Thank You!

I guess I have known it for a while, but this last week has made me remember and appreciate even more: I have awesome friends and family. I love you guys very much and thank you to everyone. You all rock! I will post pics from Friday and from tonight (after they're taken!) and will give a lowdown of what went on, but just a quickie to say thank you all for coming down to The Rose last night - I had a fabulous time! And huge thanks to some very special folks who were there in spirit (In San Fran, Paris, New Hampshire, Sydney, Springfield, Dublin etc) - will give proper thank you list later!

Happy birthday (today) to my cousin Jeff, from his 'older and wiser ' cousin Lori ;-)

Happy Birthday, To Me!

"Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to Meeeeee!
Happy Birthday dear Meeeeeee-eeeee!
Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeee!
Any many more......"

oh yeah - I'm in Oz, "Hip hip - hooray!" x 3 :-)

So that's my first official birthday pic, taken precisely at midnight. Though I'm not technically 25 until 8.04am...and I was born in the States, so, I've got a ways to go, but close enough, dammit. I can no longer tick that young, safe 18-24 year-old age bracket on forms anymore! I've been bumped up to the 25+ category. Do I look any older? The real question is, could I look any younger? I could be 14, geez!

Things I thought while taking b-day photo:
1. Boy is it cool having a new digital camera!
2. Boy is it hard to take a picture of myself.
3. Dear god, my head is big.
4. Could my face BE any rounder? (a la Chandler Bing)
5. Thank you to my orthodontist.
6. Why do I always look drunk in photos? I had a can of Coke tonight. And water. That's it
7. Holy cow, are my lips really that big? I think I have intimidating lips. Maybe that drunk girl @ the Glenmore Hotel was right. (Only Fidelma and Jorge will really appreciate this.)

Happy Birthday to Tim (you're only older by 4 hours, so don't get too cocky!) and Dave (you're still a baby, baby!) and to Auntie Nancy (still 35, huh? ;-)

Hope to see you guys tonight!

p.s. It is impossible to embarass me about my birthday, so don't even try! Does that sound like a dare? ;-)

Tension's in the Air

I'm very tense at the moment, for several major reasons. Not up for getting into them at the moment, but if there are any massage therapy students out there who need someone to practice on, let me know!

Early Birthday Present & 'Old Skool Music'

Wow, today was a funny day. I arrived at work to find a package on my desk. I assumed it was something for Yap. CDs or games or something. So I open it up. And what is it, but an early birthday present. My jaw dropped open. It was a digital camera from the Prak-Man. I am still in shock. Thank you, Prak-Man, though I'm going to pay you back whether you like it or not! :-)

So I'm currently trying to figure out how to use my new digital camera. I hate manuals of any kind so I'm gently pressing all the buttons. I've taken a few pics but no luck getting them of the camera yet. And I don't think the battery is fully charged yet. Probably just leave it over night....so excited about the new toy!

I spoke to my favourite travel agent today and she's on the hunt for prices for my desired destination. I don't want to say where I want to go yet, for fear of jinxing it. I most likely will not be able to afford it, but here's hoping! I should know something more definite tomorrow.

Today and yesterday I brought my walkman to work. When I told my coworkers I'd brought it in they looked at me blankly for a second. "You know, so I can play audio tape cassettes?" More blank stares. "Oh yeah! Tapes!" Hehehe :-) I brought in my 'Butterfly In Oz' mix of songs that were important/funny/significant to those of us who spent 6 months in Sydney on the Boston University program. Here's the tracklist (from memory):

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2 (The theme song of Lori and Jorge!)

"Sweet Dreams" - Eurythmics (It was thanks to this karaoke number that I suddenly became popular with 70 Americans and various Irishman at St. Patricks)

to be continued...

Change of Plans & Birthday Plans

Well, well, well. It's amazing how in the blink in the eye, the ring of the telephone, the press of a few keys, everything you thought was happening is completely turned upside down. Only yesterday I was telling a friend what the deal with my visa situation is. We're withdrawing my current visa application and applying for a different one. Long story, but it seems the best thing to do. The bonus of withdrawing the current visa and lodging another application straight away was that I wouldn't have to leave the country. Well, that's what I thought. This morning I get a call from my lawyer. He says, "Are you sitting down?"

Oy. I say I'm sitting down. He says, "So if you could go to another country for a bit, where would you go?"


I'm thinking I have to leave the country briefly and come back in so I venture, "Well, New Zealand's closest, I guess."

And he says, "Well, what about the States?" He then explains that I have to get out of the country for 3-4 weeks. Not entirely sure why, but immigration is being stubborn and they insist I leave the country. So...I'm beginning to wonder if that letter my father has been writing to immigration telling them to kick me out actually made it into someone's inbox.

So the deal is the company's part of the application is submitted first, then Lori has to take a holiday and come back on a business ETA visa and my part of the application is lodged while I'm out of the country and we'll all live happily ever after? I hope so! First of all, my bosses were extremely understanding of the whole having to leave the country thing, which was super of them. I mean, it's a bit of a shock to have an employee say, "Oh, by the way, I need to leave the country for a month, do you mind?" I haven't left Oz in over 18 months, so obviously I've been thinking about going home at some point, but was intending on waiting until everything was sorted out....the best laid plans...

Anyway, I have to get out within 28 days, so I have to take off by end of June. Now, I know one of my lovely Aunts reading this is freaking out as she realises what I am saying. Yes, I have to leave at the end of June and I know that she and my uncle and the kids will be on holiday at that time, but I have no choice. Ideally I'd like to take a quick trip to somewhere other than just Springfield/Boston. This is in no offense to my family or friends back home, it's just that I haven't had a holiday in a long while and it would be nice to have a little mini-vacation AND see my family/friends as well as long as I have to leave anyway. Of course I'm not exactly wealthy so I can't just go off jet-setting, but I'm going to get some prices on a couple crazy places I have in mind. Probably won't happen, but we'll see. I chatted with my parents online tonight and they were excellent. They're already planning to take me gambling at their favourite casino...hehe :-) So, Auntie Kate, if you haven't passed out yet, I'm thinking of trying to have that mini-break before I get to Springfield so you won't miss much of my visit - probably only a couple of days. In any case, relax, we'll see each other and have plenty of time to go shopping :-)


So yeah, there's a lot to think about and plan and we've still got the actual application forms and other requirements for the visa to get through...

SO in the meantime, a minor detail called my birthday is coming up. This Friday, June 7th, I turn the big 25. I've been so distracted by everything that I've neglected to actually tell anyone what's going on. Don't ask me how my birthday is going to be 'celebrated' on two nights. I don't know how this happened or why. I'm not freaking Prince after all (we share the same b-day.) But anyway, there will be birthday drinks this Friday at The Rose in Chippendale and on Saturday there will be dinner followed by some sort of activity (dancing perhaps?) at a restaurant/club TBA. I swear I will actually decide where tomorrow. So if anyone wants to come along to anything, please do. Drinks from 7pm on at The Rose on Friday and if anyone wants to come to dinner or just whatever's happening after dinner on Saturday, let me know. Feel free to pop into anything whenever. I already have plans to have belated birthday drinks/dinner next week with various friends who are going away this weekend, the long weekend. As ever, I'm the Queen of Bad Timing! :-)

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