Bliss

There are two unmistakeable smells that instantly fill me with calm happiness: indoor swimming pools and big university libraries. Bliss.

Speed blogging

righto, I have twelve minutes before I must plunge back into considerations of compliance to treatment regimes. It's fascinating stuff and I feel as though I'm finally on a bit of a roll with study - zooming into the study of an evening to look up just one more article (I can stop any time I want to, no really) is feeling like a constructive activity rather than a burdensome PITA*. Noddie and the Spousal Unit are watching Charlotte's Web as I'm working. We borrowed it from the library and I think it'll be the perfect wind-down after the birthday party they've been at all afternoon Another benefit of study - don't think I wasn't glad to have an impressive and sympathy-inducing excuse to stay home!
The news: my friend's sister's funeral was lovely, and as awful as you can imagine a sendoff for a twenty-year-old dead of leukaemia would be. Today would have been her twenty-first birthday. My heart aches for them.
Work: I love my job. It's difficult and intense and sometimes quite draining, and it affirms that all this time and money I've devoted to uni has been the Right Thing.
Uni: we have our on-campus school this week and I'm apprehensive - of meeting a whole group of new people, and of being the least prepared. But it's going to happen whether I am scared or not and as I frequently say to Noddie, you can choose how you think about things, and I don't know why you would choose to do something that makes you unhappy. The poor child. So I'm looking forward to it!
Four minutes left, eek! Better make it pertinent!
Training: nine weeks until the Gold Coast half marathon. My number is H1065, and Noddie's number in the Junior Dash is D0034. If all goes well** I'll have at least six 15km+ runs under my belt by then and a really good chance at a PB. After missing one by about a minutelast year I'm champing at the bit. I am also hoping to do the Mother's Day run with my dear mama as I have the last five years. The only problem with that is the clash with J's petrolhead Day of Days at DECA in Shapparton. If he wasn't on the club committee I'd merely be ropeable. As it is I'm spitting chips. Has he learned nothing from last year's stubby-holder fiasco? Sheesh.
That took twenty minutes, bad, bad LBTEPA.
More anon, funsters!
*Pain In The Arse
** No injuries, no foul germs from Noddie

The bare essentials

Must. Study.
Must go to work.
Must spend quality time with Spousal Unit
Must. Study.
Must help Noddie learn to ride her Big Girl bike.
Must make sure there's food and clean clothes and hem Noddie's school pants.
Must. Study.
Must stay connected with dear friends
Must ride ok ok mostly on the trainer in front of the tv. Don't judge me
Must. Study.
Must read Noddie stories and listen to her prayers
Must run. Thinking insane thoughts about next few races. MUST RUN
Must do pushups and physio exercises
Must drink more water and try and come up with some way to curtail after work scoff-fest
Must. Study.
Must freak out about amount of reading and presentation-writing to be done in the next week
Must try and retain some of what I'm reading.
Must remember that I'm busy now because I've had so much FUN this summer!
Must. Study.
Must go to a funeral on Tuesday :(
Must. Study.
Must. Study.
More anon, crazy diamonds!

Sad

My friend's sister died from leukaemia yesterday. She was 21.
Another friend's dad died on Monday, eight weeks after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Chateau LBTEPA is quiet this week. Hug your loved ones, my friends.

I know I should have been at home studying all weekend

.....but life's far too short to miss important things

like a day out with the family, splendid hats, ten to seven on Easter morning, a happy egg hunter, a lovely long run along the river road, my sister's salty sea dog, and wondering if, after all these years of my Dad's insane boat trips, it's too late to mutiny.

More anon, belated knucklers-down!

I'm in love

A cautionary tale

That Bug Was Yuck. It so nice not to be plagued by germs and to feel vaguely capable of donning the runners and heading out. Not that I have yet, but I can now contemplate the prospect as realistic. Maybe tomorrow.

Completely changing the subject: are you the bill-payer in your house? Do you sometimes put things off and say, I'll pay that later? And then sometimes forget and get the red bill and say oooh! whoops! and hop onto the internet quicksticks so that the power won't be cut off? Here's a quiz for you, reluctant paper-jugglers: guess which one you really must never never forget to pay. No idea? Well, boys and girls, let the voice of Bitter Experience give you the good oil: The dog registration.

Neglect it at your peril. Yes, that innocuous little green one from the council there, lurking in your to-do pile minding its own business, politely coughing from time to time so it moves higher up the stack, and then slipping down again because...well because I'm vague and hopeless, ok?

DO NOT FORGET TO PAY THIS BILL.

Otherwise, on the day you are too ill to lift your head off the pillow to let your dogs in, there will be a severe thunderstorm and they will get out, and because you didn't pay their registration they will be taken to the lost dogs' home on the other side of the city even though they were caught two streets away from your house (and they are microchipped, so the nice kind animal control officer lady can let you know and nearly make you cry because she is so nice and you feel so sick and so stupid) and you will have to drive across the city next morning to ransom them even though you still feel like death warmed up and you will be up for nearly a thousand dollars (stupid owner fine + careless owner fine + forgetful owner fine, times two). I have a medical certificate so I may be able to have the careless owner fine waived, but it's still a lot of shoe money. Sigh.

I have decided that my function in life is to be a Warning To Others.

But then again.... J and I were recalling how seven or eight years ago when we were massively broke this would have been an absolute gut-wrenching financial disaster, whereas now it's 'merely' a monumental pain in the arse.

More anon, puppy parents

An hour later: AND NOW VIC ROADS IS SAYING WE HAVEN'T REGISTERED OUR CAR??? WTF???

K-Rudd could have just kept his free money and saved himself the stamp

Oh well

Underdone I'll have a crack at pretty much anything, as you know, but underdone plus acute viral gastroenteritis (thanks a lot, Noddie, and your germy little mates)? Sorry Geelong, see you next year. You were a treat to finish the season, not my A race. Don't be offended.
More anon, seers of the big picture!

It's raining fabulousness

OMG OMG OMG I am just about incoherent with excitement! This evening I will be basking in a glow of fabulousness as I dine with the creme de la creme of Melbourne Blogger Royalty! Adding further lustre to the occasion - if that's possible - will be International Blogging Superstar, enthusiastic embracer of life and all-round hilarious chick Dietgirl! Ooooh!!!
*fans self*
I didn't know whether I could make it tonight because the Spousal Unit's shifts are so tiresomely erratic at the moment, and we are hosting our church's Lent study group at our house this year etc etc etc and and and...so complicated...but it's all fallen into place and I'll be there!
Now whatever shall I wear? These girls can dress.
I'm so excited about this, and so in love with my new car did I tell you I had a new car? Oh, I did? Would you like to hear more? that it's almost blotting out the full-body aches from Noddie's latest share-it-around phlegmfest, which if they don't go away will make Sunday's tri a bit of a pain, as it were oh dear oh dear oh dear...... but I'm sure they will. Drugs are good these days
More anon, incurable optimists!