Sudokuaholics Anonymous 10

We have RIDE programs (Reduce Impaired Driving, and I don't know what the ''E'' stands for) at any time, and they increase the programs around long weekends and for the month before Christmas, etc. Catches a lot of people and that's a good thing!

I always have to be the 'designated' driver if we go out because hubby drives for a living and cannot afford to be caught. That said, neither of us are likely to have more than one glass of wine or pot of beer.

Morning everyone.
Not so delightful weather here in WA.. Wet, Windy, Stormy, Cold... back to Winter here.
My Suburb has been without Electric Power, fortunately not at the new house.. if we were still to be in Chateau Rental, no power.
Speaking of Chateau Rental.. I hand in the Keys today YAY!!!

Yee haa, Rolanda - the start of a new era in your lives. May you always be happy in your new abode!

Rolanda!!!!!

I'm always the designated driver since I can't drink. Alcohol and methadone don't mix well. IH likes to drink to excess, so when we go out (infrequently) I always drive. Even if he wasn't drinking, I'd still do the driving. His driving terrifies me.

Hi all!
I was hoping to hear how Tami's day went. I'm hoping she got through it without having to testify or whatever it is you do in court.

Yay Rolanda!

I almost never get breathalised! Unless I'm driving someone else's car, and then usually in the morning. It horrifies me that people go for high range drink driving before lunch!

Gail, hubby and I drank Moet and Chandon before we were married, and on special occasions afterwards. We could get it for $18 a bottle back then, which was a lot for a bottle of anything, but a lot cheaper than it is here!

Brenda, I hope the car works out well...

Heidi, I would have thought methadone and driving wouldn't mix either.

Theresa, they have blitzes on drink driving here too. And double demerits around holidays - every offense takes points off your license (we have 12) on double demerit weekends, or weeks, well, it's pretty self-explanatory... I haven't seen them lately but there is a huge bus that travels around from place to place for different kinds of blitzes. It could be parole violations, arrest warrants, drink driving, drug busts... whatever they feel they need at the time.

I'm just supposed to take care when driving. I've never been the type to get sleepy behind the wheel anyway, so I still remain alert on methadone even with a 15 hour straight drive. I don't like to drive more than 17 hours non-stop, though. I do start to get tired then.

Hi all. Court was actually fun. The girl got lucky and had adjudication witheld. If she was adjudicated, she would have a criminal record and likely not get into her first choice of college. She did formally apologize to the boy she slapped. It was her first offense. The judge asked me what I would like to see happen to her as I was the classroom teacher. I told him that I wanted to see her be able to get into college. After he delivered the verdict he asked if we (me, arresting officer, and school security monitor) if we were OK with what happened and we said yes. Boy's mom was also OK. Girl got lucky and I think it put a good scare into her.

Tami, I'm glad it wasn't stressful, and I hope you are right and this girl has a better future because of this!

Woo!! One school texted this morning and booked me for the next 4 school days. Another called this afternoon and booked me basically for the rest of the year. I don't think that counts the last week, but that's a good thing so I have time to finish getting ready for Christmas!

Off to bed early. We're sorting out all the calves tomorrow and deworming them all. Then we'll finally be sorting out the 8 to 10 biggest calves to sell on Sunday. Since we're starting to move everyone at 8 am, I need to get up EARLY for me.

I'm glad court worked out so well for everyone, Tami. One mistake like that shouldn't ruin someone's life.

Congrats, Suzy. Just what you wanted!!!

Tami - glad the court case had a positive result. I hope the girl appreciates that she had a lucky escape and goes on to do well.
Suzy - great news that you've got work for the rest of the year!
Heidi - hope you've got your pain medication and that it's working by tomorrow. Sounds like it will be a busy day.
Didn't get to the movies today, hubby's decided he want sto see 'Skyfall', so he's got this weekend to come along or I go during next week. The other film wasn't on at a time that suited me.

Cyn, I think the 6 weeks without my pay are going to be a bit of a shock to the system! We're getting a little too used to it now...

Bummed you didn't get to see your movie, hopefully you will get to see it with your hubby over the weekend..

Nola's news of Judy is good in that she is in a place where Nola knows she will be looked after. No worries about her being alone, or nobody noticing she is in pain... Nola 'sounded' a lot happier in her last email, which made me happier. The hardest times are still to come though so send out some of those SA vibes to her..

Heidi, a road campaign here, especially big around the holidays but promoted all year round is the need to walk around for 15 minutes of every 2 hours of driving. During the holidays when more people are travelling, especially families, they have driver reviver stops. Places where you can get a free cup of tea or coffee and a couple of biscuits/cookies. Lions run a lot of them.

Of course, few people actually do take the 15 minute break every 2 hours, myself included. I probably end up stopping every few hours for bathroom breaks though - bladder the size of a pea!

I have my set routine that I use every time I drive to Adelaide and back, and the stops would be about every 2 hours, that's about all my bladder will manage too. I know which roadhouses I like, and can calculate where I will be at certain times of the day, brekky, lunch etc

Hi, All! Another too-late night, and I'm heading to bed. Please feel free to share all of the {{{{{{ H U G s }}}}}}, positive thoughts, healing vibes and prayers!

I can understand the morning breath testing as many people don't realise just how long it takes for the alcohol to leave the system. If you have had a skinful the night before you would probably be still over the limit in the morning.
Suzy, I was wondering why you would have to get used to not having your income for 6 weeks over xmas, then the brain kicked in and I remembered that it is your summer holiday period. Doh!
The rain has finally stopped but it is 1c but feels colder. Fortunately for us we haven't had any frost, snow or ice patches, though I'm sure it is a matter of time before we do.

Brenda, that's cold! But I'll swap... the humidity here is knocking me around at the moment.

The sun is shining now, it is still cold but looks warmer. I'm in the house with the heating on and temperature on the thermostat set at 20c. I must get my butt into gear and get some work done. VAT needs doing on the business accounts and our personal tax needs to be done too (Though I do have until the end of January to finish that)
I went over and saw Celia yesterday. She is still not eating properly but is drinking meal replacement(not diet stuff) drinks. I asked her if she had had the results of her endoscopy. Her reply was there was nothing in the results. Now I know she is lying as the notes she showed me last week said that there was some erosion in the stomach and that a biopsy had been taken from lower in the stomach too. Her son has said they might come over soon, unless they get visitors over in Cyprus. Her grand daughter hasn't been to see her since the day I got them involved nearly a month ago. Though I did notice that she had cashed the cheque Celia had given her quite quickly. (I help Celia out doing her online banking)

Gekko all.
I have to get busy in 10 minutes, but am munching brekkie quickly first. It's -1 C here, but it'll warm up fast.

When I drive long distance, I usually make pit stops only for gas. Then I walk a bit and use the rest room. I drink the bare minimum when traveling because I hate using filthy public restrooms. I will add that I have NEVER had an accident. ((Knock on wood))

No wonder Celia has so little to do with her family, Brenda. They sound like parasites.

We sorted out the 12 biggest calves. They'll now have 3 ½ days to settle down before we take them to the graded sale.

One of our neighbors passed away on Sunday. She was up in years and had a long history of heart trouble. The funeral is literally across the street in 1 hour, so I have a little time to get cleaned up and ready.

Back from the funeral. There was a huge crowd. I talked to her grandson, who inherited the house (we own the land on all 4 sides of it) and he told us that in the last 2 weeks her valve replacement in her heart sprang a leak and she was diagnosed with brain cancer. It's a blessing that she went so fast and didn't suffer through chemo which would have done nothing for her quality of life at her age.

Hi all. Just a quick hello.

An update on my cousin Marlane. She spoke with a surgeon who was optimistic and she decided to have surgery. This will take place in about 2 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Pancreatic cancer is not easy to beat but she is going to try.

I will keep her in my thoughts, Tami.

Hope Mama and MizT are well.

Sending vibes Tami. I think a positive attitude is half the battle!

Sorry to hear about your neighbour, Heidi! Sounds like it may have been a blessing. Glad you got the calves sorted.
Tami - good vibes to Marlane. Pancreatic cancer is hard to beat but it can be done. The Doc is optimistic, so why not??
Love and hugs to all.

Aaaahh! Waiting for the third thing... Walking past the canteen to the staff room a water bomb just missed me - actually did graze my hand. Then I'm walking along a row of kids to mark the roll and a kid on the next row undoes my shoe laces... They were sitting on the floor by the way.

It's hot and humid here, but apparently hotter in town...

More thoughts and wishes for Marlane.

Heidi, I'm jealous of your bladder! I am forced to use whatever is available, kangaroo style. McDonalds is usually a safe bet, BUT!

Thinking of Nola and Judy!

I just talked to my friend Anita (the one I went to Florida with). Her stock trailer is bigger than mine and can easily hold all 12 calves. Mine can hold 8 or 9 tops. She's willing to transport them to the graded sale on Sunday for me. Such a sweet friend.

Don't be jealous of my bladder. It only behaves when I'm traveling because I don't keep refilling it. I may drink one 16 ounce drink (standard sized soda) every 10 hours. Normally, when I'm not driving, I use the restroom at least every hour, it seems.

I'm miserable, the temp is 10C lower than in town, but humidity is 75%. I shouldn't complain as it is worse in Victoria from what I am reading...

Greetings friends, I read earlier, but the thoughts have setteled comfortably into nicks and crannies of my brain where they are not easy to recall. I did enjoy reading them, and thought about each of you as I read. I do remember that Nola now has Judy in facility where she works. that should be good for her dropping in to visit before or after work daily. I hope there is time for a lot of very close talks and sharing while she is there. Thinking of both of you and sending lots of hugs.

Also remember that Suzy will be employed till school is out, yeah. One does get too quickly accustomed to extra income, perhaps your summer vacation will not be too hard hit by absence of yours.

Heidi, did you get the meds? Are you feeling better now? Glad the calves are separated and ready for the sale.

My cleaning lady came today, had been 5 weeks this time, cause her regular day fell on Thanksgiving. OH, I must go and write down her next visit, will be Dec 27, and I forget if at 3 or at 4, should have written it down earlier, drats.

Santa Clause arrived, in the big brown truck (UPS Delivery) today, daughter in California did the cyber Monday shopping, saved shipping and is having my gifts sent straight from store. Tow have arrived, might be 2 or 3 more, she is not sure how some of them shipped, together or seperately. today, one of the staff phoned to tell me I had packages down there. I imagine there are so many, and could be so tempting for some of the caregivers or some of the mentally challenged patients, packages might go home with the wrong resident. Packages are not in a secure location, just on a counter in the common room where anyone can access them. Not a good plan if you ask me, but no one did.

Sister had to go to dentist today. She has had trouble with one tooth for weeks, dentist just filed down the tooth when she complained of it hurting, said it was for some reason too high. Well, after doing this twice, he X-rayed it, found reason it was high was it was abscessed. After 2 different antibiotics, he decided it needed a root canal. Today he could not get it to deaden, until 3 shots, and even then not perfect. Then, he could not find 'the canals' to do the procedure. He is sending her to an entodontist (specialist) tomorrow. she was unsure about letting this dentist do the root canal, even contacted her former dentist and friend who is now retired, and asked him about it. Now she wishes she had gone ahead to a specialist first time, lots less pain and poking at her, not to mention paying twice for one tooth repair.

My tree is up, it is groaning under the weight of all the ornaments I put on it! It is nice, for a small tree. I do want some ribbon to go on it, I usually have a bow on top, with streamers hanging down. Only ribbon I have is too wide, looks out of proportion.

I am off to investigate a smell I do not like, smells like paper burning, back later, hugs. Chit, not I hear firetrucks, in the distance, hope i

Smell gone, fire trucks did not arrive here, all clear.

Morning. Am using the mobile phone. The internet is giving me the *%#*!!!
Sending hugs to all and sundry.

Good afternoon from hot and muggy Hahndorf in South Australia, just a hop, skip and jump to Adelaide.
We are staying in a different motel than usual, 'ours' was all booked out on Sat night for. Dinner show they have, so we are staying at the Hahndorf Resort (fancy name for a motel!), which is very nice with a lovely setting, but it is a short drive into Hahndorf, not in the heart of the town like we are usually. Bit of a shame as we love to go for wanders through the town, but such is life.

Rolanda - and how long will you have to wait for better internet connection? Months? How frustrating.
Gail - enjoy your break in Hahndorf.

Waaah - Lachlan is going for an interview at McDonalds this afternoon for a job there. How did that happen? How did he grow old enough to be able to go to work, albeit after school?

Hi from hot (36*c) and muggy Sydney. Yesterday I killed a baby red bellied black snake on our neighbours drive. I know they are protected but not something we need in a suburban yard with lots of kiddies and animals about. (Our neighbour and also Ken hate being near snakes).
Then we went to visit MIL in hospital and her daughter was there (we generally go later). Mil is now well enough to be discharged but we have to find a nursing home. SIL has visited a few and Ken asked about another and she spat the dummy because she has had to do it all herself. Ken had asked earlier if there was anything he could do and told NO! Her problem is she wants to be in charge of her Mother and is jealous if we do anything. We would happily do things but SIL then spits the dummy when we do. All we can do is try to keep out of SIL's way. Then MIL ends up apologising for her daughter. I hate conflict of any kind and then I get upset about it.
Winge Over.

Rolanda, hope your internet improves soon.I am sure it is very frustrating. Belinda , who is out of the metropolitan area has much faster sped thabn we do because we have so many more people who conect in the area. I must admit my new computer is much faster.
Cyn, I do hope Lachlan gets the job. Kiddies who work in those jobs now are the ones who get the jobs when they leave school.
Enjoy your time in Adelaide Gail.
Suzy, pleased you have work for the next few weeks. You will miss the extra income over the holidays but remember your pay now is loaded to compensate for holiday and sick leave.
Big hugs to Nola and Judy. A hard time but also a time to forge some special memories.

Afternoon all,
Third thing did not happen, unless you count a boy in my class getting kicked where it hurts - since it wasn't me I don't think it counts.

Daily anecdote: I went to visit a friend who owns a second hand book store and where Alie meets me after work experience. She was talking to an aboriginal customer. The customer commented that my friend was the only white person who would have a conversation with her. People spoke to her when serving her etc, but never a conversation. And the Koori's (local aboriginal tribe) were worse! She's the wrong tribe!!! How awful for her. She hasn't lived in the area very long (moved to be near a man she met on the internet) so doesn't know many people. She's a bit crazy, but I like a bit crazy, when it's the good kind of crazy!