Strawberries of Integrity

Holy farting Birkenstocks!

06Jan10

…or why I love the internet.

I got a new pair of Birkenstocks. I love ‘em, as I love my old pair that are still going.

: Gizeh Roses Cream

Although I love my Birkys I do have a bit of an uncomfortable relationship with them. There are some plain ugly Birkys out there, and of course the whole Birkys and white socks leaves me cold.

I even didn’t get any for ages as I just wasn’t sure. But like thongs and boots and high heels and flats…they have their place – as super comfortable sandals in summer.

But my new Birkys make farting noises, just little fart noises every so often. I remember that happened with my first pair, just for a while, and now the same thing is happening with this new pair. Farting sounds every few steps…not loud…just a soft farting, an intake of air between my feet and the Birkys!!

So I googled “Birkenstocks fart”…and surprise, surprise – there was stuff there, on forums and stuff, like this one:

” Hi guys

This might be one stupid question but i need to know!i just bought Birkenstocks to take overseas and im breaking into them but when i walk it makes noises!! not squeeky noises but more like “farting noises” coz the air trapped at the base of my foot and the top of the sandles gets expelled when i step!”

or this one….

“…The only downside is that walking creates suction and every few steps one of the shoes makes a popping noise. A small price to pay for walking on air. Heaven!”

And that’s why I love the interwebs…well there is a bit more to it than that (err, like most of my job…) ….but that’s it for the moment. It affirms the whole Birkys/noise thing for me (and I know it will go).

I realise that Birkenstocks do polarise people. You only have to google the word …

I don’t like Tevas for instance…

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Tags: internet, me, shoes

More red lipstick days in 2010

01Jan10

“New year’s resolutions doomed to failure”, say psychologists – Many of the 78% who fail in their plans are focusing on downside of not achieving goals, research finds….more

Well I’m not going to fall into that trap!

I could name a whole bunch of crazy, spontaneous resolutions for the new year (and decade), but I just have one ….I just want more red lipstick days in 2010. More reasons to be happy and to celebrate.

I keep saying how hard 2009 has been, and hard is perhaps the best word to describe it. 2009 bought a new house (building and moving twice in 8 months), the passing of my dear father in law, and Jeremy’s illness. Being tired and drawing on all your reserves of stamina and emotion and passion and waiting have all left me feeling a little washed out (the chronic anaemia doesn’t help either) and colourless.

I am both thankful and grateful for a whole lot of things this year – but ultimately Carl, Jack and Izzy, my family and friends. People. Not things.

So bring on the red, or deep mauve, deep crimson or even pink lipstick!! - [ps pawpaw on the other days is just fine too].

Happy 2010

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Tags: future, happiness, me

Books of the Decade- da da!

24Dec09

Carl commented today- Christmas Eve- that this was our last working day for the decade (I went in for a couple of hours and most of that was morning tea!). It hadn’t occurred to me until then that the decade is finishing….where did it go?

And then my friend Con posted her response to the Guardian’s ‘Books of the decade’ - and I knew I had to see which ones I’d read….the ones I have read are in blue.

The Guardian says – “The world was rocked by terrorism, climate change became an emergency, celebrity culture moved from our TVs to our bookshelves, and a boy wizard held millions spellbound. Love them or hate them, these are the 50 books that defined the decade”

2000

White teeth by Zadie Smith - liked this and would re-read it I reckon. TV series not so good, and I haven’t read anything else by Zadie Smith ever since I read her next book- ‘The Autograph Man” which just didn’t cut it for me.
No logo by Naomi Klein – I have this and a couple of other Naomi Klein books, but I truthfully haven’t finished any of them.
The tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius by Dave Eggers - admit I haven’t heard or read anything about this, but I am instantly drawn to the title of the book and so I think I will read this one – altho a quick look on Wikipedia reveals it’ll be a tough one…
The amber spyglass by Philip Pullman
How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking, by Nigella Lawson – I have a pretty enormous collection of cookbooks but not this, but love the idea of being a domestic goddess…*sigh*
Experience by Martin Amis

2001

The corrections by Jonathan Franzen – got it, just haven’t read it!
Atonement by Ian McEwan - I think I’ve almost read everything that Ian McEwan has written. I think he is just brilliant. Loved the movie of this too.
Austerlitz by WG Sebald
A life’s work: On becoming a mother by Rachel Cusk – I’m living this, do I need to read it?

2002

Nickel and dimed: undercover in low-wage USA by Barbara Ehrenreich - stumbled upon this one somehow and though it was great. A journalist tries to live on the basic wage in the US. Really interesting and depressing. I then read Polly Toynbee’s (UK journalist) experiences in ‘Hard work: life in low paid Britain’ – a similar book.
London orbital: A year walking around the M25 by Iain Sinclair
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Persepolis: The story of a childhood and the story of a return by Marjane Satrapi

2003

The Da Vinci code by Dan Brown - for book group. Let’s just say after reading this I didn’t want to see the film or read any more Dan Brown ever again.
Landing light by Dan Paterson
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon - great book. After I read this one I contacted a friend who has a child with autism and said -’read it’. Insights into autism.
The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini - yep I cried at the end (and in the movie) and then again for ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’- another powerful read and I think one I enjoyed more as it was about women. Brilliant author. Makes me feel that I live in a very small part of the world and I should know more about things outside my daily sphere.
Eats, shoots & leaves by Lynne Truss - might be cheating a bit on this one. Have I read it cover to cover? No- but a great read. I love the illustrated children’s version even better!

2004

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States
Small Island by Andrea Levy - will read/ been meaning to?
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst - another goody, I then heard Alan Hollingshurst speak at a literary lunch, and then got my copy of the book autographed!! Love it for its time in English history….
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – will read/ been meaning to?
Being Jordan by Katie Price
Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey- googled this and it mentioned geography and poetry – so sounds interesting

2005

Freakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
Untold Stories by Alan Bennett
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - saw the play of this last year. I think I am going to choose this one for my bookgroup in 2010.
Postwar by Tony Judt
Saturday by Ian McEwan - enough said on Ian McEwan

2006

The God delusion by Richard Dawkins
The road by Cormac McCarthy - gruelling, will watch the movie and see how that goes….
The looming tower by Lawrence Wright
The weather makers by Tim Flannery – I have another Tim Flannery book to read (that reminds me)
The revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock

2007

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows by JK Rowling – can’t honestly say I have ever read a Harry Potter book cover to cover. I have read aloud many HP books to the kids, but because Carl and I used to alternate reading…I only got bits and pieces of these books (seen all the films though- of course!)
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
The Blair Years: Extracts from the Alastair Campbell Diaries – will someday read I reckon. My dad or my brother probably have this.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – enjoyed this, again, I have never read anything about Nigeria.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid – sounds interesting, will follow up.

2008

Change We Can Believe In, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama – I would like to skim, read through some of these. (Like Con though – three books by Obama in a top 50??)
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross
Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
Home by Marilynne Robinson
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes – sounds interesting

2009

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – the Booker prize winner isn’t it?- will read.
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Eleven …..is that good or bad? Who cares? Interesting though.

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Tags: books

Beautiful Boy

23Dec09

What a great book. What a hard book. What a gruelling book. Every parents nightmare- this book tells a father’s journey through his son’s meth addiction. The author is a journalist – David Sheff and the book is really interesting as a story about drug addiction, but so hard to read as a parent.

David Sheff has a website and nows spends time talking and writing about his experiences. His son Nic – has also written about his addiction – the book is called Tweak – I may try and read it sometime too.

This quote from Sir Richard Branson rang true for me:

“My generation experimented with drugs and, now that we are parents, we’re caught off guard. We never contemplated having to face what David Sheff has faced. He writes with candor, courage, and grace his family’s harrowing–and sadly not atypical–story. Beautiful Boy is an important book. It is moving, timely, and sobering. It’s also startlingly beautiful.”

I have a beautiful boy who has just finished Year 10 and is full of life and the promise of great and exciting and interesting things.

Jack, Alex, Sean and Louis - Year 10 formal

I guess if anything – this year has taught me about the changeability and unpredictableness of life. Life just throws things at you and you cope and get through…or not

I have been blogging lots about the children lately. I am by no means through with life, but I do see the great promise and future of theirs….and that is so very exciting.

Merry Christmas! This year has been a hard one, and I no idea what 2010 will bring. I do wish that I had blogged my thanks a little more. But to each and every one of you who has helped me along the waythis year….thanks, thankyou.

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Tags: books, children, parenting

ICD turns 14

16Dec09

It just BLOWS me away how quickly the kids grow up.

ICD is 14 today and here are 14 (well 15) photos…

16 December 1995

Completely shocked that ICD is a girl – I was convinced I was having a boy.

Carl and ICD (6mths) June 1996

I was more relaxed with baby 2 – lower expectations and it was hectic but fun.

ICD emerging from mist sculpture, June 1997

And we are a family of four, doing family things. Lots of parks, lots of car trips, lots of picnics.

Jack and Izzy spent a lot of time together – in fact most of our photos are of both of them playing something together – and smiling!

Batman & spiderman

And then 1999- ICD turns 4 and JMD starts school. ICD is in childcare part time while I’m at uni

JMD, ICD and Daisy-dog

It’s 2000 and ICD starts preschool.

Bowral - July

2001 and ICD is in kindergarten. I am putting this photo in below as ICD recetnly found it and put it on the desktop at home- and said that she loved this dressup Federation day at school, and especially this photo!