Just a Week in Review

After a pretty non-productive weekend (unless you count housecleaning, which I don't...), Monday came too quickly.  I got absolutely NO QUILTING done this weekend and that's BAD.  I'm so behind on everything.  And in two weeks, I have another completely independent quilt starting.  Arghhh!

So Monday.  Mr. Smith left early for JFK to be away for a couple of days.  It's funny.  I always think that I'll be able to get more quilting done if he's not home.  LOL!  What a riot!  He and I had talked about putting up my quilt design wall.  When we were at Home Desperate I picked up some Command strips.  I thought that they would hang on the wall side nicely and I could always sew them to the quilt design wall if they didn't stick properly (which I just assume they won't).

It occurs to me that some of you may be wondering what a quilt design wall is.  It's basically felt-type of material hung vertically so that you can stick your quilt blocks or pieces to it, step back and make changes if necessary.

Anyhoo.  Mr. Smith thinks that I need to use grommets and hang it by hooks.  I'm thinking that this is going to make the design wall stand out from the actual wall and that will make it more difficult to use.  So I stopped at Jo-Ann's on Monday night to pick up grommets and a grommet tool.  This led to about $40 in purchases that were not planned.  As usual.

I got home and discovered a Treatsie box in the mail!!  Here's my unveiling (just in case you missed it):

So even though I got home late after a late night at work and impromptu shopping spree at Jo-Ann's, Monday turned out pretty awesome!  I was so wired up that I couldn't sleep.  This sometimes happens to me when Mr. Smith is not home.  I just get anxious or whatever.  So I finally forced myself to bed a bit after midnight.

Of course, this means that when Tuesday's alarm rolls around, I turn it off and fall right back to sleep.  At least this is what I'm assuming happened.  Next thing I know it's 6:50am and I'm running late.  And Mr. Smith is not home, so I also have to feed the kitties.

Thankfully I clocked in before 8:09am, which would have made me OFFICIALLY late.  :)

So I drank a bunch of coffee all Tuesday to keep me perky.  It didn't help that it rained all day long.  The kind of day where you just want to stay in bed curled up with your cats.  Oh well.  It's been a crazy week at work too.  Last week of the month, a couple of people on vacation, a couple of sick people, etc, etc.  You know, just to make it all interesting.

So I made sure I got off work earlier than I did on Monday.  The kitties were very happy to get din-din a little bit earlier than usual.  Tuesday night was the kind of night I like.  I got home early enough to feel like I had a whole night to just DO NOTHING.  I'm such a lazy person at heart.  It's when I'm happiest.  I thought about getting started on some of my quilting projects ... even if just some cutting.  But it was so nice to get caught up on all my DVR goodness.

So I went to bed early and got up on time on Wednesday.  It's nice to not have to rush when getting ready for work.  It also allowed me to shave, which I had to skip on Tuesday!

Wednesday was great until I get home and realize that all the rain we got on Tuesday did nothing for our flowers.  I was planning to get outside and water everything on the porch since rainwater won't get under there.  So I went out in my jeans thinking it would be quick, but it was anything BUT quick.  By the time I got everything watered in the front and back, I was sweating like a hooker in church.  So I turned the A/C down and got a giant bottle of cold water.

I had also noticed that we got the tax bills for the GMC and the Kawasaki.  When Mr. Smith got home, he freaked out at how high they are.  Yep.  But that's normal.  We live in Connecticut, for goodness sake.

The only other thing I can remember about this week is finalizing the plans for our trip to New Hampshire to see a friend get married on August 20th.  I have another friend getting married on August 20th, too.  How does this happen?  I don't have that many close friends.  And now I can't go to the second wedding because I can't be in two places at once.  It's pretty disappointing.  But look at the invitation from Jackie + Josh:

It's so gorgeous.  I really can't wait to see them again.  I made our hotel reservations at the Hotel Portsmouth.  It looks comfy and we get free brekkie!  I'll have to make a special post after the wedding (as long as they agree, of course).

So that's my week so far.  It's been so long since I've posted anything, I thought I should post SOMETHING already!

Later!

#ImWithHer

No, I'm not using my blog for making a political statement, but I'm too excited to sleep!

Hillary Clinton has made history today.  As the first woman to get a major party presidential nomination, her achievement is a historic moment for all women.

It makes me hopeful for America's future.

Entitled, Rich, White Boy Problems

I came across this story on Facebook today.  A Stanford swimmer (their description) was found guilty of raping an unconscious woman.  My choice for best article about this incident can be found by clicking here.

Even though he was found guilty, he has never admitted guilt.  Only says that he ruined his life by drinking too much.  The article found above, which I hope you will read, pinpoints exactly what is wrong with this country.

This is not the type of thing I thought I would be writing about on my blog when I started out.  But I find myself getting so angry over things like this.  I don't understand how Brock Turner could have been given a sentence of only SIX MONTHS for his crimes.  And people question WHY women don't want to come forward after sexual attacks?

The victim basically had to get victimized over and over, finally won a conviction and was pretty much slapped in the face.  This pisses me off.

Here's what she had to say about how her life is changed:  Victim's Statement

Listen, I know that her statement is long, but we have to read it.  It needs to sink in ... the shit we let privileged, rich white boys get away with in this country.

We should all be ashamed of ourselves for allowing it.  And make no mistake.  We ALL allow it by not speaking up, myself included.

NO! NO! NO!

I'm a quilter.  I've mentioned that, right?

What I'm not is a seamstress.  I know I've mentioned THAT to a few of you.

So why did I let myself get talked into making a costume for my friend, Paula?  Well, I'm still trying to figure that one out.  Maybe it was because it looked really cool.  Here's a pic:

Anyhoo.  I said yes.  Then I started shopping.  I found shiny yellow fabric at Joann's.  Then I found some spidery-like black fabric to drape over it.  I bought tulle in black and lemon.  I bought non-curl elastic for the waistband.

Everything arrived and I figured I'd better try to measure my subject.  Have I mentioned that I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing?

I measured her shoulders, underarms, waist, length of torso and length of skirt.  For some reason, I never measured her bust.

So I'm at home trying to construct a top with missing measurements.  I freaked out and stopped.  Here's when I thought that I could just bring the material to work and pin it straight to her body.  Yep.  Professional.

She agreed to have a sleeveless top (thank you, Paula!) and so I brought the material back home to make a tube.  When I tried it on her, it fit!  Yippee!  It's a miracle!

So now we are at 4 weeks into constructing the costume.  It's getting down to the wire.  I've now measured the elastic waistband straight on her body and I know I have to finish this pronto.

I get the black spidery-like material sewed onto the yellow stretchy stuff and here's what I have now:

Debating on whether or not to add little droopy sleeves.  Not REAL sleeves, of course.  I don't make clothing.

So when that was finally finished, I sewed the waistband together.  That went pretty smooth.  I mean, I sewed two ends together.  How could it go wrong?  Woo-hoo!  I'm on a roll.  So I pull out my tulle.  I bought a huge roll of both black and yellow.  They were each 6" x 25 yards EACH.  I figured I was gonna have tulle coming out my butt.  I mean, HELLO!  50 yards of tulle.

Here it is cut into strips:

As I'm tying the tulle onto the waistband, the kitties are helping.

Believe me when I say that this was VERY helpful.

So yeah.  I get those boatloads of tulle attached to the waistband and here's where I am:

I'm not even halfway done.  Apparently I'm going to need 150 yards of tulle to finish it.  Holy cow!  I had no idea.  So back to Joann's I went.  And guess what?

Chicken butt.

Just kidding.

They have the black tulle, but no yellow.  So I went to Hobby Lobby.  Hobby Lobby doesn't open on Sundays so that their employees can have time with their family.  Really?  So then I went to Michael's.  Michael's did not have yellow tulle either.  But they did have these great boxes that were 50% off.  Win/win.

I ended up having to order the tulle from Amazon.  So I guess I'm done until Tuesday.  Thank goodness for Prime 2-day shipping.

So in closing for now ... I say again - I DO NOT MAKE CLOTHING.

I am never ever ever going to attempt this again.

Silky fabric ... difficult to work with.

Spidery-like fabric with giant holes in it ... difficult to work with.

Tulle ... difficult to work with (mainly due to it all sticking together and the cut ends getting caught on each other).

UGH.

Extrovert Problems

So there's this good friend I left behind in Sydney.  She's in my book club and calls herself an introvert.  I consider her a wonderful writer/blogger and she just posted this:

The Introverted Expat Makes Friends

It spoke to me.

The little voice in the back of my mind told me to steal her idea.  I swear.  It was the little voice.  I didn't mean to do it.

I've always considered myself an extrovert.  To be fair, I do have a tendency lately to be a loner.  Meaning I like to do things by myself.  But when I'm in a group I know that I do things specifically designed to steal the spotlight and I know how annoying that can be.  So I try to tone myself down whenever I can.  I can be a bit much.

In her blog, Cristin mentions that extroverts can be "energy stealers."  Is this the same as stealing the spotlight?  I'd hate to think that I'm squashing someone else's energy in an effort to get attention.  Eek!

Personally, I think the introverts are the lucky ones.  They're not annoying anyone.  People aren't worried that they are going to outshine them or talk over them in an effort to get their idea out first.  They're great listeners.  They make better friends.

I crave the kinds of relationships they have.  I would love to have a friend who I'm really close to.  Who I can tell anything to.  Who I just have to call the instant something significant (or not) happens in my life.  Who feels the same way about me.

But I don't have friendships like that.  And it makes me sad.  Especially because I think it's too late.

Bill Cosby To Stand Trial

BILL COSBY TO STAND TRIAL FOR ASSAULT CHARGES, JUDGE RULES - CNN.COM

Norristown, Pennsylvania (CNN)More than a decade after he was first accused of sexual misconduct, Bill Cosby will go to trial.

A Pennsylvania judge found enough evidence during a hearing Tuesday to proceed with a criminal trial. It's not clear when his trial will start. 

Cosby faces three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault from a 2004 case involving Andrea Constand, an employee at his alma mater, Temple University. She was the first of more than 50 women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.If convicted, Cosby faces up to 30 years in prison.

Cosby's defense attorney slammed the decision to move forward with a trial. 

"The evidence presented today was evidence of nothing. They had 12 years to bring an accuser to confront Mr. Cosby. They chose not to," defense attorney Brian McMonagle said. 

"There was no evidence of a crime here. And the inconsistencies that plagued this investigation from the beginning continue to plague it now. This case should end immediately."

But Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said the prosecution only had to "prove that a crime was committed and the defendant's connected to the crime."

"It's a preliminary hearing," Steele said. "Hearsay is admissible, and we're just over the next hurdle."

FINALLY!

I cannot believe it's taken this long for Bill Cosby to even face charges.  And I understand that there is a reason that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but I feel deep down that he's guilty.  There are just too many women who have come forward with nothing to gain.  In almost every case, the statute of limitations has passed and he can't be prosecuted anyway.

The biggest issue for me is that it's not just about rape.  It's obvious that he PLANNED to rape women and drugged them to get his way.  It's just so diabolical and evil.

What do you think?

2016 Summer Sampler: Block #1

As mentioned before ...  (I did mention it, right?)

I joined a Summer Sampler that started this past Monday.  I received my first block pattern and I hadn't even chosen my fabric yet.  But no worries.  After changing my mind like 20 times, I finally made my decision.

I decided on these batiks which I purchased a few years ago in Lafayette, LA while home for a visit.  All I needed was a solid to go with it and I was all set.

The block took FOREVER!  I had to play Frogger a couple of times (you know ... rip it, rip it), but then finally finished in time for a dinner of pizza.

I'm still in awe.

Why Fabric is More Tempting Than a Cinnabon

I'm in over my head.

I've signed up for a lot of projects over the summer.  The 2016 Summer Sampler just started on Monday.  I paid $20 to sign up (discounted from $25 for signing up early).  Each Monday participants are given a block pattern with instructions.  We are getting a total of 20 blocks and then we have a few options on how to finish the quilts.  At the end, we all share and then I have no idea what happens after that.  LOL!

If you are a quilter and you're interested, you can still join by clicking here:  Freshly Pieced

Just add the sampler to your cart and check out.  Join us!

Anyhoo.  I still haven't even decided on my fabric yet.  And that's how I get in trouble.  I've been searching all my fav fabric sites for fabric to use.  I've gone to Missouri Star Quilt Company, Shabby Fabrics, Fat Quarter Shop and Craftsy.  I also have a few favorite shops on Etsy.

I'm thinking about this fabric for my quilt:

Grow! by Me & My Sister

What do you think?

Why Mom Was Right About Books

Reading is fundamental.  I've read books for as long as I can remember.  When I was little (imagine that - ME, little!), I would find secret places to read where I wouldn't be interrupted.  I would hide in my closet, lock myself in the bathroom, crawl under my bed.  I would read long into the night and sleep the morning away.  My nose was always buried in a book.

Fast forward to today and pretty much nothing has changed.  I fall asleep with a book in my hands (although, truth be told, it's now a Kindle).

My tastes have changed.

I started out with fairy tales, graduated to age appropriate romances and then to adult romances.  In my early 20s, my favorite authors were Linda Howard, Sandra Brown and Virginia Henley.  The steamier, the better.  My friends and I would pass books back and forth and my shelves were completely packed two deep and high!  Every time Mr. Smith and I moved, the books and shelves were all diligently packed and transported.  Nothing could get me to part with them.

But then we made the decision to move to Sydney.  I knew that I had to part with my beloved books.  I had whole collections.  Believe it or not, I attempted to sell them at a garage sale.  The remainder were donated to book stores and charities.

While in Sydney, I joined a book club chock full of American girls!  Yay!  By this time, my tastes were continuing to evolve.  I leaned more toward murder mysteries.

Joining the club was the best thing I could have done for expanding my diverse reading habits.  While  in the club, I've discovered a love for Young Adult novels.  I've read things I never would have read on my own and that would have been a shame.

In fact, I am still part of said book club.  They've generously allowed me to remain one of them and I turn in video book reports that they watch while eating pizza and guzzling cider, wine and coffee!

So books have been essential to me.  I've always had an obsessive love of grammar and punctuation.  I love language.  I love people who love books.  I love books.  PERIOD.

I've Caught the Bug Again

The quilting and creating bug.

I find myself trolling websites searching for free patterns and signing up for every giveaway I can find ... hoping to win more material (cuz you can never have enough).

I have all kinds of plans for creating awesome quilts!  And bags!  And totes!

There are classes to take and gosh!  I wish I could clone myself.

One of my fav places to get free tutorials is Missouri Star Quilt Company.  Jenny Doan designs their quilts and has tons of You Tube videos.  Here are a couple I really like:

I have to say ... it was very difficult to pick only three.  I'm a HUGE fan.  She just makes everything seem so easy.  Do you follow Jenny?  Do you have a fav?  Please share!

To Exercise or Not To Exercise ... That is the Question

I'm diabetic.  I was diagnosed when I was 28 years old.  At one point in my life, I was considered by doctors to be "brittle diabetic."  For me, this meant that I was on several medications, plus I had to inject the maximum allowed dose of insulin twice a day.  It was that bad.  And it wasn't fun.

It was suggested that I look into gastric bypass surgery as a metabolic "cure" for the disease.  Long story short - I had the surgery in October 2009.  I feel that it saved my life, or certainly bought me time.  I left the hospital requiring NO DIABETIC MEDICATION.  Fast forward to last year and it was discovered that my diabetes was no longer in remission.  I was crushed, but what can I do but continue to fight.  For me this means diet and exercise.

In February, I made the decision (kicking and screaming all the way) to get back to my bariatric diet because I had gotten off-track big time.  I just hate the term "diet," so I'm trying to make a lifestyle change I can stick with.  I've lost 15 pounds since then.  Yes, that's great, but I find myself slouching off.

For the past week, I've had a severe case of the "don't wants" when it comes to exercise.

I've decided to blog about this because this week there has been much talk about how if you want to lose weight, you shouldn't exercise ... or it would at least hinder your efforts.  Or so they say.  Click here to read the Huffington Post article.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think it's a dangerous message to send.  Even if it's true (which, honestly, I simply don't accept), most people who are allergic to exercise don't need much incentive to stop.  

Almost every single winner of The Biggest Loser has gained the weight back; every single one fights hunger and weight gain.  The New York Times published an article about this on Monday.  And they're not the only ones.  There was a Buzz Feed article and a Mental Floss article where scientists try to explain why fat people are destined to be fat.

But then I found an article that suggests most of the Biggest Losers are keeping the weight off.

I still say that everything counts.  You need to burn more calories than you take in to lose the weight. This is a balance of your diet and exercise.  Period.

So I guess that means I need to listen to myself and get back to my exercise routine!

Monthly Subscription Boxes

I'm addicted.

I'm obsessed.

It all started with the Crazy Cat Lady Box.  Let me explain.  There's the Cat Lady Box, which includes items for cat moms and their cat.  Then there's the Crazy Cat Lady Box, which includes items for cat moms and their multiple cats.  See the difference?

Here's the video of me (and my multiple cats:  Sami, Smudge and Jellybean) opening our box for May:

Soon after receiving my first Crazy Cat Lady Box, I decided to subscribe to Quilty Box.  This box includes various quilting material, notions and patterns curated by a different quilt designer each month.  This box is awesome.  I really love it.  Here's me opening my latest Quilty Box:

And the obsession has just grown from there.  The best part of subscription boxes is that each month is a surprise.  You never know what you are going to get.

I'm now subscribed to the Sew Sampler (similar to Quilty Box), Birchbox (makeup and hair samples), Ipsy (also makeup samples), Candy Club (three different types of candy each month), Birchbox Man (for Mr. Smith) and Treatsie (this is my latest find and I haven't received the box yet).

It's funny because most of the time I don't like surprises.  I like to pre-plan most of my life.  I like knowing what's coming next.  But these boxes have been a real pleasure for me.

So It's Been A While

What keeps bloggers from blogging?  I can only say that for me ... it's my perception that nothing really exciting happens in my life and certainly nothing that other people particularly enjoy reading about.  I have a need for feedback and I *almost* never get it.  Without substantial comments (down below), I have a hard time finding the motivation.

But I've decided to TRY to blog for myself and not pay attention to my comments (or lack thereof).  And we'll see how long this lasts.  :)

So Mr. Smith and I have been back stateside for over a year now.  Over this past year, I've been asked how I like being back.  If I'm happy to be back.

You know, it's impossible to fairly compare Australia to the USA.  They are so different.  The people are so different.  The attitudes are different.

Australians tend to see the glass half full; Americans see it half empty.

Australians value time spent with family and friends; Americans value the almighty dollar.

Australians are fined if they don't vote in elections; Americans are given the opportunity to vote.

Australians drive on the left side of the road and the right side of the car; it's opposite from America.

Australians have a Prime Minister; Americans have a President.

Australians get 4 weeks of vacation time per year; Americans usually start with 1 week per year and may get 2 weeks per year if they stay at the same company over a year.  But it's rare to get more than 2 weeks.

Australians also get Long Service Leave.  Depending on the state you work in, an employee is entitled to Long Service Leave after 7-15 years of continuous employment with the same employer.  It is usually two or three months vacation in addition to the 4 weeks standard vacation time.  It goes on from there.

I know it sounds like I'm knocking America, but it's easy to do when you've experienced both and I'm American.  It's easy for me to see her drawbacks.

But Australia wasn't a total bed of roses.  I actually did not enjoy working in Sydney.  The only good things that came from working were my friends and my salary.  That's about it.

So hopefully that answers questions about the differences.  But if it doesn't, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

We Have Repatriated!

On February 26th, Mr. Smith and I boarded a big jet plane with A LOT of luggage bound for the USA!  I make that sound so simple when (really) it was quite an ordeal.  When we booked our flights, we used Mr. Smith's frequent flyer miles (he has loads) to upgrade our tickets to premium economy.  But when we arrived at Sydney's international terminal, we learned that our flight had been cancelled due to mechanical trouble in LAX.  Our plane had never left American soil.

There was much negotiation back and forth (especially since Mr. Smith has platinum status on Virgin Australia) and we finally were booked from Sydney to Brisbane, Brisbane to LAX and LAX to JFK.  Once in New York, we had to haul all that luggage to the Enterprise rental desk (via AirTrain and shuttle bus) to pick up our car and drive the rest of the way to Milford, CT.

It was late when we arrived at the hotel.  The only viable option for dinner was Wendy's, but we weren't complaining.  The funniest bit was how unaccustomed we were to the portions and the unlimited soda.  God bless the USA!

In the days and weeks that followed, we have been very busy.  We closed on our new home, bought/leased a couple of vehicles and started new (old) jobs.  Just this past weekend our belongings arrived from overseas ... ahead of schedule to boot!  The house really does feel like our home now.  Everything feels so familiar, but in a new space, and I love that.

It's funny how everything that is old becomes new again.  Even though we were out of the country for three years, it doesn't always feel like it.  Moving back to the same area feels right.  Comfortable.

Interesting that when we moved to Sydney I found myself with no real friends or anyone to talk to.  We navigated the strange new world of renting an apartment in a large city.  I found work in a country where I was not a citizen.  My co-workers became some of the best friends I've ever had or ever will.  And now, although I was almost desperate to repatriate, I find that I miss them all.  I miss the culture of Sydney and her people.

So it's my blog and I'll blab on and on about it if I want to.

I want to thank you, Bee.  For taking me under your wing and showing me Sydney and her culture and cuisine.  I would NEVER have done it on my own or if the trust between us had never been built.  You did that.  You welcomed me and encouraged me to move out of my box.  Even though you never did give up trying to get me drunk.  :)

And I can't forget D, P (F) and S.

And my book club peeps.  Totally miss you guys more than I can say.

Much love and hugs to you all.

A Day in My Life in Photos

I can't even remember the last time I had a blog post.  That's pretty pathetic considering how much I used to enjoy writing about things going on in my life in Sydney.  But now Mr. Smith and I have been back in the good ole USA for about a month.  Today is the first day I even have a place to sit down because the furniture we ordered a month ago was delivered today.

This post is a result of C. in Oz asking us to post in reminiscence of last year's month of blogging.  I decided to do it!  Originally I was going to post everything about yesterday, but realised that a day of me working is not all that exciting.  Today we had both furniture and carpet delivered, so a bit more exciting.  So here we go.

While I did not actually go to Starbucks this morning, this is 
how my weekdays start out.  It's very convenient to have a 
drive thru for coffee, but sometimes I wonder how 
they can possibly make my latte that quickly.

Time out for a sec.  My computer is giving me a really hard time about uploading photos right now.  Apparently I have way too many photos and my hard drive is full.  I'm taking a wee break to move some photos to storage and I'll be back.

 . . .  And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Except now the "server" is refusing to upload some of my photos.  No idea why.  So I'll just show you the photos that will upload and move on.

Here is the hallway.  The part we've masked out is the living room.

Kitchen - we are planning to paint the cabinets white ... eventually.

More messy kitchen.  And the green wall in the back?  That will be a soft yellow.

That chandelier has been replaced.

 

Living room, mid-paint job.  That accent wall behind the fireplace looked
blue until we started painting it this color blue and now it looks purplish.

New paint in the dining room - and that chandelier is now history as well.

So it was a crazy, snowy day at the end of March and new furniture arrived!

Dining room table

I added little felt pads to protect my newly refinished hardwood floors!

The boxes just kept coming

The delivery men were nice enough to take off their shoes, but that poor rug got a workout!

And more boxes

New dining room table, chairs and buffet

New sofas ... finally somewhere to sit that's not the floor.

Sofas from a different angle :)

New bedroom set

The rest of the set

We also got new carpet - this is the master closet.

Stairs down to the basement

It's so plush ... it feels like you are walking on a cloud.

Mr. Smith is planning a home movie theatre.

And back upstairs again!

By the time this was done, it was almost 2pm and we were past ready for lunch.  There are these chains popping up that were not here when we last lived in the area.  Jake's Wayback Burgers ...

Ketchup bottle at the table

Our lunch feast

Then it was off to Home Desperate (as we like to call it - LOL) for more paint.

This paint is for a bathroom and the hallway

There were more paint decisions to be made ...

This photo obviously doesn't capture the true color, but I'm thinking Firefly (the bottom one) for the kitchen.

And this Wild Watermelon for the half bathroom on the main level.

And lastly ... I put together this lamp.

Finally, sleepy time!  I love sleep.

Only in Australia?

This post is for the September expat blog challenge.  It's still September.  I haven't run out of time.

Our prompt is:  "Only in ...".  We're supposed to take a store from the news or current events in our country and explain why it makes me say, "Only in (x country) ...".

The only problem with this prompt is that I don't really watch the news and I never know the current events anywhere.  Maybe some people would think this is embarrassing, but not me.  I think that most of the things that happen in this world are depressing and I'm depressed enough without help.  LOL!

But I have some things I can contribute to this topic.  I'm just not sure these things happen "only in Australia."  I can tell you this, though ... these things DO NOT happen in the States.

WORKING IN AUSTRALIA

When you start a job in Australia, you automatically get 10 minimum entitlements.

• You are only supposed to work 38 hours in a week before you start earning overtime.  Employers can also offer you TOIL (time off in lieu).  Here's the thing.  Most full time roles are paid a salary and I don't know anyone who only works 38 hours a week or get TOIL that means anything.  But the thing is ... you are only supposed to have to work 38 hours a week instead of 40.

• After working for the same employer for 12 months (ha!), you can request flexible working arrangements.  You can ask to change your start and finish times, split shifts or job sharing and/or working from home.  You have to put the request in writing and explain why you need this arrangement.  Your employer has 21 days to reply.  They can refuse, but they have to make a good case for why it's not feasible.

• Once you have worked for the same employer for 12 months, you are entitled to 12 months of unpaid parental leave.  You can also request another 12 months of unpaid leave.  At the end of this time, your employer has to give you your same job back.  Therefore, there are lots of contract jobs in Australia.  The employer has to find someone to cover the job until the parent comes back to work.

• Vacation aka Annual Leave:  All full- and part-time employees are entitled to 4 weeks of annual leave per year on a pro-rata basis.  And speaking of annual leave ... you can get approval pretty easily for taking unpaid annual leave.  I've known several people who have taken off 3+ months off.  The company will just take in a temp while you are away.  It's unbelievable.

• There is paid and unpaid sick and carers' leave.  Full-time employees get 10 days of paid leave; part-timers earn leave on a pro-rata basis.  If someone in your household gets sick or needs care, you can use paid or unpaid carers' leave.  You also get compassionate leave.  Two days each time you need it for immediate family.

• Employees get paid jury duty and unpaid emergency management leave.  I don't know how often this is used.

• In New South Wales, after 5 years an employee is entitled to long service leave.  There's a whole calculator and everything.  Obviously, I've never qualified for something like this, but this leave is on top of any regular annual leave accumulated and is paid out when an employee leaves the company if it's not used.

• There are 9 public holidays in New South Wales: New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Queen's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

• There are rules about how much notice an employer needs to give their employee if they terminate their employment.  They can opt to pay it out instead of having the employee work it out.  Employers have to give the same notice if they make an employee redundant, as well.  Redundancy is similar to lay offs.

• Lastly, the employer has to provide a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement.  :)

Another thing Australians have is a fair minimum wage of $16.87/hour.  I could start talking about the miserable minimum wage in America right now, but honestly ... I'm tired of typing and I just don't want to.

The Travel Bug

I've never had the travel bug.  Not really.  I like seeing new places, but I love going home.  I'm a homebody at heart.

This month's blog prompt is, "Tell us about the first time you were bitten by the 'travel bug.'"

So let me think.  Perhaps I can tell you about some places I've been.  The first time I was on an airplane was just after I graduated from high school in 1990.  I was 17 years old and I flew from Lafayette, Louisiana to Phoenix, Arizona.  Then I took a shuttle van down to Tucson to meet my best friend.  I'm pretty sure that's correct!  I ended up staying with her in Arizona until I met my husband, Mr. Smith.

He and I moved to Long Beach, California just a few months after we married in 1994.  We spent almost 8 years moving around California before heading to the east coast in 2001 ... Connecticut, to be exact.

My aforementioned best friend's dad generously treated us to a Caribbean cruise in 2002.  That's the only cruise I've ever been on (so far).  It was a lot of fun with no queasy stomachs or viral diseases.

Since then I've only been to Las Vegas, Chicago, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and, of course, Australia.  Sure ... a bit of traveling, but always back home until now.

I vaguely remember when Mr. Smith suggested that we accept an offer to take a 3 year assignment in Sydney.  It was exciting to think about and I'd never lived outside the US.  We took a trip to visit Sydney to see if I'd like it.  But if you've ever lived in a different country other than your native one, you know that it's one thing to visit a place and quite another to live there.

Sydney is great on the whole, but so very far away from family.  I've only recently suffered yet another death in the family.  It's quite stressful.  If you haven't been through it, you couldn't possibly understand.  I know that it was our decision to take on this challenge, but sometimes you just want to scream how unfair it all is.

How on earth did I get to that???  LOL!  Anyhoo, that's my "travel bug" story.  Thanks for staying awake.  :)

Oh, How I've Changed

Our blog prompt for June is to talk about how we've changed since moving abroad.  I, myself, moved to Sydney at the very end of February in 2012.  I had friends whom I left behind.  When I got to Sydney, I tried to keep in touch with everyone, but it never seemed to be enough.  It took quite a long time for me to come to terms with the fact that even though I wasn't there, everyone else sure moved on pretty quick.  It didn't seem like I was missed much.

Again, this isn't a post to try to get sympathy.  It's fine.  I'm fine.

But it's changed me.  I still make friends.  But I don't get attached.  I enjoy meeting new people.  I enjoy spending time with my friends.  But I also don't share all of myself anymore.  I'm hoping it'll help me to not be so hurt when I leave again.

I'm learning to be more self-sufficient.  I don't need anyone else.  I'm enough.  Reading, shopping, quilting, etc ... all activities that only require that I'm there.

Birds outside our balcony entertain me occasionally.

I'll admit that I get jealous of people who have been besties since grade school.  I don't have relationships like that.  It would be nice, but that ship has sailed.  I find that I'm sometimes too sensitive about whether people like me or not.  This sort of thing never concerned me before, but in the past few years it's always on my mind.

As it stands today, my best friend is still my mom.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  :)

Coming Clean ...

I took this quiz on Facebook a few days ago.  It was about identifying your mental disorder.  So, yes, I took the silly quiz.  I say "silly" because I feel that while we shouldn't make light of this sort of thing, it's human nature to be inquisitive.  At least it is for me.  So I take these silly little quizzes with a grain of salt and just have fun with them.

So mine said that I had OCD.  Just to be sure (wink wink, nudge nudge), I looked up OCD on the internet.  I realize after reading a bit about it that I probably do have  a couple of little weird habits, but they don't bring me too much stress or anxiety so I doubt I really have true OCD.

I admit to not liking some numbers.  Now, I won't freak out or anything, but I generally don't like my radio dial to have the volume set on anything not in 5's.  For instance, the volume can be on 5 or 10 or 15, but nothing in-between.  Usually.  When 5 is too soft and 10 is too loud, then I try to look the other way when setting the volume so that I just won't know.  But I will definitely not leave it on anything with a 6.  I loathe the number 6.  For some reason, the number 6 means the devil to me.

I like everything to be in its place.  Cans should be facing you so that you know what's in them.  Similar things should be stored together.  I'm not going to insist that all the towels are the same level, but it sure would be nice for symmetry's sake.  But like I said, I don't freak out about this stuff.  Usually.

Also, I have an obsession with bags.  Not handbags.  Regular paper bags that you get at all the best stores.  If you give me my purchases in a plastic bag, chances are I won't be back unless something you sell REALLY impresses me.  Here are some of my favourite bags:

Crabtree & Evelyn
They set the standard high in bags.

This is the inside of the Crabtree & Evelyn bag.
Not only are their bags top notch, 
but their products are superb, as well.
This is my fav place to shop for lotions and the like.

Magnolia has very nice bags and boxes.
Their jewellery is delicate and beautiful.

L'Occitane ... I have no idea how to pronounce it properly,
but they have very nice products, too.

Hobbysew has nice paper bags, too.  
The only problem with theirs is that if you are 
not careful, the string will pull out of the hole.
It's got these hooks on the inside that don't always stay put.

Swarovski

Tiffany & Co.
'Nuff said.

Who doesn't love the Victoria's Secret bag?
I love pink.

Kikki.K
Stationery store in Sydney

My stash of bags that I cannot part with.

So now you know some of my "dirty little secrets."  What are yours?