1 more sleep...

Only 1 more...

sleep until we leave for Cairns.

Our flight leaves...

Melbourne at 5:05pm Sunday arvo. Unfortunately we have to change flights in Brisbane [drag] and won't land in Cairns until around 10:20pm [if all goes according to plan and the pilot doesn't make us stars of the next Air Crash Investigation on Channel 7]. We are flying Qantas so our odds of surviving are good.

When we get...

to Cairns the night temperature will be about 17°C [62°] and the days at this time of year sit at around 28°C [82°]. Sounds perfect to me. My folks will be collecting us from the airport [if my dad can stay awake that late!].

Our accommodation is...

in the caravan park where my folks stay. I booked one of the permanent cottages [the best one of course] which has 2 bedrooms - 1 with Queen size bed, 1 with a Double, bathroom and kitchen/lounge along with an outside patio complete with table and chairs.

Monday is to...

be a bit of an unwind day. I don't get the hire car until Wednesday so after a leisurely breakfast my folks will drive us in to Cairns to have a mooch around, do some grocery shopping, maybe get coffee and some lunch and check out the huge pool by the water down at the esplanade [Teen-M's gonna love it - see pic].

Other things we...

have planned vary and as of yet haven't been finalised as it will depend on weather:

~ a day on the Great Barrier reef [via boat] where I will stay safely aboard whilst Teen-M scubas or snorkels.

~ half day at a cattle farm riding Quad bikes

~ full day at Kuranda where you ride the scenic rail through gorgeous forest then ride the skyrail back after spending time at the Heritage markets

~ morning at a coffee plantation

~ a day spent driving and discovering surrounding areas

~ white water rafting [Teen-M only]

2 more sleeps...

Can you believe...

it? 2 more sleeps! I went into work yesterday so my boss could stop having his mini meltdown. Seriously, the man is like a child. You have to constantly reassure him. It's damn tiring. I also went into for half a day today [it was meant to be my RDO] and tied up all lose ends and got Office-Roomie sorted on the project Im managing.

About 5 weeks...

ago Office-Roomie was given a fairly simple task. Get another licence or copy of PowerPoint for the new temporary employee. It was decided today the new girl will have to work on a PPoint soon...guess who hasn't managed to sort the problem. Faaarrrk. What a dead shit.

DeadShit: "She can't work on powerpoints as she doesn't have the program on her computer"

Me: "Why not? It was supposed to be sorted a while ago"

DeadShit: "I can't find the paperwork on where we bought the other copies of PowerPoints we own"

Me: "Just ring up bloody City Software and tell them you need another copy or licence"

Seriously, how hard...

was that? As far as he was concerned our projects would simply have to take longer whilst he waded through all the work solo rather than be pro-active and make a few calls. This is what he's like ALL THE TIME. He needs his hand bloody held through every single obstacle. Being off sick, I actually missed the new girls first morning. Word on the grapevine is he got her in the door and plonked her straight at the computer and didn't even give her the courtesy tour of where everything was - toilet, coffee, fruit, tv or anything. The guy has absolutely no idea. 2 weeks without him will be blissfull. I'll be interested to see how he manages the assignment hes doing - its fairly complex.

I have my...

animals half sorted. Today the guinea pigs went off with my sister, tomorrow the cat goes to the boarding kennel and all that will leave is chickens and duck which are sorted thanks to my kind neighbour. Bag is half packed....well there's a growing pile, and Teen-M will be home Sunday morning. Truth be told, I'm not overly excited yet. I tend to get a bit apprehensive before I leave to go anywhere [being a homebody and all]. I will be fine once I set off, I just tend to worry about my duck a bit [a lot].

Thankfully my cold...

is almost over. Still some issues with breathing but that should clear up once I hit sunny Queensland. The girl who gave it to me is still coughing and it has taken her a lot longer to recover so I guess Im not doing to badly. [plus Im fatter than she]. I'm annoyed Im going to miss around 3 weeks of going to the gym between being sick and being away. Getting back into it after that much time off will be a struggle.

4 days...

4 days to...

go yo. I won't be blogging while Im away. IM NOT THAT desperate for attention that I cant do without the internet for 10 days.

Got up this....

morning with good intentions of going to work. Showered, half dressed, ate my porridge. Crashed. Caught up with my boss via phone who was predictably having a freak-out [as he often does] and assured him I would tie up the few lose ends that need doing before I head off on my hols. Co-worker who shared her germs was all apologetic about coming in to work sick [bah...too late now]. Apart from the times I've had operations, I've never had 3 sick days off in a row. Now I have to play massive catch up tomorrow or end up having to go in on Friday which was meant to be my RDO leading into my hols.

Another day in paradise looks like this:

~ popped some Advil

~ snorted some nose spray

~ checked my email

~ sent a bossy know-it-all email to Office-Roomie

~ checked my dating email [deleted dirty porn 'I-want-to-do-you' one]

~ thought about the Gloria Jeans latte's Im missing this week

~ cleaned the inside of the microwave [what the HELL was that gunk anyway?]

~ caught up on last weeks episode of Heros

~ saw the yfz ranch on Oprah [ok, whats with the weird hair and even weirder dresses? can't tell me those women aren't oppressed]

~ tried to doze on the couch

~ hung up on India [twice]

~ grilled a turkey, avacado, baby spinach, swiss cheese and sundried tomato rye sandwich

~ vowed to pleasure myself more often for the good of my pelvic floor [soon]

~ painted my toes ready for Queensland

5 days...

Even though I...

didn't sleep during the day yesterday, I was unable to get to sleep last night. My mind swirled with all sorts of things from how I'm going to handle this project Im in charge of at work before I go on annual leave now that I've missed days of work, to why Teen-M has only one pair of jocks in the wash for a whole week. I managed to stay up and go to bed at the usual time but lay there for several annoying hours. Eventually I put the light on and read for a while which seemed to do the trick.

Today my body...

has gone into full swing with this cold - sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose which quickly and annoyingly becomes blocked. I'd hoped I was on the uphill climb to recovery. Now I'm not so sure [probably karma since I'm so peeved at my co-worker who I should graciously forgive for being stupid]. Since I woke early and couldn't get back to sleep I've had plenty of hours to fill today. I decided to lay out my holiday clothes, iron my shorts and 3/4 pants and choose which tops Im going to take. My exercise bike in the spare room has become a handy clothes hanger while they wait to be packed.

I also decided...

to find a carer to take a possum that has been stealing food from my chickens yard. The gorgeous thing has been in the wars with big chunks of fur missing from his back. I could see a flap of skin but couldn't make out what kind of damage had been done underneath. Brushy tailed possums don't a] sit in full daylight eating food b] sleep on the bottom branches of shrubs c] let strangers try to lift their mauled flaps of skin. This cute boy was gladly taking food out of my hand without batting an eyelid. As this was the 4th day I'd seen him eating and sleeping in their yard I decided to get him some help. Hopefully when he's recovered he will be back [possums are generally released back into the same area].

I got through...

2 episodes of Boston Legal [goddamn Im loving that show] this afternoon as I lay on the couch but that's about my daytime TV limit. I've never been one to sit in front of the box all day. I can do up to around 3 hours a night but after that I tire of it. I forgot to mention some time back that I saw the final episode of Life on Mars. LOVED it. I was so convinced he was in a coma.

5 days to go...

under the weather...

It's fairly easy...

to tell when Im feeling under the weather, my caffeine intake drops by about 90 percent. Yesterday I only had three coffees all day. Even though I had dozed a bit in the afternoon by 6.30pm I was pretty tired and out of it. The hour between 6.30 and 7.30 felt like 3 hours! [Why does time go so slow when you're sick?] I ended up going to bed by 8pm. I had the worst night ever. I tossed and turned all night. Around 3am I woke up in a sweat and it took some time to go back to sleep.

I got up...

around 9am, fed the animals, had my coffee, made some porridge [with dates and honey] and after my shower went outside and sat in the sun, breathing in the fresh, beautiful air. I dozed for a bit on the sofa as it's near the lounge window and with the winter sun streaming in it was kinda soothing.

I decided to...

go to the doctors. For one thing, Im not going into work with this just to spread it further. That would make me no smarter than the co-worker who kindly shared it with me. Secondly I absolutely MUST be well to go on the plane on Sunday. Given the night sweats, I couldn't be sure I didn't have flu. I can't remember when I ever had flu. I get colds at the drop of a hat but flu is a bit rarer for me. On entering the doctors office I had to gel up with the sanitising bacterial gel and then put on a surgical mask. Then I found a corner to hide in. Everyone was looking at me and I felt like a freak. I sat there thinking they either thought I was a] highly contagious or b] highly paranoid about catching other people's germs. Later I was relieved to see I was not the only one who was smart enough to put on a mask.

The good news...

is I don't have Swine Flu. In fact its unlikely I have any type of flu. Merely a nasty cold. On account of my impending holiday Doc gave me some antibiotics to take if I didn't start to improve in a day or two. I'll wait 24 hours and see how I go before getting the script filled. Hopefully I wont have to. Now all I have to worry about is that I passed it on to Teen-M who is now at his fathers. I got the Doc to write me a note for work and told him I wouldn't be going in tomorrow. Pain in the butt that its happened this week right before my hols start because I have a few things to finish up before my break. Now all I have to do is forgive my co-worker before I go back to work.

cough, cough...

It's not often...

I'm unladylike and feel the need to swear...but....GODfu*@#ngdammit I'm pissed. Not drunk pissed. Peeved pissed. And I need to get over it.

My female co-worker...

complained of dizziness last Tuesday arvo. She stayed away Wednesday. On arriving at work Thursday there she was sitting at her desk hacking and coughing her guts up all over her phone, computer, mouse in fact...all over the air I had to breathe too! She informed me she had come in super early to do some invoices and was going again so she didn't spread it to me since I'm off on hol's shortly. How kind of you. BUT the fact is, you are HERE. NOW. Coughing and spluttering in the air we share and all over the equipment I have to now touch as I step in to do your job.

I've been cranky...

about it ever since. Paranoia set in. Last time she was sick I got a more viscious bout of whatever she had. If someone's got it, Im going to be gracious enough to take it off their hands. The next few days were spent stressing over getting sick and being run down right before I took off to Cairns in a weeks time. I began stressing so bad in fact, that I had to take to chanting "I will not get sick, I will not get sick."

Guess what? Im...

sick. Shivering, achy, sniffling, headachy, coughing up flegmy yucky, yucky stuff. Good news since we've just had someone die of swine flu here in Victoria just days ago. Now do I go to the doctor or do I sweat it out at home with copious handfuls of garlic, vitamic C and echinacia pills mixed with Cold and Flu tablets and panadol on the side? How many pills can one take in one day before they drop dead? If I even look like I'm going to do an 'ahem' will they let me on the plane next Sunday?

It's times like...

these you need your mummy. My mummy is in sunny Cairns waiting for me. That's the trouble with being single, no one to look after you when you're sick. Still, my ex wasn't overly fantastic at stepping in when I was dying in bed. I still had to get up, feed the animals, do the washing, cook the dinner. Life went on. I began doing a few things around here when I thought, bugger this and got Teen-M off his Playstation to do them. Unfortunately he's now gone off for the week and I'm on my own. Just me and the cat. We're tough, we're women. We can do this together. I WILL SURVIVE!

the countdown...

Now I truly...

am beginning to countdown the days until we go to Cairns. In fact its 10 days to go. I haven't been giving it a whole lot of thought and simply must get my butt into gear. Today, by sheer luck, I found a cute pair of 3/4 black cotton pants with a low tie waistline with ties hanging from the bottoms. They sound kinda daggy but they look really cute on plus they are expandable [for growing waist] and they came from the 'younger' section. Cute to boot. Only cost $15! bargain! And they looked great with one of the new tops I bought the other week. I can tell already that I'm going to live in them, they're soooo comfy.

I've been dragging...

out my summer clothes in dribs and drabs to wash them. [Must get onto doing it properly] PLUS I need to make time to paint my toenails since I will be in sandals.

Tempted to take...

down my dating profile, I instead revamped it. Truthfully I kinda felt like crawling under an 'all-men-are-the-same' rock since the Mr 26 fiasco but thought I will perservere for a bit longer simply so I don't keep going down this hermit path. On recounting the story to my female workmate we laughed and laughed at the audacity of the guy. In retrospect he kinda embarrased himself and came across as really immature which is confusing because in writing he appeared mature for his age [never can tell]. Still, I think he has a ways to go in learning about how to treat a lady. [Driving a jaguar and having money will never be enough for a woman with brains!]

I've got to...

be honest here and say the world seems to be full of kooky people. Or maybe I'm kooky and they're all normal? I'm so goddamn boringly normal that I think finding someone else who is boringly normal but interesting and without too many hangups is near impossible. I think to be able to successfully find a match I would have to be out dating/meeting new people every single night. And we all know thats not going to happen.

Last Friday night...

I watched 'Roman Holiday' with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Im really getting into these oldies. I'm thinking, for Teen-M this week we might do an oldie like Lethal Weapon or Top Gun. I'm sure he would enjoy either. I'm leaning toward Lethal.