Insert witty subject line here

I slept for 12 hours last night. I was done done done at 8pm so I went to bed. I woke up at midnight and had a snack and a read for an hour, then Osk got home and I went back to sleep. And woke up at 8am. I am now drinking a coffee while watching the men at the building site behind our house pour cement from a cement mixer into another truck, which then has a LONG hose that goes up up up and then down down down so they can put it in the right spot.

I can see all of this because the back fence to our property belongs to the property behind us. As such, when the old house got pulled down and the block cleared, the load-bearing garden got taken away and so the fence has gradually been falling over into the property behind us. We had crazy weather on Saturday night and then meant one piece has now fallen off and sometime today I'm going to ask the workmen to nail it back up so we can have some (a) privacy and (b) modicum of security.

Just not while I'm in my pjs.

Things I have to do today:

• bank large cheque
• deal with uni because they are morons*
• return some purchases to KMart
• go to BigW to see if they have better alternatives than the ones I didn't get from KMart
• do an assignment
• buy nail scissors seeing as my Favourite Pair have gone missing
• bug Adelaide University for my payment summary
• go to gym

Right now I'm going to make oatmeal, the breakfast of champions, and wake TheHusband.

* I went into uni on Thursday. This is a pain in the backside but I went in to ask whether I could get excemption from the two assignments and one workshop I did last year and shoudn't have to do again this year (which I got). In the meantime I asked the enrolments manager to check why my enrolment was dicky. She couldn't see why so said "Unenrol and reenrol and it'll all be fixed". So I did step (1) of that when I got home and then discovered that I can't reenrol as it's after 07/08/09. So I have to get the uni to FIX this when it could have just been DONE on Friday when I was AT UNI. Which I DON'T DO VERY OFTEN as I'm an external student.

General updates are generally dull

So here are 5 things I want to say:

1. TheHusband deserves a medal for weeding a lot of the garden yesterday and now it looks slightly less than feral and a bit more like it could grow some things. The orange tree needs to be planted as it's thinking about fruiting.
2. I had dreams last night about making stewed apricots. What is with dreaming about food?
3. It is 27C here today. In August. It is freaking GORGEOUS out here on our back patio with the sunshine and a light breeze. This of course means it will be back to winter for the next 3 weeks as punishment but for now I'm enjoying the Spring out here.
4. I put on my big girl pants the other day and went to the university and chased down a lecturer and got her to sign off on me having an exemption from the two assignments and one workshop that I did last year, so while I have to repeat this subject I don't have to actually repeat it all.
   
5. I managed to get a formal dress for a formal dinner this coming Friday night, from a real bridal store (it was weird being in there having never done the Bride-y thing at all!) and it cost me $49 instead of $400. It's gorgeous too. And strapless. And red, just for something different.
   

Why I'm not a good candidate for a hospital birth...

Stolen from Gloria Lemay:

I'll tick the ones that I am not. See how I go :).

Must not be scared of needles.

Must not be claustrophobic or uncomfortable in confined spaces.

Must be able to go for long periods of time without eating or drinking.

Must be happy to share a bathroom with others.

Must enjoy sleeping on a mattress covered with plastic.

Must not have a rebellious or questioning nature.

Must accept the possibility of contracting antibiotic-resistant infections.

Must be confident with caregivers who are overtired and overworked.

Must realize that a limited amount of time can be spent in a hospital room before it is needed for the next patient.

Must like and trust electronic equipment.

Must be comfortable with cesarean rate of 30%.

Must accept that the mood of the nurse on duty will be a large determinant of the birth outcome.

Must realize that someone you have never met before will likely receive your baby.

Must realize that the written birth plan will be ignored.

Must be willing to have fluorescent lights turned on at all hours.

Must be capable of birthing without making loud noises.

Must look good in a flimsy blue gown that is open up the back.

Must be willing to be a teaching subject for student doctors who are learning to do pelvic exams, surgeries, and suturing.

*****

Not so well - I am happy to let students learn, which is a bit odd that that's the only one I didn't tick apart from being scared of needles. I heart Gloria btw and have had the pleasure of meeting her!

So what do I do with it?

I have an international cheque for about $30 AUD. If I bank it, I lose $10 so I don't want to bank it with my usual institution - but have no idea how else to get the $$. Suggestions?

Also - said banking institution now has (a) monthly fees $5/month (b) debit visa fee $2/month (c) bpay fee $0.50/each and (d) transfer fee $0.25/each, and I want to move away from this. I don't mind paying one fee but I feel completely SCREWED as a student to be wearing a LOT of fees.

My house smells like patties

I made one of my favourite inventions/recipes. I made this up shortly after I left home at the age of 16, and needed something easy and cheap to eat that wasn't takeaway. So here it is:

Take one bag of instant potato. Or 4 cups of mashed potato if you've got it. But I rarely do so I have been known to use any kind of brand of instant potato. Sue me for being trashy - it's the only time I've ever used it. Make it up with a little less than usual liquid as you need it to be stiff.

Take a 250g packet of frozen spinach and cook it as instructed. Don't squeeze the extra out but it shouldn't be Wet.

Take 1/2 an onion and brown it up in a bit of oil in a frying pan.

Drain a small ish tin of tuna.

Mix all of this in a bowl. Add a good handful of grated cheese, some salt and pepper, and an egg.

Pat together into little patties and in an ideal world, leave in the fridge for 1/2 hour minimum. If you're in my house and you want to eat them NOW, heat the same frying pan with a smidge of oil in it, and pan fry gently until crispy. I find you don't need to put flour or breadcrumbs on this, to keep them together or to get them to crisp up. You can pat them in something if you want - breadcrumbs with chili flakes, or parmasen cheese.

Eat. Eat cold. Put it on a roll or in a salad.

These are gluten free as made if you get gf potato or make it yourself obviously. You can make them without cheese and/or egg but reduce the water content when making the potato. You may need to rest them to do that as the egg and the cheese both bind the mixture.