Thoughts I've collected...

Life's not fair. Once you can get over that you can handle anything that comes your way. 

Never judge a book by it's cover. Trust me on that one and just never do that. 

Good things take time. Yes, I like cheese but it's more than that; some things can't be rushed. 

Practice makes better, not perfect. Perfect alliterates better but it's just not true. 

Choose a short email address. You'll be surprised how often you need to write it. 

Spices are the varieties of life. I have etymological evidence to back me up on this one: Varieties = Species = Spices

Never stop learning. If you do you might as well be dead... Or as Albert Einstein put it "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed." 

Listen more. That's why you have two ears and one mouth :-) 

Better late than never... If it's worth having, it's worth waiting for. 

Don't fear going on holiday and to the movies/shows/restaurants by yourself. You might find you can enjoy your own company. 

You can't have your cake and eat it too. This is the entitlement mentality which only = immature. 

The "easy way" is not always the easiest. 

Let your theology define your music -not vice versa. 

Don't pick your nose in public. Needs no further explanation. 

Find a job you like and you too can be one of the few (also, you may never know how long you'll have it) 

Stay in contact with family. 

Humans are weird. 

Don't begrudge others their happiness -instead rejoice with those who do rejoice.

No one can be right all the time. Be able to accept you may be wrong after all. 

Purposefully cultivate good habits. You will be a better you -even if no one else knows. 

Don't accept the whole of any one man's teaching. Unless it's in the Bible -it ain't gospel. 

Try new things but don't be so open minded so as to part company with your brain (also inspired by Albert Einstein)

Eye Twister

Coarse eye no wear ewe eight yore san witch

Stuff Kids Say

Imagine a four-year-old boy running through the dormant wisteria arbor, arms waving in the air, singing "Catuses... Cactuses... Cactuses" with his almost two-year-old sister hard on his heels joining the "cactuses" chorus. One guess where they were headed. "Jonny, look at this flying plant" I overheard today from a 4 year-old boy to his young friend, referring to an hanging basket. hehe I get to spend my lunch break in a stunningly beautiful place, why, this very noon I overheard a little girl say... "Is this the secret garden?"

Noticed on a Walk

On my long walk I noticed: a tree stump whose entire cut surface was covered in lichen, the first jonquil I've seen this year, a flamed shaped leaf with perfectly graduated flame colouring, a worm that had been too slow, goldfinches nibbling in a plane tree (who knew they even did that?), a pair of white-faced herons on a business park verge, a crack in the footpath that cut through the curb and extended a metre into the road, a cylindrical apple core with a diameter of one centimetre it's whole length lying where someone had tossed it -but on it's end!!

Theo's Doings: Year 2

July: Playing "run and seek" up and down the hallway with Theo completes my exercise for the day. 

Theo is being such a puppy dog today... trotting around after me wherever I go. 

Who somehow found my credit card at 5:30 this morning and made it his new toy, running around my room with it and every time I turned the light on just lay there blinking like "turn it off I'm trying to sleep"?

Theo's way of punishing me for letting his food bowl get low is to find the biggest, hairiest spider he can find and torturing it under my bed, whilst I'm sleeping. I'm sure I woke up to spider wails. 

August: Thought I saw Theo playing with another cat when I walked up the drive just now... nope, just him and his massively fluffy tail. 

Theo is such an egg; he would rather sit in the dark in the other room waiting to see if the wheel on the stationary bike will start spinning again. 

Theo, who likes to drink water out of drinking glasses, was in for a salty surprise when he hopped up on the vanity and decided to sample my mouthwash... hahaha, poor love. He was not impressed... although, I doubt it will curb his human glass guzzling ways. 

Theo was lying on his back inspecting the underside of the footstool... looking just like a mechanic under a car. 

Theo has found a short cut to my front door... Walking THROUGH the pot plant. 

Theo loves hanging out with me all day on Saturday... What a sweet boy.

No Longer Wise

I had my wisdon teeth removed at great expense to myself... Feeling remarkably chipper. The nurse said I wouldn't remember much post-op... but I do. I woke up to someone saying "no need to snore Sarah" and then "we're just going to take out the swabs" and I opened my eyes to see two big red worms being pulled out of my mouth. I feeling really good. Look a bit of a state but all I can find to complain about is numbness Which is great as numbness is kinda fun! (might have been "not quite with it" when I wrote that) Good Theo fulfilling his role. I have lovely parents taking care of me and preparing soft food for me. I recommend everyone get themselves a pair. Sorry if this is TMI... My mouth is pretty mingin' now (like warm raw meat). On the plus side, nobody has to smell it. But having my wisdom removed is new weird experience for me. For some reason Theo loves the smell of my mouth. hahaha Perfect brekkie for the day after parting ways with my wisdom teeth. Mmmm roasted vegies and chicken puree. The roasted veg was pureed as was the chicken and stuffing. (nothing will stop me eating chicken, lol, even if it was a little dry). Mauled my way through a fish bite... took all of 15 minutes. What's better than a cheery bunch of flowers? A cheery bunch of mini daffodils which can be planted in the garden to come up year after year! Thanks Catherine! A week later: I consider it quite an achievement to be able to eat a banana in only ten minutes (unlike the 15 it took yesterday). I guess I deserved this kind of week as a punishment for taking 4 days off last week. (but even so, can't wait for it to be over)

Of Red Books, Inflatable Kayaks and Flying Tractors.

I cast my eyes about the room, everything in it's place -just the same as always. Something had to change. I thought I would go look for a new place to rent. I turned and locked the door behind me but on second thoughts, trotted down to the library instead.

Once inside I found it more like a cavernous old museum with soft lighting, and rich textile covers on displays of books. Something caught my eye -in each grouping of books (on topics like: physics, geography, quilting, art etc) there were one or two plain red volumes which struck me for their plainess. No sooner had I but gingerly fingered them than their whole contents had flipped out and toppled, Jonny5-esque,
into my brain. As it turned out these unassuming texts were the key to each topic. One had only to read them to gain a fine-and-dandy working knowledge of all things pertaining thereto (much like a less touted version of the "for Dummies" series).

After slaking my thirst at the knowledge pool, I thought it high time to get on my way. I wandered down the main street of somewhere checking out the "to lets" in the agent's windows. I chanced a glance back over my right shoulder at precisely the moment a beach ball came bounding from the roof of a multi-storied appartment complex in appearance a verdant air traffic control tower. I shaded my eyes to see, and no, they didn't deceive me for there, indeed, was not just Simon Barnett, but the whole MoreFM crew, banners, flags and loud hailers at the ready. Something was going on, I had to find out what.

To kindle my jealousy, the guy who managed to catch the wayward ball announced that he was going there to claim his prize which was an inflatable kayak. UNfair -that thing almost knocked me down and what do I get for my fright? They were drumming up a crowd and were more than pleased to see me there. Turns out they would give me a spot prize if I joined a game of leap-frog. But as it was "televised" live and I would have to submit myself to being judged, olympic style, I vehemently declined.

All was not lost. They gave me another mission instead. To deliver a baby girl. All I had to do was ascend the grassy slope (on the outside of this circular building -corkscrew fashion) in a clockwise direction until I reached the top. Simple. I set off but was greatly impeded by some hefty great cracks in the clay substrate; some spanning a good half foot or so. Imperial foot that is. 'Just wait til I tell J.E. about these cracks in the "lawn"' I thought.

I finally reached the top and flaked in the doorway. There to greet me was, bizarrely, my old pastor and his family and, last I heard, they were in Seattle. So there I was lying on the baked grass and what should happen to crawl out of my baby backpack but David's cat, Smudge. Oh the baby was still in there too, and no worse for the wear either.

Feeling much refreshed, I peered over the balcony
look down and see the flying machines
something is not right
spies are all around
amorphous paua shell blob that glows then tuns into a blue bowl

I'm totally in awe of people who can make the Theremin sound not only decent, but great! http://www.ted.com/talks/pamelia_kurstin_plays_the_theremin.html

After purchasing a miso today, I arrived back at work to discover I had someone else's credit card in my pocket (not my own eftpos card). In the shop I'd checked my receipt as I always do but as the card felt as beat up as mine I didn't even think to check. Only ten minutes later I was happily reunited with my nine-year-old buddy.

When the Old Folks Roll is Called...

I sauntered past the old folks van shortly after it pulled up to the gardens and as the old folks dribbled out I heard an old man whistling. I made my heart glad to hear someone whistling. Then I thought "I know that tune"... When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there. Maybe they were having their names ticked off on a list?