Things I've learned this week

(In no particular order)

• I like looking at houses.

Kind of already knew this but now that we're seriously considering buying I have sat up and am taking more notice. It always fascinates me how other people decorate their homes. Personally I have no style, I just like what I like and am easily influenced by others. Some people are incredibly skilled. Others are incredibly not skilled. One of houses I looked at had a bright yellow kitchen bench with red tiles. Total vomit material.

• I internalise most of my physical pain.

And some of my whinging, which is alarming given how much I complain out loud. Matt, on the other hand, externalises Every Single Bit of his. I think we're both learning to meet in the middle. Aren't we Matt?

• My children hate me.

Just when I think I could not possibly last one more night with the incessant sleep disturbance, they wake more often. The night before last was a record 9 times. I am delirious. And the 15 minute block of sleep I did get resulted in a stupidly stiff neck. To spice it up around here we've taken to playing musical beds at random hours through the night. The Hansens, living on the edge. It's always exciting and unusual in this house.
I am seriously thinking about imprisonment for myself in order to get a break. It's the only way I'm going to get any respite in the next few weeks. Anyone know what offence will get me an 8 week stint in the slammer? Will consider most suggestions...
Here are a couple of gorgeous pictures to make what I've just written seem completely implausible.

• I can eat a whole Chocolate Ripple cake in 24 hours.

No further comment.

• I miss exercise.

I know! Anyone who knows me will think I've lost my mind (which is entirely possible), but I really do. With Matt out of action I have not been to the gym or swimming in a month now. There goes my buns of steel and rock hard abs...

• I am attached to Steve Bracks.

Sounds ridiculous but he's the only premier I've liked since I became interested in the politics of Victoria. My fondness for Bracksy was probably enhanced by the fact that I loathed Kennett. I know Steve had his shortcomings but he always seemed so genuine, so 'human'. I think he and his Cabinet made a lot of gains for Victoria. Not wanting to sound dramatic, but saying goodbye to the end of an era brings with it a small sense of melancholy (I get far too attached to people and eras).

That's enough learning for one week I reckon. I'm off to training for work on Monday. We often complain in the office that there aren't enough professional development opportunites but in comparison to some fields (and other organisations in the same field for that matter) I think we do okay. Monday's workshop is The Silent Voice of Trauma - working with children with dissociative behaviours.

Well. That was a sombre note to end on wasn't it? I'll pop something cheerful in to finish. We have but 1 male in our team of 15. He's a great guy and we have a long standing prank game between us. He recently took leave and this is what we did to his workspace.

More bad stuff

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Okay so this blog has turned quickly into my whinge spot.
Matt finally got his surgery last Wednesday after being bedridden for over 2 days. On Friday he was discharged in literally a matter of minutes, left to pack his own things (on a leg he was not, under any circumstances, to use) and told to hopfoot it (no pun intended) down to the transit lounge to wait 5 hours until I had a chance to collect him. Luckily he did not have to wait that long as we made other arrangements, but MAN! It made me so angry.

Then, because at that hospital the first case of polio in Australia in over 20 years has been admitted, and Matt apparently used the same block of toilets as patient, he was contacted by the Dept of Health and told to scoot off to the GP asap for a polio booster. I might add that there was no concern about moi or offspring here, just hospital covering their bottoms. And again I'm left questioning the efficacy of vaccinations when at the first whisper of exposure we are all told to have boosters, boosters, more boosters. Pfft.

And so Matt is in, like a lot, of pain with his leg and that. So what does he do? Falls backwards down the stairs and thinks he's re-torn achilles tendon. Woohoo! Another ultrasound tomorrow.

This afternoon at Matt's shop, a dropkick who claimed to be carrying a knife demanded all the takings from Doug, Matt's employee who is singlehandedly running the shop at the moment. Would never in a million years recommend this course of action, but Doug gave him a mouthful, locked the door and dialed 000. The would-be robber began his tanty about his loss of civil liberty or some such rubbish and threatened to stab Doug, so Doug opened the door and the petrified young man scurried up the street.

Someone, somewhere is seeing how much Matt can stand before his head actually blows right off his shoulders. So polio is the worst you've got? Bring it on I say!

Signed Kate, who doesn't have polio and is in desperate need of a holiday somewhere warm and tropical.

The men in my life

Matt has been in hospital since Sunday and continues to wait for surgery. "It'll be done tonight" or, "you'll go first thing in the morning" are the promises coming from staff which are starting to sound repetitive (and just a smidge annoying). I submitted a complaint to the Patient Relations Department this morning around how he can be continuously put at the end of the theatre lists. Surely at some stage he would be a priority, if only by virtue of the fact that he's been there the longest? Private health cover is beginning to show its appeal. Wouldn't be so bad for Matt if they were letting him eat, drink or move about, but they have him imprisoned behind his pink curtains with nothing for nourishment but IV saline. Every twenty-four hours or so, when they're sure he's not going to be whisked away to theatre, he is provided with a meal (which he thinks is a strategy so that you don't realise how bad the food really is because you're just inhaling it to stop your stomach from digesting itself). And every hour he's there we're losing income. There are six orthopaedic surgeons in the unit, surely they can't all be test driving Porsches on the same day? Isn't one of them actually working? To add insult to injury, the whole procedure takes around forty-five minutes. C'mon...call one of them in from dinner, I dare you.

Through this experience I am getting a true taste of what it would be like to be a single parent. Hard. Slog.

Now to my other man. With Matt absent Quinn has insisted on confirming everything that is "daddy's". Repeatedly. Our days have included more than one inventory of Matt's side of the room with reassurance from me that yes, that is daddy's, and that is too, and yes, that as well, yes, all daddy's. Must be so confusing for him.

Quinn has recently developed an obsession with buses and trucks. Buses and trucks. Buses and trucks. Did I mention buses and trucks? We have a Fisher Price bus with flashing lights and a driver who, when pushed down on, activates the sound and music. Trouble is the music is only ever once (and about ten seconds) to about five statements from the driver. Statements such as "watch for the stop sign" "my bus has flashing lights". Which wouldn't be an issue if Quinn didn't have to have the music playing in order to 'drive' his bus. And what's worse, his whole world collapses every time the music stops and the man reverts to talking. Big tears roll down his face and he brings the bus to me saying "duck mumum" (duck is Quinn-speak for stuck). Sounds adorable, and it would be slightly more endearing for me if it didn't happen every thirty seconds. That bus is going to get 'lost' tomorrow.

Giant skating fish and sore feet

Yesterday Mieke and I went to see Disney on Ice, Finding Nemo. It was a terrific day out, only dampened slightly by the exorbitant price of everything. A program was $22, but the plus side of that is that upon purchasing the $22 program you would also receive a thin plastic Nemo hat, worth 20 cents (and I think I'm being generous there). She settled for an ice cone in a Nemo cup, an absolute steal at $15. We got a free straw with that.

The show itself was great. About five minutes into it, Mieke asked when it was going to finish, however she became more and more enthralled with each scene. I had wondered how the movie would be brought to life and whether or not it would work (fish do look strange with legs and because Bruce is so big he had four of them) but it was done well by using some of the actual dialogue and scenes from the movie on a large screen behind the show. We had good seats, close enough to fully experience everything but not so close that characters were overwhelming for her.

I was lovely to have a day out with Mieke. She's so grown up compared to the days of me shouting at her to stay with me as she runs off into the crowd, forcing her to hold my hand, etc etc. It was a joy to be with her and we had a really special time. As we were heading home she announced that I'd better hurry because she missed Quinn and wanted to tell him about her day.


This is a portrait of Matt's sore foot, rather good I think. It dawned on me this morning that he will be out of action for at least a month. Greeeeeeat...

How can an adult still hurt itself?

Was the question Mieke asked me this morning after learning that Matt tore his achilles tendon last night (he has been playing basketball again for about a month - yeah for sure, I said, playing is a great idea, the exercise will do you good). According to Mieke, being grown up should mean we are free from injury and she can't comprehend how on earth he did that, when she falls all the time and only ever has a scrape requiring a Shrek bandaid and a kiss. Quinn fell backwards off our couch he didn't even get hurt. Dad's heel is going to need a lot of kissing. And some surgery.

Beautiful Ella

I've never seen Justin so happy. I went with him tonight to meet Ella, he is completely in love. She is divine. A tiny 5lbs 4oz.

Kidlets

Quinn's new tactic for opening Mieke's bedroom door. He loves closing doors, trouble is he used to get stuck. Not any more! (note the chair to enable him to get onto bed and move across to bedside table. He's resourceful). Mieke can actually reach her door handle, she just grabbed the chance for a photo op.
This one of Quinn by himself is one from a series of photos taken of Quinn last weekend. To me it doesn't really look much like him, but I love the picture.

Hello world!

Well add me to the many who have climbed on board the cyber-journaling craze. I'm so resistant to new things that it's taken me 12 months of reading other peoples' blogs to accept that this might actually be a good way of communicating with everyone.

My first piece of very exciting news which I'm sure everyone knows by now is that I'm an aunt! Justin and Adelle had a baby girl on Sunday evening - 5 weeks early but apparently doing all the things she's supposed to. I feel incredibly proud, like I had something to do with the actual event. I’m continually awestruck by the miracle that is life. What amazing beings we are.

Mieke is just delighted. This morning she drew a picture of her aunt and the new baby, and surrounding them were 6 pictures of herself.

So that's the first post from this virgin blogger. Now I'll post some recent photos of everyone so you can have a peek whenever you feel like it. Ahhh, ain't technology grand? I remember not too long ago, sending photos to the UK in between pieces of cardboard with the instructions DO NOT BEND in red marker plastered over the front. How times have changed.