And it’s decided.

No chocolate for me (or Rish - he’s in on it too) until the evening of September 27.

A month off chocolate.

Help us all.

I was also talked into having another day off from work tomorrow by the GP.

PS Happy Speech Pathology Week! Just because I keep trying to lose my voice, doesn’t mean I can’t communicate with you. ‘Communication: More than just words’

Best to knock that out, right? Before I wind up with a high fever and being told to get thee to the emergency room to get my tonsils drained and hacked out of my throat? Or maybe I have Rish’s asian (bird) flu? Arghh foreign germs. Don’t need that.

I feel healthy enough for work right now, but finished up the day with a nice headache. Called and asked Rish for the night off from gym. Oh dear.

But I think I trip to the drs before work may be in order. See how I feel when I get up.

:)

Rish has come home with a nasty sounding and looking chest infection (brought back from Malaysia, no less, what sorts of extra bugs could he have brought back from there?) and I’m trying not to get it too - though in a fit of not having slept last night, and feeling sniffly, sore throat and overtired myself, I’m home too. So I’ll get it, i’m sure…

I have good old orange juice, and all the ingredients to make up a yummy minestrone for dinner tonight and tomorrow night. I have a jar of Blackmores “Cold Combat” which I got as a sample. Let’s see if it works! It’d probably work better if I believed that it would do anything to help me. I believe in sleep, water, panadol, and perhaps a little garlic, because garlic enhances all food :p

I’m rambling, and trying to not get sick.

*wanders off*

Quite a lot of excersize, a lot of socialising, a lot of drinking, a lot of dancing, a lot of flirting.

A lot of fun.

No, Rish won’t “ruin” this by coming back. It’s been a great opportunity for me to have a go with the whole social thing without having him to fall back on, to hide behind, which is so easy to do. Taking a few chances on my own charm and wit and social skills, and coming out on top.

I’m off to Newcastle for the weekend - Rish will fly in Sunday, I’m collecting his luggage and bringing it back so he can ride his motorbike back down in the cold… But I’ll get a few hours up there to latch myself onto him and not let go.

*smiles*

Canberra is so small and Newcastle so small that the people that come from there to to here somehow intersect and blow the whole six degrees thing out tof the water.

But Newcastle people who have chosen Canberra as their home are generally way cool :)

Jesus was way cool. (video)

I was meant to do the run outside, around Lake Burley Griffin, but with reports of snow this morning (before I got up, alas!) and the sleety drizzle while I was leaving, there was no way I was going out there.

So treadmill it was. I managed it in 33:50, which is 2 minutes slower than the best outdoor time I’m done, but I was pacing myself, started off at 8km/h picking it up gradually, with the “sprint” at 11 at the end to make sure I came in under 34 minutes! :)

All in aid of getting back on track, and of course looking hotter in my bikini this summer than I did in Greece last month.

Speaking of summer - it’s scary walking around in the Canberra Centre with it sleeting outside to browse the lacey girly spring fashions (seems either girly or a little bit country - think flanno print cotton blouses. help me.) and the swimwear on display at David Jones. I just couldn’t motivate myself to take clothes off to try that stuff on!

Though I did try some clothes at Target. And came to the conclusion that I need to get back into a Target size 10 (Target seems to be middle of the range as far as sizing. They don’t seem to undersize or oversize that much) in order to be in proportion. I used to fit nicely into a ten there. My top half swims in the 12s, and I can wear the 12s there in pants, but the cute dresses I wanted, no such luck. At 26, I know that my beasts won’t grow of their own accord unless I do something rediculous like having a baby (but then I wouldn’t be a 10 or 12 in normal clothes, anyway, right?), so it’s to focus on trimming the fat ;)

And buying cute Hello Kitty underwear to tide me over:

*grins*

And some Unconscious Mutterings behind the cut

1. Month to month :: resusitation
2. Adjusted :: mal adjusted
3. Prank :: call
4. Mop :: and bucket
5. Clarity :: of speech
6. Parenting :: issues
7. Glenn :: Close
8. Fingerprint :: ink
9. Pineapple :: head
10. Attorney :: General

Just never establish a routine sleeping pattern. Go to bed at 9 one night, dance til dawn the next. Get up at 5am a day or so after you’ve gone to bed at that same time.

Or not.

It sounds like a good way to get yourself sick :) Anyway, just for two weeks, while I go out for interaction while Rish is still away.

Cube has the biggest stamp in the world. about 7cm long, with “Gay…” in large, blank print. And hard to wash off ink! But probably the only place in Canberra where I can dance til 4am, strange 18 year old boys and all. (No, I will not take you home and teach you the ropes)

Ater lots of “Welcome Backs!” I got into my email… only about 500 to clear :p

Moved desks - switched with another girl for a change… I still have stuff all over the floor near the new desk. Oh well, tomorrow? I was thinking I had a relatively easy day tomorrow, but no, I have three groups to run… term is looking scary already!

OMG - from when I turned 20 (yes, 6 years ago):

Such a baby. (this domain was registered sept 11 2002)

*giggles*

1. Crankiness :: mornings
2. Backpack :: mine did me well on my trip!
3. Clone :: clown
4. High ground :: sheep on the roof
5. Dreams :: nightmares
6. Lovingly :: brushing hair
7. Mistake :: eh, try again
8. Carson :: cresley?
9. Errand :: message
10. Dozen :: eggs

I’m about to put a pot of soup on, so that I can have warm yummy sound for dinner tonight and so I have food in the fridge for the next couple of days when I can’t be bothered cooking for myself. Two more weeks until Rish gets back.

I don’t wanna go to work tomorrow!

(oh and Lemon ‘V’ tastes like a lemon stoli)

Met some Germans on the plane, who didn’t know each other.. at times they spoke in German and I tried to follow. One of them will be coming to work here but her job feel through - oops. Hopefully she found her way alright yesterday, I lost her in customs. Along with a “Tulip in a can” that quarantine took :p No surprises there.

Movies on the plane - Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, 88 Minutes, Live!, and Untraceable. The first two were Dubai-Bangkok, last three Bangkok-Sydney, so I must have been in a strange mood for that flight. Live! was a mockumentary-style thing about a game show based on Russian Roulette, Untraceable had people being murdered and watched online, and 88 minutes was a “you have 88 minutes to live” thing… heh. held my attention though :p

Yeah, there’s plenty of holiday stuff to write about… but I’ll get to that later. I have been uploading more photos, and have gotten up to when Rish left, so about the halfway mark (time-wise - waaay more photos after that!)

There’s a set on Flickr… not all are tagged, titled, or even rotated the right way… but you get the idea.

Okay, I’m off to give Phil and Jenny a slideshow hehe. Yes, I’m dorky.

I’ve had a great 3 weeks, but I think I’m ready to head home. You get that feeling when you’re sitting there, glazed over. heh :)

Photos will probably be up on the weekend :p

News : I have vague tanlines.

Apparently, it’s Friday. So people have told me. So I have less than a week until I’m back home in Newcastle. Plan to spend the next two days here on Paros relaxing on the beach or in the bars… I’m going to try to find someplace to dance tonight, we’ll see if I come across anything.

Sanotori tomorrow afternoon, 3 nights there, then back to Athens then home. Scarily short time left. Time to get off this computer and back into the scorching midday sun :p

xxx

Fiona

At least in calm weather anyway. Should qualify that :p

I spent most of the nine hour ferry ride out on the back deck. Watching the islands go by, coming in and out of ports, watching it become night time. Looking at the stars, clearing my head, feeling happy.

Also saw the moon rise, an orange glow, over the sea.

Beautiful.

Being overtired and female, I cried … of course, obvious reaction.

So, not the best ending to the day.

But got over it by talking to Rish for about 20 minutes at a public payphone, and just getting into the fresh air. Finding being n that little house kinda stifling - it’ hot, smells like mothballs and there’s three women with varying reactions to being tired :p

Turkey was like Greece - Ephesus was good, more ruins, but it made me sick to watch that everyone was putting their hands all over everything and climbing all over things… Markets were… there.. got done cute dipping sauce bowls, and a couple of pashminas…

Still need to source some dinner - but here at 11:30pm, that’s not a problem- the night is still young!

Off to Syros tomorrow…. 9 hours on a ferry *dies*

After feeling hot and a little tired, I’ve cooled and calmed myself with two things - a swim and a phone call to Rish in Germany. :)

Tomorrow is Turkey! On my Birthday!

Planning to go to Turkey for a day trip on Tuesday. It would seem silly not to since we’re so close to it. I can see the lights at night and sort of see the coast line in the day, depending on how hazey it is. The bush/grass fires (not in this island, thankfully) create a lot of extra haze. That and the cigarette smoke *dies* At least it’s not as bad as in Athens, where you couldn’t move without sitting next to a smoker. Inside and out. Blech. At least there’s more open air here. And more Germans, who, while they do smoke, seem to be able to cope for a short break to eat their meals - they only light up between courses.

Spent an hour bobbing around in the water this morning, after dragging myself out of bed at 10 (lazybones!) Discovered that there is ONE night a week here when there’s a night life, Saturdays, but I missed it with sleep. Oh well. I’m here to be lazy on the beach and swim and de-stress. I’ll head back down there about 3/4 (It’s 1pm now) once the sun isn’t so intense. Will sit at a cafe on the water with a light salad, a glass of wine and write in my travel journal once I’m done here. *smiles*

Tonight, Rish’s great uncle is heading back to have dinner with us, and then we’ll head into Vathy (Samos) town tomorrow to wander there, organise out trip to Turkey and book our Ferry trips. Think we’ll be flying back from Santorini to Athens, as the flights are only slightly dearer, and about 8 hours shorter!

Time is flying… Do I have to go home?

I’m staying in the town of Kokkari - between the two main ports. Spent the last two days not understanding what people were saying to me, and beig fed by relatives. :) Oh and being driven around by an uncle in his little green van. The caost line is beautiful, and the waters clean.

It was great to have Rish here for a little while - we went up to the Acropolis / Parthenon and to a moseum while he was with us in Athens, then flew across to Samos on Wednesday. ++ Turbulence for our 55min flight. Not surprising it was so rough coming in given how gusty the winds were on Wednesday here. The actually landing was perfect though.

I probably said this before, but I have so many freckles!!!

And some loving text messages.

Oh and people watching over a glass of red wine on a hot summer’s evening outside a cafe in Athens.

Shame so many of the hot guys and girls smoke here. Smoking here is just the norm… inside and out. The shopkeepers smoke in their shops. Puts me off buying their food and clothes…

Went for a walking this morning. regained my solitude. got lost. but saw some sights and wound up near the Acropolis. I should have worn a pedometer or GPS to see how far I went. It was a few hours… so a long way!!! :)

I need to keep this walking up to burn off the calories from the yummy food. Spanikopita for lunch. I prefer the ones from the cafes I frequent back home. This one was greasy… but it wasn’t that great a cafe.

I love the iced coffee. With ice. I had a Freddo Cappucino this afternoon. Cold froth :) Worth not thinking about the conversion back to Euro :p

Though, I haven’t found the pricing here that bad at all. Could just be delerious from the heat though :p

Rish is here tomorrow! We have until Wednesday in Athens, then frying across to Samos island. Rish has until Friday evening there, then heads back to Germany. Then I commence seeing the Greek Islands with his mother until july 30th, when I start the trip home.

*grins*

Reading emails that make me miss the people I love. Feeling a little isolated, needing to regain that feeling of enjoying the solitude I have, even when walking through a big busy city.

I’m overtired, which is the leading cause. Normally I can deal better with emails that tug at my heart.

Rish will be here in less that 48 hours, and I’ll get to be wrapped up in his arms and hugged to sleep.

Then I’ll sleep well.