Sunday, November 30, 2008

My potted potager

So, I have gathered the old recycle bin from the old house and put it to a recyled purpose! Growing my tomato plant. I grew this baby from seed y'all! Props to me and all that. Of course with all the wind we had last weekend I lost a couple of branches :-(
But it is recovering well.
On other gardening issues I have seen ONE bee this year. ONE! we used to have a wild hive down the back of the property when we first moved in. We have a small patch of bush down the back and some hideous privet that I am always cutting back and trying to kill, but the bees thrived, I guess that damned veroa mite has hit them too. Still seeing lots of bumble bees around though!


The cat with no name


This is why I love my cat. (Dangerous to admit I know, once you admit to loving a cat you are inevitably bound to a childless spinsterhood). who can resist that pink tongue cuteness!

She is still the cat with no name. Arriving skinny and all angles, kittens recently departed one way or another. This weird little cat decided as soon as she saw us she was home. And who were we to name her? She's just our sweet girl. That's what she gets called most days, except when I'm finding dead skinks under the washing machine. Then you don't want to know what I call her.


Friday, November 28, 2008

I was going to write something real smart!

but I got distracted by icanhascheezburger.com

I have no idea what I was going to write.


*sigh* I really shouldn't have taken up drinking again

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bought a Car!

Yay and its blue, so thats a load off. But thats all our savings gone too. So much for my dreams of a Wii fit. But one must be able to traverse the modern motorways. So for the car nerds its a 1999 freshly imported Mazda familia 57,000 km on the clock, very good condition inside and out.

We have got to buy a car

Our car, its falling apart. But how I dread finding a new car to buy, well a new used car anyway. Car yards, the internet, and publications galore. I just want something that goes and wont break down in a major way for a few years yet.

Sounds like an impossible dream.

To make matters worse I dont really like cars. The more of them I look at, the uglier they all seem.

Ugly metal contraptions on wheels.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Introverted with schizoid tendencies.

Socialising holds less and less appeal the older I get. Its not that I don't like people, I am no misanthrope.

I'm just an introvert, I like hanging out in small groups, as long as you don't expect me to say anything or are willing to have a meaningful conversation and not just "chit chat".

I fell sorry for the poor guy who got stuck talking to me at the conference. Pre dinner drinks and mingle. ARGH. Luckily he was a sales rep I'd just met last week at work and I guess he had to talk to me or I might not buy any more of his products (oh the power of purchasing MU HU HA HA HA!) I only seem to cope at these things by finding one or two people in a quiet corner to talk to about something interesting.

Anyway, its got to be challenging being my friend, as I never want to hang out. I never call you or drop by. (that's because I hate it when people just drop by so I never do it to other people). But being my friend has its perks! I am extremely low maintenance. You don't have to call me.....ever. No obligations to make sure you have caught up with me this month. I may not see you for months or a year and will still count you my friend.

I do care deeply about people. I am always thinking about my friends and family. Its just hard for me to visit or pick up the phone. Its like a disability. You would not expect your physically disabled friend to go mountain biking or rock climbing with you at the drop of a hat. And its the same for me, you shouldn't expect me to go socialising at the drop of a hat either. I can't do it easily.

I know it doesn't make sense but I still like to be invited to things, occasionally I have to fortitude to go out and I do enjoy myself! I do like people and being with them, its just hard for me.

As for my schizoid tendencies, they scare me the most. All the personality tests (woo INTP) I take show this small leaning towards the schizoid type. I fear as I get older, it will consume me.

But you can be introvert and schizoid and still be happy, different things make this personality type happy.

"I have no ill intent toward those choosing a life of socialization. I prefer to be alone. Do not pity me. Do not judge me as a freak or loser. I am a loner, as you will, a person who simply prefers a lifestyle of solitude. This preference does not make me pathological."

Okay so I'm not quite to that stage yet, but its a quote from a paper I read on the Internet about people with the complete schizoid personality type.

I avoid writing or talking about this too much, its hard to explain that I still like hanging out with people and love having friends but I am also quite introverted and prefer usually to be alone. Introverted doesn't mean shy. Its just different, in a world dominated by extroverts, it is the perceived normal way to be or desire to be. But I just am what I am and it feels normal to me.
Also I avoid writing about it because I don't want to come across sounding pretentious or self absorbed (after all its a post all about me, me, meeeee!). Or precious about my personality type, "oooooo look at me I'm an introvert, tra la la, I'm alone and everyone should feels sorry for me, la de da." Honestly its not like that at all.

I just want everyone to know that I don't hate them and think about you often even if I don't always seem to act on it.


Friday, November 14, 2008

I am no girls blouse. I'm tough!

I faint when I give blood, not always, but often. Especially if it takes a long time. Its strange because I am not afraid of needles. I get injections all the time (I am vaccinated regularly because of my job, no hepatitis or flu for me!) I've even had a TB test without fainting and that's when they inject fluid under the skin to form a nice blister. Oh the perks of my totally awesome job! I also see lots of blood at work, I used to sort all the blood specimens at my old job, if I had a problem with blood you'd think handling 8 tubes of thick still warm blood would get me to pass out. And I'm not the one who has to change the channel every time there's some kind of needle or operation on TV...... not naming names or anything ;-)

I only faint when my blood vessels are involved. And apparently its fairly common.

Vasodepressor syncope is caused by a reflex of the involuntary nervous system called the vasovagal reaction. The vasovagal reaction leads the heart to slow down (bradycardia) and, at the same time, it leads the nerves to the blood vessels in the legs to permit those vessels to dilate (widen). The result is that the heart puts out less blood, the blood pressure drops, and what blood is circulating tends to go into the legs rather than to the head. The brain is deprived of oxygen and the fainting episode occurs.

So its a nervous reflex from having my veins fiddled with. My little vessels don't like being prodded! The solution is to give blood lying down with your legs elevated. How dignified. Come to think of it, when I have had a blood test lying down its been okay. Still felt a bit woozy. In rare cases you can DIE! Your blood pressure gets so low and your heart stops! Death ensues! But that's pretty rare. apparently.

I killed them ALL!!!!!

whoops

This morning was grey and cloudy and I was running late so I missed the early morning watering of the seedlings. I also didn't open the vent on my improvised green house. Today was hot. Real hot. The cloud cleared the sun beat down, and beat my poor seedlings to death. Luckily I have planted out some them in the garden already, but I lost my heritage awesome variety seedlings.

The humanity. I shall console myself with this wine, and this chocolate and drink to their memory!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Body Tech Gym

Across the road from the hospital once was a field full of cows blowing in the wind. Now its a "commercial" area, with trendy bar, sushi place and poser gym.

But a gym close to work could be just the incentive I need, so I went to check it out.

Its small, very small, but they only encourage an intense 30 min weights work out with as much cardio as you want. Each weights session is fully supervised, so you get a trainer to make sure your form is good and to push you to your maximum effort. So its a gym where you get a personalised trainer for every session. Sounds good, but the catch is this, the trainer only works with you on the circuit, which is all machines. Now I'm no gym expert, but the machines are designed to isolate muscle groups and be pretty fool proof. The machines have a limited range of motion so poor form is actually pretty hard to achieve. So why do you need a trainer for that? I need a trainer when I'm doing weighted lunges and squats to make sure I'm keeping my back straight and to yell at me "SUCK IN THOSE ABS!". I need a trainer to show me how to dead lift safely. I don't need a trainer to set the weights on a leg extension machine. Jeebus. I is not a moron!
But the showers and lockers are heavenly! Free shower gel and shampoo (no conditioner) and free perfumes! oh la la.
Only $150 for two months special offer. Should I take it up and try loose a few kilos for summer? Maybe, I'll see what moneys I have lying around. Maybe if I hadn't got that $200 ticket! what a dumb arse.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I am a dumb arse

So my warrent has expired. eh, whatever I say, we are buying a new car soon, no point spending the money fixing up this pile of crap.

But finding a car to buy takes time. And motivation. And more savings. But its okay because we are finally there. Enough moneys now! and this weekend we can go buy a car.

So I'm taking a day off work, and I'm driving to the mall. A van flashes his lights at me, but before I could say "what the?" I was over the crest of the hill and there was a damn check point.

At first the officers were all confused because my rego is all up to date and paid for. I guess the usuall derros with no warrent have no rego either. So I only get the one fine. $200. So I can finally join the ranks of my brothers and cousins as a card carrying fine gatherer.

Did you know you can pay police fines online with a crdit card? You can do everything online these days! Its wonderful.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

I'm quite moved


I can't help it, I'm caught up in the Obama fandom. I am relieved McCain lost.

Obama has so many hopes to fulfil, and many world issues that I didn't believe will be fixed in my generation to face. I wonder if he will still have the support 4 years from now.

I'm a science fiction nerd, I've read many idealist visions of the future. When I saw how the world got behind Obama, I felt for the briefest moment, what it could be like under a united earth. Sci fi gets a bad rap, but those novels featuring a utopian earth were amazing to me even a a child. Even then I thought it a beautiful yet impossible dream.

Dare I let go of all my genX cynicism?

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Sweet deals on Zillion.

Just scored me some "Very Irresistable" by Givenchy for only $24 (including postage) on the alternate trading site. Trademes main competitor, not that anything can take that institution down. But I like to try all things. I think Zillion is a site where you can still get a bargain, a real one. Trademe has the numbers for sure, but good deals are usually snapped up quick.
Yay Zillion!



Time to test out my overly sensitive skin on some perfume. I miss wearing it!

Sliced and Diced

I have been working with sharp blades for almost ten years now. Fast paced cutting action, slicing your body parts to a fraction of a hairs breadth. 4 microns even! I have mad skills, least I thought I did.

Today for the first time, I cut myself. Not bad, but deep. And the bastard would not stop bleeding.
It was one of the cuts that creates a nice flap of skin, I jammed it back down hard and kept pressure on it, so I think it will be all good. I think the flap has stuck down :-)

No I am no hard arse, but I see quite a bit of gore and gross stuff in my job, and I am used to that. But seeing my own vital fluid rapidly ooze out of me left me feeling a little queasy. Also that I could easily have lost the top of my finger had I been any slower, that contributed a lot to my queasiness. Cup of coffee and a sit down cured me of that and back to work I went. I fainted last time I had a blood test, I didn't even look at the blood! I had not fainted since I was 19.

I cut myself because got out of rhythm, cut, turn, pull, blow. Its an OSH nightmare actually . A lot of us use our fingers to pull the sections, as it requires dexterity. Most of us don't wear gloves while doing it for the same reasons. You need those ridges on your finger tips, then applying the most delicate touch, pull the sections away from the blade as you cut slice after slice.

Don't worry about me going gloveless, all the bits of body are nicely sterilised by an overnight process involving dehydration, solvents and petroleum products. Yay Chemicals!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

I have voted

I'm going out of town voting weekend, so I placed an early vote.

Yes, I'm going to be in exciting Hamilton for a conference. A Histology conference.

Yehaa.

As you can tell I am very excited :-/