The shoes hate me....

....which is hard to believe because they look so innocent don't they? All pale pink and pearl and soft buttery leather, to all intents and purposes cute, comfy little ballet flats.

But no. They are evil. Sure, they try to fool me, I slip them on and they feel like slippers. I walk around the house experimentally to see if they are ok now. And they are, they feel great! So I keep them on a bit longer just to be sure and it's all good. I'm happy. Because the last time I wore them they shredded my heels. And the time before that. And also the time before that. But today, they feel so comfy and nice and I fall in love with them all over again.

I drive to town, get out of the car and walk to my first destination. They are starting to hurt. To cut a long story short after running a couple of errands and having a business meeting I can barely walk, my heels are raw and I am in agony. I drive home in my bare feet. I stop to fill the car with petrol and cannot bear to put my shoes back on and have them rub some more on my raw and bleeding heels.

We've been here before these shoes and I. Every time they pretend they are fixed and that they won't ever hurt me again. They lie.

I can't wear these shoes any more.

Helmets and headaches

Am I the only parent who was standing waiting for Kmart to open this morning so that I could buy a bicycle helmet for my child? I know I wasn't the only parent standing waiting for Kmart to open, because the other parent that was there and I commiserated with each other regarding the injustice of it all. I'm just wondering about the bicycle helmet bit. Tomorrow is 'Wheels Day' apparently and the children at Hannah's school are being encouraged to take their bikes (or scooters or whatever) with them to school. It all just gives me a headache.

I have to wonder if the school decision makers are just totally sadistic the way they create so much work for the parents of their little charges. I mean really, for many, many parents it's all we can do to get our kids to school with their lunch packed and clothes on. Lots of parents have to get those kids to school then get themselves to a job. Tomorrow I have to get mine to school then get myself to a meeting with a client, preferably without bicycle grease all over my clothes. Do I really need to be worrying about getting the damn bike to school as well? Seemingly I do. What, in the name of all that is holy, are these schools thinking???? The list is endless. If it's not a shared lunch or morning tea, it's international food (see previous post) or a costume (see other previous post). Last week it was the school's birthday, this week it is the official opening and blessing of the new buildings. I know it's not the teachers....because this morning Hannah said 'Mrs %#!& (her teacher) said it's silly to be blessing the new toilets'. Hear, hear Mrs %#!& hear hear!!

Anyway, we realised if she was going to be riding the damn bike around the school tennis courts we'd better get her a new helmet. So I went to Kmart this morning. Which brings me full circle in this post really doesn't it.

Have a great Wheels Day won't you?

Tuesday is the new Monday

I hate Tuesdays. Tuesday is for me what Monday is for other people. It is the day I commence my working week. It is the first day of the week that I am home alone while husband works and my children learn. I don't enjoy it. It's not that I don't like my work (or having the house to myself) - I do. I can't actually explain what it is about this day that I find difficult, it's just hard (say this in a whiny tone please (cos I'm thinking it in a whiny tone).

I was contemplating this phenomenon as I sat at my desk this morning seeing if I could balance a pencil on my nose (I can't). It just seems to take me a long time to get going on a Tuesday what with the philosophising, emailing my sisters, pencil balancing, tea drinking and general fart-arsing around. I was thinking how fortunate I am to have a 3...ok, 4...ok, ok ... 5 day weekend every week. SOOO very lucky. So why then do balk at starting some work when Tuesday comes round? Yes, it could be because I've just had a 5 day weekend and my brain has yelled 'Retirement! Woo hoo!' but really, is it? Or is it some in-built, collective consciousness belief that if it's the day to start work after a break we must feel unmotivated and listless? Maybe. Or I could just be lazy.

However I usually do eventually get going and then...... what do you know? It's time to go and pick up the girls. Hence I'm at my desk finishing off some work (no, you're right I'm blogging) while Bounty Hamster makes a hell of a racket in the background. Will I never learn?

Do you think this is what they meant?

Hannah had to take an international recipe and food to school today. It was all a bit last minute.

Shortbread counts as 'international' doesn't it?

It was either that or a packet of 2 minute noodles.

I'm better now

Ok, please excuse yesterday's little outburst and mad blog fiddling and template changing - put it down to temporary insanity. I'm feeling much better today and managed to complete several little Uni activities, one of which prompted an instant response from my tutor saying 'Caitlin you are doing GREAT!'. That was what I needed, a pat on the head and a little bit of attention. I'm high maintenance that way.

I also felt better after seeing this headline 'Queen star celebrates doctorate'. At least I haven't taken 36 years.

I really don't know what came over me because I realised today that with all the stuff that is going on in my life just now, and everything I'm trying to achieve, the one thing that I (usually) find managable is Uni. I am well within my comfort zone when pondering philosophical questions (define 'whiteness') or writing an essay. Compared to everything else I'm doing that stuff is easy - well less challenging. It makes me think... hard... and in a good way.

The only thing I can put it down to is the fact that I haven't had any chocolate this week. Or wine. This is bad. No wonder I'm experiencing melt down. Hopefully that will be remedied tonight (Tom, bring wine).

One of the courses I'm doing this semester is about e-learning and I today I learned how to do this...

Isn't that cool? And easy too. Who knew all this Uni study would actually teach me something?

SURPRISE!!!!!

In the interest of continued procrastination I have now spent some time tidying up my blog and choosing a new template. I was a bit bored with the old one. I'm as yet undecided whether this is the final choice, I'll give it some consideration for a couple of days.

Feedback is welcome.

Bees, bin men and a craving for wine

Ladies and gentlemen, please observe the sidebar to your right and notice a little picture-y thing that moves. This is a Flickr badge. This means I have a new Flickr account. As yet there are only about 6 photos on it but it exists and is there for your perusal, more photos will be added, I just don't know when yet.


Today's blog is brought to you by the number zero (how many assignments I'm working on) and the letter 'P' for procrastination (what I'm doing instead of assignments). Yes, once again I have uni work to do and once again I am finding dozens of 'important' tasks to perform before starting the work
So far this morning I have.....

• Dropped off the children at school and daycare
• Had a looooong and quite unnecessary chat with our daycare provider
• Drove home very slowly (so as to admire the scenery you understand)
• Put petrol in the car (which I HATE doing and usually avoid until the very last minute - not today however)
• Ate a late and time consuming breakfast
• Waved to the rubbish bin men as they emptied our bin - nice chaps
• Took a photo of a bee - couldn't get her to smile or even co-operate - so it's more of a bees bum really

• Stood at the back door with a cup of tea surveying our estate and planning some changes to the garden
• Decided what vegetables we'll put in now that spring is almost upon us
• Sent 8 emails (mostly to my sisters - well we have different threads going!) except the complaining ones to my husband - who was unsympathetic
• and now this blogging....

I just cannot get motivated, I have 3 months to go and I have completely lost interest. I had visions of being so keen to get it all finished that I would be forging ahead completing assignments weeks ahead of their due dates and tying it all up in double quick time. That's not happening. Why isn't that happening? It's making me whine.

Whine....sounds a bit like 'wine' doesn't it? Now there's an idea.