Australia Day t-shirt controversy and the uncomfortable anxiety that comes with knowing a good portion of the coming days will be spent cringing and head-shaking at brazenly offensive posts and messages littering social media. For me, Australia Day will be spent as is traditional  – just a day, with friends and beer and barbecued meat and music, as we collectively grumble over the order of the songs in the Hottest 100 and I quietly worry that the portion of songs I’m even familiar with is smaller again. I expect it to be a thoroughly enjoyable day.

‘Til next time,

Sig

Week 3, by the numbers

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Here’s a little numeric snap shot of the week that was:

5. The number of days over 40 degrees.

4. The number of days with heat-related public transport delays.

2. The number of thunderstorms.

2.5. The number of hours locked out of my house on a 40+ degree day.

200. The number of dollars spent on locksmith.

3. The number of beers consumed while waiting for locksmith.

300. The number of times I now check in my bag for keys when leaving the house.

I’m not going to lie. By midweek I was struggling to come up with anything that I might be able to include in my ‘happy days’ post for this week. It was hot and humid and my clothes stuck to me in unflattering places. It was hard to sleep. It was hard to eat anything that wasn’t salad. Everything seemed twice as difficult, twice a frustrating, half as fun. Still, the weekend came along in its charming weekendy way, the cool change rolled in, and suddenly things were looking up.

On Saturday I caught up with some dear friends who have just returned from some overseas gallivanting. They visited me for lunch and I baked and we chatted and it was all kinds of nice. Then I spent the afternoon/evening with my sister’s family, helping to stick up a wall decal, sipping sparkling wine, and doing my best storybook voices as I put my niece to bed. It was a good day.

Sunday saw me boarding a bus and heading out to the Adelaide Hills for the annual Crush Festival. Our trip took in three wineries (Barristers Block, Bird in Hand, and Maximilians) and each had a different vibe, with music, good food and fine wines being very much the order of the day. Sure, I went over budget, got a little bit sunburnt and drank an alarming amount of wine, but I’m not complaining. Well, I’m not now that I’ve had a ham and cheese toastie, a strong cup of tea, and some panadol to ease my aching head…

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‘Til next time,

Sig

Happy Days: Week 2

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This week was a hectic one. It was my first week back at work since the Christmas holidays and my plans of starting the week quietly by cruising through my emails and pottering around here and there were very quickly quashed by that big old thing called reality. It was a busy week indeed and my work days flew by. In amongst it though, some fun stuff happened:

1. Back to derby training. I admit to be very daunted by the idea of returning to derby training after a two and a bit month break. I entirely expected to be back to my giraffe-legged worst after so long, and to embarrass / injure myself within the first fifteen minutes. It turns out, fortunately, that I can still remember how to skate and that my extracurricular fitness stuff from the last little while might actually be doing something, because I smashed my personal best in my five minute endurance laps. I am really looking forward to derby in 2014!

The fabulous Billie Verdin (L) and November Pain (R - that's me!).

The fabulous Billie Verdin (L) and November Pain (R – that’s me!).

2. Trying a new place to eat from my ‘must try places to eat’ list. This week I had lunch at United Latino Cocina (ULC), on Francis Street in Adelaide. I have been meaning to try this place for ages and I’m so glad I finally did. Awesome food and a great selection of tasty Mexican beers. I rate it 4 out of 5 sombreros, and will be going back for more at my earliest opportunity.

United Latino Cocina - sporting great tomato tin light fixtures.

United Latino Cocina – sporting great tomato tin light fixtures.

 

Tostada con Pollo. I'm not going to lie: this was all kinds of amazing.

Tostada con Pollo. I’m not going to lie: this was all kinds of amazing.

3. Impromptu beach day with the fam. Isn’t it true that sometimes the things you plan the least are the most fun? Yesterday, quite unexpectedly, I hit the beach with my sister and family. This is a pic of my niece and nephew, who are pretty much the most entertaining people I know:

Little bundles of cute.

Little bundles of cute.

4. Afternoon tea with some of my fave ladies. Today I met up with some great friends for afternoon tea (read: ladylike afternoon wine times). The weather was perfect, the setting was lovely, and there was a whole smorgasbord of deliciousness to enjoy. I love long, lazy afternoons full of good company and conversation, and today was one of those.

Lemon sorbet with chocolate filled raspberries. We know how to party.

Lemon sorbet with chocolate filled raspberries. We know how to party.

 

‘Til next time,

Sig

Forget your troubles, come on, get happy

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Today, while full of the best intentions to be productive and creative for an afternoon but managing somewhat predictably only to read the internet, I stumbled upon a thing called the 100 Happy Days Challenge. It’s a little mood-boosting initiative designed to get people noticing the happy things around them, big or small, that may otherwise be lost in the chaos of the day to day. Participants are encouraged to snap a photo to capture the moment, and share it via their fave social media platform using the hashtag #100HappyDays. There’s something about this concept that I like, and I think it’s the simplicity of the message. It is easy to forget that in each day there are things to smile about, to treasure, to be grateful for, or to remember.

I’ve set myself lofty time-constrained challenges before and, like new year’s resolutions, they generally last about 7.53 days before I give up (I’m looking at you, photo-a-day challenge). What I thought I might do – or aim to do – instead is blatantly copy the general idea and use it as a premise for a weekly blog post with a few key happy things from the week. The idea being that weekly rather than daily commitment is a) easier and b) less inclined to end up with haphazard and half-hearted photos in my instagram feed of pointless things like ‘today’s sushi’ or ‘the train, on time’.*

Being the first Sunday of the year, this seems a good time to kick things off.

Week 1:

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  • Catching up with an old friend for a nice long chat over a tasty pub lunch.
  • Planning a proper budget and discovering, happily, that I will not be destitute, homeless and selling my body by March.
  • Remembering to a) find and b) clean my mouth guard in preparation for returning to derby training after a two month hiatus.
  • Finally remembering what holidays are about and spending an afternoon listening to David Bowie, sipping tea, eating fancy chocolates, and reading a magazine.

Perhaps it really is, as they say, the little things.

‘Til next time,

Sig

 

 

 

 

*Leaving more room for cat and food pictures, obviously.