ARIES (March 21-April 19): Advising an Aries to have more patience is like commanding a bonfire to burn in slow motion. Nevertheless, I am at least going to make the effort. Therefore, please be aware that if you would like to place yourself in maximum alignment with cosmic trends, you should find a way to be perfectly content as you watch and wait; you should figure out how to enjoy dwelling calmly in a state of trusting faith; and you should fantasize freely about the delights that will come to you if you cultivate quiet, relaxed confidence. ...go read your stars...

My head my head. You'd think by the way I feel I'd been up drinking, smoking, cavorting, playing Twister all night. But no, all I did was stay sober incase anyone needed me. Getting to the age when I am the "designated adult" is kinda okay by me except when parties start at midnight. Leaving me crawling into bed at 5am and getting up at 9am and feeling like i'd partied way too hard when what I really need is a pie and a nap.

Tonight I'm off to see Ed Byrne (website's not very interesting or revealing) at SKY Theatre. I'll tell you what it's like later.

My May Day isn't going so well based mainly on the fact i'm driving people everywhere and cleaning up. Photographs of vacuum cleaners on the way.

by [michelle] - 2:59 PM

Climber recounts canyon ordeal

by [michelle] - 3:37 PM

by [michelle] - 2:57 PM

OVERHEARD: Rosie GOOGLED "bull nipples"

by [michelle] - 4:44 PM

This morning the coffee is decidedly nutty.

I was sitting on the ferry watching the world go by at 15 knots [or whatever speed it is that we do out in the open harbour] and thinking its no small miracle that gets me on that boat in the mornings. As you know, I have missed it sometimes, so that -to me- makes it even crazier that most of the time I actually *don't* miss it. I checked the clock about four times this morning to make sure it was saying 7:30am not 8:30am. I'm not very sure why I didn't trust my eyes the first couple of times. Finding it difficult to believe that I wasn't screwing up on an important morning. Not that I have meetings or anything today, just that I have work to do and a boss who wants it done. Which is a jolly nice way to be if you can get to work in time.

by [michelle] - 11:19 AM

There's more than one person in this blog you know.

by Rosie - 9:00 PM

*snatches control of the jar*

right....i have been given permission to blog here. That would be helpful if I actually *had* anything to say, but I thought I'd test it out anyway.

Uh oh...she's coming back .....bye for now.

by Chris - 4:00 PM

Possum's prizegiving sends driver on final journey
Bourne himself ended his own farewell, with some words from an old television clip giving the mourners something to draw hope from. "...if you don't get anything out of the bad then what the heck are you doing here? Because the bad things make you realise how good the good things are." He flashed a big smile – the smile that was almost as famous as his antics on the road. ...more

by [michelle] - 9:28 AM

by [michelle] - 5:36 PM

Poor Rosie, she gets lumbered with all the problems at work. Besides being groomed as the New Improved Project Manager ( a job she was born to do but her basket heavy with projects ) and having to produce Instructional Design and Multimedia as well, PLUS being the IT girl, she's also in charge of a stupid piece of software that has more techical difficulties than I have excused not to exercise. She's more than capable and mostly fabulous at everything she does, its just that no one can do everything. So her Monday felt like a week.

Mine felt long too - steady productive work all day but doing anything on only a few hours sleep is always hardwork. Seems we roll into the third week of Michelle Sleeping Badly. I woke this morning to find it was 7:55am. Kinda late by anyone's standards and almost impossibly late for me. My last ferry leaves the wharf at 8:15am. It takes me 14 minutes to walk to the ferry. Are you good at math? 6 minutes from horizontal til locking the gate and getting my shimmy down the road at shin splinting spead. I was going ok - well i didn't look great but I threw my make-up into my bag and grabbed my umbrella and couldn't find my keys for several precious minutes. Cursing myself for still not having a permanent home for keys feeling my window for leaving telescoping closed at alarming rate. I looked a *lot* like Mr Bean running around my place this morning. Finally found the keys in the back door *doh, that's right* and I was off and gone. By the time I huffed and puffed my way on board the ferry proclaiming I was far too unfit to be this late, the Ferryman [for want of his proper title] said "you're not late, we haven't left yet." Some poor sod behind me missed out - I saw him pelting across the carpark and mouthing a cuss word as we pulled away from the wharf.

So, I've looked tragic all day. Felt terrible with a pounding headache all afternoon. Getting off the Ferry feeling shattered, I almost jumped on the bus but I decided to walk home as punishment for sleeping in this morning. Half way out of the carpark, my phone rang and it was Greg offering a ride and chinese food and I was very grateful to have someone come get me from the Ferry as a treat. I'm home now and about to shower and sleep. Please, God of Sleep, let me.

by [michelle] - 8:56 PM

My Friday was much better than any other day last week - mostly because I was feeling a bit better, and partly due to a lovely rose sent to me by a very sweet man who sure didn't have to but just made me grin like a goofy girl when he did. Thankyou NB. Friday night was good too - went for a drink with the other michelle at work, then off to the SKY bar with sonia to watch the warriors lose to the bulldogs. (no capitals sunday) then we went for a late night burger at dennys where sonia *spilled* her guts on all sorts of things I never knew then she dropped me off home.

Saturday was busy getting stuff ready for amy's party - ok - well I window shopped with greg and david for hours then on the way home we bought beer and alch-i-pops and that was that. party was ok - the boys that came were, on the whole, well behaved and pretty good value. One puked all over the front steps but they all took care of their own. The girls were worse, smuggling booze into a party that had provided booze so over drank and some became quite intoxicated. But it all worked out in the end and amy had a great birthday party. I said "amy, did you have a good night?" while I was tucking her into bed around 1am.. she said "yes, I got a boyfriend for my birthday. I had a grrrrrrreat time" *s* so now she has a *steady* boyfriend she's walking on cloud nine and looks lovely.

Today was a bit slower, I walked over to a friends house for coffee and ended up out on her husband's boat taking photos of him and his HUGE king fish. massive. i hope the pics turned out i think he wanted to submit them to the fishing magazine. He had made a guest appearance on Gone Fishin' on Saturday night taking the host of that show out to the "sweet fishing spot". Home again to help david with his project, like all of us he leaves his stuff til the last minute.

And now home.. to bed shortly, and to make a better face of this week than I did the last. Thanks to those who put up with me.

by [michelle] - 5:13 PM

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Are you the kind of Aries who pushes on doors that have "pull" signs? Do you think it's a thrill to open cartons from the end that reads "open other end"? Do you love to drive in the carpool lane when you're alone in your car? If so, I hope I can convince you to use your rebellious energy more constructively. You're now in possession of the finest insurrectionary energy I've seen in many moons. Your brilliant disobedience could overthrow a status quo that's sorely in need of being replaced.

Shania, don't come on over 03.05.2003 By LOUISA CLEAVE and WAYNE THOMPSON
Singer Shania Twain will need Government approval to buy a picturesque station near Lake Wanaka. Twain, who lives in Switzerland with her producer husband Robert Lange and their baby, is reported to have offered $16 million for the 17,000ha Motatapu Station behind Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka. ...more

by [michelle] - 11:08 AM

by [michelle] - 2:40 PM

I'm feeling low today. Normally I would't even tell you and mostly people who can see my face already know. I have called myself a duck lately (yes and a chicken too.. nice bird theme going on) but for a duck, i have terrible trouble letting water run off my back. On one hand, I understand the personality of the person I attribute my grief to but because I am one of the people who she aims her shortcomings at, I feel deflated and angered and disappointed at her lack of maturity and wisdom.

but anyways.

I'm where I am to learn the lesson and I'm just as bad for not learning it.
If lessons were easy to learn, we'd all angels and where would THAT get us.

or something.

Other news: My lovely cousin Kristy and her husband are expecting their first child any minute. She's in Hospital and her husband hasn't txt'd me for several hours so I will make the assumption he's very busy so that's great. Cousin sounds like some distant relative - but in our case, they are more like siblings, having our families grow up together. I'd be there right now if I had a car.

My car is at the Panelbeater. The assessor can't come til tomorrow. Wheels grind slowly - it's taken ages to get this far.. two weeks, in fact.

I had a nice phonecall from an internet friend last night. (knows he's reading this so keeps talking as if he's not here) I left him my number, never thinking he'd call. But he did, and it cheered me up somewhat. I don't think either of us can be arsed meeting up with each other, even though we work 4 blocks apart in the same town. But the phone call was nice, and a big chunk of what I needed last night so Captain Black* - thankyou.

* that's his real name. Mr and Mrs Black's son, Captain.

for those of you who missed the Tui Awards, the winners are:

Album of the Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, International Achievement: The Datsuns - The Datsuns.
Single of the Year, Songwriter of the Year: goodshirt - Sophie.
Best Solo Artist, Best Female Vocalist, Highest-selling NZ Album: Bic Runga - Beautiful Collision.
Best Male Vocalist: Che Fu - Misty Frequencies.
Highest-selling NZ Single: Katchafire - Giddy Up.
Best Urban Album, People's Choice: Nesian Mystik - Polysaturated.
Best Dance Album: Salmonella Dub - Outside the Dubplates.
Best Roots Music Album: Trinity Roots - True.
Best Jazz Album: Kevin Clark - Once Upon a Song I Flew.
Best Classical Album: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra - Douglas Lilburn: The Three Symphonies.
Best Mana Reo Album: Ngahiwi Apanui - E Tau Nei.
Best Mana Maori Album: Upper Hutt Posse - Te Reo Maori Remixes.
Best Pacific Island Album: Pacific Soul - Pacific Soul.

by [michelle] - 11:46 AM