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Wrong address
Both my parents had birthdays recently and I ordered a gift for my father through Amazon a few days in advance. I tracked the progress of the order over several days and was quite startled to see a note saying the address was incorrect. I contacted Dad to check on this and apparently I’ve been using the wrong address for several years now. I have had several packages sent to the incorrect address in the past two or three years. All have arrived without any problem before now. Anyway, he was able to pick up the package from the UPS office with no problem, which is a relief because I suspect it would have been returned to sender otherwise.
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Winter ills
We are nearing the end of winter here in Perth and it seems our household has finally succumbed to full on illness. A week ago, Game Fanatic came down with a nasty sore throat and cough. The sore throat was gone within a couple days but he’s still got the cough. The good news is that it’s mostly a night time cough only. Not that that’s particularly nice but it’s good he gets some break in there. Lego Lover got the sore throat next and seems to be mostly clear of that now but has some mild laryngitis. He’s had the cough, too, but it’s not so bad as his brother’s cough. There was a time when he’d be on asthma medication at this point but he hasn’t required it. The same cannot be said for older brother though.
While the boys have been passing their germs around, I’ve been under constant threat of acquiring the sore throat but haven’t actually gotten worse than a scratchy throat and some fairly usual ear/nasal/sinus problems. I figure it’s just waiting for me to let my guard down to strike. The Scientist has been been in a similar situation. The two of us have, however, been hit with some sort of stomach bug(s) over the past few days. It got me today and while not incapacitating, it has been rather unpleasant.
We are rather fortunate at this point to have not acquired the lovely H1N1 flu thus far. According to news I heard on the radio last night, 92% of the flu cases in Western Australia are the H1N1 virus and only 6% are H3N?. I just went searching for any news source online for these figures but can’t find anything to substantiate what I heard. Very frustrating! I did wonder how they were sure of the percentages because only a small number of cases are actually tested. I can only presume they took these figures from those who were tested. Regardless of the figures, we have managed to avoid it thus far and hopefully will stay clear of it until flu season is over.
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Balmy day of winter?
While not exactly balmy, it was pleasantly warm today once the morning hours had passed. Before it was nearly freezing and now, late at night, it’s nearly freezing. Lego Lover and I went off to a park about half an hour away to meet with other homeschoolers this afternoon. There were only three of us mums there, along with three boys aged five, six and 10. Lego Lover wasn’t very sociable so he stayed to himself most of the time. The other two are good mates and played together much of the time although there were a few conflicts along the way. We were only there for about an hour but that was enough for Lego Lover, who moved to the car when the younger boys got a bit close for comfort.
We adults had a reasonably decent opportunity to socialise while the kids were otherwise occupied and the topic of conversation mostly centered on parenting issues on this occasion. I felt like something of veteran compared to the other two because I’ve been through many of the battles they are dealing with these days. It’s not so much that those battles are behind me but the fact that my approach and attitude to how I parent has evolved somewhat over the years, due to experience. One of the themes that came up was trying to nip problems in the bud. That’s a really great ideal to have. But it’s also unrealistic to think we can stop less desirable behavior right at the start all the time too. As I put it, sometimes we just have to go with the flow, and ride the roller coaster that is parenting. We just can’t fix all the issues that come up through our years of parenting. I think this must be a bit of wisdom I’ve gathered from my nearly fifteen years of parenting because I don’t think it would have been so obvious to me even a few years ago. I now feel old and wise! :)
Our gathering only lasted a little over an hour and then Lego Lover and I were on our way home. We had a mostly enjoyable ride, aside from the overly generous solar heat that required windows to be put down at times. We’ve been listening to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (BBC radio production from many years ago) and managed to hear two or three episodes during the round trip, which were all really funny. We arrived home before traffic became completely unbearable and all was good.
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Arghh!
I seem to be troubled by pelvic pain far more than in the past. I’m not talking about pms or dysmennorhea because I’ve had those pretty much since my early teens. I’m presuming this is ovulatory in nature since it seems to occur around that time of my cycle when it does occur. It seems to bother me about every second month and almost always just the right side. So presumably it’s related to ovulation from the right ovary. Sigh…Usually the pain lessens and goes away within a few hours but tonight it’s continued for about six hours. I’ll probably finally take a painkiller since I’m off to bed shortly and I’d like to get to sleep sooner than later.
Since I’m due to see my gp soon, I’ll probably discuss this. I’ll just add it to the list of other mostly minor complaints.
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Not Too Bored of Board Games
It’s been a couple years since Game Fanatic started playing Dungeons and Dragons and it’s pretty amazing he is still playing. He tends to get bored of just about everything after some time. It’s not so much that he’s still enjoying it but it is his one social outlet during the week. He has lost interest in the game and started looking for some alternatives. Through his favorite website, he found recommendations for a couple games and was very keen to get at least one or the other. The game he really wanted is called Small World and is apparently sort of like Risk, but different. Game Fanatic checked the website of the best games shop in the area and discovered it cost $100. On the same website was advertised Arkham Horror, a game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthullu Mythos, which also interested him. That was listed for half the price so he was leaning towards that one due to lower cost.
We went into Perth to the shop, discovered Small World had sold out, then looked at Arkham Horror, which showed a price of $110, considerably higher than what he’d seen online. I hadn’t seen the website so decided not to pursue it at that point in case Game Fanatic had misunderstood what was listed online. After browsing the hundreds of board games, we left it for that day. When we returned home I confirmed that Game Fanatic had been correct about the price discrepancy. The following week we happened to be near Perth again, so we stopped at the shop again. We’d been told Small World would be in that week (on the previous visit) but apparently it had sold out quite quickly again. I queried someone in charge about the price discrepancy on Arkham Horror. The guy checked the website and said that the picture and price were correct but it supposed to be for an expansion pack rather than the original and the wrong text had been listed. I suggested they might want to fix that error and left it at that.
Game Fanatic had done research on more games during the week so we browsed several other games of interest. But I felt he really would only have been satisfied with the Arkham Horror so we got that despite the much higher price. When I went up to pay, the shop person gave us a generous discount of $30, which was much appreciated. So it worked out quite nicely for us on that one.
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Mid-winter gripe
I’m really just writing to try out Windows Live Writer. It’s got an interesting new feature that imports the blog theme into the editor. Kind of neat…
We’re in the middle of winter and I’m definitely ready for spring. We’ve been having (relatively) cold nights lately and I find it really hard to keep hands and feet warm. Seems like I spend most of my waking hours feeling the cold. We don’t have heating here, aside from an oil column heater, so I’ve piled numerous blankets onto the bed. Perhaps the one benefit of the cold is I happen to like the weight of the blankets on me, especially on my feet. If only I could get the feed to warm up a bit more quickly.
Well, enough of this disjointed post being written when I’m very sleepy. Will have more to say later.
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A real Independence Day picnic
Last Saturday we met with an American homeschooling friend and her son for a picnic in recognition of the 4th of July. Normally it’s a rainy day and/or it falls on a working day so our celebrations almost always are adjusted to compensate. One year, we did attend an event organized by the American Women’s Club on the day. What a disappointment that one was! It was quite expensive, the food was minimal and poor quality, and there was hardly anything in the way of entertainment. The worst part was that the people were most unfriendly and unwelcoming.
This year, however, was different. We had somewhat different fare than I’m used to and it was just a small group, but it was quite enjoyable (if you discount the mosquitos!). We ate baked potatoes, corn on the cob, chicken and sausages (not really American but all of us despise American style hot dogs so…). My friend brought a yummy salsa verde and chips, plus a pack of Oreos for the occasion. We had a nice chat and shared memories of holidays past and of the US, in general. For the adults, I think it went pretty well. The kids fared somewhat less well.
Lego Lover spent much of the time sitting with me at the picnic table and swinging at the little playground. He was mostly in a good mood but was unable or unready to interact with the young son of my friend. Game Fanatic stood around looking rather bored but eventually did eat some food. He wouldn’t sit down because the tables were all pretty grungy and he was completely put off getting anywhere near them. Besides, he really dislikes picnics as a rule, mostly for reasons even he cannot explain. My friend’s son, who was desperate for a play mate was left mostly dissatisfied that day. The Scientist spent some time with him toward the end of our short outing and that was the whole of it.
My friend and her son were still recovering from a nasty flu so we didn’t linger long after we’d eaten. As it was, she felt she had overdone it after eating so little for many days before.
And that was our real holiday picnic, even if it wasn’t quite like the ones I remembered from my childhood.
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Starting the forty-fifth year
I passed yet another birthday yesterday so I am now onto the 45th year. It seems as though it won’t be long at all until I’m at my 50th but I think I’ll take it as it comes. The day itself was pleasant enough although I don’t suppose I did much with it in the end, wasting too much time on the everyday things. It was far more interesting during the latter part because the Scientist had finished work and we were all together as a family. The boys made a mud cake for me which was very yummy.
We went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had my first restaurant risotto which was nice, but I made the mistake of eating it all, despite knowing the cheesiness would do me in. I could have had leftovers today if I’d been less of a glutton. Ah well, lesson learned. I was really pleased to see Lego Lover eat and enjoy the pizza there instead of opting for the kid’s meal items. I guess he is really maturing. Game Fanatic chose a paella and didn’t like it. Apparently it was too wet and the texture was wrong. Probably not a good idea to get a Spanish dish at an Italian restaurant. The Scientist thoroughly enjoyed the gnocchi he ordered and said it was just the perfect amount for him.
After dinner we came home and watched My Fair Lady, probably my favorite musical going back many years. This was only the second time to watch it in widescreen and I was able to appreciate it even more this time, not being so awed by the different feel to the movie from the VHS pan and scan version. Lego Lover lost interest fairly early on but Game Fanatic stuck it out and I think did have some appreciation on his first viewing, especially for the fun poked at the upper classes. The Scientist and I both really enjoyed it as always.
Speaking of musicals…my friend K and I made rather late plans to see Phantom of the Opera on Friday night. It’s an Australian production that’s been running for several weeks now and will be closing on the weekend. I’ve never seen a big production musical before so I’m looking forward to it.
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Doing our part for the economy, aka a new car
Last week we got our new car, a Toyota Corolla Ascent. After a week of driving we have decided we rather like the new vehicle. Lego Lover just loves, loves, loves it and had a wonderful time washing it this evening (with me). Game Fanatic is less exhuberant and seemed to avoid any contact with the car until the third day when he had an appointment to attend. He does like having a cd player in the car and will even sit in the front seat just so he can have control of it. Aside from the cd player, the Scientist and I have noted some other improvements:
- The inside light actually comes on when the door is opened. Last night we drove after dark for the first time and were surprised to have a light come on when we opened the door upon our arrival at home.
- Both visors have a mirror behind a sliding plastic cover along with a light that operates when the door is fully open.
- An arm rest/cup holder in the back seat. At the moment, food and drink in the car are heavily frowned upon so the cup holder isn’t that relevant. But the arm rest creates a definite barrier between kids in the back seat.
- The front passenger door actually locks when you lock the car. We haven’t quite broken our habits of waiting for the door to be unlocked but I think we may be there soon.
- Parking this car is so much easier than the Camry was. It fits in the parking spaces. I honestly can’t see how anyone manages to park a BBV (bloody big vehicle) with the facilities available.
There have been a couple of issues that have arisen so far:
- The front windows are automatic which is rather a pain. It’s hard to get the windows to the place you want them, especially when driving. I also keep forgetting to put the window up before turning off the car when I park. I’m sure we will get used to it. I also find it odd that it’s only the front windows that have this feature.
- The car started making some sort of beeping sound one day when Lego Lover and I were returning from the shops. Initially it flashed the seatbelt light and we both had our seatbelts on. I stopped and we checked the doors and all was fine. By this point the car was beeping frantically and I still wasn’t clear what was causing the problem. I stopped the car and started it again. The same scenario was repeated. It was only when I accidentally shifted the location of my purse in the passenger seat that I realised it must have some sort of sensor in the seat. Sure enough, the Scientist located a section in the manual that described the stages that would take place. My purse wasn’t heavy so I am surprised it was set off. I could see it happening with a bag of groceries though.
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Maybe there is hope for me
I discovered a few days ago there was going to be a rare occurrence of a transit of Titan across Saturn last night. Locally it started around 8:30 so our plans were to set up the telescope to watch from around that time. Unfortunately the skies weren’t at all clear when the time neared so we opted not to waste our time. Instead the Scientist and I watched the episode of Good News Week we had recorded Monday night before he had to be off to bed.
Our washing machine was finally returned yesterday and I finally had some clean clothes to hang out and did so after the Scientist had gone to sleep. I had a dilemma when I realised the skies had cleared considerably because I have never made use of the telescope on my own and our expert was in bed. I decided to have a go and take the telescope out. It’s a pretty big contraption but I managed to shuffle my way out with it with little ado, aside from scraping my foot on the bricks outside.
Although I’ve watched the Scientist set everything up before, I felt completely clueless once I got out there. I did, of course, know enough to take off the big cover to the reflector but then I was a bit stumped. But wait, the barrel was turned the wrong way and the scope and lens holder were rendered rather useless on the underside. First thing was to turn it around and so I accomplished my second act of bravery with expensive equipment for the night. (Of course this morning I realised that I didn’t need to turn it over but to turn the platform and flip it the opposite direction so the effort wasn’t needed. Bad brain!) The lenses were all in their holders along the side of the Dobsonian mount but how to get one onto the contraption? I thought more about this and remembered to remove the caps from the finder scope which was a bit of a start. Of course I really didn’t know where to find Saturn in the night sky. I had a general idea of where we’d seen it before and remembered it being bright enough to be distinguished from some other objects in the sky. I came inside to start up Stellarium on the computer and Lego Lover soon joined me outside in our search of the skies.