I’m a party pooper!

My parents have gone out to celebrate New Year’s with some friends.

(Yes, I’m still living at home with the parentals if you hadn’t realised.)

Matt and I are home alone.

We should be partying it up, doing lots of crazy shit, right? Nope.

Matt’s just serving up dinner now (spaghetti and meatballs made from scratch - yum!), and then I’m going to have a couple of Midoris & lemonade and watch a bit of TV. And then I’ll probably go to bed.

Yep, I’m hardcore alright - a hardcore party pooper!

Happy New Year’s everyone!

PS. Have a look at “The List”, which has been updated to show my resolutions for ‘08!

Another year over…

Well, tomorrow is the last day of 2007. I can’t say I’m terribly upset to see the end of this year.

This has been the most challenging year of my life. And although it’s been troubling, distressing, and downright painful, I’m proud of myself for making it through.

What have I done this year that I’m most proud of? Standing up for myself. Really standing up for myself. Taking the plunge and getting myself out of a situation where I was taken advantage of. Not allowing people to walk all over me anymore. That’s what my former boss was doing to me. He will say different, of course.

When I started working for him in September 2006, it was my first office job, and I had a lot to learn. I was naive, only ever seeing the good in people… and at times I felt like I was belittled for it by others. Funnily enough, I walked out that door at the end of October with the best lesson I ever could have learned.

People will take advantage of you and use you in every way they can. I wanted to prove myself in so many ways… prove that I was capable of so much more than doing reception. But I wasn’t going to get that opportunity there. I was too good at what I did to be offered the opportunity to step up. Isn’t that ironic?

I was in that job for just over a year, and if I’m totally honest with myself, it was never the right job for me. Even though I’d been there that amount of time, I was always, to a degree, an outsider there. I was at the bottom of the pile as far as the staff were concerned. I was just the young receptionist with no life experience. These people had new cars, new homes, boats and caravans… and they’d travelled all around the world. Me? I was still living at home with my parents, driving a 16 year old car, and the extent of my travelling is surprising Matt with a hotel stay 10 minutes away from home. I felt that I was always looked down upon. And I was.

My proudest moment of 2007 is when I walked out of that office with my head held high, smiling from ear to ear. They thought that I was being punished, that my leaving was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It was actually a reward and a blessing.

I’ve been at my new job for just two weeks now, and already, I fit in. I am one of the team. My opinions and contributions are recognised. I have a stable, higher position in a larger and unequivocally better company. I am no longer working for peanuts. Because, that’s exactly what I was doing before - working my backside off, for no recognition and little monetary benefit.

I love my new job. And I love that I took the plunge to get it. I took a risk, leaving a job and being out of work for 4 long weeks, but it was worth it, so worth it. It paid off.

It is so cliche, I know, but everything really does happen for a reason. Something better will come along. Now, I look back to where I was just 3 short months ago, and I wonder how the hell I put up with it. These past few months have brought along so much personal growth for me, and I am so grateful.

On New Year’s Day I will post my now traditional look back on the year that was… in quiz form. I’ll even dig up links to years gone by, to see how the answers differ. It will be fun!

Christmas Hangover!

Christmas is over for another year.

I just wasn’t feeling it this year, which was sad. I didn’t start feeling Christmasy until about 7:30pm Christmas night. Better late than never, I guess.

And, like many other people, I’m assuming, Boxing Day brings pain with it. The majority of this pain will be alcohol induced - but mine isn’t. I didn’t even have a drink!

No… today, I rolled my ankle and sprained it pretty badly. Again. The same ankle I sprained in March. Except this time, I can tell that I’ve done a lot more damage…

How did I do it? I went down to the local shops with Matt to see about getting his watch resized. I gave him a good dress watch for Christmas, but the band needs about 4 links taken out of it before he can wear it. The store wasn’t open, so we started walking back to the car. It was raining… and as we walked across the pedestrian crossing, my foot slipped on the painted line and over I went. Luckily for me, Matt was on my left side and managed to catch me before I fell down… and I was wearing flats! I’m totally unco.

(I should mention here that after said spraining, Matt and I went to another shopping centre and I hobbled around looking for work attire. Can’t keep this shopper down…)

My ankle’s in a bit of a sorry state. There’s a bit of swelling, but it’s not obviously swollen. There’s a lot of bruising around my ankle and down my foot that’s only going to get darker.

Driving to work is off the agenda for the next few days. I could drive if my car had automatic transmission, but since it’s a manual (stick shift), it’ll be agony if I try it. Last time I sprained my left ankle, the day after our engagement party, I didn’t drive for a week, and when I started again, it hurt like hell for about 2 weeks… and that was a lesser sprain…

This is proof that when I do something, I do it properly. I couldn’t just roll it, oh no. I had to roll it, put all my weight on it, and turn it black and blue.

And I hadn’t even had a drink. Sucks.

Anyway - here’s a pic of Matt and I that I took last night. I’m wearing the Santa hat that came with his sexy Santa boxers - yes, they were my idea! I won’t show you the pic of him wearing them though… I’d get in trouble for that!

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!

Office Holiday Memo

To: All Employees
From: Management
Subject: Office conduct during the Christmas season

Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (the Federal Revelry Office and Leisure Industry Council).

1. Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged.
2. Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredible long distance bill)
3. Work requests are not to be filed under “Bah humbug.”
4. Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house.
5. All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25.
6. Egg nog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines.

In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday.

Happy Birthday to me…

Happy birthday to me… the big 2-0. Woo.

I went to work today, of course. I can’t really call up after my first day and say “hey, it’s my birthday, count me out today”, can I? Well, I could, but it wouldn’t look good.

I did treat myself, though. Some of the girls decided that they wanted Thai for lunch, and since I’d never had Thai before, I figured hey, why not, and I put my name down for some. I had some chicken fried rice, which was quite yummy. It was better than the cold pizza waiting for me in the fridge!

It took the girls in the pod (the cubicle) about an hour to remember it was my birthday, which was okay. I got lots of “Happy Birthdays”, and as I walked past a lady, she said “hey, it’s the birthday girl!” At lunch someone asked how old I was, and when I said twenty, she said “oh, you’re only a baby!”

I took the liberty of taking photos of all my cards and presents to brag show you, too!

Here’s the very cute duck card and bath set I got from Katie. She even drew me a birthday fairy inside the card! I felt bad when I posted hers because I’m just not that good at drawing fairies… or anything else for that matter.

In the mail today I got a lovely Christmas card and a couple of little surprises from one of my closest friends, Kirsty. She lives in Melbourne, and we’ve never actually met, but she’s definitely someone I hold very dear. In the card she thanked me for being “so absolutely awesome” and said that the only virtual thing about our friendship is our mode of communication. Aww!
The little pressies if you can’t see them are a little keyring with my name on it, and a pack of two bookmarks.

The next picture is the collection of goodies sent to me by Miss Aly. A gorgeous birthday card (with balloons on the inside!), a writing journal with a little handwritten message inside, a cute Christmas card, and a box of rum & raisin fudge. I’ve never actually tried it before, but hey, there’s a first time for everything! And of course I’ll keep in touch with you once you’ve made the big move, dear. We’ve become very fast and firm friends!

And of course, who can forget the goodies from family?

Matt spoiled me this year, and he got the hint that I wanted jewellery. He gave me two pairs of earrings, and a matching necklace to go with the studs.

Mum and Dad got me a bottle of Midori - I didn’t take a photo of that, because we all know what an empty bottle will look like.. haha! They also got me this dress. You’ll have to excuse the picture. One, I had to cut my head off because my eyes were shut and I looked pretty out of it, and two, I swear I looked a hell of a lot better in it this morning. Let’s just blame the massive serving of fried rice, okay?

Mum also bought me this - a very yummy mud cake. And yes, that is fresh cream on top…

And look, I saved a slice (albeit a fuzzy one) for you!

First day and Birthday!

First up, I want to say a very happy birthday to the lovely Katie. Just think, if you’d been born 24 hours later, we would have been birthday twins! I hope you got spoiled… and judging from your birthday post, you were!

As for my own birthday, which is now only several hours away… it’s looking up. On Friday I got a package from Katie, with birthday and Chrissy presents, and a card for each occasion.

I got home from work today, and there was a big package sitting on the coffee table. On closer inspection, I realised it was from the fantabulous Aly. I got gorgeous birthday and Christmas cards, a writing journal (with Kelly Marie written in it - wahoo!) and some rum & raisin fudge… yummo!

I started my new full-time job today. I was really nervous about it, especially since my temp job ended on a bad note (long story short, they got narky that I didn’t take their job and I finished up a day and a half early), but everyone I met today was really nice. The Accounts Payable team has their own ‘pod’, which is basically just a cubicle with 6 desks in it… my desk is huge! My own desk, my own bit of wall to hang my calendar on, and my own phone.

What I’m really excited about though… is my swipe card. The office is on the first floor of the building, and to get into the offices from reception you need to have a swipe card. Today I just used a spare one. But, I had my photo taken at lunchtime, and my details put in the system, and tomorrow I will get my very own swipe card, with my name and photo on it! I feel like a bit of a secret agent, needing to swipe my card to get into the office. Woo!
In the next few days I’ll get my logon information from Melbourne, which will make it official. I’ll have my own computer logon, personal email address (with my name in it!), and access to the system. And I’m not sure, but I think I also get a direct phone number! I feel all corporate…

I had promised tomorrow that I would share 20 highlights/memories. But I’ve decided that I want to find some photos to go along with it, so I’ll leave that until the weekend, and tomorrow I’ll take photos of all my presents. Hehe!

Birthday blues

Well, in two days, it’s my birthday.

I’m not overly excited about it… which is a first. I’ve always been counting down the days, making sure everyone around me knows it’s coming, and dropping hints about what I want gift-wise.

This year, I really don’t give a shit. Is that sad?

I’m still very upset about losing my Nan, of course… she only passed away in late October. This is the first year ever that I won’t get a phone call, or birthday and Christmas cards in the mail from “Welsh Gran” - always accompanied with a note and some money to “buy a little something special”. Although I know that she’s gone, to a point it’s only starting to sink in now, now that my birthday is only a couple of days away, and Christmas 7 days after that. Part of me has been hanging out for those cards to arrive, even though I know they’re not coming.

Yesterday, I was watching Channel V, and they were playing Avril Lavigne songs. They played “When You’re Gone”, and I had to get up and leave the room, because I was about to burst into tears. I played my new James Blunt CD, and tried to sing along to “Carry You Home”, but I really did burst into tears.
(The chorus of that song goes: “Strong as you were, tender you go, I’m watching you breathing for the last time… A song for your heart, but when it is quiet, I know what it means and I’ll carry you home…”)
It’s a beautiful song, but it hurts to listen to it, at least for now.

Anyway. My birthday. That’s part of the reason I’m not that enthused about it.

To be honest, I’m a simple girl. I used to long for oodles and oodles of possessions, bright sparkly things, decorative things, mainly useless things… But I think losing both my grandparents over the past two years has made me snap out of it. I just want to be with my family.

Last night, the four of us (Matt and I, Mum and Dad) were going to go out for dinner for my birthday. Nothing too extravagant, just dinner and a couple of drinks. That was all I wanted for my birthday. I helped Mum with the grocery shopping, and as we were putting it all in the car, Mum realised that she probably wouldn’t be able to go to dinner without leaving herself short for the rest of the fortnight. So I told her not to worry about it… but I was secretly devastated.

I was shitty for the rest of the day, and Mum said I didn’t look very happy, and I’m pretty sure she knew why. It’s not her fault, it’s just the way life is. I was annoyed because we’ve had a crap year, and all I wanted was dinner with the four of us, and now that wasn’t working out either.

Matt and I still went out for dinner, and we had a lovely night, and I even had a couple of drinks (shock, horror!) before heading home again. Matt nearly ran into a bit of trouble with a concealed crab stick in his seafood basket (long story short, he’s allergic to crab), but all was good.

Over the past week or so, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve achieved in life so far. I’ve come up with the idea of making a list… 20 highlights in 20 years. There’s a few things I’ve got in mind to share, and a few more that I need to think about. I’m going to post that list on Tuesday. A trip down memory lane… and hopefully you’ll want to go for a walk with me.

Friday’s Feast #10

Appetizer
Make up a word and give us its definition.
“Masapotanga” - a word that my Dad has used for years. It’s used when he’s excited about something… so I guess it means “wow!”

Soup
What is currently your favorite song?
At the moment… Leona Lewis - “Bleeding Love”. I hadn’t heard it at all until yesterday, when they played it on the radio. I was pleasantly surprised… and I’ve been listening to it ever since!

Salad
What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
I’m going to be really boring and cliche, but I just want to enjoy the season as much as possible this year, considering we’ve had a really bad year… I’m still half-expecting birthday and Christmas cards to arrive from my “Welsh Gran”… but I know that they won’t come.. This Christmas, the first one without my Nan, is going to be very hard.

Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
Dove soap. I started buying it awhile ago instead of regular soap. It’s really good for my skin, and also gives a really fresh scent. Matt’s started using it too now, and I love the way the smell of the soap mingles in with his manliness. Yum.

Dessert
Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why?
I really don’t know. I don’t watch anywhere near as much TV as I used to!

You know you have an addiction when…

You know you have an addiction when you enter your favourite clothing store three hours earlier than usual on a Thursday night and both shop assistants turn to you and say:

“You’re early!”

I then proceeded to have a conversation with one of them about various birth control measures (I’d just been to the doctor for my depo injection), before wandering around aimlessly, looking for office-acceptable pants while clasping coathangers with sparkly tops hanging off them.

Yep, I think I have an addiction. And no, I don’t want to give it up. I like having options!

The Christmas Spirit

I’m only just starting to feel Christmasy… which is pretty slack, considering it’s only 12 days away.

Today I did something that really boosted my Christmas spirit.

I wrote a Christmas card… to the company I used to work for. Because:
1) I have no hard feelings, although I probably have every right to, and,
2) My old boss will probably be quite pissed off when he reads the lovely card I sent him. Especially the bit where I wrote “I hope that your New Year looks as bright as mine!”

In all honesty, leaving that place was the best thing I ever did. I’m looking forward to Monday, when I start my new full-time job… I’m excited! It’s a promotion and a payrise, in a stable, very well-known Australian company. I think it’s best for me to stick to larger companies, where you do your set job and that’s it. None of this “jack of all trades, master of none” crap.

In honour of my late-arriving Christmas spirit, here’s a kid-safe Chrissy joke for you all.

Q. What did one snowman say to the other snowman?
A. Can you smell carrot?
(It took me a few seconds to get it.. but then I realised. Snowmen. Carrot noses. Ha!)