Sunday update

So here I am, all of a sudden; end of my Summer holidays. Tomorrow I'm back to work. After weeks of progressively later and later nights and longer and longer sleep ins, I need to drag myself up and out to work in the morning.

I think I'm typed that last sentence for my own benefit so I remember to actually do it.

Good Reads 2015 Book Challenge

I've signed up to read 24 books this year. My son Simon says I'm crazy, and that I should've gone for 12 because that was more achievable. My counter-argument is that I never finish anything so I could say any number, and I wouldn't achieve the goal. 

Off to a great start though, with the completion of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn which I enjoyed well enough. Afterwards I took a look online for reviews and blogs about the novel, and saw that there are some pretty avid (rabid?) Gone Girl fans. I wouldn't rave about the book but it's a good summer read.

How's *that* for a review?

So for my Good Reads Book Challenge I'm going to alternate between fiction and non-fiction. With that in mind, I'm about to start Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg.

The January Cure

Apartment Therapy website has an online/email "clean along" for January. I worked my first email task today: Floors and Flowers. Sounds nice doesn't it? until you realise that "floors" means "clean all the floors in your house". 

"All the floors" is a lot of floors.

I did it but it wasn't pretty. I have a hate/hate relationship with vacuuming in ordinary circumstances, but throw in a Kirby vacuum machine as my only option and you've got one grumpy, pink faced, perspiring grump-fest crawling 'round every nook and cranny, hovering where no man's ever gone before. But I did it, and the floors look good. That's the trouble with vacuuming and sweeping, the results are so satisfying and worthwhile.

The flowers part was easy enough because my rose bush is exploding with pinkly scented blooms that are cherry on the dining room table and I hope tomorrow's task is a little less strenuous.

Sketchbook Skool

The other course I signed up for to kick the year off was Sketchbook Skool - a six week online course to introduce sketching into my day. 

Again: started - so that's good - making a point of *actually* doing all the parts of the course, and not just skipping forward to the 'good bits' of drawing. 

This week we've been asked to document our week with drawings so that'll give me something to think about as I ease back into my work life from tomorrow.

Now that's you all caught up. I hope your holidays go on much longer than mine - but if you're like me and back to the grind tomorrow, take it easy, and I hope everyone is nice to you.

Associated links:

• 2015 Book Challenge (Good Reads)
• Gone Girl (Amazon)
• Lean In (leanin.org)
• The January Cure (Apartment Therapy)
• Sketchbook Skool (Online course)

Sunday Update

Seems an update on a Sunday is all my brain can manage at the moment. Work is challenging and good, and taking all my attention - as usual. Going to work harder on separating my day job from my after job life.

Maybe that's my goal for 2012 - getting some decent work/life balance, as they call it. I bet my attitude is tied to my complete lack of create activities. I think about drawing a lot; I buy piles of sketch books, handsful of pencils and paints; consider the processes involved in screen printing fabric almost daily; but I'm not actually doing anything. As Merlin Mann says, there comes a point where you just have to *do* and I'm all rutified and not "doing" any of these things.

I really need to remember who it is I am and get on with being me. Remember her, Michelle? the creative, interesting one? Pretty sure this working version is only a small facet, cos man, how depressing would it be if it was completely who I am?

The Wrong Guy by the Right Guy

I've had a crush on John Siracusa for some time now but lately after listening to his 5by5.tv Hypercritical Episode 42: The Wrong Guy I have fallen head over heals for this podcast. When John hits full flight on things he cares about, he's an absolute delight. Oh to be such a critical, quick-witted thinker! His knowledge, obssessions, irks and passions have become such a huge part of my commute on work-day mornings. I listen to both Hypercritial and The Incomparible - another podcast he sometimes appears on - the latest Empire Strikes Back sessions are wonderful.

In this The Wrong Guy episode John talks about his disappointment with the biography Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson. John is singularly annoyed with the job Isaacson has done, especially given the exclusive access he had to Steve Jobs. John doesn't believe Isaacson is a very good interviwer and didn't dig into important details with Jobs so as to reveal more of this man's personality and motivation. That, along with Isaacson's editorialising, apparent lack of quality research and inaccuracies, really has become a beautiful bee in Siracusa's bonnet.

Kitchen Update

We're still waiting for the benchtops to arrive and be fitted. They said it would take a couple of weeks, so here's hoping they'll arrive this week being that it is now, well and truly, a couple of weeks.

It's a bit like camping around here with a bucket for the dishes, extension cords and junction boxes powering the toaster and coffee machine. It's been okay for a while but it's starting to wear a bit thin. Mostly because the camping attitude has cascaded through to a lackadaisical (completely on my part) approach to dusting, hoovering etc. Our meals are all a bit fast and furious - tending to lean heavily on toasted sandwiches, salads and other lo-fi affairs.

Now I think about it a bit more, I'm ready for Jamie Oliver's recipes to take centre-stage again in the kitchen inspired by his 30 Minute Meals show. It's going to be fantastic when it's all done, the sink is in, the benchtops on, the dishwasher hooked up, the gas hob and oven all wired in.

Fingers crossed it's this week folks for the benchtops and then the sparky powering up the appliances very soon afterwards.

Saff's Cafe, Castlemaine

On Saturday we decided to go out for breakfast. Cereal is okay for a while but both Willo and I need a cooked soluiton every once and a while.

After a few work things cropped up, we lost the morning and it wasn't until about 1pm we got into the truck and made our way into Castlemaine. It was a wet old day, and by the looks of the creeks and gutters, Castlemaine had had a lot more water than we'd experienced out at Newstead.

We actually don't eat out much here at all. After living in the city for years, close to cafes and restaurants, I would have thought our habits would have had us discovering all the best eateries in the area but no; we mostly prefer to eat at home. The kitchen's incompleteness has seen us looking to other ways to get some breakfast eggs.

Saff's Cafe in Castlemaine is bigger than it appears. It's a cosy place. Even when it's quite busy there's somewhere to sit. We ordered our eggs - Willo had savoury scramble eggs, and I had a bacon, lettuce, egg, avocado and tomato sandwich.

It was unbelievable delicous and the perfect size. We both finished at the same time, washing everything down with bloody marys - what a perfect breakfast.

I declare there is nothing wrong with Saff's Cafe, and if you're ever in town, drop in for food. They have great looking cakes, good coffee and an extensive and varied menu.

Publc Inn, Castlemaine

After our breakfast, we were joined by some friends. We needed a place to wait for an hour and a half as other friends were coming up from Melbourne. We decided to try the new (ish - been there about a year, I think) Public Inn a block down the road.

Rumour has it that the new owners had spent a pile of cash rennovating this old bar. It was now a restaurant and bar.

We stayed for a few rounds, sitting outside under the awning that kept most of the rain from us. I watched people walk in and walk out. Mostly the Public Inn was empty - and it doesn't surprise me. Apart from the unwelcoming feel of it, it's just too pretentious for Castlemaine. Maybe it's super busy later in the evening but we were there for a couple of hours in the late afternoon/early evening and they couldn't capture any of the customers who popped in to take a look.

Castlemaine does need a couple of good bars, and it looks like the Public Inn has really tried - certainly spent some serious coin on the joint. But it's far too City-slickers, and not enough country-wholesome. Know your audience, I say. Country peeps are friendly - I didn't find the Public Inn welcoming enough to give it a second try. A smile goes a long way.

Gorgeous visitors loving the Lego movie

Sunday Update

Kitchen Rennovations

The beavers have been beavering away all week, and now there are so many cupboards in the kitchen, we don't know what to do with them all!

There is a wait now, of a couple of weeks, for the stone benches to be meausred, cut and installed. It's a bit like camping around here with the electic jug and toaster sitting on the hearth, and plugged in to the socket close by. We are simple peoples, though, and all is good until the kitchen is fully functional.

The bathroom's being done too - didn't get any 'before' photos though (doh) but Willo's doing a fantastic job, and I'll share the photos when that's done.

Day-job

I've changed jobs. It wasn't my idea, but I'm glad it happened. I miss seeing some of my colleagues every day, but have learned the lesson that the bullet you can't dodge, just might be the one that saves your life.

Reassessing Priorities

Because of the unexpected change to how I spend my days, some of my plans have needed to be put on hold. NaNoWriMo for instance, has had to be deferred. I can't see myself finding the brain space for it this year on a deliberate level, as opposed from signing up and procrastinating the entire month away as I usually do!

I have a few online courses I'm doing, including the 26 Things meme which have been put on hold for a couple of months, along with the screen printing I mentioned in the last update. The logistics and creative work just has no room in my brain while I'm ramping up my new job, tasks and skills.

While I'm a little disappointed in a few things, I'm being realistic about what I can do, and trying to go easy on myself when setting personal expectations: even though I need to be, and have been, reminded that they still remain higher than they need to be.

Fixing some of the things that are wrong around here will still be done, but have been pushed back a few weeks to compensate for the lack of brain space.

Webstock 2012

Every now and then, I get this bubble of excitement. It rumbles up and pops out with the sparkling realisation that I'm going to Webstock again next year.

Webstock is a - I hesitate to call it a conference - gathering of smart people for smart people, and made with love. It's held in Wellington in February each year. In the few days before the event, there are a number of workshops available and I've signed up for three: CSS: Knowledgable TO Ninja, with Estelle Weyl; Content Stategy in (your) Real World with Erin Kissane; and Presenting Naked (with or without visuals) with Garr Reynolds.

One might suggest that I'm peaking too early, but I can't help it. I know how great this event is. How inspiring, informative, intelligent. It is such a great week for me - the last two years I have come away so energised and affirmed that I am totally on the right track in my life. This Webstock will be even better because it will coincide with another big transition for me - but more on that closer to the date.

Bendigo Swap Meet

Uncharacteristically awake, I answered my phone to Willo at 8:30am Saturday morning. He'd got up early and made the trip to the Bendigo Swap Meet to man the Chopped stall with Ryan.

"How do you fancy a trip to Bendigo today?" he asked.

Bendigo's about a 45 minute Mini drive away. It was a beautiful day, and I had been considering going to see what it was all about, but after a full on four days at my new job, I felt like I just wanted to stay home and zone out.

"Nah." I said, "I'm good."

"No," Willo said, "you do."

"I do?"

"Yeh, you really do." he pushed.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, still sure I wasn't going anywhere.

"Because I left the fliers on the kitchen table and I need you to bring them with you!"

Can't argue with a good reason to go to the Bendigo Swap Meet I decided. So I washed, and brushed, and dressed and jumped into the Mini for the drive. The Swap Meet was mentioned continously on the radio all the way there. I had no idea it was such a big deal - 20,000 people were expected through the gates, they said - and when I got there to find a car park, I was pretty sure all 20,000 had arrived at the same time!

It was an amazing day. As usual, Willo knows what it is I need. After dropping the fliers off to the boys at their stall, I dawdled around the huge showgrounds, looking at all the stalls and their wares. It was crazy big!

Of course I wasn't dressed for the 28 degrees Celcius, so needed to buy a hat, and utilised some of the complimentary sun screen to stop from turning into crispy bacon as the day heated up.

The Swap Meet used to be all about car and machinery parts, now it seems there is enough diversity for everyone. It's sort of like a huge communal garage sale. Lots of stalls selling one man's junk to another man's treasure. I came away with a couple of china saucers that looked very 1930ish and will make lovely small portion dessert dishes. I also picked up a lovely round cut crystal glass box which will be just as lovely on my dressing table as it would be on the dining table for relish.

Besides all that, I got lots of fresh air and sunshine, which was perfect.