Snape Gets His Sexy On . . .

I've become a little obsessed lately with Alan Rickman's character (Severus Snape) out of Harry Potter. Not only have I added a photo of him as my profile picture on Facebook, but I'm also using the same picture on Messenger (much to the annoyance of M, who tells me he'd rather eye candy for him to look at - maybe when I get back from leave M, I'll indulge you and put my photo back up :P). Oh, and spending a lot of time searching for videos on YouTube featuring Snape. You'd think I was 16, and not 39.

I've found lots of videos that I love, but I think this is my favourite. And as much as I'm embrasssed to admit it, the song has grown on me over the past week (and I guess I'm a >>little<< over the age of being considered a Justin Timberlake fan).

Anyway, apart from the fact I've been drooling over Snape in the video, it's actually pretty clever, if not a little monotonous in parts. Keep an eye out for Hagrid - when I first saw it, I almost choked on my coffee.

Well, that's it out of me for at least a week. Russ & I head off on our vacation Sunday and won't be back home until next Friday. So, whatever you're doing for the next week, I hope you have a wonderful time - I know I will! Catch you again soon!

For Melissa . . .

Okay Melissa, this is for you. You know I hate those tag emails where I have to fill in stuff and think of 20 people to send them to, so instead of racking my brains to think of people to annoy, I'll fill it out here and annoy all 5 people that regularly visit my blog. Hey, at least you can't say I didn't bother doing it this time.

Top 10 Sexiest Actors And/Or Characters They've Played

And in no particular order, my choices are:

1. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape (Harry Potter films).
2. Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep - once he has fully regenerated of course (The Mummy).
3. Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy (Face/Off).
4. Al Pacino as Michael Corleone (Godfather films).
5. Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus (Gladiator).

(Hmmm... there seems to a pattern here of bad boys. I've always had a thing for bad boys. Well, maybe with the exception of Snape, since he was ultimately a good guy. So, let's round out it with a few good guys).

6. Keanu Reeves in anything (but particularly in The Matrix - I HATE those films, but who can resist a sexy guy in black?).
7. Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story).
8. Bruce Willis in anything.
9. Gary Sinise as Stu Redman (The Stand).
10. Denzel Washington or Will Smith in anything (okay, so that's technically two, but I can't choose, and it's my blog, so I can do what I want) :)

One thing's for certain, you couldn't say I'm racist (also reflected in my love life, as over the years I've dated Caucasians, Asians, and African Americans). Oh, and notice my preference for unusual looking guys, usually with dark hair? That was always a running joke with a good friend and myself. When we were both single and frequenting nightclubs, there was never a fight for which guy we were interested in - I'd always go for the quirky, odd looking, darkly mysterious men, and she'd go for the blonde 'surfie' types. Ah.... good days. I don't get the obsession with pretty boys like Brad Pitt. Okay, so I can see why people say he's good looking, but he just doesn't do it for me.

Top 10 Most Despised Actors And/Or Characters They've Played:

1-10. Tom Cruise in anything.

That was easy! ;)

(Pre) Vacation Mode. . .

I had every intention of making beads this weekend, however, surprise, surprise, it never happened. Yesterday I had a 21st birthday lunch to attend (which I had completely forgotten about until DH Russ reminded me on Friday), and when we got home around 6.00 pm, we decided we'd spend the night with our friends, Yvonne & Farid, at their house. It was a fairly quiet night - well, as quiet as it ever is with the four of us guzzling wine, talking, laughing, singing along with Farid as he plays the guitar, and listening to Yvonne's Rainbow Lorikeet, Maverick, squawking continuously. Maverick is just the sweetest bird - like most parrots, he can 'talk' - and our conversations are nearly always peppered with "love you", "Maverick!", "massage", and a million other words that Maverick has mastered. He's also so cute when he jumps on your hand, runs up your arm, and ends up on your shoulder screaming "kiss" in you ear until you finally pucker up for a parrot kiss from him. So, it was a great night, as it always is with Yvonne & Farid.

As for today, I got out of bed early to make beads, and instead, I spent the day tidying up, catching up on my reading, and playing a whole bunch of new games I downloaded from Big Fish Games. I'm totally addicted to all the hidden item games they have, and before I knew it, 3 or 4 hours had passed.

So, although I still have a week left of work, I guess I'm already in 'vacation' mode. This time next week Russ and I will be settling in to our accomodation - no doubt, we'll have spent a few hours in the hottub and will be very relaxed. Ahh.. bliss!

So, it looks like they'll be no more beads out of me now until at least the week beginning 9 June. Like I've been saying for months, I really need this break away, so hopefully on my return, I'll be rested and ready to melt glass again.

And on that note, I'll say TTFN. I'll probably update the blog again during the week, but if not, I'll catch you again on my return from Howqua.

Outside My Comfort Zone. . .

So, today, I did something totally outside my comfort zone. No, I didn't go bungee jumping or abseiling. I didn't even do something as completely outrageous as keeping my opinions to myself - as far as I'm aware, hell hasn't frozen over yet.

No, I did something even more uncomfortable. I purchased a swimsuit. Yes, I realise for most women this is an annual event. However, for me, it's something that is completely alien. I can't even remember the last time I wore a swimsuit. I think I may have been an adolescent. No, that's not true. I'd actually hazard a guess and say I was probably a child of about 8 or 9 the last time I wore a swimsuit.

You may find that an absurd statement, particularly as I live in one of the most beach-obsessed nations on the planet. But, there's a few reasons for my antipathy. Firstly, I absolutely LOATHE swimming. I *can* swim - as a matter of fact, I was a champion backstroker in my (very) early years at school. I vaguely remember enjoying it at some point. I don't know when that changed - it just did.

Secondly, I could be Nicole Kidman's twin sister - I'm as pale as a ghost. I only have to sit in the (winter) sun on my back deck for 20 minutes and I will burn. Oh, and I don't tan. I go a lovely shade of lobster red, peel, itch, and blister for two weeks, and then back to white. What a delight. And I admit, that's always annoyed me. I think I get it from my mother's side of the family, as she's pale too. God knows it's not from my father's side. Although he was blonde with blue eyes, like myself, and of Dutch/German heritage, he would go as brown as a berry. Actually, my mother's side of the family is Jewish and French, so hell, I should be able to tan to some degree. But, I digress...

Thirdly, I'm not particularly crazy about wandering around in a state of undress in my own bathroom. There's no way in hell I'm going to wander around in a public place like that.

My last, and most important, reason is that although I'm not crazy about swimming in pools, but would probably do so for exercise if I owned a pool, I absolutely cannot stand the ocean. What is there to like? I can't bear swimming in saltwater (and how do people open their eyes in the ocean - UGH .. the thought fills me with unimaginable horror), but then there's the idea of all manner of 'things' floating around underneath me (ie. seaweed, garbage, sharks, perhaps a dead body or three, oh .. and effluent OMG). But my most despised thing of all? Sand.

I think sand is God's biggest laugh. Even if I could get past the concept of burning eyes, giant man-eating fish eating my liver as an appetiser, rotting corpses, and bodily wastes, I cannot tolerate sand. Hot sand burns. God knows how many discarded syringes are lying around. Oh, and picking it out of my scalp (and other areas) for the next month is not something that is high on my "must do before I die" list.

Like I say, the whole experience is so revolting to me, that I simply cannot understand the fascination with ANY of it.

So, having said all that, you may be wondering why on earth I purchased a swimsuit? Well, there's one - and ONLY one - reason for that - our trip away to Howqua in 1.5 weeks. The last few times DH Russ & I have stayed somewhere that had a hottub, I either skinny dipped (it was only him present after all), or else I wore a ratty 15-year-old bodysuit. Since this bodysuit now has about 3 large gaping holes in it and a broken strap, I figured I might purchase a swimsuit.

So, that's what I did today. And that's the picture. I purchased it online, and it should arrive either tomorrow or Monday. I only hope it fits. It's rather simple, but my favourite colour - black. Its obviously been a long time since I purchased a swimsuit, since I almost choked to death when I realised that with shipping, it would cost me almost $110. I suppose that's probably considered cheap for most people, however, for me, it's absurd. I wouldn't normally pay $110 for an item of clothing I would wear with any regularity, but I spent it on something I'll only ever wear when we go away somewhere that has a hottub (ie. once a year if I'm lucky).

On the upside, perhaps I can use this as an excuse to go away more often.

One thing's for certain - it won't be changing my mind about swimming in the ocean.

Simply Berry . . .

Simply Berry
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Here's the 'teaser' pic for the new set I was talking about in yesterday's blog entry. The weather wasn't much better today, but at least I managed to get slightly better shots than what I achieved yesterday. I can almost guarantee if you like the picture, then you're going to *love* the beads in 'real life'! Can you tell I'm pleased with this set? LOL ;-D

These are now up on eBay - take a peek!

Okay, my one (and only) break of a WHOLE 15 minutes for the day is over, so I better keep plodding along in my day job - still have another hour to go. Have a good night/day/morning/afternoon - or whatever time it is in your part of the world ;-)

Want Beads? . . .

Simply Berry (Sneak Peek)
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Well, you're in luck! I put the finishing touches on a new set today, and here's a sneak peek for you. Excuse the awful photo, unfortunately, the weather is still overcast, and after spending 20 minutes trying to get a half decent shot, I gave up. Hopefully, you'll get a 'feel' for them with this photo.

There'll be 10 beads in this set (which includes a large focal and two spacers). As I always say, I'm not a pink lover, but there's just something about these I *love*. The Raku flowers are divine - I managed to coax some lovely shades of purple out of it.

So with any luck, these should be up on eBay on Tuesday morning (weather permitting, of course). There's no way I'll have time before I start work tomorrow to photograph them and list the auction, but I'll do my best to photograph them around midday, when the light seems to be the best for photographing, and they'll be ready to go on Tuesday.

See you then!

Male-Female Relationships. . .

And still on videos. 'When Harry Met Sally' has always been one of my favourite movies. Not because it's a 'chick flick' either - I'm not really a 'chick flick' type of girl. But I guess I could always relate to it so well, as nearly all of my closest friends have been men.

I guess I'm not particularly feminine, in that I'm way too opinionated for my own good, I can't bear sitting around bitching about other women, I'm not a 'princess' that requires a man to rescue her, and I *loathe* clothes shopping with a passion (and would someone please explain to me the fascination in spending a whole day running around to 326 different stores, wasting money, trying on 2,529 items, and having a false saleswoman gushing about how 'wonderful' I look in absolutely everything I try on? Oh, and don't even get me started on how much I want to abuse the living !@$% out of them when they push their way into my cubicle whilst I'm in a state of undress to ask me if I "need any help?" UGH!). I generally have not found a great deal in common with most women - actually, the only two things I can think of that are my real 'girly' obsessions are make-up and perfume (I have way too much of both).

Oh, and lingerie. Sadly I admit the latter has seriously fallen by the wayside as of late. My lingerie drawer is pitiful at the moment (and yes, I realise that lingerie are technically clothes, but for some reason, that's the only item of clothing I could probably spend more than 5 minutes searching for - even that drives me nuts nowadays. I mean, I'm as tall as most models at almost 6 feet, so I would assume that lingerie would be one of those things I wouldn't have a problem finding. Nope. If I find something that fits my waist - which is relatively small - then it's too tight around the hips, or else it fits my hips and is WAY too big around the waist. UGH again! Okay, so in reality, I'm an Australian size 12-14 (US size 10-12) and *not* the size 0 of most models.. but in any event, surely if they use tall models to sell lingerie, why can't they make them in sizes for 'real' women? I'm hardly fat. And on that subject, remember Marilyn Monroe? She was a size 16, and was the sex symbol of her day ... what the hell has gone so wrong with society that anyone over a size 2 is considered fat? God almighty.. the world has gone mad. Well, I guess that's what happens when you have gay men designing fashion for women - oh, and before the hate mail starts - I'm not homophobic - some of my best friends, both male AND female, have been gay.)

Anyway, enough of my ranting - back to the story . . . I never really analysed my friendships with men a great deal, until I saw WHMS that is. WHMS put a whole new spin on things, and I realised how true most of it was. I still find it a little weird to believe that many of my best friendships have, in reality, probably been based on sex. And no, I don't mean that there was actual sex involved - I mean that the male of the pair probably held out a smidgen of hope, no matter how slim, that they may 'get lucky'. This snippet from WHMS sums it up perfectly. To this day, I *still* laugh and nod my head in agreement at this scene. Classic stuff.

A Quick Hello. . .

Another weekend is upon us, and boy, am I glad of that. Although I enjoy my medical transcription work, with all the extra hours I'm putting in, I find I need the weekends more than ever to recover. Amazingly enough, I actually managed to melt glass today. Five beads in the kiln as I type this, and more to come tomorrow. With any luck, there should be a new set of beads up on eBay either Monday or Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I'll manage to finish the set, but I'm just hoping the weather picks up - it's been raining all day here, and there's no way I can take decent photos until that clears. I can't really complain about the rain - we desperately need it - but it's not the best weather for photography. Oh well, perhaps it'll pick up by Monday, fingers crossed.

It will be only 2 weeks tomorrow until Russ & I go away to Howqua. I know I've mentioned it numerous times, but I am so looking forward to the break. I can't remember being so desperate for a break as I am at the moment. The best part of the place we're staying it is that it's totally secluded - no phones, no neighbours, no mobile phone coverage - NOTHING (which, I have to add, gives Russ the greatest pleasure. His fear was that I would take the laptop and work the whole time. Lucky for him that's impossible - because, sadly, I admit he's probably right). It's like a little slice of heaven on earth. Russ & I will be spending the first 3 days doing nothing but lounging around the house, catching up on our reading, and spending time in the hot tub. When our friends, Yvonne & Farid, arrive on the Thursday for the last 2 nights, we'll be well rested and ready for some serious fun! It should be fabulous!

And on that note, I'll say TTFN. Make sure to drop by again in the next few days to see the new set of beads. If you're a pink lover, then I think you'll like them!

I'll just leave you with one of my favourite videos. I'm not an SNL fan (or a Will Ferrell fan for that matter), but this skit has always made me chuckle. I always loved "Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, but this puts a totally new spin on it. We definitely need more cowbell! LOL

Finally . . .

Wallflower
Originally uploaded by thatgirl1269

Yep, new beads. Were you starting to wonder if I was ever going to have another auction? Well, I was. I was absolutely determined this weekend not to type a single medical report, and instead concentrate on melting glass. So, these beads are the result.

The beads are now up on eBay - take a peek.

Have a good day, and I'll catch you again soon.

Happy Mother's Day. . .

Just want to wish all you Mums a good day tomorrow. As I don't have children, it obviously doesn't mean a great deal to me. Having said that though, I did receive a nice surprise today from my stepdaughter, Lauren. She bought me two oil diffusers - those scented oils you put bamboo reeds in and place around your house. She knows I love that sort of stuff. What really touched me was the Swarovski key chain she put with them, which came with this little poem attached:

"Someone Special

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never the same again".

She's a sweet girl, well I should say woman, as she recently turned 23. I've always had a good relationship with Lauren. I can barely believe she was only 13 when Russ & I started dating. She's grown into an intelligent and thoughtful young woman. I couldn't be more proud of her if she were my own flesh and blood.

I, on the other hand, am a terrible daughter. Although I purchased a gift online for my mother, it hasn't as yet arrived, and as I've been working so much recently and not finishing until 6.00 pm, it completely slipped my mind to pick up a card for my own mother. I know she's not going to be happy with me, and this is the first year that I have forgotten. I don't really have much of an excuse other than I work from home (and in fact, other than to walk Toby each morning and to check the mailbox, I haven't even *left* the house since last Sunday), don't finish until 6.00 pm, and I've had quite a lot on my mind the past few weeks. Perhaps I can take her out to dinner tomorrow night to make up for it. Although I love my Mum, she does tend to like to hold grudges for these sorts of things. In actuality, she would probably be more likely to forgive me if I had forgotten the gift, but bought a card.

Oh well. I do my best, but after all, I'm only human.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? . . .

Sorry I've been so quiet. I'm just so busy focusing on work lately, that I feel like I'm going to go insane before much longer. Russ & I decided we are going to go away in June, no matter how much it costs. If I don't have a break soon, I'm going to burn out. That hot tub at Howqua has my name on it, and I can hear it calling.

I really hope to make beads this weekend, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here's a little something my stepdaughter sent over. I got a chuckle out of it. Take it easy over the weekend, and I'll update the blog again soon.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

DR. PHIL : The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH : We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain. Alone.

GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ......... reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY : Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens!

KEVIN RUDD: I am so sorry that he had to cross the road, I apologise on behalf of all Australians.

BRENDAN NELSON: I too am sorry that the chicken crossed the road but don’t expect us to pay for him to get back!,

Time To Begin. . .

So I'm over my pity party. One can only bitch for so long before it becomes tiresome. In the immortal words of one of my favourite Aussie artists, Katie Noonan, it's "Time to Begin". When one door shuts, another one opens. Whatever you concentrate on with feeling, you attract more of - "thoughts become things". Time I remembered that and started concentrating on the positives.

Do yourself a favour and check Katie's music out. I guarantee you won't be sorry you did.



PS. I know I owe a few of you emails. Please bear with me. Over the coming days, I promise to reply to everyone. I've just needed this weekend off to try and give my shoulders and neck a rest in preparation of facing a new week of work. In the meantime, thank you SO much to everyone who has emailed me - it means more than you'll ever know. Hugs to all.