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 |  My Blog. Generally Intended for Reading-Not Eating!. |
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Rose-Tinted Ramblings ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** A Little of What You Might Expect & A Lot of Everything Else that You Don't!. My writing style for my blog is invariably 'snarkastic'. This is because I am a nice, unassuming and quietly-spoken person IRL-and this blog is where my innermost moments and torments happen. Trust me, I am no exception to that delightful rule. Greetings! Welcome to my THIRD blog here on WDC. A re-incarnation of my earlier version of my Blog, here "Insanties and Sensibilities" this v.03 should prove to be equally...challenging and hopefully, entertaining. That said, life often weaves through our writing in mysterious ways, and this Blog will probably prove to be no exception to that. We are very likely all quite different, yet the same, us writers and our collective little whims, fascinations and insecurities. |
| April 28, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Cloudy Events of Note: A bizzy day-a bizzy Monday, and relatively happy too. In the Nudes: Syrian reactor has produced nukes - according to U.S 'intelligence'-AP  I'm in a strangely whimsical mood-precipitated by a busy day, today, having worked last night until 12:30pm. One descriptive explanation for that: Windows Excel Spreadsheet on a Windows Vista operating system. Nuff said.  We drove 70-80 miles in one direction today for my husband's latest encounter with the 'frontier' dentist, and dropped "Beanie" off at our in-laws into the bargain. So, it was an 8:30am start, combined with all of the associated packing of the 'must-have' toddler accessories. I pared it down as much as could possibly be managed. Last seen, "Beanie" was getting all enthusiastic about kite-flying. Saw a buzzard or twelve today for the first time in my life. Not exactly enchanting creatures, are they?. So, we have the next few days "Bean-free" to do that home renovating that I mentioned earlier,as well as my stock liquidation. "Bean"'s passport duly arrived today. She's good to go!. Which brings me to the equally exciting task of making plane bookings, at last. Yes, that. I just want to call Air New Zealand, simply for the sake of hearing a like-minded accent and way of conducting ourselves, if that makes any sense at all.  Am back listening to dance/trance music again, after a seven year itch, er, lapse. It's energizing. I need that, and karma, right now. Not a lot of middle earth space for screw-ups.  Have a groovy night!. |
| April 26, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Sunny. Fickle, fickle weather, dude. Events of Note: Saturday p.m chores and all that goes with that. In the Nudes: Mugabe's party fails to win majority in vote recount. Well, I did four commercial-sized loads of dishes in our ex-restaurant dishwasher, and folded another load of laundry, all before 10:00am. My sweet husband is still troubleshooting for three different restaurants-he is clearly not as dispensable as first anticipated  Emergency call-outs are lucrative enough to keep the big, bad wolf from our door. Several mildly ambitious projects on my radar this week-liquidation of some excess inventory, renovation of "Bean"'s bedroom, and painting our bathroom and adjoining conservatory. I'm thinking "Eggshell" white will be a pleasant temporary color until we return from N.Z with sufficient Pacifica inspiration and aspirations. I'll post pictures here when I'm done. I'm also wanting to add a few champagne/honey highlights to my hair. Such a lot needs upgrading and improvement. Yours truly included. Whatever is munching on my flowering plants, has now polished off all 70 of my pansies AND my marigolds.Varmint. I'm going to go ahead and start scattering my wildflower and larkspur seeds anyway. My lilac is flowering so prettily and smells just gorgeous. Meanwhile, my darling husband is busily pouring concrete somewhere (in between his ears, perhaps?). Something to do with a mechanics workshop floor. Ignorance is probably our bliss on that particular project. Oh, well-we try. Very trying.Just another sunny Saturday...let's enjoy it while we still can.... |
| April 25, 2008. Whether the Weather: 50 (F) Sunny. Events of Note: Spring gardening in all its glory. In the Nudes: Prices of consumer goods (see below). So, I've kinda missed the proverbial train on this entry, but several members here have mentioned the rising cost of consumables recently. Especially "basic" groceries for the pantry cupboard. Well, here's why (partly)-As the U.N notes, recent rising demand for consumables by the middle classes in China and India has started to have some flow-on effect on prices globally. A recent survey in New Zealand showed that, Internationally, recently, - Grain, oil and maize prices have risen 48 percent worldwide Wheat has risen in price by 76 percent worldwide Oil has risen 58 percent. Rice has risen by 50 percent in parts of the Pacific and in South East Asia. Rice growers are employing armed guards to protect their rice paddies. In Australia, wheat is in short supply and their exports of wheat and other grains has declined dramatically. Meat prices have risen 25%-soon to be hit hardest will be fish, followed by pork. The predicted rise of food prices in the U.S could potentially see consumers paying 45 percent more for their basic groceries in a very short period of time, indeed. This has serious implications for everyone. Not just for the working poor, or the people with young families who live from pay check to pay check, either. Against this kind of background, the suggestion that families spend their EITC, or their Economic Stimulus Payment on consumer goods, other than bread, milk and butter, just beggars belief. It's not only morally and politically irresponsible, but it's characteristically shortsighted. Interestingly, our recent household purchase of two gallons of milk for $3.50 a gallon, quickly became a $7 loss, when those gallons went sour after half a day-despite having a sell-by date of May 9. Yeah, thanks anyway... |
| April 24, 2008. I'm not in much of a mood for blogging today, if I'm really honest with myself here. Half a hundred issues needing resolution, as well as various tasks marked as being "unfinished" which does absolutely nothing except for aggravate the once dormant perfectionist in me.  A dear friend of ours emailed me/us from the East Coast of the U.S. We will meet up in Christchurch, New Zealand, for a meal together, in early June. They are soon off to the U.K, then on to Rome..and home, again. It's invitations such as this that will make our New Zealand return so incredibly special and meaningful. For now, we Rainbowapples are living on bread and jam (quite literally) and maintaining some semblance of normalcy, despite our "work hard-play hard philosophy" that still remains with us. Had an "official" letter from my University-my MPH degree with Honors will be awarded at the December graduation ceremony, in absentia. Were I to be graduating alongside class-mates, graduating in-person might mean more to me. Been there, done that, at two different universities (and with Honors back then, too). It's New Zealand's oldest and most spectacular university, with it's heavily Gothic-style architecture and reasonably large student city (20,000 students). The important part really, is that I made it through my Med School studies and gained a professional degree. The question now becomes about doing something further with that. People have observed to me, that with that kind of degree I should be able to make "quick and dirty" money. I'd prefer favorable working conditions, for far less money, frankly. If it were my preference to make. The health professionals who mentored me throughout my studies are not those kinds of mercenary professionals, and neither am I, by example. "Something" chewed up my pansies and my marigolds, but I ain't crying too much. I just planted some Nemesia as replacements. Well, I'm off to read all of your exciting, thrilling Blogs. Methinks Blogville needs to declare a Community Vacation. There are a few of us here that could use it, I'm thinking. |
| April 23, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 41 (F) Cloudy Events of Note: Unstable weather, earthquakes... In the Nudes: Clinton wins the latest 'race', but still likes to put her foot in her mouth.  Two afternoons ago, while I was sitting next to "Beanie" she suddenly sat up and said indignantly, "Stop moving the couch, Mama!." Perplexed, I thought for a moment. Then, slowly, realization. Earthquake. 3.7 and we were close to the epicenter, so we really felt it. Our old villa sways back and forth quite deliberately and in a (fortunately) self-contained way during an earthquake. My husband, who was outside planting ten new trees, was oblivious to the "action". Mrs. H.R Clinton has a case of opening her mouth before she thinks, sometimes. Most of us are guilty of that at one time or another. One difference is, we don't have the mass media trailing, editorializing and replaying every gaffe. She called New Zealand's current PM, a 'former' PM while telling a New Zealand joke to a "Newsweek" reporter. She knows better. Sometimes, enthuse no doubt, takes over. Besides, it's a lonely campaign road, and who else might one share a totally random joke with, if not the resident "vultures"?. Still, I don't prefer her as a potential President any more, nor less for all of that. I AM feeling significantly better following my fall. The weather has been awful, which has presented a perfect opportunity for indoors tasks and healing comfort food. Life in the Rainbowapple household teeters between frantic and free, feast or famine. Such is life. |
April 21, 2008. Happy 30th Birthday to my "baby" Brother Today!  Yesterday, I had a particularly bad fall here at home-sprained some fingers, smacked my right knee, and have deep bruising from my right shoulder all the way down to below my butt. My right side almost always bears the brunt of some of my worst falls, and this one was no exception. One upside is that I prefer to sleep on my left side. So, my delightful husband is "supervising" Beanie's daily bath and hair-wash, today. I will try to slink around Blogville today, but my apologies in advance if I'm not quite 'with it'. I'm right-handed, so every letter in my keyboard yells back at me right now. |
| April 19, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 42 (F) Sunny. A brisk, chilly wind, though Events of Note: Getting back to academia. In the Nudes: Clinton, Obama complain about complaining (AP) Yesterday, I received the Examiners Reports on my MPH. While the reports themselves are essentially confidential (meaning that I can't write about them here), they suggested some editorial changes that now need to be made, before my thesis is prepared for final submission. It's not over until it's over. While this may seem tedious, it's a part of the degree process. So, I just need to press on and get through it. Still, the main pressure of obtaining a good final result is over, so that may make this editorializing phase a bit easier.  More "junk" has been sent out our door, for which I'm very glad. We're still concerned with the logistics and potential difficulties of our house-sitting arrangements, but they are mostly peripheral worries and will just have to resolve themselves, or else. If you don't see me around Blogville much, you'll know that I've been taken hostage by my thesis, and will return once the stench clears. |
| Sometimes, I fire off a missive in anger, on the spur of the moment. I just sent one to a reporter-of a national newspaper, who insisted on calling a person who lives with my physical disability, a "sufferer" and a "victim". Would they have used the same words to describe able-bodied people, too?. Could they, in good faith, do that?. Frankly, the repeated use of these sorts of phrases in reference to people with disabilities gets "old". It's demeaning. It's insensitive. First and foremost, I am a thinking, feeling human being. And, while I wouldn't dream of speaking on behalf of the person whom the story was written about, I felt that I had to say something....Where do these reporters get off?. While times have changed, and we have (mostly) moved on from descriptives like, "retarded", "Cripple" and "Handicapped", we still have a ways to go. I personally don't suffer, and I refuse to be a victim or be victimized by what is, to a large extent, but one aspect of who I am as a whole person. I'm done....*Falls off soapbox. No, I'm not a victim!. |
| April 18, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 48 (F) Cloudy Events of Note: Sorry-it's a girly wind-up, today. In the Nudes: Putin leaves his wife for a dancer (?) (Reuters) Two particular stipulations are considered important by my mother for maintaining dignity and personal appearances. One is the quality and condition of one's shoes. The second is, in women, underwear. Actually, full credit to Special Kay   for reminding me that I needed to buy myself some conservative skivvies before my trip to New Zealand. Cheers!. I don't like Fruit of the Loom. They are the anti-underwear to me. Victoria's Secret are bearable, if you live in a dorm, and have the bum of a starving, waif-like student. Despite my 5 feet 11 inch in my socks height, I am 'curvy' according to my husband. Unfortunately, after doing a 'stock-take' of my underwear drawer, I discovered that I needed bras and undies. Hrm. Pennies are tight at the moment. Envisioning myself trawling Ross or K-Mart for smalls was torturous, especially since I'm not that well-co-ordinated physically anyway (remembers the concealed scissors that I had to take to a cocktail party dress that I got horribly stuck in while trying it on in a store once-total nightmare....). So, I went to Hanes online. Pretty bras are not for the well-endowed, but I went for function over form. Knickers too, as well as a sleep-shirt, because I don't usually wear anything to bed, but when you're someone's house-guest on vacation, it's just....different. After the deed was done, I casually mentioned to my husband, "I needed new underwear, so I went shopping online.". Short silence. Followed by, "Oh, okay, then". HOME RUN!. I'm on my swanky new laptop. We're still getting acquainted. Our other old one blew its fan out, yesterday, and the corresponding noise made us all think that the entire computer was spontaneously combusting or something.  I need a vacation from planning a vacation. Our airfare costs alone could purchase a semi-new vehicle ($7000). *Gulp. Oh, well-nevermind.  |
| April 16, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Sunny Events of Note: Everyone wants my autograph-well, not quite!. In the Nudes: River tragedy in New Zealand: families ask, "Why?" Yes, I'm still here, thanks to a very wonderful upgrade from a good friend. Thank-you. Ironically, despite the fact that my blogging waxes and wanes, I need this outlet now more than ever...and, besides, I Blogville, whatever the undercurrent of the season happens to be. Today was one of those long and drawn out, boring and agonizing appointment and paperwork days. I've flashed my Green Card around more offices today, than for the whole time that I've lived here. I suddenly realized that my husband is officially considered to be a veteran-even though he was an NCO-he was a staff seargent, or something like that, at one point. His parents have a picture tucked away somewhere of a handsome, fresh-faced young man (my husband) wearing a uniform with all sorts of colored bars and stripes. He doesn't talk about his service that much. Mostly, I just take it as read. But, Health and Human Services were asking today. As they do. "Beanie" was so much more interested in getting into the soda machine, than having her passport photograph snapped, that she has such a surly, sour, determined look on her little face for her official picture. Afterwards, she was highly indignant when the passport official took her pictures from her. I was more concerned about the $86 processing fee, myself...Being official gets expensive-but we budgeted for it, so, it is what it is. Tomorrow's agenda is recovering from paperwork, and a nice, fat, steaming plate of home-fried Country-style chicken. |
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