JustAnne.

I am SO Excited!

And I simply cannot hide it. My cat is faaaaaaammmmmmmoooooooooouuuuuuuuuuussssssssssssssss!

Clearly the incredibly articulate (and incredibly booze fueled) email submission to Chris (of world renowned kitty cat blog, Cute With Chris) paid off. And to think, only today I was feeling mildly abashed about the whole thing. It was the same night I wrote that post on Younger Men.

Meanwhile, I could totally do with some YM action this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze something in between the almost outrageous quantity of Bollywood dancing I will be doing. It is taking over my life. Performance on Saturday night (at the Gold Coast), rehearsal Sunday and two, I repeat, two Indian weddings next weekend. And while I am incredibly excited about attending my first Indian wedding, I remain concerned that I will not have the time or energy required to find myself some hot young man flesh. Life can be so difficult at times. 

But at least my cat is famous. :)

A Ha!!

I feel so vindicated. I have just read the following tidbit . . .

"Fitness fanatics reach orgasm more easily and more often, according to research by Harvard University. Studies reveal that the sex life of a female swimminer in her forties is similar to that of a 20-year-old woman, since extra blood-flow to her vagina makes her feel like "sexy time"."

Unless you over do it and find yourself hobbling around town like an old grandma. Note to Self: Starting a new weights program the day before starting a new Pilates program: not okay.

Why I needed a man to see Star Trek with.**

A man would have been way more likely to appreciate and share all of the intensely geeky moments I had during this most spectacular of films.  

Unable to source a man to escort me to the film (and look, to be fair, I probably could have tried a little harder), I saw it by myself tonight while I bunkered down for a few hours to avoid the horrific traffic courtesy of the Brisbane Floods. Don't get me wrong, I really love seeing movies on my own. I can sprawl all over the seats and express my emotions freely. But these sorts of geek-fest films really are good to share with others - it's mildly embarrassing walking out of a major cinema complex squealing all by yourself. All I can say is thank God for Twitter, which provided me with an instant outlet for my excitement. Still, I felt a bit remiss when I noted that all the other female patrons (all two of them) were at the film with their man-nerds. What happened to my man-nerds? I am sure I used to have a couple of them stashed away, where are they in my moment of geek-need? Sigh.

Oh, and can I just say that had a nice single man escorted me to this film, they would currently be reaping the benefits of the Captain James T. Kirk Effect. That man, he just does things to me. I can't believe I have lusty feelings towards a character that was once played by William Shatner, but Oh. My. God. I think he may be my new fantasy man.

Oh! And here is a wonderful clip that I meant to share last week, but now is probably an appropriate time to share.

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

**And look, it is not often that admit I need a man for anything. But none of my fabulous female friends really get my geek thang. Some of them do, but you know, not in the same way. 

A Note on Birthdays.

Well, for the next few minutes, today marks the beginning of the 26th year of my existence on this planet. And might I say it has been a bloody corker of a day. I slept in, I dozed, I got up, I got sushi, then got a manicure/pedicure, followed by some dozing, then a swim, I played some nintendo, and finally had a bath. The only thing that could have made the day perfect would have been some shopping. But between all of the dozing and the pampering, there just was not the time. 

I feel so wonderfully relaxed and cleansed that I think I will start my new year as of today.

I love birthdays. But then, I love celebrating. And Birthdays are the one time of year where everything gets to be about you and no-one can snidely refer to you as an egotist. At least not without incurring the wrath of your nearest and dearest. This year I find myself celebrating myself for about a week. Weeklong birthdays are all well and good, but I must say that the end of it all I am very pleased to hand the torch to the next January babe. I guess my modesty does kick in at a certain point. 

It's a bit of a shame really, that we only get to celebrate ourselves once a year. Surely we should be celebrating ourselves and others every day. Or at least every second day.

Oh well. 

Birthdays are also fabulous because they replenish your stock of gift bags and boxes for another year.

Bliss.

I think that it is often the little things in life that bring us the most joy. Yesterday, the highlight of my day was taking out the rubbish. Why? Well let me set the scene.

Our garbage bins are taken out weekly, although I think over Christmas and New Years they should be taken out twice weekly, because for the last half of the week our bins have been full. Nay, they have been over-flowing. And what happens when rubbish is overflowing and the bin lid is not on properly closed? Possums and Crows feast on the contents. My mother learnt this the hard way. Twice. She even told the daring tale of having to pick used sanitry pads up from the driveway.

In consideration of what happens when the bin is full, I have been stock-piling garbage. Now, it's not too bad because I haven't been home much and I only had a couple of plastic shopping bags full. So yesterday, when the bins were emptied, I removed my garbage in a delighted fashion. It was a very exciting moment. Comparable only to when a vital white good is fixed after being out of action for a week or more.

Like I said, it's the little things that bring the most joy.

Happy December!

Well, it's that time of year again, it is the first day of summer and the onslaught of Christmas. Hooray! 

As I erected and trimmed my tree tonight, I found myself reflecting on the fabulousness of all of my Christmas decorations. I kept discovering items that I loved but had forgotten I owned. This partly due to me not having a tree last year. In fact, I did not even have a summer last year. And, even more shockingly - last week I had scrumptious cherries for the first time in nearly TWO years. This is what happens when your summer holidays are spent in the Northern Hemisphere. No wonder I have been feeling so elated about up-and-coming festive season. I get to eat cherries and plums!!

But the erection of my tree had a darkside. I was forced to face the truth - that I am never going to stop buying Christmas ornaments and have consequently outgrown my small plastic tree (Yes, a plastic tree. I know it may offend some American viewers, but its just what we have here). In fact, I even have more statues and snow globes than I have space to display them (I only have 4 - not including the nativity - but I live in a v small space). But I must confess I was delighted to find a Big Bird NY Tourist ornament that I had completely forgotten purchasing on clearance whilst visiting the States last January. I absolutely adore kitschy ornaments. And in my journey of re-discovery this evening, I was inspired to photograph some of my favourites to share with the world. So here are a few of my favourite Christmas ornaments - in action!!

Christmas Cocky! Cockatoo that is.

 

And who cannot be filled with joy at the sight of skateboarding, present wielding puppy dog?

I absolutely adore this ornament. But I find it difficult to articulate why . . . 

When I first bought this, and told the world of it I think people may have considered me strange. But I feel that I made the right choice. I mean, what is more 'Christmas' than a flamingo sipping cocktails?

And this - I just really love. The perfect souvenir from my time in NY.

Stupidly Excited.

I (and my dog Rosie) am featured in a montage on my favourite blog/online comedy serial. This is a very proud moment for me. Sure, Rosie is stealing the spotlight with her cuteness, and you can see my brunette roots, but hey, that's my forehead, nose and boobs! Wooo!

Go looksies!!

In other news, I got a budgie. I have yet to name him/her. I am not sure how that's going to roll - I am fairly certain that he/she is a Bollywood Budgie, but I cannot think of an appropriate name for him/her. Primarily because there are not many unisex Indian names and I am still waiting for that bit above the beak to change colours and reveal gender. So for now, the budgie is in serious danger of being called Budgie. My current concern? That Budgie is depressed and lonely when I am at work. He/she has a nice mirror friend, and a radio on during the day. But is that enough?? Ahhhh!!!!

Ah, Western Society.

I must say, I am glad that I live in a world where I can impulse purchase a fish at 8.45pm. His name is George, because he is a curious fish. He likes to turn over the rocks in the bottom of his vase. He is a siamese fighter, who is purpley-bluey-pink. I thought about giving him a girls name, but settled with George. 

Stay tuned for a photo of George and his curiousness.

And yes, I am trying to fill some kind of void in my life with pets. I damn near bought a budgie. But I think I will wait until '09 for that level of commitment. Bird poo is pretty gross, and is probably something I will only be emotionally ready to handle once I have turned 26.

Tiki madness.

A New Toy

Fortunately, it matches my dog.