Holiday!

Hola!

I caught a train yesterday (approximately 6 1/2 hours) up to visit my Mum on the mid north coast. It is a multipurpose visit. I wanted to spend a bit of time with my Mum, plus I want to be around when she gets some biopsy results next week. But I also realised that I am very unhealthy right now. I am not in good shape at all. Here there is clear air (I think this is why always for the first day or two I’m here I get dizzy spells – the air is a lot cleaner here and my lungs are used to sucking in dirty city air). Plus I needed to put some physical space between myself and some complicated situations in Sydney. I need clear space to think. I was digging myself a dirty little city grave. I can’t believe I have been treating myself so poorly.

So, I’m taking it easy for a couple of days. Already I have spent the morning watching pelicans wait for the fishing boats to come back, done some Op shopping (I bought a dress, a top, and an antique-looking necklace, all for $7.50! Yay me!), done a bit of harmless, friendly flirting with the man in the cafe bookshop, and caught up with my uncle (the husband of my very favourite aunty-she is no longer with us, unfortunately).

I spoke with my brother on the phone (he lives in Nth Carolina)- I don’t get to speak with him much as I only have a cell phone, so it is always nice to actually here his voice.

There are some Blue Tongue Lizards that live in the yard here. There is Louis, the three-legged big daddy one who lives under the house. Lisa who lives under the old barbecue, and various babies when it’s the season – there’s some little ‘uns there now. Plus, there seems to be a new man on the scene – a rival for Louis. Poor Louis, apparently Lisa and her new fella were canoodling up there the other day and poor old Louis was off a little ways, all on his lonesome. Louis, maybe you need to woo her. Bring her up some tasty snails or something!

I haven’t got any pix yet from up here yet. I tried to take some from the train yesterday, but the window reflection is on all of them, but I will take pix in the days to come and put them up.

Well, now I am going to put my feet up, and read a book.

Take care.

V ❤

Sucked In By The Mechanical Turk!

Image via CrunchBase

A few days back after reading an article on making money online I applied to Amazon‘s Mechanical Turk. They had little jobs listed for ridiculously small amounts of money, but I was figuring every little bit helps. I have plans y’all!

When you submit your application, MT is heavy on their requests for personal information – home address, phone number. Because I believed that they were kosher – they may be, but I really have my doubts, I completed the required information. Silly me.

I waited a couple of days then received an email (I deleted it in anger, otherwise I would’ve copied and pasted it here) basically saying they regret to inform me that I am not able to do any work for them.

Um, what did they base their assessment on?

If there is such a rigorous selection process (don’t understand why. The tasks appear to be quite simple, and they certainly don’t pay well for it) why at this point did I need to supply them with my address and phone number?

Maybe Mechanical Turk is not a scam, and I am really so inept as to have been rejected by them. But…

Has anyone else had any dealings with Mechanical Turk? If so, what were your experiences?

But for now F**k you, Mechanical Turk! You’d better not start spamming me!

Ggrrrrrrrr…..

On “Do You Believe In Soulmates?” (yet another Plinky)

Wandering Souls

• This is my personal view only. So…Warning. May contain nuts.Soul Mates 

  I used to. I used to believe it so much that when things were not going so great in my life the idea of there being someone out there, my soulmate,the perfect fit spurred me on. It’ll be ok. Love conquers all. Blah, blah,blah. I’m not happy that I don’t believe in soul mates anymore. It feels that everything one clings to or holds up as a shining beacon gets snatched away. We live in a stark and brutal world. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should answer this question because I don’t want to hurt anyone out there who is still clinging on to “the soul mate” idea plus I don’t want to offend. This stuff might work for some. Help them get through an illness or other difficult time. And that’s awesome! But as for me, my “soul mate bubble” burst quite a way back.

On Facebook Status Updates

Another Plinky. Still can’t get the link to work. I am waiting for a reply from the Plinky People. The question was regarding annoying Facebook status updates:-

• “This morning I got up, made coffee, then I went to the loo and when I came back my coffee was cold so I had to make it again and then I made some toast to go with it and then…

  Facebook at Mozcon – Alex

  Facebook is often irritating.In a way, in our culture it has become something of a necessary evil, much like the era when everyone decided they had to get a home phone. When I was little, a telephone of one’s own was the exception, not the rule.  I don’t really care what you had for lunch unless I was there too. I don’t need to see 20million photos of the same little girl being chased by people (I got sucked in the first time. I thought Prince Charles was at a family picnic playing chasings. Awww, how cute. But no). This morning she was being chased by Usain Bolt. I don’t like people being mean and I don’t like people using Facebook to bully people. I could probably come up with more irritating types of status updates, but I really don,t want to have to think about Facebook that much.

Winter of Discontent

English: Khansar in cold winter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Winter is always tough for me. I don’t know whether it’s circulation or what, but I feel the cold really quickly and it hurts! (I’m imagining someone reading this in a country that does really get cold thinking ” She doesn’t know what cold is!”)

In sync with the temperature dropping so does my mood, but my anxiety levels go up. A lot. It’s ridiculous. Then my immune system can’t handle it and I get sick. And so it goes until the weather starts to get warm again. I usually just batten down the hatches and wait for Spring, only venturing out when I have to. I’m so used to it it’s something I’ve almost come to accept – my Underworld vacation. Not all vacations are fun.

This Winter though has been particularly difficult. Many (too many) things have happened that have made me actually have to face myself (I usually manage to wriggle out of that somehow). Not this Winter though. I haven’t had that “luxury”. And I haven’t coped well.

BUT I think there may be a bit of Spring in the air these last few days, even though it’s still cold and the August winds haven’t really kicked in yet. We can only hope.

V<3

Related articles

• Sydney: Weather about to remind us it is still Winter. (blogs.abc.net.au)
• Brad Panovich: Winter is the season of extremes, not summer (wcnc.com)

Shark In The Water!!!

Hi!

This was another question I answered in Plinky. The question was “What is a fear you’ve overcome?” Once again I wasn’t able to post it here directly. There is a problem but I can’t see where it is. Anyway:

Shark In The Water

• This is a very silly fear.

  Ha! This is about a fear that I have kind of overcome. Overcome as far as I can write about it, but not overcome enough to be able to load up any images of my nemesis. For a reason I have never been able to fathom, as in I have never had any related scary experiences, I have been terrified of sharks! Terrified enough to have fainted when suddenly confronted with an image of a shark. When I was around 10 years old while at swimming training I became paralysed and had to be rescued(kinda half swim half being dragged to the edge) because I had somehow managed to convince myself that there was a shark in the pool. Anyway, these days, with a lot of concentration, watering eyes and pounding heart I am able to at least look at sharks as long as I am prepared for it and it doesn’t look too scary. I have also walked through Sydney Aquarium twice now, once when my brother was visiting from the U.S. and once with my son. He held my hand real tight and kept saying “It’s all right Mum, if you need to you can squeeze my hand really really tight.” Bless 🙂 So what I am finding is as I’m getting older it’s getting easier to face the monster (in fact sharks are really beautiful, streamlined creatures). I still react (scream, knees go from under me) if I’m faced with one unexpectedly, but mostly now I’m good. Really.

  What are you scared of?

  Till next time

  V ❤

Clusters of Little Naked Men – very manly flowers

Orchis italica (Photo credit: xiostales)

Pardon My Absence (and My Past)

Pardon My Past (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please forgive my absence over the past days, but the seas have been rough. There have been times when I thought my heart was breaking and that the darkness would completely engulf me, eat me alive.

However, it didn’t and I am still here. Ready for another round. Not dead yet;) Planning on staying around for awhile. Mebs.

V<3