This one's all about other people. Makes a nice change doesn't it?! This post has been awhile in the cooking - sitting in Draft for a little while.. (and I'm thinking 'straw' and 'camel' with Blogger after finishing it, and publishing it, and finding it inserted in my blog way back on the date I first saved the draft! I mean, WTF?!!)

Anyway, what I am saying is, I've finally got round to finishing this post! (And have now put it in the appropriate chronological order, and moved 'Change to Wordpress and Get Own URL and Renovate Blog' higher on my list of Important Things To Do over the next couple of weeks.)

Firstly, there's this linky love award thingy... I don't actually know the rules for this one, so I'm not sure how many blogging buddies I'm supposed to link to. And I hate making decisions, because 'I love youse all'. So I'll keep it to one... and given it involves kittehs there was really only once choice. And while I'm sure she doesn't need anymore kittehs right at this moment, I know she's a sucker for them, and she can probably do with all the kitteh love she can get right now. So this one's going to Rootietoot over at Because it Really is Personal. Also because she's a classic.

I also figured it was maybe time to do a Top 10. So this is the rest of my Top 10 in terms of "mutual admiration" blogging. (Rootie is right up there with everyone.) I do read some of Those Really Popular Blogs, but a) they don't need the links, and b) they get outrageous numbers of comments, and so I don't comment (pretty much ever) on their blogs, and c) they sure as hell don't comment on mine.

And then Miscmum (see below) awarded me this...

... so all of the following can and should consider themselves 'awarded' with an 'E' because they are Excellent mutually supportive bloggers. And they should go right ahead and hang it up on the blog equivalent of their 'Atta Girl' wall, if they have one! (As per my real life, the few awards and certificates I've ever received tend to get lost in the filing cabinet, or on a desk, or in a pile or drawer somewhere. Maybe when I renovate, I can get them all out and frame them, and hang them up!)

On with the show! Not in any particular order, because I'm rebellious like that. I hate rating anything! These are my top blogging mates. Buddies if you will. (Which means thay actually all should, appropriately, take the kitty award as well - go on, guys ... take the kittens! Rootie won't mind sharing!)

Miscmum. Karen is a net friend from pre-blogging days, and whose home town isn't so far from us. So close in fact that we went to her wedding, which not only was an honour to have been invited, but it brought our friendship into the real world. She is starting to really 'kick-arse' with her writing and blogging. Coming in in the Top 100 Aussie Blogs, and around #18 of top 100 Aussie Women bloggers, she has a very exciting writing project (psst - it's a book!) she is about to launch. I just hope she has some fingernails left by the time it happens.

Jeanie in Paradise. I have forgiven her for passing within ONE KILOMETRE of my house and not letting me know so I could invite her to drop in! Well, I wanted to show her that I live in Paradise as well, and you know how parochial these Queenslanders can get, thinking it's all 'Beautiful one day, perfect the next' up there and nowhere else. ;) Plus I wanted to meet her!! I can't remember who found who first, but she has become a great blogging mate. Always there with a comment, support and words of wisdom. And seeing she made #64 on the Top 100 Aussie Women Bloggers, other people must have recognised something special about her too!

The Brave. Her motto is 'Fortune Favours the Brave', and I think that's what firstly drew me to her blog, because I really admire that spirit. 'Strauss' is an Aussie who was living over in Canada with her husband and two young kids when I first discovered her, but they came back home just before Christmas. Enough of us hassled her to keep blogging, so happily she has obliged, and I'm not alone in loving her wonderful way with words, this time as she describes settling in 'back home'. We are also a bit of a two-person mutual admiration society, as we each credit the other with inspiring us to get out there and give it a go with using exercise to make us feel better about ourselves.

Shishyboo. "This is me, like it or lump it." Shish is another Aussie that I discovered across the other side of the country. In the time I've been reading her blog, she's actually grown into her blog title as she's wrestled with the sort of extended family issues that make you realise your own 'parental' and 'inlaw' issues aren't so bad after all. Lucky she has the unswerving support of her hubby and a really cute little girl! And for a self confessed shy homebody, she does a mean Halloween dress up!

Probably but not Likely. Elizabeth hails from Canada, and has been an internet mate for quite some time. She's not old enough to be my mum, but she's much wiser and accessible and comforting than my mother! Favourite aunty? No...still makes her sound too old. Dammit though, can't I just adopt her as the family I wished I had .. somehow. Ever since she 'fell for' Australia I have looked at my own country with her in mind, and anywhere I go I take photos 'for E'. She loves her books (we 'met' through an author's bulletin board!), movies, and travel. One of the most exciting bits of news I've had recently is that she and hubby have decided 'stuff it, let's go visit Australia'. Much better to have them visit in real life than vicariously through a doll and alter-ego called 'little fang' !!

The Potty Diaries - Potty Mummy reckons kids have sent her crazy (aka 'potty') too. She's the one who passed on the kittens (see the bottom of this post) so I'll just say that she is a recent but delightful discovery in the blogging world. I confess to a fondness for that unique British turn of phrase and sense of humour (hence my preference for British TV) so I am really glad to have found her blog!

Brissiemum - Another Aussie; I'm not sure who stumbled across who first, but we've connected on an Aussie Mum basis ( Even though she's a Queenslander! ;) ) I think her kids would slot in between my kids' ages. If you click over to her site, don't jump - it's just she's left her music playing. OK, I jump everytime and usually turn it off because there's often too much other noise happening in the house! She's a busy Brissie mum, but you'll get a great insight into Aussie (and Brissie) family life. *Brissie being short for Brisbane, capital of Queensland - and yes, have you picked it? - there's a bit of friendly (probably football induced) rivalry between Queensland and NSW (my home state).

Daily Drudge - Jersey Chick may be a few things that I am not ('Christian', homeschooler, and capable of teaching her kids how to clean a loo!), but isn't it amazing how you can *click* across the world over your general attitude to life (and values when it comes to bringing up kids.) I have to say I admire anyone who has the energy to homeschool their kids along dealing with a few recent, tough household and financial issues along the way. She is a friend of Rootietoot, who admires her greatly, so that is a great recommendation in itself.

Northern Girl - She works so hard, I don't know how she finds time to sleep, let along blog, and if I've told her once, I've told her at least twenty times, I think she's a legend. She lives up in the northern parts of the US, not far, I gather, from the border of Canada, way up where they get extreme temperatures and one hell of a lot of snow. They live on property, but she works in town and also drives around one hell of a lot for her job, and still manages to run a household comprising her hubby, and two daughters - with all the challenges that having a teenager and tweenager bring.

Magic Bellybutton. She's got the proverbial (but creative) 'potty mouth', and tells it like it is, but this Aussie bombshell rocks. (And a bombshell she is!! - don't head over there if you have an aversion to swear words - well, I say that because of today's post in particular!!) Why do I love her blog? (Except for the new fluoro pink text on black that I've told her I struggle to read because my eyes are getting old and crazy with the rest of me, and consequently I would, most likely and sadly, click on through if I'd only chanced upon her now...).. Because she's got the guts that I don't to wear her views on politics and religious bigotry, her intolerance of morons, and the generally unfashionable habit of watching shows on the ABC, on her sleeve! Sometimes I wonder if she's a long lost baby sister that was given up for adoption or something, because our world views are so similar. (More similar than I share with my own sister.) Only she's so much more feisty than I'll ever be! (Oh yeah, and she's from Queensland too! I think it's a conspiracy!!)

~~~~~~~~~~

OK.. I've got to 10 or more - I lost count! - and I've gone waaaaay overtime in terms of minutes (hours) spent on this post. I've got a few other regulars (and new discoveries) I'd like to link to, and I will at some point down the track. But for now in terms of long overdue linky love, and mutual admiration society type posting, as they say in the business - "That's a wrap."

Labels: linkety link

I very unwisely hopped on the scales this morning, which burst my little bubble of rhetoric somewhat. With a *BANG*. My weight is going UP. How can that be? I wonder.

No I don't.

It's a simple equation to do with energy in and energy out. It's all too easy to get all smug and virtuous about the exercise you are doing. But what happens is you think you have the licence to eat whatever you damn well like. And to have a glass or three of wine empty calories each night.
Which leaves you with an unequal or unequitable equation? Or something like that.

Dammit.

Why does it have to be so hard?

No.. the solution is simple. And I know this. Decrease the energy in, and increase the energy out. How hard is that? And theoretically, the more you burn, the more you might be able to get away with consuming. Isn't that right?

While I ponder upon how to have my cake and eat it too... (and consequently sit on my backside at the computer instead of doing something about 'energy out') I'm going to pass forward this Inspirational Blogger award thingy. [These come originally from Writers Reviews.] I never feel comfortable doing these, because I hate leaving deserving people out. I could quite easily list a dozen bloggers who inspire me for different reasons, but I'll bite the bullet and give a gong to two bloggers that I read who I find inspirational in totally different ways. And if they want to add their award to their bloggy 'Atta Girl wall, they can click on over via the link above and choose the 'Inspirational Blogger' colour scheme to best match their decor.

Rootietoot is an inspiration because of what she achieves on a daily basis through the grinding pain of her hip, and for showing me that it is more than fine to make a career out of being a SAHM. I may not agree with everything that she rattles on about, and rattle on she does! But somehow she inspires an all encompassing non-judgemental tolerance for others. I never imagined I'd get caught up with the blog of someone with totally different views on religion, politics (and gun control!) (and she's American to boot!) so there you go. Rootie, you're an inspiration. There is also the fact that I can get away with using the term 'rootie'... given the Australian meaning of the word 'root'. !

And Drunk Mummy has got to get a gong - to add to all her others. I've only stumbled upon her blog recently (and then she up and went swanning off O.S. for a few weeks.) But how I relate to her 'you children drive me to drink' M.O. Drunk Mummy, however, does it in style. Not only is she a wine enthusiast, but she can actually bloody remember what she's drunk and then she blogs it. With a classic British wit that is a joy to read. Truly inspirational.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* So I am going to now try and do something "domestic" this morning, and then I am going to ride my bike via the forest roads to my weight training class. Energy out.*

[* Picture above is from Licence to Eat]

Labels: go me, linkety link

Me? A thinking blogger? Well fracas thinks so, and so who am I to quibble? Particularly when I think she makes me think far more than I can imagine I make her think... But, thank you fracas! I'm thorougly chuffed!

So, now, the rules of this meme started by Thinking Blogger Awards are as follows

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (there is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

Now for the hard part. Finding 5 who haven't been tagged already.. and then stressing about leaving people out! (At least you can still find most of the blogs I read for many reasons over there on my sidebar... though I must update it someday soon!)

So. Here are 5 bloggers that I have been reading for a while now, and who regularly have posts which really get me thinking about life, the universe and everything. (And, yes, who are likely to read my blog so that they know I've tagged them anyway!)

The Brave

Jeanie in Paradise

shishyboo

Miscellaneous Mum

Because it's personal

Labels: go me, linkety link

Maybe time I did another one of these? (You didn't expect me to be on time, did you fracas?)

THE MONDAY MELEE (on a Tuesday... well.. as I type this it's about 11.15 pm in L.A. so maybe it still counts!):

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.
Mean Girls. Like in the movie. I've seen them in my daughters' peer groups since the eldest started school! Now that she's almost 14, it seems that half the girls she has to deal with are just like the 'Plastics'. (And I tend to have to drive them places in my car, knowing that they are little cows to other girls who aren't the same as them.) More often than not, their parents think they are lovely too. And they are going to grow into adults. *sighs* I suppose that's where they get it from. So the cycle continues....

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

This will mean nothing to non-Australians, but seriously, this is as phony as it gets. Our PM, frantic that he might finally get beaten at the next election, is indulging in muck raking and mud throwing at his opponent to ridiculous degrees.

Here's how it goes:
Oh no, Kevin Rudd (Opposition Leader) is beating me in the polls.. let's find some dirt on himOh this is a beauty... He was at some functions with a former disgraced state premier... great.. let's let it rip, and smear his character. .... .... Oh bugger..... seems one of my cabinet ministers has also had lunch with said ex-premier. What to do now?... This had better look good.. um.... Let's sack him from his ministry... (but it's ok mate, after this has blown over, and we're in government again, we'll give you a good job back...)

I mean... WHAT SORT OF FOOLS DO YOU THINK THE ELECTORATE ARE?

(Don't answer that... they've already bought a whole lot of other lies.. including the reason we went to war in Iraq)

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
The lack of safe bike riding opportunities around here.. and consequently having to mix it with IDIOTS driving cars who think that slowing down for 5 seconds (to wait for an oncoming car before safely overtaking) will end their life or something. These same IDIOTS think that it's OK to squeeze past a bike in a narrow lane, or even a roundabout!! These same sorts of drivers have no concept of the fact that bikes can actually travel reasonably quickly (particularly when going downhill), so they think it's ok to cut in front of them, or pull out in front of them. I think it should be compulsory for every car driver to get on a bike and ride somewhere, and maybe THEN they will gain an understanding of how to respect cyclists as other road users. And they might do their health some good as well!!

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

Our kids. Even though some of them are grumbling about training for this Big Ride, once we are riding, they do so well. Not that many kids would get on the back of a tandem with their parents and ride nearly 60 km on a bloody hot day without complaining during it. They were awesome on the Big Ride last year, and I am sure they will be awesome again this year. They're awesome.. (when they are not driving me nuts!)

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

Loose pants! I must have lost a centimetre or so round my waist. I've been working hard on the bike riding. It's got to pay off...!! (It would work quicker if I was more careful with what I put in my mouth!!)

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

A sudden ability to be able to attack the household domestics with fervour. I am in SUCH a mess.

Labels: linkety link

29.59 km.
Ride time: 1:41:08
Av. speed: 17.58 kph
Max speed. 41.34 kph

And I found an extra hill by trying a 'short cut' along a track (cross country track near the lake) and came out in the next suburb/village at the bottom of a hill. Duh!

Backing up for 1 hour swim class in an hour's time.

Yes, I do need the time on the bike.

It was a week and a day since I last rode, and, yes, well, I could feel it.

Plan for Wednesday. Further.

***

No "after" shots of clean up yet. Just discovered the camera battery was flat. Bit of a problem this camera battery actually. I think we need to do something about it before the Ride. It's on charge and I will oblige for those that have requested.

I must also actually take the big bags and boxes of stuff out of the house and to appropriate places.

***
Something that made me laugh today:

This letter to the editor (Sydney Morning Herald, today)

Why is Dick Cheney coming to Australia? Is he planning to buy us? Is he planning to steal us? Is he planning to take our PM on a hunting trip?

Tony Turner Tuross Head

That last one is what you call wishful thinking.

***

Something that made me nod my head soberly:

This letter to the editor (first one on this page - though tomorrow I will probably have to change the link when it is no longer the default url for the letters page.)

What a way to start Valentine's Day: at 7am blissful sleep is shattered by the door buzzer. Open the door to be find four guys looking like Shrek's brothers, all wearing pink singlets. The boss sports a gold necklace as thick as rope with a diamond-encrusted chainsaw attached. "Move yer car, mate, we've got a tree to remove."

Not the three-storey-high river gum, more than 50 years old, that is home to thousands of native birds, probably the last "great" tree left in Randwick?

"Yep."

I stumble out of the house and around the corner to a scene out of a Spielberg movie: a pink leviathan the size of a house fills the street while half a dozen pink-singleted loggers stare at me and my little car that is in the way. "No @$#&ing way!" I exclaim loudly.

One of the pink singlets snickers as if he has heard and laughed at this powerless exclamation before. "Yep," says the gold chainsaw man, "council orders, mate."

"See up there, the big ears?" We both strain to see the very small swelling around one of five major limbs. "Yep, big ears, gotta go. Could maybe in a big wind possibly fall."

Fifty years to grow, 50 minutes to go. Why?

One phrase, one crummy little twisted phrase that has come to represent everything that is causing the cancer of mediocrity to eat out the heart of our society: occupational health and safety.

Occupational health and safety, a well-intentioned piece of legislation, was designed to rein in the yahoos or eradicate the cowboys from high-rise building sites. But it has become a bureaucratic excuse to cover butts because of the increasing propensity of Australians to follow our American cousins' vexatious litigious behaviour. A job-creation scheme for dodgy lawyers and spineless yes-men is a more accurate description of the way it has turned out.

If OH&S had been with us from the start, the wheel would not have come around, the Wright brothers would never have taken flight and Neil Armstrong would never have taken a giant step. With OH&S, there should be no trees, nobody could use a beach but everyone's safety would be ensured.

But what is the point of safety when life on Earth no longer exists?

Ian McLoughlin Randwick

***

Oh and a link for all of you with tantruming toddlers out there (and all of us who once had tantruming toddlers!)I think you'll enjoy this. I love the pseudonym for the kid. "Lets call her Vesuvius." LOL.

***

I found something else that was MIA in the house! One of the vacuum cleaner attachments - the round brushy one that is good for cobwebs, and walls and stuff. No excuse now. Another one for the 'it'll turn up' methodology that I tend to operate under. If you wait long enough...

***

I have a busy afternoon ahead of me - swim squad - probably 2km worth of laps of varying intensity. Taking youngest to a tennis lesson tryout after school. Picking up eldest + others from netball training in town. Dumping her at home and racing on to a netball committee meeting. And in the middle of it all buying and feeding my poor children something easy.. probably frozen pies. (Well, der, I'll heat them up of course.) They won't mind... I'll just feel bad for giving them not-so-healthy, convenience meals. Again.)

Labels: bike riding, daily, linkety link

I have finally got my head together enough to contribute to Fracas' Monday Melee. By Wednesday. Just. I'm sure she'll accept it late; given the time zone difference, I didn't see it till her Monday was my Tuesday anyway. And I was never much good at thinking on my feet.

Tracey's Melee Stew.. then...

1. The Misanthropic: Name something you absolutely hate.
Being misanthropic means hating humankind... which I don't.. but I hate the 'humankind' that are responsible for Guantanamo Bay and everything that it represents. I thought the "West" was all into Democracy, justice, and due process of law. And, you know.. human rights and that sort of stuff. (Don't start me on the war in Iraq...)

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.
Our Prime Minster and his cronies. Lies, lies, lies.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.
My weight and my ability to sabotage myself with what I put in my mouth.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.
My long suffering husband who, for over 20 years now (nearly 18 of them married), keeps making it possible for us to do things I'd never have the guts to attempt by myself.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I don't look as old as I really am.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.
"Imagine all the people.. living life in peace....... nothing to kill or die for.. and no religion too"

Labels: introspection, linkety link

Labels: linkety link