Colds are stupid and frankly not very nice

Dear world, 

I'm sick. Feel sorry for me. 

Love,

Shivonne

p.s. I blame my previously ill boyfriend for my current achy, sniffly, burning throat, pounding head status. 

For the first time in a month I was given a Saturday off. Now generally I get my Sundays off which is very nice and all, but there is just something about having a whole Saturday to yourself to really get you smiling. You get to spend it however you want: lazy, productive, DIY projects, jaunts to the library, reading magazines, sleeping in, eating out for breakfast, reading books, taking walks. You know. The works. Unfortunately this fateful Saturday was not to be so. I groggily roll out of bed after noon, blanket wrapped around my shoulders, hair in disarray to scout out my unsuspecting boyfriend just to pitifully moan one phrase: 'I'm sick and it's your fault.' With that big accomplishment under my belt I trudge back to my room and collapse in bed.

Needless to say my Saturday was with pain pills, throat lozenges, naps, and the occasional movie. At one point I did accompany Chris out of the house so he could pick up some bread and ham from the my work to make sandwiches. I figured the fresh air would do me good. I walk into my place of employment in one of Chris' hoodies, a baseball cap, and sweatpants. My manager looks me up and down and eloquently says, "what's wrong with you? you look like crap." Thanks for the sympathy Leanne. I got a similar reaction from one of the owners when I dutifully turned up this morning for my shift. Me: "good morning." YVonne: "You look awful." Needless to say I was sent home after 2 hours to recuperate before my impending six day work week. Hopefully I'll be feeling a little more above the weather (notice how nobody says this? It's always 'under the weather' so logically 'above the weather would be the opposite effect no? I'm trying it out. Tell your friends.) since I have to open the shop at half past six in the morning. 

But don't worry, Chris is doing his part. Just now when he walked into my room I moaned how my headache wasn't relenting. His reply? "You're not drinking enough water butt head. Look you've had like half a bottle. Ooh take that dehydration." Real nice germ carrier. Real nice. 

23 years, 12 months, 1 week, 3 days

darn it i feel old.

perhaps it is due to the fact that i just celebrated another over 21 birthday. or that i semi-attended a house party full of 18-21 year olds last night (it was held by a housemate so participation or at least passive endurance was obligatory). the stereotypical party came complete with a bathtub full of beer, amateur bonfire, uniform theme, and copious amounts of noise. by midnight i was past ready for the scantily clad girls to get the heck out and the testosterone fueled boys to shut the crap up. spoken like a true old lady i know. i don't think i'm against house parties per say, maybe just ones attended by young (one girl still wore braces) hooligan strangers. yes. hooligan. i said i was old didn't i? at least i didn't have to work this morning. poor chris was not as fortunate; however, i don't think he minded too much since he did partake in much of the tub beer before rolling into bed at 4am; meanwhile i was holed up in my room desperately trying to block out the raucous chants of 'drink, drink, drink' with my ipod's snoozetime playlist to no avail.

on a more positive birthday note, i now get to brag on how thoughtful my wonderful significant other was in planning my day of festivities. honestly, chris was amazing. spending birthdays/holidays in foreign lands can be a damper on celebrating, but chris ensured an amazing day to remember. ok. let the bragging commence:

before i delve into my actual day of birth, i'd like to make a note of the day before. at work on wednesday, my friendly new coworkers provided me with a lovely birthday bouquet. how nice is that? i've worked at the place for a couple of weeks and already i get birthday gifts? after work i got to spend a rare evening at home with my man (he generally has to work) and we made it a cozy night in complete with pizza, ice-cream, and movies. simplicity can be the best sometimes no? after our quiet night we hit the sack early to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for my birthday surprise starting at 8am.

unfortunately, the day had a rather rough start. we managed to arrive 20 minutes late for our first funtivity due to train time miscalculation. oops. halfway running down the streets of melbourne trying to match my boyfriend's big strides through the rain soaked pavement to our destination, chris informed me that we were on our way to participate in a wine tour of the yarra valley-as long as we didn't miss our ride that is. thankfully, they held the van for us and we only suffered a few grumpy looks from our fellow wine tasters. by our first stop all was forgiven though-might have something to do with the introduction of vino into the system, but who am i to complain once absolved of transgression? our tour consisted of four wineries, scenic drives, a scrumptious lunch, and a cheese and sparkling wine to end the day. it. was. awesome. i've enjoyed many a wine tasting self guided tour with my vino loving family, but i've never done a professionally guided one before. it was interesting to get a more educated view on the whole process. after nursing a healthy buzz all day, we caught a few z's on our bus trip back into the city. after dropping of our wine and fudge purchases (yes, fudge was involved-jealous?) we ate a quick dinner in williamstown before heading back into melbourne for my evening surprise which was...drum roll please....a showing of the tony winning jersey boys. i love the theatre and haven't seen a show since i was at school so i was super stoked. i didn't know a whole lot about frankie valli and the four seasons, but the show was incredibly entertaining and the music was superb. chris enjoyed the tunes so much he decided to buy their two disc album from concessions which i promptly burned onto my computer and am presently enjoying. we arrived home a little after midnight exhausted, damp from the foul weather, but extremely content in an as-close-as-you-can-get-to-a-perfect birthday experience. i am one lucky lady.

Shivonne Glenn and Unemployment are no longer synonymous!

Hoorah!

I am now a working girl. Um, I mean a girl who works. You get the picture. Thankfully I've been gainfully employed by an adorable deli/cafe called The Pickle Barrel located a convenient three minute walk from my house share in Williamstown. At the present I have not discovered the origins of the slightly uncommon name, but I aim to do so soon. The cutesy cafe is owned by a brother/sister duo and actually employs another American if you can imagine (but she's from Indiana so I keep the cool Texan factor to myself). And the best part (or at least Chris thinks so)? I get to bring home leftover sandwiches/wraps/cakes/loaves/rolls at the end of my shift that would otherwise be thrown out. Hopefully this will help make a dent in our grocery bill. The only downside I have yet to discover is the danger of working in close proximity to pastries and bread treats. I'm not sure if you're aware, but during my 5 month stint working in a bakery in Scotland, I managed to gain a whopping 15 pounds. Yikes. Luckily most of the treats aren't chocolate based which is my biggest downfall. Willpower, prepare to be tempted.

Chris has also found a bit of employment for himself-he's working weekends at a restaurant/pub called the Atomic Bar. Hopefully as the weather improves (don't forget we're at the end of winter over here) they will need him for more hours. In the meantime he's looking for a second job to fill in the week and finance his rent.

Being as neither of us is in the money so to speak at the moment, I'd like to share with you our activities list of as late:

Activities for the frugal minded:
1. Learn to wear layers. Lots of them. With a shortage of funds we decided to cut a few corners to mitigate our bills. On the top of the list is heating. No one tells you Australia can be cold. It seems all like laughing on the beach frolicking around in bathing suits. Let me tell you it's not. It is FREAKING FREEZING here (at least without the support of a central heating system). I walk around the house in no less than leggings, sweat pants, two pairs of socks, tshirt, long sleeve shirt, and one of Chris' ginormous hoodies. Top it all off with a duvet and the teeth will stop chattering.
2. Take Walks We have instated a new daily activity-twilight walks. It's free. It's exercise. It gets us out of the house and away from the TV/laptops. What more could you ask for?
3. Play Boardgames Well, in this instance, monopoly since it's the only one in the house. We've played three games in the past three days. Chris is a bit more enthusiastic than me (I'm more of a once in a blue moon monopoly participant). I'd like to note that I've won two out of those three games, not that it's winning that is important. Ahem. Note to self: check the charity shop for second hand games to cut down on excessive monopoly play.
4. Visit the Library Thankfully Williamstown has it's own local library. It's not as fancy as the State Library in Melbourne with it's towering dome, free wifi, and open exhibits but at least it has books, magazines, and internet terminals. I can spend a lovely rainy afternoon holed up here.
5. Learn to cook with mince Turns out ground beef is a cheap eat. Being a chicken eater myself, I've never really explored mince recipes. There's more than you'd think. In the past week we've had hamburgers, spaghetti bolognese, mince curry, and Italian mince and veggies. I'm becoming quite the mince connoisseur.

Well that's about all I have for now. As you might have noticed from the shockingly bare picture department on my blogs, I still haven't accessed wifi. I hope to fix this problem soon so I can share some visuals. Miss you all dearly!

A moment in the world according to Shivonne...

[Whilst watching the news, footage of the Australian candidate for Miss Universe flashes across the screen]

Shivonne: "Wow. She really is pretty."
Chris: "Not as pretty as you."

[Shivonne laughs off the compliment and just rolls her eyes]

Chris: "Well not technically, but you'll always be prettier to me."
Shivonne: "You know I got the general gist of the comment without you explicitly spelling it out for me, but thank you for that. In the future you can just leave that qualifier unsaid."

Blogthetic

blog-thet-ic [blog-thet-ik]
-adjective
1. being completely lame in the way of blogs
2. failing to blog for an extended period of time (i.e. an entire month)
*cross reference* Shivonne Glenn

Yes my friends, blogthetic I have been. In my defense however, the past month has been cram packed with two globe spanning flights, one amazing wedding week, and a few precious days at home with my family. I really want to share the brilliant experiences I've had with y'all (well, most of you were present and contributors to the experiences but I'm gonna tell you about them anyway) but that will have to wait for another post as I only have 6 minutes of internet time remaining-I'm going old school public library computer style. For now I'll just give a quick update regarding my return to Australia.....

I am back in the land of Oz (that's slang for Australia don't you know), and while there are no wizards, munchkins, or ruby slippers in sight, there is a big fat prospect of job hunting hanging over my head. Really, are there any more feared and loathsome pairing of words than the job-hunt? I think not. Luckily I got my rear in gear and distributed resume upon resume to all unsuspecting businesses in the area yesterday, and I have had two favorable responses. Now I just have to wow at least one of these establishments at a trial run and I might just be employed! Hoorah! So pray for me in the coming days as I put myself on the job market line.

Oh one last thing. I am currently living in a house share in a cute beachy suburb of Melbourne called Williamstown and I actually have a contact address (gasp!) so here it is folks:
66 Electra Street
Williamstown, VIC 3016
Australia

Much love people! Promise more fulfilling blogs coming your way soon!

Uncertainty

I'm very much a 'what's the plan stan?' kind of gal. Shocking I know what with my procrastinating ways and all, but for some reason as long as I have some foggy idea of what my future holds it doesn't bother me to put it off until the very last possible moment. That's logical no? Well here's an illogical aspect to my plans-I don't mind discarding them at the last minute and I'm notorious for changing my mind (much to my boyfriend's chagrin). I don't like things set in stone because I never know what twists life will throw my way-I gotsta have the wiggle room. You might say I have commitment issues.

I am the queen of to-do lists; often just the action of putting down my plans on paper has such a therapeutic effect that I don't even refer to the tidy color coded lists again. I live by my little calendar planner and tote a green flip pad with me wherever I go to jot down ideas and notes. My Lonely Planet guide is earmarked, highlighted, underlined, and starting to look rather rough around the edges. When traveling I am definitely not an easy going we'll see where to stay when we get there and hope public transport is around person. I obsessively research hostels, plane flights, buses, and trains to ensure firstly that I am booked and taken care of and secondly to find the best prices and times. It's all about the informed decision people. I've become Chris' personal travel and booking agent. He just shoots me an amused look of wonder as I flip through my pages of travel notes and hands me his credit card. Come to think of it, I should start charging booking fees. Hmmm...

Anyway, I've conveyed all the above hooplah for one very important reason: right now I have absolutely no idea where I'll be/what I'll be doing upon my return trip to Australia following my 2 week jaunt home. This is KILLING me! My flight is booked through to Alice Springs (I purchased the ticket months ago when Chris was convinced the rather non-remarkable central Aussie city was the place to be. He has since changed his mind) which is one place I can be assured I don't want to be. Thankfully I can ditch the flight in Sydney and make my way to an as now unknown destination. Ideally we would stay in the city of Oz that has stole my heart-Miss Melbourne herself. Unfortunately I don't think living here is conducive to saving: way to much temptation to spend on unique boutique purchases and frequenting funky bars. The priority is to finance a massive road trip up the middle of Australia and down the west coast by renting a camper van-a little expenditure of oh roundabout $7,000. Quite the spending Mount Everest for me really. I think the answer might be to turn to a live-in-position of the rural persuasion-cheap accommodation, maximum hours, and with nothing to do, there's nowhere to spend your money. I'm not excited about an Alpha experience part deux, but maybe I can find a fabulous resort who needs someone to sit and the reception desk and look pretty? A girl can dream....

Oh no you didn't...

Making my way through the labyrinth of fabulous back streets and lane ways comprising much of the awesomeness Melbourne has to offer, I spot a shop that seems to be drawing me to it with a force a Jedi would be jealous of. Not one to shrug off such a strong inclination, I march quick like a bunny (something my mom used to say to us kids when we were little-it makes me smile) under the prominent sign displaying the store name-Shag. As I enter the colorful room, Cabaret is being serenaded to me by none other than Liza Manelli and I instantly feel at home. No, it's not one of THOSE places silly, it's a vintage boutique!

Today I went-eek!-shopping. Bad, bad Shivonne, bad (that's the judgement I'm conveniently pre-projecting on all my readers for efficiency's sake) Now I know what your thinking, 'um...with what money may I ask?' Yes, it's true I'm on the wrong side of a stable financial situation here with my little work 2 days a week butt, but I couldn't help myself people! I've been in the fashion capital of Australia for 6 weeks now and the only lousy amateur wanna be shopping I've done is to pick up a pair of black work trousers from Target. Lame. It's a disgrace to any self respecting fashionista to be truthful. So today I redeemed myself by exploring all the local, funky, occasionally vintage boutiques in my direct vicinity. There were a lot. Unfortunately I had an excuse to buy (don't we always?) as I really have no appropriate wedding week gear for one little miss Ivy's upcoming nuptials. However even in my blissfully euphoric state I couldn't justify purchasing most of the items I desired (primarily in the flirty fun frock category) due to financial constraints. I contained my shopping spree to two delicious items which I personally think is very admirable. Check out my finds:

This is my very sweet, very demure 'I can snazzy up a pair of skinny jeans' top. It would have been wrong not to buy it-it was the last one, in my size, and ON SALE. Who am I to deny fate? The damage? 45 Aussie dollars (roughly $30 American). Not too bad eh?

I really wanted to post an image of my second tasty fashion treat, but after about a bazillion tries it STILL won't upload. Just that one photo. I can upload every other picture off my computer to my heart's content but that ONE photo is a no go. How stupid is that? Plus I really wanted to show you- it's an adorable stainless steel owl pendant called Hootie. It's a Corky Saint Clair creation-very Melbourne, very cool. Exclusively featuring local artists and jewelery designers, even getting there is an adventure- you walk down the Degraves street stairs into the hidden depths of the Flinders Street Station to find the interesting underground shop named after a character in the film 'Waiting for Guffman'. Needless to say, I adore Hootie, but I guess you'll have to meet him in person instead of via blog. C'est la vie.

...Oh yes I did.