Yes, Julie, stop rabbiting on about Planet Challenge...

Okay okay so more on THAT tomorrow, however on to what we achieved in the last couple of days...
My mum volunteers at an Op Shop called The Caring Place in Morphett Vale, South Australia.

It's one of those true op shops too, where you can find stuff for 20 cents. I've managed to spend a whole $7 since I have been helping clean up there. (I cleaned up, cleaning up?!)
It's school holidays so it is closed at the moment but needs some love.

So with the combined forces of the lads from the "mens shed" (a club for men to hang and make stuff, really - like their own shed, but community based), we began!

We moved everything away from the walls in the main shop and the boys started painting yesterday...

So many things piled into the centre from the racks... if it falls over I will roll around on the floor with laughter I swear. We stacked pretty high!

 Here is their progress that we walked in on today!

Then we started to tackle the shed behind (there are three more rooms to this op shop).

Oops, forgot to get a full shot before I started <<<<<<


Haven't done the top shelf yet, but the only thing that lives here is boxes for people if they are purchasing a lot of things >>>>>>

I practiced my mad librarian skills on the bookshelves, all cleaned, all categorised! But for how long...

Before, again half way through... note the odd shoe mum found in the shoe racks. Shoe FAIL!
<<<<<<

All done!
>>>>>>>

The Caring Place opens again on October 15th and is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am - 3:30.

Come see how amazingly you can find useful things before it gets destroyed :)

One love.
Reclaim: Recycle: Reuse
xJ

in eight days...

or thereabouts, I shall be boarding yet another plane to head off over the great worlds oceans to somewhere I haven't been yet.

Recent experiences again fulfilling me however there was still confusion and hollowness in my being. At least I can say I've dumped smoking, and on a professional note, achieved what I had wanted to in my time back. Health wise not so much, but the knocking on the head of the smoking is the beginning of course. I give myself permission to eat unhealthy shit for at least a little while. That will stop very soon indeed.

Woah, slightly deep, okay so hey it's 1:08am. (At least that first sentence in the last paragraph!) I am contemplating the fact that I have about a week left in my home country before going exploring again, I know I am still pretty broke and therefore have to find work straight away once arriving, which is kind of shite.

More and more so lately I have wished beyond anything that money was not the object that we are all constantly up against.

And also further can't stop thinking about what actual aspect of festivals / performing / the arts I would really want to be in. Whilst never pursuing the 'on stage' part of my teens, somehow it is evident that it is there, wriggling away deep down inside. The fucking wimp pussy part of me thinks that just being the supporter (producer, executive producer or otherwise) of others is a wiser idea. Perhaps the idea of failure is what I dread.

Then again it's the old thing of if you don't try how the hell would you ever know.

Come on brain, stop fucking around and get to the point would you??!

Indeed.

xx

Terry Goodkind - I think you're pretty awesome...

yeh so I do... and I'm ridiculously behind with the series I know, I know...

So I just finished reading Chainfire... there are at least two if not more books beyond this I am yet to read, and have just seen a new Richard / Kahlan book will arise in 2011.

I also didn't know there was a television show made out of the story. I mean, come on, have I been living in a bubble?!

Oh right, I was living in Brisbane.

Chainfire was a great read, once again, I hadn't really recalled the final parts of the previous book, perhaps a re-read at some point in the future, but you know you always get those little snippets of past events whilst reading, therefore it all made sense.

And so it begins... a great battle I am sure is about to ensue. And yet I am at the end with the answers to the puzzle, but not the battle to proceed it. ARGH! I hate it when that happens.

So anyways I will order the book to arrive before me in Banff, but am on to Chris Carlsson's NOWTOPIA, which he kindly signed for me at the group discussion a week or so back.

Oh... here is my 2010 list in case I have not posted it thus far... in fact I probably haven't... and you know, actually, I am not going so badly on some items:

1. Volunteer on at least 10 festivals - thus far, 1. Laneway (Brisbane), 2. Soundwave (Brisbane), 3. In The House (Vancouver), 4. Car Free Vancouver Day (Commercial Drive, East Van), 5. Vancouver Jazz Festival (starts today, my first shift is Sunday), Upcoming: 6. Victoria SkaFest (second week July), 7. Van Folk Fest (16-18 July), 8. Calgary Folk Fest (August)...

2. Get paid on at least 5 festivals - thus far, 1. Melb International Comedy Festival...

3. Pay 2K off credit card.... NEXT!!!

4. Lose 10 kilos... I have no idea how much I weigh so who knows

5. Travel to Canada, USA including Alaska.... part 1 complete!

6. Knock cholesterol down to 5.5 - yay hereditary illnesses!

7. Don't take jobs you don't care about!! - well i did one shitty job for the first couple months of this year but it was a means to an end (getting to MICF and getting OUT of Brisbane and getting TO Canada, so i kind of forgive myself for it)

8. Learn some french.... NEXT!!!

9. Plant some trees / learn about horticulture.... been researching this one... standby...

10. Read lots more books!! - 1. The Tale of Genji, Lady Murasaki (in progress) /2. Chainfire, Terry Goodkind / 3. Nowtopia - Chris Carlsson (currently reading)...

standby i said, standby...

foxtrot uniform charlie kilo... breaker breaker, do you read me?!

xx

fringey bits...

Monski Mouse spruking for the Puppet Palace

Leigh Stardust in between sets at the Garden...

me and shuzzbutt hanging in the garden...

Frehd Astarr - There's Something About Fairy - Rhino Room

xJ

blip! there goes another year...

ok, ok, so it's taken me some time to type something of note. i know i know...
i haven't finished my list for 2009, in fact it's not started but it's bubbling in my brain.

it will most likely include:

*get paid to work on at least 3 festivals
*go to france
*get rid of / pay out your damned credit card

so i spent a few weeks in RADelaide before heading to Marion Bay, Tasmania to work on the Falls Festival. May I express my absolute DELIGHT at the gorgeous team there and all the staff that I was allocated who were all awesome, willing to do anything given, and worked damned hard in the crazy weather we had. thank you all so much! you are awesome beyond compare!

NICE RAINBOW!

more fotos and random things to come soon, promise.
maybe once the list is finished.

can simply say i am happy to be back in my lil abode and itching for more festival work.
and so happy to be back in baby's arms.

xxJ

of all the completely annoying things...

getting specific help from a particular australian telecommunications comany is like pulling teeth!

seriously, how hard is it to answer the simple question of 'does your network work in this area of australia because your coverage maps won't load and we have checked our browser settings?' - ridikkerous!

So i've been hanging in RADelaide for about 10 days now. I was over it within 3 days. no offence to any of the lovely friends here but it really is a crap time of year to try and catch up with anyone. everyone seems stressed and i would have rather been slothing around and organising my house than dealing with it.

anyways, off to work on a festival tomorrow for i guess nearly a week (over new years) which will be fun but not as fun as if the boy could have also been there with me :(

made some more jewellery, can't post the other one up cos it's a gift that hasn't been given yet!

anyways, trust everyone had a splendid kweznus and will have a safe and fun fun new years. see you in 2009.

much love, sugar and spice,

xJ

tell me, am i being productive??

maybe??...

ooh crappy pictures, still no digital camera only my phone...

been spending all my time with the boy before heading down to a-town tomorrow for about 10 days then off to hobart to work on the Falls Festival in Marion Bay. Way excited, it shall be fun fun fun.

much love to all, and smelly kwezbutt too.

xxJ

it's raining...

not men, but outside.

so curious things have been happening... annoyed online friends that i mention boys.... well i can't help that.

i have no idea what to write there are many things going through my head.

i am starting a months work tomorrow, temping. the only thing that worries me is the possible travelling time, because even tho it should realistically take me no more than 20 mins, the traffic here is so unpredictable it's hard to know. i guess i'll gauge it tomorrow.

we've churned through arrested development all three seasons recently at wilton street, now we're back onto starting at episode one of sex and the city. by the time its over i might have some cash to get house season 3.

the dvd collection is kind of getting out of control, it's not that it's a bad collection, but once you get stuck into a collection it's kind of hard to stop. it kind of makes me a big consumer doesn't it?

still desperately trying to go through and cull things. there's an op shop bag, an ebay box and a stuff to give to friends who have kids that are just awesome bag.

had a nice time slothing with a friend watching death proof for like the fourth time...

that's all for now.
xJ

ok so once again i've been slack...

and i can't remember half the stuff i've been doing... let's go backwards...

last night i had dinner with my aunt and uncle for my aunts birthday at the buckingham arms where they have a massive smorgasboard. tasty.

then i just came home with the intention of going through last of crap lying around and sorting out... well i only got so far with that, i got distracted by adam sandler movie on tele.

i WAS going to go to the gov but i've really spent a whole lot of cash since i got paid the other day on boring necessities like bras. yay.

during the day yesterday i went to mum and dads so dad could check out the car and my sister and i went to mclaren vale to medlows and scarpantoni (necessary before leaving this town) to buy chocolate and lots of it and wine.

friday night had dinner with a different aunt at cafe michael 2 on rundle st, then on to the uni bar for Your Motive For and Raw Ether (didn't see Fear in Dakota who i think played last). Saw the lovely ladies as follows... (and some gents too but they don't get pics taken of them, hehe)

Tracey and Eva...

Fiona and Heidi...

Yours truly and Fiona...

Great, great. Trotted off for a quick drink at Rhino before having to trudge half way across town to meet the boys again in my big boots and caught a cab home.

Thursday night Loz and I went bowling... now i got a 135... NOT GOOD ENOUGH. 141 or bust!

Earlier in the week haven't done as much, been temping still.

to be continued...

xJ

Weekend Antics...

so.... Saturday...

Spoz & i met at the erm, pub i forget which one it's on currie street... Ed Castle me thinks.... to have some food then headed to the Grace Emily for the Mixmasters Birthday Party. Happy birthday Mixmasters. when we arrived the lovely Cookie Baker was playing and ended with a song about clean sheets and gin. loved it.

The boys from Your Motive For also played, and some new bands I hadn't seen before which was cool. Oh Special Patrol as well and Booster.

So much frivolity and drinking was had with the Brillig-eans, Heidi, Eva, Ernie, Tracey, Josh and Alan Brough from Spicks & Specks joined the festivities! Good to see ya in such a good pub Alan, you're excellent.

I have not ONE photo from Saturday which is just a bit silly if you ask me but i'm sure Spoz can indulge you all.

I left my car in town too and it was still there yesterday. Went for a wander, had some brekkie, checked out all the tasty morsels in the David Jones' food glorious food area, but didn't buy. How restrained. Bought Tea from T-bar for Maria, said hi to John at StarBooks (Greater Union Complex on Hindley, it's a truly ace shop) where I bought a biography about XTC, and wandered off to find the car intact.

Came home and beaded for a while and did more crosswords. I see a pattern forming, don't you?

muchos love.
xJ

ahh RADelaide...

Ready to go to the Grace Emily...

Something very curious is going on...

Da girls are back at the Rhino Room... even if kirst is only here for like 5 days! bah!

more soon.

xJ

the 2008 list of things to do...

last year i made a list with the help of erin and narelle... did 'okay' on it but not spectacularly.
so this year i made a shorter list...

1. House sit in RADelaide in winter - yes that's happening very soon
2. One movie a month - well i've already screwed that one
3. SWIM!
4. One book a month - screwed that one too but only by one month
5. get paid to work on at least one festival... yeh i'll work on that
6. visit bEC and Evo is tasmania - done
7. cook one new recipe per fortnight - ok i'm behind on this one too, that's what housesitting in RADElaide is for
8. Record some covers with Nigel
9. Quit stinking job before it kills me - done
10. Dont get your heart broken.

so i'll keep you posted on these...

xJ

ok, ok, i completely suck...

i know, i know, i can make all the promises in the world about keeping this blog up to date, but to be honest, it's so flat out at the moment but here are the significant things....



1. Tasmania brings serenity...

2. i now have 4 weeks left of employment!

3. dressing up like raggedy ann gives you a whole new personality temporarily.

4. must start working out the road trip... that newspaper we got out from under my floor that time... music and clothesy type things... books... yada yada. blah blah.... where my heart lies... what my soul wants... why i keep getting pins and needles...

ugh, so much to do, so little time!

xxJ

it's my last day of work for 2007!!!

whoop whoop getitup getitup....!

so, i think my club chairs, although cool and also ex-department of foreign affairs interrogation chairs, may need to be moved somewhere less conspicuous (sp?) because you see they hurt my back when i am making beady things. Maybe it's cos they're a bit squishy. I wonder if i could replace the bottoms of them to make them harder chairs. maybe that's why they are soft because they were used for interrogation. hehe. and just to piss the person off they make their back hurt.

today is my last day of work for 2007. must say i am thrilled to have 11 whole days off so i can go to the beach in RADelaide as much as possible! coming back to brisneyland for nude years tho if anyone cares to fly up and join us for a riverside part-ay.

the count on the beady things has changed, i have made 7 now and still only repaired 3. but that's better than a slap in the face with a tonking fish isn't it?

oh i bought myself a christmas present (somewhat early but there you go)... a boxed set of SJP's Lovely. Bought one last year and the perfume has lasted me until now so i figure it's good to get it at a discounted price at this time of year. yahoo!

i have to go now my lovelies but in case i dont get online over the silly season, y'all have a beautiful kwezzbutt y'hear.

xxJ