New Years Eve

I've never been a big one for making New Year's Resolutions. Maybe because it seems like a bit of a cliche.

But if I was to expend as much energy as to think about the year that's been and the one that's about to start, I might even come up with a blog post, so here we go.

I will ...

- Start playing basketball again. Or do some exercise. Or get fit somehow.

This is right up there with the cliche thing, but this isn't about losing weight. At least not completely. I haven't put on much weight at all - which is to say that I don't weigh any more than I did when I got here - but I definitely look and feel less fit.

Do something, lazy-arse.

- Get a job.

"So, how's the study coming?"
"Yeah, good. I've finished my degree."
"So what now?"
"Um... just bumming around."

Given that I've had this conversation with a bajillion random family members over the past week, you may now be able to understand my motivation for this one. For the moment, I would be perfectly happy working part-time at ASS and picking up some relief work from some childcare centers that I haven't yet applied to. I still think I would like to work in publishing but I am not really in a hurry. That said, I still need some kind of work, and childcare seems like the easiest one to pick up that I would also enjoy.

Hand in a resume or two (lazy-arse).

- Go to San Francisco.

Despite there being a few minor obstacles that I've already discussed, I want to go to BlogHer08. I've already signed up for the conference - on the day registration opened, in fact. My motives are split pretty evenly between meeting people, drinking, travel, and learning stuff, which I think is perfectly fine. People will be going for all different reasons, but I'm pretty sure this is the right time for me.

Get on a plane.

- Something about blogging.

I would like to write better.
I would like to connect to other people's blog better. This means going to their actual blogs instead of reading their feeds, and leaving more comments.
I would like to make The Ranch prettier. This may or may not mean learning more about coding, or doing things in Photoshop, or some other type of design learny stuff.

Be better.

So there you have it. I think we've well and truly established that I'm a slacker, but apart from that, this is a good list, if somewhat cliched and/or predictable.

What are your New Year's Resolutions, and what do you think I need to add to this list?

Christmas Day and Boxing Day (now with ten bajillion percent more photos)

I was shocked to discover that not everyone knows what Boxing Day is.

Duh. Boxing Day is eating leftovers, going to the beach, and playing with all your Christmas presents. While watching the Boxing Day Test.

Or, maybe it's pool ...



and cannons ...



and paddleboats ...



and a little bit of crazy ...



ok, maybe a lot of crazy.



Or it could just be family.

Christmas Presented

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Mine started a little later than usual, since I wasn't in a house with a thing known as a 'younger brother' which likes to be up at the butt-crack of dawn on Christmas Days. I still woke up before my alarm clock - I think that's a Christmas excitement thing that can't be escaped.

I got a nice early-morning phone call from vsquared and skywalker, and I opened my first present of the day...



...which I listened to for the rest of the morning, feeling all Christmassy and whatnot.

Lazed around for a few hours, watching The OC, which was really a lovely way to spend the day. Nothing like a little Chrismukkah crazy to get you in the mood.

The family dinner thing was lovely, as usual. Many games of pool and Buzz were played, and lots of food was eaten. (Don't you love having your own personal prawn-peeler person?) And presents were given. As I mentioned, mine were freaking awesome. I wanted to show you them ages ago but that would have spoiled the suprise.

For skywalker - a t-shirt (Periodic Table of Sloth):



For Alyn - a DVD and a mug:


For Gma - a mug:



And for vsquared - a t-shirt:



And, the pièce de résistance, another tee:



That is GOLD.

So what did you get?

Christmas Eve

This working thing is a bitch.

I've done it for many many days now, all in a row, and I am very tired. Also my throat is absolutely caning. When I wake up in the morning, as my Christmas present, I would like it to be not.

If I could also be able to fly or teleport, that would be awesome. Driving is a bitch as well.

Today at work was kinda fun, since we got to wear Santa hats and play with tinsel all day. Which included making bracelets (me), headbands (the boys), and tails (the boys, but only one of them would wear one).

I went to Christmas Eve Mass and Christmas Carols at Gma's church tonight. It's held outside and everyone sits on folding chairs or rugs, and there's always angels and shepherds and things running around. Carols outside always gets me in the mood for Christmas.

Ooh, and so do the Christmas balls / chocolates that Alyn always makes.

Tonight I have to wrap up the things vsquared bought from my work the other day, and in the morning the cold things can be wrapped. Then I just have to remember to take the wine and all the presents to Christmas dinner, and we're all good.

One more thing: do you think Santa will be able to find me at the Hall? Maybe I should leave out some milk and cookies just in case.

Read My ... Christmas present to myself.*

I think it's awesome.

Plus, I just home from a shift that finished at MIDNIGHT. Midnight! Who shops at freaking midnight? Crazy people, that's who. Read my shirt, Crazy People.

Think of the money. Think of the money.

Anyway, the shift wasn't really too bad. Partly cos we were reasonably busy but not crazy-busy, and partly because the night ended in ice-cream cake. Cake just makes it all better.

*And you're just lucky that I'm as good at buying presents for other people as I am for myself. Can't wait til Christmas.

Still Thinking About: My Hair. San Francisco. Your Crazy Accent. Isn't everybody?

OMG

Our Very Own Hair Thursday,* uh, Monday

For a while now, every time I watch Sweet Home Alabama, I get the urge to cut my hair. Seriously, cute right?



But then I just ignore it for a few days and then I get over it.

BUT! I just recently watched SHA again, followed by Veronica Mars, the first season of which I am now in the middle of watching. The season where she has a whole bunch of very cute short hairstyles.



So I'm all 'I could do that,' and 'I have a hair straightener,' and 'no worries,' which of course does not take into account that these people have a team of hair stylists at their disposal who are willing to spend more than, say, thirty seconds on their hair every morning.



It also does not take into account that my hair is crazy long, and thick, not to mention curly. Or the fact that I've spent the whole of my life wishing I had hair this long, and the last five or so years growing it.

Mostly, it's the inbetween stage that I'm afraid of, if I should decide to grow it out again. And the problem that maybe I'd need to be blonde and slim and five foot nothing for this to work.

So I need someone to talk me down off the ledge. Or tell me I could totally rock this look:



One or the other.

*TM Whoorl.

These keys are cursed

You would think it would be physically completely and utterly IMPOSSIBLE to lose these right? RIGHT?! That's a fricking multi-coloured Rubic's Cube right there!



Enter the Laura formerly known as My Cousin.

Oh fine. Also the fact that my new black clutch is lucky to fit in lipgloss along with my wallet and phone. Keys have no hope in hell.

Holiday Spirit

A couple of days ago, I was so freaking excited. Like, waking up excited. There were just so many things coming up, and they were all running through my head, and I was excited!

-- skywalker, LMC, Dad aka vsquared, Gma's party, Carla, Christmas, New Years, grades, tinsel, Christmas tree, graduation, presents, drinking, Starbucks, beach, cooking, shopping --

And now, it turns out that all of that really just equals a whole lot of driving. I've done two cross-town trips in the last couple of days and I have to do another one tomorrow. And the crowds! On the roads, in the carpark, in the shops. I am so glad I haven't been working. Gee, Thursday will be fun, I'm sure.

Ok, so in order to distract me from having to drive (again) to the party tomorrow, how about we decide what I should wear? Ok good. Here are your choices:



The forecast for tomorrow is "mostly sunny," whatever that means, and 25. (This is 77 degrees for all you non-C people out there. See how I help you out?) And before you ask, I have no idea why we're going all strapless, but those are what you've got.



What do you think?

Um, duh?

That's what living at the Hall does for ya.

LMC vs Shags

Before and after.


Cousins. BFFs.


When vending machines turn nasty.


"[Secret secret secret]." "He did WHAT?!"

Eat It! An Update

Tonight's dinner? Um, toast. Yeah, we're master chefs.

Da da da dah, da San Francisco

So, the BlogHer people were teasing me planning to release the SanFran08 site by now, but they're busy people and all, so it's not up.

Nevertheless, I have been thinking about it, and even went so far as to look up flights. (I have no idea why it's cheaper flying from New Zealand, but they may well be another rant post.) But then, of course, I was also doing a bit of worrying in with the thinking and yay!ing and this is what I came up with:

Money. Turns out it costs money to fly alllll the way from Australia to San Francisco. And also to go to the conference. And also to stay there. And also to eat. And also to go to Disneyland.

Travel. Also shockingly, America is a long way away from here, and I'll be going there by myself. (Unless! Some other awesome Australian bloggers want to come with!) But either way, there will be people there who I only know via their blogs. Which is not to say they don't know more about me that people I have met in real life. Or that they're not lovely people.

Time. It will be summer there. (Although, I am doubting whether San Fran knows how to do a proper summer.) It will be winter here. Hell yes! But then, I will be all white and non-tanned while everyone else will be coming off months of sunshine. On the other other hand, I can come back all nice and tanned up. (In a week or two? Yeah sure.)

Aaaaaaaaaaaand... that's basically all I've got. But I just thought I should throw all that out there before I go jetting off halfway around the world. Any thoughts?

A Letter

I will keep inviting you to the beach and the cricket and to go get ice-cream or whatever. If you can't go, you can't go. I am not investing anything in your coming with.

Even though I know why you 'can't' come, I'll pretend I don't. Because I don't like the person I become when I think about why you can't hang out.

And if I'm not invested, that means you might have to be. If I'm not fighting, you might have to.

You're invited, dude. It's not all up to you, which is the problem, but some of it is. Wanna come to the beach?

Just when you thought I'd finished talking about uni...

I got my grades today.



Yeah, that's right, two more Distinctions, baby!

Which means my time at Flinders can be shown like this:



Which means I have a degree!

A Bachelor of Attendance, but still. Drinks and chocolate all around!

Freaking me out

My new phone is even more smart than I thought.

Today's background:



Photo from the paper of the KI bushfires this week:



I'm a little scared. How does it know so much?!

Fight the Power!

The Man is STIFLING our CREATIVITY! He's OPPRESSING our FREEDOM! He is FORCING US to RIGIDLY CONFORM to SOCIETY'S ORDER.



We now have assigned seating at the movies.

No, YOU have an accent

I saw this Voice Comment thingie somewhere else* and since I was just recently shocked to hear SuperTiff's American accent, when all this time, she has been typing in a normal voice, I thought it would be fun to try.

Pleeeeeeease leave me a message** so we can all laugh at your accent.

*Actually it was at CardioGirl by way of MadHouse and aimeepalooza. Hope you appreciate the effort I put in there.

** I know it says 'record by phone' but I'm sure there's a way to record it from your microphone. Maybe you have to sign in first? Figure it out, let me know. By leaving a voice comment.

I know how to pick 'em

That's presents and friends, in case you were wondering.



Christmas Tree from Carla. Also the magnet.

Now my room is all Christmassed up.

Christmas tree? Check.
Tinsel? The tinsel, after falling down ten bajillion times, is now up for good. I hope. Also hoping: no-one will notice the hooks in random places on my wall when I move out.
Presents? Partial check. I am awaiting a parcel chock-full of Christmas present goodness. Please let it get here this week!

Cautionary Tale: don't tango in Las Vegas with a monkey

Times like this I am so happy to have a new camera phone.



It is no coincidence that we are at the door to the boys toilet. (What? You know there's always a line at the girls.)

Also, we were thisclose to going for a motorbike ride with a couple of randoms.

I less-than-three you

The gorgeous Kelley over at Magneto Bold Too has forced threatened collaborated on and created a blog love button.



She has also demanded requested that we share the love around. Because I <3 her, here are the blogs I read last when going through my bloglines. (Because you save the best til last.)

Advice Smackdown

Aimeepalooza

Finslippy

Fog City Mommy

Miss Zoot

Whoorl

Woman with a Hatchet

and of course

Magneto Bold Too

(This is an interesting list, I think, just because some of these are new on my List Of Blogs To Post In A List list, but I also included some blogs that everyone was all, duh, of course you love them. who wouldn't? But I am sharing the love regardless.)

(As always, my blogroll has many many more blogs for you to waste time on read, if you're so inclined.)

Feel free to pass the blog love around.