Big Sis Number 3

Yesterday was big sis' number 3's birthday...36yrs old...4yrs off officially being over the hill. So in honour of my big sis Lellie (her nickname!) this post is about her.

She has dark hair, and dark eyes, she looks almost exotic. She is a typical Libran, and everything she does turns to gold. She is 'light', if there is such a thing as an aura, well hers would light up a room. Everything seems to come to her effortlessly. She loves all things Egyptian, has been pierced in many places, she owns a pet rat. She has been married, divorced and is dating a younger man. She has travelled. And even on a bad day she looks good. She is beautiful inside and out. As children we were each others best friend and playmates making cubby houses out of clothes pegs and Mom's curtains in the loungeroom, seeing who could tie up the neighbours kids the fastest, who could walk on their hands the longest, and who could draw better, dance better and jump higher on the bed. We would stay up late eating popcorn, drinking chocolate milk and watching the original King Kong when we should've been in bed asleep. We'd sing in front of the mirror with our hairbrushes, she would be Agnetha and me Frieda from ABBA. She used to tease me for being skinny (I filled out though) and I teased her for being fat (she never was!). She would sit on me, pinning me to the ground and dangle spit over my face (and occasionally it would 'accidently' fall) and we would laugh till it hurt. She would teach me how to smoke sophisticatedly at the bowling alley with her cool friends. Yes we have had our share of sibling rivalry at times! But we never argued about clothes, makeup, boyfriends etc. because by the time I was a teenager she was gone...I guess that was a good thing but sometimes I wish we had. Now we are even further apart...in distance and in how our lives have turned out but we will always be sisters. And we will always be there for each other no matter what. Happy Birthday...you still are the Dancing Queen but just remember...I will always be younger than you ;)

DREAMS

Have you ever had those kind of dreams just before you wake up when you're half way between sleep and consciousness that shock you? You feel like you've been asleep for only 15 mins but in reality it was 1.5 hours and you wake up perturbed, asking "why did I dream about that? WHY?" Admittedly I've been under a little stress lately, trying to meet a deadline for an article submission for a magazine by the end of the month, orienting a newbie at work, trying to get our contractors to finish our kitchen, dealing with spiteful jealous bitchy neighbors etc etc...but this dream came completely out of the blue and ran me down like a truck!

Well I rarely have those dreams, and when I do, they are either prophetic in some way or they tell me a lot about my deepest fears or greatest hopes. I wont go into detail, but my dream this morning was a combination of something very good happening with something devastating. So I'll let you know if either or both happens! Preferably the good thing...

My Adventurous Weekend...

The city of Chicago with its unique skyscrapers. Taken from the John Hancock Centre 95th floor.

Having a BIG MARTINI at the hyatt...and lots of coffee ;)

Our view brunching at the John Hancock Centre on the 95th floor.

Having a HUGE steak at Gibsons

The John Hancock Centre is the one in the middle.

The Buckingham Memorial Fountain in front of the city skyline

The Chicago River is the only freshwater river that flows backwards!

Taking a water taxi downtown.

The city lies on the edge of Lake Michigan and there are 33 beaches to lazily waste your day on.

Just some of the photos we took...you get the picture!
xxx

A Whirlwind Weekender.

...and all that Jazz! Chicago was great, the people are friendly, the architecture is amazing and the skyscrapers impressive. And although I didn't get to drink cognac in a dark corner of a Jazz club, I did get to drink champagne while brunching on the 95th floor of the Hancock building with a perfect view of the city. We ate at Giordano's, Chicago's famous deep dish pizza place with cheese that stretches forever from the pizza to your mouth and is so deep you can only eat one slice. We ate the biggest Australian Lobster tail in history (and the most expenseive at around $90) and the most tender, juiciest Flintstone sized Steak that Gibsons is famous for, in a section known as the 'Viagra Triangle' (a triangular shaped (just like viagra) intersection bustling with nightlife, and infamous for old men out and about with their 'nieces'???). We walked along Lake Michigan and its city side beaches, and strolled through the Celtic Festival which was there this w/end. We strolled around in the Art Institute of Chicago and I shopped like a fiend on the Magnificent Mile. So now that I've eaten for a week, and my feet hurt from all the walking, not to mention an average of 4 hours sleep a night, I'm gonna put my feet up and catch up on some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz so photos to come later.
Life is good!

Ozchic_9 VS Jerry (The Mouse)

Damn cheeky mouse. Its like a Tom and Jerry cartoon here! I came home last night to find it sitting on the dining room chair just looking at me as if to say "you cant catch me, nah nah nah nah naaaah" and ran off like a rocket! Cute as the little guy is, I dont want him here but I dont want to poison him or have his little neck broken in a trap or his feet stuck to sticky paper! So I bought a 'live trap' with a trap door so the mouse goes in but cant get out, then you release it somewhere else. Well I think the people we invented these things are less intelligent than the mouse, coz he wont go in there despite different baits! It's a good excuse to get a kitten. If only I can convince the O-man of that...
Mouse 1. Ozchic_9 0.

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS.

...thats what Chicagoan architect Daniel Burnham said! We have decided to be spontaneous which scares me a little (hey I'm a typical Taurus OK!) but also excites me! We have just decided to fly to Chicago for the weekend. Why? Because we can! Because I have never been there! Because we need a getaway. Because I want to sit in a bluesy jazz club drinking smooth aged cognac in a dark corner...that's why...and I can't wait! Its supposedly the most American of American cities. But wait...I have nothing to wear, aaarrrghhh! Maybe some retail therapy in Chicago is called for...on the 'Magnificent mile' - one of the most famous shopping boulevards in the world (according to them...time will tell!)

So have a great w/end everyone...do something spontaneous!

Attack of the giant...

I consider myself a pretty calm, collected, tough chick. There are few things that can scare me, one is very very large cockroaches! I have had many late night run ins with different kinds and my least favourite are the Australian ones that are large and can fly because they fly TOWARDS YOU if you try to kill them! I cannot bring myself to squish them even, the crunch factor just makes my stomach turn. So I can understand this guy's reaction completely...made me laugh because I react the same way...lucky my O-man has big feet :)
cockroach link(fixed...I hope!)

CLUTTER BUSTERS

In a past blog "THERAPY" I mentioned clearing out clutter in my life. Saturday the O-man and I went through our entire wardrobe and did exactly that. We kept a tally of the clothes we eventually donated to the Red Cross. When we added up that tally...well I dont know if I was shocked or impressed. (disclaimer: the majority of the clothes were the O-man's ;)...really!)

63 T-shirts
52 shirts
32 sweaters
22 jeans
15 pants
9 scarves
6 winter jackets
6 shorts
5 pairs of shoes (We didn't go through the O-man's yet)
3 pairs of socks (we haven't gone through O-man's sock drawer yet!)
3 pairs gloves
2 blankets
2 bathrobes
2 skirts
2 handbags
1 PJ
1 winter ear/headband
1 winter hat
1 towel
1 poncho

...and a partridge in a pear tree!

So according to the book I am reading, (the pic is above) we have created space for new things to come into our lives and increased the "chi" in our home! We'll see what happens...
What are YOU hiding in the back of your closet?
How's your chi?

CRIKEY!

I woke up this am...O-man told me Steve Irwin (aka The Croc Hunter) had died.
I didn't believe him...I thought he was joking! After all I had just referred to him in my last post.
When I saw it on the internet...I cried! I loved this crazy guy! He wrestled crocodiles and caressed snakes and respected all of Australia's most poisonous and cuddly animals. He clearly adored his wife and 2 kids and was an international icon.
So full of life and love for people and the environment and a great ambassador for a true blue Aussie!
CRIKEY...the world has lost another great man. But he died with a smile on his face doing something he truly loved, and I can just hear him making a joke about the freakish accident as he took his last breath.
We will miss you Stevo...