I’m going to be a WHAT?!

Posted by Laura on Saturday July 25 2009 in Bridezilla | 18 comments

So.

We went on a holiday for the week. Just the two of us.

No cats, no pollution, no computers (iPhones excluded).

Nothing big.

EXCEPT DAN PROPOSED.

thering

Do you hear that? No you didn’t, cause I fainted.

One minute I’m sitting on the couch. The next I’m breaking the glass holding my juice (cause we switch to the hard stuff when we’re on holidays). So Dan dutifully sweeps up the shards of glass, using a torch to make sure he gets it all.

And then he’s all “oh, what’s this other shiny thing I see here under the couch?”.

AND THERE WAS MY RING.

My Ring!

It’s the creation of Vanessa Samuels, a gorgeous and talented jeweller who is now going to be one of my beloved in-laws. Dan and Van have been working on My Ring since March; researching, designing, buying, creating, setting and whatever else is involved when making an engagement ring. And I had no idea any of this was happening.

AND IT’S PERFECT.

In true female fashion, I’ve been eyeing off rings in jewellery shop windows in the last year or so, and there was only ever one design that made me gasp in awe; the one that sparkled the brightest at me; the one that I wanted to be The One.

So I made Dan take a photo of it with his iPhone, “just in case”.

So that photo was the source of inspiration for the creation of My Ring. Except it’s set differently to how rings of this design would be set to make sure my little diamond doesn’t fall out. Ever.

AND IT’S PERFECT.

AND IT’S MINE.

And, of course, I said yes.

And I’m the happiest little rah in the world!

It's Gaol, not Jail

Posted by Laura on Friday July 17 2009 in Opinionated | 1 comment

I’ve always been a bit… particular… about the Australian English spelling of “gaol”. As in, not “jail”. I think it’s linked to memories of my childhood when I would read and re-read (and re-read) books about the history of my home town of Grafton that had a multitude of references to Grafton Gaol.

And those stunning Jacarandas.

As the world gets smaller and smaller, Australia’s turning more and more to American English-spelling. Makes sense when you consider how big America is (and how much I enjoy perving on their President), but American English is still a breakaway from real English!

Whenever I see a news article online using “jail”, I call them on the spelling. I’ve done it on SMH, ABC Online, and SBS News’ Twitter account. I never get a reply.

Earlier this year I read Bill Bryson’s Mother Tongue and now I’m even more determined to not let American English take over:

gaol-jail

We’re not America, FFS. Let’s spell it “gaol” and not “jail”, okay?

* My sub-editor has pointed out that we speak English, not Australian (or American, etc.). Blah blah blah. You get the gist of what I mean, right?

Decommissioned

Posted by Laura on Thursday July 16 2009 in Misc | 2 comments

I bought my first PC in 1998. A Gateway.

The PC died years ago but I kept the speakers. Boston Acoustics.

The speakers started dying a slow death recently, so I bought some new ones.

Kinda weird to have to unplug the old ones

boston

Yes, I’m one of those people who labels power cables so I know what I’m unplugging from the powerboard.

Enmore – The Movie

Posted by Laura on Tuesday July 14 2009 in Inner Westie | 2 comments

A few nights ago the back lanes of Enmore were all a-flurry with excitement:

enmorethemovie

A film crew!

Admittedly, they were filming a short film that just happened to be set in a laneway, but it got me wondering what Enmore – The Movie would be like…

Opening scenes: Morning commuters patiently wait for buses to come up along Enmore Road. Customers walk into the Methadone Clinic to make an appointment. People with parcel pick-up cards hassle the Post Office staff before they actually open for the day. Cafes fill up with coffee-needing customers. Residents hose their footpaths to remove the pee from the night before.

Drama!: Another Thai restaurant opens up and the 20 other Thai restaurants get the shits. The police are called for another complaint about a “local businessman” and his inappropriate behaviour. People double-park illegally while they pick up their fruit and vege from Alfalfa House. There’s a gig on at the Enmore Theatre and/or at Notes Live and parking becomes a thousand times worse than usual (and it’s the locals who get the parking fines). The bottle-o gets robbed and/or the front window shatters all over the footpath (again).

Closing scenes: The guy who carries his pet snake on his shoulders is walking home. The old greek guys outside that mysterious unnamed shopfront have another smoko. Customers pick up some last-minute groceries from IGA (but not Food Works). There’s smoke billowing out of the Sultan’s Table because they don’t have sufficient exhaust fans in their kitchen. Locals stand around and watch a street artist create another mural on a vertical surface.

What quintessential Enmore scenes have I missed?