Crossing the ditch

I am in countdown mode this week, as we're off to Surfers Paradise on Saturday morning. Rich and I have both been struck down with the flu, for which I am thankful, because how often do you hear of people getting sick on their holiday? At least we're getting it now.
So after what seems to have been an exceptionally long and dismal winter, we're super excited about getting our pins out and wearing our jandals again. I have even bought a new nail polish to celebrate. I know. It's called Suzi and the Lifeguard and is an OPI polish. It's a lovely pale pink with a slight shimmer to it.
We also are feeling pretty smirky because we have a Thing where, if we have coins in our pockets/wallets/back of the couch, we put them into a money box. I hauled the contents into the bank today and the sum total will pay for a new fragrance for us both and should stock up the booze cabinet also from Duty Free. I absolutely love Duty Free shops...I know it's only a bit cheaper than normal, and you can probably find better prices online...but there's something about knowing that you're getting a bargain and everything smells delicious and everyone's happy because they're going on holiday. Brilliant. Fragrance-wise, I'm going to get Ange ou Demon by Givenchy, because it's the first perfume in a long time that I've actually been able to single out from the myriad of others on the market these days. Rich is getting Fahrenheit, which I adore. Mmmm.
So while we're in Surfers we're going to visit some theme parks - Rich is DYING for Wet n Wild, but being a lady and terrified of heights, I might need to talk him out of this one. We're going to Dreamworld too, but what I most want to do is lie on the beach in the sun. It was 31 degrees there in the weekend - and 16 here. Ahhhhhhh.
Basil has also been in the wars this week. He's very....licky. Like, his fur is sticky, he's so licky. I sound like Run DMC. So he's off to the vet tomorrow before his trip to Karakakats this weekend. Poor wee button.
Our weekend was lovely. We had drinks at ours with some friends on Friday night. We made the most delicious nibbles platter. It had wasabi peas, pistachios, havarti cheese, pate, grapes, feta dip, rice crackers and normal crackers. We mowed it. We also mowed a heck of a lot of wine. We then toddled off up the road to a very small and casual pizza place where we terrorized the owner into having a wine with us and giving him all sorts of advice on how he should do his pizzas. We were awful. It was great though. Hangover the next day - not so great.
Last week I had a tiny operation.... I had a neuroma in my leg. It's this thing. This big hurty thing. So the doctor cut it out....it looked like a cooked lentil. Amazing that something so tiny could cause me soooo much pain. Anyhoo, I now have 3 stitches on the back of my thigh, and an excuse to get out of doing pretty much anything. The word "stitches" opens a lot of doors. Thankfully, it's not a tumour. Well, probably not.
I bought a pair of jeans yesterday. This is only because I have lost 4kgs. Me and jeans shopping do not have a happy relationship. Because I am apple shaped, and short, I have a battle of a time finding a pair of jeans that fits around my tummy, and doesn't make my ass look like the saggy baggy elephant. But, minus 4kgs and nothing to eat for breakfast = success! 3 inches of hem are being removed as we speak, so I can finally throw away my old pair of jeans that I've had for 3 whole years. Madness.
Summer is on the way here......the entire neighbourhood has caught the gardening bug. All we can hear is leaf blowers. In my day, we used a broom. It seems that spending 2 hours chasing leaves all over the place with a roaring, stinking piece of plastic is what you do in the affluent suburb where we are renting. The neighbours also chopped down an enormous lovely pine tree near to our backyard, where tui and keruru would play. I think it annoyed them because every so often, a pine needle would fall off, and land on their Audi, possibly scratching the paintwork and necessitating in an upgrade to the newer model. Thankfully, the tui have now adopted the puriri tree in our backyard, so we are treated to their beautiful song day in and day out. Luckily Basil only shows interest in sparrows, of which there are billions, because they are smaller than him and have ninety million feathers for him to distribute around our hallway and under the furniture. Richard and I have a pact - I do poos and spews, he does dead things. We both think the other got a better deal.
So, back to our Australia trip. We're planning on doing a lot of eating, drinking, lazing about, and spending of money. We finagled really good costs for tickets, and accommodation, thanks to knowing people in the right places. So we're going to spoil ourselves, because we have both had such a difficult year - not with each other, but money-wise, job-wise, living-wise, it's been rough. Here's to a well-deserved rest and celebration time, and what a way to bring in Summer by getting a tan ahead of everyone else. Yessssssss!

Pride

It’s Day 7 and I haven’t cracked. This surprises me somewhat, as I haven’t ever been known for my will power and self-control, and I think even I assumed I wouldn’t be able to do this. I have never told myself that I couldn’t have something – my motto being if it makes you feel good, go right ahead, be it alcohol, food, make up, clothes, and cats.
There were 2 hurdles to get over in these last 7 days. I was in Auckland for the weekend, and helped my friends move house, and also had an old friend’s engagement party to go to. I think the house move was the hardest. It was a beautiful sunny day and we all worked really hard to get everything right across the other side of town. The proud owners of the new home shouted a few beers after, and let me tell you, sitting in the sun surveying a job done well and not celebrating with a frosty beer is just WRONG. I had a Red Bull.
Got to the party later on and at first it wasn’t too bad. Caught up with everyone and had another Red Bull – big mistake. I get panic attacks and too much caffeine was making me very shaky. All the people seemed to get louder and more annoying and it wasn’t long before I cut a track. But, I still did it, and let me tell you, waking up on Sunday and pottering around, singing a song here and there then going for brunch with my very hungover friends made me smug as all hell. The drive back to Tauranga even flew by.
Got home and it was another lovely day, so played in the garden trussing my tomatoes and picking lettuces. Sunday evenings are usually my favourite time for a vino but luckily I am getting a cold so was feeling a bit crappy. Hopefully it sticks around for the next 3 weeks!So claps on the back for me please….I am very proud of myself and I really think I am learning some huge lessons here. One being that drinking isn’t the be-all and end-all, and one being that to a sober person, a drunk person is really really unattractive.

Can I do it?

Okay so. Next week I shall start on one of the hardest challenges I have ever set myself. Given that most challenges I set myself are not really too taxing, i.e. try and go the weekend with keeping the kitchen tidy, don't eat the ENTIRE bag of chips, this easily goes to the top of the list.
I am going to not drink alcohol for one full month. 4 weeks. 28 days. Sandra Bullock eat your heart out.
I would have drunk alcohol at least once a week for some years now....and most of the things I do in my spare time revolve around it. Go for a walk around the Mount? Let's reward ourselves with a beer! Do a hearty 3 hour gardening stint? Of course it's all about the cold ones in the fridge. Come home from work and fall on the couch? Frosty glass of Sauvignon. Meeting up with friends? Always for a drink.
I don't do anything that doesn't involve having a drink somewhere in some way, like go to the movies....or.....I can't think of anything else that I wouldn't weasel a wine in somewhere. This fact has niggled at me for a few years now, and having had a few bender weekends recently, I decided to take a month off and see if I could do it. I don't give a rats about my health...it's purely all about my willpower and whether I can. If I fail, everybody will be all, I told you she wouldn't be able to handle it, and I'll really be disappointed in myself, and slightly worried.
I have 2 engagement parties to go to in this time, which is REALLY going to be a test. I will be the most boring person there.
Anyway to make the stakes more interesting, I roped in a friend at work to do it with me. We wrote up a contract, signed it before we came to our senses, and are already planning our post-detox party.
Here is the contract in all its glory.

Contract stating rules for Month of No Alcohol and a Somewhat Healthier Lifestyle

Tuesday the 23rd of October to Tuesday the 20th of November – 28 days

I, Amy, and Her, Shannon, do solemnly declare to not let one tiny drop of God’s nectar alcohol past our mouths during the above dates – not even mouthwash.
We promise that we will support each other, and not get cross at each other for nagging when Amy is sitting on the couch smelling a glass of wine, or Shannon is eating rum and raisin icecream “just to see if it works”.
The following is also out of bounds:
Nicotine
Crack
Marijuana
Peyote
And all other Class A, B, C through Z drugs except Paracetamol.

As this is possibly going to be the most boring and grumpy periods of our lives, we will endeavour to do lots of different things we never would have done, like go kayaking or to the clay bird shooting place or to church, just to take communion.
We also endeavour to make as many people as possible do it with us, kinda like Mormonism, so they can be just as miserable as we will be.
If either of us cracks before the other, the cracker owes the crackee $100 – but only if the crackee makes it to the end. If both crack, they must both pay $100 to the Tauranga SPCA. This is non-negotiable and will be enforced by our “eyes and ears” spies.
If both get through the whole month clean and clear, they both owe each other an awesome girls night out, thereby undoing all the good work they had done.
Signed, Us.

So I shall be blogging a lot I'm assuming....what else is there to do on a Friday night?

Wish us luck!

A Day at the Races

Have you ever woken up on a beautiful Spring morning, and been so excited about the day ahead, that you actually danced around the kitchen? No? Yeah….um me neither.
No seriously, that’s what I was like on Saturday….a great day of catching up with old friends ahead, a cute new dress to wear, fake tan on that hadn’t streaked or turned me tangerine, PLUS a list of picks to bet that were sure to make me a millionaire.
The girls all looked amazing and the boys were looking sharp. I seriously like a man in a suit. Luckily I work around them all day which is good times indeed.

So we managed to get through many many bottles of champers and savvy, all the while having serious, deep and meaningful discussions of who’d had the craziest one night stand and which Dr Hook song was really the soundtrack to our teenage years. (Cover of the Rolling Stone won that one).

I bet money on horses and lost most of it…..until super horse Patrick charged up the home straight winning me an entire $50.00. This is the most I have ever won at the races so I mentioned my winnings to approximately two hundred people, who all indulged me by saying I should have gone into Punter of the Year. I fully agreed, but entries were closed.

The day ended with a big party back at a friends house where we all put on a hat, grabbed a kitchen utensil for a mike and danced around to Living on a Prayer. Ah good times. Luckily I have no photos of that.
The next day started out brilliantly with the All Blacks losing (!!!!!!!) to the cheese-eating surrender monkeys that are the French….can you believe it. The whole country certainly can’t. The best joke I have heard so far regarding the situation is: what’s the difference between the All Blacks and Viagara? Viagara at least guarantees you a Semi. And with that…. I bid you adieu.

It's not The drinking, it's How we're drinking

Finally the brain fog has lifted enough for me to write something.
What an insane weekend – a few years ago it would have been nothing out of the ordinary but now that I am 28! and a Homeowner! I think it’s a little bit sad.

Friday night involved a group of workmates and me heading into town for a drink on the Strand. I got into that mood where I felt like everyone wanted to watch The Amy Show, and I must have talked for oooh, 90 percent of the time, and everyone had to listen to Me and Only Me.

I got home at about 10:00 – on no dinner – and listened to my new Peter Gabriel CD (I love the oldies) and sang along to Don’t Give Up about twenty times. The cat appreciated it, and gave me 10 out of 10.

On Saturday 2 friends, Richard and Katrina, arrived from Auckland to stay the night. We spent the day walking around the Mount and shopping, but by 5pm it was all about the champagne and Red Bull. Date Man arrived and having got through a bottle between us, we headed out to a cocktail party, where I made a huge jug of 42 below Feijoa vodka, apple juice and mint leaves, best drink ever, and proceeded to kill a few more brain cells and be the loudest person at the party.

Then we headed into town, to a bar, for a couple of hours, where I have a recollection of dancing with someone’s Dad, like full on rock and roll dancing, a recollection of meeting some famous rugby guy and trying to take his picture, a recollection of ranting to a friend about how happy I was for her (having just got engaged). This is about 10 minutes recollection so god knows what I was doing the other 2 hours.

Sunday was an hilarious day of being horizontal on the couch, trying to keep down a pie (I failed at 5pm), feeling guilty, pathetic and disappointed in myself.

I still kind of feel like that, even though I can guess that everyone has had weekends like these, but I guess this is the first time I’ve seen that it’s not the best way I could live my life, and that my drinking can easily get out of control. I really have this Jekyll and Hyde personality sometimes, I can have 2 glasses of wine and be fine, but another day I can have a whole bottle and then more. And I have no control over it.
I think I shall be doing some navel-gazing over the next few weeks to see what I can do about this. My Mum will be pleased!

Office parties

Just had a mad weekend - mid year do with Work. Our social club put on The Amazing Race, and we all had to get into teams and do all sorts of challenges around Tauranga. Our team was called The Quick and The Damned and we dressed up as the Grim Reaper. Well we thought we looked like the Grim Reaper but apparently we were more like the Phantom of the Opera, or Batman. Ah well.
We had to, among other things, make up a hotel bed, do an army drill at the barracks, and pour a drink at the pub, all while we were half-cut. We all ended up back at a lovely restaurant in town (we came third!) and all proceeded to get totally sideways.
Apparently I got home at 3:47am after falling asleep in the taxi, thank god the driver wasn't a nut job, with an exceptionally sore butt. Apparently I fell flat on my ass (the floor was SLIPPERY) while watching the America's Cup race - which we lost - not that I had any recollection of it. I do recall some terrible dancing, and whacking people on the head with my Grim Reaper plastic scythe. Coming to work today was hilarious, with some people very shamed out. Not me though! I had super fun. I hope you all have/had office parties as fun as that!

PS I was very very very quiet on Saturday.

You say Cirrhosis, I say So what

So you thought today I'd be perhaps contemplating life during my last day at work....some musings perhaps on my time here and how the experience has shaped me as a person blah blah blah....
But no. On my last day at work, I am trying very very hard to not throw up in the rubbish bin. Yes it was a big night out last night. An old mate was back in the country from being in the Caymans for a couple of years, and I did feel the need to welcome her home with a couple of wines.
The night involved a lot of screaming, a fair amount of gossip and possibly a couple of emo moments.
At the pub later on I may have mooted that we should Stay Out All Night! I even put out there that It Didn't Matter that I was doing Jaegermeister shots....it was my last day at work!
A point to remember: when you and your old school friends are sitting at a bar in Parnell singing old school hymns in the best operatic voices we could muster......it's time to go home.So anyhoo here I am.....looking like Britney Spears at Burger King....about to give a leaving speech to 100 people. Wish me luck!

Comfort Zones 8 Mar 07

Hola,
Just having teary moments at work after a 4 bottle farewell lunch with my team. They have been so good to me! I will miss them.
It's hard leaving a comfort zone for something else.....who knows how this trip will work out for Jimmy and I....but if there's one thing I've learnt in my 28 years.....it's that you will always regret that which you Don't do, as opposed to what you do do. I know we'll have a brilliant time no matter what happens and the mind has a wonderful ability to only remember the good stuff anyway which saves our sanity.
Anyhoo, how deep and meaningful am I! Meeting up for drinks and dins tonight with the crew so may have a slightly sore head in the morning. So what, last day, and I get a morning tea. Yay!
Feeling very apprehensive yet excited, appreciate everyone's support and kind words.
Love aims x

Frenetic weekends 19 Feb 07

Stupid things I have done on drunken weekends in the city (all pre-Jimmy obviously)

Given my number to random guys who then call me at work and I have to talk to them in my very quiet office

Stolen a pair of Ugg boots from the Icebar at the Viaduct and wore them for the rest of the night

Chucked a drink on one of our best clients at the pub, who luckily thought it was funny

Had a bender with 3 completely random people because I didn't want to go home (FOMO - Fear of Missing Out)

Made myself a burqa out of a curtain at Pasha

Suggested to a girl I had seen in our building a couple of times that we should get together for coffee....all the time! She agreed!

Moral of the Story: It's time for me to hang up my drinking trousers and get out of the city!