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There's been so much I've been wanting to write about in detail over the last few weeks, but given I started this nearly two weeks back, detail is obviously not going to happen, so it's dot point time!
* I'm tired. Really, really physically and mentally exhausted. I actually needed my walking stick all day Tuesday (as opposed to having it with me just in case, or for end of day tiredness) for the first time in close to a year.
* Last time I felt this continuously buggered was around two and a half years ago, when I was still in a pretty bad way a couple of years after the stroke. I'm actually able to do a lot more than I could then, but these last weeks I've been needing a lot more rest and sleep, including 10 hour sleeps and 2-3 hour long naps during the day. Even with those, the workload has meant I was getting progressively less and less done as I got further and further run down.
* However, I still managed to drive to Melbourne for Mitch and Sally's wedding. Couldn't stay for the reception, but at least got to the ceremony. That makes me very happy.
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gutter_monkey did end up coming back with me to help with the clean up. I would have been glad of the company as I cleaned up regardless, but he worked hard and well, and as my brain slowly melted, was able to take on some of the decisions.
* Some of those decisions were, 'No, you go sleep for a while, I'll keep working.'
* His version of cleaning was as full-on as my own, so I didn't feel like I had to go over or redo anything he cleaned. When he said it was clean, it was.
* He was a fabulous houseguest post-move, was great with the kids, and wanted to pay for his own airfare home. Naturally we insisted on paying for his fare back.
* And ladies? He's single! And currently building giant robots!
* All my previous rental properties, I have gotten the entire bond back, but Shaz and I assumed we wouldn't get the bond back this time, rather than hoping for it. Even with that mindset, I wanted to leave the house as nice as I could for the next person. Now, while there were a couple of things we missed or that could have been done a bit better, Guttermonkey and I did a bloody good job, and the house was left in a pretty good state for the next tenant.
Come the inspection, ooooh, there are some tiny crumbs in the very back of a cupboard. Oh, the garden that the owner has refused to put fresh mulch on for the last four years needs weeding, even though we agreed last time it wasn't fair to expect you to weed it when there's no mulch.
And the things that I expected them to pick up as major issues, like the deep scratches in the wooden floor, and Lex having chewed a hunk out of a window frame? Didn't even get noticed. If they'd been mentioned, I'd have been fine with it, but the other stuff was rubbish.
* So, didn't get our bond back. And every single person I tell says the same thing. "Let me guess. L.J. Hooker?" And they're right. So LJH have a reputation for this.
* I should still be asleep, but I awoke before 6am again. Naturally this means it's after 7am now and Lex is still asleep. He only sleeps in when I'm awake early or have to get up early. But at least I've got some of this done.
* Lex has settled down after the move. He's now being a little fiend 15% of the time, instead of 85% of the time.
* MaybeZoe is happy and smiley. Except in the evenings when she appears to get gut pains the same way Lex used to. Not colic, but discomfort.
* MaybeZoe is such an easy bub. She's also rolling over now and again.
* She also appears to be drooling a lot at the moment, so potentially another early teether.
* Lex is still a doting big brother, his only crimes against MaybeZoe coming from over-enthusiasm.
* At some point I will get my computer set-up...
* Lex said he loved something for the first time. Was it mum, dad, nana, Kal, or MaybeZoe? "Love meat!"
* He made up for it later by saying "Daddy funny."
* Got our solar panels on the roof Wed, and hooked up to feed back into the grid Thursday. Pyramid Power have been fabulous to deal with. The couple of small issues that came up were dealt with quickly and professionally, and the guys we had doing the job were terrific.
* Sharon's mum is here, which is nice. She's been helping out around the house with some of the sorting and other jobs, and I've been showing her around the Wii (she's thinking about getting one because of the Wii-fit).
* So far, she's kicked my arse on bowling twice, out of a total of two games.
* Got a phone call from Canberra Fertility. Two families have had a girl each using my samples! One of the families have moved interstate, and would like another child using my samples, so needed my permission to ship them out.
* Also I need to go in for final blood & urine tests before they release the majority of my samples. Basically after we lost Tracy, they didn't want to be hassling us about it, which is nice of them.
* If you've ever thought about donating, you really should. There's a little bit of work involved, but it's totally worth it. Knowing two families have children because I donated? Fantastic!
* Was never previously fussed about whether or not kids would eventually track me down, but have to admit, now I kind of hope they do.
* Lex managed to break the head off his little Noddy car toy. And boy did he cry about it. Really howled. First time he's broken something and had that reaction. Hopefully he'll learn from it.
* Probably not.
* I cry every time he breaks the battery compartment off a remote control.
* He questioned a word from one of his books yesterday - "success." Did my best to explain it to him in terms he'd understand, then later in the day when he tried to do something and finally got it, I made sure to use the word. He was very pleased.
* Lex also asked me to read him the novelisation of the first series of Catweazle. I wasn't sure he'd go for it given it's not a picture book, but he sat there very patiently, and I only stopped when I was getting a bit tired (it was his bedtime). I'd read twelve pages, and Lex was keen for me to continue.
* Speaking of books, I have read more books this year than in all the years since the stroke combined.
* I genuinely think it helped this year that I started on the old Terrence Dicks Doctor Who books. I'd wondered if reading 120 page books where I already new the stories well and that had been written in an easily readable style would help, and they did. So then started moving between other authors (Sean Williams, Kirsten McDermott, Gareth Roberts, Terry Pratchett) and TD, and that worked well, too.
* I'm also working to my limitations at the moment by reading three books at once. When I'm really tired, "Wanting to Believe" by Rob Shearman, when I'm a bit tired, "Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical" also by Shearman, and when I'm completely awake, "Vurt" by Jeff Noon.
* I've been putting up pictures, because I can! My beloved, signed and framed Sons of Steel poster is up in the loungeroom, and my print of a book cover by Nick Stathopoulos is in the hall. Have also put up a handmade mirror that was a wedding present.
* I have so many prints and pieces of artwork, it's going to be really nice to hang some of it again. Also thinking of picking out one or two pieces of my CG work, and getting some nice prints done of some of my photos, and putting them up.
* Sharon's been fairly stuffed and run down as well, so I've organised her an hour long massage today. She's totally earned it.
* We're in a mobile phone blackspot. The town itself has a great signal, but where we are it drops in and out. So, some text messages come through okay, but many get delayed by a substantial margin i.e. hours or even days. In fact even when I show as having a reasonable signal, many SMSes won't come through until I turn my phone off, and then on again. I discovered a few picture messages that had passed their download date because it had been several days since I last turned my phone off and on.
* So, just to be clear - If you SMS and I don't reply, don't get antsy, it just means I probably haven't recieved your message.
* Or, I hate you.
* So if it's important or you want an immediate response, ring. Preferrably on the landline number. Whitepages online, Bastard, Cooma, it's not that hard.
* Oh and if you MMS me a picture, probably best to send me a separate non-picture SMS to let me know. Otherwise you may well be wasting your money.
* Been feeling I'm overdue on doing a new poll. No idea what subject to do. May have to do a poll about it.
* Lex's counting is going well. Present him with a bunch of things and ask him to count them and he only gets it wrong if he loses track or gets too enthusiastic.
* Sharon seemed to enjoy her massage. Looks like mine are better though, shame I'm rarely up to it these days. Could manage a short massage, but full-body relaxation would likely leave me wrecked for the day. It was hard enough pre-stroke.
* I've put the dog door in, now to convince the skittish old dog that hasn't used one in five years that it's safe.
* At the time of putting this up on the 'net, Sharon is in Canberra on an enforced rest break. Clutch went on the car, and I'd been wanting her to have a proper break, so suggested she take the option of staying at a hotel until the car is fixed. Fixing should be done tomorrow.
* Currently collating pictures for Lex's photobook for the last year-and-a-bit. Sure he'll look back on these in years to come and wonder why his father was never in photos with him.
* MaybeZoe's photobook is likely to have even fewer pics of us together.
* Feel free, any time you see me with my kids, to take photos of us and give them to me.
* Drove into town for a few items tonight, and while tired have finally settled down a bit post the madness of the move, so had my first, "Wow, I really love this town and am really happy to be living here," moment.
* TMI to follow...
* Oddly, been having erotic dreams a lot the last week or two.
* Sadly, if the dream features someone I know, my sense of reality tends to kick in. So usually when they tend to involve a friend I haven't been sexually intimate with, they don't move beyond naked cuddles and skinship.
* I mean, it's a bloody dream, for goodness sake! My dream, in point of fact. How can I not get laid in my own bloody dream?
* The oddest dream involved a dear friend having a sex change into a guy. So I became the person to talk to regarding operation and maintenance of her new equipment. Finally get to see her naked, but only after she's a guy. Is that fair? Couldn't I have had one before session?
* Mind you, lovely penis. Would totally have been recommending her to lady-friends on the basis of that alone. "Totally worth it just to see his new penis - it's a real work of art."
* It's been a year since I last had sex, so I've taken to wearing a small black mourning band on my willy.
* Actually, it's kind of a shame Canberra Fertility only need a blood and urine sample. I could use a decent wank.
* It's been ages for that too, and having solitude and a locked door would be nice.
* A mutual friend sent Guttermonkey a picture of her bare breast, so he and I send her a picture of both of us exposing a nipple each. She's one lucky girl.
* Actually, I never saw the picture he said he was sent... He didn't offer to show it to me, I didn't ask, because we're gentlemen, you know... I just took Guttermonkey at his word. What if Guttermonkey isn't a gentleman? What if it was just a ruse on his part to get a picture of my nipple? AMG! (Ach Mein Gott!)
* Even now he may be showing it to robot-building mates!
* This is almost as bad as the time that swan told me it was Zeus.
* And then there was the incident with the Honey Badger.
* Lex is getting curious about toilets again, so maybe we can start the toilet training once more.
* That said, I look forward to the day when I can sit on the loo and not have a small person come in, watch, point, and question me.
* Will be even better when my kids stop doing it, too.
* I'm tired. Really, really physically and mentally exhausted. I actually needed my walking stick all day Tuesday (as opposed to having it with me just in case, or for end of day tiredness) for the first time in close to a year.
* Last time I felt this continuously buggered was around two and a half years ago, when I was still in a pretty bad way a couple of years after the stroke. I'm actually able to do a lot more than I could then, but these last weeks I've been needing a lot more rest and sleep, including 10 hour sleeps and 2-3 hour long naps during the day. Even with those, the workload has meant I was getting progressively less and less done as I got further and further run down.
* However, I still managed to drive to Melbourne for Mitch and Sally's wedding. Couldn't stay for the reception, but at least got to the ceremony. That makes me very happy.
*
gutter_monkey did end up coming back with me to help with the clean up. I would have been glad of the company as I cleaned up regardless, but he worked hard and well, and as my brain slowly melted, was able to take on some of the decisions.* Some of those decisions were, 'No, you go sleep for a while, I'll keep working.'
* His version of cleaning was as full-on as my own, so I didn't feel like I had to go over or redo anything he cleaned. When he said it was clean, it was.
* He was a fabulous houseguest post-move, was great with the kids, and wanted to pay for his own airfare home. Naturally we insisted on paying for his fare back.
* And ladies? He's single! And currently building giant robots!
* All my previous rental properties, I have gotten the entire bond back, but Shaz and I assumed we wouldn't get the bond back this time, rather than hoping for it. Even with that mindset, I wanted to leave the house as nice as I could for the next person. Now, while there were a couple of things we missed or that could have been done a bit better, Guttermonkey and I did a bloody good job, and the house was left in a pretty good state for the next tenant.
Come the inspection, ooooh, there are some tiny crumbs in the very back of a cupboard. Oh, the garden that the owner has refused to put fresh mulch on for the last four years needs weeding, even though we agreed last time it wasn't fair to expect you to weed it when there's no mulch.
And the things that I expected them to pick up as major issues, like the deep scratches in the wooden floor, and Lex having chewed a hunk out of a window frame? Didn't even get noticed. If they'd been mentioned, I'd have been fine with it, but the other stuff was rubbish.
* So, didn't get our bond back. And every single person I tell says the same thing. "Let me guess. L.J. Hooker?" And they're right. So LJH have a reputation for this.
* I should still be asleep, but I awoke before 6am again. Naturally this means it's after 7am now and Lex is still asleep. He only sleeps in when I'm awake early or have to get up early. But at least I've got some of this done.
* Lex has settled down after the move. He's now being a little fiend 15% of the time, instead of 85% of the time.
* MaybeZoe is happy and smiley. Except in the evenings when she appears to get gut pains the same way Lex used to. Not colic, but discomfort.
* MaybeZoe is such an easy bub. She's also rolling over now and again.
* She also appears to be drooling a lot at the moment, so potentially another early teether.
* Lex is still a doting big brother, his only crimes against MaybeZoe coming from over-enthusiasm.
* At some point I will get my computer set-up...
* Lex said he loved something for the first time. Was it mum, dad, nana, Kal, or MaybeZoe? "Love meat!"
* He made up for it later by saying "Daddy funny."
* Got our solar panels on the roof Wed, and hooked up to feed back into the grid Thursday. Pyramid Power have been fabulous to deal with. The couple of small issues that came up were dealt with quickly and professionally, and the guys we had doing the job were terrific.
* Sharon's mum is here, which is nice. She's been helping out around the house with some of the sorting and other jobs, and I've been showing her around the Wii (she's thinking about getting one because of the Wii-fit).
* So far, she's kicked my arse on bowling twice, out of a total of two games.
* Got a phone call from Canberra Fertility. Two families have had a girl each using my samples! One of the families have moved interstate, and would like another child using my samples, so needed my permission to ship them out.
* Also I need to go in for final blood & urine tests before they release the majority of my samples. Basically after we lost Tracy, they didn't want to be hassling us about it, which is nice of them.
* If you've ever thought about donating, you really should. There's a little bit of work involved, but it's totally worth it. Knowing two families have children because I donated? Fantastic!
* Was never previously fussed about whether or not kids would eventually track me down, but have to admit, now I kind of hope they do.
* Lex managed to break the head off his little Noddy car toy. And boy did he cry about it. Really howled. First time he's broken something and had that reaction. Hopefully he'll learn from it.
* Probably not.
* I cry every time he breaks the battery compartment off a remote control.
* He questioned a word from one of his books yesterday - "success." Did my best to explain it to him in terms he'd understand, then later in the day when he tried to do something and finally got it, I made sure to use the word. He was very pleased.
* Lex also asked me to read him the novelisation of the first series of Catweazle. I wasn't sure he'd go for it given it's not a picture book, but he sat there very patiently, and I only stopped when I was getting a bit tired (it was his bedtime). I'd read twelve pages, and Lex was keen for me to continue.
* Speaking of books, I have read more books this year than in all the years since the stroke combined.
* I genuinely think it helped this year that I started on the old Terrence Dicks Doctor Who books. I'd wondered if reading 120 page books where I already new the stories well and that had been written in an easily readable style would help, and they did. So then started moving between other authors (Sean Williams, Kirsten McDermott, Gareth Roberts, Terry Pratchett) and TD, and that worked well, too.
* I'm also working to my limitations at the moment by reading three books at once. When I'm really tired, "Wanting to Believe" by Rob Shearman, when I'm a bit tired, "Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical" also by Shearman, and when I'm completely awake, "Vurt" by Jeff Noon.
* I've been putting up pictures, because I can! My beloved, signed and framed Sons of Steel poster is up in the loungeroom, and my print of a book cover by Nick Stathopoulos is in the hall. Have also put up a handmade mirror that was a wedding present.
* I have so many prints and pieces of artwork, it's going to be really nice to hang some of it again. Also thinking of picking out one or two pieces of my CG work, and getting some nice prints done of some of my photos, and putting them up.
* Sharon's been fairly stuffed and run down as well, so I've organised her an hour long massage today. She's totally earned it.
* We're in a mobile phone blackspot. The town itself has a great signal, but where we are it drops in and out. So, some text messages come through okay, but many get delayed by a substantial margin i.e. hours or even days. In fact even when I show as having a reasonable signal, many SMSes won't come through until I turn my phone off, and then on again. I discovered a few picture messages that had passed their download date because it had been several days since I last turned my phone off and on.
* So, just to be clear - If you SMS and I don't reply, don't get antsy, it just means I probably haven't recieved your message.
* Or, I hate you.
* So if it's important or you want an immediate response, ring. Preferrably on the landline number. Whitepages online, Bastard, Cooma, it's not that hard.
* Oh and if you MMS me a picture, probably best to send me a separate non-picture SMS to let me know. Otherwise you may well be wasting your money.
* Been feeling I'm overdue on doing a new poll. No idea what subject to do. May have to do a poll about it.
* Lex's counting is going well. Present him with a bunch of things and ask him to count them and he only gets it wrong if he loses track or gets too enthusiastic.
* Sharon seemed to enjoy her massage. Looks like mine are better though, shame I'm rarely up to it these days. Could manage a short massage, but full-body relaxation would likely leave me wrecked for the day. It was hard enough pre-stroke.
* I've put the dog door in, now to convince the skittish old dog that hasn't used one in five years that it's safe.
* At the time of putting this up on the 'net, Sharon is in Canberra on an enforced rest break. Clutch went on the car, and I'd been wanting her to have a proper break, so suggested she take the option of staying at a hotel until the car is fixed. Fixing should be done tomorrow.
* Currently collating pictures for Lex's photobook for the last year-and-a-bit. Sure he'll look back on these in years to come and wonder why his father was never in photos with him.
* MaybeZoe's photobook is likely to have even fewer pics of us together.
* Feel free, any time you see me with my kids, to take photos of us and give them to me.
* Drove into town for a few items tonight, and while tired have finally settled down a bit post the madness of the move, so had my first, "Wow, I really love this town and am really happy to be living here," moment.
* TMI to follow...
* Oddly, been having erotic dreams a lot the last week or two.
* Sadly, if the dream features someone I know, my sense of reality tends to kick in. So usually when they tend to involve a friend I haven't been sexually intimate with, they don't move beyond naked cuddles and skinship.
* I mean, it's a bloody dream, for goodness sake! My dream, in point of fact. How can I not get laid in my own bloody dream?
* The oddest dream involved a dear friend having a sex change into a guy. So I became the person to talk to regarding operation and maintenance of her new equipment. Finally get to see her naked, but only after she's a guy. Is that fair? Couldn't I have had one before session?
* Mind you, lovely penis. Would totally have been recommending her to lady-friends on the basis of that alone. "Totally worth it just to see his new penis - it's a real work of art."
* It's been a year since I last had sex, so I've taken to wearing a small black mourning band on my willy.
* Actually, it's kind of a shame Canberra Fertility only need a blood and urine sample. I could use a decent wank.
* It's been ages for that too, and having solitude and a locked door would be nice.
* A mutual friend sent Guttermonkey a picture of her bare breast, so he and I send her a picture of both of us exposing a nipple each. She's one lucky girl.
* Actually, I never saw the picture he said he was sent... He didn't offer to show it to me, I didn't ask, because we're gentlemen, you know... I just took Guttermonkey at his word. What if Guttermonkey isn't a gentleman? What if it was just a ruse on his part to get a picture of my nipple? AMG! (Ach Mein Gott!)
* Even now he may be showing it to robot-building mates!
* This is almost as bad as the time that swan told me it was Zeus.
* And then there was the incident with the Honey Badger.
* Lex is getting curious about toilets again, so maybe we can start the toilet training once more.
* That said, I look forward to the day when I can sit on the loo and not have a small person come in, watch, point, and question me.
* Will be even better when my kids stop doing it, too.
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