Hi, said I would be back and here I am.
Kellye it is very difficult to be transplanted to a new country. Have you been in the States for long or just got there? My friend in Arizona has been in America (first in California) for over 20 years. She loves having people from home to visit but says that she always feels homesick after they have gone. We send up care packages every so often. Griffins gingernuts, choc mint biscuits, malt biscuits etc etc. and of course vegemite. I've been looking out for a spatula for her as her 20 year old flexible metal one is coming to the end of the road. Found one today and have just sent her a picture of it to see if she wants one.
Happy great to hear from you. Don't think we had the eclipse down here this time. At least I haven't heard much about it if it did. It would have been a great view if it did happen. There is no cloud over Australia at all at the moment.
Fish sounds good and I love fish chowder. I may just drop in for a feed on my way through to see Ruthxxx in the play she was trying out for
As for work. Well, not one word has been uttered to any of the trainers today. We were supposed to get an e-mail telling us of the reasons and events. Hasn't happened yet. We do have a meeting set down for 11.00am tomorrow so may learn something then. Meantime I am re-doing the documentation as it needs a bit of rejuvenation to catch up with the times. It sounds like I am worrying about it, but to tell the truth I really don't care that much. If the worst comes about, then I will continue to renovate until after Christmas and then search out some more work. I have spent some time today working on my resume - CV and bringing that up to date. What will be will be. I have made regular deposits to my Medical/Employment Fund which will allow me to cope with unemployment for a couple of months or so.

Kellye, tell us more about yourself. Where in NZ did you live? Life is much easier now in the days of Internet and better communications, but we often still feel homesick. Is DH Kiwi too? Kids, home, = we are nosey aren't we?

I hope Dr. Phil is paying a pretty penny to this website for advertising. Seem to see him all over here. Just go away Phil....
I'm tired of seeing you everywhere I turn. Can you spell O-V-E-R-E-X-P-O-S-U-R-E?

Tonight I had to hurry out after work with only an hour left of daylight to hurry and rake leaves for a winter's blanket for my lily of the valleys. My neighbor thought I was crazy when I asked if I could have her leaves - she has a yard full. Told me I could take them all. Got 3 big bags full, enough for a nice mulch. Wanted to cut down the spent plants too but DH has hidden my garden tools. - took them from their proper storage container when he "borrowed" it for something else and as the light was waning, I didn't have time to look for them.

We had a small steak and salad for dinner and a bit of potato but not too much. Afterwards I was watching some TV and actually dozed off in the chair. That only means one thing, there's a cold bug going around. I am going to sleep right after I post, a few extra bits of sleep often help me fight off something.

I should have done homework tonight but I was really tired. Peeked in a bit on the group web project for our class. There is some ahem "creative discussions" that I elected to stay out of.

A none too exciting day, hope all of yours were better. G'night for now.

Hi everyone and welcome Kellye!

I hope that everyone is well. I've been trying to stay on task w/ww this week, as I had a bit of a gain last week. I weigh in tomorrow and need to see the number go down!

Yes the job does come home with me at times, but not nearly as much as it did when I was a parole officer. I live in a small rural area so I would be running into my "clients" at the grocery and video store etc. all the time. They'd see me and act like I had the plague! I liked it in one way, I always knew where the criminals lived in my town..but probably many of them knew where I lived too. I would get calls all the time, in the middle of the night from the police telling me that they had one of my guys (or gals) and what to do with them. I've chased them out of bars, caught them climbing out of windows and all sorts of things. It was a good job, in that it was never dull. But, eventually after 8+ years I got burned out. I started to see generations of families on my caseload. I once had supervised a father, mother and two of three adult children in the same family. It got pretty disheartening after a while and I felt like a well paid babysitter. So what I do now has a lot less constant stress at least, and I don't have police calling my house all the time any more.

We got good news today. My husband is a 6th grade teacher and he was selected by his principal to attend a National Conference for a week in Washington DC. I told him he could go as long as I get to go and play! So we will be heading off in about 4 weeks. We've been there together one other time, about 5 years ago. While he's sitting in meetings and conference sessions I'm going to explore. And I decided that I am going to find one of those day spas and spend a day pampering myself. I haven't ever done that before and think it would be a lot of fun!

We saw the Neurosurgeon today for my husbands pain condition. We are hoping that he can get an intrathecal pain pump. It's a pump that is implanted in your spine and it sends pain medications directly to the nerves that are causing the pain. If he is eligible he would be getting much less of the drugs in his system (as the amount he has to take orally just to function is astounding). There have been people who have had such success from this that they have been able to live practically pain and drugged free lives. We are just hoping that he is eligible and that this might be the thing that works for him. As it is now we are just hoping he can work long enough to get a basic retirement (which for him is about 6 more years). If he gets the pump and it works then he might be able to work longer. He's only 42 years old. So...keep your fingers and toes crossed. He has been referred to a psychologist and a physical medicine doctor and if they clear him then he can try the pump.

Well, I'll check back later. Have a good night!

Kim

Poor Happy. Hope you shake off whatever is in the system before it takes hold.
Can't think why the neighbour thinks you are crazy. Local mulch is definitely the best stuff in the world and it is free. We don't get much mulch and leaf litter around here, most trees don't lose their leaves.
Our meeting went off okay. It appears that we are going to be separated into two areas. Documentation and training. David, Rob and I are to remain in the office to do repairs and updates on the the manuals. We are not terribly amused as we want to go out to branchland as well. It's a lot more fun out there. Training will resume in late January. It must be costing the company a fortune to have us lounging around the joint. They just sent all the Support team back to NSW to go to the branches again.
So life goes on, but at home not away.

Cute little image happy. Could describe at least three of the people in the office at the moment. System has gone down again and we are mooching around talking and drinking coffee. Time to go get another one I think. I should be able to fly home without the car shortly.

E noho ra (goodbye for now)

Back again. Hi Kim,congrats on the trip to Washington DC. You will have a lot of fun their while the DH is working at his conference. My fingers are crossed for his new medication. It is so debilitating and demoralising to live in constant pain or in a drugged state.
Which brings me to another point or rather person in our wee group. I have just got off the phone from chatting with Teel. I was a bit worried about her bcause we hadn't heard from her since she went into respite care. It appears she has hurt her back again. Doesn't know how or why and the new medication is only beginning to kick in now. Poor thing. She is also stressed out about the tribunal hearing coming up next week (again). Apparently her Social Worker has heard from the DSW about the complaint they put in about the Dr who came around for the home assessment so long ago. Seems that they may want to redo the home assiessment which will mean delaying yet again the hearing. Poor kid is in a real state. So spare a thought for Teel when you get a spare moment.

It seems I am always forgetting to introduce myself!

Shad - I come from Christchurch, in Wainoni. My family is still there

I am married to an american, we are living in the mountains of Western North Carolina - it is very beautiful here, especially in fall, but I agree, it is no NZ.
I have one son, Gabriel, but we all call him Gabe. I also have two cats - Peedoodle and Kahu (short for Kahurangi )

I am in the process of starting to volunteer at the Humane Society - I LOVE animals.
I was almost done with my degree in Anthropology at Victoria Uni of Wellington, when I was transplanted here, and I plan to finish when I get back home - hubby is at school right now getting a degree in Computer Networking Technology or something like that. When he is finished, we will go home. I have been here for 4 years now. I can't believe how fast the time goes!

I better get dressed and get my bum to the gym, I have a pump class (the instructor is always asking me about classes in NZ as it was developed there, they think I know all about it )

Hi there guys, and a big thank you to Shad for her great not too early morning call this morning.Shad you are an and I decided that I would make the effort to get on and say hi to everyone including our new friend kiwideus and let you all know that I am really still alive although having trouble with the kicking!!
As Shad has explained, I live (badly) with constant pain like your DH,Kimallen.BTW, I hope your trip to the big city is a great time!!The benefits agency closed my benefit allowance in May this year and I have been in the process of an appeal ever since,After a recent doctor's visit, my social worker had cause to put in a formal complaint about several bits in the visit and I read the report today.It was three pages long and they had put a great deal of work into it, I must say.She read a pertinant paragraph out to my welfare rights officer on the phone yesterday and apparently he is going to check out that this doctor's report is largely in order, but has warned Judy to warn me not to be too surprised if the blessed thing is adjurned again. I shall go stark raving mad if this is the case.I just CANNOT do all this again, despite my psychiatrist saying today "if we lose we appeal, and we appeal, and we.."well you get the idea, I am sure!!Just realised I have not put any emoticons in today, so here are a few choice ones, hee hee!!!! Ooh I wondered why I was hungry. Time has passed and it is dinner time, so ta ta, bless you all and oh here is your helper!!

Oh p.s. Thank you for all your "spare moment thoughts!!"

Good to hear from you Teel. I've got fingers and toes and anything else possible crossed for you at the moment.
Kellye - Christchurch hey! My Mum came from West Melton and my Dad from Kaiapoi. I spent a good deal of my 'young years' moving around such places as Hororata, Timaru, Geraldine, Temuka, Ashley, Amberley etc etc. before we moved to Wellington. It's a small world. Can you not finish your degree as distance education from Vic?? Cat's a female I presume. Is she really a grand dame or demi god?
Hello to Kim and Happy. Hope you are all having a great day. Teel get mad and get even, but don't let it get you!
Here your go Kellye since we are both South Islanders. For the others let me elucidate. These are the Moeraki Boulders, sometimes known as the Devils Marbles and they are large circular boulders on a beach in the south east of the South Island. They are taken from an unusual angle. Later I will find a more normal picture of them.

I remember visiting the Moeraki Boulders when I was about 9 years old, and I remember sitting on one. They are amazing aren't they?

Kahu is a devil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! Nothing is safe from him - he is a deaf white, blue eyed cat with the sweetest personality but oh so mischievous!! I love him anyway!

I have friends in North Canterbury, and I always went to stay with them on weekends - they live in Sefton, which is just past Ashley, but I am sure you know that

Hey Girls,

Good to hear from you again Teel. I'm sorry that your hearing may be once again delayed, but you were treated so rudely by that doctor, something must be done lest you have to endure him again and again.

Ah Shad, now we get to see a bit of back home, eh? Won't it make you homesick? DH said you told him there were some nice pictures to be had your way. His answer to how will we endure the long flight was that we only buy 1 way tickets. He said who would want to come back here after seeing Oz and NZ?

Kellye that is wonderful that you are volunteering at the Humane Society. I could never do that because I'd be bringing animals home all the time and wheezing and sneezing while I was doing it. I could not resist those cute little faces.

Kim, let us know when we can uncross fingers and toes. Hope all goes well with your husband and he gets approval for his pump. My husband has had 3 back surgeries and I understand his concern about life going forward and what kind of shape he will be in. Washington DC is a neat place to visit, I'm sure you'll find a spa with no trouble as well as some interesting sights. It's fine to roam around during the day, just be careful at night, some of the areas get some rather seedy looking people.

I have gotten a little behind in my homework so I need to buckle down the next few days and get caught up. I don't want to get so far behind that I can't catch up. I am trying to keep up with my fly lady habits and at least go to sleep with everything reasonably neat.

Catch you all tomorrow...

Oh for goodness sake!!!!! I have spent how much time on my stupid printer, which refuses to put out its red ink light although I have correctly loaded another black ink cartridge tonight. It just will not play ball and I AM SICK TO DEATH OF IT!!!
There!! Having got that off my 38D's I now have some rather astonishing news...I got on the scales in Boots plc today.. yes, the usual ones....stripped off boots, outer jumper, and stood not breathing and it said....rather unbeleivingly, I grant you.....70.6kg..i.e. in English 11st 1lb!!!Which means, somehow, I have lost 7 lbs in a week!!!!I know I have not been eating properly because of the pain and the low mood recently, but I think that counts as a miracle in my books!!! Honestly!!! I know you don't beleive me, so here I copy the last three entries from the pull out slip from the weighing machine...

30.10.03 11st 8 lb
05.11.03 11st 8 lb
12.11.03 11st 1lb.

I know! I am as bowled over as you are hee hee hee!!!!

Ha ha I see we have some new emoticons to play with...I saw my psychiatrist yesterday. He changed my sleeping pills and I take my first one tonight. He said take one on the first night and if it does not work then take two the next night.Hummmmmm.What happens on night three????Actually although I ache like crazy tonight (trying to do too much in the four hours of sensible pain levels whilst those new pills work....should do at English £106 per packet....) I think they are o.k. as I have not had to sleep in the afternoon for three days now! Life just gets better and better. (I wish it would).
I am sorry to say I have lurked more than I have posted over the last week or so but I have read ALL the posts,my lord how you lot can !!I am sure I was on page 6 or 7 when I last wandered through!
Oh yes! I have at last got the photos back from your England tour, Shad...the pictures of the Abbey Gardens came out beautifully clear despite it raining the only two days in the whole of the summer whilst you were visiting.Och weel! There's Suffolk fer thee!!

Well I guess I had better bring this to a fast close....(especially as I only have 1 emoticon to go before I crash!).
Night night, good morning and especially to Happy and those across that pond, have a good evening.

I return!!

I meant to say, as well as I have fallen in love with the little happy chappy r.o.f.l. at the end, if those Boots scales are correct...and they ARE the ones I always use, this new total means..............ready?

I HAVE LOST 2 STONE 2LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I cannot wipe this stupid grin off my face.......
and no, I have NOT been on the grape juice stuff commonly known as alcohol.


Bye bye...bed time. The hound has already gone.Big bundle of mischief........

Teel, I hope that wasn't you at the bottom of the post - you didn't fall out of the chair did you? Big congrats on the lbs down. Long may it continue. So what ever you are doing with the grape juice, hang in there and keep on doing it!!!

Can you scan some of the photos and lets have a look or do I have to get you to send copies or are we not allowed to see them? Glad to hear that they turned out good tho'. I presume one of them is me at the Colman's Mustard Museum????

I'm still sitting here doing doco. I hate rewrites. I would much rather ditch the entire thing and start afresh because it is never the same ofter you have butchered it. There are always little bits which reference other little bits now redundant or no longer important.

They are pressing me to take leave at Christmas. I keep saying I have no leave left to take! They take no notice and I take no leave. I am not running myself into the red again and I refuse to take it without pay when I don't want to be on leave at Christmas anyway. Not a festival I look forward to with much joy any more and totally commercialised anyway. Time will see which of us wins out.

Okay, back to the blasted doco. It will be finished this week or I will be very angry with myself.

It's Thusday here, and it is 10 past 1 in the afternoon so only 1.5 more days of work to the weekend. Not that I am counting you understand.

Here's another - more normal photo of the Moeraki Boulders.

Beautiful picture of the Boulders Shad. Would love to be sitting on them myself at the moment.

Congrats Teel on the weightloss even if it is not the best method for losing - being worried out of your mind that is. But you deserve a few (I see we finally have some new smilies).

Got a call from the boss today. They are giving my office at work to someone else. Good news for me which means I can officially work totally from home now without feeling guilty that I should show up in the office occasionally. Either that or I am being fired and I am too naive to realize it. Actually this person wanted my office for months and our big boss did not want to give it up, but I guess he changed his mind or was pursuaded. In any event, I never liked this office anyway. It was dark, cold and right in the roving eyes of all the busybodies of the office. The thermostat that controlled my office was 6 offices down the hall and in the winter I would have to go and plead for heat. The poor person who was in that office with the thermostat practically had to work in his skivvies so the rest of us cold women didn't have to work with our coats on. Shades of Dickens! I was forced to move offices when new boss came on board so that we could have adjacent offices. My old office was warm and bright and right by all of my team cohorts. I suppose since the director offered his office to me when I do come in (he only comes to the office twice a month) and they did ask me how much storage I needed at the office for my stuff - that is a decent sign that I'm not getting the famous boot so well known in my circle of friends. With winter setting in and the short days and my inability to drive at night and terror of driving on ice, suits me just fine to work from home permanently. I will visit the office when we have our quarterly office lunch where everyone brings a dish.

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. 6 month cleaning. Today after lunch my tongue noticed a sharp spot in my mouth and much to my dismay, a large chunk of tooth broke off one of my molars. How many calories in a tooth as it is now floating around my tummy? There goes another $800 for a new crown. I had alot of cavities as a kid and my teeth are pretty weak due to lots of fillings. They are now getting to the point that they break and each break is an expensive crown it seems. Soon the cost of my mouth will equal the mortgage. I have long ago given up eating any hard or crunchy things like peanut brittle. Worst I do now is a carrot stick or celery but that hasn't stopped the teeth from cracking away. So it's good that I had that dentist appt anyway.

Since I'll be heading right to the office after the dentist, I packed my lunch for tomorrow. As I was doing so, I realized that I missed planning out my meal. Being at home I generally grab something when I have a few minutes break. When I go to the office, I plan carefully - a balanced meal in reasonable portions. Perhaps I should pack a lunch each night anyway and go eat it in the remodelled basement to stay in good habit.

And my last rant of the day is the instructor in my second course. She is Miss Nit Pick. I do understand that the students today are not very mature and you have to be specific with them. But... if you must throw stones, be sure you don't live in a glass house. Her course materials are in quite a disarray. She has add on notes that don't follow sequentially with the chapters see page 10, see page 12, see page 8 see page 14 etc. She could do with a bit of tidying up herself. Of course if you complain, you get more points off. DH had her for a course last semester and complained of the same things. She must have forgotten to listen and or care because the course I'm taking has been rewritten by her and it's just as sloppy.

Perhaps when you are finished Shad, you can rewrite her doco.

With that, I will go back to finish the assignment and turn it in as tomorrow is couch potato TV night and I want to enjoy it to it's fullest.

We have a cold cold wind blowing in here. Temps are dropping fast and that last of the leaves are scattered about. They're quite crispy now so it sounds like it's raining outside as they sweep across the pavement. Time to pull out the woolies!

Teel, this smiley's for you and your stubborn computer ...

And here's another of you tooling around town on your motorbike.

Hello's to the rest of you ladies by the way...