Where does the time go?

It's Easter this weekend, and we are 4 weeks and 2 days from escaping from Tombstone.

In August, it will be 10 years since my Dad was taken from us.

It is almost 18 months since we bought the bus/motorhome (aka Allie).

In 6 days, it will be 25 years since I had my first child.

On the same day, it will be 5 years since Mouse was born.

In March, it was our 11 year wedding anniversary.  In December, it will be our 27th anniversary of being together.

In 10 days, my father-in-law will be 80.

Where does the time go?

5 weeks and 4 days til we leave Tombstone.....

We have booked to escape! Woo!

Lots of pain-in-the-bum jobs to do, but we are leaving, so they are all steps on the road out of here.

In other news, I have acquired my fleece-lined tights (yet to try them, weather has been warm).  I have also revised my want list, rather than buy new boots, I am going to see if I can get the heels of the ones I already have altered.

School is going well, I am only taking one unit, a history unit, so that is interesting.  Only problem is that I have to try and get my major assignment out of the way before we leave, so I am pretty much lost in the French Revolution.

Thinking about getting another dog in the future - Sheldon wants a husky.  I think they are gorgeous dogs, but a lot of work.  Any dog is a lot of work and a big responsibility.  I'm not ready for that yet, thankfully he isn't either. Yet.

Can't believe it is already April - DST ended yesterday and we are already noticing it.  Blah!

Back to School: Why I Miss Attending Classes

Last week, I started Uni classes again.  I do my study by distance, so I just have to download lectures, write assignments, and sit exams.  Which is fine.  And will be even better once I am in another state.........

That being said, I miss meeting my fellow students.  I attended the odd class during my first degree, and, while I don't think I learnt any more with regard to the academic stuff, I certainly gained from being around my fellow students; what can I say, I like the social aspect of classes.  We are all there for the same reason, and have some interests in common.

That is what I miss most about school, the face-to-face interaction with like-minded people.  I am a member of many blogs, I have facebook, and I am a member in good standing of several forums, but it's not the same.  The only people I see on a regular basis are Sheldon, Grugly (oldest son) and his lady, EmB.  Nothing against any of them, but I know them, they are not likely to overly challenge my way of thinking; a little, yes, especially Sheldon, but not a whole lot.

What makes this post ironic is that today, I have to go socialise twice; a friend's family get-together/birthday barbecue, and to see my SIL and her hubby.  The latter, I am rather looking forward to, as we have gotten older, my SIL and I have started to get along much better.  The former, not so much; I don't like being around people drinking heavily.

Maybe, one day, I will get a part-time job, and that way, I will socialise with someone outside my immediate circle (which will reduce to Sheldon).  I love Sheldon, but I like to talk to other people too.

Upright, but not awake....

I've been upright since 7.22 a.m., the time science says is the best time to wake up.  It's now 11.34, and I am still not fully awake.

Reason: lack of caffeine.  It takes me 1 coffee, or 3 green teas to become fully awake.  So far, I've had 2 teas.  No coffee.  Sheldon takes at least 3 coffees to come fully awake.

Gone are the days where I could hit the ground running 5 days out of 7.  I can still do it if I have to, but I tend to hit the wall far earlier, and a lot harder.  I blame my kids.  All 3 of them hated school, so I had to battle every day to get them out the door, this killed my ability to go go go without any help.  It just took a while to hit.

If I ever get a job that requires me to fire on all cylinders early, I'll revert to having a coffee every morning.  I'll need to, at least in the beginning.  My kidney will hate me, but my brain will be (mostly) functional.  Mostly....

*Whine alert* Why is it so difficult to........

....... find clothes (particularly dresses) that:

• have a waist?
• Aren't super-short or skin-tight?
• Don't scream 'clubbing' or 'granny'?

You wouldn't think this was so hard.  I mean, apparently the fashion world has embraced that we are all different shapes, ages, and sizes, so where the Hell is the range of attire this should produce?

I love the cut of skater dresses/skirts.  Fantastic.  But, they are all too short for my 43-year-old self to feel comfortable wearing.  Everything else is either a sack (and yes, I could wear a belt), super-tight/sparkly, or looks like something Nanna or Nan would have worn 30 years ago (I loved them both, but they were in their 60's and 70's then, so I don't want to dress like them yet).

I want structured dresses, ones with waists, that don't look like a muu-muu, a bandage or a belt.  I would like to be age-appropriate, without the need for tights.

Don't get me wrong, I love that the young can wear these clothes and look good in them - I follow one blog in particular where the 20-something owner wears clothes that I love.  On her.  She's young, cute and they suit her.  I'd look ridiculous.  Because I am something like 20 years older.  And that is a huge difference.  She rocked a little mermaid skirt a while ago, which was super-cute.  On her.  But on me, it would look ridiculous.

By the same token, there is an older lady (probably in her 70's) who lives near us, who always, always looks spectacular. Pure class.  But again, I could never carry off what she wears.  It's not age-appropriate for me.

That's all I want, age-appropriate clothing.  With a waist.  Surely that's not too much to ask?

Resolutions? What resolutions?

I didn't really make any New Years Resolutions this year.  Honest.

I did make a list of things I would like to get under control/do, but those are not resolutions.

I am thankful, because if they were resolutions, I would feel like a total failure.

I haven't managed to stay on track with any of them.

I haven't gotten back to exercise - family stuff has dragged me down.

I haven't been wearing makeup every day - see my previous excuse.

I have, however, walked every day, and made a point of doing SOMETHING with my hair every 2nd day.  So that is a start.

Getting out of Dodge and moving to Tombstone has helped me a lot though, I am not getting as anxious/tense, so I guess if I call that a non-resolution, to be less anxious/tense, I kinda win.  Right?!

How Did That Happen?

As I sit here, zonked out of my brain with lack of sleep, it hits me - Uni starts in just over a week.  And I am not ready.  A month ago, even though I hadn't even started pre-reading, I was ready.  Now, I am just tired.

I know why this is (family issues) but I am afraid I am not going to find my 'get up and got' in a hurry.  It got up and went last week, and has yet to return.  All indications are it won't be back anytime soon.  Crap!

That being said, given that I have managed to (almost, 100 pages to go) pre-read for 2 of my 3 units (one I can't pre-read for), I should be ok until either my get up and go comes home, or my stubborn streak kicks in.  In the interim, I am going to bitch, whinge, and moan relentlessly.

Actually, no I'm not, I don't have the energy.