Viruses and Cell Phones

This morning a nasty redirected virus continued to plague Caroline's laptop. The problem seemed to originate from downloading a sunrise video clip from Limewire--a file sharing program that John has warned me about countless times. There was confusion as to what the problem was: Internet Explorer, Google, or Windows itself. Windows pop-ups bombarded the laptop, each claiming to have detected a deadly virus and warning the computer would exploded unless a credit card number was provided immediately. It reeked of a scam. But the internet browser had been hijacked, and navigating to a website was impossible. With the aid of my laptop and a thumb drive, Caroline got AVG and Malwarebytes installed, but while each found the virus, neither would dispose of it (for free). We turned to Spyware Doctor, since almost a year ago I had purchased it for my computers and you are allowed 5 installs with your purchase. It went to work on Caroline's computer and in 3 hours had found over 300 nasties.

Also during all this, Caroline began debating over a new cell phone. There are so many choices!! Her current contract expired in three days--should she switch providers as well? What model phone? What type of plan? Internet capabilities was a must, mainly the ability to check email and use Skype. With some basic parameters in mind, we headed out to the shopping mall.

Northland was packed, as usual. We checked out all of the major cell phone companies and gathered information from each. None of the sales reps were extremely helpful. And as soon as you mention the iPhone, that's the only thing they want to sell you. It almost felt like we were shopping for a car! It was overwhelming and frustrating.

To lift our spirits, Caroline suggested a movie night and fajitas. We ran through the grocery store for steak and avocado and on the way home, stopped by an electronics store with the notion that maybe a third party could give us some unbiased cell phone answers. Almost immediately, Caroline found the phone she wanted. Within ten minutes we were headed home again, new phone in hand.

As I ran inside to dump off our groceries before heading to Blockbuster, I ran into Hillie who was just getting ready to leave. She was heading home to Pyramid, located a few hours north. We drove her to the train station to see her off with tentative plans to see her again for Easter. She arrived home safely later that night.

Caroline and I browsed Blockbuster for some shallow movies with pretty boys, but only one in six actually fit the bill. The others were much deeper, introspective movies that also looked good. We had a lot of TV hours ahead of us! Then we ran through another grocery store to get some ice cream, since we still had BROWNIES at home! Might as well go all the way, right?? :)



That night we had fajitas for dinner (made by me, who has never cooked fajitas before in my life) and settled down to watch our first movie, The Narrows. We'd picked it because it looked straight-forward and angsty, but it proved to be a much stronger movie than that. We were surprised by the complexity and subject matter and although we weren't prepared, still enjoyed it very much--more than we anticipated. I give it two thumbs up: the story will suck you in and the ending will surprise you.

Next, after refueling with brownies, ice cream and tea, we watched Mao's Last Dancer--a movie I'd seen advertised EVERYWHERE (on buses, billboards, and video stores) but knew nothing about. I probably wouldn't have watched this movie on my own--I just don't go for true-life stories of any sort, let alone ones about ballet--but I'd recommend this one to everyone. The story is only strengthened by the knowledge that it actually happened, and the on-location cinematography is beautiful. Whether or not you like ballet has nothing to do with the impact this movie creates. It is a story of possibility and triumph, and will definitely give you some things to think about.

Goodnight!

Babies

Pretty laid back day today... did yoga and had a great breakfast (poached eggs with hummus on rice cakes and roasted tomatoes and chard), then farted around till early afternoon. The three of us then went into the city to shop for a baby gift and troll some op shops. Hillie and Caroline picked out a CUTE fold-able baby blanket for the new great-nephew, and Caroline found an adorable flowery teapot and a pretty blue tea cup and saucer for the teapot she got in Tathra. The streets were packed, especially for a Monday afternoon. I felt very in-the-way. But I did find some more souvenirs, and have an idea of where to go to get more. :)

Back at home we had MEXICAN... nachos with the works, and tea! Plus another episode of Frasier!

Outside we did some yard work, cramming the branches I'd cut from Caroline's trees into the green waste bin. We got an amazing amount in there before noticing the bottom was starting to split. Hee.

That evening was baby night!! We drove into the city to visit Caroline's cousin and three day-old son, James Mathew. As all babies are, he was adorable and stayed sleeping until his parents woke him up for feeding time. The new family was happy and doing great.



Dinner was spaghetti bolognese (spagbog in Australian) with MORE TEA! and MORE BROWNIES! for dessert. And of course, more Frasier. ;)

Tea Party!

After a relaxing late start with buckwheat pancakes made by Caroline's mom, we headed out to the shopping mall. At six this morning, Caroline gained a new family member! Her cousin had a baby boy, James Mathew.

Our intent was to shop for a baby gift, but the first store didn't seem to have the perfect thing. As we headed deeper into the mall, we stumbled across the designer tea shop, T2. Caroline had been hankering for more Jasmine tea since experiencing it at the Tathra cafe, and Louise had told us to check out this store.

It was amazing! 180 different kinds of tea, a sample of each available for looking at and smelling. There were also five different pots ready for tasting, including Chocolate Chip Chai, Creme Brule, and the ULTIMATE Turkish Apple Tisane! This instant tea tasted almost like cider and was already sweetened. I snatched up a tin for us all, and Caroline picked out some Chocolate Chip Chai and Red Green Vanilla Rooibos, and Hillie got some Just Chamomile and sencha (green tea). All the tea is loose leaf, so we also bought some tea balls. Caroline had already picked up a beautiful blue tea pot from the Tathra op shop, plus she had a couple others at home. The sales woman also let us snatch some samples of Black Rose, Strawberries and Cream, and sencha Mango. Tonight we'd have a tea party!!



The mall was closing so we zipped through the grocery store for some essentials (brownie mix and lemon bar mix with passion fruit goo on top). *drool*



At home we whipped up a quick dinner of left overs (pork mince Hillie had made for our return last night) and settled down to watch Frasier. It's Caroline's favorite show and with good reason--it's hilarious! When the first episode was done and we'd finished dinner, it was time for tea! Believe it or not, there is a 'way' to make tea. We tried our best and crossed our fingers, and while it was steeping we plated the brownies and then returned to indulge ourselves with another hilarious episode of Frasier.



What. A. PERFECT. Night.

The tea is amazing and SO worth the price and the extra steps. The flavors are true and there's something special about seeing the actual leaves. Paired with a perfectly baked brownie and a great sitcom and a family who's adopted you, life couldn't get much better. *happy sigh*



Caroline and I ended up going back for seconds of dessert and watching the entire disk of Frasier (6 episodes). Outside the air was cooling and the rain was blowing in, and we went to bed relaxed and happy.

I only had to get up twice during the night to pee.

But fell back asleep to the sound of gentle rain. :)

A week of bliss

The past week has been SO relaxing. Caroline and I rode along with Caroline's friend and coworker, Louise, to her holiday beach house in Tathra, New South Wales. It was a long drive, about 600 km to the north eastern coast. But we had plenty of rest stops, which I blogged through Track My Tour.

The house was AMAZING. Louise owns a four bedroom/two bathroom, two story house at the top of a hill and at the end of the street. The west side of the house faces a tree line, where a family of kangaroos live and sometimes come out into her front yard to graze. The air is alive with the sound of bellbirds, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, Willy Wagtails, and ravens. Beneath all the birdsong is is the soothing sound of the waves crashing 500 meters away.



Tathra is a small town, with views so incredible is serves well as a touristy, get-away vacation spot. Even so (probably because it is now the start of autumn) we never saw more than 50 people at any given time. The locals are mostly retired and the town is quiet, clean and peaceful. Major features include an historical wharf, a pub, and a collection of independent shops and cafes.



The week was spent doing very little, as planned. Caroline and I rose before the sun each morning and wandered down to the beach, where we did yoga and took pictures as the sun rose. We bought groceries from the local Friendly Grocer and made much of our own meals. We visited the op shop and bought a bag of clothes for $5 including some nice tops, some shorts, and some swimming gear. We went with Louise to the pub Monday evening and shared a plate of chips (fries). We talked about the future. We wrote.

A lot.



The Tathra Beach Cafe was AMAZING. Greg was so hospitable and let us camp out at the corner table all day, sucking up electricity. But we paid our rent... all the food was SO GOOD! Caroline developed an addiction for Jasmine tea and I could quite happily live on Chai Lattes. We split an order of the most addictive seasoned wedges covered in sweet chili sauce and sour cream, and for dessert, a CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CAKE. Every single thing we tried was beyond perfect. We enjoyed it so much that two days later, we did it all over again.

We also went to see the Bega cheese factory, in the town of Bega. Though the factory was no longer giving tours, they did still offer free samples out of their cafe and had a 'history of Bega cheese' museum. It was a pretty hopping place, and one of the things on the 'must-see' list in that part of the country.



The boogie boarding did not pan out as well as planned. The afternoon we'd mustered up enough courage to try, the wind was strong and the waves were intimidating. Louise drove us to a peaceful little inlet, where Caroline and I paddled around in what was really a large puddle about 8 inches deep. We had to get the technique down, you know. ;)



It was fun, but really not hot enough to warrant a second go. I much preferred laying on the land, soaking up the sun.



We helped Louise do some weeding, which is something I happen to enjoy so it really wasn't work. Plus she was nice enough to let us stay with her, after all.

Getting away from the internet is great, but it also means a lot of catching up. Because we actually did so little, I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

PS--My tan just keeps getting darker!!

Breakfast with Tanya

FRIDAY MARCH 20th

Caroline's sister-in-law, Tanya, picked us up this morning and took us to one of Caroline's favorite restaurants, Rivers, for a 10:30 brunch. It's also a nursery with some beautiful plants and decorations, and the food is AMAZING. Last time I was here I had their signature berry crepes, which were to DIE for, and this time I had herbed scrambled eggs on brioche. Guh.


We strolled through the nursery afterward and somehow managed to escape without buying anything. It was a little past 1 pm when we arrived home... we had no idea we'd chatted that long! Tanya's great... all of Caroline's family is.

Back at home, Caroline and I sat down to write and blog. There was some procrastination, as is the nature of a writer, and we did this food quiz Caroline found, which gives information about the kinds of foods an individual should eat based on their metabolic system. It was extremely useful and really clarified how certain foods affect your mood. I always knew I didn't like much heavy food, and now I know that my body really does run better on more fruits and vegetables, whereas Caroline is the opposite. It was late afternoon and armed with our new knowledge, we ran to the grocery store to get some dinner, as well as things to take with us on our 10 hour drive tomorrow.

Chris, Caroline's brother, and Tanya came over for dinner and had fish and chips while I had a fish fillet Caroline grilled. She had a super-tender steak and we added leftover chard and quinoa from last night, and also some baked potatoes. It was great. We all watched Runaway Vacation staring Robin Williams... what a hilarious little family movie!

So tomorrow at 9:30, Caroline's friend Louise will be picking up Caroline and I and driving us to her vacation home in Tathra, on the beach. Internet is dial-up and we'll have to share, so communication WILL BE LIMITED but I am not dead. I'll let everyone know when we get back to Melbourne, if not before. I'm sure Caroline's mom will post updates about us to Facebook, if I can't. ;)

We're mostly packed and the rest of the house has gone to bed... I'll soak up some sun and get sand in my hair for everyone that can't!

Goodnight!!

Friday: Yard Work!

March 19th

Left over Mexican food for breakfast!! I actually had fruit, but Caroline and her mom dove in and it was just as good, if not better than the night before. ;)

Then it was back to work in the garden! We ran back to Bulleen for some more plants: lemon thyme, mint, kale and XXX. Also picked up some mulch and fertilizer for the lemon tree. Then back into our gardening clothes and we spent the whole afternoon weeding and planting and fertilizing and sweeping and then Caroline gave me the PRUNERS and I got to hack things down and it was GREAT! Caroline was the creator and I was the destroyer. ;) And at the end of the day, this is what she created:



And this is the path I cleared:


Caroline's mom came out and helped too, and there's no better purpose for a garden than to bring everyone together and provide a sense of achievement as well as nourishment. I love the feeling of having helped build something.

After all that work, we were pretty tired. Caroline found a great recipe for all the rainbow chard she's grown, and I threw together a stuffing for a MONSTER red bell pepper she'd also grown, and Caroline also made some awesome quinoa to round it out.


I haven't ever had a vegetarian meal that good! We plonked down in front of the TV to watch some more My Kitchen Rules, but both of us were sleeping before the end.


Needless to say, it was a great night's sleep. ;)

Garden Renovation and Mexican food!!

Thursday March 18th

After our morning ritual of yoga and a leisurely breakfast, Caroline and I set to work on straightening her garden. After tending to her existing plants and watering them, we cleared set our sights on a patch of grass by the old chook (chicken, for the American person) shed. Together, we hacked our way down to the rich black soil beneath and then gathered bricks for a border. In just a little over an hour, Caroline had a brand new garden bed:



Then a quick exploration of the tip shop (junk yard) yielded numerous goodies: two boogie boards for our upcoming beach vacation, a hula hoop for Paddy's upcoming agility lessons, and a soaker hose! We ran back home and tested it out--it worked perfectly, and it only cost $5! What a steal! Caroline laid it out to snake through the new garden bed, and we even turned the small spraying leak in the hose into a make-shift water fountain that shoots into a birdbath! Caroline set to work transplanting baby veggies as I played ball with Paddy the Wonder Dog.

Around 3, Caroline's mom showed up. It's so good to see her again! She's so accommodating and makes me feel welcome. She unpacked her bags and got reacquainted with the dogs as Caroline and I fiddled a bit more with the garden. Then when Tara arrived, it was time to go shopping for our Mexican dinner!

Tara, Caroline and I all went shopping and I helped Caroline cook. Caroline made a huge vat of nachos as I made a version of guacamole, and then attempted quesadillas. The kitchen smelled so great with all that chicken and avacado and cheese and beans and corn and olives and sour cream... *drools* How can anyone NOT love Mexican food?? And yet, there are so few Mexican restaurants here! In fact, I might be the closest thing to a Mexican in Australia... ;)

So here's what we ended up with:



We settled down to dig in and watch the final episodes of Stargate Atlantis. It was a terrific girl's night with great food, great company, and some hot guys on TV. :)