A big year.

Hi!
Well, I made it. School holidays FOR THE WIN as they say.  Now I remember why I did teaching. I kid, I kid. I just re-read the last post I wrote and BY JOVE it was a bit NEGATIVE.

Despite all the rage I ended up really enjoying my time at the school.  It was hard, by God it was hard, but it was totally worth it.  Highlights included the Year 12 formal (I know! Hilarious!), the absolutely amazingly awesome other teachers in my staff room, new friends, some fabulous kids.  I will miss it.  Even the kids who hated me. I feel sorry for them because obviously I am the hippest and funnest teacher evah and they never even realised it.  POOR THEM I SAY!

Anyway, I cannot WAIT to start my new job. I will be in charge of the school library and will also have two classes to teach (Year 11 and Year 8 English).  It is LITERALLY (and I DON'T MEAN THIS FIGURATIVELY) my dream job. Not that I'm not freaking out about all the work and responsibility and shizz but I am so happy to have something so wonderful.

In interesting developments, we have also decided to pool our meagre financial resources in with my ole Dad's and buy a big house together with a granny flat or some such arrangement for him.  A glamorous granny flat.  This is also very exciting and I hope I can blog about our journey on the way.  Because goodness knows I am ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY PEOPLE #grateful #journeythingo #somethingsomething

2016 is the year I remember I want to be a writer, the year I start cooking again, the year I start exercise and the year I kick arse Teacher Librarian style.  Not that I am one for setting up BIG NEW YEAR EXPECTATIONS OR ANYTHING (see previous posts for low-key New Year sensibleness).

Here's some pictures because BLOG.

Playing croquet because GENTEEL and CIVILISED

The beach, which I have taken to enjoying now that I have bought really expensive togs. That's all it takes peeps.

The tree.It's a new one. Suits the high ceilings. Don't look at the washing. I said DON'T LOOK AT IT GODD!

Update. Soul eater.

OHAI there readers.

Sorry for my lack of communication. I can promise you (and look I just KNOW you have all been weeping and gnashing your teeth in grief when you check your blogreader and I haven't updated) that from now on, I am going to become a HARDCORE BLOGGER, and will be updating so much that you will want me to JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE YOU ALONE.

The reason? Because I am FREEEEE! FREEEEEEEEEEEE! Developments in the greater Slapdash household have meant that I have chucked in my job at the place I have worked for almost 10 years, to concentrate on my teaching course, and to WRITE! No more commute! No more soul eating workplace of doom! In the next 18 months I am going to become a BOHEMIAN STUDENTY ACTIVIST WRITER TYPE and will be donning eccentric jackets made from blankets and wearing JAUNTY BERETS and STRAW HATS and HAREM PANTS and CHAINING MYSELF TO THINGS BY WAY OF POLITICAL STATEMENT practically 24/7.

I can't even fully recognise the freedom I have. I mean, I still have to work a bit, and get my EARNEST MATURE AGED STUDENT on, but that's ok. I WANT TO! Therefore it is not hard. OH GOD THE NOVELTY!

This is all down to a generous financial donation to my cause by my wonderful mother.  I can't thank her enough. Our life has been changed forever!  I don't even care that the weather is SO HUMID AND HOT that it is practically killing me, or that I have come down with conjunctivitis. EVERYTHING IS ROSY! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM ANY MORE!

Anyway, the next 18 months is going to be the best.  I have these goals;

- STUDY like a mofo and KICK ARSE uni wise
- DO EXERCISE like a mofo
- MEAL PLAN like a mofo
- KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN like a mofo
- WRITE! WRITE LIKE I'VE NEVER WRITTEN BEFORE. LIKE A, WELL....PRACTICALLY LIKE A MOFO!
- BE THE BEST MOST LOVING AND CARING AND EVERYTHING PARENT EVER

As one of my colleagues said, eventually, you have to do what feeds your soul. Or your soul will start eating itself.

2014 is the YEAR OF FEEDING THE SOUL!

Do you feed your soul? Or does it feed on you? Do you work in a toxic environment? SHARE WITH ME MY FRIENDS!

I'm EXCITED!

This happened, then that happened, then another thing happened.

Far out. I hate it when I forget to blog. It necessitates a sort of catching up post.

 

Ugh.

 

Anyway, here goes. Let's just get it out of the way and we can all move on, and hope like bally HECK that I do ACTUALLY get my act together blog-wise.

 

So Halloween happened. You can read my post from last year's Halloween if you like. And let's face it WHY WOULDN'T YOU?? 

I've given in totally (well, almost) to Halloween, being as how my kid was desperate to share it with her neighbours, and also I have to admit that I actually really like American stuff. She had a little witchy poo hat on and went along to one of the special streets round these parts that goes in for celebrations in a big way.  She managed to gather a hoard of treats that I confiscated and then proceeded to eat myself over the last couple of weeks. Luckily she seems to have forgotten about them.

I have some good friends who loathe Halloween, and look, I do admit that packs of roaming teenagers getting about with bolts in their necks can be somewhat OMINOUS but I am ok with small fry having a bit of a dress up and a trick or treat.

There I said it. 

I have no photographic evidence of the costume but never mind.

On to the next Festival that Divides the Nation - the Melbourne Cup!

 

Here's what happened this time last year! FASCINATING! AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE HATS!

I really love Melbourne Cup. Mainly because of the hats and FARRSHHIIOON and champers. Less so because of the evils of gambling and the whole shooting of horses what break their legs and so forth. I mean I am not on board with that. Naturally. Sad face.

But my work puts on a HELL of a shindig and I basically look forward to it all year because by God I don't get out much these days and a girl needs something to HOPE FOR.

I was going to write and article for The Shake about DIY hat fashion but I ran out of time what with me being really shithouse at writing at the moment.

Still, I did attempt to make a few fascinators including this one that I actually wore....

Made from some faux flowers I got from Spotlight and usually have shoved in a vase in my hallway, and my small daughter's sparkly headband. Deadset ingenious. Did kind of squeeze my skull a bit but as my mother always said, you have to suffer to be beautiful.

Made this one too, from a kindy creation P made with a paper doily stapled to it. I also made one out of Lego, trying to go for an Isabella Blow/Philip Treacey vibe. This was, however, less successful.

Here I am in my DIY fascinator. I got this dress at an op-shop recently for a few quid. Bargain! It was, however, slightly too tight for the enormous lunch I consumed. I had to unzip it at the back in an unladylike move.

Another, more artistic angle. Taken by my mercurial colleague R.

Here's some of the vittles from our luncheon. Pretty good right? They even have radish flowers and all! FANCY AS!

My work colleagues R and A getting their pink on.

Plonk.

Anyway, it was rather enjoyable. Not that I won anything but I never do.

Also, in an interesting move for the YOOF of Australia, I have applied to undertake a Postgraduate Diploma of Senior Secondary Education.

That's right, mofos, I am going to be school-marming it the utter heck up before you know it.

I'm trying not not to get ahead of myself, seeing as I haven't actually been accepted into the course as yet, but I see a beautiful future ahead for me.

“Coffee, coffee, coffee before we teach-ee teach-ee.”