Brain dead

It's rather sad when one has to start inventing assignments for something productive to do. Sure I could clean, play piano, etc. Although my brain feels like it's turning to mush. Me and my brother are going on a road trip down to Brisbane next year, so I decided to do a "Road Trip Assignment". Admittedly it's something expected from a year 10-11 student, but it gets my brain into a little action. There are things that I shock my self that I can't remember, or when given equations I automatically reach for the calculator. This past year has really made me slack. That is no more. I'm starting nursing next year and I'm putting my brain into full throttle. Starting with some small steps today.

What a Tuesday

My roster has been changed around a bit, so yesterday I woke up at 5.30am to be at work in time for my 7.30am start. I got through the usual ritual; shower, dressed, breakfast. Then when I'm all ready I just double check that I do start at 7.30, and no. I start at 10am. I could have slept in for another few hours. Great.

So when 9.15 finally rolls around I hop in the car and hope I can find a free park at work. I arrive at work, brush my hair, and reach over to the passenger seat to grab my shoes. When I realize I cleaned out my car on the weekend and took my 4 pairs of shoes out. So I've arrived at a Medical surgery with no shoes.. Decided to rush in (bare footed), and tell the girls I have to duck into the shopping center in the next block to buy a new pair of closed in shoes. Thank goodness I usually arrive 10mins early, and this day was no exception.

I dash to the nearest shoe shop and scan for the (only) pair of closed in shoes. They were exactly the same as the pair I have at home, except these were just over $80. With no time to fuss over shopping around to another shoe shop, I go to the register to pay for the pricey mistake. 

The lady laughed at my story of why I was shopping bare footed, but when the time came to swipe my card -error refer to bank- flashed.

Blushing I said that I just had to dash to the bank next door. Still barefooted I stood in line, at the bank,to withdraw out of another account. By this stage I was quite flustered. My usually quiet phone decided to ring while I was being served, I quickly and apologetically took the call from the RSPCA (I'd recently become a foster carer), and finally I had enough cash to buy the shoes and head back to work. Fingers crossed that I wouldn't jinx anything I rushed back to the shoe store (had to wait while the lady serving was having a particularly lengthy discussion with a customer) and FINALLY bought new shoes!

When I got back to work it turned out I wasn't even 10mins late. Its amazing how much can happen in such a short time.

Love and Loss

Our 6 month old border collie cross, Ann Bonnie (named after the pirate), was hit by a car the other day. Our previous pets have only ever died of very old age, we had a cat live to be 21. Bonnie had only just finished her puppy training, that she aced, and we all very much loved her. It was such a punch in the gut for all of us.  Then on the same day (in the morning) I was accepted into nursing at JCU!

Two Christmas trees

I ended up with two Christmas trees today! Well, yesterday I bought one and then today I got given one exactly the same. Needless to say I'm going to take the new one back and get my $30 bucks. But buying (or receiving) ones very first Christmas tree when living by ones self is somewhat of a big deal. I decorate it the way I want, without little brothers fighting over the tinsel. I buy my own BRAND NEW decorations. I'm extremely excited about it, so much so that I've already set the tree up (its fake, so I had to build it). But apparently it's bad luck to decorate it before the 1st of December!

The moon out the front of my little green cottage is beautiful, it's a red-ish colour just floating over the water. That's all from me today. I'll try and keep this blog more up to date!

The last post before we leave

My bags (well one bag with clothes and the other half full of things like Ipods, books, sunblock, hat, gloves etc.. this is a race after all) are packed, my room is clean (shock horror!) and I think I'm ready. Im extremely nervous and excited at the same time, like the feeling you get the moment you're in the que for a really big rollercoaster. Sure as soon as we leave I'll be wishing I spent more time at gym, but I don't plan on slacking...
The one thing I'll really miss (aside from mother and brothers and other pets) is our new 12 week old puppy Ann Bonny (after the pirate). By the time we finish these races and get back from Auntie Jenny's wedding in Victoria (there is a 3 day break inbetween), a month will have passed, Bonny will be so much bigger!
Bring on "work hard, party hard",
Until next time :)

Go-Girl

Girls... Our envy of boys ability to stand up to pee is over... introducing the 'Go-Girl'!!! Its a handy little rubber funnel that allows us to stand up. No more yucky public toliets, or itchy grass, or cramped boat toilets. To top it all off it rolls up into a handy little container, about the size of two lipsticks. Finally I can get even with my brothers when sailing, no more peeing into a yucky bucket!

Almost there!!

The food is bought, the boat is polished and little repairs done, the gear and equipment is organised, the flights are book. We're almost ready to fly the harbour (in a boat-if the winds up!). Kai is flying in Saturday morning, I bought our 'stock' of treats today. Now we just need to put everything on the boat. Mum and my brothers are flying down to visit us for a couple of days while we're at Maggie Island, there's a Jimmy Buffet night on the last day that mum won't miss! So excited!!!

Getting organised...again!

New boat, new chapter in life. Decided Zoology wasn't for me, and the Around Australia Race hasn't been announced yet (it was meant to be announced June/July). So at a last minute decision changed my courses, now doing Nursing next year. Broke up with my boyfriend of 6/7 months, learning how to Kite Surf, in some serious training to get my sailing qualifications up (Marine Radio cert, eventually my Coxswains), and moving out of home. Time to turn my life around and back on track. I forgot what I wanted from life, want I REALLY want to do, what I love: sailing, being on the water. Think I might end up buying a boat and living in the marina...

Have some 'real' boat races coming up soon, it'll be really good practice to get use to 'Top Gun' (aka eDoc.net), can't wait

The difference from sailing

There are many differences between living on land and being at sea. Aside from the obvious, one of the biggest would be the people you meet, and the personalities you become used to. People who're linked with Facebook, take their phone (always full of credit) everywhere, bitch heaps, etc etc. You notice how 'small world' these land lubbers are. I personally really miss those lost souls, the people who're well traveled, with heaps of stories, that love the sea and everything in it. I hate not having anything really worth saying on here, because the 'adventure' in my life at the moment is seeing if i can make it home from work with less then a millimetre of fuel (on my dial) in my tank! I yearn for the open ocean, the beautiful reefs, the new organisms to look up, the unexplored islands...

Whats next...

Ok, just completed at totally new make-over for my blog, because it's a new year and a whole new beginning. So whats next? I've applied for a Bachelor of Psychology, Bachelor of Science (majoring in Zoology), Bachelor of Marine Science, and Nursing. Most of these will be in either Cairns or Townsville. As a bit of an update, and summary of 2010: I've finished Year 12, and successfully passed, got my P plates (and dad's old 19yr old Dihatsu Applause that I'm currently 'updating'), have an awesome boyfriend, our family cat, the 'General', Tusca (21) and our 'Lovable Rogue' Bella (12) both sadly died, (there'll be a post on them later :) ), I've had my Formal, Graduation, been in a great job, for coming up two years, AND I plan on going to Uni in June-ish.