EXCHANGE INTERFACE

That was a busy weekend.

Saturday morning was quiet, Saturday lunch with some girlfriends from hockey. Saturday afternoon was the cousin's wedding. Saturday night was the church Trivia Night.

Sunday morning - again, quiet. Early Sunday afternoon was the church meeting about a proposed new building. Sunday late afternoon was hockey.

Less than 15 minutes into the game, I scored a goal. And then one of the opposite team players tripped me up with a stick between the legs, then tripped over me and fell on me.

I fell forward, but rolled over as I did, landing on my left shoulder some. Then the woman fell on top of me and I had my arms up as she hit me and that was when my head bounced against the ground - back of the head, shaken not stirred. I had blurry edges to my vision for a few seconds and decided to go off.

I ended up off the field for the rest of the game. *sigh*

Yesterday, most noticeably my neck and shoulder was sore, but I was also a bit vague at work and not terribly functional. I should have called a sick day, or even a sick half-day but 'powered through' and what usually would take me a couple of hours took a full eight to slowly plod my way through. Stupid.

Got a physio looking at the shoulder and neck, he agrees with me that it's just muscular and requires rest (and some loosening through massage), so that's a relief. Just a slightly achey one.

*grumbles*

That woman on the other team was responsible for several collisions: she has no spatial awareness (backed into me a few times) and a fairly solid body - add velocity which creates momentum and OUCH. Also, the stick-between-the-legs is a very illegal move, and I don't think she really got pulled up for it. I shall be EXCEEDINGLY wary of her in future. And if she does it next game, I'm going to get the captain to have a word with the umpires. Because that's fucking dangerous.

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Four other women from hockey met for brunch

One is playing in the team above, another isn't playing at all this year (has some medical stuff going on) - and had some lunch and some drinks.

The brunch was nice, but I couldn't stay because I had to head out for the wedding. I also couldn't drink because I go pink when drinking alcohol and it's very inelegant. Anyway, had some food, some chats, but then had to run off to the wedding.

I hope they invite me back - I think I mostly got invited this time because I'm a reasonably close friend with the organiser of this time (although I'm still friends with the others, I don't know that I'd say we're close). I'm not objecting!

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Cousin's wedding, family stuff.

The bible reading went off fine (I could do bible readings with a concussion, I reckon, I've done it so often) and while G and I have never been close per se, I've always tried to talk to her at family events, because she doesn't always attend them and she can sometimes be a bit awkward. I guess that counts! Also, her fiance (now husband) is a little bit quirky and a bit awkward, too, and kind of delightful.

I think the thing about G's wedding was that it felt very tense to me, mostly because she wanted everything to go right - kind of a 'big day should go perfectly' mentality, but with the 'if anything goes wrong I'll blame myself'. But it all went of without a hitch, she and M sang their vows to each other (in boring pentatones, like a Gregorian chant; I can't say it was my preferred choice of song for wedding vows) which I knew about because I saw it at the rehearsal on Thursday night.

Anyway, G's mother came along (Aunty C, I've written about her before), but her father wasn't invited and neither mum nor the uncles told him when it was! But we did send him photos. I hope he's okay. He kind of missed chunks of both his daughters' weddings - he and Aunty C were together when Cousin E married (G's older sister) and they were angry that E had married someone Aunty C didn't approve of, so they attended the wedding but they weren't involved and they didn't go to th reception after.

Anyway, he missed G's wedding entirely. Not that Aunty C was involved. At this point of life (G is about four years older than me) there is no 'family giving the bride away', so none of that stuff.

*sigh*

Family.

G&M had a reception with M's side of the family that night (they're from out of town) and rather than try to drag us all together at once, our side of the family has a reception in two weeks' time. Which is good - we can all be our wild and woolly selves!

As I told M before the ceremony: "welcome to the madhouse!"

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trivia

Saturday night was the church mission Trivia Night. Our table had four people, and then we co-opted the senior minister, and he was going to be our 'Bible round' guru.

We weren't even placing at the end of Round 2 out of 3, but we managed 3rd place in the end! Not bad for only 5 people!

And we'd have done even better if they'd taken the two questions that I was pretty sure of the answers and gone with my answer instead of the senior minister! *smugs*

1. Which is the longest book in the bible?
A: Jeremiah. (everyone went for Psalms or Isaiah)

2. Who wrote most of the New Testament?
A: Luke. Paul wrote more letters, sure, but fewer words. Luke was a doctor/philosopher. The man wrote like words were going out of style.

Anyway, I think we would have come second if we'd gotten those ones correct.

Also the Noah question: how many of each animal did Noah take into the ark? Everyone knows that it was 'two' of some, but there were 'sevens' of others. Apparently the answer is 'two of every unclean animal, and seven of every clean animal'.

I wasn't with my usual Thursday Trivia team (because the friend who asked me to join her team asked five minutes before my usual Thursday team), and they won. *sadface* And I won't be able to go to the next Trivia thing they're going to - it's at a different club, the night after I've had my Mirena put in to try to control my fibroids. I don't think I'll be up to it.

Hm, I have a suggestion for one of next year's "wildcard fill-in sheets" when the Trivia Night comes up next year... *evil grin*

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And then Sunday afternoon was the church meeting about an expansion program.

the meeting was not fruitful; he resigned on the spot

(No, he didn't. That's a quote from one story in a children's book series about a pack of mice and the cat who hangs around with them: The Church Mice. This one was a favourite of my sisters and I: "The Church Mice At Bay" - about the vicar going away on a holiday for some months, and the replacement being...rather less to Sampson and the mice's style than they would like.)

We only just finished paying off the debt on the building that we have, which was renovated, I think, ten to fifteen years ago? And now they want to go bigger.

There was a meeting. Things were said. I'm going to write up my thoughts on it somewhere else because y'all don't want me to be lecturing you on my understanding of church history. :)

The scary part? They don't have a cost estimate. Not yet. But there's already a sunk cost - they started putting this together in 2022, and hired some architects to come and look and work out a project ending, involving a bigger and dedicated worship space, more rooms for conferences and meetings, an education centre that would hopefully remain an education centre (instead of being co-opted for church services as happened to the education centre from the previous church building project), and an actual kitchen. (Hey, don't knock the kitchen; churches should be excellent places for group cooking things - lunches and dinners and potlucks and youth group pizzas, etc.)

Anyway. It was...interesting. But they haven't sold me on it yet. And I'm among the class of people they have to sell it on: have money, another 20 years earning potential, don't have kids relying on me, have a vision for the faith and the church. It'll be interesting to talk about that tonight at my weekly bible study group. If we do.

--

And then hockey. Where I got tripped, and then fell on, and then concussed. Lightly.

I did manage to score a goal before the other player concussed me. So yay.

--

Finally work.

long and extra hours

I have worked at least one extra days' worth - probably two at this stage - doing work out-of-hours for this project. I was on at 10pm last night (after dinner) to finish a few things off.

I ended up having to take all of yesterday's work out and write a couple of new things. And Monday was worked through the fuzz of my post-concussion brain which felt functional but a bit slow. *sigh*

--

Anyway, that was the weekend. It was a lot.

Finally, I could use your advice:

quilt border?

This is my entry for the quilt show this year. Does it need a border of some kind?

Family day was good. Got to chat to the SILs and SBs, got to play with the nephlets. Such adorbsable kids!

Stepdad kept his anti-Voice (mostly anti-indigenous) rants until after most nearly everyone else was gone (except SIL2's parents). He was pretty much all bigotry, prejudice, and the kind of stupid lies that people listen to when it's seems safer to be afraid and angry than to face a complex reality.

Also a steady diet of Ray Hadley (kinda Rush Limbaugh) will do that to an elderly man, every time.

But it was such a good day otherwise - food and family and fun. Going to arrange to lunch with SB/SIL1 while they're in the country, and talked with SB/SIL2 about going to visit and stay with them later this year, but more likely next year due to scheduling.

So freaking bloody exhausted, though. 

Managed to read my AU Exchange through - Pern AU ft Maria/Bucky interaction with background OT4, but I don't have any words beyond "ooh, neat" rn because even focusing is exhausting. Comment tomorrow, then explore the archive. Maybe.

Headache. Heat and exhaustion. Going now.

Had a dental appointment yesterday. They found a crack in a tooth that's decayed, so it was a composite job to hopefully seal it up and stop the decay. Gotta leave it for a week or two to let things settle down around there, but right now it's feeling sensitive - I've had a lot of work done up in that space a half-dozen years back, so everything's tenterhooks. Also, I gotta stop running my tongue along that tooth. Not helping.

Went to see the Cirque du Soleil show that I thought I booked for Friday and which turned out to be Sunday before they changed it for me. It was okay. Ice-circus show, not bad, but not as immersively enjoyable as the other ones I'd previously seen.

B1 is home again! Yay!

She brought all her stuff home. And is arguing with me over the need to downsize things (ie. throw out things that have an emotional memory component to them). Plus, she has all the stuff she collected while travelling the last 2 months. Boo.

One thing I discovered: I mentally set "pay bills" to "after B1 returns". Unfortunately, at least two of those bills were due between B1's original return date and her actual return date. So we're paying extra on at least one of them. *sigh*

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This morning is fricking freezing Mr Bigglesworth. And next week is probably rain.

--

I'm looking for a 5x2 IKEA EXPEDIT shelving, even though they don't really exist anymore. I want one that's about 1.8m tall, because they're not just tall and have cube-spaces, they're deep as well, and I need it so I can balance something else across it for more shelving.

Honestly, this house just all-around needs more shelving/storage space. Or else we have to start throwing some things out.

Turns out that I should be able to gt the roof reconditioned - the guy who proposed replacing the entire roof wasn't willing to guarantee it, but the building inspector said someone else might. I'd like to replace the roof maybe next year, but I don't have the money for it right now. Also, still dealing with cracks and leakage. Anyway, I have to actually make contact with the guy who does the roofs. I tried calling him on Tuesday and left a message. *sigh* I kinda hate dealing with tradies.

--

Sold my Saturday night tickets to England v Colombia, I'm just so tired and with the AUSvFRA game at 5pm (in Brisbane), I didn't want to take the risk that I won't be in the mood for Saturday night.

They were snapped right up PRONTO. Which is the way of tickets off the resale platform.

Right now, I'm trying to get tickets to next Wednesday's game at Stadium Australia: if Australia make it through Saturday night, then that'll be their next game. Frankly, it's luck of the draw and swift of the click. They get snapped up as soon as they're put up. I just missed two tickets after doing a refresh. They were gone as soon as I'd selected them and clicked 'purchase'.

I got really lucky with Monday's game ticket, I guess. Be nice if I got lucky again, but I'm not counting on it.

I have packed and boxed and stacked and stored all weekend.

The study is almost empty, so is the lounge room. We've cleared out a lot of the dining room, it's just what's on the dining table now.

We have the lounge room pretty much divested of everything, and the lounge itself will be going tomorrow or the day after. Apparently a lot of people want a leather lounge, although the current person who is coming for it keeps badgering me for photos of any damage. I haven't given him the address yet, and I'm really liking the person who's next in line...

My bedroom needs the figurines taken down (and dusted off), and the last of the things under the bed taken out and moved away.

My study desk needs moving back and across, and also clearing and sorting. I have a whole pile of papers that are going to get sorted over the next week and boxed up and put away. I'm going to have a fairly major issue if I need to find anything, on the other hand. And I should probably get my tax filing for last financial year sorted out.

So many little things to do still, though. Sorting and packing and moving things away from the windows on the porch. That's still a job and a half. A friend was going to come over today and help, but he didn't contact me or turn up so I'm guessing he either forgot or got busy with his family (his SIL is coming to live with him and the family, so they're probably busy).

Laundry tidying up. Kitchen tidying up.

The big thing that I'll need help with is getting the three external shades down off the outside walls next weekend. I can pretty much do the internal curtains myself (oh, those'll need boxing up).

Oh, man, also: dropcloths. Must ask if anyone in the neighbourhood has some that they'd be willing to loan.

I'm absolutely shattered.

But I went out last night with friends from church. Actually, I kind of invited myself after I heard a few were going to see a band play at an inner-city pub. But they were amenable and didn't seem to mind, so...that's good. Still feeling a bit raw lately, though.

Okay, about to go pick up the sister from the party she's been at all day. I'm glad she had the day out, but she's probably going to be a little bit wrecked tomorrow. Also possibly a bit wrecked after she sees what I did with the furniture around the place...

It's not like anything is happening in my life that's explicitly discombobulating, just...feeling like everything's a bit of a mess right now.

I just cleaned off my work desk which was full of cords and things out of place and dust. It feels a lot better, at least. Still don't have any kind of an organising ethos.

Trying to get more quilting things off my plate and out of the house in the next couple of weeks. Haven't heard back from the window guys, need to get a more concrete idea about when they're going to be doing things. Have we packed anything? Nope. Not a thing. *cowers*

--

( family stuff )

I did lose a half-day of work but nothing was happening anyway ("We Can't Do Anything Here: We're In Systems Upgrade Country!")

--

Did my PT session yesterday, slightly sore and achey today. He was good, encouraging in that annoying way that PT coaches are (me at one point, laughing: "I hate personal trainers; they're so damn cheerful!") Saw my physio this afternoon, back is much better, and I have exercises to do to limber up my muscles which I need to do at least a couple of times a week.

--

( weekend plans? )

--

I am trying to write for halfamoon but struggling right now. With everything writing. GRARGH.

Oh, and the story of Dad... He was riding in Vietnam on a motorcycle, and ( accident )

Sheesh.

Did I mention that everything's a mess right now?

IDK, I'm feeling very restless today. Not sure why. I did wake up tired, and then do a bunch of kitchen-ish things before 10:30am when uncle&aunt turned up - Dad's older brother & wife. The 'nice but not exactly conversational, he's almost certainly autism spectrum and my grandfather was not a good parent for him'.

( it's wryly humourous - not my uncle's autism, but the other things around their visit )

It's Lunar New Year - Kung Hey Faat Choi, etc.

( trying to level the sense of things )

...and (three hours later) in the end we bought a roast chicken from a local shop.

So I'll probably roast the pork tomorrow morning in time for lunch, and make the zhong while chatting with American friends around 10:30. They can be kept a few days in the fridge, or a little longer in the freezer, so that'll be fine.

Anyway, Happy Lunar New Year!

Feeling a bit discombobulated. Not sure why. I swing between feeling pretty good about things, to feeling awful about everything.

--

I have a number of things I would like to watch.

HARD TRUTH 1: I am not going to watch them unless I make a scheduled time to watch it with someone else and put it in my diary as An Event.

At some point in the next month, I may put out a list of movies/shows that I'd like to watch and see if anyone is interested in making an appointment to watch it together-apart while on some social media platform?

--

Another of the chickens looks on the path to terminality. Shantung chicken has been lethargic the last couple of weeks, got her in to a vet and stuff was drained off, but she still feels swollen. The vet thinks there's "other pathology" happening.

The twins tend to take the 'save her at all cost!' attitude. Except that I am the one paying the bulk of the vet costs! *sigh*

I mean, I'm more pragmatic about the chooks: they were bought to lay eggs and to till the garden and they've done that well, They've had really great lives compared to the lives of any chook in the egg-farming system, and probably rather better than that of many backyard chickens whose owners got them without understanding what they do and are.

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The fridge is full of nectarines again. I am bottling nearly as fast as I can make it, but it's still a race against the tree. And even once I get the nectarines done, there'll be the peaches... #millionsofpeaches

--

Trying to work out where to start with the tidying/decluttering of the house. B1 was extremely resistant to the idea of giving away a TV that we haven't really used in a couple of years. *sigh*

IDK what to do; it's got all the hallmarks of hoarding, really, with an abject fear of letting something go that we might need later. Which I understand, because I have the same instincts myself, but also I have the energy and will to go through things and throw them out, to make that decision and live with the consequences. B1 doesn't.

So much argh.

--

Bets on whether the quilter I sent the quilts to do will get back to me before Christmas? Hm.

I do have the next four ready, with backing. Need to add the batting though.

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Probably should have had something to eat this morning. Other than the two? Three? Chocolates I had, and the piccolo coffee.

--

My hair is magenta. Like, truly magenta at the crown, softening to darker shades as it goes down the length. Also: the hairdresser didn't have a credit card machine that worked and my card was down, so he graciously allowed me to walk out without paying (it's a local salon). And that was Sunday, it's now Thursday. I only just got the money out this morning so I can go pay him back.

I really appreciate both the gesture and what it says about the community and his trust.

Going to get lunch at the shopping centre and pay the guy with much gratitude.

I think I'll go for blue hair next time. Or maybe a deeper, richer purple. That is, if the dye doesn't do my hair in. So far, so good, though!

--

Tattoo has healed pretty well, still occasionally itchy, will post a pic shortly.

Oh yeah, my mum found out after I posted a pic to my stories on Wednesday.

M: Tell me that was not your back!!!
me: Yes, it is my back.
M: Oh No!

But when I saw her on Thursday, she only demanded to see it and then kind of sighed and said, "well, it's not like I can stop you" which is absolutely true and probably all she's going to say on the topic.

That's kind of how it rolls with mum when I do something she doesn't approve of. But, as B1 pointed out, HOW old am I?

--

An advent reflection by Lori Hetteen:

Prisoners pen scriptures
whores are heroes and
every face resembles holiness.
The feet of peasants are washed
by the king and
law bows down to love.
Outsiders are insiders and
the door is not open
but torn clean from its hinges.
This is the house that God built.
~ Lori Hetteen ~

I love Christmas - or I used to. It's not the gifts or the 'magic' or even the fact that it's summer holidays.

It was the chance (excuse) to spend time with extended family that Christmas provided - the knowledge that, well, we're kind of busy the rest of the year, but we always meet for Christmas!

( last (three) Christmas... )

I wish the local food pantry/community assistance group did Christmas Day events for the homeless/indigent of the area. I don't think they do, mostly because it's primarily volunteers, and the volunteers are all people with families who can do Christmas. But I'll ask and see what their plans are, and if they have any. If they do have something on Christmas Day, if the Big Rello Bash isn't on this year, I might go help. (And even if the Big Rello Bash *is* on this year, I might see if they can do with help.)

Negative result.

Got a good night's sleep - around 6 hours - and am feeling less 'bronchial' than yesterday (when it felt like my bronchial tubes had their own nervous system).

Crap, just realised I should have something to eat. 'scuse me.

--

Temp tomorrow is going to hit 35C in the afternoon. I'd like to beach early (ie. go when I wake which is ~5:30am right now) but I also like it to be warm when I beach and temps at 7am predicted to be only about 20C, soaring as the day goes on. (It's going to be really crazy hot out in the northwest Australia, though. CRAZY HOT.)

--

Am trying to see if SSIL-J is available for meeting this weekend before baby is due (23rd Dec). I kind of doubt it; she probably has a gazillion friends who are higher. But it's worth asking.

--

Just have a new chicken that we're minding for the holidays. She's used to being top chook, Shantung (new brown) is accustomed to being top chook, and even though we've got them separated, there's a lot of dominance challenge noises going on. It's going to be a noisy couple of days...

I've already apologised to the neighbours - they have a teenage daughter who's still in bed (at noon). Dad doesn't mind, but I think Mum is a bit more concened about daughter's sleep. Oh well. Hopefully they'll calm down some. Maybe.

--

And as it turns out, I didn't have breakfast. So all I have in me is a cup of coffee. Must remedy that, STAT.

Dad lives in Vietnam with his wife and stepson.

The stepbrother's biodad contracted COVID and died in less than 3 days. He was rich and famous (apparently) and probably in his 50s, and still couldn't get the care necessary as fast as needed.

Stepbro is a bit numb right now, so Dad says.

Dad is in his late 70s, Australian citizen, Viet resident, and has (apparently) been slated for the Moderna shot. We're quizzing him about it now, somewhat anxiously. He's been telling us that the HCMC cops have been out and about arresting people for breaking the rules, and they're particularly eager if you're a foreigner because foreigners have money.

Alas, the Australian govt has been utterly gutless when it comes to looking after Austraians o/s, particularly those who've been wanting to come back to Australia for the last year. NForget entirely about getting Oz citizens a vaccine shot or two via international diplomacy; most of the time our govt has refused to get people home and then flat-out lied about what they told expats to do, then then lied about the difficult of sorting things out overseas.

Not that Dad particularly wants to come back right now - he's very que sera sera about it all and we get our black sense of humour and droll attitude to death from him.

Still, in spite of all the issues with have with Dad (as well as because of him), we'd like to see the old goat another time or two before he dies.