Monday, May 22, 2006

New Site

The new site is finally live.

...a lifetime

Please update your bookmarks and/or links.

Comments are missing because I could not transfer them over when I transferred all the posts. Please let me know if anything is awry. No idea how the new site looks in IE, but it looks fab in Firefox.

Much love!

Monday, May 15, 2006

If You're Going to be Late...CALL Me

So, we had a rep from Pure Water Systems come out on Saturday to show us just how horrible our tap water was. Not that he needed to, we already knew, which was why we never EVER drank it. Well as it turns out, we didn't know just how bad it was.

We ended buying a counter-top water filter that connects into the faucet. We also bought a showerhead filter for our bathroom. Buddy didn't have that in stock, so he said he'd be out today at 10am. It's now 11am. He hasn't even had the decency to call and let me know he was going to be late -- or not come at all.

He said on Saturday he was only repping for this company so that he could better his OWN company. Said he needed to work on his people skills so that when he did board meetings, he would have confidence and not act like a social retard. (My explanation, not his) In my opinion, since he hasn't bothered calling me today, he's failing miserably at his people skills.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

The White Witch

I was talking to mil the other day, and she asked me if I'd seen The Chronicles of Narnia. I said no I hadn't; I'd seen part of the original one before I got bored and turned it off, didn't like it. She then promptly informs me that I remind both her and fil of the Queen.

I watched it last night, and the whole time the White Witch was on scene, I kept remembering what she'd said. After it was over, I sat on the couch for a few minutes digesting the movie, and I wasn't sure if I should be offended...or flattered.

Mother's Day



Today is my very first Mother's Day. I'm not sure what's being planned for today (if anything), so I thought I would take the time now to do a quick post, and wish ALL our Moms and Moms-to-Be a very happy Mother's Day!


Friday, May 12, 2006

I Am An Over-Reactor

Seriously. I called Centerlink today, and they're sending me out another form to fill out and mail back to them. Hopefully that will clear this whole thing up.

I think I might possibly try and avoid jumping to conclusions. :\

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

I'm Sorry But You Owe Us Money

So I got a letter in the mail the other day, from the ever illustrious Centerlink. For those of you unfamiliar with this division of Australian government, they are basically our "welfare" system. They issue all the dole bludgers their fortnightly pay (which means people who are unemployed get paid by the government to go "look" for work, but who [mostly] really don't and just sit around collecting money) as well as pensions for the elderly, single parent pension etc. I was a dole bludger for awhile after coming back here, and while I did look for work, of course I wasn't going to get hired based on two major factors: 1) I was over 16, and (2) I was pregnant.

Okay, so, I was still allowed to collect while pregnant because even though I wouldn't get employed, I still looked for work and thus still got the not-so-sweet-cash; my constant "looking" for work had to continue until my 32nd week of pregnancy, when I would no longer have to in order to keep getting paid. (I know it's abit confusing, but bear with me)

So now, cut to me being 34 weeks pregnant, and I get a letter in the mail from Centerlink, stating that I did not have to hand in my Claim for Payment form until somewhere in March, instead of the previous date of January something. I called Centerlink and verified this, plus also having verified it with TWO REAL people, face to face, in two separate branches. The lady I spoke with on the phone assured me that this was the case, and that I no longer had to hand in my form every fortnight in order to keep getting paid (which both humans I spoke with face to face, also said).

Okay, now, BOTH humans I physically spoke with told me that after I'd had the baby, I would be eligible for the Family Allowance pension, which is still a fornightly payment but the amount varies, solely dependant upon how much income the family currently has. They BOTH told me that if I no longer wanted to receive ANY type of payments from them, I DID NOT HAVE TO LODGE MY FORM, and my payments would immediately stop.

This was true. This happened. I did not lodge my form in March, because I no longer wanted the fortnightly payments.

Now it is May. I get a letter from them in the mail only a few days ago, and the letter tells me that because I did not lodge my Claim for Payment form in March, that I now owed them $2500 in backpayment from December through until March, and I have until May 31st to pay it back.

WTF?

So now this means I have to call them, and no doubt get the run around before they tell me I will have to make an appointment with my nearest office to go in and speak to yet another person. Should this happen, I might purposely just not feed Kira prior to going in, so not only do they get an insanely angry woman to speak with, they will also get the joys of hearing an insanely angry baby.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Conversationally...

D: (while looking at the newest photos of Kira) Our Kira is going to grow up to be another Angelina Jolie.

me: Shh.

D: What?

me: I'm writing.

D: Oh, sorry. (pause) I was only trying to be a loving partner.

me: You're still talking.