Friday, April 13, 2007

Ipod, therefore I am... the soundtrack of your life...

Hi all,

Yes, I know it's been remis of me for the past 3 months or so, but, here I am. and again, I apologise, it's new keyboard, and I can't handle macs!

But, i digress...

Maverick, of recent note, has purchased for himself an 80G Ipod. I'm not even sure they exist, but I'm talking about the mac-daddies of all ipods, the big fuck off, I mean business ones. This mother holds about 50000 songs or something. All of this is fine you understand, however, Maverick, wants this puppy to support his episodes of Transformers (yes, the 80s cartoons) and episodes of "Boston Legal". What the fuck is he going to do with the other 10000 songs?!!!....

I, in the meantime, have recently discovered (yes, I realise I'm a little slow on the uptake...) the beautilful benefits of a shared file network system. Which means I have a a whole new library of songs, albums and rare out-takes avalaible to me. I feel like a kid in a lolly shop- unable to decide what will be the most sumptuous, suctuous lolly to enjoy ( the one that will provide the most enjoyment over the longest amount of time (Do I go a flash in the pan like Beyonce - juicy and sweet, or something like Midnight Oil- tart and unpleasant to begin with, but better in the long run?)- (When you only have a 2gb, it is precious booty, I can tell you!)

Despite all this, it has me thinking about the soundtrack to my life. What are your songs? Where or how do you begin to define them?

I'd like to thin that my little 2Gb is the soundtrack to my life- yes it's cliched, I know, but humour me for a bit!

So- here goes and I'm sure I could expand so much further...

Childhood-
= Bruce Springstein- " I'm on fire"- memories of dancing around the loungeroom with my dad!
= Bonnie Tyler- "Total Eclipse of the Heart" the first ep I ever owned. Damn you B.R for breaking it!! ( I was 6 at the time!)
= The Bangles (Still a favourite, my dream is to create a Bangles coverband called "The Spangles"!) best songs include "In your room", "I'll set you free" and "If she knew what she wants".

Adolescence-

God, how do you define an adolescence through music? That's what defined it for me. However- if I had to choose just a few songs (if it was a matter of life or death...) here's the ones I listened to the most...
= "Yellow ledbetter" - Pearl Jam (heard it live on the daugher single, loved it ever since...)
= "Redemption Song"- Bob marley (peaceful beauty)
= "The Rivers"- died Pretty (beautiful song)
- God, there's so many more from this time- U2, Nirvana, Blind Melon, STP, Bjork, i could go on and I don't thin I'm doing this justice...

Young adulthood...

= Oh, I was an angry young thing here---

- P.J Harvey - her whole album "Stories from the city, stories from the sea"
- Sinead O'Connor- "Faith and Courage"
- Natalie Merchant- her live CD
- Dave Matthews Band- although, they've been a constant since 1995


Now---...???

i'm not sure, there's too much and yet, not enough!!!
Now, I'm proud to say that there's not one type of music that defines who I am, or who I choose to be, but that I choose to enjoy a whole range of music., and I'll choose each piece to suit my mood.

So, for me, these are my song picks for every mood...

- to cry- "A day without rain" = enya, or. " the quiet art of standing still" wendy matthews
- to lust after- "Wicked game"- Chris Isaack or "Mysterious Ways", U2
- to yearn for (there is a difference you know!)- "Tonight let's be lovers"- Dave Matthews Band
- To fuck to "Sex type thing"- stone temple pilots or "Animal" 9 inch nails
- to smile to (and laugh at!)- ""We don't play guitars"- chicks on speed, or "Hey Ya" by Outkast, or "Yo Mamma" by Butterfingers
- to get sadly wistful to- "these days"- powderfinger
- To feel grateful to- "Food in our belly"- xavier rudd or "Shiny Happy people"- REM

I could go on and on in sharing my ipod collection. I'm happy with it so far, and I'd like to continue adding to my memory bank of songs and emotions.

Please, share yours.. what are your songs and memories? why?

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Acting sober at work - "How To Guide"

So you decided that after a large night on the town that a drink the next day at lunchtime was an ideal way to chase the demons out of your scattered and sore head with another, which poses the problem - how does one maintain composure, clarity and calm after fuelling the body with some semillon?

You may notice the alletiration in a similar manner to our latest post regarding the hunt for the perfect man, but the two could not be further apart. Maintaining a straight face in front of colleagues, email and general conduct proves particularly difficult after a drink and requires the following:

1.Focus - Stay centered on one task at a time, do not deviate, put thought and intelligence into any answer, reply or document you compose and read it 4-5 times (just to be sure). People will assume you are too busy or intensly interested in your subject matter they will not disturb you for fear of reprisal or being shown up.
2. Posture - Do not slump in your seat, mope about the office, stumble when walking and most of all talking to the boss with arms waving in all directions is not a great look. This requires concentration and effort - pay attention its a dead giveaway when you trip over your chair as you hop up or misjudge the opening of a door and burst into a fit of giggles.
3. Direction - Do not book an important meeting such as your annual performance review, stakeholder meeting or decision point whilst under the influence, it never ends well and trying to reverse your decision the next day (after promising the world which you can never deliver), better to feign a headache or deadline and postpone till you are sober.

There are many more of these - feel free to add them into the comments....For now dear readers I need to spend the rest of the afternoon applying these rules for alas its me after a bottle of champagne and several cocktails last night and x 4 vinos at lunchtime who is trying to "practice what I preach"

Till the next bottle...

Miss High Maintenance

Monday, January 29, 2007

Men are like diamonds....

There's an old saying that goes "men are like diamonds... they should be big, cut and wrapped around your finger".

When we shop for a rock; as our engagement ring, that special pair of earrings you promised yourself when you won that promotion, or just a little bit of bling; we look for the 4 C's: carats, clarity, colour and cut. The bigger, the more brilliant, the better.

A good friend of mine has recently found herself slipping longingly, deliciously headfirst into a giddying and intoxicating relationship. While I'm green with envy, remembering those butterflies ravishing their jack hammers in your stomach and the long, intense kisses that last forever, her slide into relationship bliss got me thinking that solid relationships, like flawless diamonds, are hard to find. Hard, but not impossible.

You see, these elusive good relationships, like perfect diamonds, also need to pass the 4 C's test: chemistry, communication, compromise, and committment. The bigger and more brilliant these factors are, the better the craftsmanship, the better your relationship.

It is well known that all else being equal, the value of a diamond increases exponentially in relation to carat weight, since larger diamonds are both rarer and more desirable for use as gemstones. Same as with a new relationship- that magnetism, the je ne sais quoi that exists, is the first, and most vital ingredient to a special relationship- it's gotta have chemistry. And that chemistry has gotta be strong. All else being equal, he could be the most perfect man on paper, but if that element is missing, the relationship flame, will never combust.

Clarity, when assessing a diamond, is a measure of internal defects of a diamond which are called inclusions. These may be crystals of a foreign material or another diamond crystal, or structural imperfections such as tiny cracks that can appear whitish or cloudy. The number, size, color, relative location, orientation, and visibility of inclusions can all affect the relative clarity of a diamond. Conversely, good communication, quality communication in a relationship can help prevent these cracks from forming and can work miracles to repair them when the fissures appear. Good and effective communication involves talking and listening, and is your gauge of the internal defects that appear at times in your relationship. Therefore, communication and the ability to empathise and understand your partner's position can affect the relative clarity or direction of your relationship.

A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality, just like any relationship, almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Depending on the hue and intensity of a diamond's coloration, a diamond's color can either detract from or enhance its value. Similiarly, compromise, that push and pull that we all face and struggle with at times, may be affected by impurities. The impurities that come when we feel we have compromised ourselves too much, or our partner, not enough. If a perfect diamond doesn't exist, then it's important to remember that neither does the perfect relationship. All relationships struggle to maintain that balance between too much and too little.

Diamond cutting is the art and science of creating a gem-quality diamond out of mined rough. The cut of a diamond describes the manner in which a diamond has been shaped and polished from its beginning form as a rough stone to its final gem proportions. The cut of a diamond defines the quality of workmanship. The cut of a diamond then, is the committment to a relationship and the committment within a relationship; the 4th C. Committment is the determined and constant toiling, the fine balance and blend of art and science. It is the deal sealer, the forsaking of all others. The illustration of the quality of the workmanship.

So, I guess we can all live in hope of finding our diamond in the rough and carving from it, a perfect flawless gem. Remembering all the while that it takes the fine blend of chemistry, communication, compromise, and committment.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

She's cut and run!

I don't quite know how to put this. And I definitely don't quite know how to cope. For the first time in my life, I'm experiencing some form of separation anxiety. Quiet heart palpitations... a choking in the throat which leads to excess swallowing... a slight tension that has settled around my neck and shoulders... and a nervous look has appeared on my face as if I don't quite know how to face the future and I'm scared of what's around the corner.

Yes, that's correct. My hair dresser is leaving. The person who has lovingly coiffed, styled, washed and nourished my locks for close to the past three years, has taken a post overseas to further her career. Hello? What about me! (It isn't fair, I've had enough now I want my share...).
You know, I've had others in the past, sure, but, for once, this is the one person who truly gets me. And my hair. And I don't know where I go from here- I don't know who I can turn to.

A good hairdresser makes the world of difference- they are someone you trust, someone who greets you by name, compliments you on your appearance (even if you look and feel disgusting). They rub their hands through your hair, even when you know you've put off washing it those past few days, stretching it out until the day you get it cut. They know when to talk, when to stay quiet, when you need that extra 2 minutes of head massage, they know just how many foils to put in without making you look like a zebra, or worse, a washed out clone. My hairdresser was all of that.

And I should know, I've had my fair share of bad ones. When I was younger, and poorer (OK, a uni student living in a share house), I went to a budget hairdresser for a trim. You know, the kind of place where they don't even bother to wash your hair, they just spray some water on it from a squirty bottle. Ugh, it makes me shudder to think about it. Anyway, the charming hairdresser who tended my locks that day, picked up the ends of them, held them out as if it were a plagued rat, and sniffed "oh my god, your hair is so dry, I'm not even going to go there". And I thought, "love, that's exactly why you're working in a place that charges $10 for a hair cut".!

So, an era of my life is over, and I'm sure I'll have to go through much pain again, before I find another keeper. Because that's what good hairdressers are; like good men, they're hard to find. And once you do, you hang on to 'em and never let 'em go!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Cricket - Just Marvellous

So the sunny good times of summer have arrived and therein comes the ever delightful and astoundingly boring game that stops a nation (and incidentially stops my beloved), thats right Cricket. Personally I am all for the 'golden oldie' looks of Glenn McGrath, Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori but its the actual way that cricket seeps its way into my daily life to the point that my beloved is organising the time of dinner, social outings, and 'breaks' (a moment taken to visit the bathroom, refill the glass etc) around this pointless, dull and often very very time consuming game.

The Ashes appears to be a particuarly drawn out process when England and Australia slave away over a number of days all for the glory of the ashes which incidentially is named after a satirical obituary published in an English newspaper, The Sporting Times, in 1882 after the match at The Oval in which Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media then dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882-83) as the quest to regain The Ashes.

Oh yes girls, fascinating stuff.

It gets better and better. Another delightful addition to my house this year was Boony and Botham http://www.boonanza.com.au/ who are two plastic figurines who have taken to proclaiming they would like some nachos at 3am in the morning and also the location of their thongs, warm beer, spanking, pies etc at other obscene times, at the moment these two have more pull than me in the house. Asking my beloved to come and assist with dinner, take the bins out usually cites a response of "I will do what boony says" ie. get me a beer that crickets about to start. Funny as (sarcasm alert).

So ladies - the question is posed, how do you cope with cricket?

Friday, January 19, 2007

If I were an animal!

Having lots of time on my hands at the moment, I've been trawling the internet for random stuff. I stumbled across this video- the female praying mantis eating the head of her male partner just moments after mating. It got me thinking... what a wonderful talent! Or, how lucky she is. Think about the potential uses for this in the human world: bad lover... eat his head; he makes you sleep in the wet patch after doing the deed... eat his head; comes stumbling in drunk hours after he promised to be home... eat his head! I guess, the only problem is finding a suitable replacement. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "man eater" though, doesn't it!

What other weird and wonderful exploits (sexploits?!) do our animal friends get up to? Or, what can our male counterparts learn from them?

- The female pig has orgasms that last for half an hour (lucky thing)

- Male seahorses carry their young and give birth to them (all men can learn from that!)

- Hyenas live in a female dominated society. Female Hyenas "the most masculinized females in the animal kingdom ". They have very high levels of hormones that are usually found in males. (wouldn't the world be wonderful if it was run by women?!)

- Snakes can see through their eyelids (handy for when you're pretending to be asleep)!

- Spare a thought for mice though- their average time doing it is only 5 secs! (might give some men a run for their money though!)

- An oyster changes sex several times during its life (handy for when you're at a gig and the queue to the men's is non-existent whilst the ladies' queue is 20 m long)

Mind you, when I read that a shark can give birth to as many as 70 baby sharks in a litter, maybe we don't have it that bad after all?

Thursday, January 18, 2007

My six monthly tweak and peek!

Every 6 months or so, I get my breasts checked for various lumps, bumps and other general oddities. It's become a familiar routine that I call my grab and go, or my tweak and peek!

My other half, let's call him Maverick (!), fantasises that I'm being felt up in the doctor's surgery by some tall, Amazonian-like beauty; preferably a Scarlett Johansen lookalike. Or, more pertinently perhaps, he thinks it's a job for which he would be well qualified... provided he can choose his clients. No saggy ones please!

The reality however, is much different. There is nothing remotely exotic about a post meopausal woman, with more hair on her chin than a ZZ Top member, feeling your girls and smiling at the same time. Or perhaps there is- the old male doctor, way past his prime that lingers perhaps a tad too long, leers in at you and claims- "they're perfectly fine my dear". Oooh, it makes you shudder.

So, it got me thinking about all the indignities we suffer as women for the sake of our health, or worse, for the sake of beauty, and why we insist on holding steadfast to that mantra: "no pain, no gain".

Memorable medical moments of mine include a spur of the moment and oh so recent smear test ('cause that's how I get my jollies... !). I lay there, legs spread open and vulnerable to the world like an insect pinned to the board of an eager entomologist, while the doctor bumbled about muttering to himself "hmm, that's odd, I can't quite seem to find your cervix". I was asked to cough on demand, like a soldier enlisting for the army- apparently this would make my shy little cervix emerge from behind wherever she was hiding.

Needless to say, after coughing and bellowing like a bull on heat for a few minutes, my cervix appeared, coaxed out of the shadows, and I escaped relatively unharmed, yet with my dignity in tatters.

I have plenty more stories like this- being electrocuted by a sadistic nurse while the doctor played a particulalry violent game of Space Invaders inside me was especially memorable, and there are many more.

But, I invite you, my lady friends to share your thoughts on all things medical and beautiful and painful that we women brave. And yet we endure!


P.S: Oh- if you are worried about girl things- get it checked out straight away- see your gyno or Dr or check out these sites!

http://www.cancer.org.au/documents/Early_detection_breast_cancer_%20MAY04.pdf

http://www.cancer.org.au/default.cfm

Twas the days after Christmas....

Is there anything more depressing than the month of January?

Detoxing is the topic of the day as we guiltly ignore the credit card statement from Christmas and theweeks worth of parties beforehand in which you ever so easily slid the card over the bar and had that extra cocktail or that last round of shooters, thinking deep down that January will be a cheap month "as I will be detoxing".

Detoxing can be for your body and the pain and abuse inflicted on it from over indulgence, detoxing can be for your bank account as you try to build it up to a point whereby the weekly shopping does not have to go onto the credit card as you attempt to string your last 50$ across 3 weeks, detoxing can be for your mind as you wake up in January and think "oh god, its 2007 and I really need a better job, more money or just something new and exciting" so you start 'beautifying' your CV in the hope that it will land you a fabulous new job with more pay and less work.

So how do we kick off detox for all parts of our bodies and minds? My approach has been to cut out wine, which worked until the first suggestion of a drink. Trying to not spend too much money worked until I walked into the "Further 50% off reduced prices" in CR this morning at 9am (Was late for work and figured an extra 15 mins would really not matter now). Finally I am working on the new and exciting job front by remembering to email my to CV to 'decorate' in my spare time.

In this difficult and emotional time of January - How do you cope with the new year and the ultimate question of "Detox" ?

WELCOME!

Welcome and well done us!
Ok- So I'm feeling that pats on the back are somewhat deserved this time around- a drunken discussion and brilliant idea has actually come into fruition!

Welcome to the inaugural cheese and wine blog- a spot where two of us lovely ladies will wax lyrical about all things life has to offer us- more often than not, it will probably contain stories and anecdotes of all the unlovely things our other halves subject us to! But, will be a general life's rambling about them and us, about girlfriends and us, about shopping and us, and of course, cheese and wine and us! (It's all about us you see!).

The basic premise is that we tend to get too caught up in the little things and so many people get angsty and too bloody self reflective for my liking- girls, grab some cheese, skol some wine, and everything's fine! It's a simple idea, but it works for us.

So- enjoy, we welcome your comments and really hope to develop a nice little readership here on blogger.

Happy summer!