Toasted Toilet Seats

It’s been between 40–44 for the entire week. For non-metrics, think 110+ Fahrenheit. In New Jersey, a week of 32 C (90 F ) was close a heat wave. Now, I’d really enjoy cooling down to that, for many reasons. I’ve never experienced a hot toilet seat before in my life!

It’s quite bizarre to think that in New Jersey and New York there are blizzards, ice storms (and really cold toilet seats). Too bad we can’t send part of the weather from each country to help out the other.

Since the local weather didn’t do the usual 2-day toasty then plunge back to cooler temps, Melbournians have had to adjust drastically to the heat wave. I’ve heard of quite a few folks changing their work day to start (and end) earlier; a local factory temporarily moved the regular day shift to night to keep the employees cool. The heat has disrupted public transport, and also caused blackouts. Even the wildlife is suffering, with dehydrated possums falling out of trees. We discovered one poor little juvenile outside our office.

The heat also keeps you awake but that is useful for making trans-oceanic phone calls in the middle of the night.

Andrew and I are managing, but we both had to take extra measures this evening to cool down and watch out for heat-related issues. But my sister Jeanne did send us pictures of the blizzard to help us appreciate not having to shovel the snow. It’s not sounding so bad right about now…

Pepperoni, Please

My sister-in-law is expecting a full account of my trip to the United States just before the Christmas holidays. I figured I’d better start writing before senility kicks in and at least get some of my memories down on e-paper. I spent the first few days with my family preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving; after missing them for year it was a much needed event. The rest of the time was spent scheduling visits with friends. We do miss our friends a great deal, and keep hoping they’ll get the urge to move Down Under, or at least visit.

I also attended to some serious business: shopping. I’m not sure if I actually ended up with anything after the requisite returns, but at least I got to push around one of the few inanimate objects I miss from the US: a proper shopping cart. These are trolleys which behave themselves. You can actually push one around without making your lower back cross with you, or knock over displays (or people) as you wheel it around the store, or send your muscles into a permanent spasm as you (futilely) try to prevent the thing from angling off into someone’s car. These carts stay straight when you push them, because only the front wheels have all-way casters.

The other item I seriously miss from the US is proper pepperoni. At least, I think its proper; Andrew thinks its a cultural weapon. There’s not too much else I miss food-wise, other than refrigerated dinner roll dough and potato bread.

While Melbourne beats New York when it comes to coffee, there is a favourite restaurant of mine that makes the best coffee anywhere. They also make the best pastries and cakes, so if you’re in my old stomping grounds and have an event to bring something to, I’ll get you directions to Bon Appetit.

Happy New Year

OK, it’s a rather clichéd title, but it still holds true. It’s a new year, a time for new beginnings, and a time (to paraphrase a Bible verse) when we “forget what is behind and push forward to what is ahead.” This can really happen at any point in our year, and in fact every day, should we so choose.

I find that word “forget” interesting. This almost seems a contradiction, because so many of our traditions and decisions are made up from what we remember – whether good or bad - and we base what we do on what we know. I strongly suspect there’s a bit more to it than the obvious meaning.

Some of us all too readily forget what is behind. I can guarantee that if I have ten things to do, eight or nine of them will happen, and the other one or two wander off into oblivion. I'm convinced there's a little corner of the universe where all the tasks I've forgotten are sitting around, having beer and a chuckle. I can have a conversation with my husband, and have no recollection of it the next hour, let alone the next day (it seems to be a family trait). So remembering can be good. Even remembering a bad thing can be good – otherwise the world would be full of people who never learned that a stove that is on is hot!

I think what we really need to “forget” is a few of our typical responses to things that have happened in our lives – even if they’ve gotten the result we want – and instead push forward to better responses and interactions. So here’s to a New and Happy approach to 2009!