Palooza 2012

A break from the vegan posts today to talk about palooza! WHOOP! Do you remember last years trip? You can read about it here, here and here. And see pics here. That's how epic it was, it took 4 posts to communicate. FOR REAL.

Anyway, annual trip is here again! We waited until May this year because Feb was kinda hot last year and we didn't enjoy the sweatbox Sydney became. The time has come!! This Thursday night we fly out, Anna, Fleur and I on the prowl again. We come home Sunday and we have a billion plans to fulfill in the middle there. I want to check out some vegan stuff, we'll hit Zumbo's again, and we are soo going to Madame Tussauds in Sydney, maybe a skywalk, definitely a massage (already booked, thank you Scoopon!) and I cannot wait to catch up with my Sydney mates again on Friday night!!! We're also considering karaoke Sat night (which means I am considering a bottle or two of vino to myself Sat night...)

I cannot wait to spend some time with my besties again, I love these trips. Fun packed into awesome. BRING IT ON!

Setting goals

Way back in 2008, before IVF brought me my darling RJ, I had some goals. I called it my post IVF dream-scape. I think it is time to revist those.

Travel remains a high priority. I have made progress on this, certainly, and intend to add Europe as soon as possible.

Writing also needs more work. I have progressed, but I need to commit to it regularly. Like a job, I can't just do it when the mood strikes (or it won't get done).

Returning to language lessons. this is still a strong desire. Italian, or French? Italian is my love (and likely my next travel destination) but Finn is learning French so that'd be cool, too. Thoughts?

Post grad study... I was doing teaching. I'm considering deferring for a bit whilst I decide what I want to do for sure.

Cameras - I have mums old DSLR which is pretty awesome. It has a crack on the lens, though, which in certain lights, puts a smudge on photos.

I could totally do the dark room thing in this house. There is a funny cupboard under the stairs that would be perfect, though it's not ventilated, I am certain it is workable. This is something to investigate ASAP. I would LOVE to develop photos of my own!

Added to this list is spending more time with the kids and with my friends. This makes me happy.

Where to start?

It's been a while since I blogged. A lot has happened. I went to America, I fell absolutely in love with New York City and had nowhere near enough time there. I enjoyed LA and I had a fabulous trip in general, but NYC was just head over heels love. I loved Broadway, and saw The Lion King which was brilliant. I loved 5th Avenue, I loved FAO Schwartz, I loved Central Park, I loved Times Square despite all the crushing people. There was so much more I wanted to do but didn't get time for, I'm so glad I decided to do that jaunt! Even the flight was interesting, flying over Colorado mountains and the Grand Canyon. It was really a good trip, and I came home planning to return, someday...

I was pretty homesick and missed the kids dreadfully, I got such a lovely welcome home from them though. So much love and cuddles. Beautiful.

The day after I got home, still jetlagged and out of it, we found my 15 year old and very first fur baby dead on the back deck. He was cold, and starting to stiffen, he'd been there a while. He was drooly and his bladder had emptied as well, so he was covered in ick, but I scooped his still body up and cried and held him anyway. He had been around since I was 18, since 1996, he was my baby. So many memories. He had such a personality. He would go nuts for eggs and - get this - low fat muffins. I don't know why but he LOVED those things and would stand on your head to get them! I was so grateful he had waited for me to get home before going. Seems silly, but a comforting thought anyway. I am sure that Hendrix will look after him. Losing two fur babies in one year has been really hard. Both were really special, and part of the family, they were pre kids, pre marriage... all my adult life. It has been tough. I miss them dreadfully. :(

I came home considering intermitting my uni studies as well. I'm not enjoying it, I feel at a point in life of readjustment. Like the world is my oyster and there for the taking... but how to do so? How do i want to? I want to travel more. I want to write... And I feel a strong need to just BE. To stop planning, stop controlling everything in my life and just roll with whatever comes my way. It's hard for a control freak to do that.

I have a writing idea simmering and I am excited about that, just waiting for it to develop itself into more than a vague rumination. it will come in time. I look forward to it. I want to use my spook...

Travel Snap Tuesday

Indulge me this week, if you will. My TST post is in advance. This Saturday, I am flying up, up, and away and over to the USA. I am verrrry excited! In fact, I am almost packed already, and it's Tuesday.



I'm looking forward to LA for shopping, relaxing, and celebrity fun (stars, tussauds etc).



The LA leg of the trip is likely to be a little more relaxed and cruisy as I adjust to the dreaded jetlag. And just as I get it together, I fly to New York, and face another time challenge. Gah!



New York is packed full of things I want to see. I intend to be on the go almost endlessly. I have Broadway tickets! And there is so much I want to see here. I am squeesploding!



So, I will be away for a little after today, I am going to miss my kids desperately, but I know they'll enjoy the change of pace and novelty of having their Dad as PC for a bit. I'll be back to bore you senseless with anecdotes before I know it.




Travel Snap Tuesday comes from Little Miss Moi's blog. Head over!

Travel Snap Tuesday

I'm talking about Seattle today. Seattle was a blip on my US trip, I was there for only a matter of hours really, probably less than 24. Enough to see the famous space needle (from a distance!) and spend some hours at Stevens hospital (a story for another day!)

But, there was something I experienced in Seattle that made it a massive stand out on my trip to the Pacific North-West. Two words: Beth's Cafe. This place was everything I ever guessed Seattle to be: Super, Uber, Cooool. You walk in and you really just think.. hmm.. greasy spoon diner. But take it in. The walls are covered in artwork that patrons have drawn. There are stick figures, detailed portraits, words of thought. It'd take you hours to peruse them all. It's like wallpaper.

What else is Beths known for? HUGE portions. Beth's was even on Man Vs Food for it's 12 egg omelette.

Yes, you read that right, TWELVE EGG OMELETTE. Can you even imagine?! Even the 6 egg is massive, and comes served atop a mountain of Beths hash browns. The coffee refills are frequent, and the staff are friendly. It makes for the coolest atmosphere. You've not experienced hip, until you've experienced Beths.

Join in on Travel Snap Tuesday at Little Miss Moi's blog.

Travel Snap Tuesday

This week I am going to talk flights! We may not be the furthest country from America, but it's one hell of a flight. It is the 24th longest non-stop flight in the world, according to Wiki. Add to that, I have to fly from Melbourne to Sydney first, and it is one hell of a long day. It's a 14 hour non-stop haul from Sydney to the US. At times, it feels like the little map on the telly of the plane crossing the ocean is going backwards. It's a long time cramped in a wee airline seat.

This is the line for a pat down. JOY. Shoes off, metals out, laptop out, pat down. Security hard core. I suck at keeping myself amused on long flights, as it turns out. I watched some of the movie, tried to sleep, tried to read... It sucks.

What are your tips for long haul flights? What are your must have travel take alongs?

Travel Snap Tuesday comes to you from Little Miss Moi. Go join in!

Travel Snap Tuesday

Have you ever come across the perfect restaurant on your travels? I have. This was my dessert at the Antica Trattoria on Russian Hill in San Francisco. It was a cherry chocolate cake, cherry sauce... It was amazing. I had it with a wee glass of real deal moscato. Whilst I was eating it, the sun set over the San Francisco horizon in brilliant colors. I was eating by candlelight with a beautiful friend. It was one of those "need to freeze time right here, right now" moments that you drink in and absorb as much as you possibly can.

I went googling the place so that I could share it's exact address with you all, and I am devastated to read it has closed. What a shame :( The service was so wonderful, it's a definite loss. I'm glad I was able to go there when I did. The dinner of a thousand memories.


Travel Snap Tuesday comes to you from Little Miss Moi.

Travel Bugs Bite!

My yearning to see the world is growing stronger and stronger. What are your top 5 must see places? Mine are as follows:



1. Italy
My one true love. This one will take me a while, there is so much I want to see. Mostly, the Amalfi coast and Rome, but Venice, Florence, Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, the swiss border... Ahhh. So much beauty, history, and romance. I can die happy, once I have conquered my beloved Italy.




2. France
I think it is the class that draws me here. The culture. I need to see the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph, The Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees... I need to shop, and drink wine, and be sexy and charismatic!




3. Ireland
This one is all about roots. My family is ever so Irish, my great grandmother would send us over the road to the park to hunt for leprechauns as children. We are from Mullingar in County Westmeath, so I would love to check that out. And the accents... Oh my. Accent heaven.




4. Peru
How amazing is Machu Picchu? Seriously, this place gives me a feeling of awe and magic. The history is palpable, even in pictures - imagine what it would be like to see it in person? Powerful.




5. China
It might be the Great Wall, it might be the bustle and busy as well as the history and architecture. It's certainly on my must-see list of world stops.


Then there is Egypt, India, New Zealand... So many more. What about you?

Travel Snap Tuesday

Here's something I notice about America - they LOVE their bacon. Seriously. Like, it's not just "oh, it's Sunday, let's do bacon and eggs for brekky" kind of love. It's more "zOMG is there anything we CAN'T put bacon in?!" love. For example, though I didn't come across any myself, I am told there is very definitely, a bacon flavoured vodka. Whilst you may initially screw your face up at the very idea, if you think about it, a bloody mary made with bacon vodka would be pretty tasty, amirite??

The other thing they've done, is put bacon in chocolate. Oh. Yes. They. Did.



I was tickled to get this as a gift, and brave enough to give it a try. It really just tasted slightly salty as well as chocolatey, and we all know salt and chocolate are a tried and true match, so it's not as big a leap as first thought. Ironically, American bacon itself, I did not try. I'm not sure why this is, but I'll be certain to rectify that with my visit next month.

The Travel Snap Tuesday concept comes to you from Little Miss Moi :)

Updated US trip Itinerary

14 Arrive. check in, relax. food shop?

15 Mann's Chinese Theatre, hands and sidewalk stars/hollywood sign on the way to Pasadena for gold class movie

16 WB Studio tour/Madame Tussauds /disney drive by? UCLA? evening - baseball Dodgers V Brewers

17 San Diego day trip, Get to meet Matthew from childsplayx2! Maybe Santa Monica pier or Venice Beach at sunset.

18 Brunch with Kathy before we head off to Vegas. LA-LV (via Red Rock canyon? bellagio fountains, strip (assume dinner with Kellee, Kristen, and Abbie) Hoping to fit in the CSI experience.

19 LV-LA-NY, travel day

20 WTC site and museum, Statue of Liberty... evening broadway - The Lion King/Times Square (toys r us!)

21 FAO Schwartz, Central Park, The Met museum ... evening comedy cellar

22 RockerfellerTotR/ MoMA / Greenwich/ SoHo - general shopping and exploring

23 Empire State Building. NY-LA-Home

Travel Snap Tuesday

I saw this idea at Miss Posy's It's all Greek To Me blog, the idea is Little Miss Moi's and I love love love it!!!

I am a day late, but hey, call me a rebel. Travel is going to be my future. you know when you can just feel something is true? I can feel that I am going to see a lot of the world. Since I was a child, I wanted to see the world. I remember thinking, wow, this is just one tiny corner of the world here, I want to see it all!!!

I'm a novice, though. I've only travelled overseas once last year, to the USA. I saw San Francisco, a bit of Seattle, and Portland Oregon. In 6 weeks (SQUEE!) I am headed back there to see LA and New York. I am also desperate to see Italy, and most of the rest of Europe. When I am a more confident traveller, I'd also like to see some of the more remote, slightly more risky places. I just feel like I can't see enough. The perspective it brings! The world is a pretty cool place!

Anyway, my point is, this is an awesome idea, thank you Little Miss Moi!

It was hard to choose just one photo for this week, but I decided since I intend to do this weekly, I best not use them all up too fast anyway. This photo is of the San Francisco city hall. I took it right after the worlds longest parade for St. Patricks Day in 2010. There were celebrations going on all over the place, it was a great vibe. I love this building. You can read all the architectural details here. It looks just as grand inside as it does outside.

US trip, part 2.

I am currently planning my second trip to the states. One year ago (almost exactly) I went to San Francisco (and, very briefly, Seattle and Portland). It was a fabulous trip, and I am looking forward to going back over. I never thought the USA would be top of my international places to see list, but nevertheless. It's certainly a good start to travel rather than it being foreign speaking as well.

So, refining my plans I have come up with the below rough itinerary.


May 14 leave here. I get there May 14 thanks to time changes.
14-18 May = LA
18-19 May = Las Vegas
19-23 May = New York
23rd I fly home via LA. Flight leaves late. I get home on the 25th May.

These are my plans:
LA
universal studios (maybe)
chinese mann theatre/ celebrity hands in concrete
celebrity stars walk
hollywood sign
venice beach
Beverly hills? (maybe)
baseball game - already have tickets to a Dodgers V Milwaukee game.

Vegas
The strip
Bellagio Fountains
Red Rock Canyon

New York
Central park (maybe a carriage ride)
Broadway show (Thinking 'The Lion King' at this stage)
Ground zero
Empire state building/Top Of The Rock views
Times square
Statue of Liberty.



What am I missing? Anything else I must see that I haven't got on the list yet? I have little to no interest in Disneyland, does that make me a wee bit odd?! I suspect to fit things in, I may need to skip sleep altogether for 2 weeks. :/

I found me some happy

And I am not letting it go!

Simple pleasures, sometimes, can be the finest. Don't you think? This afternoon, the kids were out with their Dad, I had music on - loudly - and I was writing some fiction. Inspired. I felt so happy, in fact, the happy hasn't gone. It lingers. I am feeling the happiest I have felt in a while.

I am planning another trip to the States, to use up the ticket I didn't use in November. I found a great sale fare right around the time J will have enough leave to take again to be home with the kids, and he has agreed to do so for me again. I was initially thinking New York City, but, it is so much more expensive than anywhere else. That might be my 'next time' trip. Now, I am planning for a trip to Los Angeles, with a road trip on the side to Las Vegas. I am not really interested in Disneyland, but there is so much else there I would like to see. So, that has given me much happy too.

I also spent some time today, working on the promised Ebook. I want to go through each piece, and give them yet another editing, and suddenly, I have a wee bit of stage fright about sharing them. When they are ready, I will put a short synopsis and review for each piece on the ebook page. It's fun to have some sturdy writing goals again, and to be working furiously with them.

AWOL

Apologies for my extended absence. Life has been exceptionally busy of late! I went to my beloved America, and I loved her. It was an amazing trip in so many ways, so very life changing. It certainly has given me a travel bug and itchy feet (which both sound

like I need a cream or something, but are Very Good Things!)

It was good to come home, but it was difficult. I would love to return. Some day...

Things have been difficult since the separation with J. It's hard in a lot of ways, but i still believe it was the right thing to do.

Right now, I want to focus on me, and filling my life with things that I love. Things that make me happy. I am investigating a bunch of things... I set my desk up again, and am getting back into the writing daily habit. I am investigating Italian classes - or dra

gging out my books and teaching myself again. I am investigating cooking classes, book clubs, theatre groups... Trying to find something that will enrich my life, that is realistically within reach (literally, close enough to home) and affordable, and that is the right timing (missed term 2 start). I'll keep looking.

It's time for me.

All images from http://weheartit.com/

Travels

45 days and I leave for the U.S. - rather excited now, starting to buy bits and pieces and get myself organised. I am a master of lists! No doubt this trip will push me in all kinds of new ways, and I am really looking forward to seeing who I am when I come out the other side of it. I suspect I will be quite changed.

I was looking for tips for the flight the other day, came across this blog article that made me chuckle. Extra bonus? Vomit bag anecdotes. LOL! I have stocked up on books (I have The Alchemy of Loss, The Time of My Life and Notes Left Behind as well as a chicklit novel), and will ensure I have writing materials with me. Mostly, I am hoping to sleep.

Given it is the first major trip I have done, I am more than welcoming travel tips and packing essentials, let me know yours.

Rewards!

So, I am actually nervous to even write this. But, one of the presents I got for grad from J : Um. A trip to the U.S.A. More specifically, California.

Alone.

Pretty sure I am insane.

I always wanted to travel, and imagine the inspiration for writing, the growth! But, that aside, it is something I have always wanted to do. To see the world, for as long as I can remember. Everyone is aware of my Italy obsession, I guess this is a good first trip to launch my dream of seeing it all. Friends to guide me, a familiar language and culture.

Terrified of leaving my babies for 2 weeks, but it feels important. It feels right. The rest of this year is hectic, my birthday, J's and RJ's birthdays, Green Day concert with F-bear, and Christmas... so I decided to leave it until the new year, and when Finn is back at school. So... the start of March it is.

Eeee!!!!

The post IVF dream-scape

Not that I am being negative, but I am beginning to think about life after IVF, this could be whether it is successful or not. I feel that having plans and dreams in the works will help when that time comes, particularly should it not be successful.

So, things I want to further pursue when I have my own time, money and resources back again:

* More writing, independent of uni deadlines - pure self motivation and determination!

* Consideration of still more post grad study (librarianship)

* Travel, starting within Australia, then heading abroad

* Return to Italian lessons

* Invest in good cameras both digital and film

* Create my own dark room and develop my own stuff - a lost art!


It is certainly a very rich life to envisage, an exciting one at that. I don't feel like giving up on the IVF at all, I am coping well and quite happy to see out our commitment of this year, but after that, I think I will be ready to move on and put all that behind us for good.

Arrivaderci Roma!

Written 20 March 2007

I am going to Italy. Woot!!! Finally, I am going "home" (as much as an Aussie with Irish heritage can go home to Italy...) Spiritually home?

Just a very short trip with a friend, and still a loooong 6 months away. But the passion! The excitement! Buon Viaggia me!