First of the Month Fiction - January

Last post of the year, linking up with Jess for IBOT, is the New Year edition of First of the Month Fiction! (Nice symmetry for me, seeing out the year the way I started it).

Short version - write a story 100 words exactly or less than 30. Examples here. Add your story in the comments, then link your blog so we can see your style in it's full glory.

The fireworks lit up her face. She smiled with the unabandoned joy of a child. The truth was, it wasn’t the New Year’s celebrations that caused her spirit to soar.

The difficult year, with its tragedy and constant disappointments, was almost over. As the lights in the sky died out, and the starry night pulled its dark covers over those below, the stillness would herald the new start for another year.

A fresh beginning for her. This time, that was enough of a joyous occasion. Something truly worth celebrating. The countdown had begun. It was seconds away. She finally felt peace.

Have a wonderful new year everybody - I'm off line until 13th, enjoying the real world. Safe travels and here's to a happy 2014!

Linking up with Jess for IBOT

Mottos to live by

Last year, on top of my normal New Year's Resolution, you may remember I decided I'd invent something (see here) - well guess what? I didn't, still on the Torschlusspanik list but no hurry, I'll get there.

So this year, I'm just hanging onto the resolution to try and be happy. That's enough. However, I'm also amping it up a little.

A friend went to Sweden (a weekend trip from London to visit the Abba museum) and updated her FB status at the end of it: Farewell Sweden. We walked in, we danced out.

I have decided my new motto in life is: Walked In, Danced Out. (So be prepared for a whole lot of sparkly, spangled challenges hitting the Torschlusspanik List next year).

Now I understand some of you may have loftier needs in a motto than me, so here are a few that came back when I put it out to my universe:

Do everything whole heartedly (I, of course, prefer the Ron Swansonism Never half ass two things, whole ass one thing.)
Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn, then always be a unicorn.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry
Walk the Line (but the person who said it didn't really know what it meant, just thought it sounded good - it then evolved to Dance the Line)
I am Enough (which I had to ruin with my infantile humour and add 'Enough is okay, but too much is better')
Too much of a good thing is wonderful
Make every minute count
Laugh so hard you scare people
Be a voice, not an echo

While worthy, these are all a little trite nowadays, so probably not motivating enough anymore. I was very taken with something in a movie the other day (no spoilers peeps, don't mention the movie): The art of survival is a story that doesn't end.

There is one that I aspire to, but I have enough self knowledge to understand that for me, and my highly strung wiring, it will always be unattainable. I asked a friend who'd just been through a stressful business venture how he was, and he replied merrily "I'm good. You know me, I'm always good. Even when they're firing bullets at me, I'm still smiling". I'd LOVE that to be my motto, but I think realistically, I'll have to settle for the dancing.


Lastly I want to leave you with the best bit of parenting advice I received this year - it came from the very wonderful Ed at The Tunnel "We can't tell our children how to live their lives but we can hopefully tell them not to live them like Liberace." Wise, wise words indeed!

I've added a few more that I've learnt since writing this -

Even the smallest axe can fell a large tree if it is sharp enough.

The flower doesn't concern itself with the flower next to it, it just blooms.


So what do you think? Want to claim any of them? What would your 2014 motto be? OR life motto if you are that committed?


Walked In, Danced Out!


Linking up with the Lounge over at Guest host sofa Five Degrees of Chaos.

 

Stranger in a Strange Land - Enthusiastic Tourist

Today we headed off to Game Masters at the Powerhouse - we'd been to both Game On and Game Masters in Melbourne, so we knew what to expect. The kids went off exploring, and I played merrily, both with them from time to time and by myself.

Let me tell you, I had a ball. I was on an absolute giggly high after two and a half hours of playing. 

Now Gamers, don't bother to correct me on terminology - I'm 107 and won't change my phraseology to fit in. So just have a laugh at my expense.

Interesting highlights for me:

1. Discovery of 'Elevator Action'. This game is AWESOME. I kept going back to it again and again. Why did they outmode that one? For non-gamers, it's not nearly as pervy as it sounds.

2. The old Atari Xevious is way harder than any game they make today. It's impossible. (and given it was unused most of the time, I don't think I'm alone in this assessment)

3. The GameMaster pong is like pong on crack - it's totally amped up, but still Pong, so old ladies like me will still like it, but young people like all the 'references'.

4. My Moves like Jagger is "Flawless" and my Wild Ones dance routine is "really tight". I just wanted to say that because I'm old and co-ordination is not my strong suit. So IN YOUR FACE everybody that was laughing.

5. A little girl under my supervision did SingStar with another little girl to a Pink song, which we realised midway through was about heroin addiction and then the other mother and I franticly tried to shut it down (but only succeeded to make it louder). Game designers - you need to include an emergency stop button for old people that can't use those handsets. Just letting you know....

6. I would rather listen to Vanilla Ice than Katy Perry - and that's saying something.
(I won't elaborate, but if you head to Game Masters, you'll understand soon enough)

7. My favourites of all, are still, and always were Sega Rally and the motor bike one. But I should wear a longer dress if I'm climbing on and off a motorbike. It's not a good look. I scared a few kids.

8. Fruit Ninja is hilarious to watch. People are sticking their tongues out and jumping about. Make sure you check that out...

9. The no photo rule is stupid. See point 8.

10. Big thank you to the Powerhouse for including entry in the membership - it is brilliant to know we can pop back many times over the holidays. They also have a membership special on, so if you think you will go to Game Masters more than once, consider signing up for the year. This is not a sponsored post - I just love being a member of the Powerhouse (added bonus of discounts at the Observatory and free entry into Questacon - you'd be mad not to consider it!)

I'm really beginning to enjoy this gaming lark, and the standing on the fringes looking on, is no longer ideal. It's time to join in, or at least give it a wholehearted burl. If I can have a euphoric blast on these retro games, I'm sure I can enjoy something a little newer. Or at least give it a go. As you may or may not remember, I added playing Assassin's Creed to the Torschlusspanik List, back when I decided I was ready to travel to this Strange Land, instead of sitting in uninformed judgment. I've done nothing in a year, but I will try to knock this off the list over the holidays. Though I may need some help with that stupid handset...

Lying on Facebook?

There was an article on Mamamia about lying on Facebook - a practice that I fail to understand the point of. I totally get that when things go south you may choose to become a little quieter, however, to pretend all is grand when it isn't, seems odd, if the people you are talking to are your friends.

I guess for a lot of people, FaceBook is a broadcast, not a conversation. I have a friend, and I send her messages, and she never responds. If I publicly ask questions, I have a better chance of getting an answer, but even then it's slim. It's almost as if she's just after 'likes' to validate her photo.

FaceBook can be great company if you use it as a way to connect with people - not to catch up on their news, necessarily, but to discuss and share things. I guess if you have friended every person you ever met, then it's a little harder. If you've been selective, with just your real friends, then it's easy.

Look at your last post. Did you join in the conversation or did you just let everyone comment on it? I would think, if you actually start engaging, there'll be less lying. You may not say you're feeling down, nor that your marriage is coming apart, but you may not project the 'aren't I fabulous?' routine that FaceBook gets blamed for.

Interestingly, I've become better friends with some friends because of our frequency of chatter on Facebook, and two of my friends, who didn't know each other, have become friends (in real life) after constantly chatting to each other on my page.

That is the benefit of FaceBook. If you're projecting a false image, you're wasting your time. And everyone else's. As I've said before, there is a danger that the more connected we are, the lonelier we are; when really, if we use it right, we should feel comfort that are friends are nearby, a close as our phone.

We're all riding the wave of new social media. We need to make it work for us, not enslave us. If you change your online behaviour, slowly, slowly, so will your friends.

Christmas cheer, without the credit hangover

A week ago, in a post on Christmas Traditions, I mentioned my much beloved Playmobil Advent Calendar, that I have used for the last 12 years. At day 13, this is the scene so far:

I was then pointed in the direction of the Planet Ark site, and was very pleased to discover that some of my other Christmas Traditions were in accordance with their 12 Do's of Christmas. (Remember, I love travel and motorsport, and have filled a massive landfill with the disposable nappies of three children, so I have a lot of penance to do).

The best thing with a lot of these ecologically thoughtful ideas, is that they actually SAVE YOU MONEY. This means you can either spend more on other things, while you feel morally superior to lesser mortals, while still celebrating in traditional style.

First up, the tree. I love live trees - I need that smell or just don't bother. So I buy a tree in a pot. Each year I re-pot it into a slightly larger pot. As I'm not much of a gardener, and I forget to water it throughout the year, my tree only lasts three or four festive seasons. Even so, it means I spend approx. $30 a year on the tree. My neighbours have had the same tree in a pot for about the last 18 years, so as long as you have some gardening competence, the saving can be enormous!

Next up, the Christmas Cards. I like to post cards - there are perfectly fine e-cards, but if you like to hand write a message, here's another way to do it. At the end of the holiday period, cut all the pictures off the cards you received, and the next year they go out postcard style. The first year I did it, I felt the need to explain to people that I was doing it for environmental reasons, but now people expect it, a few friends have followed suit and one friend sends me her xmas cards as she know I don't have enough to cover the number I need to send. Less waste in envelopes and recycling and I save a fortune on buying cards.

Wrapping paper is another thing that causes me great guilt. I have a young tot who likes to paint, so from November on, all painting sessions are done on a long roll of butchers paper. This means she gets craft and I get wrapping paper. We even have xmas stamp sets and the red and green glitter paints if we really want to festive it up.
I also love gift bags, because I know everyone just keeps reusing them. I even once gave everyone pretty Enviro-bags as part of their xmas present, and that was the wrapping paper for the rest of the gift. (For the record, Santa doesn't wrap in this house, he just puts it in the material bag - win/win all round!)

Having guests? We got these cups ($24 for 30 cups from Ikea) for my son's first birthday party. We have used them for the last 12 years, for every kids party (times 3), Halloween parties and picnics. I can't imagine what we've saved on plastic cups.
We are having a grown up party and I've just supplied myself with .49 cent glassware also from Ikea. Again while the initial outlay has come in at around $30, we will have them forever and never need to buy disposable again. They all can go in the dishwasher, so they're really no extra work.

On to the party - we decorate the garden with lights - but I am a solar light fan. I dig them out before the xmas season hits, do a few days charging in full sun, then decorate the trees. The garden looks lovely, and there's no electricity bill to deal with. They also last - our first set is still going strong 8 years on.

I also favour the battery operated little Christmas lights - the house is still colourfully lit up, but run on rechargeable batteries (or Ikea recyclable ones) - they are a cheap and cost effective way to put on a light display without a heavy electricity bill at the end of it.

Lastly gifts - we give out a tonne of gifts, to people who really don't need them. That's adding to the waste in the world. A few things to consider, there are a lot of experiences now on offer - a massage, day spa visit, a jetpack adventure or even a night in a hotel - all lovely gifts, all leave minimal clutter and waste. For my book group, I found festive pasta, which will get consumed and is really just a token gesture.











If you are a cook or crafty, make chocolates or Christmas fare - there's less packaging and it's cheaper too (but I am not the person to give advice in this area, thus the pasta!). For dinner party thank you gifts, consider the xmas plants, rather than boxed chocolate. Less packaging and also probably the more imaginative.

I am not the person to tell you how to make homemade gifts but I have received some great ones over the years. One of my favourites, a woman gave to each of the other bookclub members - she made them just from a tin! I got it four years ago and we've used it ever since. Feel free to link posts on how to make great gifts to the link up below. Recipes too, for Christmas fare.

The last one, is eBay, or regift what is unsued and unwanted - save someone else buying the exact same thing that's sitting in your cupboard. There you go, I just gave you permission to regift with higher purpose. Better for the environment and you might even make money.


What are your tips for Christmas that save your pocket and the environment?


Linking up with #XmasLinky

PS Another discovery for me, is to make ice blocks with the left over soft drink from parties. Why do people open every bottle and only have one glass out of each bottle?
You can water it down a little and the kids can't tell, they don't realise they're getting less than if they had a glass of it, and you look like you're being mum of the year giving them a sugary treat on a hot day. Win/win all round. (UK peeps, in Oz it's HOT on Xmas!!)

I must confess...I am stressing myself out!

So Christmas is on us, and I have a tonne of things to do - and I am fast running out of time to do them! Our days and nights are fully booked and I'm beginning to panic about timeframes and organisation.

Today was my sleep in and I woke at 5am and worked myself into a state. So of course I got up and wrote this instead of actually doing something that needs to be done. I am, indeed, part of the problem!

I know it's coming, so why don't I get it together earlier? Why do I over commit myself?

Anyway, the writing and the normal routine are going out the window for this month. Need to decorate the tree at some point today or it won't happen either!

One good thing that did happen (that makes me feel I have a fall back) - I won a voucher from Seana Smith for Butcherman, an online delivery butcher. I placed the order and the next day 2 weeks worth of meat arrived. I am very happy that at least I don't need to worry about that - so thank you Seana and thank you Butcherman.  (My partner was very impressed with the prices so you may have a convert). I am also thinking maybe I could place an order with Andy & Ted so that fruit and veg arrives on Saturday morning, when we are hung over and cleaning up after our party. I have discovered one of the problems with having kids, is you have to feed them, even if you can't be bothered.

Concluding in what my be may worst post ever*, I just wanted to say this is not sponsored, I'm just trying to reassure myself I can get it all done, if I get my act together and think outside the box.

Is anyone else beginning to freak out in the festive season? Do you have time saving tips? Do you want to come here and wrap some crap? Or shop for me?

PS Not a sponsored post but I wanted to thank Seana and Butcherman because I was so stoked at the bounty that arrived on Friday! (which is a sad reflection on my personality). I also drove to Broadway only to have to turn around because I couldn't get into the carpark - this is what has started my flipping out, and praise for home delivery.

*This really is opening the Pandora's Box of my head and 10 million panicked thoughts come flying out...

Linking up with I must Confess... (I have to put this up early because I have to be at the stupid swimming pool at 6.30 am to get my kids into swimming lessons at a new time! What on earth has my world become??!!)

The Audacity of Government

I try not to be political on the blog, but from time to time I can no longer bite my tongue and stand by incredulously. I will preface this by saying that while you don't have to agree with me, I will delete abusive comments (aimed at myself, other commenters or the Liberal Party). I will also state that the figures are averages, on the low end of the scale, but it is the low end of the childcare and political wages - thus the PM figure is conservative by a long shot. I am also limiting the post to the three incidents this week.

I take great issue at someone on six figures telling someone on basically a little more than the minimum wage that it is wrong to take a pay rise. Child care workers have a tough job - they have to engage the whole day. They can't play around on the internet, take long lunches or duck out for an appointment. For this hard work, and the welfare of a large percentage of this nation's children, they get in the lowly ball park of $31,000. Our Prime Minster has insulted them in general, their skills and their importance by implying that it is wrong that they should get a pay rise.

There was also the highly insulting comment that the downfall of Holden was due to the workers wanting higher than minimum wage. Again, someone on six figures telling low income workers they are demanding too much.

We are obviously in dire financial straits, if these low income workers getting a tiny $3 an hour extra is draining the business coffers. So I have a solution, which should work for everyone.

If all the politicians did the right thing by the country and went back to minimum wage, then that extra $140k not paid per pollie would boost the surplus. If it is acceptable for childcare workers and car manufacturing factory floor workers not to want a better standard of living, then politicians must surely find it acceptable to live by the same standard. I would hold you in the highest respect, Mr Abbott, if you choose to lead by example.

There are, of course, other ways that really should be considered as mandatory, to free up some over-spending and boost the Govt funds. If every time a politician attended a sporting event, either as spectator or participant, they paid their own way, that would cut back on substantial Govt spending. (I include in this also, weddings and other non essential political travel, but that sounds like I'm having a dig.)

Political pensions too, should drop to the average pensioner rate. As this is deemed acceptable for the average tax payer, it should be acceptable for all.

These simple cuts, are as you say, in order to 'do the right thing by your Country' so I look forward to seeing them implemented quickly. I'll even let you take them as your own ideas - I need no credit. Once these are in place, I estimate you'll have easily $140 million* at your disposal, which will easily cover the miniscule $3-$6 an hour increase for underpaid childcare workers.

I loved Fahrenheit 451, and especially the line "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none." So I applaud that you are using his novel as part of your political operations. However, even I have to draw the line at the criticism that it is unfair for the ABC to give the news online for free at the tax payers expense. I need to point out that it is the tax payers that are choosing to read the news for free. I am unsure that any spin doctor can really sell this idea. Though as it was pointed out to me, if we keep cutting the education funding, we really will be that stupid, so you have maybe just tried it on a little too soon to get away with it.

People of Australia, I ask you to give voice to these insulting inequalities. There comes a time where we need to demand our leaders change their ways. If the media is being asked not to report something, it is rarely in the interest of the majority of the people.

For the record, I am not a child care worker. I am not in the car industry. Nor am I employed in the media. I am Joe Citizen, wondering why nothing is being done about a growing inequality and a very alarming loss of information available to Joe Public. It brings to mind ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’. I am asking you, dear reader, where are the good men? Are you one of them?


*It's actually probably a lot more, I've been very conservative in my maths, to be fair.