Forty Eve

Well, here I am on the day before my fortieth birthday. It's St Patrick's Day in Sydney. Not yet noon. Alan is at work. I am in my bathrobe. The dogs are asleep behind me. There's plenty to do.

But I thought I'd write instead.

This morning I woke to a slight sore throat. Maybe it's not that slight. It is definitely a sore throat. I'm also feeling very tired. I think the partying and entertaining has caught up with me a bit. It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with lack of sleep. I remember feeling this way at 16, too.

"Forty is the new 20!" That's what people have said on most of my birthday cards. Well, I don't really know about that.... I'm just pretty happy to be healthy and employed and in love and surrounded by friends. My age doesn't matter. Those things matter a lot. I think people are just trying to say that we're as young as we feel, but we all know that's not really true. We're as young as our birth certificates say we are and that's really all there is to it.

So I'm about to be 40.

At least it was a great excuse for a party!

Here's a list of things you might want to know.

• I just redesigned my office. It's not complete yet, but the old furniture is gone, the walls have been painted, and most of the new furniture is in place. Walls need more stuff on them, attached sunroom needs painting, and one more piece of furniture is needed, but all is working and I'm really happy.
• Mogy has lost weight. He is now a healthy 30 kilos. He was almost 36. That is a great accomplishment and one that does have a good lesson for us all. If you want to lose weight... eat less. It works.
• Copper is hard to groom. He doesn't shed at all, but his hair is very hard to keep untangled. I work on a section each day, but I'm constantly playing catch-up, not doing preventative maintenance.
• Alan has started playing touch rugby. His team is called the Waboritas (after Sammy Hagar's recipe for Cabo Wabo Margaritas). They are good. He doesn't think I need to go see how good, though.... No witnesses.... Hmmmmm!?!?
• We are going on a two week holiday to the Alps and Italy in May. While in Italy we will be part of a group of 18 people in a Tuscan villa. My parents, my cousins, my friends, their siblings, their cousins. I anticipate seeing some beautiful countries and landscapes, fun, laughter, food, wine, and the continued development of lifelong friendships.
• Angela and I have both earned another free overseas vacation from PartyLite. This year we are going to Hawaii. Alan and Ben are coming, too, of course. I've not been to Hawaii before, so I'm looking forward to relaxing there for 4 nights. Short, sweet, free, and 5 star! Yippee!
• My calendar has appointments in it all the way through 2009. I feel as busy as I've ever been. I need to improve how I use time.
• My music stopped. My gigs dried up after January and that is the problem. Gigs are deadlines. Deadlines are my lifeblood. Without them, I am lost. I feel lost musically. (BTW, I do recognise the irrationality in that, too. I know that it takes practice and learning and practice to play well so that I can even get the gigs. I KNOW! Just do it, Wendy!)

And that's all I can think to tell you right now. If I think of anything else to say, I'll write another post. If you subscribe to this blog, you'll get an email whenever I add a posting. I don't write too often, so it won't fill up your email box or anything. Or you can subscribe via RSS if you're RSS-savvy.

Chow for now! WLC.

Obama, Clean Coal, Pigs, and Budgets

I'm in love! Never before have I said that about a US President. I love his honesty. I love his direct nature. I love the way he anticipates and addresses arguments from special interest groups. I love this entire speech (see below)... with one exception.

He said, "clean coal."

Pigs (cute pigs with jeweled wings and lots of bright coloured lipstick) will fly around all over the world (like butterflies, dropping $100 bills from their painted, shiny hooves, and cheerfully singing - in full harmony - happy Karen Carpenter songs like, Top of the World) before there is anything in the world clean about coal.

Invest the research and development money somewhere else.

Watch this video - you'll fall in love with him, too. And if you don't love him - please comment. I'd love to have a good hearty dialogue to keep my brain and my logic balanced. I don't want to be a blind follower. I don't think I am....

Too Long Between Drinks

[Picture of Dude going out to dinner with me on Saturday, January 10. He was invited!]

That title has heaps of different and accurate meanings. First, it has been too long since I updated my WendEmail blog. Second, it has been too long since I've seen a lot of my friends in the US. I need a fix. Facebook ("FB") is not making it any easier - though I am enjoying using it to find out what others are up to, it's actually making me feel a bit removed and very far away. Third, I've been not drinking this month. I'm more than halfway done. My dad just posted a comment about Shiraz on FB and it made me want one.

I suppose I could, it's just my own silly game, this non-drinking for a month. No doctor put me up to it. Yet, I hate to lose....

I'm remembering back to the first WendEmail's that I sent out. (Even before the word "WendEmail" was invented by my fabulous friend, Les.) When I first moved to Australia and when Alan and I were living at Ben and Angela's house in Five Dock. Pro was in his doggy quarantine, and everything was so new. I feel like an old hack at it all now. I have fully adjusted to Aussie life. I do feel like I couldn't move home.

That's probably because I could visit home for 5-6 weeks if I wanted to and few Australians would bat an eye at the thought. Australians go overseas and take their time doing it. Their jobs are fine. Their bosses are fine. Their bank accounts deal with it. It is actually expected. Yep, this is home.

Some of you have made it over here. Kudos! A little hint to you all whether you've been or not; Alan and I cherish our visitors. We love to show off our Sydney. Our Sydney is probably different to everyone else's Sydney. That's the neat part about a big city like this. No one appreciates it exactly the same way.

Some of you considered coming here for my birthday party. Maybe just for a second. Then your American brains said, no, you couldn't. Work and kids and money and time and other places to go and "we'll get there someday."

Most importantly, I didn't really expect you to come. Not for the party. But I do hope I re-watered the seeds of travel down under into your plans over the next few years.

I might have some work to do in Colorado later this year. Of course, if I'm coming that far, I'll be stopping off in Scottsdale for a day or two. I will probably go to St Louis to see Douglas for a spell (can't remember ever being in St Louis - should be fun). Maybe you and I can catch up in one of those three places.... It's certainly closer than Sydney. :) I'll keep you informed.

This afternoon I went to lunch in Balmain with a group of musicians, comedians, producers, record agents and support people (PR/marketing people like me). It was a nice lunch - they are very nice people. I will now change out of my nice clothes and put on some painting gear. I'm painting my office and it needs a second coat.

I'll be more diligent in writing here. If you do want to get updates, you can subscribe. It'll only email you if I update the site.... Bye for now! WLC.