Yes we are still here ...

Sorry I've been quiet all week.  Started my new job on Monday and pretty much collapsed from exhaustion Monday night.

After four months of doing stuff at my own speed and relaxing and being a hermit and not dealing with people, I started a job at a public library; which involved dealing with Teh Public (tm) and a steep learning curve.

This week also involved dealing with a communal mindset that I am not part of - namely the only two topics of conversation at work are pregnancy and the local football teams.

So I've come home mentally exhausted all week.  Oh and instead of working part-time, I worked full-time this week, and will do so for the next three weeks.  I wanted the money and the convinced the Library Manager that it will assist my learning curve :)

So this is a situation of my making - buy I'm frankly too knackered each night to chat with you guys.  Hell, I'm too knackered to stitch or cook.  No stitching since last weekend :(

It will get better as I get used to the new routines.

In the meantime, here's an album of kitty pics that Stephen took over the last fortnight.

Cat Photos by Mr S

My nearest and dearest took these photos of our lovely two cats :)

Photos taken: 7-21 June 2009.

Q &A (meme from Sisu and others)

1. My Ex ..............is possibly still alive - who knows?
2. Maybe I should ................remove the word should from my vocabulary.  Either do or do not - no should.
3. I love .............the people I live with (yes my cats are people).
4. People would say that I'm .............human. Contradictory, confusing and loveable.
5. I don't understand why .............I can't have everything I want :)
6. When I wake up in the morning ...........I want to break Mr S's alarm.
7. I hate when ............I have failed at something.
8. Life is full of .............wonder and excitement.  Why do we revolved our lives around avoiding it all by requiring money?
9. My past is .............past, Gone. Wish the rest of the emotional baggage had gone with it.
10. I get annoyed by ..............people using advantages I don't have (looks, money, a motorbike in traffic)
11. Parties are fun, but not as fun as ...........spending time with my favourite people!
12. I wish life was not ..............so money-driven.
13. Dogs.............are frequently better people than their owners.
14. Cats.............make life better.
15. Tomorrow is .............not yet here. So deal with what is, not what is going to be.
16. I have low tolerance for.............. wilful stupidity.
17. If I had a million dollars..............I would pay off all the debts that make us feel shackled at the moment.
18. I'm totally terrified of ................my mum dying.
19. I'm so proud of ...............proving all the naysayers wrong :)
20. If you don't post this on your page, you are ...........not a meme lemming :)

How to have a successful visit ....

1. Email and say "hey I feel like coming to Perth for the long weekend and explore the city.  Mind if I crash at your place each night".  When you turn up up, allow your actions and manner indicate that what you really meant was "hey set aside three days of your lives and focus exclusively on my whims and desires".
   
   
2. When your host asks "are you allergic to anything, do you have food preferences" answer no.  Then reject every suggestion for dinner because it has something in it you don't like.
   
   
3. Never offer suggestions or ideas for where you want to go to explore the city.  You have arrived here, your hosts should arrange everything else for you.  Feel free to be critical of their suggestions and choices.
   
   
4. You have a three day weekend and as a full time employee you are being paid for the public holiday Monday.  Take no notice of the fact that it isn't a public holiday here.  Your host is a contractor and as such does not get paid unless he is actually at work. However, do be miffed if he goes to work on the Monday because your hosts need the money.  After all, you're still getting paid and you are gracing them with yiour presence. They should just suck up the financial loss because that's part of spending time with YOU.
   
   
5. Please remember to point out how everything here is more expensive and less urbane than your home town.  Argue every point with your hosts even though they have lived in both cities and can point out the positives of Perth.
   
   
6. In fact argue every point with your hosts, regardless if you have experienced the topic at hand or have any knowledge on the subject whatsoever.  You are correct in every single way at all times.
   
   
7. Whatever you do, don't take into account that your hosts are both older than you, have lived away from home, have been married and in many other ways have had much more experience in life's diversities than you do. Remember to ALWAYS one up them in any recitation of stories or anecdotes.  They could not have had life as bad as you have had.  Your Year 9 bus trip having to eat porridge one morning was definitely far worse than a camping trip of 1000 people your host had to cater for.
   
   
8. Ignore any anecdote (like the catering story) that is meant to be amusing. Ignore all attempts to get to admit anything you have ever done in your life has been positive.  Do not find anything amusing.  Do not ever admit you enjoyed anything.  At best use the word "interesting" if you cannot find anything specific to complain about.
   
   
9. If you go to the toilet and your hosts are discussing a different topic when you return (i.e. one of their parents is having severe life issues), it is your duty to talk over the top of this and return the conversation to you.  You after all are the guest and sole focus for the weekend.
   
   
10. You have the right to ignore everything your hosts do that isn't focused on you.  If one of the hosts is washing up and cleaning the kitchen on her own for over an hour (while the other one is doing emergency telecommuting) feel free to ignore them and play with the new kitten.  Although you are capable of handling a tea towel, never ever offer to help.
    
    
11. Even though a room has been emptied of boxes specifically for your visit (and you have been informed of this and told that it wont be the guest bedroom in future) feel free to lock the arthritic cat out of the only room in the house that gets the morning sun.  Do this every morning after telling your hosts how much you love cats.
    
    
12. Feel free to take over the TV at any point.  You have been informed that one of your hosts doesn't particularly like true crime shows.  Please select program that details how much bodies are mutilated from a bombed bus depending on their proximity to said bus.  You like the show and after al the host is merely washing up the dishes from the roast dinner the night before, she isn't focusing on you.
    
    
13. Remember to stand between your hosts at all times.  Whenever you are out at the markets or in a restaurant make sure you sit and stand and walk between your hosts.  After all we wouldn't want them to hug or kiss at any time.  In fact, your hosts are here to focus on you and therefore anything they say or do must involve you.  If one host is trying to show the other host a comment to a blog post, remember to put your head between the hosts and the screen so you can read it first.  Then dismiss the comment even though you have no context as you haven't read the blog post.
    
    
14. Finally, as you board the plane this morning, wonder why your trip wasn't as successful as you thought it was going to be ....

Abby

The newest member of the family. Joined us on 6 June 2009 at approx 7 weeks of age.

Interesting weekend

Well Abby has now joined the family.  She is totally fearless and as you can see, Trubs is keeping her distance but there's no outright hostility.  As soon as they agree on their boundaries and personal spots I think it should all work out fine.

Personally I think Abby should have been renamed Polly.  She loves sitting on my shoulder while I type or stitch.

Speaking of which, this weekend I also finished Part 3 of Vienna Ball.  I haven't included the beads or treasures.  I learned from Mystery IX and will leave them to the very last.

And that's the update :)  Off to open Mariann's RR and start it.

New Kitten

Here's Mr NTB and the new (and yet unnamed) member of the household.

You can see how she stole my heart in a single glance.

Mel's "What day is it?" Update

Well life has had its downs recently and now it has a few ups.

I've landed a part time role at my local library as a skills librarian - a training role.  This is quite different to anything I've been formally hired to do before so I'm actually looking forward to it.  I start on 15 June 2009.  Its only part time and very poorly paid, but any money is better than no money.

I've also been stitching a lot lately.  As the above pic shows, I have two main forms of therapy and I get depressed when I don't pay attention to both of them. 

I have updated my finished album.  I have three pieces finished so far this year and they are all Inkcircles designs.  This is pure serendipity!

I've finished my section on Claire's RR in our private round robin. 

I've finally finished Part 2 of Vienna Ball.  On the day that Part 7 is released!

But I'm making progress and life looks like it might be on the way up.  I even got half of my books unpacked and on the shelves yesterday.  Now just to get the unpacking fairies to unpack while I sleep so I can spend the last remaining week of unemployment stitching.  Unfortunately that is not likely :(