Hi!

I'm not exactly back.

But I do have a new blog.

It's at http://notreallyaustralian.blogspot.com/

I hope all of you are doing well!!!!

I was a Livejournal drop-out and am now also a Facebook drop-out.

If you want to talk to me, email me at elsa22@aol.com.

I like making new friends.

I like finding old friends.

I'll be happy to hear from you. Don't be shy.

Do I sound too desperate?

Let's pretend that this summer you get an all-expensive paid vacation.

For three months you and your loved ones (up to eight guests) get a choice between staying at the following

1. A cruise ship (traveling on the islands around the continent you live in)

2. A cabin in the middle of the woods

3. A mansion with manicured gardens

4. A cabin walking distance from a beach

5. A cabin in the mountains

6. An expensive hotel room in NYC or London.

7. A big house in Beverly Hills

8. A farm (you wouldn't be responsible for taking care of the crops and animals, but you would get to help as much as you desire)

Which one would you choose?

What would be your second choice?

What would be your last choice?

From Adam Lindsay Gordon

"This life is mostly froth and bubble.
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another's trouble.
Courage in your Own."


Quoted by Jan Morris in "Sydney"

I really love these lyrics....from the song My Island Home. Originally written by Neil Murray and adapted by Christine Anu


In the evening dry wind blows
From the hills and across the plains
I close my eyes and I'm standing
In a boat on the sea again
And I'm holding that long turtle spear
And I feel I'm close now to where it must be
My island home is waiting for me

I found this awesome website today.

http://www.wishcentral.com/

It's a wish list thing. I've seen other wishlist sights, but I like this one the best.

You put this thing on your bookmark toolbar and then any time you find something you like on ANY website, you just click on the thing on your toolbar.

Okay, it's kind of hard to explain. But the website helps you do it. It took only about 5 minutes for me to sign up and figure it out.

I think things like this are great because then people are buying less unneccessary crap for each other.

And why should we stop buying crap for each other???

Well, if you don't know. Watch this: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

From Cosmo Cosmolino by Helen Garner

"The spirit?" said Janet. Her mouth twisted into a bitter hook. "I've had spiritual experiences too, you know."

Ray (a born again Christian) leaned forward to her across the table. He was shaking his head. "You can't be too careful with those," he said. "Specially if you've done a bit of acid or meditation."

"What-you mean you're going to warn me?" said Janet. "You are incredible. You really are."

"They can come from the devil," said Ray. "Believe me, Janet. They can."

"This is what I can't stand about you bastards." said Janet. She was holding her volume low, but her cheeks and nose began to flush. "You've got it all sewn up. Would it occur to you to ask me about my experiences, before you dismiss it out of hand? No! It wouldn't even cross your mind!"

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ib5V7z9A-ocCTOvoaRCq9Ohbl9SAD8USBB880

It's not okay to abuse cats and dogs.

So why are people so okay with farm animals being brutally abused?

There might be cheaper flights to Australia!!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23221387-2,00.html

Since I'm reading a book about time travel, it made me curious about my old time-traveling screenplay. And since I just entered it into a contest.

I haven't looked at the screenplay in YEARS.

It got pretty good reviews on American Zoetrope. But for some reason, I expected it to be total crap.

I just went and read the ending and I actually like it. Almost to the point that I can't believe shitty little me wrote it.

I do think I'm a good writer.

And that's about the only thing positive thing right now.

I'm just really hating life lately.

I'm sick of everybody.

Most of all, I'm sick of myself.

But at least I know that once upon a time, long ago, I wrote a fairly good screenplay.

I Really love the time-travel novel I'm reading.

It's different from other time travel stories I've read.

I think in most time-travel stories, it's one person or a small handful of people doing the traveling. It's usually a temporary visit. And usually, it's a small select group of people who know about them.

In the book, I'm reading....it's shiploads of people who have done the time-traveling. They SEEM to have no way back. And everyone knows about them.

They're from the year 2021 and they've traveled back to 1942.

It's all about how the two cultures have to learn to live together. Suddenly these people from 1942 have access to videos of their future. They're paying huge sums of money to get modern technology.

I guess that's the other thing different about the book. Usually, time travelers come with just the clothes on their back. In this book, these people brought modern weapons, Ipods, flexipads (invented by the author), etc.

Very fun book.

Although there are way too many characters and I get a bit confused.

I'm trying to pay more attention to what I want....What I desire.

Even if I can't have it.

I'm going to stop myself and say "What do you want right now?" If you could be doing anything at this moment, what would you want to be doing?

If I can do it, I'll do it.

If it's not possible at the moment....maybe it will nice to just know. And I guess I can have fantasies ; )

Right now, I'd love to be in a classroom way out in some rural area in Australia. Pouring juice for little indigenous children. Then we'd sit in a circle and sing songs together. Laugh together.

Tim got me a big framed collage of some of the Australian pictures.

It's awesome.

And he's actually hanging it up now. Which is even more awesome.

Tim's smart. He knows, in terms of gifts, if it is not Australia related....I'm not interested.


Happy Valentines Day to everyone.

Happy late Valentines Day to the Australians.

If Australia is going to provide education for all these children....they're going to need a lot of teachers.

And I was a teacher. I have a masters degree in education.

I looked into teaching there before. They said you had to have worked for the past year or so. And I haven't been in a classroom for 7 years. I thought of teaching in Texas and then applying. But I hate Texas preschools!!!

I'm thinking....maybe the government will get desperate and wave those rules.

BUT...

a) I'm not sure how I'd feel about living in rural Australia. Okay, actually it does appeal to me. Except for the driving part. I do have this romantic view of rural Australia.

b) what would we do about homeschooling Jack???? Would Tim not work and stay home with him? Would I make enough money?

c) I would feel weird teaching in a classroom when we're unschoolers. Could I go back to a structured type of education?

This is all pretty much nothing.

They'll probably find enough teachers in Australia. Or enough people around the world who HAVE been teaching recently.

Well....if anything. I can dream and imagine.

The Aussie food package came yesterday.

Tim Tams.

Jack was so excited because after we came back from Sydney we heard about this Tim Tam Slam thing. We were both pissed because we hadn't heard of it before (or during) our time in Sydney.

You're supposed to bite off the corners of the cookies and use it as a straw to drink a warm/hot drink. I think? Jack tried it and it didn't work. Then I tried it. Nothing came through at first. Then it did and it went down the wrong way.

I was coughing/choking. Jack's asking "Mommy, why are you coughing?" He's looking really worried.

I'm trying to breath and not throw up.

I started thinking....wouldn't it be funny/ironic if I died from a Tim Tam?

After I could breath and was still alive. I went to eat the Tim Tam. It was all melted and mushy--tasted very good that way.

This could have been really weird.

But it's not as weird as it could have been.

Yesterday, Jack and I were talking about Sims 2 deaths.

I remarked that I've never had a young Sim die. I had only one freak accident. A drumming tragedy. And that wasn't even a young Sim. She was an elder. But it was my only accident death. Usually, my Sims die of old age.

Then today....one of my Sims got stuck. She stood by the baby's crib...rocking back and forth. I couldn't move her. Her bladder, hunger, energy turned bright red. Fortunately, the baby was in some kind of suspended animation.

The weird thing? Her name is Holly. And the one who was in a drumming accident? Her name was Holly too.

BUT despite Holly being completely in the red, The Grim Reaper did not come for her.

I moved them all into a new house and all was well again.

Curse is over.

Also, I later remembered that I did have young Sims die. When I first started playing. Many actually. Sam died. Today's almost tragedy (Holly)....her biological grandmother died. There was an accidental death of a Townsie. Later... A murder and then a double suicide. I don't know why I blocked those from my memory.

In the past few months, I've had three bracelets break.

One was my fault and it was several months ago.

The other two have happened since we've gotten back from Australia.

I feel cursed.

Although maybe it's common for bracelets to break. I've never been a bracelet person--not until this year or so.

It's unnerving though. All the beads crashing to the floor.

And my very favorite bracelet is missing. I have no idea where it went.

Maybe me and bracelets are just not meant to be.

Here is some synchronosity:

The screenwriting contest says they will reveal the winners on August 15.

Later, I told Jack there's going to be a new Star Wars movie. He ran over and wanted to see the news story about it.

The article says it's going to be in theaters on August 15.

I just entered a screenwriting contest.

I tend to get a lot of emails about screenwriting thing.

I usually ignore them.

But this one caught my attention because they said they're "going green".

Which means they are accepting submissions via email.

The whole thing took me about ten minutes.