/a/muse(d)

I enjoyed:
The long weekend Ben and I spent in Blackheath. Unfortunate as it was that we missed the snow by a matter of days, we spent a lovely few days relaxing and enjoying the mountains. We bumped into a winter magic festival in Katoomba main street and got to observe the alternative dress and life styles of the people milling around. It seems like Katoomba is filled with not only young people searching for a way of being different, but also with middle aged, disillusioned city-dwellers who have moved to the mountains to get in touch with their inner tribal drummer/ faeiry painter/ crystal reader/ strange clothing wearer/ occult dabbler, and forge a new way of live for themselves far from the maddening crowd. While I quite enjoyed the aesthetics of it all, Ben was quite maddened by the crowd.
One evening we went to sunset rock to watch the sunset and take photos. It was beautiful seeing the sky change colours and watch the stars come out, although when we could no longer feel our extremities because of the cold, we called it an evening and went home.

I made:
Felt fruit, a very tiny caterpillar, a big fat caterpillar, a felt butterfly, a board game and numerous visual aids in preparation for our trip to Bangladesh, and the lessons I’ll be running with the team there. For the younger ones, we’re doing lessons based on the book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, and for the older ones, we’re doing some kind of geography type lessons about Australia. They’re still in progress, as I keep hitting walls with how best to use translators, how not to assume prior knowledge and how to make it interesting, while teaching them something somewhat useful. It’s been an interesting challenge though, and now I have a funky teaching resource kit for the ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ book.

I’m excited about:
Going to Bangladesh. Four days to go! I’m looking forward to being at the airport again and flying, and when we actually get there, meeting the kids, being somewhere different, experiencing life from a different point of view, the challenge of being immersed in a different culture, teaching, learning, being stretched, being grown…

I’m annoyed about:
My skin. I’m being rapidly invaded by a disgusting itchy rash which you really don’t want to hear about, so I’ll leave it there. Hoping for some relief, or the hope of relief when I see a (different) doctor tomorrow. Actually hoping for a miracle.

I’m thankful that God is:
Amazingly good. Gracious beyond comprehension. Unfathomably wise. Totally in control. Unchanging. Compassionate. Everywhere.

Foolishly, I read the contents on the back of a packet of chicken nuggets that I bought (albeit on Ben’s request) today.

Firstly, when does it become illegal to call something what it is technically not. 48% is not a whole lot of chicken in what is promoted to be a nugget of that substance. To be honest, upon consumption of said product, had I not been aware of what it was meant to be, I probably wouldn’t have identified it as chicken. Edible, but not chicken.

Secondly, I would be much obliged if someone would tell me what is involved in Egg Albumen. Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds very much like something slimy used in paper mache sculpture. Or spittle. Or that mucus-like stuff that holds vomit together. You know those times when other people’s imaginations get the better of you? Yeah…I’m going to stop now.

Thirdly, why are the ingredients with strange names (63%) bolded? Is it to confuse the consumer and distract their attention from the synthetic time bombs that are merrily warming to a suitably mushy level in their ovens?

I’m usually a huge believer in Home Brand products, but I must say that after this lot, my freezer will be a ‘chicken’ nugget free zone. Ben’s had his nugget fix for this half-century.

Life is busy in a different way at the moment. A few things that have happened this week are (in no particular order):

- I was vaccinated againt typhoid and hepatitis A (in one injection), tetnus, diptheria and whooping cough (in one injection) and polio (three drops of pink, foul-tasting stuff and one pink jellybean). Apart from having sore arms (because they inject into the muscle apparantly…I didn’t know that before!), all is fine and I am feeling well and truly protected against possible nasties that may want to take up residence in my system while I am in Bangladesh. For those of you who worry, yes…I am getting anti-malaria tablets as soon as I get there. Fear me, dread mosquito.

- I finished uni for this semester. Seven down, one to go. I actually cannot say that I am truly free yet because I still have an essay due on Tuesday (God bless extensions), but hopefully I can vanquish that one before the weekend is over. I should also go and do a few interim prac days at Kurrambee too. Must do something about that…

- I bought a rice cooker. (Actually, someone else bought me a rice cooker as a wedding present; we were happy to discover leftover money on the gift voucher which can only be used at one department store and decided to put it to good use.) I kind of feel like I’ve caved in and have gone to the dark side, because up until now, I have staunchly denied that they are necessary and that the saucepan method that my mother taught me does the job quite adequately, thank you very much. It does, but I find I’m wasting too much rice in thickened clumps at the bottom of the saucepan due to my own ineptitude, so have decided to let electricity do the job for me. Now we have fluffy, non-gluggy, non stuck rice every time. Soon, I will get over my feeling of failure and start enjoying it.

- I spoke to my friend on the phone. A good phone call to a good friend that I havn’t spoken to in too long, does wonderful things for the heart. Good news shared is happiness doubled, and I am so glad that she’s finally got good news to share. Praise God that he takes care of his children.

- I spoke to my mum on the phone. I love my mum.

- We got our car fixed. Again.

- Last Saturday was my little sister’s 14th birthday. We had a picnic with friends and family on a perfect picnic day. I kicked a soccer ball with my brother and dad like old times, we had chicken and salad and mum’s brilliant carrot cake and laughed and took photos and wore silly sparkly hats. It was lovely. My sister is beautiful and I can’t believe that she is 14 already. I used to sit in the shallow end of the pool and talk in silly voices into her foot like a telephone, while she giggled hysterically. Now I buy her jewelery and we talk about music and books (sometimes in silly voices) and she radiates confidence and stylishness.

- On Saturday night we crashed a dinner party (with permission), where we enjoyed watching a tea anemone come to life, eating a delicious baked dinner and spending time with cool people. We informally played scategories with the letters that were not on the dice (which, consequencially has 20 sides…it has a special name, but you’d have to ask Haoran), and listened to Sarah’s cries of agony as she got a massage.

Many things await me this weekend. Dinner guests tomorrow night, a possible trip to sunset rock to see the stars after church on Sunday night, Bangladesh orientation on Monday, Essay due Tuesday, Bible study Wednesday….and that enough detail for now.

Oh. And tomorrow is six months since Ben and I got married. Time flies when you’re having fun.