One Week Later...

I was so darned organised.

Packing en pointe. Carry on with absolutely required items only (still weighs a doggarned tonne). Tickets and passports and things needed to get in easily accessible nooks and crannies.

I had even checked-in online on time. Made sure that Paris had the window seat and me next to her all flights.

We got a great park at the airport and mother-in-law and V primed to wave farewells.

And then?

The booking card for Paris was mine printed twice. I showed Paris that it wasn't technically pushing in if we used the priority desk for a little Snafu of the airline's own making - and bonus, it gave the clerk a little one-upmanship leverage in workplace politics. Win.

Then we boarded. Word to the wise - apparently row 15 doesn't have a window. So struck out there.

Got to our connection city and going through the international connection gate had a problem with our  boarding passes AGAIN. It kept saying wrong date - so the lady did a manual override swipe and we entered the realm that was to be ours for the next 6 hours.

We connected to the airport wifi and made calls then went to see what was on offer for dinner on our way to scout the gate - but no flight, no gate and no clue what was going on.

 

Finally someone (hint, it wasn't me) had the bright idea to check the app - and there was advised second leg of flight was delayed by 10 hours.  On the upside, the airline put us up in a hotel and gave us some food vouchers - for inside the terminal, not at hotel. However, as Paris really wanted to shout us Chipotle's via Uber Eats we ate well. The beds were very soft and the pillows were way too fluffy. Luckily I had a spare shirt for the hot/cold changes so something to sleep in but no spare underwear!

This meant that we would miss the connecting flight from Brisbane, so after an interminable time on hold (thank goodness it wasn't a genuine EMERGENCY) I eventually got onto travel agent's 24/7 emergency response person (TA247ERP) to change flights. Given logistics of flights and customs, the earliest realistic flight I could get on was the next day (Tuesday) which meant I would have to stay overnight.  The TA247ERP said this is the airline's issue - check in chick advised it was in their charter and, on seeing our documentation, confirmed we should be eligible and she would put a note on our file for someone to talk to us about procedure at other end. That didn't happen but she had said we could send in a claim.

Motel we stayed at had firm enough bed, free shuttle to airport in morning and A-MA-ZING room service. We also had our luggage, so fresh clothes. The apartment was right at the other end of the complex to the office and free shuttle and the bags heavy, but heck, people pay to go to the gym.

Arrived back in home town - friend who had car garaged at hers collected - in her car, as my car wouldn't start. RACQ advised battery stuffed - got new battery.

Collected cat - paid for extra night. Cat yelled at us all the way home.

Dropped off cat and daughter and collected groceries. On way up with groceries, noticed a large puddle beneath toilet/pipes. Rang plumber. Amazing plumber came and fixed perished rings in toilet and advised no heavy work for toilet for 24 hours.

Used downstairs toilet for heavy work - discovered that downstairs toilet has same issue plus probably more. Used bucket from laundry sink to flush. Noticed washer in laundry also buggered.

Meant to be back at work Wednesday - on middle of night escort of daughter to downstairs toilet (its scary down there) felt a migraine niggling - took some drugs but was still a complete write off until about 2pm so first day back a sick day - all evacuations either end required a walk downstairs, get bucket of water from laundry and complete. Noted how filthy toilet was. Also had to call Cancer Care and move appointment for 3 year check up - not a fun activity when jackhammers are in the brain and nausea is threatening. Daughter put on washing (hooray) and washing machine stopped at final rinse. I think that I have worked out it may be related to washer issue in laundry as I got it to work by specifying "tap cold" rather than "cold/cold" for water temperature.

Called plumber again - couldn't come out to Friday morning.

 

Back to work on Thursday - as developer was finishing up other projects I couldn't get lowdown on requirements for fixing any issues raised with me until Friday, so spent day sorting spotfires and writing lists for Friday meeting.

 

Plumber back - downstairs toilet not only has issue identified but also apparently a crack in the base - will send a quote for that (but fixed problem).  Laundry taps so bad required complete replacement also.  It seems that my next holiday budget will be labelled "maintenance".

 

I rarely blog when in "real life" due to the brain drain that work is (they do get value for money).

 

All extra hours this week (and this weekend ahead) is devoted to catching up on family, yardwork and housework - and zonking out early - then up early because apparently time is just a concept!

 

Awoke at 3:14 this morning (pi time!!) and brain when into whirr zone. Am hoping that all the things I envisage happening today when I couldn't get back to sleep do actually happen. 

 

So - how has your week treated you? 

And in a blink

 Four days have now passed and suddenly we are nearing the end of our sojourn.

(Apologies - most of these photos are out of order, as gz often complains I too blame Blogger.)

Still, as it has my trademark "1970s sepia" mask in place.

Bad photo of Petco Park towards our seats from a section halfway to first - if you squint you can see Paris and mother-in-law 

We did some tourist stuff - saw Old Town. (Didn't take photos)

Saw extended family. (Didn't take photos)

From our seats behind home plate. Mother-in-law has a client who has been a member for a lot of years.

Received much kindness from neighbours and clients and friends of my mother-in-law who all love her enough to give her gifts to enjoy while her family are visiting.

From above our seats looking towards the field 

We saw the new towns developing on the footpaths and saw some baseball and learned how to use uber amidst a morass of fans swarming with disappointment after a sweep at home.

This is meant to be a panoramic view from the members balcony but it just looks sort of weird, doesn't it?

 and saw streets with life murals etched and meanwhile at home the fans kept blowing and sucking the moisture from the air and the walls and our souls. (Being overly dramatic for - well, for dramatic effect I suppose).

A mural passed on our Uber ride back.

The best thing that happened this morning was the fans stopped. The silence was amazing. The plastic removed from the walls and the cardboard removed from the floors and whilst there are decent holes in the wall the machines have gone and we all relaxed.

The sourdough finally worked on the last loaf attempted.

We did those jobs today that are a p.i.t.a.

Returns and refunds. Exchanges. And yet - charmed existence, all store clerks most helpful and kind, time requirement negligible, all needs met. I even scored a shirt while not exactly what I wanted but better than expected and when mother-in-law saw it exclaimed "wait" and gifted me a black and white patterned skirt that matched it PERFECTLY, it was another sign of a blessed day.

Meanwhile in Australia the three hat trick that a certain bank has been playing (blogged about a few weeks ago) had another chapter with involvement from all corners of the globe and modern communication methods - and achieved a significant breakthrough. Not a "stick a fork in it, it's done" breakthrough but one involving a chink of light from the very end of a proverbial tunnel.

Still couldn't turn back time and give us a Padres win yesterday.

Horror movies

 It was decided on the drive home from shopping today that we would be watching Jaws tonight. I abstained from voting on the matter but my vote didn't matter as it was.

I was scrolling adjacent as the movie played. I am not one for gore or violence or anything jump-scary, so luckily the movie is now so well known in modern folklore that I could anticipate.

In my wander around the playground that is the internet I discovered:

• The San Diego Botanic Gardens has a rare orchid bloom - a corpse flower (& if you go to their Facebook page you can name it) https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/28/rare-corpse-flower-prepares-for-its-first-bloom-at-san-diego-botanic-garden/
• ... about 1.67% of attackers in the Secret Service report were transgender and 95.56% of attackers were men who were not transgender... So in summation, if we are to change the outcome we need to consider the base root cause.  https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/transgender-mass-shootings/
• The length of the shark in Jaws spawned a sociological discussion of science vs myth https://www.quora.com/Can-a-great-white-shark-really-be-as-big-as-25-ft-long-and-weighing-three-tons-as-depicted-in-the-film-Jaws
• 316 sailors survived the USS Indianapolis https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/surviving-sinking-uss-indianapolis
• Not only is there Jaws (1975 Spielberg) and  Jaws 2 (1978 Sczwarc) there is Jaws 3-D (1983 Alves) in a theme park, Jaws 4: The Revenge (1987 Sargent), Cruel Jaws (1995 Mattei) which is apparently some fan fic that got a limited release and  a myriad of Jaws 6 concepts. The Jawsical (estimated Summer 2025 Whannell/Koepp) was promising but no tune on the promos trailer didn't fulfil the musical promise)

No sharks (mechanical or otherwise) were harmed in the creation of this blog post.

Apologies to Abraham - if you aren't AI then please take it as a compliment that it was so close! Don't say stupid

August ending

 The middle of our last weekend here and the end of the weekend there.

It has been a mostly busy day.  A "drop everything we are socialising and entertaining today" sort of day.

I really don't mean to be bossy. Honestly. I am happy to be a worker bee, a "tell me what to do and I will do it" kind of girl.

But I have been in situations where it has muddled and nobody stepped up in time to get it directed.

The trick, I think, is getting your timing right - so you are assured that nobody else has dibs and not realising until too late the requirement of the someone taking the reins is you. 

Judgement that the someone has thrown their hat into the ring they also worthy and not doing it just because - and not yielding to a claim of gazumping just because unless they are the perfect solution.

Aren't photos wonderful" they said. "They keep memories alive." Outside San Diego Zoo with V, mother-in-law and Paris. Really, it is!

Luckily in the scenario today I was always going to be "it". Mother-in-law had work until the last moment and momentum from several different directions had already come into play and needed harness.

I was so bossy today and yet I wasn't. As I said to my sister, I was merely a lollipop lady with a list. I love a good list!

It went relatively smoothly and there was more than enough in the way of food and drinks and connections made - and enough spots to hide if you are a shy teenager in a morass of adults or sneak off and watch baseball.

Nobody complained of being allocated tasks or denying then the honours, anyhow. Well, not yet but is a long weekend over here.

In what situations have you ever found yourself in a "needs must" role?

Communication

 Isn't communication a revolutionary thing? I mean, compared to the era of my 2x great grandparents and their family across the oceans or that of my greats without phones or grands without fax to parents starting to email and us with our old-hat blogs and Facebook while the next is IG, Snapchat and tiktok and who knows what into the future.

Today (which is a relative term), I am

• carrying on a conversation with a friend last seen in the early 80s in Rockvegas rowing on the Fitzroy;
• Having a meme conversation with an old work colleague;
• Operating multiple mobile phones profiling one another to find why one octogenarian's phone isn't receiving group photos connected to 19 relatives on that branch, of which statistically she numbered two! (All of you who have ever assisted older generations with any form of technology, nod slowly) (BTW I succeeded - it was not that she was not of the clan, it's that her phone had deemed the clan to be spam! It had also pocket-blocked a favourite nephew.
• Assisting only very slightly with the administration of the generation where computers and apps and mobile technology are definitely not second nature (or even placing)
• Giving opinions on the advisdedness of designating certain persons asshole status in certain almost certainly contrived situations 
• (Because surely to goodness nobody is that mean or thick)
• (Surely not)
• Peeking over the out-of-office notification of my work emails to see who might be making a dartboard with my picture while I continue to swan it up 
• Expanding the branches of the family tree in a few new directions with living sources, and 
• Ordering food for eight people.

I certainly could not have done that in yonder days...