Busy

I have work coming out of every orifice, ergo no time to think dark thoughts about test results.

Today was spent at the second part-time contract dealing with a myriad of issues - and trying to do it all within the allocated hours.

There was also an interview with an amazingly zen woman who recently completed a Peace Train journey across Russia and China and, later, a visit to my lovely clothes woman and the good news that she had sold several of my items.

Today's visual is from last night's drinks in my garden with several of the Mt Vic Vixens (apologies for the bad quality - the excellent Shiraz had obvs worked its magic). The Vixens rallied to support me after Wednesday's events and we drank, laugh and shared our battle scars. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have these brave, interesting and worldy women in my life.

   

Adventures in biopsy land

Just after 10.30am today, an extremely skilled surgeon slid an indecently large needle into my left breast and withdrew tissue from the lump that's been playing hide and seek for the past year or so.

I'll spare you the details of the numerous attempts this lovely woman had to make (I, apparently, have the dubious honour of having some of the most dense breast tissue this remarkably young looking mother of five has ever seen). I have no wish to slip on the wings of self-pity, except to say that it hurt like hell and wiped me out completely.

The good things? The place I was supposed to contract to today let me work from home and while I did manage to bash out a few deliverables, I've spent the whole day feeling sore and a bit yucky (okay, maybe this should fall into the not-so-good column).

I also got to enjoy a Bounty Bar on the way home (it was practically prescribed by the surgeon  who suggested I needed to keep my blood sugar levels up).          

The worst? Where do I start? I'm also slightly peeved I had to miss the usual Wednesday night running group (no exercise for 24 hours) and that I couldn't walk His Highness. Fortunately the Animator came home at lunchtime to take care of that.

But at least it's done - and I have the angry latticework of bruises to prove it. Now I just have to wait for the results...

Today, more than ever, I need something beautiful to rest my eyes upon so the visual is, what else, but cute canines.

(Pic credit: Tumblr)


   

Dogaccino, anyone?

This evening the dog walking group took a stroll along the waterfront and then worked its way through the K9 (and human) menu at this fabulous dog-friendly cafe.

The menu included pupsicles, beef beer (!) and, yes, dogaccions (made with beef broth). The two-legged among us enjoyed a glass of red and a slice of cheesecake. A beautiful walk on a stunning Welly night.

And the office rose to its feet...

as news came in that Lorde had won two Emmys.

This remarkable 17-year-old Kiwi won best solo performance and her anti-bling earworm, Royals, bagged the song of the year.

Even better, when the reporter on the red carpet asked her what she was wearing, she replied, "A white shirt and black pants". Huggge girl crush.

I have a tonne of work to do but am going to park myself in front of the tee-vee and write a tedious comms plan as I watch  a replay of the night this fabulous Kiwi chick became the third-youngest ever to win an Emmy. Evening, sorted.

(Pic credit: Billboard) 

The Dress Hunter

Today my story about finding my wedding dress - and how a student job at a bridal store shaped my tastes - was the cover story of the Sunday Star Times' Sunday Magazine. Click here to read.

As much as I love writing these essay-type pieces, this year I'm planning to do more corporate writing (mainly because it pays more and the editors aren't such arses). Which means this may be one of the last of these pieces I write for a while...

But onwards and upwards, eh....

 

Today's blog post was brought to you

by the heavenly trifecta of peaches, nectarines and plums, doused in icing sugar and grilled on the barbie. Served with mascarpone into which a swirl of honey has been introduced, and it's like a kiss from an angel.

This is, it appears, an addiction I am unable to break.

Fortunately the calorie ledger was balanced by a 7km run this arvo with the running group. Today we did the hills behind Ori Parade; not my favourite thing, particularly in the blazing heat, and I didn't exactly cover myself with glory. But I made it and I now have that comfortably sore feeling that comes from dragging my lardy arse around the streets.

Tonight there will be red wine and this movie which I have been dying to see for the longest time. I hear Meryl Street is fabulous in it.

And for those of you who emailed to ask after the Hound, fortunately no teeth extractions were required. He remains on soft food for the next few days, and we're only able to walk him on-leash around the hood, but he is back to his delightful self. And that is something else to be thankful for today.

    

How do you make the hands of the clock spin faster?

I have spent all day in a state of hyper-tension - the Hound is at the vet having his teeth done. Which might sound stupidly simple, but he has to be anaesthesied and there is more than a sliver of a chance he may have to have several teeth extracted. Damn those previous owners and their dental hygiene strike.

To help distract from the canine trauma, I spent the day at the audiologist (don't ask; suffice to say it involved silicon moulds and an indecent amount of cash) and at the second contract, trying to remember how to craft a Ministerial briefing paper. It's best, however, to throw a cloth over both these events.  

In good news, the airline and the Peninsula Hotel stars finally aligned and my media trip to Honkers is confirmed. Running a marathon has been less difficult than organising this famil, for some odd reason. However, one casualty of the ever moving goalposts has been the UK leg - at the last iteration, I would have arrived in Bristol when two of my three besties were off skiing, which wouldn't have done at all. So I pulled the plug and hopefully there will be the chance for a rematch later on. But for now, totes excited to be spending seven nights in one of my favourite places on the planet. Shopping city, here I come....

Aprops of nothing, except that it's Friday, the sun has finally figured out what it's supposed to be doing and I need to fill my mind with thoughts of anything but my poor wee doggy, today's visual is of the fabulous project the Animator is currently kicking major butt on. Thunderbirds are indeed go!

         

I'm late, I'm late....

for every bloody thing, at the moment.

I've taken on too much work and my time management skills are failing to keep up.

It's now about 9.30pm and I still haven't started a major piece of marketing collateral I need to deliver in a few days. My head hurts and I badly want to spend the next few hours staring at the back of my eyelids, or a movie or a book. Anything but a laptop screen.

This evening, on the way home from one contract, I had to feed the neighbour's cat, which we've been doing for the past week. I was late leaving the office, had work leftover from the first contract to complete and still had to walk the Wonder Dog. The poor wee cat is going half crazed that his owners are out of town and all he wanted was for me to stay and pat him. But I didn't even have the time to do that (you can tut tut at me all you like, but I will pretend not to hear. I know it was horrid of me to feed and run, but I had to keep the plates spinning and there was no time for cuddles).
  
Or, indeed, for any more fannying about here. It's back to work for me.

Perhaps I should take heart from the great Nelson Mandela...

(Pic credit: Tumblr)

Going backwards

Today I started back at a previous contract I left almost a year ago. A wise old friend warned me against it, suggested that one shouldn't go backwards.

As with most things in life, it turned out to be okay. There is a shit-tonne of reading, writing and strategising to do (more than I expected) and, of course, it all has to be done by yesterday. But the hourly rate is good and it's only two days a week (the other three are taken up with the copywriting gig I've been at for the last seven months) and it's only for a month or so. Best of all, I can do the bulk of it from home.

In the meantime, all my other freelance stuff will grow mould waiting for me to get to it, but oh well.

A friend sent me the following quote today; it's a timely reminder not just to run from one contract to another, or from one workplace to another, but to grab what I'm doing and squeeze the bejesus out of it.      

"I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. [He taught me that] if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be."

Roald Dahl

One thing I am passionate about is the running group; this week I've signed up for two events - tonight and Saturday. Let the fat begone...

Today's visuals are of something else I'm truly, desperately passionate about - the furry love of my life.

   

Happy Anniversary, Wellington

Today was a public holiday to commemorate the anniversary of the glorious city we live in.

It started with a three hour walk with the doggie walking group at the Polhill Reserve Loop.
Lots of fun for the two and four legged participants.

I raced home for a 2.00pm magazine interview with the amazing woman behind Beer Belly Jellies, delicious savoury jellies made with good old Welly craft beer. And then scoffed her jellies, cheese and home-made beer lavash (!) as though I was in the shadow of a famine. And this from someone who doesn't really like beer.

  
We finished the day with a 6.2 quake. An unwanted reminder that we live atop one of the world's twitchiest fault-lines. Or maybe it was just the earth sending its anniversary wishes...

A weekend of wine and song

Actually less of the song and more of the fermented beverages (Dry January begged me to come back but I pretended not to hear).

Last night there was a walk in the Town Belt with our friends Gosia and Martin (who the Animator worked with in the UK). They have been in NZ for a few months and wanted to check out the Lord of the Rings filming locations. The Hound and I traverse these spots on our daily walk and aside from having to bypass the touristy hordes, care little for their celluloid significance. Yesterday, however, we had our very own Kodak moment, before heading home for a barbie in the sun-drenched garden (including, for dessert, the blessed holy trinity of grilled peaches, nectarines and apricots slathered with mascarpone and honey).

      
Today there was brunch with my old mate Farahmand at this fabulous place, a doggie walk on the beach and some work. Later there will be this movie. I'm told it's all kind of beautiful, but probably not for you if you consider anything with Bruce Willis or Jim Carrey in it as cinematic perfection.  

The good, the bad and the pine cones

A stupidly busy day - exacerbated by the fact I have just taken on another part-time PR contract. I know.

I am, it appears, genetically incapable of saying No. Bang goes my writing from home days (Wednesdays and Fridays), although hopefully once I have done the correct amount of schmoozing and connected with the appropriate project team peeps, I should be able to do the bulk of the writing from home. Here's hoping...

And of course just as I say yes to this gig, two rather large writing commissions plop into my inbox. So much for pacing myself this year.

Other things that annoyed me today included:

• guys digging up the street outside my window with the world's most enthusiastic digger
• the airline messing up my flights so I now only have four nights in HK - grrrrrr
• which meant having to rearrange the HK interviews I'd already sorted for that extra day
• no time to drag my arse around the harbour
• insufficient work completed
• one very annoying editor who I'd like to feed to the wolves, piece by piece.

As a result of the above, Dry January has been dismissed as the extremely ill conceived idea it was. 

One thing I did achieve today was the excessive collection of pine cones in the Town Belt to fill the wooden tray thingy I bought at the tip shop on Sunday for two whole bucks. As I was admiring my stash, the Hound swept in and grabbed one. Pine cones are, in fact, his favoured chew toy. On reflection, they may not be the best table decoration.          

. 

The yin and yang of fat-busting

Last night there was the fat-busting run

Today there was this calorific carnival of donuts, care of our boss.

As my mother likes to say, it's all about balance...

It's getting hot in here...

This was the view from my back garden at 5.30pm this evening.

Tonight's outing with the running group was as hot as Hades, a complete contrast to last week's run.

But another 7km down and another step closer to reclaiming my fitness (and my muscle definition, which is proving about as elusive as world peace).

Friendship

A day of catching up. The first with a friend who tracked me down via Linked In who I haven't seen since we were students with part-time jobs at KFC. Yeah, I know (incredible that I spent three years slinging that crap; now not only do I not eat meat, I'd rather grow a third arm than put that kind of fast-food bollocks into my body).

Anyway, our conversation ranged over careers, relationships, kids (his 10-year-old twin girls and my four-legged babies), families (I did a magazine story about his fashion designer sister once) and about how growing up in the tragic suburb we did nevertheless had its merits (the strong survival instinct it honed in us, for starters).

Sadly, we both had to go back to work but I'm sure there will be a round two soon.

After work, I met my friend Heidi to sit in the blazing sun and drink tea and chat until our tongues almost fell out of our heads (sad git that I am, I'm having a dry January so moved our meeting from a pub to a cafe). It was all manner of lovely and as we walked home, I realised how lucky I am to know the people that I do.

Today's visuals are of cute woofers from Tumblr. Yes, I know I may as well hold up a sign saying 'I've run out of ideas' but sweet baby Jesus, these wee treasures make my heart swell.

      

First interiors interview of the year - and bargain city!

Today we drove an hour up the coast to Waikanae where I interviewed a home-owner who has done amazing things to her house with a tight budget. She's the owner of this adorable shop so her home was all manner of cute.

Sadly, I only remembered to whip out my phone at the last minute so these are the only pics I have to share. But, between you and me, I was crushing out hard on the driftwood Xmas tree - might have to get my Martha Stewart groove on this year and make my own.

As has become our practice, the boys went to the beach while I did the interview; but when the Animator came to collect me, Bristol got to play with the home-owner's dog Poppy. They only stopped long enough for me to take this.

Best of all was the home-owner's heads-up of a couple of second-hand stores on our way home; this is the haul from both - six items for the princely sum of $31! Almost, dare I say it, as good as the UK car boots.

  

(Apols for rubbish photo; I am on deadline to deliver this story by tomorrow AM so no time for faffing about with photoshop).