Beat poetry time

Le Mini, c'est gone
Sad

The weekend that wasn't, but was in fact

All that griping about the storm of the decade, and what did we get? Rain. Pah! Rain is like, well, water off a duck's back to we Wellingtonians. Ah well, the decision was made, and we chose not to venture over the mountains to the Wairarapa, to avoid being blown off. As it transpired, the weekend was fabulous.

Saturday the shop was really busy. This puts a shop owner in a goooood mood. After shop close we got a whole lot of glitter, and made pictures with the kids, which had the double benefit of making us feel like good, attentive parents, and also really made us feel arty. It was glitter! The beauty of modern art is anything is legitimate, and my favourite artist happens to specialise in glitter.

Sunday was still pissing down, so we went to the pool. Take that nature! See, we like water. Foiled. And then we went to Te Papa for a bit of lunch and a bit of entertainment.

Today I took a long overdue trip to the nice ladies and Kirks, and got fitted for a BRA. Terrifying. In fact, they were lovely, and I would go back there in a heartbeat, unlike the Bendon shop at Queensgate. It took me 2 years to get over that particular horror.

I feel like I've had a holiday. Such is the relaxation of hanging with mah kiddies for a couple of days, nothing to do with the fact I am more comfortable in my underwear than I've been for years ;-)

Big swear words that I can't use now that I am a professional person

The weather! Man, I've organised a home for the dog, a lovely person to care for my customers, and a day off being a scientist for Glen, so that I could take the kids over to the Wairarapa for a holiday, and GALE FORCE WINDS. I knew it wouldn't be sunny, big fires are charming so that wasn't a worry, and our accommodation over there is pretty fabulous, but crap, I'm not driving over those mountains at the risk of being blown off.

Grouch grumble complain.

Things that piss me off #1

Crappy kitchen appliances I keep buying because they look "good".

Exhibit A



My very attractive, very wussy, Kenwood red mixer.

I bought it because it is a) Kenwood, a good brand for mixers and b) red!

Sadly I neglected to go for a decent, grunty machine, and consequently I never use it. The same could be said for numerous blenders and food processors I have owned.

The bloke I live with, on the other hand, had me scandalised by buying a $700 vacuum cleaner when we first got together (tip to the young mens: spend lots of money on random things, the ladies will thing you're rolling in it). Thirteen years later that vacuum cleaner is still going strong, unlike the four blenders I've turfed.

Sigh.

Free thinking? Spontaneous thoughts?

What is that thing, free association? Word association? Whatever it is, it is here tonight.

I believe I may have once mentioned my belief that at one time Jimmy Barnes was hot, tonight I did a little more research, and uncovered the fact that indeed, it was only one time. I scoped out a video from a year prior, and his ears stuck out! Not that there is a problem with that, but in the Cheap Wine video, they don't. Jimmy Barnes was vain! And by the mid 80s he'd turned into the man I thought he was (before finding out he is hot). In a roundabout, free association (or whatever) way, this makes me want botox.

I had my first moment of really enjoying being pregnant today. It was a bit shortlived, because my underwire broke and my pantihose kept falling down, and it distracted me from too much bliss (thanks to Miss Hubris, who advised me on a simple repair for the underwire situation), but I noted the moment of bliss, and intend to replicate it tomorrow, with decent underwear.

I'm reading a book, first time in yonks, I got 4 pages in and had to check my emails. Computers have ruined me for culture.

Now I will resume reading. Mr de Bernieres better be better than twitter.

Ohmigod, check out the poems in the comments from the previous post, and add your own. In fact, I'm going to do a bad poem meme, either right now (you're tagged), or a bit later when I'm organised, but why not go for it now? Shape poems win extra points.

Best torture ever

There was a brief clip on a preview for 60 Minutes about how one of Saddam Hussein's captors had to endure his poetry. I want a job as a torturer who recites bad poetry! I'd love it.

The sky is blue
you are not
there is a town
yonder

and a corner
with a mouse
and a cat
fancy that

honestly, I could go for frigging weeks. I suspect Saddam Hussein knew exactly what he was doing making this bloke listen to his endless poems.

Wellingtonista post

The magnificent Petone Winter Carnival has been postponed until tomorrow night, which is lucky, since I forgot to mention it is on until today. It really is worth a visit, and great for kids. Unlike the Guy Fawkes display, the fireworks kick off at a very civilised hour, 7.30pm. Prior to that there are heaps of activities along the Esplanade to keep everyone in the family entertained. For those with a perverse desire to feel extremely uncomfortable, there is a polar plunge at 2.30pm, it is for a good cause (Wesley Community Action), so if this floats your boat, get nekkid! Actually, nekkid isn't really part of the programme, but I'm all for initiating fun.

And while you're out here, grab a bite to eat. There are masses of excellent establishments, my favourite at the moment is the magnificent Gusto, and if you go, I recommend the steak. Mmmm steak.

Bullet

• Perhaps I'd be in Sydney for the Pope if it weren't for a couple of small factors (youth? Catholic?), otherwise I'm sure the Pope would be totally up for meeting me.
• Craft, I tried really hard to do a collage with the kids yesterday, although I was going to call mine something like a "storyboard" or "inspiration board", so as not to sound like a 6 year old. Mine was rubbish though, Finn totally showed me up.
• There is a new mini-wall at our shop, we believe it adds a certain je ne sais quoi.
• I've been in my pyjamas since I got pyjama envy getting the kids ready for bed at 6.30. It is all downhill from here.

Two!

Babylicious began about 6 years ago, and about two years ago the first website went live. Mr Onemomentcaller designed it, and we were as freaking proud as punch. I've taken a moment to trawl through my archives to find the start(ish) date, and a couple of things strike me:
I was much, much drunker back then and
I thought I was busy, what with 2 kids and a small business and all. 4 businesses later, and another kid on the way, and all that drunken, not too busy-ness seems vaguely crazy.
I aspire to be crazy.

Happy birthday Babylicious website! You've made me happy and tired and busy and more interesting, and less amusing and less drunk, but I love you.

Now, start making me my fortune.

Fail

Blaaaaaaaaah. There goes my attempt at daily blogging, lost in a sea of work, ill child, houseguest... I'm fully lacking brain power or space to write legibly or interestingly, so I shall dispense with such niceties altogether.

A Pollyanna list will have to do the trick, and drag me out of this blah:

I'm glad we have Moore Wilson's, food is good, especially the olive oil we got today.
I'm glad I have my house to myself again.
I'm glad I had people look after the shop for me this weekend, and they were brilliant.
I'm glad Finn took the cancellation of his party so well, poor sick kid.
I'm glad lots of work means growth.
I'm glad I'm 17 weeks pregnant now, and don't need to feel like I should be able to suck my gut in.
I'm glad it is school holidays and I get to hang with my boys.
OMG I'm glad I remembered there is a packet of party mix lollies in the cupboard.

Wuss

I'm feeling a leetle bit soppy tonight. 6 years ago I was sitting in hospital, in a room surrounded by young, pregnant Polynesian girls who were puking their guts out, waiting for a diabolical drug to start softening my cervix. 24 hours later my wee boy was hauled out of me with a vacuum cleaner, and then wrenched away from me to go and be probed and have a shitty needle stuck in his hand. Fair to say that it was really a horrible experience, that ended up being incredibly fabulous.

Six years seems more significant than 5. At 5 he was really still a baby, now he is big and strong and rolls his eyes at me because I am a dork. He is clever and helpful and sometimes tells me he loves what I'm wearing.

I hope he continues to grow and thrive, and I hope he is always the same.

4 things

School holidays are here.
I am knackered.
I am skiving off to bed now.
Consequence: no worthwhile blogging.

Aren't you pleased you stopped by?

Pretty Pretty Pretty

Pretty Pretty Pretty is a very wonderful new blog about womanly things (although not about periods and childbirth, but I felt writing girly wasn't a particularly good word. Plus my brain is prettyprettypretty much a bowl of pad thai at this minute). It is about feeling and looking great, and I think Jo and Amy are doing a fabulous job with it. I see it going a long way.

And today I'm there! Check me out, it has a picture and everything.

Bloody kids

Having children ruins you in ways you can never anticipate. With each child I become softer and wussier, and not only my body. The weather is rubbish, so I decide to watch the Bee Movie with the kids, and at the end I CRIED. AT BEES. Little stinging bastards, when they made that flower, my eyes welled up.

Bee Movie stars Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger. They shouldn't be making me cry. I daren't watch The Simpsons in case Homer strangles Bart or something, the angst would kill me.

Mad Men

Watching Mad Men on the telly, and I quite like a lot about the '60s, primarily decor, but tonight's episode also introduces the fact that pregnant ladies wear gorgeous smocks and drink mint juleps and smoke like chimneys. Sounds bloody civilised.

Rumour has it...

...that Wanda Harland was an anagram of something rude. What do you think?

Things that make me go ahhhh

• School holidays, I love them. I hate all the rushing around palaver in the morning, and I much rather have my baby at home with me (although he is 6 next week, so possibly should stop calling him a baby AS IF)
• Bringing back the "AS IF"
• Project Runway, I know it is an old series, but I love it.
• Lovely Susan bringing me in a surprise packet of afghans from Arobake. Yum!
• 2 hours of sunshine this morning.
• Our house is still tidy after a whole week. We could be entering a new era.
• The shop has been renovated for a week, and we have had approximately 7863979 people ask how long we've been here. Hence, the added 2 metres has made it like a completely new shop.
• I said "hence".
• Twitter, I like Twitter, it is somewhere I can be unprofessional.
• 15 weeks pregnant! And huge! I'm excited about this baby.

Dooce-ing it baby

My lovely lamp
Originally uploaded by Wanda Harland

This is the lamp I have been searching for forever, and then one day I found it IN MY SHOP. Imagine my surprise.

That is all.

The Plan

My latest plan for wealth has involved a serious commitment to Mylotto, Lotto online. For the first 2 weeks I won about $34, which has enabled me to continue buying tickets, until tonight. Tonight I won a ticket for next week, so hope still lives on.

I vividly recall a few months ago thinking how happy and content I was, and Lotto wouldn't have made much difference, but this baby scenario has me dreaming of a big house and a Homermobile to transport us all about. I'm dreaming of holidays, but I think that is a natural response to the rubbish weather and beginning of the month orders. Perhaps I'll make myself a virgin Pina Colada and recline in front of the gas fire. Or better still, finish my work, have a cuppa and crawl into bed. Hmmmmm, that sounds pretty peachy.

Kick up the arse time

Time for another month o' blogging. I will do a daily post, most will be rubbish, but regular readers will be accustomed to this. The new layout of the shop actually provides for better internet-time-wastage, something to do with feng shui, and the way you hold your elbow.

Chin chin! By the way, don't say "chin chin" in Japan, it is another way of referring to the third leg in Mini-Me's not-tripod. Now try not to say chin chin when you're there, I found it impossible.

Wanda Harland; fully educational since 2005.