One of Us

...has their birthday today (and its not me!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAY

[dino]

Krispy Kreme

...are the words on everyones (sugary) lips at the moment. Dunno why, but then I've never tasted one of these infamous cholesterol-boosting doughnuts. But the PR/Marketing department at Krispy Kreme must be doing a wonderful job, sending free samples to radio stations is a good ploy to get presenters talking them up - heard a good few minutes on the wonders of the KK on Nova this week.

At work, fellow instructors had a pact to always bring back a box of them from Sydney airport, and my students tell me that now they are selling them at Fountain Gate there are long queues of people and extra traffic. Whats so good about the Krispy Kreme? The name puts me off. Firstly if they can't spell, can you trust them to get the ingredients right? Suppose they get the flour mixed up with the floor cleaner. Secondly, cream is not meant to be crispy. Thats a sign that its growing mould. It all sounds a bit wrong.

the jackie stewart picnic blanket

Ok, so why do we have a picnic blanket named after Jackie? Well the reason is threefold

1. At the last JOY picnic, Jackie was incontinent* on the blanket

2. At the Joy studio there is the infamous Jackie Stewart Sofa; we have always admired this from afar and wanted to have something similar at home

3. We have many household objects named after icons, including The Doug Pollard Chair, The Pam Ann Bag, The Tony & Georgia Saucer and The Anne Box

*incontinent by spilling her wine on the blanket

Passport Palaver

After getting our Aussie citizenship last September, we have just about gotton around to applying for our passports - but keep getting rejected at the first hurdle.


Attempt 1 - using the passport website, which seemed utterly confusing, even to an IT professional, so I took the easy option and clicked the box saying 'please send me the proper forms please'


Attempt 2 - got the forms, but filled in the email address wrong, so had to get replacement forms from the post office.

Attempt 3 - We filled out the forms, not that difficult only 3 pages, and went along for a 2nd visit to the post office to get photos done. These had to be redone too, as my (Dino's) pic had part of the head missing and a reddy orange blotch in the corner. I said this was my aura, but had to have the pics redone anyway. Also had to have the photos witnessed/authorised by a friend. We took the completed forms back to the post office (3rd visit), but were told it was all WRONG WRONG WRONG. The witness declaration was done in blue pen, not black. The parts done in black pen were in the wrong type of black pen, it had to be ballpoint not ink pen as that didn't scan as well at the passport office. One box was circled 'male' instead of an X next to male. And the signature was 0.2mm outside the allowed box printed in an ink colour so pale it was only visible under an electron microscope. The biggest sin was putting '2 years' instead of '02 years'.... of course, how obvious.

Attempt 4 - After being issued 2 (oops, sorry, 02) new forms we filled them in again, also completing the witness part so that it could just be signed again. Then back to the post office for Ms Pedant to check the forms again. And they were ok - well nearly. She signed them off and we paid our $350 quietly celebrating in our heads and were just about to walk out the door when she came around the counter to ask one last question. Was the witness section filled out by us? (She had quickly run off a handwriting analysis test over her morning coffee. We daren't lie, she probably had a lie detection machine out the back too) 'Yes, but the witness did sign and date it' Oops, not good enough, rejected again. New forms and photos required please

The saga continues, watch this space for progress

the kittens have gone :(

This is difficult to write, but not as difficult as the decision that we had to make. after 6 days we ended up taking the kittens back to the breeder since I (Dino) could not cope with them. I have suffered from anxiety in the past and thought that was all behind me, but obviously not. I kept getting a panicky feeling of "someone's ruining my stuff" as the energetic kittens bounded around - totally not their fault, they were just being kittens. Maybe it was due to getting them so soon after just getting the house, or the fact that I was at home all week and had too much time to be introspective, I don't really understand it myself. I was worried about not letting them outside, about what we would do with them when going on holiday, about not being able to clear their litter tray when we are at work, about what will happen to them if and when the floor gets replaced and the roof fixed (still pending!)..... there are more things but it just makes me sound insane. Lets just say that I am a worrier. Joe said that I loved the idea of getting kittens but could not deal with the reality.

So after 9 months of waiting for them, now they are gone. Luckily for them, there is always a waiting list for ragdoll cats, and within 48 hours they had both found new homes. We took them back of Friday, which was very emotional for both of us. All day Saturday I had to the urge to phone the breeder back and say we wanted them back. By Sunday they had gone to their new owners (one of them is another radio presenter, but not on JOY). Joe has been massively supportive during all this, I know he has been feeling upset but has been trying to keep me going.

Now in retrospect I regret such a kneejerk reaction and wish that I had done more to work through my anxieties. I can only learn from my mistake. At the moment I feel like I would like to try again in the future and hopefully will be more prepared.

Of course, like an idiot I had bored the whole world with my excitement of getting the kittens since last September, now I will have to face people asking me how they are doing. Hopefully some will read this blog first. It reminds me of the time when I told everyone I knew that I was taking my driving test - and then failed. The next time I kept it a secret until I had passed. There is also a lesson in "The boy who called wolf" - many know me to be a practical joker, and so will probably think I am joking when I say that we don't have the kittens any more. I never thought that I could get so attached to 2 kittens in less than a week. Goodbye Reuben and Chester xxx

[Dino]