Pimp my Shopping Cart!

Stuff

The last thing I want is for this blog to turn into a mummy blog of every minuscule detail of the bubba-doo’s movements... problem is they are kind of all consuming little creatures! So here is a list of things I have done in the last 6 weeks that don’t involve little people and/or domestic chores!

• Read the following books; Cinematherapy: the girls guide to movies for every mood, Me Cheeta, The crowning glory of Calla Lily Poynter, Why men want sex and women need love, it’s my party and i’ll knit if I want to, Our Girls, The autobiography of a fat bride: true tales of a pretend adulthood, the Australian guide to self sufficiency, The lost art of sleep, Veggie patch, Lighten up: 365 ways to lose weight and feel great, Loaded (re-read), Kidwrangling, Weekend knitting, You'd better not cry.

• Started Christmas shopping (coz I’m a girly swat!) which is consisting of approx. 95% books.

• Finished knitting the handle of my super-cool shopping jeep and started the inside lining... just need access to a sewing machine! Knitted two rows of my Cardi that I started about a year ago.

• Got this super cool bag as an early Xmas present from my brother.

• Cleaned out my cupboards/drawers but only actually threw out 2 items of clothing!

• Been to the Doctor, Dentist and had some long overdue waxing attended to!

• Been to my favourite cafe twice.

• Made it into the library three times.

• Watched lots of DVD’s including; Bruno, Dark Knight, several Laverne and Shirleys, Gonzo: the life and work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Annie Lebovitz: Life through a Lens, A lion called Christian, Head On (after re-reading Loaded), LA Ink season 4, Dogs in Space special features disc (where you can hear me ask a question in the popcorn taxi interview bit), Howard Sterns Private Parts, Bucket List, Secret diary of a call girl season 2, Juno (again).

• (Tried to) go for a walk (almost) every day.

• Got rejected for a scholarship.

• Found out I have my first trans-gendered friend and didn’t even know it!

• (Re) planted my veggie patch.

• Had the Flu.

• Had my email account hacked and spammed.

• Discovered Parma Violet lollies in the Gifts from home store.

• Got up to F on my ipod by playing it in song title order.

HotRodLibrarians Christmas Picks!!!

Being the girly swat that I am...

I started my christmas shopping today with my friends at Arcade Publications. They have two fab new books out...

Of course, as usual I will be reading them before giving them as gifts... you have to do that, otherwise how do you know if it's a good book your giving!!??

on the boob...

So the government announces today that its rolling out a plan to get more women breastfeeding... Thats great but I just hope that they also put a lot more money into post-natal depression too...

There is already way too much guilt inducement out there for women who, for whatever reason are not breast-feeding, or like me, half and half because I just don't seem to be able to produce enough milk to satisfy. I don't need the extra burden thanks... There's nothing wrong with support and encouragement but the most important thing is healthy babies and mothers and as much as breastfeeding has great physical health benefits, the pressure put on women can really mess with their mental health... Believe me!!!

Supercute or what!!!

Especially when you consider it was taken by a 2 year old!

Oh yeah, and I have actually ridden on the Streetcar named Desire!

Hide your Heart by KISS

This is my favourite KISS song... mostly due to the fact that the band at my High school used to play it or I would never have heard of it... oh yeah, and I had a crush on the drummer* ;)

*the one from the high school band... not the one from KISS!

Painted Lady...

Been thinking about Vali again. I finally tracked down a copy of Painted Lady, Ruth Cullens second documentary on her and it brought back so many memories. It was filmed not long before she got sick and around the last time that I saw her and most of it was filmed in her Nicklaus Building studio where I spent most of my time with her. (incidentally my friends at Arcade Publications are now in that studio!)

Vali was amazing, such an inspiration. She lived the fuck you life that I wish I had the guts for. She went where she wanted, lived in a cave, at the Chelsea hotel, wherever she layed her head. She had a face covered in tattoos and wore layers and layers of the most colourful clothing. She danced when she felt like dancing, she purred like a cat when she felt the need to do that too. Being with her was outer worldly. One of my greatest regrets was not spending more time with her while she was alive and not taking the invitation to visit her in her valley in Positano. But her friendship was one of the most inspiring of my life. One of the last times I saw her was purely by chance and I suspect not by accident. The day after I arrived home from many many months overseas, I walked around the corner in my home town with my mum to see Vali sitting outside a cafe, no one else around her except her companion. I didn’t expect her to remember me but she did, immediately. She referred to me as ‘the race car driver’ from a story I had told her when we first met about driving my dad’s race car and at the time being the fastest woman on Australian salt!

I took some amazing pictures of her. I was going through them just recently and was actually surprised that there was only really about 6 or 7 films worth, my memories

seemed like there was so many more, and I guess the richness of the experience and the colour and vibrancy of the shots I did take had clouded my memories. I hope you enjoy my pics of Vali ( I have a lot more too which I will post some other time when I'm feeling nostalgic for her ) but please remember, they are mine, i took them, and if you want to copy or use them for anything, just do the right thing and contact me first. Tah.

Librarian Joke...

Sometimes late night baby feeding TV comes through with the goods...

Last night I got to watch some Stand up comedy, one was an ex-librarian...

"people say, 'you must really love books', 'Yeah they're alright, but really I just wanted to hand out fines and I was too short to join the police force!"

Appropriate reading...

Started The lost art of sleep by Michael McGirr last night, the title appealed to me for obvious reasons. So far it seems to be an entertaining read alternating chapters between Mythology, Philosophy and a little Shakespeare with the authors own experiences of having babies.

On this note, jealous friends who I have told that I only had to get up once in the night for the newbie will be pleased to note it was pretty much every two hours last night!!! Thank the goddess it’s childcare day today and the Newbie and I can have a pyjama day...

S is for...

Sierra!

She’s three weeks old today!

Here’s some thoughts on the past 3 weeks...

I have actually felt a lot more relaxed in the three weeks since she was born than probably the three weeks previous. She’s a very laid back baby... eats, sleeps and shits and thats about it! Oh yeah and she’s also pretty goddamn cute too!!!!

I got myself so stressed about the Caesarean but I’ve been absolutely fine since, I feel so good that I have to remind myself I’m not supposed to be doing certain things or whatever...

The operation itself was one of the strangest experiences of my life, I’ve only had one operation before (and I was knocked out for that one) being fully conscious but not being able to feel anything, and all these people there for little old me! I could see the lady in recovery moving my legs but they didn’t seem attached to my body. One of the other strange parts was that I only saw her for a few minutes, then she was taken away to be checked out and stuff while I was in recovery. So here I am, already having this out of body type experience, and my brain knows I have just had a baby but I can’t seem to comprehend this fact!

Feeding could cause me stress if I let it. I am trying to feed from the boob but don’t seem to be able to satisfy so have to top up with formula when I just can’t handle her hanging off the boob anymore! I have strong feelings about the whole breastfeeding business. I will not deny that breast feeding is most probably best, but it doesn’t work for everyone, I don’t care what the breast Nazi’s say! We have options and no one should ever be made to feel guilty or a lesser parent for utilising any of the options available. There’s talk of how it helps with the bonding process, well how can a stressed out mum and a hungry baby bond more than a contented pair with a bottle in hand? For me, a delicate mix of boob, expressed milk and formula is getting me through, and I figure if I last three months again, then I am doing pretty damn good! Part of me just doesn’t have the patience to sit still for so long with my jugs out!

Now it’s not actually been the newbie that been causing me any stress... its little miss, she regressed to wanting to be like the baby. We’ve had to take evasive action to get the toilet training back on track, and a little strawberry Quik has got us over wanting to have milk in a bottle all the time (lucky she hasn’t figured out you could have pink milk in a bottle too!) I’m doing all those things that the text books and magazines tell me too like making her totally involved with the new baby, she gets her nappies and picks her clothes for the day. She gives her kisses and cuddles and I don’t think it’s a jealousy thing, maybe just a comfort zone thing, or why try hard with all this hard stuff if the baby can just lay there and get the same sort of attention. But we’re getting there, getting a routine of sorts happening. And the electronic baby sitter is getting a workout too!!!

The boy went back to work today and I’ve managed to get through the morning ok!!! Just joking (I have got through the morning ok, Just joking that it needs to be pointed out!!) I’m enjoying some space with no visitors, no boy, two sleeping children and a yummy lunch (out of the freezer!). So I guess things are going along fine... so far!

Famous... again!

Just got word that your favourite Hot Rod Librarian made it into the DVD extras of the ABC's The Librarian's season 2!!!

My mum the rebel...

Well as much as you could be in small town Victoria in the mid-60's!

As I will be out of action for a while... here's a little story to keep you occupied (it's Rod's Ramblings from the latest Cruzin Magazine if the pic doesn't come up too clear.) It's about when my dad asked my mum to get down on the floor of the back of his Hot Rod to act as a balis (weight to add traction!) during a street drag race... though I have to say my mum tells the story better (probably with more embellishment!)

My mum also got caught once getting out of the boot of someones car at the drive in so they could avoid paying... except the driver pulled up next to some friends of my Granny and Jack! (for anyone who knows my Granny... she has eyes everywhere!) She got in big trouble for that one!!!

One more sleep...

So this time tomorrow (well actually a few hours ago) there will be a whole new person in the world!!!

I can't believe I have finally gotten to this point, I was sure the baby would have been here long before now (actually I was hoping for September 23rd which was my Jack's birthday), and it's weird but I actually feel like I can relax a little now! Ive been so on edge and expelling so much emotional energy with every little pain... thinking 'is this it? Is it all happening now' going through what I am going to have to do/who I'm gonna have to call and all that stuff!

Ive also been quite weird about thinking about the baby actually being here, after losing the last baby (see November '08 post) and the drama's attached with this one (though the irregularity in her heartbeat seems to be getting less with every scan) I guess I have just been subconsciously trying to protect myself a little bit.

Anyways, tomorrow... it's all happening tomorrow!!!

I think the little shit deserved it!!!

I finally got to read The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas's latest book. I love Christos and have been reading him religiously since Loaded and am so glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. (just like to point out that I got him put on the HBL standing order list just before this book came out!!!) He's also a friend of a friend so that helps too! This is definitely his best work since Loaded and I love the different perspectives of the eight different characters he focuses on, though it could have done with a little closer editing, there seemed to be a few too many tiny little details (particuly sexual) which I didn't find important, or maybe I'm just missing something!!! Also didn't like his description of Altona as something along the lines of 'Flat, grey suburbia' (I cant remember the exact words as I have taken it back to the library so I cant check... but they wern't very nice!) None of the characters are particuly likable, which can make for some hard going, but they are all very real and Christos is really good at bringing out the ugly side of human nature! Anyways, read it, it's a great book and I love reading anything Melbourne based where I can really picture everything being described.

Waiting, Waiting...

Still a week to go before my so called 'elective' Caesar... I hate that phrase as it brings to mind that whole 'too posh to push thing'... makes me realise that you never do know the circumstances behind any ones decisions and you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! (even though I do, quite often, literally judge a book by it's cover!)It's not my first choice, but I really just want to get this kid out safely... and soon!

But a week can be a long time in late pregnancy! and Ive already gone past the point where little miss was born... so you never know... and Ms Braxton Hicks is going crazy down there, freaking me out at all sorts of ungodly hours of the night!

So this week is going to include a lot of this, so called, 'taking it easy' business... yeah right... with a two year old!... and of course, the boy!!! Wish me luck!