Totally Taxing

I'm doing my taxes. Well, not right this second, but I'm actually doing them. I need to submit them tomorrow.

Why, you may ask, did I wait until the last minute? The same reason I procrastinate on everything: I don't know. I can never cope with doing assignments, homework, taxes, theoretical physics, etc, in a normal time frame. So I put them off, awaiting that calm, focused feeling of "ah, now I'm ready to do this bit of work," but usually only end up with the panic-driven "Oh, *&@%!" feeling. Oh, sorry, my keyboard must be playing up: I meant the "Oh, 8725!" feeling.

So I've made myself a cup of hot chocolate, because I read somewhere that a scientific study proved that people who drank hot chocolate had the best brainpower immediately after drinking. It didn't mention how much weight the subjects gained over the course of the study. Anyway, I brewed my cup the old fashioned way, with powdered chocolate, milk and a microwave. This microwave isn't all that powerful, but still manages to heat up the cup to lip-burning temperatures, cause the milk to bubble down all over the rotating glass tray, and yet still leave the milk at a just-over-warm temperature.

I could just ask my husband to do the taxes, but the last time I did this he disappeared for 2 weeks and spent as much time as possible in an airplane just to be as far above the ground from the tax forms as possible. Ha, ha! Just kidding. He was just getting away from the mess in the microwave.

I Know I Walked Into This Blog For A Reason...

I actually had a subject in mind earlier tonight. I just can't remember what it was. Sort of like walking into a room and forgetting why you're there. Or walking into one room with the intent of putting something away, and realising it is the wrong room. I wonder if why you hear about people's television remotes winding up in their refrigerators.

Well, I'll just blog free-style.

I think I've figured out what that ugly lizard was: an Eastern Blue-Tongue Lizard. I was speaking with a friend tonight on the phone, and she mentioned she had 2 of them in her garden. One Google-search later, and I found a match. I still don't think it looks any better.

Speaking of computer-related searches, I actually bit the bullet a few weeks back and signed up on Facebook. I have to admit, I find it information overload. I'm pretty computer savvy, and I don't tend to shy away from technology, but this much techno-life actually makes my brain sizzle a bit. I spend all day on the computer, and all evening; I want something to pull me away from that, not add too the byte-sized highway coursing through my neurons. While I do find Facebook a useful tool as I am in a totally different time zone from my family and friends in the U.S. and other countries, I think we all need to learn how to talk again, even if it is the phone or (yes, I see the irony coming next), Skype. I think we've become afraid of verbal conversation.

Well, now that I've used the computer to rant against the computer, I guess I'll have to turn it off before it decides to get even with me and cut me off mid-sen

You Know You're In Australia When...

Some strange things you get used to...

Bug Spray is on weekly shopping list. You spray every night before bedtime, and some of us have a bug zapper IN our house.

Every word is shortened. You start calling that endearing nightly cartoon show "Simps" because it seems normal to do so.

Snags (sausages) are served on a slice of bread.

You're not suprised when the toilets are located outside the building in their own little building.

Every meal or snack with the exception of brekky can be called "tea" - so you make sure you specify which one when inviting friends over for a meal.

Houses and offices are cold in winter and hot in summer. Ducted heating/cooling and double-glazed windows seem like heaven.


And on the plus side...

Coffee is served by professional baristas. Even your plain flat white is gorgeous, and you never want to make instant coffee again.

Waiters & waitresses actually make a good, liveable wage, so tipping is unheard of.

People naturally pitch in and bring food to BBQs.

You get 4 weeks annual leave plus national holidays, and sick leave/family leave.

The country virtually shuts down for Christmas week so everybody can have fun.

You can actually take the bus to work, even if you're not working in the city.

People actually get outside and play sports and ride bikes and take walks.

You can advertise you business by word of mouth and letter-box flyers, and people actually respond.

If you need help, you can pretty much ask anyone. Lots of times you don't even have to ask.

Stalking Dinner

Don't worry, this wasn't our dinner tonight. But the neighbour's cat, Lucky, was stalking this fellow. He hid under our wheelie bins. I have no clue what sort of lizard he is - genus skinoutofus jumpus I suspect - but it looks like an ugly short fat snake with legs.

Lucky wasn't very successful getting her meal the old-fashioned way this time, but at least she doesn't have to cook her own dinner. I actually planned out the dukka-encrusted fish, only to realise it wouldn't fit in my small George Foreman grill, so I ended up tossing it one of my frying pans. I then realised I totally forgotten to do any rice, so did some thick, brick-dense instant mashed potatoes, and added slightly underdone corn on the cob...

It wasn't the worst dinner I'd ever done, but it certainly was in the running for a spot. The fish wasn't quite cooked either, so after eating the vegetables, I tossed the fish back in the pan, and served a delicious flaked mass of fish which really would have been lovely on the nonexistent rice. Don't tell the neighbours, but we let Lucky eat the leftover fish...