Bronte Beach BBQ Baby Shower

Yesterday, we went to a BBQ baby shower at Bronte Beach (say that five times fast) - for a couple we know who is also expecting. The weather forecast was foreboding, but it actually ended up being a gorgeous day out. Other than the food and some lawn games, there were a few silly shower games, like a water balloon toss and a relay race that involved changing a doll's diaper. I went back and forth from our shaded area and taking dips in the water all afternoon. There's a nice little area that's protected from the waves because it's surrounded by rocks, so that's where I would just go in and float for a few minutes with whichever friend also happened to want to take a dip at the time. Everyone was welcome at the shower (not just the ladies), so Michael spent a lot of the time swimming, playing Spikeball, and this other game that involves throwing small pieces of wood at other pieces of wood (I don't understand why it's a fun game, but whatever). It was a lot of fun, and by the end of the day I was knackered. 

...And yet, somehow not tired enough to sleep all the way through the night - which seems to be the usual these days. I'll wake up at 4AM or so, and not be able to sleep anymore. I thought the baby was supposed to keep you from sleeping after they're born, not before.

Baby Kingdom Success

When you are becoming a first-time parent, there are literally a thousand decisions to make. Public or private hospital? Should we get certain vaccines immediately or wait a week or two? What kind of car seat should we get? What kind of bassinet/co-sleeper? Do we need a swing? Breastfeeding is almost not even a question you're not allowed to ask here (it's pretty much assumed you will, and health professionals will guilt you heavily if you choose not to for whatever reason or can't), but what system are you going to use and what brand of pump are you going to buy to help you be successful? If I buy this set of bottles, will it be compatible with others/easy to find this brand again to buy replacements? How much time are you going to take off work? Etc. And that's just the beginning before you even start actually parenting and disciplining and sleep training and potty training and all that stuff. I imagine that 30, 50, or 100 years ago, people were not asking themselves quote this many questions. There weren't as many choices back then. 

Luckily, when you get some items second hand, some of the decisions get made for you. Since we are getting a used pram from a friend, that determined what kind of compatible carseat we would buy, for the occasional times we will even take the baby in a car anywhere. We survived our main big trip to the Baby Kingdom. It helped that I had already hunter-gathered some new and used stuff in the last weeks, so we only really had a few last decisions to make. To their credit, the Baby Kingdom staff did a pretty good job of having enough staff available to help you, answer questions, and their loading dock was really efficient. 

So, now our apartment has more stuff in it and we have so far kept it from becoming too cluttered. I'm sure that will eventually change, but for now it's alright. We are on track.

2017 Wrap-Up

As 2017 comes to a close, I know many are saying, "Good riddance". It was not the best year in the history of the US and the world in multitude of ways. 

When I think about our year, personally, though, it was actually pretty good. We got have some some amazing travels in Western Australia and Europe, and had a great visit home for our first Thanksgiving in four years. We found out we are expecting a baby, which has been exciting and fun despite my physical activity being limited and sleep not being so great. Michael has continued to play and enjoy frisbee at a high level, representing Australia internationally and playing in fun and competitive tournaments all around Australia. I got to play at Windmill Windup in Amsterdam before finding out I was pregnant, which was a ton of fun. Work has treated us both decently well this year, Michael continuing at his company and occasionally being recognized for his achievements, and me gaining regular employment for most of the year at the same school. We've continued with creative hobbies, Michael surpassing me in knitting ability. We have great friends here with whom we share holidays, boardgame nights, pub trivia, camping trips, etc. We continue to love the neighborhood where we have been living for the last year, with its walkable conveniences and tasty cafes. Eve and Ninja seem to enjoy it too. We achieved permanent residency status in Australia and are on the path to citizenship. All of our family is in good health for the most part (as far as we know), and we are grateful. 

Here's to the not-so-bad aspects of 2017, and hoping that 2018 will be even better!

Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day! Our Christmas was fun and pretty low-key. Christmas Eve, we went to a  backyard BBQ in the evening with Irish and Canadian expat friends. Christmas Day, we opened our gifts and went to a lazy brunch at another couple's place that lasted most of the day, and then played Charterstone, the new boardgame I got Michael. We also did our duty and facetimed both sides of the family. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Glucose Update

I was reminded that I never gave an update to my glucose test. Apparently, not only did I pass, but my body handles glucose really well. This is probably not something you should tell a pregnant woman who already wants to eat everything in sight because now I'm thinking, "I can eat as much sugar as I want and my body will efficiently make it disappear". Anyway, it's a non-issue now, which is a good thing.

"Girls Night Out" Pitch Perfect 3

It's the day before X-mas Eve, which means we are getting last minute shopping done and maybe going to do some swimming. It was the last morning I got to enjoy visiting our favorite local cafe, the Town Bike Pitstop, which was bittersweet.

Last night we saw Pitch Perfect 3, which was good as can be expected. It did not get fantastic reviews, but there were catchy song numbers, a few funny moments, and some predictable story arcs. John Lithgow had the most ridiculous Australian accent I've ever heard in a movie, which amused us all quite a but. Since we went and saw a "Girl Night Out" viewing of the movie, the group of us all got these "free" grab bags (included in the price of the ticket) that were marketed towards women, which means they had makeup and beauty product samples in them, plus a trashy magazine. Lucky us.

Downsizing (the movie)

We saw Downsizing at the outdoor cinema last night. Some parts of it were funny, but mainly there was the feeling that they could have picked a lot of different avenues to go down, story-wise, and they didn't pick any of them. They just lightly touched on a bunch of different ideas and then the plot would meander on. 

As usual, the outdoor cinema was pleasant, despite a few drops of rain. In a way, the rain was good because it thinned out the crowd and made parking easier. We had an enjoyable picnic as always, and we even ran into some friends that teamed up with us and added to the picnic deliciousness. 

Disappointed, but Not Surprised

I had a longer post written, but I deleted it because this about sums it up.

This Sounds Familiar

This is a poster from the Holocaust Museum. 

Happy School Holidays!

Friday was the last day of school in 2017. My school gave me a nice little thank you and send-off. 

In the evening, we went to a holiday dinner of sorts with some friends. My only regret was filling up too much on the cheese and crackers before getting to all the other good stuff, but I suppose that's a regret I can live with. At least I got to taste turkey, spinach dip, brussels sprouts, potatoes, stuffing, etc. We ended up playing an impromptu version of The Newlywed Game, which was pretty hilarious. We also played a superlatives game, from which I found out I was the most likely person in the room to have been a Disney child star, and the person in the room most likely to live the longest. I think Michael ended up being voted a good person to pick to help you bury a dead body. My friend, Holly, and I also decided we would be a good team to be stranded on a desert island together (for that question, significant others were not allowed to be your answer), since Holly would plant a nice garden and I would be a good forager, and we would tame wild monkeys as pets. Anyway, it was all good fun despite our friend's apartment feeling like 90 degrees the whole time. 

Saturday was we has our usual breakfast sandwiches from the bike cafe, and went to the pool in the afternoon. We tossed around the mini frisbee and did a few really pathetic laps. It has been a fun and mostly relaxing day. I'm topping it off by making some homemade Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls. 

Apology Not Accepted?

We had a little end-of-the-year lunch at work the other day, and the principal formally said goodbye to each teacher who is leaving with a little speech about each. There was one teacher in particular, who it was acknowledged, comes across as somewhat mean and short to other adults, despite being a very affective teacher that her students love. The principal said not to believe her tough exterior, and that she is all soft inside, and they both alluded to the fact that she had been through some stuff time in the past and that was why she acted so gruff all the time. During her little speech, she acknowledged all this and sincerely apologized if she had ever come across in a mean way to anyone, and that she sincerely doesn't mean to even though she knows she sometimes does. Although I don't work with this teacher as closely as I do with others, I can confirm, she does come across as grumpy 95% of the time. There are at least two other teachers at the school I can think of that have this same persona, and I'm sure every workplace has a few of them.

So, I guess that's nice that this teacher apologized, but maybe if you're aware of it you should make more of an effort to not come across that way? I'm not the warmest friendliest person all the time, but certainly no coworkers and few children would describe me as a mean or cold person straight away. If that's how people are known to perceive you, and you don't want them to, maybe you need to do something different. We all have our tough stuff to deal with; it’s not an excuse to just lack basic courtesy all the time. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have coworkers that think I'm insane for walking to and from the train station to commute; it takes me 45 minutes to an hour total to commute, usually. It costs me about $6/day. Some of those same coworkers commute as long as 2 1/2 hours each way to drive to work, and pay tolls totalling about $50/week, in addition to gas and car maintenance. Time and money, people. What's it worth to you?

Try a Little Tenderness

50 years ago today (American time), Otis Redding passed away in a plane crash at the age of 26. The best musicians often die too young. There was no other voice like his, before or since.

Bills, bills, bills

Since Michael and I are anticipating the biggest changes to our lives and finances since we moved in together, we have come up with a new family budget for the 2018 year. It isn't set in stone yet, but it is a relief to look at where we are, make a few decisions, and know that we won't have to live off only canned tuna once the baby is born. 

I am guessing that a lot of people don't like to analyze their own finances and spending habits very often. It's not particularly fun, and it reminds you that you probably shouldn't treat yourself as often as you are inclined to. In the long run, though, once you do it, it becomes a weight off your shoulders. Even if you don't stick to your budget down to the dollar, it does make you more mindful of your spending and saving habits, and it encourages you to make better decisions for a while.

Wow, what a boring idea for a blog post. Personal Finance isn't the most interesting topic, but it is really important. So, if you haven't thought about spending habits in a while, you should!

Anti-social Social Media

I had noticed for the last few weeks that responses to my Facebook posts had gone down pretty much to zero. This confused me since up until a certain point, I would regularly get several likes or responses to random posts here or there. The thought crossed my mind that I had been added to some secret list of people who were being blocked for posting subversive content, or something like that. Or, maybe I had posted something that had gone too far, and everyone had had enough and blocked me. I was wondering, "Should I continue to post if it appears that nobody appears to be reading what I write?... I can... but what is the point if I do? Is it more important for me to post something I think or care about, or more important that someone else sees it and/or responds?". I suppose these questions get to the nature of social media to being with. I did end up continuing to post, anyway. 

As it turns out, neither of my conspiracy theories was the case. Somehow, during some post, I had accidentally set my preferences to only show my posts to one particular friend. Now that the problem is fixed, my posts are visible to all my friends again. Does it matter that nobody is going to now pay attention to the older posts I made for the last few weeks? Not really. 

Oh, Hi Mark.

Yesterday, Michael and I went to see The Disaster Artist. We enjoyed it, but I can't stress enough that in order to get it, you really need to have seen The Room first (if possible, in its entirely and at a theater screening for full effect of the lack of continuity and for what a social experience it has become). Otherwise, it will lack a lot of meaning. Michael said he was surprised that he thought The Disaster Artist was less of a comedy, and more of an accurate account of what happened, because he expected it to make fun of the original movie more. They really did incredibly accurate shot-for-shot recreations from the original movie that were very impressive, and they paid homage to the best lines. The movie also had a really great cast with a lot of cameos - I suppose this isn't too big of a surprise considering who made it.

I had recently listened to a podcast featuring Seth Rogen where he talks about how they had the unique challenge of not just making fun of the movie and the director, but really trying to show that the director was a passionate emotional, and sincere guy, even if he is very strange. And that, even though The Room is a movie that everyone watches because it's so bad, why is it so different and special compared to the million other bad movies that have been made that people don't watch anymore? 

Anyway, it was an enjoyable, somewhat meta experience.

Holiday Party in Manly

Having worked in the non-profit sector and education, my work holiday parties have usually been pretty pathetic in the past. At least, they're basically DIY potlucks or pay-for-yourself affairs, at best they're at least a free meal (and drinks too, if we're really lucky). Usually, significant others aren't invited, and if they are they don't really want to come because it's just an expense that isn't really worth it. Michael's work holiday parties always put mine to shame. They're always hosted at nice locations, and good food and drinks are a given, and then sometimes there are additional amenities. They always encourage a +1, and everyone is so friendly.

This year, Michael's company party was at a hotel in Manly, and they paid for rooms for everyone and their partners for the night. There was the usual food and drinks, a DJ and dance floor, and a photo booth. The party itself was fun, and it was nice waking up to a breakfast buffet and a walk on the beach before taking the ferry back and starting my day. I would have gone for a swim too, but there were dangerous currents in the morning and it was closed to swimmers. 

Maybe one day I will work for somewhere that has enough of a budget and the desire to treat its employees as well. One day. 

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Today, I partook in the infamous blood glucose test. You have to fast from 10PM the night before the test. They take your blood. They make you drink this super sweet drink. Then, you wait an hour and they take your blood again. Then, you wait an hour and they take your blood again. It's not a typo that I said that twice. I was warned beforehand that some women have a horrible time, they feel ill and need to vomit. If you vomit, they make you go through the whole thing again. Some women get headaches or get lightheaded. Some feel a sugar rush and then crash. Me? I felt mostly fine and normal. But, what does that mean? Is that good or bad? Does it correlate to anything at all? Maybe it helped that I ate too big of a dinner last night and so I wasn't as starving as some other people are when they normally take the test? Maybe it helped that I hydrated in the morning and walked the 1.5km to the appointment, so I was better able to metabolize the sweet stuff? I have no idea. 

After taking the test, I chatted with some friends that had had it, and I looked up how people online said they had reacted to the test. There seemed to be little or no correlation between who got sick or didn't get sick, and who found out they had gestational diabetes. 

So, now we wait for results. I have no reason to think that anything is amiss, but lots of women who have gestational diabetes never show any symptoms and find out from the blood test. Fingers are crossed. 

Feist

Last night, I went to see Feist with a friend at the Sydney Opera House. We had the best seats I've ever had there, since a friend with a membership got them for us - maybe 4 or 5 rows back from the front. Anyway, she was a really fun performer to see live. She cracked jokes and told stories, got everyone up and dancing out of their seats, and really knows when to rock out and when to be mellow. Even though she played all songs I didn't know for the first half of the show, they were still enjoyable - which is kind of a big test to pass when you see an artist live for the first time. 

Baby Shower #2

I'm still waking up at 5AM, since coming back from the states. This means I have more time in the wee hours to blog!

It's been a busy weekend. Yesterday, some friends here threw me a fun little baby shower. It was really great, and Michael's addition before leaving for the afternoon was setting up a smoothie bar with lots of fresh fruit and some mint. It was a big hit; the only problem was that it was noisy. I'd highly recommend it for future events, though, regardless. 

We also did a "quick" trip to Ikea to get some much-needed storage pieces for all the wonderful baby stuff we have received. I say "quick", because it still involved eating Swedish meatballs, but it didn't last all day. We still need to get the actual baby stuff, like the bassinet, pram, etc, but it's at least nice that we have places to store stuff so we don't feel cluttered in our already small apartment.

Hooray!