Somewhere over the rainbow

We will say goodbye to Michelle today.

I remembered Mark and Michele’s wedding.  We were in South Melbourne last December and the sky opened up in tropical shower so the wedding was moved indoors.  B was the best man, so I was on the bridal table.  I sat at the end of the table with an uninterupted view of the ceremony, only 2 metres from them, like a had a private viewing of their vows. It was very special.  I was brought back to the room when Michele thanked her closest friends, one by one by one by one…and kept going.  She had so many people who were like family to her.  It takes many hands to make up for the hands of a mother.  Some called out, some whooped.  As they stood their together before us  ’somewhere over the rainbow’ played.

And so ’somewhere over the rainbow’ played again today.  By the banjo.  We showed how much we cared for Michelle and said goodbye.  We remebered her. How much she treasured her friends.  And she was forever understanding and forgiving.  She was incredibly frank.  I can’t think of many people with as much integrity.  If only she was able to stay longer. At least to her one year wedding anniversary.    We remembered her in hospital in the last week.  Finally now she was ’skinny’.  Going cross eyed when we got to serious.

Michele, we will miss you.

Where are you now?  Are you somewhere over the rainbow?  At least you knew true love before you went.

Engrish.com

I discovered this in the vending machine today.  I might even send it to Engrish.com

Michelle, Mark’s belle…we will miss you

On Friday morning we received the news that a friend had passed away during the night.  She had been struggling with cancer for some time however the news still comes as a shock.  She faded very quickly in the end.

It is a strange feeling when a friend goes from being in the present to the past.  No longer available to chat, no options for future fun.  We didn’t get enough time with her.  She was a special person and was just too young to die.  She had many, many friends.  She was so straightforward and took you for who you were.  It meant a lot to me that she accepted me openly.  As long as you were straight with her she was happy.  People that she only met a few times are effected by it to.  Her marriage with Mark wasn’t yet a year old.  It’s a shame she didn’t make it to the first milestone.

The Beatles song came on the ipod before.  It put a lump in my throat and gave me a strange sense of things being surreal.  Not sure if Mark will ever get used to it.

disruptions

There has been a little upheaval in my life lately.

After 3 years living together our housemate moved on to other nests.  We have been looking forward to having our own space but it was a strange feeling when he was gone.  Ella the scaredy cat would not go into his room and went off her food (I thought she always felt harassed by his rough and tumble).  She would go to the door of his room and on seeing the bed gone would run and hide and not come out for hours.  Skeet took it a little more calmly.  He spent more time on our laps instead and now sleeps on our bed every night instead of most nights.

Also a friend of ours is quite sick.  We are being positive and sending all our support to her and her hubby.

The house settlement happened and then the tenants broke the lease.  They move out next week.  Only problem is that I am in peak time and might need to do some work on the weekends for a while.  We also have the strange feeling of newly appreciating the 1940’s house we live in now, since we are only sharing it with two cat-children.  With all the extra stuff and extra person gone it feels huge, light and in order.  It is in a very convenient location too.  Might just move into the new one for half a year or so then come back here.  Anyone want to house-sit?!

Oh, and of course I am in a new job.  It is a step up and I am loving it but I am on the learning curve and am also in the busiest time of year.  Just working my way through it all with a smile.  It was nice realising how much I did know already.  Must have picked a lot up on my job and study travels.  It was a meandering path I took….

 

Mad Girl – Cat Woman

I think that I am becoming a bit of a cat fanatic – in the spirit of the mad woman surrounded by cats on The Simpsons.  (Fitting analogy, I think).  My evenings and mornings are engulfed with musings over the cats, fulfilling their needs, and talking to them and admiring them.

What is it about our cats.  Well, cats in general, I guess.  They seem so attached to us.  All we need to do it meet their needs and be nice to them and they love us.   If I give them steak for dinner they give me extra love.  Well, Skeets does anyway.  Scardy cat head buts my leg then runs and hides.

I don’t have to astound them with my brilliance at each meeting.  They remember that they love me from the last time.  I don’t have to get into political twos and fros and assert my position – for them my position is clear – chief feeder, pater and quilt straightener.

We have a mutual respect.

I’m not too far gone, though, I still like people and love a few in particular, but our cats have a special place in my life.

My cat children.

Mad Girl is now Cat Woman.

savour the finer things

B and I went to the Women’s Hospital tonight to see a friend who is very sick.  We tried to joke and have a nice time.  We talked a lot about frozen icy poles.

We decided that on our way home we would grab some food and thought that we really needed to do something nice.

We went to the Cellar Bar at Grossi Florentino’s and I had my usual lasagna and he had spag bol.  We imagined ourselves in Italy and for a while even imagined ourselves in the nicer part of the restaurant next door.  (I craned my neck a little trying to peak in).  After tucking into our meals we realised that we were happy where we were sitting, together, the light shining through the window, the wine half gone.  The only thing we would have changed would be for B to order the lasagna too.

We have a good life, for the most part.  We are appreciating it at the moment.

Ode to Joy

forgive me father, it has been a while…between drinks

It has been a while since my last post.  I have been exploring new definitions of the word BUSY.  Don’t get me wrong.  It has been very rewarding too.  It is great to deal with people who love what they are doing.  Where they are fully invested in it.  They almost define themselves by the work.

Anyway, must fly.  A friend has dropped over to format his ipod with our library.  (that’s above board, isn’t it?!)

Football as a metaphor for War

Some say this is true.  The struggle and competition between one side and another is an allegory of war in life.  One difference is that there isn’t death in football however the players are willing to sacrifice their physical wellbeing to win.  Didn’t James Herd get his face pulled back to fix a break just so he could get back on the ‘field’ earlier? At least in football they shake hands afterwards and in true political style sit side by side on the Footy Show.

If football is a metaphor for war would someone’s desperate or dying wish for a team to win really be their wish to win their own battle?  And to feel a sense of belonging and state?

Speaking of battles, there are these guys who have mock battled dressed in costumes made of cardboard with weapons made of cardboard.  They are called Box Wars and they are going international.  They let men live their battle fantasies without anyone getting hurt.

I have met the boxwars guys and they really aren’t agressive.  Do rehearsals for war keep people peaceful?

Can you sit in on a voga class before you commit?