Status Update

We're approaching the time of year when people tend to look back and reflect on the year that has been. I was having this conversation with the other half of Rockstar Productions last week, as like myself her life has changed massively in the last year. She calls it her year of detoxifying her life. Mine has been more a year of personal life change and jumping out of boxes.

Since August I have been living the empty nest life. I don't know why some people see this stage of the parenting cycle negatively, as I think it's wonderful and totally embrace the freedoms I now have. The child is doing well in Oz, and her making that move is what she needed to get her life started. She was stagnating here, now she has taken responsibility for her life and is working hard to succeed. Firstborn has finished her second year at University and is back in the Bay doing summer work. The only fly in the family ointment is that my Mother has had a couple of health issues this year, and we can no longer ignore the fact that we don't live forever. A sobering thought that was driven home on my visit last weekend.

The empty nest life means I now have a flatmate, so the rent and bill reduction means I also have new found financial freedom. This is where jumping out of boxes comes in. On one level I feel I "should" save all this extra loot, as I have been conditioned to be a good squirrel for later life, however I am fighting that impulse and instead spending on myself, and lots of travel adventures. After my holiday in America earlier this year, and also acknowledging the influence of the person in the next paragraph, I just want to spend the next few years seeing as much of the world as I can cram in, plus having more adventures here at home as well. I can see that skiing is going to feature large next winter. I stopped travelling a few years prior to breeding, so now it's time get the backpack out again. Well actually, will probably have to purchase a new one as the old one really is too cumbersome. Next stop Sydney, followed closely by Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo.

The other huge thing is my life this year is that I have a girlfriend, of the monogamous committed relationship kind. (being lesbians these things must be defined!) This too is major box jump for me, as after the deceit of the woman I dated last summer I had sworn never again. Single and celibate was the motto. After the last long term ended several years ago, as regular readers know, I decided monogamy wasn't working for me so spent three years dating many, committing to none. With the lover from last summer I started to feel that I now wanted more, until the lies and deceit happened. I then totally shut down.

Being in such a shut down state I was totally unaware of the German goddess's interest in me, until she kissed me on the dance floor one certain evening. So slowly, slowly we got to know each other. Again another jumping out of box experience, as I had to face and articulate fears, acknowledge and discuss them, and then finally let myself just take the chance and enjoy the love and warmth that was being given to me. I think of it as the most honest relationship I have had, and we both consciously strive for that. It makes me very happy. I must say though that unlike most lesbians we will NOT be moving in together. We both like our own homes, our together time and our separate time, so no u-haul for us.

One final change this year, besides going blonde, is that I voted. I guess that means I now have to change my profile on here. There has also been the usual running races, putting on events even though I swore never again, and the great car reregistration drama, just to name a few. Life most certainly is vastly different from what it was this time last year.

Dinner Date

Firstborn has been staying and we went out to dinner with the Father last night. This was a very significant event as it's the first time we have had a "family" dinner in eleven years. It was a pleasant evening, and firstborn totally enjoyed the fine food, wine and flowing conversation.

We dined at Ambeli, an award winning restaurant where the German goddess and I had dined a few weeks earlier. As the evening unfolded the Father behaved as expected, with his default setting of pretentious prat. When we arrived he was having a wee boys moment with the maitre d', they  were  trying to out cool each other. Once seated the maitre d' then asked if it he could select the wines to match our food choices, to which the Father agreed. In the world of winemakers and sommeliers this is akin to throwing down the gauntlet. At this point I indicated that I wasn't drinking.

We ordered, and once the order was in the maitre d', Shae, as by this time we had heard his whole family history, brought the first round of wines. He did pour me a small taste to match my ordered dish. The meal then continued in this manner. A cheeseboard was brought out at one point, and the Father was poured yet another red wine. Finally the bill was presented.

Unlike the Father I was able to read the bill without resorting to spectacles. The number on it was staggering despite no charge being made for any wine tastes poured for me. As I have recently been ill, as well as not drinking I had only ordered two entrees and a small salad, a total investment of $45. Once the very generous voucher the Father held had been deducted there was still over $160 to pay, to which the Father said "let's just halve it." I started to protest, but realised it would be to no avail so I  sucked it up and duly paid for twice what I had consumed. Firstborn was gobsmacked and sat there rolling her eyes. 

When the Father returned from paying his share he then proceeded to moan that the winery would only cover $70 of what he had paid, obviously his feeding allowance when on the road. The miserable git was moaning because he'd just consumed three courses of food, four glasses of expensive wine, and was having to personally fork out $10 for it! Fortunately the waiter had cleared all glassware and cutlery from the table otherwise I wouldn't have been able to resist.

If a "family" dinner is ever to occur again you can guarantee that I will be firmly setting the parameters before even a sip of water is taken.

Tick Done

To those that didn't attend, and you know who I'm talking about Ms Crazy Housewife and Ms life without ben, you missed a great night.

More regular transmission may resume shortly as I get around to finishing some of the drafts that are yelling at me.

All Better!

Car and fingers that is. After emptying my bank account I now have my car back and looking prettier than ever.

I have promised the panel beater that I may paint her in the future, however I now think maybe just the bumper. I quite like the red bonnet with the blue badge. Interestingly all the males involved in the process agree that I have done the right thing in repairing her, and I now have a fully certified safe car that only has 83,000k on the clock. She had to be weighed as part of the process, and phew, she is also not overweight.

I've had another weekend on the snow and this time at Turoa. The universe turned on breathtakingly stunning day for us,

and even this little mishap didn't distract too much from the fabulous day.

This time I actually donned skis for the first time in over 25 years, and I'm hooked. The new format skis make it so easy, I just want to do more. This one is from the start of the day when I was trying to remember how it all went. 

After the finger damage interlude I spent the rest of the day on the intermediate slope.

Next  time I hope I will figure out what the poles are for.

The ball weekend is fast approaching, under two weeks now, so I'm starting to get a bit fretty about it, along with the fact that I may not be able to fit my costume. However, all you lesbians out there I hope you have your ticket, you won't want to miss the biggest party of the year.

See you all there.

Bad Blogger

Yes, I now officially have the title of being THE worst blogger, but, but - life has been busy!
Firstly I've had the two insurance saga's to deal with.One good one bad. This is the start of the bad insurance story.

I won't go into the full story, but it seems an insurance company can make decisions, and do legal things about ownership and registration, without feeling the need inform car "owner" at any point. Unlike the travel insurance company (the good story) who very promptly paid out for the bracelet I unfortunately lost while in America.

To take my mind off the car drama I went here

for a bit of this

I'm heading up again this weekend but this time I will put the long trippy uppy things on the end of my feet so I can spend the day falling over, and pay a fortune do so! While on that trip I got up close and personal with this one.

And come January I'm going to climb the fukker. Will do the full crossing and nip up to the top along the way.

 When I got back I managed to temporarily fix the car, you may recognise the piece of plastic.

It's now with the man with a big belly and tattoos getting road worthy again, though thanks to a vital piece of misinformation from the NZTA call centre, it is going to cost slightly more than $100 to re register and make legal again. 

Along the way I have had one of these

And as I was truly pampered by my gorgeous girlfriend I created a bit of art for her during the day

I have also done another race, first in my age group, fourth in open women grade, committed to doing this race, and a triathalon in November, and - even though I swore never again, I am doing another lesbian event.

So you see, I'm not telling fibs when I say busy! 

I will hopefully get my car back this week, which is good as that saga will finally be over, but sad as I've been driving Dolly the last two weeks. A good friend has loaned me her car while she is out of town and I really don't want to give her back, I'm sure you can see why.

So that is my life the last few weeks. Oh yeah, the child is still in Oz and still alive. 

Juxtaposition

Before

After



The End.



Empty Nest Week 1

The first week of empty nest life is now complete. I have today finished cleaning the room ready for the temporary flatmate's arrival. I stopped counting the loads of laundry after the sixth one. So many towels and sheets have reappeared that the linen cupboard is bursting at the seams, will have to download.

I finally changed the toilet roll on Wednesday, and another today so that means two rolls in nine days, as opposed to one a day. I don't know what she did with it, she was either at school or work for much of the day, why did we go through so much? It is also pleasing to get in from work and find there is only the porridge bowl and tea cup on the bench, and they have not reproduced mysteriously while I was at work.

Along with physical changes to the living environment, the main change of course is life priorities. No longer do I have to work my arse off to support the "family" it's just all about me now. Freedom, yet strangely a concept that one can't totally instantly embrace and go wild as Mummy guilt still raises it's head. I am however working on it.

I have had many phone calls from the teenager over the week, which negates her goal from the start of the year which was "I want to get a job, move out and never talk to you again!" I won't mock though as she has done well to organise a flat, move there, and now has accepted the sensible job offer. She starts her first full working week next week, that may not be pleasant.

Dinner is ready, must go.

Time for a Change

My life has changed so the old title no longer seems to fit. I am on my first weekend of Empty Nest. My life and priorities change from here and I will natter on about it bit more often here.

First fun, in true un-pc style having uber hot girl sex all over various pieces of lounge furniture, TMI, but you know you just gotta do it.

Another observation; I put a fresh toilet roll on yesterday and the same roll is still there today, HUGE change.

Pride Weekend

I've done a full post on Pride weekend over here. Here is another picture from the night, and a bit of street art.



Yosemite

Yes I know, I've been back a week and only now blogging, extreme tiredness and dead laptop are my excuses. I have now again uploaded all the photo's, this time to my external, and with the aid of a borrowed laptop can finally attempt to write.

I'm bypassing Pride weekend as I'm writing that one for Gaynz, if bloody buggery Wordpress ever decides to play nicely, so now it's Yosemite. We headed out there on the Monday after the mayhem and partying of Pride. NZAlien loaned us one of those GPS thingies to direct us. We started of by calling it Gertrude, but by day two she was referred to as "the yelling lady", and we figured out how to shut her up.

We drove from San Francisco to Mariposa that day with no great drama other than popping eyeballs in a mall car park. It had been quite cold in SF but an hour inland it was searingly hot, so when we stopped for food we also changed clothes, much to the amusement of those in the cars around us. We managed to get what was probably the last motel room in town and promptly jumped in the pool until the room was ready. Tuesday we were up early and off to Yosemite, a good move as the place ended up getting crowded. When we left in the afternoon we got stuck in a traffic jam trying to get out of the park and it took 1.5 hours to get out.

As we started to get closer to the park the scenery started to get spectacular and the river was like Huka Falls on steroids. Once in the park the first sight was the little tunnel to drive through.

Then the many spectacular sights started to appear. The photo's just don't do justice to immense size of the granite rock faces, they are breathtaking.

I totally lost track of how many waterfalls there are and how many we saw.

We of course had hopes of seeing bears, and NZAlien had seen some on her visit. Oso is one well travelled bear but doesn't look to keen at the prospect of meeting others.

We saw lots of these, both here and in other places on our journey.

You can imagine my glee at seeing a large group of these on the first trail, all in matching outfits.



We spent several hours walking up one of the trails and along the way got to see one face of the Dome. People climb this. They must be mad.

This of course is just a wee sample of our days hiking, a day of stunning scenery. We then drove 4 hours down a remote road to the coast again with a different type of vast scenery.

I was driving at this point, weird, very weird. We spent that night at a place called Pismo Beach which had it's own unique scenery, but that story is for another day as it's bed time for me now.