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Hi you guys, I can't talk now on account of a massive pre-Xmas workload that won't quit even though I keep thinking it's about to but no, dumkopf, it's really not. I want to properly reflect on my Most Five you see, and I canna do that till, well, the weekend realistically. 

So please bear with me until Monday. 

Until then, here is a picture of Newbie's frog on the melbourne skywheel...

The Most Five (AM)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: how the hell does the space-time continuum work? Let me also say that I am dying a little bit inside because I used a hyphen in 'space-time continuum' because my laptop has died and I don't know how to do an en-dash on the iPad. In fact by the end of this post I will probably be completely dead inside because this is my last post for the year and the formatting is going to be completely wackadoo because Blogger and Apple can't seem to get together to make an easy blogging platform with nice formatting. Sorry, what I was saying is how the hell when you're a kid a year goes so slow and when you're an adult it seems to take about 15 minutes. I mean this time in two weeks its going to be 2015. Say what?!? So let's take a look back at the year that was with my Most Five List. Some bests, some worsts, all the mosts.

1. Blur. Not exactly, but I was just looking at last year's Most Five List and number one was Blur. The pleasure of buying tickets to see them, the pain of them cancelling their Big Day Out show and the fear I'd never get to see them. Well I still haven't, but given I just saw Damon play last week, which was absolutely a highlight of the year I thought, what the hell, Blur can top my Most 5 List. I loved the shit out of Damon's gig and I'd be happy if Blur could make it on my list for wonderful reasons every year. #hereshoping While we are on the rock and roll I don't want to forget how much I loved Bruce all the way back in February. I guess I don't get out much.

2. Newbie meets Baby. Obviously even more exciting that Damon was the arrival of Newbie. This kid is out of sight adorable. I mean, Baby was and is effing cute and it was hard to imagine meeting a kid quite as nice, but Newbie fits the bill! That smiley little head, his ability to develop just like a baby should. I effing love this kid and Baby is a pretty great big bro too. It's real nice having a little family of awesome dudes. But it's not all beer an skittles. Although a healthy little chubber now, Newbie wasn't always so healthy, it was stressful yo and definitely the source of some of this year's bests and worsts. Not to take away from Baby, that kid started kinder this year and is so goddamn delightful to watch continue to grow. I love these guys!!!   

3. Moving house. There were lots of great things about living at my Mum and Dad's house for 3 years: the views, the extra adult companionship when LB was away, the easy-access babysitting, but moving into our own (rental) house has really been great. The space is so nice, the white walls, all our books out of boxes and on shelves. Finally I'm starting to shed the feeling of regression, finally the feeling of inertia is leaving.  

4. Simple pleasures. One of the plus sides of being a stay-at-home mother that spends 70% of her time with people under 5 is that it does not take a lot to make me happy. Like I said before I really do not get out a lot, especially sans bebes and when I do I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive. A couple of months ago I was at Leglsly and Miguel's for dinner, there were a few other peeps there and it was very impromptu and we ate Lebanese pizza and my children were at home and I just felt so goddamn great. When other people have demands on all your time, any time alone or with a friend is really the dreamiest, and it's pretty great finding joy in such a simple thing. 

5. New steps, new steps. Ballet, yeah, that's been fun but doing something new has been great too. Here's to more of that!!

Hey, everyone, have a really great holiday period and new year, I can't wait to see you on here on the flipside! 

Down time revisited (PM)

I can vouch for the restorative power of a Friday night spent with a hunk/listening to excellent music, and a Saturday in the sun. Even though I worked all day yesterday, I basically feel like I've just had a long weekend! 

Down time revisited (AM)

You know how five days ago K and I were all "Ugh I can't wait for some down time! I've got no distance left to run!" Well I have found this past weekend incredibly reviving and frankly I feel pretty great. Here let me give you some simple tips:

1. If possible start the weekend by seeing one of your favourite musicians perform. If this person also happens to be one of your favourite hunks more the better! 

K and I very successfully did this when we went to see Damon Albarn on Friday night. He was totally rad and everything I dreamed of and more and the only bad thing I can say about the experience is that I can't do it all the time. 

2. Spend time with friends. Eat ice cream. Saturday afternoon was really hot but I had a lovely afternoon at K's new joint and finished off the afternoon getting ice cream with Pickle and Steven Jameson. Ice cream is really good in the heat. I got nectarine sorbet. So refreshing.

3. Ditch your family. I love my boyfriend and my children very, very much but I'm pretty sure the fact LB and Baby were away for 24 hours and I managed to clean the house and lie around was pretty integral to my rejuvenation.

4. Shirk responsibility. After a discussion with K, I suggested to Chutney Club that instead of making and exchanging chutneys at our Christmas gathering we should all just get together and have a good time. After another discussion with K we decided that this will be the last week of Miss Soft Crab for the year! Responsibilities shirked, down time in reach. 

Down time (PM)

Oh god mate, I know exactly what you mean and I don't even work or really have any serious commitment, except, you know, to raising my children.  This morning I was thinking how I wished this was the last week of Baby's swimming lessons just because I can't be bothered anymore, not that I'd be doing anything better with that time. I guess I just want some down time too. I'm just limping towards Christmas break of 2016 when Newbie should be old enough to join Baby for sleepovers at my folks' place and it'll be all down for 24 hours.

Down time (AM)

Who feels totally strung out and like things are busier than ever and like they desperately need some down time??!!

Yeah, me too. 

I feel a little hesitant to say that because

a) things can always get busier

b) unlike J, I don't have two small children to look after, and I'm pretty sure I don't know busyness until I know that situation. 

Side note: the other day I was talking to my Mum and saying how full on it seems for people with two children, and I asked her how she managed with three. She said she didn't know. She said sometimes she thinks about how for about a decade, she worked four days, looked after three kids (which includes cooking every meal and washing every thread of clothing etc. etc. etc.) and saw her Mother for a quick visit every day and she has no clue, absolutely no clue, how she managed it. I did not feel comforted by these words 

Right now, I'm longing for a little down time. I fantasise about having a couple of days where I don't have to do anything or be anywhere. I would sleep in and then go get a coffee and maybe make shortbread. Or better still, just eat a shortbread. Mmmm. I guess all that stuff is pretty achievable. I just need to limp towards the Christmas break and it's going to be all down, all the time. In a good way. 

PS: I find that photo of the welsh lamb very soothing

Goodbye David and Margaret (PM)

When I heard David and Maragret were retiring I actually felt like crying. Not sobbing, I just felt like tearing up a little, like when Heath Ledger died or something. 

That whole day I felt sad and kept wanting to talk about it, like when Philip Seymour Hoffman died. That's how I felt, like some distant yet  present... presence was lost. And then I kept telling myself to man the hell up. But as I've been watching At the Movies over the last few weeks I really have felt the weight of sadness of the loss of some distant intangible thing. 

For much longer than it should have, the presence of hunks heavily influenced my movie-going but even back then it was good  to know what we were in for. And it was exciting that a film you'd waited for had finally arrived. Or would on Thursday. 

Even though movies are so shit these days I still love the idea of them and it's so nice to spend half an hour on Tuesday night thinking about them. I'm gonna miss that time with Margaret and David. 

Goodbye David and Margaret (AM)

While I was away, I heard one piece of news from home that made my heart feel funny, made me feel far far away and and made me want to rush back as soon as I could. The news of David and Margaret's retirement. 

David and Margaret. 

Those loveable wags. I've been watching them since I was a kid. Actually, probably since I was a teenager mucking around at J's house where watching SBS was a legitimate choice. The Movie Show was a show about my favourite thing, and in those early days when I watched and liked a lot more movies than I do now, it was a way to build excitement for my favourite thing. Back then, by the time  a movie had reached the point of review on The Movie Show, we'd probably been reading about it in TV Hits for months. But the review meant that the moment had finally arrived, the movie was going to come out (on Thursday, of course) and we were finally going to see it for ourselves. Margaret and David provided the last surge of hype before it was time to pay our $7.50. 

Back then, it didn't matter what they thought, I had already made up my mind whether I wanted to see it. Point Break is a total lemon, David and Margaret? What do I care, Keanu Reeves is in it. You say My Own Private Idaho is flawed and unsure of itself with unnecessarily arty sex scenes, David and Margaret?  What do I care, Keanu Reeves AND River Phoenix are in it. 

Of course, as I got older I listened to what they had to say a bit more and balanced it against my need to see hunks on screen. I learnt a lot from them and I learnt a lot about where my tastes lie (basically a lot of Margaret but with a strong flourish of David from time to time.) Most of the time, you could count on them to refrain from spoilers, though Margaret can't help herself sometimes. But, when Margaret gives a spoiler, it's usually because she's been moved by a scene and feels compelled to talk about it. Which goes to what I think makes David and Margaret so appealing to me, the thing that made me want to watch their show every week. Those guys really, truly, unmistakably feel something about films. They can talk intelligently about them, they can interpret them in ways and place them in contexts that I can't dream of, but the reviews that are the most striking are the reviews of films that they just plain loved. Like this one. 

Because that's how I am too. I really feel something for films. So when I heard the news, I felt some feelings, I realised that these guys mean a lot to me and I would miss them when they go. 

Everything I've thought about Channing Tatum in the last 36 hours (PM)

The truth is, I didn't hate the Tater Tot when I went to see Magic Mike. I just hated myself for seeing Magic Mike. I thought the Tater was going to be repulsive but he wasn't. He wasn't. But nor is he a hunk. Hunks don't inspire ambivalence, which that guy does. It's just as J says. This is what people think hunks are these days. And that's fine, they can think that. But look at this and tell me whether you feel ambivalence:

Yeah, I didn't think so. 

Everything I've thought about Channing Tatum in the last 36 hours (AM)

To be honest for years I didn't bother learning to distinguish between Shia LaBoef and Channing Tatum, they were just names attached to boring faces that appeared in naf films. Then The Beef started to act like a minor nut job while the Tater's face continued to appear on the posters of adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels and while I learned to differentiate them I didn't bother because I didn't give a shit about them.

Imagine my surprise then when I found myself watching 22 Jump Street the other night and wondering to myself if Channing Tatum may be a hunk. I don't know if I was just looking for a distraction in a pretty shit film or if it's that in fact Channing Tatum has a certain je ne sais quoi but whatever the reason, 36 hours ago I thought to myself, "I wonder if Channing Tatum is a minor hunk". I mean that's how it started with Hemsworth, just a question and eventually the answer came back, "YES, this guy is a hunk!" 

22 Jump Street is a really long movie so I spent about an hour thinking, "Well this Tatum is not quite as boring or repulsive as I expected, he may even be a little bit charming or handsome." (Hour 36.) After an hour of this I guess I got bored so I started thinking "Could I have been wrong about this guy, could there be more hunk to him than meets the eye??" (Hour 35.)

After the movie finished I thought I better do my due diligence and Google Channing Tatum (hour 34) and I was both disappointed and relieved to find that, as previously thought, he is not a hunk at all. Handsome in that boring all American way, the star of boring movies, charming enough to be watchable and unrepulsive, I decided that he is a tolerable version of what Hollywood is currently passing off as a hunk, but in no way, NO way is this guy an actual hunk. And with that the status quo was restored and I could go back to not thinking about Channing Tatum again (hours 33-0).

Just a little something (PM)

For some reason I can't see J's YouTube on my phone, which is a bummer because I truly love to laugh. 

Here's a little something I saw the other day that made me chuckle.

Topical too! 

Just a little something (AM)

Yesterday was hot and last night I had a terrible headache, thought it would become a migraine but I just went to bed and it turned out fine. Anyway, luckily someone posted this video on Facebook, it's probably a little longer than it needs to be but it's funny so we all get a laugh without me having to work hard! Win!