Post Traumatic Stress Dress-ups

After having scared myself on Saturday afternoon (see previous post) I decided to play dress-ups. I had been shopping to buy crappy jewellery and a top for the work Christmas party which is 80s themed (and admittedly about seven weeks away) so had already been rummaging through my dress-up box.

Now begs the question - is it wrong that I have a dress-up box? I've got a few wigs, random outfits and costumes that I've collected over the years. I've got a mother who will make costumes under sufferance (well, she rolls her eyes, but I'm not convinced that she isn't actually enjoying herself) so have got a couple of nifty bits and bobs.

So below is some piccies of me playing dress-ups from the neck up.

I can't help having a short attention span! I think I need a new hobby...

How to freak yourself out

Step 1: Get really bored on a Saturday afternoon.

Step 2: Decide that you want to see whether you can give yourself a faux-hawk.

Step 3: Use lots of wax and hairspray and mould hair into shape.

Step 4: Prance around the house proudly demonstrating new hairstyle to uninterested husband.

Step 5: Get out mobile phone to take photo of self.

This is where the freaking yourself out bit comes into it...

Step 6: Look at photo and realise the YOU ARE IN FACT A CLONE OF YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER!!!! Eek!!!!!


Step 8: Get little to no sympathy from husband who can't understand why I should be surprised that I look like my sibling.

Step 7: Immediately go and wash hair and decide to play dress-ups instead.

Busy Girl

I feel like I haven't had much time to myself of late (or time alone with the internerd, to be more precise). The new job has, perhaps not surprisingly, meant I'm a lot busier. HOwever I'm still also doing my old work until the position is filled. Ah me.

The busyness at work has been due to a couple of things - the big one was the Model SOlar Vehicle Challenge which we hosted over last weekend - and I was the "lucky" person who got to cooridntate it on the day (thankfully not the organiser). Below is a piccie of myself and ever lovely workmate Stina on the roof at work checking out the exciting solar action. Well, mildly interesting solar aciton anyway.
We also had a quick excursion out to see ASIMO the robot, who is built by Honda. I'd read a bit about him (info and footage of him was part of my Winter Holiday program) and was quite disappointed with the show Honda had put on. Admittedly the show was at Chadstone Mall, which I equate to the Tuggeranong Hyperdome (this may not be fair on Chadstonians, but it was the first time I'd been there and there was definitely a 'South of the Lake' feel about it, Canberrans will know what I mean).

The show seemed to be mostly ASIMO being preprogrammed - i.e. not actually being a robot at all - and also about selling Honda cars. Plus the script was awful. ASIMO was quite cute, a little bit creepy and had a dreadful prerecoorded Australian soundtrack which was supposed to be his voice. He is an amazing piece of technology, just a shame they didn't actually showcase his robotic skills.

I was lucky enough to receive two Ccanberra visitors over the last week - Lan and Ryan (at different times). A nice break from thinking about work and catching up on lots of goss.

Husband, Stina and I also went to the Comedy Club on Collins St - four comedians who all told similar jokes (mostly about how young policemen are and about fingers up bums).

Also caught up with baby CHarlie who is four weeks old now. Had lots of cuddles. THankfully hormones havne't taken over my body and I still have some consciousness left - not feeling clucky at all! Yay!

Blistered thumb and sore fingertips

How do guitarists keep their fingers from dropping off? Everytime I have a little guitar session I seem to end up with tender fingertips and a blister on my thumb from strumming. I try to use a pick but sometimes that makes it too loud to sing with.

There also seems to be a correlation between how drunk I am and how damaged my hands are the next day.

Suffice to say my fingers are very sore and I'm still drinking lots of water this evening.

At least I had company last night - although husband is not musically inclined (other than listening to a lot of it) his bestie had a little sing with me and his brother was happy to get on the microphone and break it down old skool style. No really. Dear god we were pissed. And probably loud. And I tried to play ukelele which took way too much concentration.

Anyway, I'm enjoying having dad's leccy guitar and amp down in Melbs now. Once I've got some batteries for the wah wah peddle there'll be no holding me back!

New job, conference and apple stickers

Was happy to find I was successful in a job application recently, and this week I started in the position. I'm now the Senior Programs Officer - so basically I've just got an extra word in front of my job title. More responsibility, more of the boring admin, but longer term projects and a little bit more money.


This was nicely timed as the job came with a registration for the Australasian Science & Technology Exhibitors Network annual conference which ran on Monday and Tuesday this week here at work. Whilst the conference was very interesting, it meant I got to spend two days hanging out with Robyne from Questy - who would have to be one of the nicest people I know. We had a lot of fun catching up on ALL the gossip, drinking champers and laughing.


Both of these things means I've been super busy, but thankfully husband provided me with some light relief earlier this week when he asked me on morning whether I'd stuck an apple sticker behind his ear the day before. Amidst my giggles of bemusedness I managed to admit that no, I had not stuck an apple sticker behind his ear. Even though I wish it was something I had somehow managed to do, I really couldn't take the credit for it. I can't really recall the last time I ate an apple near him (seeing as I eat them at work).


Thus began our little own X-File - how had the sticker got there? Was it a sticker from one of our apples? He didn't know. How long had it been there? He wasn't sure. How had he not felt the sticker on his ear? Had someone stuck it on his jumper and it got transferred to his ear maybe? Seemed likely, but who can say? Thinking of this has kept me amused the rest of the week.


Then yesterday afternoon one of the girls suggested I do something a little bit naughty - that I should take her apple sticker (different type of apple to ours) and stick it fairly obviously behind my ear. I didn't think I'd be able to keep a straight face when I picked him up form work, but when he did notice I managed to cover it OK... I began by accusing him of putting it there to get me back even though I didn't actually put it there, then followed up with lots of giggling in confusion. I kept randomly giving him accusing stares and then giggling in the car on the hour drive home. Is it wrong that I find myself so funny?


With the arrival of husband's best mate and brother, I quickly organised for them to have apple stickers behind their ears, just to really confuse matters. Unfortunately I couldn't hold it together any more and totally cracked, admitting that I had set him up slightly.

Still - I wasn't the original apple sticker sticker, I just took a good idea and ran with it...