Monday, March 26, 2012

Random thoughts


- I started reading 'The Hunger Games' yesterday. And finished it today. Wow, wow and WOW. Could you imagine if Katniss Everdeen and Hermione Granger met and became friends? My 14yo DS also started reading it, and it has already opened up some great conversations on the social commentary made in the book about the disparity of the haves and have-nots nature of our world (which is the overarching theme of the book, not the bloodletting of teenagers). Even better than the storyline of the book is the promise of what's to come in the next two - guess what I'll be buying tomorrow?? DS and I will be going to see the movie when he's finished the book - we have a rule in our house that movies cannot be viewed until the book it's been made from has been read! (Sidenote: I asked the girls at work today if I was a bad mum because I was considering asking the kdis to make tea so that I could spend that time reading the book....all in the name of their development as chefs, of course!! (For the record, I helped them make tea. No reading of books by anyone was involved).)

- Castello Blue cheese is utterly divine.

- I cannot play a ball or team sport to save myself. I am, however, an awesome one-woman cheer squad, and have absolutely no shame at yelling (some may say screaming. Ahem) encouragement at my kids' teams as they play. Just ask DS 14, whose basketball team won their semi-final by ONE point in the dying seconds of the game tonight. It's a credit to him that he didn't admonish me for embarrassing him by jumping around in the stands when they won, or giving him a hug in front of his team mates afterwards. Even though I may be the type of mum who has often said that embarrassing my kids is one of my favourite hobbies. Especially in public.

- I may or may not have dropped my knitting under the stands I was jumping around on at basketball tonight. I'm going to be rather disappointed if I have, as it was my soon-to-be finished pair of socks and favourite DPN's. That'll teach me for being an overexcited, cheering parent!

- I love my job, because you never know what the day is going to bring. I went to work expecting a fairly quiet week, and by 10:30 was booking flights to Adelaide for a meeting tomorrow afternoon. The best part? I get to stay with my best friend, and spend the day wandering the city with my sister on my day off on Wednesday. I'm totally loving this whole day-off-a-week deal!!

- My awesome kids and I got stuck into the garden yesterday and cleaned up a whole heap of overgrown plants, weeds and general rubbish. And DS 14 cut down a tree. A gum tree. A small, sick, and half dead gum tree, but a gum tree nonetheless. He is very proud - and now sporting blisters across his palm (because mum's idea of wearing gloves apparently wasn't worthy of computing). He will be rewarded for his efforts - a ticket to 'The Hunger Games' in 3D, when he's finished the book (see above). Cheap deal on my part - a tree felling and bush prunings for the cost of a movie ticket!!

- This clean up was prompted by the discovery that our two dogs had gotten out of the yard, and one had come back without the other. Ruby will run at the mere glimpse of a chance to escape, whereas Buddy looks rather confused at the prospect of leaving the house/yard ('why would I do that? There are people to love right here!!) As I was looking around the yard for them, I realised what a terrible state it was in (my 'I live, expecting to fail' mentality can be blamed for this), and vowed to do something about it then and there. After I found the Buddy. Which I did, after nearly an hour of driving around, and spent the next hour waiting for my heart to return to it's normal position, out of my throat.

- A couple of weeks ago, I downloaded the Kindle for iPhone app, and promptly purchased my first book 'Organized Simplicity' by Tsh Oxenreider (simplemom.net). Whilst a 'proper' book I can hold in my hands will always be my true love, I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to read the book on my iPhone. It's great for those moments you find yourself with a few minutes to fill in (which when you start looking for them, actually occur more often than you realise), and a lot less bulkier than carrying around a book. However, it is not suitable for reading in the bath - this has been my quandry with considering buying a Kindle, and why 'real' books will always remain my one true love. Soggy pages that result from dropping said book in the bath when you doze off are far easier to dry out than a piece of electronic equipment. Fortunately, I do not know this by personal experience. I'm just making an educated guess.

- I love my iPhone. A lot. I tried an Android for a while, but it was just never the same. I went back to my trusty iPhone 3G, obtained in October 2008, however I fear the end is near. I just hope it can hold out until the iPhone 5 is released, then I will retire it with dignity. This coming from the girl who's trying to pare back, reduce, simplify, and not be so enamoured with stuff and gadgets.......

- DD brought home a brilliant Youtube clip for me to watch tonight. She knows me well, that girl of mine. I'll leave you with this beautiful, simple message of love and life.