a-rod is gonna beat roger federer.....oh well!
it's been a while - sorry 'bout that! still not that well - had a BAD experience at the specialist last week - came out not only frustrated, but upset and frankly, disappointed...suffice it to say, i will NOT be going back to see him again...
made a decision given his 'lack of care' that i would take matters into my own hands...don't worry it's not as dramatic as it might sound! i guess i am no longer happy to pay someone who not only doesn't seem interested in finding out what is wrong with me, but is rude and frankly unempathic...pity they don't put doctors through some sort of 'people' training - seriously, the guy behaved like a complete and utter dickhead and then had the hide to charge me $94 for 10 minutes which is 10 minutes i will never get back! there is a small part of me that is tempted to write a letter of complaint about him...
couple of his key quotes for the day: when i told him that i was getting desperate, and that my health issues were starting to impact my mental health he responded with 'well there's no point getting depressed Sarah'- really dickhead? you think so? and prior to that when he suggested trying taking my usual meds not only at night but also in the morning and i asked for how long he says 'well i don't have a crystal ball'...
seriously, is this what we want our doctors saying to people? i wonder if he's heard of empathy...guess not!
on a brighter note i have started having acupuncture again - figured it helped me resolve my sinus infection issues and i always felt relaxed following an hour of 'needle therapy' - have a new acupuncturist (my old one has had a baby and not yet returned to work) - she seems good - we got on well - she certainly demonstrated some care and concern for what i am experiencing...sooo we'll see how it all pans out!
mortgage rates look like they will come down again early next week - bring it on! even though we haven't won the lotto, each rate cut and petrol price fall means more money in my pocket...funny though, in my entire career, I have NEVER once considered job security...now that the economic outlook is not so positive and i am a little older and wiser, i have slowly become quite interested in what's going on...
and whilst i am not currently worrying about whether or not my role will be secure (in the medium term it may not be), i am comforted by the very generous retrenchment provisions that the FSU have negotiated! hard to believe i just wrote that as historically i have NEVER supported the way that unions behave, nor what they stand for...but right now, i am thankful that if my company do need to make my role redundant, that I will be well looked after! not as well as having a job indefinitely, but still, not bad!
i am heavily focussed on creating 'financial flexibility' and am on a bit of a mission to use 2009 as a year of financial consolidation and foundation building!
my health remains the key focus area, and as well as acupuncture i have also made an appointment to see my naturopath/homeopath next week...between him and Siegrid (the acupuncturist) i'm hopeful of some improvement in my health before i resort to seeing another specialist on 12th March...
otherwise, all good! work is not particularly challenging but i can now see a light at the end of the tunnel...
things with benny are fabulous! we continue to be very happy together and i am very grateful he found me! he's very much looking fwd to starting TAFE again next week and i am also looking forward to my studies continuing...with a view to finishing in May! OMG can you believe it? as May finishes and I complete my 140 hours of placement work, I'll be a qualified counsellor...bring it on!
gotta go - the a-rod needs my support...go andy!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
i'm getting desperate...
and not in the way you think!
see if you've been reading, then you will know that i have been plagued with 'stomach issues' since early November - actually it was late October, but i probably didn't start thinking it wasn't going to go away til Nov....
so now my spare time is consumed with googling to find ways to cure the various ailments i have been suffering! good news is that last wednesday i came across a very simple remedy for one of the issues (which in fact was what i thought was leading to the other issue), both of which had been kept at bay for well over a month taking medication that ultimately i would become dependant on...
so i started taking it wed night and by saturday morning i had noticed a difference - enough of a difference to stop the other medication...so now it's monday and i haven't gone back to the other medication, but the other problem (the one i thought was caused by the first problem which has kind of now gone) is now back...
and by back, i mean back wth a vengeance! now the scary thing is this: i have been medicated (using prescription meds) for this problem (actually it's reflux) for over 14 years and when the problems started in october, the sort of symptoms i had this morning were not there - they seem to have hit back, and hard :-(
so i've had a pretty miserable day...thankfully ben was there to make me tea this morning and kiss me goodbye, and he was here when i got home to hug and console me...
i was really hoping that between the prescription meds and the new stuff for the other problem that i would be ok - and in fact until this morning, i'd had 2 good days in a row - this is not something that has occurred frequently in the last few months...
imagine how disappointed i was then when on the train on the way to work i had the most excruciatingly painful burning sensation in the middle of my chest, coupled with an acrid, hot and horrible sensation in the back of my throat...
i wish i knew what was going on in my body - it is honestly becoming overwhelming and making me wonder if i'm ever going to get better and just live the sort of life i was living before...
sooo i am very hopeful that my 3rd trip to the gastroenterologist this wednesday will shed some light on this problem and by thursday i'll be on my way to good health!
please please please wish me luck and pray to whichever deity is yours that they work out what is going wrong with me, and have a quick and easy way of fixing it...
see if you've been reading, then you will know that i have been plagued with 'stomach issues' since early November - actually it was late October, but i probably didn't start thinking it wasn't going to go away til Nov....
so now my spare time is consumed with googling to find ways to cure the various ailments i have been suffering! good news is that last wednesday i came across a very simple remedy for one of the issues (which in fact was what i thought was leading to the other issue), both of which had been kept at bay for well over a month taking medication that ultimately i would become dependant on...
so i started taking it wed night and by saturday morning i had noticed a difference - enough of a difference to stop the other medication...so now it's monday and i haven't gone back to the other medication, but the other problem (the one i thought was caused by the first problem which has kind of now gone) is now back...
and by back, i mean back wth a vengeance! now the scary thing is this: i have been medicated (using prescription meds) for this problem (actually it's reflux) for over 14 years and when the problems started in october, the sort of symptoms i had this morning were not there - they seem to have hit back, and hard :-(
so i've had a pretty miserable day...thankfully ben was there to make me tea this morning and kiss me goodbye, and he was here when i got home to hug and console me...
i was really hoping that between the prescription meds and the new stuff for the other problem that i would be ok - and in fact until this morning, i'd had 2 good days in a row - this is not something that has occurred frequently in the last few months...
imagine how disappointed i was then when on the train on the way to work i had the most excruciatingly painful burning sensation in the middle of my chest, coupled with an acrid, hot and horrible sensation in the back of my throat...
i wish i knew what was going on in my body - it is honestly becoming overwhelming and making me wonder if i'm ever going to get better and just live the sort of life i was living before...
sooo i am very hopeful that my 3rd trip to the gastroenterologist this wednesday will shed some light on this problem and by thursday i'll be on my way to good health!
please please please wish me luck and pray to whichever deity is yours that they work out what is going wrong with me, and have a quick and easy way of fixing it...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
so i thought i had nothing to write about...
tonight! then i read the letter than barack obama wrote to his daughters!
if he lives up to his promises and to what he says he is passionate about, then i doubt anyone will disagree with me when i say that he will probably be the most influential and successful president in modern history...
this is a man with morals (and i hope i am not choking on this statement in years to come), with principles, with backbone and with a desire to really change things! and not just things that will benefit him, but all of those people he represents!
i am rarely moved by politicians - god knows, there is not much reason to be moved by any of those recently holding office, either here or further afield - but this is someone i like! not sure exactly what it is! i don't know much about his policies - i know a bit more about him (as i was fascinated to read about him) - i know a bit more about his humble beginnings...
what i do know is what i heard him say in his victory speech, and what he has written to his daughters: he loves his family, they are important to him, he loves america but is not deluded into thinking it can stand still, he is not arrogant in thinking that america will prosper by sitting back and letting things unfold - this is someone who wants to take things on with both hands, get those hands dirty and look back and reflect on a job well done....
i hope when he says 'yes we can' he's right! the world, not just america, has needed someone like him for a long time...
it's funny too as i write this - there hasn't been much penned about his race! well, not that i have read...for once it seems that people have looked past the superficial (not saying that race is superficial - on the contrary, but judging someone because of it is most certainly 'shallow' at best) and truly thought about the sort of country they want to live in....
oh how times are a changing!
if he lives up to his promises and to what he says he is passionate about, then i doubt anyone will disagree with me when i say that he will probably be the most influential and successful president in modern history...
this is a man with morals (and i hope i am not choking on this statement in years to come), with principles, with backbone and with a desire to really change things! and not just things that will benefit him, but all of those people he represents!
i am rarely moved by politicians - god knows, there is not much reason to be moved by any of those recently holding office, either here or further afield - but this is someone i like! not sure exactly what it is! i don't know much about his policies - i know a bit more about him (as i was fascinated to read about him) - i know a bit more about his humble beginnings...
what i do know is what i heard him say in his victory speech, and what he has written to his daughters: he loves his family, they are important to him, he loves america but is not deluded into thinking it can stand still, he is not arrogant in thinking that america will prosper by sitting back and letting things unfold - this is someone who wants to take things on with both hands, get those hands dirty and look back and reflect on a job well done....
i hope when he says 'yes we can' he's right! the world, not just america, has needed someone like him for a long time...
it's funny too as i write this - there hasn't been much penned about his race! well, not that i have read...for once it seems that people have looked past the superficial (not saying that race is superficial - on the contrary, but judging someone because of it is most certainly 'shallow' at best) and truly thought about the sort of country they want to live in....
oh how times are a changing!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
well it seems my 41st year is off to a fabulous start...
i had the loveliest birthday! starting with a 'happy birthday baby' when i woke up, a cup of tea in bed, a lazy morning with ben, my nephew calling me to wish me happy birthday and his trademark 'happy birthday to you' rendition, many many calls and texts from friends and family, lunch at home, hair do at 2pm, then back home to get dolled up and wait for one of my best friends and her sister to pick ben and i up.....
pick us up to take us to my party that is! we were chauffeur driven to the venue where i hosted a 'poker night'...it was fabulous, even if i do say so myself - and that's pretty good considering there were some minor bumps along the way that caused me some anxiety...all of which turned out to be wasted energy! when will i learn to just trust that things will go exactly as they should???
so nearly 40 of my nearest and dearest gathered to celebrate my 40th birthday - the food was great, my best friend was the official photographer for the night so we got just over 150 photos, most of which are great, the poker was loads of fun, despite me being accused of 'rigging' the result (my brother in law, Neil, won) and i got to see almost every one of my favourite people...
it was lovely for me to have so many people i care about and who have supported, influenced, encouraged me over the years to share my special day with! not the least of whom was ben - it has been a LONG time since i had someone special by my side for celebrations and it was lovely!
two of my very close friends (dr dave and uncle campbell) both commented on how happy i looked, and how ben had been good for me! they are right - he HAS and continues to be great for me and i'm a happier person with him at my side...thank you my ben xx
pick us up to take us to my party that is! we were chauffeur driven to the venue where i hosted a 'poker night'...it was fabulous, even if i do say so myself - and that's pretty good considering there were some minor bumps along the way that caused me some anxiety...all of which turned out to be wasted energy! when will i learn to just trust that things will go exactly as they should???
so nearly 40 of my nearest and dearest gathered to celebrate my 40th birthday - the food was great, my best friend was the official photographer for the night so we got just over 150 photos, most of which are great, the poker was loads of fun, despite me being accused of 'rigging' the result (my brother in law, Neil, won) and i got to see almost every one of my favourite people...
it was lovely for me to have so many people i care about and who have supported, influenced, encouraged me over the years to share my special day with! not the least of whom was ben - it has been a LONG time since i had someone special by my side for celebrations and it was lovely!
two of my very close friends (dr dave and uncle campbell) both commented on how happy i looked, and how ben had been good for me! they are right - he HAS and continues to be great for me and i'm a happier person with him at my side...thank you my ben xx
people who have heard about each other but never met finally got a chance to meet! everybody seemed to have a good time and the poker gave the night a common 'talking point', other than me of course!
so all i can say is this: if the remainder of my 40's is anything like the start has been, then i'm gonna love it! and thank you, thank you, thank you - to all of my loved ones who shared in my birthday celebrations, for being there, for the heartfelt words in the cards you gave me, for the shower of gifts that have made me feel very spoiled...
thank you all!
so all i can say is this: if the remainder of my 40's is anything like the start has been, then i'm gonna love it! and thank you, thank you, thank you - to all of my loved ones who shared in my birthday celebrations, for being there, for the heartfelt words in the cards you gave me, for the shower of gifts that have made me feel very spoiled...
thank you all!
Friday, January 9, 2009
last night in my '30's...
mmm yes tonight is my last night as a 30 something year old! part of me cannot quite believe that i will be 40 tomorrow...which when i was younger seemed old...guess that in itself is a sign of how times have changed!
40 is the new 30, or so i'm told! honestly i'm not sure i'd want to actually be 30 again, but to be 30 again knowing what i know now - sure!
so the difference between 30 and 40, for me anyway is:
40 is the new 30, or so i'm told! honestly i'm not sure i'd want to actually be 30 again, but to be 30 again knowing what i know now - sure!
so the difference between 30 and 40, for me anyway is:
- i no longer feel the need to prove myself to everyone, admittedly there are still a few hangers on but they are much fewer in number than they were 10 years ago;
- i am finally in the sort of relationship that i have wanted for so long - ben has become an integral part of my life and it's fabulous to be entering my 40's with a most special man by my side;
- i am no longer unsure about my work future! in less than one year i will retire from full time corporate life and pursue my dream;
- i know what i want to be when i grow up, although i reserve the right to remain childish on occasion;
- i spend much less time doing and far more time being;
- i am far more accepting, of myself and of others;
- i know the difference between empathy and sympathy;
- the relationships that i have with both family and friends have changed dramatically during the last 10 years - in those years i have lost some friends, gained some new ones and stregthened the bond of those who were there for the ride; and
- i understand what it is to be grateful and right now i am grateful! grateful for everything being just the way it is - i wouldn't change a thing...
soooo as i bid farewell to one decade and welcome in another, i do it with no regrets, knowing that whatever happened did so for a reason, and that whatever the universe has in store, will be just as it should be...
bye bye thirties....
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
sick...
sick again
sick of being sick
sick of not knowing what is wrong with me
sick of not feeling my best
anyway off that topic as it's getting very very boring!
congratulations to the safa's on a hard fought series - well done to graeme smith - for a man of only 27 he has certainly come into his own - no longer arrogant and immodest - he's a courageous and proud man and he's done wonders with the safa cricket team - good on him! i hope you enjoy this series win as much as many many cricket lovers enjoyed watching it and a good contest...
not much else to report today...did i mention i'm still sick!
sick of being sick
sick of not knowing what is wrong with me
sick of not feeling my best
anyway off that topic as it's getting very very boring!
congratulations to the safa's on a hard fought series - well done to graeme smith - for a man of only 27 he has certainly come into his own - no longer arrogant and immodest - he's a courageous and proud man and he's done wonders with the safa cricket team - good on him! i hope you enjoy this series win as much as many many cricket lovers enjoyed watching it and a good contest...
not much else to report today...did i mention i'm still sick!
Monday, January 5, 2009
my holiday is over...
at least for now...sob sob sob
i have soooooooo enjoyed a break from work. it's not like ben and i even had anything big planned, but i have really enjoyed just spending some time together without the humdrum of work to get in the way!
there are many positives though: this will be (all going well) my last full time year of corporate work...mid year i will be a qualified counsellor and as such, can start building my practice which will ultimately provide my total escape from the corporate treadmill...
that is of course unless work decides to let me do the job i want! so whilst the job i have right now is not the most exciting or stimulating, it does allow me the opportunity (with my bosses support) to develop my ideas whilst i am still being paid, and on the off chance it comes off then i will be what i consider to be the perfect job...
other good things for 2009 are this:
i have soooooooo enjoyed a break from work. it's not like ben and i even had anything big planned, but i have really enjoyed just spending some time together without the humdrum of work to get in the way!
there are many positives though: this will be (all going well) my last full time year of corporate work...mid year i will be a qualified counsellor and as such, can start building my practice which will ultimately provide my total escape from the corporate treadmill...
that is of course unless work decides to let me do the job i want! so whilst the job i have right now is not the most exciting or stimulating, it does allow me the opportunity (with my bosses support) to develop my ideas whilst i am still being paid, and on the off chance it comes off then i will be what i consider to be the perfect job...
other good things for 2009 are this:
- ben and i hope to buy our own house at some point
- which also means we can get a puppy...and maybe a cat if i can get over my allergy
- i'll start my masters in counselling
- i might also undertake a coaching course...still pondering the best approach here
- at the end of the year, all of the shares that work have previously awarded me as part of my bonus will be mine (well, all bar a small few) so i won't be 'handcuffed, golden or otherwise'...
- i will get to have 8 weeks off (work have this fabulous scheme where you can buy up to 4 weeks of additional leave...lovin' that) which means more time just hangin' out with my ben
- carlton's 2008 season leaves me thinking they will be very competitive in 2009 (which is a good thing as it's been 10 long years since they made a GF)
- i'll be 40 (how could i forget this...it's only 5 sleeps away) and i'm having a party with 39 of my favourite people to celebrate
so my short xmas/new year holiday may be over but there are many many things for me to a) be grateful for and b) to look forward to this year...so maybe just maybe the holiday isn't over, but just beginning?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
"a one dimensional cricketer"...
this is what ian chappell, who i have NEVER had much time for, said about jacques kallis! now I admit kallis is from south africa, a country we seem to have had (in cricket anyway) a love hate relationship with over the years, but that aside, to anyone who loves cricket and not just australian cricket, he is a bloody good cricketer...
nearly 10,000 runs (actually at the end of today's play he is only 17 shy, which will make him one of only 7 (if he makes it, he'll be the 7th!) to be in that elite club....
he's claimed 252 wickets (1 of which was yesterday) and he has taken 138 catches...
really this sort of success does not a one dimensional cricketer make!
so ian chappell if you are reading this, and i doubt you are, then you are an idiot...
ps you also made a comment on national tv the other day which was something like "it's not recommended to bowl wide" - may i prudently suggest that it is not jacques kallis's cricket that is one-dimensional, but your rather inane commentary!
nearly 10,000 runs (actually at the end of today's play he is only 17 shy, which will make him one of only 7 (if he makes it, he'll be the 7th!) to be in that elite club....
he's claimed 252 wickets (1 of which was yesterday) and he has taken 138 catches...
really this sort of success does not a one dimensional cricketer make!
so ian chappell if you are reading this, and i doubt you are, then you are an idiot...
ps you also made a comment on national tv the other day which was something like "it's not recommended to bowl wide" - may i prudently suggest that it is not jacques kallis's cricket that is one-dimensional, but your rather inane commentary!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
happy new year...
and we did in fact stay up late enough to 'see it in' properly! for the first time in years i had someone special to kiss at midnight - well worth the wait...
otherwise it was a reasonably low key evening, which has been followed by an equally low key day, mainly coz we didn't even get up til 11am...
tidied up the study, which i've been intending doing for ages! sorted out the music for my party - turns out my mp3 does in fact have a shuffle function - something i only discovered when i went onto google (gotta love google - in fact i wonder what i did before i discovered it...) and typed in the model number of my mp3 and shuffle function - turns out it has WAY more functions than i knew about - probably coz i didn't read the very abridged manual that came with it when i got it...
haven't yet been through my wardrobe - that might be a job for tomorrow or monday - altho tomorrow i am hellbent on going into town and scouring the two jb hifi shops for more dvd's to add to our already growing collection...
the study looks good! can see the floor - it looks way bigger than it has for months (xmas presents from about october onwards was a big reason that it looked like a bombsite) - it's clean - all the books i have bought in the last 5 months are no longer just thrown in piles - they now all have a home - there is even a shelf i have been able to clear for benny's growing pile of books! admittedly books are NOT one of his addictions but he is starting a collection...
i'm still wondering where to put my painting - oh yes, i haven't mentioned my painting! it's my 40th next week and my mum and dad decided to give me my gift whilst i was home at xmas - it's beautiful - it's an original acrylic painting done by a canberra based artist and i LOVE it - big risk buying art for someone as it's such a personal thing, but my mum was right in thinking i'd love it - i can't decide where to put it - obviously i want it somewhere i can see it, a lot!
did i mention that i love being on holidays? well, seriously, who doesn't? anyway, haven't been at work since 23rd dec (just a little over a week) but i feel good: happy, relaxed, content with pottering around my lovely little home and beginning to wonder if work would pay me not to turn up? guess it's out of the question which is why i was sure to remind benny to buy a ticket in this weekends $30m lotto draw - as i said to him on our walk yesterday, i would be happy with $300k - we don't need $30m, hell we don't even need $3m, and in reality we don't need $300k but it would help us fast forward to where we want to be this time next year...
and don't get me wrong, i am absolutely not wishing time away, just pondering how our circumstances may be a wee bit different if we had a windfall...
on that note...bonsoir xx
otherwise it was a reasonably low key evening, which has been followed by an equally low key day, mainly coz we didn't even get up til 11am...
tidied up the study, which i've been intending doing for ages! sorted out the music for my party - turns out my mp3 does in fact have a shuffle function - something i only discovered when i went onto google (gotta love google - in fact i wonder what i did before i discovered it...) and typed in the model number of my mp3 and shuffle function - turns out it has WAY more functions than i knew about - probably coz i didn't read the very abridged manual that came with it when i got it...
haven't yet been through my wardrobe - that might be a job for tomorrow or monday - altho tomorrow i am hellbent on going into town and scouring the two jb hifi shops for more dvd's to add to our already growing collection...
the study looks good! can see the floor - it looks way bigger than it has for months (xmas presents from about october onwards was a big reason that it looked like a bombsite) - it's clean - all the books i have bought in the last 5 months are no longer just thrown in piles - they now all have a home - there is even a shelf i have been able to clear for benny's growing pile of books! admittedly books are NOT one of his addictions but he is starting a collection...
i'm still wondering where to put my painting - oh yes, i haven't mentioned my painting! it's my 40th next week and my mum and dad decided to give me my gift whilst i was home at xmas - it's beautiful - it's an original acrylic painting done by a canberra based artist and i LOVE it - big risk buying art for someone as it's such a personal thing, but my mum was right in thinking i'd love it - i can't decide where to put it - obviously i want it somewhere i can see it, a lot!
did i mention that i love being on holidays? well, seriously, who doesn't? anyway, haven't been at work since 23rd dec (just a little over a week) but i feel good: happy, relaxed, content with pottering around my lovely little home and beginning to wonder if work would pay me not to turn up? guess it's out of the question which is why i was sure to remind benny to buy a ticket in this weekends $30m lotto draw - as i said to him on our walk yesterday, i would be happy with $300k - we don't need $30m, hell we don't even need $3m, and in reality we don't need $300k but it would help us fast forward to where we want to be this time next year...
and don't get me wrong, i am absolutely not wishing time away, just pondering how our circumstances may be a wee bit different if we had a windfall...
on that note...bonsoir xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
