Wicked!

Had a girls' night out tonight. What fun! Gossip with my friend Cyveen over nice red wine and amazing food at a restaurant called Comme Kitchen. It was down a cute cobblestoned alleyway in the fashion district. The food was amazing.
http://www.comme.com.au/
We lingered a little long over our wine and then ran (as much as Cyv could in her heels) down the road to get to the show before the first act started. We watched Wicked - the story of the witches of Oz before Dorothy dropped in. What a clever tale! Good for many laughs. The music wasn't bad, but the story and amazingly colourful sets were what really made it.


The best part was the lead who played the Wicked (or not so wicked) witch of the West. She had the most glorious voice. Nothing overdone, she soared through all notes with a clear beautiful sound.

Not being a fan of musicals, Paul stayed home. I think he missed out, though I'm sure he enjoyed himself more than with all of the girly chatter!

Swine Flu Blues

So, initially, the swine flu was a little frightening. Then a bit of a joke. Parents in Melbourne started having swine flu parties so that their children would get exposed to the mild form before it mutates. We had one child admitted to the PICU who had swine flu, but was admitted for something entirely different (trauma). Everyone is getting tested, Tamiflu is flying off the shelves, we have elaborate procedures for screening everyone for this disease and all for a disease that isn't supposed to be particularly virulent.

Now, it has just become a pain in the butt. And in the head, and neck, and knees and all of my achy joints. I called in sick at work today, and am curled up on the couch with my electric blanket feeling sorry for myself. I'm not sure if it is the swine flu, or one of the hundreds of other viruses that the kids at the hospital have (and for which they are not isolated and none of us wear gowns or masks). Of course, our little jaunt in the cold rain the other day didn't help.

Three nights in a row starting tomorrow night...hopefully this will pass by tomorrow...fingers crossed.

Rain, rain, go away

Okay, being politically and environmentally correct, I don't really want the rain to go away. After all, they are in the middle of a 7-year drought in Australia, and the water table is still not where it needs to be. But I'd kind of secretly like it to go away. It seems like it is sunny and nice out whenever I'm on a work week, and it is gray and drizzly and cold whenever I have a bit of a break.

Paul's mom is here now visiting, and it has rained every single day since she got here. Yesterday we wandered the botanical gardens in the rain, escaping briefly into the tropical greenhouse to let the particularly miserable downpour pass. Today, we rented a car and headed northeast to Healesville and the wildlife sanctuary there. We got to see surgery being done on a little wallaby, and hear about Tasmanian devil sibling exploits, and pet and feed the Western Gray Kangaroos and, best of all, see the beautiful parrots and marvel at their intelligence.


Of course, it rained almost the entire time that we were there. And not just little drizzly rain - big downpour rain. It sucked. But we toughed it out, then drove to the Dandenong range where we stopped at a chocolaterie for sweets and some hot chocolate to warm our numb hands, and then we drove through the Dandenongs. We didn't get to do any walking, but the views were wonderful and the towns really cute - Paul and I will have to come back so that I can go to some of the little art stores.


I'm back to work tomorrow. This fortnight I work 135 hours. On the plus side - I get amazing overtime pay. On the down side - I work for 135 hours. I haven't caught up from my last week of work, and don't get the full time off that we normally would before I have to go back. The weather will likely get better, which will be good for Michelle, who is going to try to see some of Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. I just wish it would stay nice. Sigh. Wasn't Australia supposed to be warm? I have an electric blanket and I use it all the time. Sigh. And it's just the beginning of winter.