...and contrary to the lyrics, it's not a lovely way to burn.
Yes, our little girl has been suffering a high fever since late Thursday night. We were unsure of it's cause (the doctor had no idea on Friday) but on Saturday Jessica was finally diagnosed with...tonsillitis! She was put on antibiotics on Saturday afternoon, which helped her somewhat. She's been in a lot of pain, has been completely listless and unable or unwilling to eat or drink anything of substance, and she has had very little sleep. By midday today she had started to perk up a little, and her temperature is now thankfully nowhere near the 40+ degrees that it had been on Thursday/Friday. She still has a lot of sleep to catch up on and eating/drinking are obviously still causing her a lot of pain. Poor little thing: such a big illness for such a tiny little girl...
I think that you shouldn't be allowed to come down with any illness that you can't spell. Or at the very least, the number of syllables in the name of the illness should be in direct proportion to your age: if you're only 1, you can have a cold, if you're 2 you can get meas/les, at 3 you can maybe get chic/ken/pox. So, by that reasoning, Jessica isn't allowed to have ton/sil/li/tis until she's 4 (and that ton/sil/lec/to/my will have to wait until she's at least 5, thankyou very much). OK, so that's not a very satisfactory ruling, and I don't wish those nasty things on kids of any age (or spelling capability). But it is very, very difficult to watch and hear your child in any sort of pain, let alone protracted pain that leaves her absolutely exhausted. I'd love to take that pain for her of course, and you'd naturally do it in a heartbeat, but that option's not in the rules yet either.
So there's no pretty photos or clips tonight: we're all quite exhausted and looking forward to the likelihood that Jessica will be feeling even better again tomorrow. Mel is working in the City tomorrow, so it's my day with Jessica. Looks like it'll be another day of The Wiggles, Play School & Hi-5 DVD's, while we rest on the couch eating ice cream. OK, so there is eventually a small upside, even to nasty big words like Tonsillitis.
Matt
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Last Exit To Brisbane
This airport lounge posting has become quite a habit. I’m starting this post at 5:27am on Thursday 26th, having arrived at gate lounge 2 17 minutes before boarding is scheduled. I even seem to have beaten most of the crowds (either that or they are at the Gloria Jeans booth I pass on the way to the gate). I’ve considered a nice latte myself, but have decided against it only because the flight to Brisbane is so long! And besides, I’m already sitting here with a laptop open, and an iPod connected to my ears, so the addition of a latte would probably make me look just that little too pretentious. Tres prétentieux, en fait :).
I’m listening to Mute Math as I type this, and I’m trying to type at the same pace as the music. I’m not doing well, and there are many, many typos as a result. The MM CD arrived last week from Amazon, and is terrific (as evidenced by the fact that I’ve used “Noticed” in the last post). Amazon actually shipped us a version of the CD which didn’t have the advertised bonus disc, so they apologised profusely, refunded us the total amount and invited us to keep the CD due to the cost of postage (they had run out of the bonus version). It’s always so refreshing to be treated well as a customer: the kind of customer service that is so good that you feel bad for accepting it! Anyway, the CD and concert DVD are fantastic - and I'm even starting to win over Mel as a MuteMath fan.
Today’s flight to Brisbane looks like it will be my last. After 5 trips, my scheduled tours have been cut short to focus on some other local issues, and I certainly won’t miss the travel. For one thing, I think I’m too tall for QANTAS Economy seating – but it’s not likely that our company will ever spring to bump us up to Business Class. I have had some pleasant surprises in the past few flights though as far as that goes – at least three times he person scheduled to sit next to me (and these CityFlyer flights are always packed) has failed to arrive, meaning that I can angle my legs out to the side for the 2.5 hours. Last time, the check-in lady moved someone from Aisle 14 (over the wing exit, hence much more leg room) and gave me their seat when she saw my height. But this morning’s flight has me sitting in the back, in the middle of a 3 seat group, and the gate lounge is fast filling up.
Anyway, it’s now 5:42 and I have about three minutes to exercise my legs before they are squashed into the back of someone’s seat for the next couple of hours (at least this is a morning flight: on the afternoon flights, the person in front often likes to recline their chair too!). I’ll save this and go for a quick walk to appease my legs. "Come on legs, you can do it: only two more flights to go!"
Matt
I’m listening to Mute Math as I type this, and I’m trying to type at the same pace as the music. I’m not doing well, and there are many, many typos as a result. The MM CD arrived last week from Amazon, and is terrific (as evidenced by the fact that I’ve used “Noticed” in the last post). Amazon actually shipped us a version of the CD which didn’t have the advertised bonus disc, so they apologised profusely, refunded us the total amount and invited us to keep the CD due to the cost of postage (they had run out of the bonus version). It’s always so refreshing to be treated well as a customer: the kind of customer service that is so good that you feel bad for accepting it! Anyway, the CD and concert DVD are fantastic - and I'm even starting to win over Mel as a MuteMath fan.
Today’s flight to Brisbane looks like it will be my last. After 5 trips, my scheduled tours have been cut short to focus on some other local issues, and I certainly won’t miss the travel. For one thing, I think I’m too tall for QANTAS Economy seating – but it’s not likely that our company will ever spring to bump us up to Business Class. I have had some pleasant surprises in the past few flights though as far as that goes – at least three times he person scheduled to sit next to me (and these CityFlyer flights are always packed) has failed to arrive, meaning that I can angle my legs out to the side for the 2.5 hours. Last time, the check-in lady moved someone from Aisle 14 (over the wing exit, hence much more leg room) and gave me their seat when she saw my height. But this morning’s flight has me sitting in the back, in the middle of a 3 seat group, and the gate lounge is fast filling up.
Anyway, it’s now 5:42 and I have about three minutes to exercise my legs before they are squashed into the back of someone’s seat for the next couple of hours (at least this is a morning flight: on the afternoon flights, the person in front often likes to recline their chair too!). I’ll save this and go for a quick walk to appease my legs. "Come on legs, you can do it: only two more flights to go!"
Matt
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Play Station Three
Only a quick post tonight, as I'm up at 3am tomorrow for another trip to Brisbane (just a couple of days this time), and I'm yet to iron or pack (or help get Jessica off to bed).
I had hoped to post an ANZAC Day message today, and part of a video I took of the dawn service at the Shrine in 2005 (the last time I made it there, I'm ashamed to say). In the near-darkness, the Army choir were singing the hymn, "Be Still My Soul", and it was a very stirring moment. I think I'm going to run out of time for that though.
But I will quickly post one, completely-unrelated clip though. We went to a new local play centre on Monday, and had a great time. For whatever reason, we had the place pretty much to ourselves, hence the title of this post. This clip shows a little of the fun we had...
Oh, and Melly has recently updated her blog with heaps of photos from Jessica's party and elsewhere, so make sure you check in there too...you can even follow this link if you like!
Take care,
Matt
I had hoped to post an ANZAC Day message today, and part of a video I took of the dawn service at the Shrine in 2005 (the last time I made it there, I'm ashamed to say). In the near-darkness, the Army choir were singing the hymn, "Be Still My Soul", and it was a very stirring moment. I think I'm going to run out of time for that though.
But I will quickly post one, completely-unrelated clip though. We went to a new local play centre on Monday, and had a great time. For whatever reason, we had the place pretty much to ourselves, hence the title of this post. This clip shows a little of the fun we had...
Oh, and Melly has recently updated her blog with heaps of photos from Jessica's party and elsewhere, so make sure you check in there too...you can even follow this link if you like!
Take care,
Matt
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Flight Risk
(this post was written over a week ago but it was stuck on my work laptop, hence the delayed posting).
Well it’s the second time that I’m writing a post from Brisbane Airport departure lounge, and it turns out to be at a remarkably similar time. It’s a Friday again, and it’s 3:05, so again I have about 25 minutes to write until the boarding starts. Have just spent another week up here with work, and it now sounds like there may only be a couple more weeks required up here – so that’s great news. I will of course miss the motel where I stayed this week: it was located in the middle of an industrial estate, with 6 lanes of traffic out front (who needs an alarm clock when you have B-Doubles and heavy vehicles waking you up at 4am?), nestled among an Adult Shop and two petrol stations, and the place was absolutely filthy. When I arrived I noticed that the bathroom still had the soap scum, whiskers and a razor from the last person who used it – and that didn’t change for the entire week. It's not a good sign when you feel compelled to pack everything back into your bags and take them with you to work each day, rather than leaving them in the room (yes, I did that all week - and I wouldn't have said that I have any OCD tendencies).
Unlike my last post from this location, I’ve just seen someone famous. Gough Whitlam just got off the plane that I’m waiting to board, and was driven away on a little golf-cart thingo. I don’t often see many famous people out where we live, so my big opportunity is when I travel. Merv Hughes was standing beside me a few months ago as we waited in Melbourne, but he and Gough have been pretty much it so far. I don’t know that you’d call Gough Whitlam a star though, so this doesn’t really qualify as star spotting. To many people, bumping into Gough Whitlam wouldn’t even rate as having bumped into anyone of note: he’s certainly been a polarising figure. (Case in point, I told Mel by phone that I had seen Gough Whitlam, and she asked if I had punched him!)
Just as I type this, some type of alarm has started going off. It’s VERRRRY loud, and there’s no explanation as yet as to what it means. I’m tipping it’s an evacuation alarm that’s been tripped by mistake (an exit alarm was triggered 3 times when I was here last - by the flight crew trying to get onto the plane – so maybe they’re just trigger happy here)....
....OK – well that was interesting. Just after I typed that last line, the entire Brisbane Airport was evacuated. We all made our way along the corridors, down the escalators, back through security check-in, outside onto the grass. A few thousand of us in fact. Everyone was very patient and well behaved, but I can’t say that the airport safety response team covered themselves in glory. It was ages before any announcement was made to clear the building (we were already most of the way out), no staff were where they needed to be directing the masses, and there was no apparent leadership at all. Myself and the people sitting immediately around me only decided to move off of our own volition, after observing one woman speaking to a group a fair distance away, then walking off with them: She didn’t come anywhere near us (must be my clothes).
The slowest part of the whole incident (which they’re now saying had something to do with a suspected fire – despite the fact that the fire department and police never attended) was getting a thousand or so people back through the security metal detectors. Almost everyone was calm and patient and orderly – we only saw one guy push his way past us and jump ahead of about half of the waiting crowd, gesticulating wildly. And that only served to make the rest of us chuckle amongst ourselves at how self-important and ridiculous he was being. Maybe society isn’t unravelling at quite the rate I tend to think it is: if only one guy out of a thousand throws his weight around and pushes through the crowds in an emergency situation, and the others have a bit of a laugh together after he’s gone (rather than coming to blows) then maybe society will last a few more years yet. Maybe.
Anyway, I have to get on this plane now – it’s been delayed well over an hour but it looks like we are finally ready to go. I should still be home by about 8:30. I’ll leave with a couple of photos of just my section of the crowd (I was trying to be discreet, so didn't pan around) – just to prove I wasn’t making it up.
Take care,
Matt
(PS: On the flight home, we watched three selected films from TropFest 2007. The winning short film was really ordinary (in my opinion), and I can’t believe it placed, let alone won. On the other hand, the other two clips they showed were great entries. My favourite was called "Road Rage", and involved an abusive driver slowly making a human connection with the man he had just verbally abused, understanding a little more about the tough times he's going through, to the point that the situation changes completely (eventually culminating in a group hug with men from the dozen or so cars banked up behind them, after they each share a bit about the problems in their lives). Such a great idea for a short film. The other one was set at the time of the Cronulla Riots, and shows two potential rioters arriving early to a deserted beach, waiting for their friends to arrive and for the riot to get underway. They’re each from the opposing faction – and should be enemies – but with nobody else there they start up an awkward conversation and realise they actually have a lot in common. After waiting and waiting for their friends to arrive, they take the cricket bat that one had brought as a weapon and start playing beach cricket together. I especially like their ongoing discussion about when it would be appropriate to start fighting: they decide that just two guys fighting would look pretty pathetic and when one suggests that the proper quorum might be 10-12 guys, the other corrects him by saying that a group of 10 guys bashing each other would just be written up in the papers as a brawl not a riot – since that’s what happened when they got into a fight at the footy club. The clip ends with one of them getting a phone call telling him that he went to the wrong beach, and that he missed the Cronulla riots completely. So they decide to share a ride home. Another great little film.
In light of the calm and orderly evacuation at the Airport, these two short films springing up about relationship and human connection amid aggression, and the lovely conversation I had with a middle-aged couple on the plane (who held hands throughout the flight and even through to baggage claim, beaming about Jessica and their kids and grandkids the whole time), maybe there is still some small hope for the world that Jessica will have to grow up in after all.
Well it’s the second time that I’m writing a post from Brisbane Airport departure lounge, and it turns out to be at a remarkably similar time. It’s a Friday again, and it’s 3:05, so again I have about 25 minutes to write until the boarding starts. Have just spent another week up here with work, and it now sounds like there may only be a couple more weeks required up here – so that’s great news. I will of course miss the motel where I stayed this week: it was located in the middle of an industrial estate, with 6 lanes of traffic out front (who needs an alarm clock when you have B-Doubles and heavy vehicles waking you up at 4am?), nestled among an Adult Shop and two petrol stations, and the place was absolutely filthy. When I arrived I noticed that the bathroom still had the soap scum, whiskers and a razor from the last person who used it – and that didn’t change for the entire week. It's not a good sign when you feel compelled to pack everything back into your bags and take them with you to work each day, rather than leaving them in the room (yes, I did that all week - and I wouldn't have said that I have any OCD tendencies).
Unlike my last post from this location, I’ve just seen someone famous. Gough Whitlam just got off the plane that I’m waiting to board, and was driven away on a little golf-cart thingo. I don’t often see many famous people out where we live, so my big opportunity is when I travel. Merv Hughes was standing beside me a few months ago as we waited in Melbourne, but he and Gough have been pretty much it so far. I don’t know that you’d call Gough Whitlam a star though, so this doesn’t really qualify as star spotting. To many people, bumping into Gough Whitlam wouldn’t even rate as having bumped into anyone of note: he’s certainly been a polarising figure. (Case in point, I told Mel by phone that I had seen Gough Whitlam, and she asked if I had punched him!)
Just as I type this, some type of alarm has started going off. It’s VERRRRY loud, and there’s no explanation as yet as to what it means. I’m tipping it’s an evacuation alarm that’s been tripped by mistake (an exit alarm was triggered 3 times when I was here last - by the flight crew trying to get onto the plane – so maybe they’re just trigger happy here)....
....OK – well that was interesting. Just after I typed that last line, the entire Brisbane Airport was evacuated. We all made our way along the corridors, down the escalators, back through security check-in, outside onto the grass. A few thousand of us in fact. Everyone was very patient and well behaved, but I can’t say that the airport safety response team covered themselves in glory. It was ages before any announcement was made to clear the building (we were already most of the way out), no staff were where they needed to be directing the masses, and there was no apparent leadership at all. Myself and the people sitting immediately around me only decided to move off of our own volition, after observing one woman speaking to a group a fair distance away, then walking off with them: She didn’t come anywhere near us (must be my clothes).
The slowest part of the whole incident (which they’re now saying had something to do with a suspected fire – despite the fact that the fire department and police never attended) was getting a thousand or so people back through the security metal detectors. Almost everyone was calm and patient and orderly – we only saw one guy push his way past us and jump ahead of about half of the waiting crowd, gesticulating wildly. And that only served to make the rest of us chuckle amongst ourselves at how self-important and ridiculous he was being. Maybe society isn’t unravelling at quite the rate I tend to think it is: if only one guy out of a thousand throws his weight around and pushes through the crowds in an emergency situation, and the others have a bit of a laugh together after he’s gone (rather than coming to blows) then maybe society will last a few more years yet. Maybe.
Anyway, I have to get on this plane now – it’s been delayed well over an hour but it looks like we are finally ready to go. I should still be home by about 8:30. I’ll leave with a couple of photos of just my section of the crowd (I was trying to be discreet, so didn't pan around) – just to prove I wasn’t making it up.
Take care,
Matt
(PS: On the flight home, we watched three selected films from TropFest 2007. The winning short film was really ordinary (in my opinion), and I can’t believe it placed, let alone won. On the other hand, the other two clips they showed were great entries. My favourite was called "Road Rage", and involved an abusive driver slowly making a human connection with the man he had just verbally abused, understanding a little more about the tough times he's going through, to the point that the situation changes completely (eventually culminating in a group hug with men from the dozen or so cars banked up behind them, after they each share a bit about the problems in their lives). Such a great idea for a short film. The other one was set at the time of the Cronulla Riots, and shows two potential rioters arriving early to a deserted beach, waiting for their friends to arrive and for the riot to get underway. They’re each from the opposing faction – and should be enemies – but with nobody else there they start up an awkward conversation and realise they actually have a lot in common. After waiting and waiting for their friends to arrive, they take the cricket bat that one had brought as a weapon and start playing beach cricket together. I especially like their ongoing discussion about when it would be appropriate to start fighting: they decide that just two guys fighting would look pretty pathetic and when one suggests that the proper quorum might be 10-12 guys, the other corrects him by saying that a group of 10 guys bashing each other would just be written up in the papers as a brawl not a riot – since that’s what happened when they got into a fight at the footy club. The clip ends with one of them getting a phone call telling him that he went to the wrong beach, and that he missed the Cronulla riots completely. So they decide to share a ride home. Another great little film.
In light of the calm and orderly evacuation at the Airport, these two short films springing up about relationship and human connection amid aggression, and the lovely conversation I had with a middle-aged couple on the plane (who held hands throughout the flight and even through to baggage claim, beaming about Jessica and their kids and grandkids the whole time), maybe there is still some small hope for the world that Jessica will have to grow up in after all.
Monday, April 02, 2007
MMTV...
Two posts in one day? No, not really. The last one was mostly written in an airport lounge on Friday, so that's cheating. And this one is only a small, single-subject post anyway.
I discovered a fantastic “new” band in the last week (well they’re new to me anyway): "MuteMath". I came across a MuteMath video podcast, where they perform their song “Typical” on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. They have such afantastic sound, with some great lyrics, and I think they’ll come to be among my most favourite bands (they are certainly in very high rotation in my head at the moment, and I only know two of their songs!). Sure, the lead singer Paul Meaney plays a key-tar, but he makes up for that with a terrific voice. Problem is that no retail stores in Australia have ever heard of them (I’ve asked at JB, Powerhouse, Sanity, Virgin…and people think I’m just making it up a random name, or I'm some old fogey who overheard some kids talking about a great new band, and I've got the name wrong…”Mutewha?” they all say). Actually, they’ve toured the U.S and Europe with The Fray and others, and have been featured as the next big thing in Billboard & Spin magazines, so they’re probably going to be big in Australia in the very near future. Unfortunately as an Australian resident you can’t purchase the songs via iTunes’ U.S. store, and they aren’t for sale on the Australian iTunes store. Will have to make do with the two songs on YouTube for a while until a CD can be delivered from Amazon (it's already annoying Mel how often I play the clips - she said to me this afternoon, rather sarcastically, "Oh, I wonder who this could be...???"). I’ll link to both "Typical" (the music video, not the live performance) and "Chaos" (a live performance), which the band have posted on YouTube. The Typical clip is one of the best music videos I’ve seen in a long while, which is already gravy given the quality of the song itself.
Here's "Typical"...
And here's "Chaos"...
Goodnight,
Matt
I discovered a fantastic “new” band in the last week (well they’re new to me anyway): "MuteMath". I came across a MuteMath video podcast, where they perform their song “Typical” on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. They have such afantastic sound, with some great lyrics, and I think they’ll come to be among my most favourite bands (they are certainly in very high rotation in my head at the moment, and I only know two of their songs!). Sure, the lead singer Paul Meaney plays a key-tar, but he makes up for that with a terrific voice. Problem is that no retail stores in Australia have ever heard of them (I’ve asked at JB, Powerhouse, Sanity, Virgin…and people think I’m just making it up a random name, or I'm some old fogey who overheard some kids talking about a great new band, and I've got the name wrong…”Mutewha?” they all say). Actually, they’ve toured the U.S and Europe with The Fray and others, and have been featured as the next big thing in Billboard & Spin magazines, so they’re probably going to be big in Australia in the very near future. Unfortunately as an Australian resident you can’t purchase the songs via iTunes’ U.S. store, and they aren’t for sale on the Australian iTunes store. Will have to make do with the two songs on YouTube for a while until a CD can be delivered from Amazon (it's already annoying Mel how often I play the clips - she said to me this afternoon, rather sarcastically, "Oh, I wonder who this could be...???"). I’ll link to both "Typical" (the music video, not the live performance) and "Chaos" (a live performance), which the band have posted on YouTube. The Typical clip is one of the best music videos I’ve seen in a long while, which is already gravy given the quality of the song itself.
Here's "Typical"...
And here's "Chaos"...
Goodnight,
Matt
Travel sickness.
My very first blog posting from an airport departure lounge! I’m sitting in Brisbane airport at 3:01 on Friday, waiting for my flight back to Melbourne. I wonder how much I can type before we have to board in 29 minutes? Regardless of how little I type, it’ll be more than I’ve posted for the last few weeks, so it’s worth pressing on.
I’m heading home from a third week of working out of Queensland. It’s been quite a challenging/stressful few weeks actually, involving week-on/week-off stints supporting our company's new project just out of Brisbane. Those travel arrangements are due to continue at least until mid-May, so I have another three weeks in Brisbane at the very least. I'm sure that for many people the idea of business travel has some level of excitement or even glamour attached to it (or maybe some just enjoy getting out of the house for a while?), but that's not how it feels to me. Perhaps it's another one of those situations where the "ideal" of something doesn't sit well with the reality: all I know is that as soon as I check in I can't wait to get home. I'm not actually "sick" of travel - so the title of this post is misleading - but it'd be infinitely nicer to be sitting at home with the girls. I did have this beautiful picture of Jessica with me - on the desk in my hotel - so that made things a lot more bearable:
Today I was supposed to be on hand as a presenter for 4 tour groups, and the schedule of the tours was to have meant I would be getting home at about 11:30 tonight. Surprisingly, but thankfully, the last two tours were cancelled at the last minute, so I’ve rushed to the airport and been able to grab a flight that gets in 4 hours earlier. After getting up at 3:30 each day this week, I’ll be very glad to get home and get some rest. It's actually a funny/distressing story about how I came to be on this project, and why I'm travelling so much, but I might leave that for fear that it'll degenerate into another mopey, whine-y work story. We don't need another one of those on this blog.
Now, to quickly change the subject before I have to go... For a bit of fun, Mel & I both entered a few photos in a local agricultural show recently. Mel went really well, and in fact one two Third Prizes and a First Prize! I'm not going to post her entries here, as I'm sure it's more appropriate for her to post those on her own blog . It hasn't been updated this year (she's been very busy, especially with an AWOL husband!), but you'd have to think that introducing her prize-winning entries would be a great way to kick things off again...
Anyway, that's enough for me - must fly (no pun intended - although if that were true I probably would have deleted the word and replaced it with something else). On some level the pun must have been intended.
Matt
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Walkie, Talkie
Well, she's done it.
I've been reluctant to make the big statement in the past few days ("were those really independent steps, or did she just stumble forward?") but I can finally announce that Jessica walked for the first time tonight. Not just "for the first time, tonight", but "for the first time tonight". (I think "tonight, for the first time" might have been the grammatically correct, less-ambiguous way of saying what I meant to say!).
Yep - Jessica was holding onto the couch with one hand, looked out at Mel who was sitting in the middle of the room, and then took three very independent steps out to meet her! It's all tres exciting! (And I'm thankful that she waited until I got home from Brisbane). Not sure that she's altogether ready to give up her crawling just yet - it's quite a skill - but I guess we'll see her walk a few more steps each day or so. No, the camera wasn't rolling, but I'll try to capture and post something by the weekend.
While Jessica may be new to the "walkie", she's now quite a veteran of the "talkie": she is extremely vocal, and has long, animated, serious, and even stern conversations with us all the time. She'll quite often wake up after a long sleep and start telling us long stories full of emphasis and excitement, peppered with short segments of sing-song whispering. At the moment she likes launching out at your ribcage with her fingers outstretched, excitedly gasping "ticka-ticka-tickle", or waving and saying "Seeya Dad" when I leave for work. And her latest is to respond to, "Are you sleepy, Jessica?" or "Does Jessica need to go to bed?" by very pointedly shaking her head from side to side three or four times. I thought at first that she had just picked up on the tone of voice or inflection when we would pose a question, but then she heard the word 'sleep' among a normal conversation and started shaking her head aswell! If she's already worked that out, we're in real trouble.
Brisbane was a good trip, although it stirred up a host of problems that some people (eg. my boss, for some reason) were hoping to keep hidden, and will therefore mean that a lot of further trips are likely in the near future. The project team said they'll even find me a nicer place to stay next time, although I have to admit the Motor Inn was not too bad (it didn't smell of rotten carpet anyway). I guess I don't mind travelling entirely, but I really do miss the time with M & J. And I'm also very conscious of just how much can happen in only a few days at the moment: at this rate the next milestone I miss may well be Jessica learning to drive!
Matt
(BTW, have I told you how much I hate Current Affairs television in Australia? Tonight's feature story was about "Queensland's Worst Serial Water Waster", who had been dobbed-in by his neighbour at the caravan park for having long showers in the facilities block. The neighbour would sit in his caravan with a clipboard and log the arrival and departure times each day. So the current affairs journalist fitted a hidden camera in the shower block to catch the man showering for too long (with commentary), before confronting the man with the usual but highly ironic "have you no shame?" approach. It's hard to go past the hidden camera as my favourite piece of shlock journalism, or perhaps the tedious coaxing of an obviously ambivalent passer-by into agreeing that long showers were shameful, but I think I most loved the last comment of the complainant neighbour. Speaking about the man who took too long in the shower (and the journo was at pains to remind us that, if you took a shower for the same length, and you did that twice a day, you could fill a swimming pool...ummm....in just under a month): "He's just lucky I'm not the Prime Minister, or I'd grab a gun and I'd shoot him. It's treason - that's what it is!". Priceless.
I've been reluctant to make the big statement in the past few days ("were those really independent steps, or did she just stumble forward?") but I can finally announce that Jessica walked for the first time tonight. Not just "for the first time, tonight", but "for the first time tonight". (I think "tonight, for the first time" might have been the grammatically correct, less-ambiguous way of saying what I meant to say!).
Yep - Jessica was holding onto the couch with one hand, looked out at Mel who was sitting in the middle of the room, and then took three very independent steps out to meet her! It's all tres exciting! (And I'm thankful that she waited until I got home from Brisbane). Not sure that she's altogether ready to give up her crawling just yet - it's quite a skill - but I guess we'll see her walk a few more steps each day or so. No, the camera wasn't rolling, but I'll try to capture and post something by the weekend.
While Jessica may be new to the "walkie", she's now quite a veteran of the "talkie": she is extremely vocal, and has long, animated, serious, and even stern conversations with us all the time. She'll quite often wake up after a long sleep and start telling us long stories full of emphasis and excitement, peppered with short segments of sing-song whispering. At the moment she likes launching out at your ribcage with her fingers outstretched, excitedly gasping "ticka-ticka-tickle", or waving and saying "Seeya Dad" when I leave for work. And her latest is to respond to, "Are you sleepy, Jessica?" or "Does Jessica need to go to bed?" by very pointedly shaking her head from side to side three or four times. I thought at first that she had just picked up on the tone of voice or inflection when we would pose a question, but then she heard the word 'sleep' among a normal conversation and started shaking her head aswell! If she's already worked that out, we're in real trouble.
Brisbane was a good trip, although it stirred up a host of problems that some people (eg. my boss, for some reason) were hoping to keep hidden, and will therefore mean that a lot of further trips are likely in the near future. The project team said they'll even find me a nicer place to stay next time, although I have to admit the Motor Inn was not too bad (it didn't smell of rotten carpet anyway). I guess I don't mind travelling entirely, but I really do miss the time with M & J. And I'm also very conscious of just how much can happen in only a few days at the moment: at this rate the next milestone I miss may well be Jessica learning to drive!
Matt
(BTW, have I told you how much I hate Current Affairs television in Australia? Tonight's feature story was about "Queensland's Worst Serial Water Waster", who had been dobbed-in by his neighbour at the caravan park for having long showers in the facilities block. The neighbour would sit in his caravan with a clipboard and log the arrival and departure times each day. So the current affairs journalist fitted a hidden camera in the shower block to catch the man showering for too long (with commentary), before confronting the man with the usual but highly ironic "have you no shame?" approach. It's hard to go past the hidden camera as my favourite piece of shlock journalism, or perhaps the tedious coaxing of an obviously ambivalent passer-by into agreeing that long showers were shameful, but I think I most loved the last comment of the complainant neighbour. Speaking about the man who took too long in the shower (and the journo was at pains to remind us that, if you took a shower for the same length, and you did that twice a day, you could fill a swimming pool...ummm....in just under a month): "He's just lucky I'm not the Prime Minister, or I'd grab a gun and I'd shoot him. It's treason - that's what it is!". Priceless.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Jessica's Last Stand?
I'm off to Brisbane for work tomorrow, staying up there until the weekend.
In fact, I'm up at 3:30 (yes, a.m.!) to catch the 'plane. From what I can tell, the motel I'm staying in resembles a 1960 toilet block (in both form and fragrance), and is located on a highway in the middle of an industrial area (in fact, the website lists "close to industrial estates" as one of it's two highlights).
The early flight I can handle, and the dodgy motel too, but the real issue is that there's every chance I'll miss Jessica's first steps while I'm away. D'Oh!!!!
Jessica has been increasingly confident with her cruising around, and will also stand for a couple of minutes at a time (often dancing away to the music on TV). She gets to her feet in 2 seconds flat, gives herself a round of applause for being so clever (we of course join in), before sitting down and repeating the process many times over. Her assisted walking really just consists of the slightest hold on your little finger, and I think she'll very soon realise that she doesn't need even that. So it's a real possibility that by the time I get back she'll have already taken her first totally-independent steps.
Maybe I can take her with me?
In fact, I'm up at 3:30 (yes, a.m.!) to catch the 'plane. From what I can tell, the motel I'm staying in resembles a 1960 toilet block (in both form and fragrance), and is located on a highway in the middle of an industrial area (in fact, the website lists "close to industrial estates" as one of it's two highlights).
The early flight I can handle, and the dodgy motel too, but the real issue is that there's every chance I'll miss Jessica's first steps while I'm away. D'Oh!!!!
Jessica has been increasingly confident with her cruising around, and will also stand for a couple of minutes at a time (often dancing away to the music on TV). She gets to her feet in 2 seconds flat, gives herself a round of applause for being so clever (we of course join in), before sitting down and repeating the process many times over. Her assisted walking really just consists of the slightest hold on your little finger, and I think she'll very soon realise that she doesn't need even that. So it's a real possibility that by the time I get back she'll have already taken her first totally-independent steps.
Maybe I can take her with me?
Friday, January 26, 2007
Drumroll...
Hi. It's been an eventful few weeks since I last posted anything, and there have in fact been a number of milestones that I've missed...so here's a recap of some of them:
Milestone A: this blog thing has now been around for an entire year. Exactly. In that time there have been 18,821 words typed, across 322 paragraphs (not including this post). I've certainly used a lot to say very little: many people could have written a decent book with that many words! I'm not sure that this year's blogging experiment has been completely successful (it's hard to find the time to write, and it's not always the best medium for keeping in touch anyway) but it's been fun and worthwhile nonetheless. (oh, and Milestone B: over 1000 people have visited this blog for some reason: people who don't have any decent books to read I guess).
Milestone C: last Sunday was our 12th Wedding Anniversary. It's fun to look back at who we both were on January 21st, 1995, and to think of how we've changed (or remained the same). 12 years ago, Mel & I were both very young, very poor, very happy and very much in love. While the "very young" label is now looking a bit dubious, and the "very" prefix can probably be removed from the second label, those last two descriptions are still very much true: I know how much I've been blessed by Melly, and I am forever grateful. What changes wll there be for our relationship over the next 12 years, when we'll suddenly be in our mid-40's with a 13 year old and perhaps a whole house full of her brothers and sisters?? Don't know, but I'm very much looking forward to whatever comes our way. (Unfortunately, we weren't able to do anything, or go anywhere, to celebrate this milestone, because we've all been laid-low with sickness this week (I don't want to watch any more DVD's on the couch! Although "Top Gear - Revved Up" was fantastic!). Will have to do something next week when we're all a bit more lively.)
Milestone D: My sister Becky made a big announcement this month, deciding that it was time for her to resign from her job in Sydney and move back to Victoria. We're really happy for her, and it will mean a great deal to have her back in town. I think she arrives back tonight, in fact, but we'll give her some time to relax and unwind before popping in for a welcoming visit. Don't want to frighten her into changing her mind...
Milestones E, F, G, H & I: Last week we spent 5 days in Sydney. It was Jessica's first plane trip, first ferry trip, first time to the zoo, first train trip, first cable-car ride etc etc (milestones everywhere!). We even got to have a lovely dinner with Jon & Bec at The Rocks, in a restaurant overlooking the Opera House, followed by a nightime ferry ride with them to Darling Harbour for dessert at the Lindt Cafe (yes - there are only two Lindt Cafe's in the world, and Sydney has both of them!! And they're every bit as good as they sound). There are far too many things to mention, and photos and video clips to include, so I'll post a separate entry on that over the next couple of days.
But the biggest Milestone of all this month, aptly Milestone "J", was of course Jessica's 1st Birthday. It was a terrific day and a very memorable one for all of us. But as I can't do it justice at the end of this post, so I'll again make a separate post (with photos and maybe a short clip) within the next week. Stay tuned.
Speaking of next week, I'm heading back to work next Wednesday, and I have to say that I'm dreading it. I mean really dreading it. It's more than the usual "I can't be bothered" feeling, where you've had a nice holiday and don't look forward to being roused out of your slumber: I think I now really dislike the work that I do. And it's not that the work I do is particularly-arduous, or risky, or life-threatening: I just have an overwhelming feeling that I'm not where I should be anymore. I'd like to think I have more to offer and that, if I had the courage to try it, I'd find a much more fulfilling role elsewhere. But it always seems to come back to inescapable economics: my current role allows us to pay the mortgage, run a car, buy food and clothes, and look after Jessica pretty well - and there's no guarantee that an alternative role would do the same. If retrenchments were offered tomorrow, I'd be the happiest guy in town: the decision would be out of my hands, and I suspect I'd find the search for a new job less daunting than I've imagined it. But in my line of work, retrenchments are never going to be offered (in a company with 175,000 employees, there is always some lame job that you can be transferred to!). Perhaps I will pluck up the courage one day to take that leap of faith...who knows? Maybe I should start stealing, or being rude to the boss, and see if they'll save me having to pluck up the courage to leave myself! Ahhhh Fear: I think I could write several posts just listing all of the things of which I'm afraid! (and most of them quite irrationally so). Maybe some other time.
Speaking of work, which I think I vowed never to do again, I forgot to mention another of the endearing episodes which took place late last year. As background, in our industry there is a tradition of gift-giving between our suppliers and ourselves at Christmas (yes, it is usually pretty one sided, in our favour). It is customary to be given a small gift from several trade partners as a gesture of thanks, and our company has a policy of accepting these provided they are within acceptable guidelines. That is, we did have such a policy until 2006. In 2006, it was decided by the CEO that gifts would no longer be accepted from any supplier: in the case that a gift was received, it was to be delivered to a central location and raffled, with the money raised going to support sick children. No complaints here (I don't usually get any gifts anyway, but have no objection to the policy). So, when several hampers and bottles of wine were delivered to our office in December, addressed to the Admin girls in particular (they are the ones who do most of the actual work), the gifts were quickly rounded up and taken upstairs to a senior manager's office. So far, so good. But then, on Christmas Eve, the managers quietly gathered together in the office and gave each other free raffle tickets - exclusive to the management team - and started divvying up the pool of gifts! Nevermind that there were 50+ gifts and only 30 managers: that just meant that some of them could have more than one gift! That left a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of the Admin girls (who 'earned' the gifts) and the 400 other staff on the floor who weren't invited into the free raffle. I don't think this is what the CEO had in mind, and it's hard to see how any sick children were helped by a free raffle! The managers then went home early (half-day), carrying bundles of presentes addressed to other people, and left the staff to stay back at work. But to make matters worse, there was also a separate Christmas raffle held for all staff during Christmas week: it was a door prize thing, and you were given a raffle ticket as you filed in for the Christmas lunch. The prize was a substantial, expensive hamper (several hundred dollars worth), that had been on display in the HR Managers office for the preceding two weeks. The managers were reluctant to publicly declare who had won the prize, and it turns out that the raffle was won by the HR Manager himself, despite the fact that he was actually interstate during the Christmas lunch (and had been all week). Not sure how, amongst a group of 430 people, the only person who wasn't there wins the door prize. Quite magical really! ("Integrity" is not one of the buzzwords in our office).
Anyway, I don't know why I'm talking about work when I only have a few days left to enjoy this holiday: I should instead head off to bed now to make a good start on tomorrow. After a week of being quite sick, and sharing those germs amongst each other, I think we all need a trip to the beach or somewhere nice and sunny.
So I'll end this post here, and work on posting about Jessica's Party and our Sydney Trip in the next few days. Happy Australia Day to everyone for whom that salutation applies (de ja vu!), and 'avagoodweekend.
Matt
Milestone A: this blog thing has now been around for an entire year. Exactly. In that time there have been 18,821 words typed, across 322 paragraphs (not including this post). I've certainly used a lot to say very little: many people could have written a decent book with that many words! I'm not sure that this year's blogging experiment has been completely successful (it's hard to find the time to write, and it's not always the best medium for keeping in touch anyway) but it's been fun and worthwhile nonetheless. (oh, and Milestone B: over 1000 people have visited this blog for some reason: people who don't have any decent books to read I guess).
Milestone C: last Sunday was our 12th Wedding Anniversary. It's fun to look back at who we both were on January 21st, 1995, and to think of how we've changed (or remained the same). 12 years ago, Mel & I were both very young, very poor, very happy and very much in love. While the "very young" label is now looking a bit dubious, and the "very" prefix can probably be removed from the second label, those last two descriptions are still very much true: I know how much I've been blessed by Melly, and I am forever grateful. What changes wll there be for our relationship over the next 12 years, when we'll suddenly be in our mid-40's with a 13 year old and perhaps a whole house full of her brothers and sisters?? Don't know, but I'm very much looking forward to whatever comes our way. (Unfortunately, we weren't able to do anything, or go anywhere, to celebrate this milestone, because we've all been laid-low with sickness this week (I don't want to watch any more DVD's on the couch! Although "Top Gear - Revved Up" was fantastic!). Will have to do something next week when we're all a bit more lively.)
Milestone D: My sister Becky made a big announcement this month, deciding that it was time for her to resign from her job in Sydney and move back to Victoria. We're really happy for her, and it will mean a great deal to have her back in town. I think she arrives back tonight, in fact, but we'll give her some time to relax and unwind before popping in for a welcoming visit. Don't want to frighten her into changing her mind...
Milestones E, F, G, H & I: Last week we spent 5 days in Sydney. It was Jessica's first plane trip, first ferry trip, first time to the zoo, first train trip, first cable-car ride etc etc (milestones everywhere!). We even got to have a lovely dinner with Jon & Bec at The Rocks, in a restaurant overlooking the Opera House, followed by a nightime ferry ride with them to Darling Harbour for dessert at the Lindt Cafe (yes - there are only two Lindt Cafe's in the world, and Sydney has both of them!! And they're every bit as good as they sound). There are far too many things to mention, and photos and video clips to include, so I'll post a separate entry on that over the next couple of days.
But the biggest Milestone of all this month, aptly Milestone "J", was of course Jessica's 1st Birthday. It was a terrific day and a very memorable one for all of us. But as I can't do it justice at the end of this post, so I'll again make a separate post (with photos and maybe a short clip) within the next week. Stay tuned.
Speaking of next week, I'm heading back to work next Wednesday, and I have to say that I'm dreading it. I mean really dreading it. It's more than the usual "I can't be bothered" feeling, where you've had a nice holiday and don't look forward to being roused out of your slumber: I think I now really dislike the work that I do. And it's not that the work I do is particularly-arduous, or risky, or life-threatening: I just have an overwhelming feeling that I'm not where I should be anymore. I'd like to think I have more to offer and that, if I had the courage to try it, I'd find a much more fulfilling role elsewhere. But it always seems to come back to inescapable economics: my current role allows us to pay the mortgage, run a car, buy food and clothes, and look after Jessica pretty well - and there's no guarantee that an alternative role would do the same. If retrenchments were offered tomorrow, I'd be the happiest guy in town: the decision would be out of my hands, and I suspect I'd find the search for a new job less daunting than I've imagined it. But in my line of work, retrenchments are never going to be offered (in a company with 175,000 employees, there is always some lame job that you can be transferred to!). Perhaps I will pluck up the courage one day to take that leap of faith...who knows? Maybe I should start stealing, or being rude to the boss, and see if they'll save me having to pluck up the courage to leave myself! Ahhhh Fear: I think I could write several posts just listing all of the things of which I'm afraid! (and most of them quite irrationally so). Maybe some other time.
Speaking of work, which I think I vowed never to do again, I forgot to mention another of the endearing episodes which took place late last year. As background, in our industry there is a tradition of gift-giving between our suppliers and ourselves at Christmas (yes, it is usually pretty one sided, in our favour). It is customary to be given a small gift from several trade partners as a gesture of thanks, and our company has a policy of accepting these provided they are within acceptable guidelines. That is, we did have such a policy until 2006. In 2006, it was decided by the CEO that gifts would no longer be accepted from any supplier: in the case that a gift was received, it was to be delivered to a central location and raffled, with the money raised going to support sick children. No complaints here (I don't usually get any gifts anyway, but have no objection to the policy). So, when several hampers and bottles of wine were delivered to our office in December, addressed to the Admin girls in particular (they are the ones who do most of the actual work), the gifts were quickly rounded up and taken upstairs to a senior manager's office. So far, so good. But then, on Christmas Eve, the managers quietly gathered together in the office and gave each other free raffle tickets - exclusive to the management team - and started divvying up the pool of gifts! Nevermind that there were 50+ gifts and only 30 managers: that just meant that some of them could have more than one gift! That left a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of the Admin girls (who 'earned' the gifts) and the 400 other staff on the floor who weren't invited into the free raffle. I don't think this is what the CEO had in mind, and it's hard to see how any sick children were helped by a free raffle! The managers then went home early (half-day), carrying bundles of presentes addressed to other people, and left the staff to stay back at work. But to make matters worse, there was also a separate Christmas raffle held for all staff during Christmas week: it was a door prize thing, and you were given a raffle ticket as you filed in for the Christmas lunch. The prize was a substantial, expensive hamper (several hundred dollars worth), that had been on display in the HR Managers office for the preceding two weeks. The managers were reluctant to publicly declare who had won the prize, and it turns out that the raffle was won by the HR Manager himself, despite the fact that he was actually interstate during the Christmas lunch (and had been all week). Not sure how, amongst a group of 430 people, the only person who wasn't there wins the door prize. Quite magical really! ("Integrity" is not one of the buzzwords in our office).
Anyway, I don't know why I'm talking about work when I only have a few days left to enjoy this holiday: I should instead head off to bed now to make a good start on tomorrow. After a week of being quite sick, and sharing those germs amongst each other, I think we all need a trip to the beach or somewhere nice and sunny.
So I'll end this post here, and work on posting about Jessica's Party and our Sydney Trip in the next few days. Happy Australia Day to everyone for whom that salutation applies (de ja vu!), and 'avagoodweekend.
Matt
Monday, December 25, 2006
I'm Dreaming of a Wet Christmas...
...and we got one!
After weeks of raging bushfires, extreme temperatures and tight water restrictions, we were blessed with a most wonderful Christmas present of heavy, heavy rain. The big downpour started Christmas Eve, continued well through the night (I was still up at 2:30, so can vouch for that), and has been sustained throughout much of this morning. In fact, we have even had several showerings of hail, too, allowing us to experience just a hint of a white Christmas.
I haven't checked, but I imagine that snow might even be falling in parts of the state which were burning only last week. I hope this means that all those wonderful fire-fighters can go home to their families - exhausted but relieved - and relish a well-earned break. My brother-in-law was one of those unsung Fireys, and I haven't thanked him yet: on behalf of Victoria, "Thanks Jamie!" - I know everyone is extremely grateful for people like you, even if they don't get around to saying it (and thanks R, S, E, G & B for parting with him at such a critical time).
Our December has been so hectic - on many fronts simultaneously - that I think Mel & I were in danger of 'missing' the simple joy of Christmas. And by that I don't mean we were rushing around the shops, caught up in the commercialism, but instead we were caught up with work and Family Albums and work and general busy-ness. So it was terrific to get to Church last night for an evening carols service, and immediately start to feel like we hadn't completely missed the spirit of Christmas. The service was terrific - the carols sounded beautiful, it was finally raining heavily outside, the childrens' participation was hilarious and Jeff gave a great message aswell. Connor, Darcy, Sam & Eliza - my nephews and neice - were all involved as everything from wisemen to angels, and made it a very, very memorable experience - I SO wish we had taken the video camera, but will just have to savour it in our diminishing memories instead. We then went back to J & K's to enjoy their company, and watch Carols by Candlelight over a glass of wine. Given the choice between watching Hi-5 and Dannii Minogue performing carols, or watching Connor performing his stand-up routine as a wiseman in the local church's nativity story, the latter wins hands down.
This morning has been a relaxed Christmas morning - the VERY BEST kind - and we have listened to some carols while watching Jessica open the first three Christmas presents of her life. She wasn't overly enthusiastic about the first one, but soon got into it. She was very, very tired though (after a couple of very late nights), so it was probably too much to handle first thing in the morning. It was probably no help that cameras were trained on her for a good portion of that time (although she must know by now that this is to be expected by her doting and well-meaning parents). Mel & I finally committed ourselves to not buying each other a gift or gifts, and for once had the resolve to stick to that plan. We figure there is nothing we need, and little we really, really want, so the money could be much better spent where it'll do some good.
This afternoon it's off to Mel's Dad's for a Christmas dinner, then tomorrow it's a Boxing Day Christmas Dinner at my Mum's. It's the first family Christmas she's been able to host in years (she just moved back from Sydney this year), and is very much looking forward to it. Knowing previous years, no effort or expense will be spared in catering so beautifully to everyone (both with regard to food, and in the broader sense also). Then it's back to work for a couple of days before a three week break in early January. At this stage, I'll be asking Mel not to wake me up until around about the 15th, as we are both well and truly ready for a long rest. The Family Albums are almost all completed: Mel's were finished this morning (they're due to be distributed tonight), and I have one more video to finish before mine can be given out tomorrow. Mel's, especially, looks terrific (a 2 Disc collectors edition), but my family will have to make do with a single disc (albeit one with 19 clips). As always, we've used every possible hour before our deadlines, and have resolved that we'll try to start earlier next year. Since they take about a month to do already, and demands on our time will only increase, we're telling ourselves that we'll actually start in September next year. I guess it's possible, but we'll wait and see. I somehow predict that there will always be some album-related work involved every Christmas Eve.
Well I should get back to it. Jessica's sleeping at the moment (poor girl has been down for 2 hours already), so it's the ideal time to finish video number 19 before it's too late. It's obviously already too late for those in the Northern Territory and Northern Ireland, so I'll post a photo of the disc so that you can pretend you have it in your hands today - the real thing will be posted on Wednesday.
Here's wishing you a terrific Christmas and a safe, fun and fulfilling New Year.
Love,
Matt
(I'm off to put the heater on - it's freeeezing!)
After weeks of raging bushfires, extreme temperatures and tight water restrictions, we were blessed with a most wonderful Christmas present of heavy, heavy rain. The big downpour started Christmas Eve, continued well through the night (I was still up at 2:30, so can vouch for that), and has been sustained throughout much of this morning. In fact, we have even had several showerings of hail, too, allowing us to experience just a hint of a white Christmas.
I haven't checked, but I imagine that snow might even be falling in parts of the state which were burning only last week. I hope this means that all those wonderful fire-fighters can go home to their families - exhausted but relieved - and relish a well-earned break. My brother-in-law was one of those unsung Fireys, and I haven't thanked him yet: on behalf of Victoria, "Thanks Jamie!" - I know everyone is extremely grateful for people like you, even if they don't get around to saying it (and thanks R, S, E, G & B for parting with him at such a critical time).
Our December has been so hectic - on many fronts simultaneously - that I think Mel & I were in danger of 'missing' the simple joy of Christmas. And by that I don't mean we were rushing around the shops, caught up in the commercialism, but instead we were caught up with work and Family Albums and work and general busy-ness. So it was terrific to get to Church last night for an evening carols service, and immediately start to feel like we hadn't completely missed the spirit of Christmas. The service was terrific - the carols sounded beautiful, it was finally raining heavily outside, the childrens' participation was hilarious and Jeff gave a great message aswell. Connor, Darcy, Sam & Eliza - my nephews and neice - were all involved as everything from wisemen to angels, and made it a very, very memorable experience - I SO wish we had taken the video camera, but will just have to savour it in our diminishing memories instead. We then went back to J & K's to enjoy their company, and watch Carols by Candlelight over a glass of wine. Given the choice between watching Hi-5 and Dannii Minogue performing carols, or watching Connor performing his stand-up routine as a wiseman in the local church's nativity story, the latter wins hands down.
This morning has been a relaxed Christmas morning - the VERY BEST kind - and we have listened to some carols while watching Jessica open the first three Christmas presents of her life. She wasn't overly enthusiastic about the first one, but soon got into it. She was very, very tired though (after a couple of very late nights), so it was probably too much to handle first thing in the morning. It was probably no help that cameras were trained on her for a good portion of that time (although she must know by now that this is to be expected by her doting and well-meaning parents). Mel & I finally committed ourselves to not buying each other a gift or gifts, and for once had the resolve to stick to that plan. We figure there is nothing we need, and little we really, really want, so the money could be much better spent where it'll do some good.
This afternoon it's off to Mel's Dad's for a Christmas dinner, then tomorrow it's a Boxing Day Christmas Dinner at my Mum's. It's the first family Christmas she's been able to host in years (she just moved back from Sydney this year), and is very much looking forward to it. Knowing previous years, no effort or expense will be spared in catering so beautifully to everyone (both with regard to food, and in the broader sense also). Then it's back to work for a couple of days before a three week break in early January. At this stage, I'll be asking Mel not to wake me up until around about the 15th, as we are both well and truly ready for a long rest. The Family Albums are almost all completed: Mel's were finished this morning (they're due to be distributed tonight), and I have one more video to finish before mine can be given out tomorrow. Mel's, especially, looks terrific (a 2 Disc collectors edition), but my family will have to make do with a single disc (albeit one with 19 clips). As always, we've used every possible hour before our deadlines, and have resolved that we'll try to start earlier next year. Since they take about a month to do already, and demands on our time will only increase, we're telling ourselves that we'll actually start in September next year. I guess it's possible, but we'll wait and see. I somehow predict that there will always be some album-related work involved every Christmas Eve.
Well I should get back to it. Jessica's sleeping at the moment (poor girl has been down for 2 hours already), so it's the ideal time to finish video number 19 before it's too late. It's obviously already too late for those in the Northern Territory and Northern Ireland, so I'll post a photo of the disc so that you can pretend you have it in your hands today - the real thing will be posted on Wednesday.
Here's wishing you a terrific Christmas and a safe, fun and fulfilling New Year.
Love,
Matt
(I'm off to put the heater on - it's freeeezing!)
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