2010 on the horizon

The end of 2009 kind of shocks me. I mean, is it really the end of December? Really? Or is it some big joke and its still July or something. I guess it is a bit too warm to be July. 37C today... eew.

I suppose the reason that it doesn't feel like its been a whole year yet is that 2008 was such a huge year for me. So much happened! This year there have been a few things, but it was no 08, that's for sure. And really, that's a relief.

What happened this year? Well... most importantly I got a beautiful nephew. Charlie Jay Schunke is the best person in the world. I love his gummy little grin, his little open mouthed stare and the way he hoons around the living room in his little walker. He does no walking - only racing.

Mum told me that the other day Dad and Charlie were chasing eachother around the counter with Charlie in his walker, and Dad on the computer wheelie chair. How cute!

This year I also got back into painting, and I wrote a novel. A shitty novel to be sure, and something that will never see the light of day. But goddamn it felt good to do it. I wrote 50,000 words in a month! And next year will be better, because - well, it can't get worse! Onward and upward!

Goals for the new year? Well... They come under a few headings I guess.

Money:
I want to continue my savings so that by the end of 2010 I'll have at least $5000 for my trip to America in July 2011 for Leakycon. If I have more - even better! I might be able to travel elsewhere in America, maybe go visit Lils in Canada, or even go over to the UK and visit my heimat.

Me:
I want to be healthier. I know I say it too often, but seriously Amanda! You're 23 now - get a grip! I need to get into some kind of routine of walking more, and eating more healthy foods in smaller portions.

I also need to continue to be creative. I feel so accomplished when I get a painting out, and when I write poetry or stories. The big one in 2010 will be to write a novel in November that isn't as crappy as the last one, and that I can maybe work on to get published one day. But apart from that, I also want to produce at least 6 major paintings.

Us:
I need to keep my relationship with Nannal as honest as possible. I find the times when I get the most disillusioned with our relationship are when I let things happen in my head. I mean, when I have dialogue and play through situations without actually talking to Nannal about it. Reality checks are needed! I know are relationship is not perfect. But I also know I want it to keep going... which will be tough since we've been together for a little over 4 years now. We will celebrate (hopefully) our 5 year anniversary in November 2010.

For 2 people who at the start were afraid of commitment, we're doing pretty well.

Career:
This one is trickier. I want to get a job that will lead somewhere and will employ my mind as much as my physical labour. That is not as easily done as said.

To that end though I will be studying my Graduate Certificate of Criminology and Criminal Justice, so that I will be more qualified to work in a field that both interests me and employs more regularly than plain old anthropology or online anthropology (even rarer me thinks).



And I think that's it! Baby steps really. I need to identify the things that make me happy, and the things that will make me happy to achieve and break them down into doable baby steps. Life is for living, and I really want to feel that I've lived.

Me So Slack

So... its been a long long time since I blogged. I could blame it on something, but I won't. Instead I will briefly run through the major things that have happened between October and now.

1. I'm older!

Yes I had a birthday. I'm now 23 years old, and starting to feel old. Mainly because at the shops you generally round 23 up to 25 and that means I'm in my mid 20s and that means I'm like the age of most people on TV series, and that means .... I'm no longer a teen-ish young person! Not that I've acted that way for a very long time, but I liked to cling to the "old soul in a young body" thing. Now I'm catching up body wise.... Yeesh - Imagine how I'll feel when I get over the 30 line! Lol.

2. Job interview

I made to the first round of selection for a job in Canberra! I was so excited. All year I have been sporadically applying for jobs - jobs that I've really wanted, and jobs that I've only wanted because I needed the money. And all I seem to get is Dear John letters... "We regret to inform you..." But with this job I got one step further! So even if I don't get a phone call in a couple of weeks, I won't be so sad, because I at least got a bit further with this one.

3. Wedding

On the actual date of my birthday my cousin Samantha got married! It was down in Victor Harbour, which was exciting because it meant we had to drive from the Barossa down there. We decided to take the most direct route, which meant taking the way through the hills. It was.... interesting. Lol. And somewhat scary... But we got there! Nannal got me a laptop for my birthday, so we were able to navigate with confidence ... kinda.

Anyway the wedding was lovely. Even though it was over 36C in the Barossa when we left, it was only 23C in Victor, so the weather was perfect for a wedding. We were in this awesome garden, and it was just all very ideal.

After the ceremony we (by we I mean Nannal, Teeni, Jay, Mum, Dad, Aunty Ce, Uncle Roly, Megan, Emma, Pat and I) went back to the caravan park where we were staying, and Mum pulled out a birthday cake for me. It was very sweet. But it would have looked very odd to any one else - we were all dressed up in our wedding clothes (high heels and all), gathered around a small card table, eating cake off plastic plates. Add to that it gradually got quite cold, and I got a blanket to drape on my cousin Megan ... lol. But I enjoyed it.

The reception was interesting to say the least... It was all the normal stuff... Food, speeches (which stopped us getting food ...grr), wine and dancing. My cousin Peter got really drunk and had a spazz that Grumps "didn't love him" because he is gruff. Seriously... Grumps is the kind of man who will NOT express affection willingly to another male. That's how he was brought up. That's just how he is. Get OVER it. Peter's Dad got over it...

Anyway then the real drama started. My sister and Jay got drunk. Drama happened. Jay got offended and decided to come back to the site, take the swag and drive home. Yes, 4 hours home. He got about 1/2 an hour away before he crashed into someone else and wrote off the car. And he was 3 times over the limit.

But we didn't know this at the time though. I got a call at about 2am from Jay saying his phone was about to die, and that he needed to speak to my sister. He couldn't though because she was passed out... but he told me he'd written the car off.

So the next morning was a bit of sleuthing... Trying to find out where he was. Eventually we found out that he'd got a lift a bit of a way up the road from the station he was processed at to a BP where he caught a taxi all the way to Gepps Cross which cost over $250. Then he walked to Elizabeth shopping centre from there and bought a phone to call us to tell us what was going on. MENTAL!

4. NaNoWriMo

I did NaNoWriMo 09! And I freaking won! That's right bitches, I wrote a novel. I mean, its a shit novel, but its a novel nonetheless. And the point isn't to write something that is publishable straight away, but to just actually write 50,000 words in one month. It taught me what works for me in writing, and what doesnt'. It taught me what I like to write, and what I don't. And it taught me that I can actually write a lot of words if I need to. It was a wonderful experience. I already know I won't do anything with the story I wrote, but I learnt a lot for next year. Hopefully I can put a lot more planning into next years event and come out with something that I can use as a foundation to becoming published one day.


5. Lots of working

And finally - its Christmas! Which means people buy a shit load of chocolate... which means I'm going to be working pretty much non stop til December 25. But that's ok! Cos I need the money!

I am going to a) Pay off my credit card; b) Have at least $5000 to go to America in 2011; and c) Save to invest after 2011.

That's why!


Anyway, after a break as long as I had from blogging, this has exhausted my brain!


I'm going to go and make dinner!




x

Yesterday was shocking. Absolutely horrible. Why? Well... on Saturday night I went to a friend's 21st. We got there late, and left (relatively) early... yet somehow I managed to drink 1 bottle of wine on my own, plus a glass of moscato. Hm.

When we got home, I fell into bed and then I remember moaning that I might need a bucket. Thankfully I didn't need it... until the next morning. My god - The whole of yesterday was spent trying to ignore the fact that I had absolutely nothing left in my stomach yet I really really felt that I was going to be sick again. 6 seperate occasions - each with at least 5 head-in-bucket moments.

I thought I might feel better if I rehydrated - but alas, my stomach did not agree, and up it came. Delightful isn't it?

Finally at about 7pm which was actually 8pm due to day light saving... I had some food. And it stayed down. I felt like I was going to vomit again... but didn't.

Then I watched Midsomer Murders, Compass, and a documentary on a violinist called Yehudi Menuin. These shows were actually all very good and served to improve the day as much as it could have been.

Then I went to bed.
End of terrible day, with a not so terrible ending.


Today I watched a video by Tom Milsom ... I think that everyone should watch it. It is very good. He is very articulate. (And quite a bit cute too). If you ever feel you want some cute/awesome music, he's good at that too.



Anyway. I'm going to attempt to make this day more productive and less vomit-y. I lost 1.5 kgs yesterday... better make up for it!

This blog comes in 3 parts

1. Dr. Who

I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and finally watch the new series of Dr. Who. And it's awesome. I have been trying to trick Nannal in to buying them for me for ages, but he's lazy. So... well, itunes and illaglity are for me. I feel bad about the illegality bit, but hey - I don't get BBC or ABC so back off!

Anyway, I'm up to the 3rd season with Martha. I predict that by tomorrow, I will be up to date... which really tells you alot about my life at present...

2. Curtains

As mentioned (or gushed about, either way) in the last blog, I have NEW curtains. They are simply marvelous. I will find a picture and upload them. Sadly, we didn't have enough curtain tape to go the whole way so I presently have 3/4 of the curtains (i.e., one window has just one curtain, while the other has 2...). But it makes no difference! The floral is gone... GONE! (With the exception of the couches which are covered in the same material... but I have plans for them too... evil material must GO!)

See? Awesome plain old white. ^.^

3. Book challenges and teenagers

I have read 2 seperate blogs lately about book challenges in America. Both blogs were written by wonderful authors who I love and follow (through blogs, videos etc.) but are (as far as I know) unrelated in any way. However apparently the book challenge and ban issue has arisen again. The main argument that I have heard (from the sane side) is that parents who believe that their child should not be reading a certain book due to sexually explicit content (the major reason) or any other reason, have every right to prevent their child from reading it. But that is as far as it should go. Their child. Librarians are not just people who catalogue books, say "Sssh", or know where to put piles of books in shelves. Oh no! They know about books. They read books. And they know what is and is not appropriate for libraries.

Despite some sensationalist claims, a librarian will not put pornography on a shelf for teenagers. What they do, is chose books that may have sexual content for their broader themes. As teenagers in general are becoming aware of the sexual side of life, and are curious as to how it all fits together, so books that they read reflect this. If we were deprived of all reference to sexuality in books, we would be in the dark and thus more likely to go down the wrong path.

Some people think that just because we are exposed to something means that we are going to do it. Regardless of the context. My main example is "Looking for Alaska" by John Green (who is one of the authors who writes about this due to this book being challenged). Alaska is being challenged because it contains a scene that describes oral sex. Parents believe this is explicit, and in some cases refer to it as pornography. Green argues that in context the scene serves to portray casual sexual encounters in a wholly negative light. The scene is awkward and unsexy. It is also immediately followed by a genuine non-sexual interaction, which highlights the awkwardness and unsexiness of the oral sex scene. Authors do this all the time. Especially in teen novels.

I think this is because we remember our own first sexual encounters. We didn't know what to do. We didn't know where sex fits into a normal and healthy relationship. So we just ... gave it a go. With generally awkward results. I believe that if kids were to read Alaska, or any other novel like this, rather than being tempted to give awkward oral sex a go, they would be tempted to give genuine relationships a go.

Why? Because most kids are not dumb. Just like most adults are not dumb. Funny that, given that kids are just adults who haven't got out of school yet.* So if you think that teens are as easily led as sheep, then you are assuming that people in general are that too. If you think that kids aren't able to read critically, then perhaps you are assuming that you can't read critically. Can you pick up on the context and discern whether or not it is encouraging? I sure can. I don't watch a movie where drugs are being taken and illnesses caught, and no life lived and think "OH WOW! That looks like awesome fun!"

I don't watch crime shows or murder movies and think "Oh my. That looks so easy. Murder and crime are the way to go. They will serve all my problems."

I think that we are, and mostly always have been, pretty good at picking these things up. You know, since you first learnt the difference between "fiction" or "non-fiction". Since you first learnt right from wrong. And since you first learnt that you don't know everything, and you need to have peek into other people's lives (real or imagined) to better know the world around you.

Librarians know this. I think librarians are probably the most intelligent people... especially in high schools. Just like John Green goes on about all the time: you can't imagine a single person, or a group of people in an un-complex manner. "Teens are easily led" is as untrue a statement as "Cats are black". Sure, some teens may be easily led, and some cats may be black, but parents need to have faith in and understanding of their children, so that the decisions they make are the best for their child. No knee jerk reactions please. I don't want one mother, whose child is allegedly dumb, to decide what is right for all children. Lord knows that if I wasn't allowed to read the books that I read, I would have gone mad. I needed to see the world through books. I needed to comprehend human relationships outside of my little box in a country town, in a christian school. And the understanding that I came to as a result of my fictional explorations made me into the person I am today: the adult.


*I know there is quite a bit of difference between 15 year olds and 35 year olds, but when you really remember who you were at 15, was it that different to who you are now? Sure, you might have been less mature, more confident, more sure that you knew everything (on the surface at least) - but are you that different? No. Teens aren't a different species, no matter how far we try to distance ourselves from our teenage past.




Right. End of rant.

I had better go and watch Doctor Who: Season 3, Episode 7 "42".


xx

Working working working...

Yesterday I worked at the Adelaide Arcade store from 8.30am to 5pm. Crazy shit for me! I'm used to little 5 hour shifts... And what's more, at Vic. Square, we have one little spiral stair case that you really only need to go up twice a shift. At Adelaide Arcade they have like 60 stairs that you go up to various levels multiple times... My legs! My calfs! eeeee! Ah its painfully obvious how unfit I am...

In other news, my Mum and my Sister (possibly) are coming over tomorrow to help me with putting the curtains in the curtain rods. I'm super excited! Yes, it sounds lame, but when you've been living with curtains that are SO floral and dark and blegh, the prospect of new WHITE curtains fills your heart with joy! The house will not have to be spotless to suggest a feeling of clean! Yay! That's the best kind of curtain.

That's them! The icky curtains! Taken when Nannal and i were on the way to a 20's party. Zoot suit!

Oh and in "Read 50 books in a year challenge" news, I am now onto Johnathan Kellerman's Twisted. Its very good so far. I wasn't sure it was going to draw me in when I started it, but lo and behold, the characters are making it interesting, if not the case yet (its crime).

Hmm... I think that is all I have to say. Sad isn't it?


Ooooh well.

Maybe next time I'll read a controversial news story and offer my opinion. Maybe I'll have read something other than fiction. You never know.



xx

The News... IN PICTURES!

An account of today in photos.


Taking pictures in the over exposure of mid-day. In between the pouring rain of course. Today was strange that way.

Showing off my new witches hat with my favourite Harry Potter book. Well, its a toss up between HBP and PS. ^.^

Me caught in a very pretty spider web! Oh noes! ... Yes, I love PhotoBooth.
Sun set over the vineyards and trees out the back of our place. I like clouds.... I can't help it.
From the opposite direction: the actual sun. Lovely isn't it?


Oh and here is a picture of the sunrise I took the other morning. ^.^

Totally missed August

So I did not blog at all last month. I suck. Never mind. It isn't as though anyone reads it, and I think I do it more to reassure myself that I can write more than just status updates these days.

Anyway, I actually do not have that much to write about at present. So I think I will use this space to outline a bit of a goal for myself. I think it is fair to say that I feel pretty directionless at the moment. Rather than being depressed about it though, I actually feel kind of free. I had wanted to go straight back into Anthropology next year and do a PhD., but now I'm not so sure, and the realisation that I might not do that has kind of opened a whole realm of possibility up for me mentally.

I think my most likely course of action will be to study a post-graduate diploma in criminology. It would be a very interesting topic for me, and one that could open up a lot of career opportunities. I would probably have to do it through the Open university, or I would have to move to Melbourne. I'm not fussed either way to be honest. I could continue working at Haigh's quite happily if I was studying again.

If I moved to Melbourne I might still work for Haigh's, considering they've 5 stores over there as well.

Another option that my Dad actually suggested, was to apply for a position in Canberra with one of a few government branches. That way I'd have a challenging job, live in a new place, and, should I want to continue study later on, the department might help me to do that.


So that's exciting! Of course I would love to continue my life as it is now, if I were satisfied with that, but I know I will get despondant again, and I need some goals and directions. All through our childhoods we are brought up with the idea of progress and of attaining higher levels, and so living a year with no goal other than to "have a year off" has been kind of odd. But not unenjoyable!


Hm... I think I'm off to go and look into the Open university for a bit...


xoxo