31 August 2007

We're off...

...to Brisbane that is. We will be gone for a few days visiting and old friend that we have not seen for a while. She actually lives in Mooloolaba but Brisbane is a closer airport. This trip is one of several we will be taking over the next few months. I'm sure I mentioned the trips in an earlier post but if not here's a quick reminder:

September - Brisbane
October - Melbourne
November - Melbourne (x1) and Sydney (x2)

Now I know that these aren't huge getaway's but none the less it gets us out of the house. If we take any pictures I'll be sure to post them. Maybe we'll get lucky on our last night in Brisbane as we are staying at the Conrad Treasury Hotel and Casino. Until then I'll post something next week when we get back.

30 August 2007

Needle and the damage done...

I finally did it I went for the needle to relieve the pain. I've tried all sorts of drugs but never the needle. I know many people use the needle not only for the pain but to help them deal with so many other problems in their lives and most become addicted to using the needle. I had to try something I had to make the pain go away. I've only tried it once but I'm sure I'll be back for more. When the needle went in it stung and then a slow burn started travelling over my skin. The burn gave way to numbness and then there was only this dull heavy feeling. The payback is that now I ache from where the needle entered. I don't know why anyone would want to go through the initial pain for such short term relief. I long for that dull comfortable numb even now. You do realise I'm talking about the use of the ancient art of Chinese acupuncture???? Geesh you people!!!

27 August 2007

Here's trouble....

Why is it that many within our community (and I'm only speaking about the gay community), why is it that we are so judgemental? Now maybe I'm about to get into big trouble but really at my age I've been through enough and seen way more than I care to have seen. So, what the hell here goes. I won't be the first person to write about this and I am sure I won't be the last. Anyway, I'm just so tired of all this inside bitterness that many within the community have against one another. Maybe it's because so many of us are still uncomfortable about who we are and as such it necessitates taking others down so we feel better ourselves. Maybe it's because all of our lives we've had to fight to get where we are and it seems that many of had to take on the "take no prisoner's" approach to the world around us. Why attack each members of our own community and simply because we don't fit a certain model set not only by society but within our own community. I mean within our community we seem to have all of these standards we're not young enough, buff enough, we're too fat, too hairy, we're whatever. We will never be able to be accepted and garner equality if we continue to fight with each other and discriminate within our own community..

What I'm looking at would be impossible, a Utopia if you will. It would be impossible because at the end of the day we are all human (or at least I'm lead to believe so for matters of this post) and no matter what label you put on us/yourself be it gay, straight, bi, queer, what ever; at the end of the day you/we are still just human beings with all the same emotions, feelings, needs and wants as the next person. Why any of us thinks we are better than the next is besides me. Don't get me wrong I have been as guilty as the next person and I surely don't like myself because of it. I would like to think I've grown a bit past that and have become more accepting or at least I damn well try and will admit when I don't.


So you say, what's my point? Well my point is that just maybe before we start attacking someone because they don't' fit our criteria for "being normal" we might want to just stop and think how we've been treated in the past (or are being currently treated) and just maybe we will be willing to give that person a bit acceptance and a lot more benefit of doubt.
None of us is perfect and considering the state of the world and the bigger picture we have so many things we need to worry about, but then again just maybe we need to start within ourselves before we start trying to change the world around us. That's a whole other rant.

Anyway, I'm not sure where that all came from as I said earlier I'm getting older and I'm tending to spout off and maybe it's true as you get older you start to say things that you wouldn't normally have said because you just get tired of holding your tongue. It's not that I don't care but I get real tired of people telling me what I can and can not say. I will say what I want as long as whatever it is I say does not pointedly hurt someone. It's my opinion and like the rest of the world I'm entitled and to the rest of whoever you may be I leave the question: Why do we do it?


(really I'm not that old and angry I just play that way for those around me)

24 August 2007

When you got nothing else...

...do a meme. So, for your reading enjoyment here is five for Friday, as it is Friday here in the land down under. Enjoy...

1. What are your favorite kinds of flowers?


That's a tough one because we have so many to choose from in our garden but at the end of the day I have to say roses.


2. Do you have any cut flowers in your home or office right now? What kinds?


Yes, we have flowers from our garden in the house right now. We have two different types of jonquils (what I call baby daffodils), yellow ones and double-headed white ones. The scent they bring to house is amazing for such a small flower.


3. Are you growing/planting any live flowers inside or outside your home? What kinds and where?


We have a small established and well laid out garden with four different beds in the back and three in the front. We have three different climbing rose bushes and nineteen additional standard rose bushes throughout the beds. Along with the jonquils we also have full size daffodils, dahlias, tulips, bearded irises, carnations, hyacinths, foxgloves, peony's and lavender. We also have a huge rhododendron (it looks just like the one in the top picture of the link) and a camellia bush, each of which is over 80 years old. (Remember our house is over 115 years old) We have a few other kinds of flowers but I can't remember their names. They all bloom at different times so starting about now I can have different cut flowers in my house almost every week.


4. Which flowers do you associate with specific people, places, or events?


Roses I associate with my mum because they are her favourites.


5. When was the last time you were given flowers as a gift?


About two months ago, because we were in the beginning of winter and nothing was blooming in the garden, James bought me some for no reason which he does on occasion and it is such a nice surprise because as I said it is for no other reason than he wants to/loves me.

18 August 2007

Quote & Word of the day...

Quote of the day:

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."


Mark Twain

Word of the day:


savoir-vivre
(noun) [SAV-war-VEE-vrah, SAV-war-VEEV-rah]


1. knowledge or intimacy with polite and graceful society and the ways of the world: "Rachel could tell, just from looking at the packed, vibrant shelves in and around his kitchen, that he lived with an admirable savoir-vivre."

17 August 2007

It's every where....

This video is showing up every where and so I thought I would do my bit to keep the movement going. So for your viewing pleasure I give you Bearforce1...


16 August 2007

These are a few of my favourite tunes...

If you look over in the left hand column you may notice a new nifty little widget. It is associated with iTunes and shows what some of my favourite artists are as listed on my iTunes. Now the only thing I find disturbing is that Barry Manilow shows up. Not that there is anything wrong with Barry Manilow and I do have a few of his songs on my iTunes, albeit they are really there because James and I share the same iTunes library, I'm just not sure why they are showing up on my widget as one of my favourites. He's okay but not really a favourite. Anyway, I found this widget recently and just think it is a bit of fun. If you would like to try it just click on the widget where it says "Make your own" Enjoy...

13 August 2007

A snapshot of New Zeland...

The pictures of New Zealand are now up on Flickr for your viewing pleasure. I could not do the different places we visited justice so in case you want to know or see a bit more of where we visited the you can find out more at these links:

New Zealand
Rotorua
Taupo
Lake Taupo
Huka Falls
Napier
Hawkes Bay

To learn about Whakarewarewa "The Thermal Village" go here
Enjoy....

12 August 2007

We're back...

We got home last night around 6:30. A friend picked us up at the airport and the first thing we noticed is that it was cold back in our neck of the woods. We had expected it to be cold while we were in New Zealand but it actually was quite spring like all the time we were there. Our friend told us that the previous two days before we came home there had been horrendous weather including gale force winds and flooding. All of this was due to a strong cold front. It looks as if winter is still with us.

Anyway, I guess everyone wants to know about the trip. I have plenty of pictures to share but have not put them up on Flickr yet. Hell, I haven't even unpacked. I laid done on the couch last night and went out to it by 8:00. I find travelling exhausting. We thought that going to New Zealand would be a breeze because it was only a 3 hour flight compared to some of our 25+ hour flights to the States. We were wrong because in the end you still have to go through all the checks, immigration and customs. It is all too tedious and so not worth it. We've decided that for a while were are only going to take some local trips which do not involve customs and passports. Next trip is up to the Sunshine Coast near Brisbane to visit an old friend and then we are off to Melbourne for a few days so James can attend a conference and then we go back to Melbourne for my birthday where our friend Moys will be meeting us as she and I celebrate the same birthday. We will be going to see Priscilla will we are there.

I will make every attempt to post the pictures today and I will let you know as soon as they have been posted. As for the trip all I can say is it was very relaxing, filled with good food, lots of laughs and new experiences. I will make a bit of a more inclusive post when I get the pictures ready and try to explain what you'll be seeing. Anyway, I need to get on with catching up on my emails and all of my blog reading. It looks like everyone has been very busy while I was away.

7 August 2007

Kia Ora...

That means hello from New Zealand. I just wanted to check in real quick. We are having a great time and I will be working on the pictures when we get back on Saturday. I hope everyone that stops by is doing well. I'll write more when we return.

1 August 2007

We're outta here...

OK, we are off to the airport in a few hours to start or little getaway. We are spending tonight in Melbourne just so we do not have to get the 6:00am flight up to Melbourne tomorrow morning and hope we have enough time to go through customs once we got to Melbourne to catch our connecting flight on to New Zealand. We will be spending the first night in NZ in Wellington and then the next day our friend, who is driving down to meet us, will be driving us back up to her home in Hastings NZ, which is in the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island. We plan to spend a few days at her place and then I believe we have plans to go to Rotorua and Whakatane. I will have access to the net but I'm not sure how often I'll get to post updates but I will try. Until then I'll be back around the 11/12 of August. See ya when we get back.