Bigger than hip hop

Saturday, October 15, 2011


It’s so wonderful seeing my cheeks on someone elses face, I hate mine but they look so beauty-full on Tiss ♥

This week:

I found my HG (holy grail) of lipsticks. It’s called Sex bomb. Of course.

I worked a heap and wore my Doc Martens. Love. Words can’t describe how cool I feel wearing these mad boots.

I did 3 months of homework in 3.5 hours. *High 5*.

I wrote and received handwritten mail. I do love. Who would have thought that reaching out to those who society scorns could be so rewarding. It does more for me than it does for them I’m positive (and thankful). Tino just sighs and shakes his head (funny, given that he was raised a Christian and I wasn’t:). In the words of the rich Arab sitting in the middle of McDonalds, chain smoking…”I do whaaaat I like”. And I do.

I sat alongside my eldest daughter as she drove me. SHE DROVE ME! For years now, half my life almost, I’ve been the taxi driver. Now, while I’m not quite the passenger….I’m the instructor (which is a step up at least!)

I found a new favourite song to play on my drive to school, the only time I’m ever alone: Vanessa’s cool song

I bought mirrored aviator sunnies (coolness factor to the power of infinity) only to have them stolen by Tino. He knows awesome when he sees it. He doesn’t look like the cop from Village People.

I thought about reactivating Facebook. It’s proven to be more of a pain in the ass not having it, for others as well, people are texting because their friend can’t find my number, blog etc and I hate inconveniencing anyone that way. Boy oh boy, what do I do? (White persons problems I do believe they’re called:)

Looks like I’ll have to fork out $6.95 and get another pair. We should wear them together:)

XOs from Vanessa (or Van as I’m known at work!)

Cindy

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Dear teacher

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Dear Teacher,

You see, the reason I haven’t finished (or started..) the homework you set for the holidays is:

I hate studying and would rather watch Youtube videos on magic tricks than open a textbook

Sandy and Teps were in town and our kids enjoyed hanging out together too much for me to go home and study

My mate Tom and I spent hours building a huge sandcastle pyramid then I had to sit guard and make sure no cheeky 6 year olds kicked it down

I went shopping for a new couch and watched Alex spend 4 hours building a tallboy for Tissy (and nearly died laughing when he opened the box and the bag of screws was as big as a medium sized dog

I went to the gym, like every-day

There was no power down the whole of my street, which means no computer, which means a day trip to Wagga Wagga

I taught some wonderful students how to take photos

I played rugby with the kids, I walked to Big W with the kids…several times, hell, I sang on Guitar Hero with the kids (94% on expert singing Bohemian Rhapsody…who’s the next Freddie hey?)

I worked while Tino was left at home in charge. He set up new laundry and kitchen routines which took me hours to change back

I made chow mein and quiches and cupcakes and fancy Scandinavian smorgasbord and cleaned off the BBQ ready for warm Summer nights

I’ll get cracking on it today, while the boys watch the All Blacks and I have an hour of peace.

I do realise it was handed out centuries ago, millenia ago even, as brontosaurus’ gently drank from lakes, even before, when space was a bunch of matter waiting to be formed into the planet we know as Earth. Yes, I’ve had that long to get started and I promise it won’t happen again.

Chuckle.

I hope your holidays were as happy and crazy cool as mine:)

Your student,

(the one who looks like she isn’t paying attention but could recite, word-for-word, every single word you’ve said:)

Vanessa

The music I listen to while pretending to study >>Vanessa's studying music Teaching students – I love love love :)

Keke, Photographers

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11

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The past week:

It has rained heavily, everyday, often with dazzling shows of donner und blitzen (thunder and lightning for the non-German folk). I love rain but it’s getting pretty tiresome, considering it’s school holidays as well.

The kids had a great time sliding through my neighbour’s front yard, like crocodiles belly-sliding through mud (I hope your lawns not too wrecked Ray..)

Keke turned 11! The last birthday of the year….for 3 weeks the younger kids have been 8,9 and 10 (we say 8,9 and look up when we say 10, Keke’s taller than me now:). I still remember 1,2 and 3 and wonder how on earth I survived with my sanity intact. Those early years were mad, a non-stop merry-go-round of nappies, bottles, washing, crying, twin prams, and no sleep. But I miss them all the same.

Have I missed Facebook? Sort of. I’ve missed the beautiful friends I’ve made…some have contacted me thorugh my email, some have sent texts so it’s been nice to still feel a part of their lives. I logged on to Tino’s account to have a quick look and straight up saw this:

Put old people in jail and prisoners in a nursing home

Seniors would have free prescriptions, showers, walks, hobbies and would be video monitored, so they can be helped if anything bad happened to them.
A guard would check up on them every 20 minutes and bring hot meals and snacks to them.
They would get family visits, a library, TV, spiritual councelling, pool and education.
The criminals would get cold food, be left alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week.
They would live in a tiny room for which they pay $1000 a month, and NO hope of getting out.
Justice for all

Nearly burst an artery. Are you friends with these people Tino? I’m amazed that they seriously don’t know what prison is like. They guess, they think they know, but they don’t have a clue. There are so many myths surrounding the luxuries inmates have when the truth is a very different story. Segregation and isolation are what they’re about, our system is often crueller than the criminals it houses. How do I know? Because I ask the inmates themselves. Someting not many people would agree with or ever do…but I’d rather be hated for doing what I think is right than loved for being someone I’m surely not. And to say Nursing homes treat their residents like that? It’s an insult to me and the other Aged Care Nurses I work with who love our jobs, love our facility and treat our residents like family.

See? Best I stay away. Better for my blood pressure.

In other weekly news….Nurse the kitten is ‘in season’. I have tomcats prowling outside my house, singing and yowling and making Jayden crazy. Little Miss will be visiting the vets this week for desexing thankfully.

My gorgeous friend Sandy is in town and I hope to do some family pics in the next few days.

I’m working on finishing some editing. Working outside the home has left me little time to catch up.

I have homework. Tons. And I haven’t started.

I have housework. Tons. And I haven’t started.

And by some miracle, I blogged when I said I would:)

Clients/Families, Keke

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Bye facebook

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Because:

Of the people who add me, pretending to be my friend, but they never comment or message me, just snoop at my wall (I guess my posts must be more interesting than most lol?)
Of the workmate of someone close to me who runs excitedly to their boss reporting everything I’ve written (they have even less of a life than me….tosser)
Of the time I spend keeping up with all the goings on that really, at the end of the day, I could live without. I’m as bad as the snoop in my first sentence. How embarrassing.
Of ‘family’, who ignore my childrens birthdays (not for the first time….no call, no card, no nothing – it’s about making an effort and they couldn’t be bothered acknowledging them) yet stalk my wall borrowing my photos and pretending to others they’re wonderful people who adore these children. September 11 must be a bugger of a date to remember..
Of my opinions that clash with others. I hate the media, I hate the power it has, I hate how people blindly believe everything that’s written. I particularly hate the propoganda that is made by America and spoon-fed to it’s people, swallowed whole and taken to be the Gospel truth. Bleh.
Of owning an iPhone, it makes it so easy to constantly check throughout the day. You can go about your day thinking ‘Oh I’ll put that on facebook!’, kinda like an addiction. Does everyone need to know the funny things my kids say? I thought they did but I guess they don’t really. Ironically, the ones who should be interested aren’t.
Of my job as a nurse; I can’t write what I really think about a lot of things and have to conform. I’m a non-conformist black sheep and find it hard to keep a leash on my mouth (or keyboard) when it’s so easy to update on a whim.
Of my need for acceptance. If only one person hits like on my photo does that mean it’s crap? I need me some self esteem and Facebook isn’t delivering. If 500 people like my photo does that mean I’m really good? It prolly means I’m one of the rock star photographers who could take a picture of a black sky and people would say it’s freaking amazing. Good for them. 99/100 they are amazing and I’m a big fan of most but geez the comments can be nauseating and deflating for us normal folk.
Of non-stop inboxes that make me feel guilty for not answering in due time. Some emails require a lengthy answer and between study and family, I don’t always have the time/energy/stamina. So I do nothing and then feel suffocated by guilt. So I postpone and then I still don’t answer and so it continues in a vicious cycle.
Of putting photos up there instead of on here, my blog, the journal I started to record our lives for the kids. They’re all lost to Facebook whereas on here they’re mine and the kids can see the pics and the story to go with them. They’re not lost in a newsfeed and swept away, looked at briefly and then discarded. They’re here to stay.

But,

I miss Tanya, Mina, Vanessa, Eden, Leanne, Raylene, Sarah, Carissa, Renee, Jayde, Trish, Emma, Donna, Kelly, Anneke, Annie, Stormie, Debbie, Georgie, Jodie, Kylie, Chris, Sonja, Bev, Tamara, Alex, Cindy, Lindy, Nic, Steph, Denise, Mel, Julian, Bob, Bel, Kathleen, Linda, and the many others who I have really enjoyed making friends with. I miss seeing their lives, I really do and I miss the daily routine of checking what’s happening through my computer screen. I’ve been THISCLOSE to logging back in but for the first time in my life, I’ve exercised restraint. I’m not going to do it. I’m not. No, REALLY I’m not. (Yes you will:)

(I’ll go to the gym instead)

Bye for now,

Vanessa xo

I’ll be blogging once a week on a Sunday (that’s my new plan)


I was playing around in PS when i should have been doing my case study on a post operative patient. It made me happy though and happy, for me, is a fleeting emotion and stays only briefly in my crazy head.

Vx

Annika, Photographers

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A-Z and beauty-full Jess ♥

Saturday, September 24, 2011

A. Age: 39
B. Bed size: Single
C. Chore that you hate: Picking up after abled bodied people who are too lazy to put things away themselves.
D. Dads name: Les
E. Essential start to your day: Iced coffee, cake
F. Favorite color: Duck egg blue
G. Gold or Silver: Neither.
H. Height: 5’6″
I. I’m passionate about: the abhorrent and inhumane treatment of prisoners in our jails.
J. Job title: Nurse Vanessa
K. Kids: five ~ GBBBG.
L. Live: Same place my entire life -Albury.
M. Mother’s name: Ruth
N. Nicknames: Vanessa the Undresser
O. Overnight hospital stays: At least 5 lol
P. Pet peeves: the media (and how people believe whatever crap they write), childishly catty photographers
Q. Quote from a movie: ‘I spent 4 hours taking those *$#$% parts outta ya car
and now the bastard of a things all burnt, whadda ya think of that hey?’ Mick Taylor – Wolf Creek
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: Two older brothers 49,50.
T. Time you wake up: 5.45am.
U. Underwear: Mens, black.
V. Vegetable you hate: None. But I can’t taste avocado?
W. What makes you run late: My life. Tino. Kids. Washing machine. Traffic. Drive too slow. Burning a new cd.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Broken nose aged 6
Y. Yummy food that you make: cake.
Z. Zoo animal: I hate zoos, caged animals and caged people keep me awake at night.

Love beautiful Jess. Taken right before her Year 12 grad. Gorgeous much?

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Pretty Plates

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I love my little plates, they’re one of the many vintage things I like to collect. My favourite is the one in the bottom right hand corner – a lovely Wood and Sons (England) pin dish.

3rd row on the left is another Wood and Sons – the pattern is ‘Salamanca’ and I have the whole dinner set. It cost me $10 and I serve dinner on it every night – I’ve seen individual plates going for $20+ each on eBay!

This is a small part of my plate collection, I think the most I’ve paid is $2. Annika has regular tea parties with these pretties – sadly several have been smashed along the way, usually the result of a boisterous cat!

Another quick before and after…

These rugby pics were taken at midday. Brightest sun ever so I chose to shoot in the shade….and didn’t change my white balance. Underexposed, cold and blue.

Luckily (or stupidly..) I underexpose on a fairly regular basis and have written my own action to fix it – out of sheer necessity. One day I’ll learn I hope:)

Albury

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Ava {8}

Monday, August 22, 2011

Happy 8th Birthday to the darling Super-Princess.

Annika and I shared a small tea party this evening dining on pink lemonade and cupcakes.

In 3 weeks Annika will be 8. Thankful, blessed and all those good words.

Ava.

So brief was her stay but so remarkable her legacy.

She was {and always will be} loved.

Vx

All images ~ 5D, 50mm @ 1.4

Annika

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Submarines//rugby//convoys

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Last day of rugby for 2011. Our team lost in today’s semi final but played a fantastic game, their best yet! Well done guys, you did Albury proud.

We stopped at Holbrook to see the big and beautiful submarine, the HMAS Otway

I really wanted to show the kids the Truckers Memorial in Tarcutta. It’s incredibly sad, they felt it too, but they know our truck drivers are incredible and keep our country running. A hard job, long hours, countless miles of driving and the risk of losing their lives. I wave to truckies…but Tino’s drawn the line and won’t let me buy a CB radio. I really want to say ‘Big Ben…this is rubber ducky, we got ourselves a convoy 10-4!’

I love beautiful architecture. Love it and did several u-turns today after spying quaint buildings. I like the colour of the pub, turquoise!

Hope your weekend was great, can’t wait to go to sleep tonight, I clocked 520km today (might quit nursing and buy a big truck and do some interstate driving:)

My truck driving song

Vx

Albury, Friends♥

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Out in the country

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The boys played rugby in Yanco, NSW today.

2+ hour drive out in the country.

We play Queen, ELO, Elton John, The Beatles and Britney Spears… then when Tino’s sick of them and can’t handle it any longer he puts his Tupac CD on.

One swear word and it’s out, the longest it’s been in is 10 seconds:)

I took my camera as today was the last game (if they didn’t win) and I still hadn’t taken team photos (we’d been rained out on prior attempts).

I took the shots and then headed further on into Leeton. There’s a fabulous retro theatre there and I desperately wanted a snap. To hang on my wall.

These are probably over processed but I don’t really mind, I might print a few out and hang them near my desk.

They remind me of a happy day, great music, sunshine and content kiddies.

On the way home Annika started clapping to the music….oh my, I’d forgotten how my babies always clapped, especially to their favourite songs! It made my heart sing:)

Oh, and Keke’s team won (he scored 6 tries!). Finals will be in Wagga!

Vx

Albury, Keke

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poppyseed

Monday, August 8, 2011

Discovered – this beautiful Poppyseed dressing made in my hometown of Albury. Pricier than other dressings but worth every cent. (I bought it from Arnold’s Fruit Market in Wodonga). It’s a must-buy:)

Also discovered – the reason why my windows are dirty the same day I clean them – kitten paw prints, kitten noseprints and kitten licks. She’s so cute she gets away with it – she looks at the birds outside the window on high alert, making adorable chirruping noises:)

Tiss, the reason behind 90% of my migraines. Life is becoming easier with her – she’s too special and sweet and lovely to waste her life on people who don’t matter. I know that and thankfully, she knows it too now:)

Lovely, isn’t she?

I have swooping plovers nesting in my backyard. As if the noise they make isn’t bad enough, I can’t go near my clothesline without being attacked. They are savage in protecting their nest, vigilant and very aggressive. Tino said they’re Vanessa-birds….:)

Vx

Cindy

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