Power Ballads are for co-dependents

My guilty pleasure is false nails.  Yup, I love ‘em.  I love the elegance, the colours,  and I love an hour to myself once a month to play ladies.

I was in my favourite nail spa recently, watching the awesome old 80’s videos on a continual MTV loop, listening to Richard Marx pining his unrequited love, late at night alone in a hotel, in a colour-less, black and white montage, faithfully promising that he will be right here waiting for her.

I wonder now if Richard Marx is still right there waiting for her or did he move on and get a life?  Is Cher still wanting to turn back time or has she realised that she should live in the present moment?  Does Foreigner even know what love is yet?

And right there in the nail salon, it dawned on me.  

Power Ballads are for Codependents.  

I spent my teens watching Richard Marx, and crazily obsessing over some poor unwitting object of my codependent obsession.

I went into my 20's with Bridget Jones, watching movie re-runs in my pyjamas, singing by myself into my wine glass.  Fortified by a good drop of red, I believed that I could wish and hope and pray Colin Firth into my very own living room.

Of course by my thirties, I was getting more up close and personal with the likes of Dr Phil and Oprah.  I was realising I was possibly, slightly, maybe more than a little broken.



I’ve grown up now though.  I’ve read more than a few spiritual and self-help books, so I think I'd like to spent my 40's working on a mature, mutually respectful, communicative and honest relationship.
  
Disney.  You and me.  We need to talk.  

Signed, the ever-loving and the ever-learning,

Brish.

xo

I wish I got photos...

...because we went on the most awesome road trip today to visit my lovely friend Lady R who has moved down past Murwillumbah.  That's right, packed up bright and early on a Sunday morning and we were on the road by 7:00am, in time to share the roads with the riders from the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride.  Tried to get Son C to grab a photo, but every time we caught a glimpse of them, he wasn't quick enough to grab out the phone.

Aside from spending time with my friend Lady R (who also brought the wonders of kinesiology into my life, but that's another story), we popped back to Uki as the markets were on today and the busy town was alive with locals and visitors alike.  I lluurrvveee to devour old book stalls, and found a copy of the Law of Attraction, and couldn't walk past a plate of felafels and hommus for lunch.  Mmmm... that will make up for the Golden Arches breakfast I bribed Son C with to get him up early. ;-)

Then it was over to Nimbin to see the sights.  It's not my world, but I love the little stores cluttered with crystals, and incense, and stones and jewellery and all sorts of other natural products.  I didn't buy anything, but I really do always want to burn incense around the house.  I find that when it burns to the end (worse with the incense cones, but with the sticks also), it just gets a nasty acrid odour, that I don't find pleasant.  Any answers?

A hasty goodbye was made and we readied ourselves for the long drive home.  Son C had a great time, away from screens and games and headphones.  It was nice to spend time with him for awhile before his head delves back into TeenageDom.

Am feelin the love.  Night all!  *mwah*

Be Yourself

My Fortieth in Style

So, it would appear that I am, gulp, turning the Big 4.0 next year.  Sssshh, don't tell anyone, it's a seecrud!! ;-)

I went for lunch with my boss a few weeks ago and laughingly told him that I was going to celebrate for a whole year.  He laughed, we all moved on, but I got to thinking....

Why not?  I'm only going to turn 4.0 once, I may as well do it in extravagant style.

So, I'm planning an event every Saturday night for a year.  And this is where I need your help!!  I need ideas!  What do adults do on Saturday nights?  I've planned a cruise, maybe a trip to New Zealand, a bumper bowling weekend, the speedway.  Of course, on my actual birthday, I'll be bringing in the sunset on a hot air balloon ride.

What else can I do for my birthdays?  Any ideas?

Much love!! :-)

Baby, we were born to run

I was watching Bruce Springsteen on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago, and really listened to the lyrics of his song "Baby we were born to run."

A story of the young working class rebelling against the 'runaway American dream."  Tramps like them had an inherit right to and were born to run.  They will likely grow up into respectable young working class families, with good values and an understanding of their own children's needs to rebel.  They will become soccer moms or coaching Dads.  There might be a few more tattoos and piercings, and their careers might have taken a sideways turn, but they will make it through.

And so I look at my own daughter and realise it is no different to what my Miss M is going through.  She has taken a sideways turn.  She is defending her right to run.  But there will come a time when she will try to slip herself back into the society that I mandate she conform to, the society that we currently live in.  There will be a few faded tattoos and a few piercing scars, but she is a good, strong young woman and the values that she has grown up with are still there and they are still shining through.

None of this is of any help to anyone who is currently going through this, and it wouldn't have helped me when we entered this trajectory four years ago.  It is overwhelming.  It is scary.  I was terrified that it was a permanent condition, or that it could possibly get worse.  Of course, for some, it will, but our story stopped at a mere rebellion against education and conformity.

But my Miss M is on her road to recovery.  Luckily her rebellion drew a line that she didn't cross.  Nothing that she can't come back from.  And, if I'm to be honest, probably not a lot different to where I was 20 years ago.

Above all else though, we still like each other. :-)

Love you, Miss M!! xo

An Idle Threat

Oh dear.  I made an idle threat last week.  Thursday, to be exact.  Son C has acquired himself a new ipod, and on Thursday morning we drove to school in silence as he plugged his ears into the ipod and drowned out the world.  I finally said to him that if he was going to do that, he may as well catch the bus to school, there was no benefit to us to continue this routine.

A completely empty and idle threat.  Son C has a healthy fear of public transport and could only manage one new routine at a time, so making his way home at the beginning of the year was all he could do.  I felt totally comfortable making this threat because I had no intention of giving up the cute little routines and games that we play each day.

Like driving through the Suburb of my Dreams.  Like guessing how many guests will be standing outside the courthouse and Guess Their Offences.  Or Guess the Grade of the Highschooler.  Or stopping at the bakery for breakfast.

I am a creature of routine and I cherish the habits we have created.  Just the two of us.

Until Friday morning when he awoke, asked what time the bus arrived, and made his independent way to school.

I cried the whole way to work. :-(

I thought I would have it a lot longer than I did.  I knew the time was going to come, but I thought I had a few more years.  The saving grace in this of course is that, in two years, he will have a learners permit and be more than keen to drive to school with me. :-)

This is all perfectly normal, appropriate, healthy development.  The only thing unhealthy is my reaction.  So, I shall embrace the new, I shall look forward to a time when there are no children at home and I am free to pursue my passions in life.

If I can remember what they are. :-(

It's gonna get harder

Can't Talk. Busy Camping.

Yup, school holidays were here and there must be camping.  Son C piked out, him being of that 13-year-old boy variety, so it was just my Mum, Miss M, her boyfriend Chris and I.

It was a great couple of days, I got to talk to my Mum a lot about plants (i.e. the Perpetual Bonsai Experiment) and she got to whinge about my Dad and brother.

We camped down on the southside of Brisbane, my uncle has property down there - it was the family farm that he inherited.  We fished, cooked, walked and generally relaxed.  I'm sure you're dying to know if I caught anything, and yes, I caught a tree three times. :-)

We really love camping - having all joined Scouts for many years, you kind of have to like it in that environment!!  It's an inexpensive way to get the kids outdoors and away from the computer, the family together, and cook and relax around an open fire.  And who doesn't love a fire?

Of course, it's expensive to establish yourself at first.  We've been lucky to go camping with friends until we started going on our own, so I knew what equipment I wanted, and I just made do with stuff, and purchased piece by piece until we are now fairly self-sufficient.  I've even developed a Master Camping List so that I can grab everything in a few minutes if we decided to do a spur of the moment trip.

I have a favourite camping ground down at Aratula, south-west of Brisbane.  Do you camp?  And where are your favourite spots?

Bon-sai

If you're a child of the 80's, you are hearing Mr Miyagi crying this out in his drunken woes.

But I'm a grown up now and have always loved bonsai.  I've bought many books on the subject.  I've attended classes on the subject.  I've dragged poor old Son C out on a public holiday to view showings of the subject.

I've also killed every actual plant I've ever owned.

A couple of years ago, my Mum finally bought me the bonsai plant I couldn't kill.

A plastic one.

I left it on the BBQ.  It disintegrated in the sun.

I killed the un-killable bonsai plant.

So, with spring in the air, amid a rush of gorgeous weather and new season growth, I took up the hobby again on the weekend.

I'll keep you posted how this goes.... I can already hear my mother laughing.

Goodnight, all!!

Linking up with the fabulous Jess for #IBOT