Sunday, May 30, 2010

The DAA Conference

The last three days have seen me attend my very first DAA conference. As it was my first one I had no idea what to expect, I had heard all kinds of things, that it would be awesome, that it would be boring, that I wouldn't be hungry, but I still didn't really know, but as Darryl Summers used to say 'you never never know if you never never go!'


Anyway, because most of you reading this aren't dieitians, I wouldn't bore you with all the details and instead I would do a bit of a top 5 highlights/ things I learnt... Ready? Ok here we go:


1. Dietitians come in all sizes, big, small and in between. This was a very comforting reminder that the stereotype of the 'skinny blonde dietitian' was simply that... A stereotype!


2. All dieitians love chocolate! This was confirmed by the mad rush for the ferrero stand once word got out that they were giving out show bags filled with chocolatey goodness!


3. I love free things, throughout the three days I managed to get my self quite a collection of things, including chocolate, massagers, sample food products, a little chocolate grater and of course lots of pens!


4. It doesn't matter how long it's been since you have seen someone, it's always nice to catch up!


5. And on a more serious note, dietitians have a very important and unique role to play the future of this country's health and if I don't keep more up to date I will get left behind... So bring on the proactivity!


So there you go... The conference, I was really glad that I went coz I learnt a heap of stuff and I think it has inspired me to be a better dietitian... At least for the next little while anyway!


But now I am off to party at Ness' 21st... Woo hoo!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Engagement Party

So this afternoon Dave and I had our engagement party.  Leading up to it I have been a bit stressed... Had I done everything? was it going to go ok? would everyone come? Would everyone get along? Had I forgotten anyone? Was I ready for this? All these questions were going over and over, but now it's been and gone and it was all good! In fact I can't believe how well it went, or how spoilt Dave and I were... Seriously two car loads of awesome pressies is crazy!

Anyway what I really want to say is that I feel like this party gas made everything so much more official.  I mean I know Dave and I were officially getting married as soon as I said yes back in April after the most extravagant proposal ever, but something about having everyone there today made it even more real. So guess what??? I am getting married! Seriously... Married, it's all official it's happening!

So thanks everyone for helping Dave and I celebrate, oh and thanks so much for all our beautiful presents.  And coz I couldn't decide which pictures to put in the blog, I have decided to make a slide show of some of the good ones... Enjoy! 

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Dead

It's happened, it's actually happened! My beloved Saabie is dead!

This has been a long time coming, in fact there is lots and lots of blogs all about it, but I guess I never I still didn't actually expect it to happen, well not just yet anyway.... But back to the story... I knew that today was going to be a sad day with Saabie this morning as I drove to work, because as I drove up the hill next to the hospital, which I will admit is pretty steep, Saabie struggled. Feeling that perhaps I could no longer wait for my new car i did a bit of a ring around and managed to score myself pa's pintara for the next month. All I had to do now was get Saabie back to Melbourne.

Later that morning, when Jana and I went out to get the lunch we were supposed to be providing for the speechies, Saabie putted along, kinda like a boat and then eventually stopped about 100meters from where we wanted to be. After a short rest while Jana and I walked the rest of the way, Saabie rose again and got us home, but not confidently! So fearing the worst I called my friends at the RACV and got them to come and take a look. My RACV friend told me I needed motor oil and I needed it now. Now before you all start saying nasty things about the fact that I am such a girl and that I should have checked the motor oil... Let me just say... I had been, my oil light was faulty so I had been checking my oil, but it was always fine, so I was just checking it less regularly than I should have been... And my car had, unbeknown to me, developed an oil leak! So I was out! So as per the instructions of the RACV man after work I drove straight to the servo and got myself some new motor oil.

Saabie was once again up and running and sounding great so I took him home and filled him up with all my stuff, clothes, DVDs, even my sheets and donna as I was worried that the mouse had been on them! Then I headed home, back to Melbourne. Everything was going swimmingly until I got about 10minutes down the Calder... Which was about 30minutes from home. All of a sudden everything died, lots of warning lights went on and all I could do was break and steer over to the shoulder where I eventually stopped. After a few minutes a gave the Saabie another try and nothing... Just lights! So for the second time I called the RACV.

After a bit if working out where I was exactly, Kyneton RACV came to get me. After playing my my car for a bit, I was informed that my engine had seized up and Saabie would be towed back to the Kyneton depo. So I grabbed as much of my stuff as I could carry and got the RACV man to take me to station so that I could eventually get home.

So tonight after being dropped home by mum, I have some mixed feelings... I can't really believe that the Saab is actually dead. I feel a little bit like a neglective parent, even though I had no idea! This wasn't how I had imagined it would end with Saabie... I am kinda glad that he is dead dead, because it will make it easier for me to enjoy the Rio guilt free... But I am still sad that he is actually gone. Now I have to work out what to do with the Saab... If anyone will want it for spare parts... And what I am going to tell the people at Kia about what happened to my trade in!

So Saabie, I am sorry this is how you went! I will miss you more than I probably should, given that you are just a car. Thanks for getting me around for the last 5 and a bit years, you were the best!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Not Fat Enough

Today is Mother's Day, but thats not what I am going to blog about, I have been there and done that and nothing has changed I still love my mum, but this year a blog is not my method of appreciation expression... but happy mothers day anyway Mum! 

No, today I want to blog about those moments in your life when things aren't quite the way you expected.  Today I took a step outside my comfort zone... well out side it.  Most of you would probably know just how much I love musicals, and some of you may know how much I have always wanted to be in one.  Well a little while ago while I was surfing the net, as you do and I came across and article about the musical Hairspray, which is due to open in Melbourne in October later this year.  The article talked about the fact that they would be holding open auditions for a few of the parts in particular the role of Tracy Trunblad and that those who may be interested should check out the website for more details.  Being more than interested I went to the website and had a look at the casting brief and this is what it said:

Tracy Turnblad
5'3"or shorter, 17yrs – 25yrs old.  Must be heavyset.  Outgoing, unstoppable, goodhearted with a vibrant, lovable, spirited personality.  Loves to sing and dance.

Which is pretty much me... in everyway.  So as this offer, no matter how far fetched it seemed, was too good to refuse, I decided that I would bite the bullet and give it a go. 

So that's what I have been doing today, lineing up and wait with a least 100 other tracey hopefulls to see if maybe, just maybe we could be the next Tracy.  So with my trusty sidekick Davo, we headed into Brunswick with a chance to shine.  I got through the first round, in that they wanted to hear me sing... but that was the where my Tracy dreams ended.  I did get to sing, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped and with all these other amazing girls waiting, there is no time for a second shot.  I did get to sing in front of Jason Colemen through. 

I guess the day wasn't all bad, because while I was there I did get a bit of a confidence booster.  As there were a number of times through out the day when I thought to my self that perhaps I was not fat enough to be Tracy.  I don't think I have ever thought I wasn't fat enough in my whole life, and I am probably unlikely to again... but none the less, it made me feel a little better about the whole thing!  Oh and just coz I am not the next Tracy... I am still going to go and see the show... Oh and now I can focus on the gym and my wedding dress.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Nessa's 21

One of the cool things that happens when I get married, soon... is I get a sister.  I only have brothers of my own, and while sometimes they act like girls, its just not the same.  But Dave has a sister a very cool one at that and soon she will be mine too. 

Today is her 21st birthday, so I thought it seems right and proper to have a celebratory blog to say Happy Birthday! 

So Ness, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Hope you have a ripper day and that you get spoilt rotten.  Thanks so much for sharing your brother with me!  I love you stacks!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Train Trauma

For those of you that haven't been paying much attention recently, my car is dying... slowly but very very surely dying.  So much so that I am trying to drive it as little as possible because my new car is not due to come until the end of May or maybe even early June.  Anyway, as a result, I have been trying to catch the train back and forth from Castlemaine and Melbourne to give it a little rest on the weekends.  This has actually been quite an enjoyable experience as it gives me an extra hour and a half to sit and just chilax, without too much to worry about, the only thing is the trains run to their times not yours.  Tonight's trip was probably the most traumatic experience of my little life... and I never never never want to do it again. 

Tonight I caught the latest train to Melbourne so that Davo could go to the footy with Dustin.  The train was due to leave at 9:03pm, long after the final train people had left their little office and locked the doors.  When I got to the station I noticed that the office was shut and thought that it didn't matter too much, because I always catch the train to Melbourne from platform 2 and you can buy a ticket on the train.  So having successfully made it to platform 2 with all my belongings (which were quite large in number tonight as I have a big weekend ahead of me, including my purple carry on size suitcase, a full to the brim of books and computer stuff country road bag, a jumper and my handbag) and a couple of minutes to spare.  However, once I was at the station I noticed that there were actually a lot more people on platform 1, so, as you do, I called out and asked only to be informed that I was in the wrong spot and I now had about 2 minutes to get to the other side.  This wouldn't have been such a big problem if I had found out a couple of minutes earlier or even if I had less stuff.  But at that moment panic set it and I started to run to wards the above ground crossing (1. so I could see/hear the train and 2. It seemed like the quickest way). 

As I finally made it to the crossing and made it out onto the tracks I heard the crossing sounds and the gates in front to me to get off the tracks shut.  As I began to panic a little bit more I fumbled around until I found the emergency exit and then continued to run up the ramp towards the train, which seemed like a impossible task.  In a lot of pain I continued to run and made it on... just and then collapsed into an empty seat. 

I am not really sure what I found more traumatic, the fact that I almost missed the train, or the moment those gates in front of me closed leaving me with just the train... it was dark and cold and I was really really frightened.  It turns out that even though I always catch the train from platform 2, there are only really 2 or 3 Melbourne trains that leave from there, they just all happen to be the ones that I have caught in the past.  I guess I will know for next time... although next time I might also leave my self a good 10minutes at the station, just in case. 

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Creatures of the Night

So I am not good with small animals and insects... at all, in fact I hate them... all of them!  Its not often that I blog about them though, in fact I have only done it once before and this is for a number of reasons:

1. I hate them... so why should they get any of my time?
2. I like to appear strong and independent and confessing the shear fear that takes over my body when I have an encounter with such creatures shows my weak and very girlie side. 
3. The just aren't good reading!

Anyway, the time has come for me to vent again... This week has been a rollercoster of emotion.  It started last Wednesday, when I had the pleasure of having Flic come and visit.  While we watched High School Musical 3 we indulged in a little chocolate.  Not getting through all of it, some remained in the bowl at then end of the night and I forgot about it.  The next day when I got home from work I noticed the chocolate still out, although there was a lot less left than I had remember.  On closer inspection I noticed one sizable chuck of chocolate that had been removed from the bowl sitting underneath the lamp.  This little bit of chocolate had nice little teeth marks all around the edges.  The teeth marks were much too small to have been made by a human, and so I decided that perhaps I had a mouse.  As Dave was on his way for a visit I put the chocolate aside so that I could show him and tried to go on with my night until he got there.  

Once Dave arrived he confirmed it was a mouse and told me he would take care of it tomorrow, which he did, he cleaned my house while I was at work, set a trap and eventually caught the mouse in the rubbish bin and got rid of it.  Feeling safe in my new mouse free house I didn't think to much more of it.  Everything was packed up and away, the house was clean and the trap was set... just in case.  So back to Melbourne I went, not really thinking that much of it.  

However, when Monday came around, as I drove back to my house to get ready for work I started to wonder about the trap and if there would be anything in it.  I told myself that Dave had dealt with the mouse and that he was gone so there would be nothing in the trap.  But as I opened my door on Monday morning I was surprised to find a mouse, dead in the trap... and all the peanut butter used to trap it gone.  Knowing that the trap had caught the mouse right on its nose, I knew that this dead mouse could not have eaten that peanut butter and so as I tried (and succeeded eventually) to remove the dead mouse I started to panic about where this other mouse was. 

The thing is I can't find any mouse poo... so I don't think the mouse lives in the house, but I still feel like I can hear it.  In fact, its not very often but every time I convince myself that all the mice are gone... I hear something else, which makes me believe that they are not.  I know when I moved up to the country that mice would probably happen, but I thought that after a year maybe I was safe, but it turns out no...  I hope the mouse is gone.  I am not really sure why it frightens me so much, I think its just that they surprise me when I am not ready for it. Anyway, I guess all I can do is keep the food locked away and hope for the best...I do just wish they would leave though!