May Post

May has arrived - and the lovely Autumn weather of Brisbane is glorious to behold.  Cool but sunny and no rain - wonderful.

"Received" an early birthday "gift" today (my birthday is the 4th) - trip to the dentist for what I had hoped was simply a lost filling.  Turned out to be a crack through the tooth and so I now have one less tooth for the brushing (recovery will take a few days and I am currently very propped up by the pharmacy-grade pain meds). It was my upper right back tooth so it's loss won't interfere too much with my life.

In other actually GOOD news - I have a job interview on Monday for a Library Assistant's position.  So if you can spare some good thoughts - please wing them my way.

Oh and I have heard from my new Soldier's Angel adoptee.  Mike is a clever, articulate and dedicated member of the USA Army.  He's has a wonderfully good sense of humour and we have been exchanging emails since I adopted him.  So very glad I have 'met' him [so far a batch of goodies have been sent off to him - he's received the small batch of Aussie cookies & candy (no no musk stick - I am being nice!) and a plush kangaroo toy he has named "Jack"; and I sent him a copy of the movie "Finding Nemo" (we have been joking about that since my introductory email explaining that I live "half way between the Reef and Wallaby Way Syd-e-ney").  Girl Scout cookies are also on their way to him].  He is very much a ray of sunshine in my life - making all the uncertainties of lack-of-job fade away whenever I chat with him. So very glad I found Soldiers Angels five years ago (almost to the day actually - it was my "Pay it forward" Birthday gift to myself five years ago and never once regretted.)

Now to get over the extraction and be all smiles come Saturday.  I am having lunch with my Parents and haven't wanted to worry them,  Wish me a speedy recovery! :)

edited to add - lol someone just asked me if I have a "wish list' for my birthday.  I do but I don't expect any gifts - your all-abiding love and support are all I need [but if that's just tooo freaky to contemplate - here's my amazon link - http://amzn.com/w/1EUHNLL1YFLO ]

Pax and the Passing of Time

Once again I have eluded the Sandmen and their odd ritual of "Carousel" - easy to do when you distract them with TimTams strewn in their path.   My Palm clock is showing signs of wear and tear - better add more red paint and sparkles to it ASAP!

So today* I shall go off and indulge myself with some Girlie Shopping and lunch out; and ponder how one can access the central data banks of the Registry to knock a few years off the official Birth Certificate



*being forsighty and all I always ensure that I take my Birthday as a rostered day off from work.  Bonus this time since Monday is a public holiday - FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!!

Pax gets some presents!

Yes! You read that correctly - I received a marvellous parcel of early Birthday gifts in the mail, sent to me by the EMOD (Evil Mistress of the Darkness aka Vicki in Cali)

It is in fact a few weeks to go until my mumble mumble* birthday however V was kind enough to allow me to open the gift early (it was either that or she feared she would be on the cleaning crew after I imploded from impatientness)

And within that parcel there was much of the Penguinity to behold

Four!  Count them - FOUR!  Amazing Penguin t-shirts :)

One or two I may even get away wearing to work (ehh.. I'm in tech services - the geeky-look is HOT there baby :D)

So thank you Miss V - You have made my day.  And I suspect that should the 4th of May turn out to be less spectacular than hoped for - these will carry me through.

Happy Penguins to all, and to all a good.... 

Pax
 


*yes.. it is TRUE that it is going to be my mumble mumble birthday! However owing to amazing genetics I only look mumble!

Early May updates

Well May has arrived and is already turning into a Super Busy month.

So far I have:-

* Posted off the ANZAC pins to Suz and two of my adoptee's - J & G.

* Said Safe Travels to JJ who is due to return from Downrange very shortly

* Adopted two new (soon to be) poor bewildered Americans via Soldiers Angels.  One is a National Guardsman; the other a Marine.

* Organised a book of on How to make super amazing paper airplanes to be sent to JD (I *think* he's airforce. He's one of my "super-silent" types so no return correspondence has been received). Hopefully he & his team will enjoy the craft work

* Organised some super cute toy Koala's to be sent to the new guys (Pax's support plan... parcel one -  send something sweet & nice and then steadily ramp up the weirdness from there - bwhahahahah!)

Oh and in the middle of that I had a birthday.   Lunch with the parents, a few lovely gifts.

Mum & Dad gave me a handy dandy tool box (a small, light one that I won't strain my weak girlish arms lifting about :D)

A Friend sent me flowers

Two of my friends sent Amazon book vouchers - Wheeee!!! Book shopping ahead! :)

And my BFF Cozzles - well she outdid herself.

See the painted tube case there?  It's a hand made shaped leather needle case.  Once she made it she painted the design herself from a 1460 source. The Bone awls that were part of the gift fit into it well too. All storable in the little leather pouch. So now I have my medeival sewing kit all organised and ready to use - YAY!!!

And now - with the weekend here and my refinancing valuation looming very quickly (next wednesday actually) I need to go finish up all the paint and patch projects I have.  Cozzles is due over later today - we need to brain storm on fixing a very annoying cupboard door problem, with possibly a run to the local Hardward store (yes yes.. Pax is a weird girl - she LIKES hardware stores.  Just think what a very excellent girlfriend she'd make!) and then back on home to homemade Pizza.

Oh and I guess at some point I should look at booking a dentist appointment.  Uber-annoying upper left wisdom tooth has decided to make it's presence known once again.  On the Upside - it's too painful to eat much atm so maybe it will be my super-secret diet aid! (hey every little bit helps :D)

Pax'ing Presents

I've been busy ordering & shipping things off all over the place this month.

Two of my adopted soldiers had birthdays this month - so interest appropriate gifts were found and ordered and hopefully reached them (JJ's still home on leave so he should find his when he gets back to base).  So Happy Birthday to K & JJ - and I hope that your day was peaceful, quiet and spent hearing from loved ones.

Some goodies have also been ordered for Brandon & his team mates.  Some long sleeved shirts shipped out from Amazon during the week; and an order of Aussie munchies, including the pin that I love to send my Adopted troops, has been placed with the USA based Aussie supply group - Simply Australian.  I heartily recommend this company if you are looking for Aussie munchies and other goodies - the owners are true-blue and super honest & helpful (one of them is even helping me with "Operation: 2010 Santa Stockings").  They have shipped goodies off to all of my adoptee's (and a number of "RAK" - random acts of kindness - troops that I have found via friends online) and I have never had any problems.


Two Flags

Actually at some point I should get myself one of these pins so I can wear it on my work blazer (along with one of these from Soldiers' Angels).  Lol.. one day I'll get organised enough to order something for me :)

And in the "Pax has been crafty" - last weekend saw my bestest friend Cozzles over and helping me create some Kitschy Christmas Cheer (try saying THAT three times quickly!)   Some photos are below of the creations (minus any action shots of "Pax discovers that Glue Gun Glue is HOT!!!" or of C laughing herself silly at my attempting to throw the hot glued item away from me... yeah yeah... glue is STICKY too... *grumps*)  The Flowers & Leaves are all fabric/artificial so hopefully the USA customs crowd won't have a conniption fit (the customs slip will have it listed as "wire based / artificial flowers decoration")


Items gathered - glue gun primed - lets begin!



Belled and be-ribboned



and en-beared!



Finished!!

Two are completed - the third almost done (I ran out of ribbon).  Soon they will be twisted slightly out of shape (so they can fit in the boxes that will only cost me an arm and half a leg to post airmail to the States) and sent off to my three adopted soldiers for a spot of goofy Aussie Christmas cheer.   

I have a few of the central belled & beared decorations left so a few of you may just receive something goofy in the post. Bwhahahah!!!

Pax is a Slacker! - updates follow...

I swear that I think to myself "I must go update my blog" and then life intervenes and I'm once again weeks away from the last post and feeling guilty [actually I do guilt really well - the nun's at my girls school *really* had an effect on me... but that's another tale]

Updates on the "Boys":

Justin *may* have been located.  Actually he may be where he's always been just that my mail is now reaching him(?)  You might recall that I had the Cunning Plan to send a small parcel to him via Amazon.com.  In the Past if I've had parcels rebound to them they have advised me promptly, so I knew that if J's parcel bounced back to them I should hear about it in 3 or so weeks from sending date.  Last week passed by and nothing received from Amazon so I'm really hoping that he got the book okay.  I've now resumed my regular letters to him in the hope they get through too - I can hope at least.

K is home on leave - happy thoughts are directed to him and his family.

C had a birthday late September. Parcel with cake in it arrived early and I remembered to think Warm, Fuzzy thoughts at him on the day [yes yes... points to the peanut gallery ... it IS a fact that so many of my normal thoughts are naturally "fuzzy" - these ones had extra fuzz applied :D]

J2 has been in touch via Facebook and Myspace (oooh social networking how I do love thee, you maketh it easy for me to know people are safe).  He's reported back on the Aussie treats he received and I'm hoping he'll let me quote his reaction to the Musk sticks :)

Oooh and I may have a guest blogger or two lined up. Kyle (he of the air force and amusing quips) has agreed to be Primo Guineus Piggus so we'll see how that goes.

In 'at home' news - work: we may be back in our library by the end of October (see my post on what happened to it here). The refit is shiny & new & utilised all of the insurance money. It's also in shades of grey, white & charcoal (dull dull dull) and we are verbotten from putting anything colourful (or interesting) on the walls or in our cubicles. I'll post photos when I get back down there.

My mum... she has been getting along okay. Remaining cheerful. They can't give her Radium treatments unfortunately (aparently you can only have one dose of those in a lifetime and since she had a cancer 20 years ago that was her 1st & only chance at that). So they are giving her some sort of oral treatment that will hopefully disperse the cancerous cells missed by the op. Time will tell how that goes.  My Middle brother Mike & his family travelled up from Sydney for a weeks long visit.  Two of my three nephews were there (the eldest had to work unfortunately) so Mum & Dad had two rambunctious teenagers (14 & 15) running about the place. They looked like they loved every minute of it.  Family lunch on the weekend (BBQ with the Men tending the flames and the women sitting & chatting - got to love tradition :D) saw all of the family gathered together for a few hours. Good to see them even if the reason to is a sad one.

It's Sunday Pm here so I need to stop larking about on the computer and go do some chores (walk to the shop in the rain for some groceries; clean the kitchen; vacuum the cat.. okay vacuum the cat FUR off of everything but idea 1 might stop the problem at the source)  No rest for the wickedly Pax.

Pax got presents!

blogged at http://marionsmeepings.blogspot.com/2010/05/pax-got-presents.html

Well okay.. Pax bought these for herself but at least I got an actual delivery on my actual birthday.

Ordered a few weeks ago from Diesel - really good quality t-shirts x 2

Awesome geek potential (must now fend off geek boyfriend from stealing until I've worn at least once)

Ooh - and apparently a Penguin covered box of Love is in the International Mail and should make it to me shortly (now I feel better)