Duality

Since becoming an Australian citizen last Friday, I've had comments/emails from several readers as well as an American woman at the ceremony who has there with a friend about the ramifications of my actions. So I thought I'd answer some of those questions as well as address the issue of dual citizenship.

Please remember I am not an immigration lawyer or government official or anyone with any power over any of these concepts. I'm simply an American expat who went through the process to get Australian citizenship. If you have specific questions and/or concerns to your particular situation, for the love of all that's holy get professional advice and not from a blog! 'Kay? Thus endeth the disclaimer.

Is it tough to get Australian citizenship?

At the moment, not really. To be perfectly honest becoming permanent residents was much harder. It was then we had to do background checks, health checks and fill out enough paperwork to fell a small forest. I speak English - more or less - so I didn't worry about that requirement. Laws are set to change, however, to make gaining citizenship tougher in terms of waiting periods and examinations. Please visit this site to get the low down and to see the requirements specific for you - it even has a handy calculator to tell you if you're eligible based on dates.

Why would you take the step of getting citizenship? Wasn't permanent residency enough?

We thought so at first, and initially weren't going to pursue it. Then I had a chat with another American who pointed out that should we ever move back to America and stayed for more than a couple of years we may have to go through the entire residency process all over again! I wasn't willing to do that - not that plans are in the works to move back (sorry family). There was also the inability to have a say in how things are run - take away the privilege of voting and you suddenly discover how important it is, even if you never exercised the right before - and becoming more attached to Australia the longer we stayed. All of those factors combined led us to applying for citizenship.

Does the US allow you to become the citizen of another country? Don't you have to renounce your US citizenship?

Yes they no, and no I did not. While it's true the US isn't thrilled when you become a dual citizen, and for all I know my family is now on some watch list at Homeland Security, it is perfectly legal. Since Australia also allows dual citizenship, I was not asked to renounce my US citizenship and have no intentions of doing so (this is key). If that were a requirement of either country I would not have done this. The only requirement of the US is that I continue to travel in and out of the US on my US passport.

Weren't the Toddler and Clive Australians anyway?

Clive was automatically an Australian because we were permanent residents when he was born, but when the Toddler was born we were only temporary residents and Australia does not automatically grant citizenship to those born within its borders. So no, she wasn't. She, as well as the Teen and Tween, got their Australian citizenship through me when I got mine.

How can you possibly be a dual citizen? You can't be loyal to both countries and should renounce your US citizenship when you became Australian. Traitor...

Oh bite me. You may think I'm joking with that question but there people on both sides of the Pacific who feel this way, that you should choose one country or another. I don't feel that way. It's like when you get married - no one (or at least no one with a functioning brain cell) asks you to give up your birth family in order to accept your spouse's family. America is my birth family and Australia is the country that accepted me as their own. They are both my family now and I love both countries.

But what if you had to choose?

Does anyone really think it would come to that in this day and age? But to answer the question, I would see what caused the rift and judge for myself who I felt was in the right and side with them. I never ever ever see that happening, so I honestly don't concern myself with it.

I'm a Yank and I'm an Aussie - would that make me a Yaussie? - and I'm proud of it.

Back to School

Both the Teen and the Tween have gone back to school. Oh happy day:

Will do that big post later, honest.

Confessions

I was going to do a longer post today, but I simply got too busy and now it is too hot and I am too tired. In lieu of that, I give you these two small and slightly embarrassing confessions.

I have a teeny crush on Adam Savage from Mythbusters:

In my own pre-teen years, I thought the line "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap" from the AC/DC song of the same name was "Dirty knees, Thunder Chiefs":

Oh, like I'm the only one who ever misheard lyrics. Don't leave me hanging here, share your secret crush or misheard lyric with me.

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Ah the classic Aussie chant. Usually reserved for sporting events, there were several rousing renditions of this cheer Friday during our citizenship ceremony, led by none other than Lady Mayoress of Pine Rivers Shire, Yvonne Chapman. It was just one way in which the ceremony was low on pomp and full of Aussie spirit.

Australia Day morning dawned bright and hot, as it's been all week. Knowing the ceremony was going to be in the Community Centre and was very full, I was afraid we'd all be sitting in stifling heat and sweating it out. Instead we were accommodated in a nice air conditioned hall, which really was very large, and even in comfortable seats. Never underestimate a good seat when you have to sit for two and a half hours. Patsy was nice enough to take Clive to the back where she was sitting with Miss WTF and her Master 11, and the Mumfies clan - our own personal cheering section - so we had one less thing to worry about.

It started off typically enough, with the welcome from the CEO of the Shire. Then it started to get interesting. The entertainment was provided by one David Barry, a country singer. He was quite the entertainer and lead us enthusiastically through the song that many consider a viable candidate for the national anthem, Waltzing Matilda. Since the ceremony was on Australia Day, the shire combined the Australia Day Awards into the day. It was nice to see some really motivated people who live in my area, but can I say the woman who won the 2007 Citizen of the Year needs to be spoken to. Not only does she rescue native flora and helped to set up a ginormous public nursery, but she has a family, works full time and does quantum physics in her spare time. OK, I may have made that last one up but honestly, way to make the rest of us feel inadequate. There are days I consider a shower an accomplishment. Then ole Dave was back to lead us in Home Among the Gum Trees and I felt better about myself.

We were ahead of schedule at this point- always a bonus - when the citizenship part of the ceremony began. My friend Patsy, who got her citizenship several years ago when she lived in the Brisbane City Council area, was pointing out all the personal touches of the Pine Rivers ceremony. The (paper) Aussie flags on every seat. The personalized Bibles for those taking the 'under God' option oath, which we did. I'm not particularly religious, but I thought for an occasion such as this I should play it safe. Names were called in two groups and each was given the oath of citizenship. Hurrah, we were fair dinkum Aussies at last!!

Since the BCC has such huge ceremonies with hundreds of people, the certificates are not presented separately. Not so up in Pine Rivers. There were 169 people becoming Australians, a large group to be sure. However each person (or each family as the case may be) had their name and country read out before heading up to the front to collect their certificates (the last signed by the since fired Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone, in a bit of political trivia) and their native tree, which is how we got this photo:

It was interesting hearing where people had come from. By far the most were from the UK, with 51 persons, followed by South Africa (including the Teen's ex-boyfriend and family), Fiji and the US of A! The US narrowly beat out New Zealand 9 newbies to 8, with our family contributing 5 out of those 9 (Clive is a native Aussie due to our permanent resident status at the time of his birth). Countries contributing to the Australian patchwork on this day were:

Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Papa New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of South Africa, Scotland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

We then had some more pontificating from politicians, which is what they do best after all, explanations about our Electoral Enrolment forms which were helpfully included and filled out with all our details and then a reaffirmation of our and the attending guests loyalty to Australia. I found that part a bit odd, I had to admit, and I can't explain why. Our entertainer Dave stepped up the mike again to sing a couple of songs, including I Still Call Australia Home, complete with pectoral flexing, jumping splits and Rockette style kicks. Really corny, really hokey but a hell of a lot of fun. We wrapped it up with the national anthem, Advance Australia Fair which was lead by a young man who had just gotten his citizenship and had a great set of pipes. Usually only the first verse is sung, and occasionally the second one was well. But we were also given the 'missing verse' to sing. Miss WTF expressed our puzzlement nicely - "Hey welcome to Australia all you Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists... whoever! Now sing this song about Christ, will ya?"

Refreshments were served before we all retired to Chez Mooselet for a classic Aussie barbie. It was a great day and I feel very proud to be an Australian. I want to thank our cheering section for coming to watch us. The Hermit was impressed and touched that you gave up a good section of your day to sit through what was at times a bit of a dull ceremony. You stuck it out when a lot of people, after getting their certificates simply left (which I found very rude, btw). I meant a lot that you did that, especially as we have no family here to celebrate with.

Let's finish the post the same way we started:

Aussie Aussie Aussie!
Oi Oi Oi!

Bit O' Housekeeping

I will post later today about our citizenship experience, after I conquer this killer headache that struck at 1 this morning and won't leave me alone. Lovely...

But I thought I'd mention a few things. If you reach me via RSS or another form of subscription that let's you know when there's something new, you will find you got a bunch of stuff back from 2005. Sorry 'bout that, but I'm cleaning up the achieves. This may continue throughout the week, so feel free to revisit my beginnings or just ignore it.

We have a few new links that I'd like to introduce you to. First off you may have noticed the big suitcase in the sidebar from Expat Blog; if you've found me through them (and I've noticed I've gotten several hits from the site) welcome! If you've ever wondered what life is like in another country, or need advice because you're moving OS, go check them out.

I've added several new blogs for your viewing pleasure. How could I go past a woman who also uses the word 'moose' in her blog title? The Womanmoose is a lovely lady over in England whom I've been meaning to link to for a long time. kittenDownUnder is a fellow Yank also living in Brisbane whom I like a lot but have never actually met. Is that odd? There are roughly 3,000 Americans living in greater Brisbane, but we don't have a large community outside of cyberspace. I found Mitch McDad's World via Harmonica Man - who is taking some time off from blogging in order to catch up on some things in RL, damn him - and if you don't bust a gut laughing after reading about his kidney stone experience, something is wrong with you. I would recommend counselling immediately.

And yes, the font is slightly larger. I was tired of squinting at my own blog.

Crap. It's taken me an hour to write this simple post. In that time we've had several trips to the toilet for the Toddler, helped said Toddler brush her teeth and get food and beverage, seen the Tween stumble naked out of bed, checked on Clive, had to redo the above paragraph twice because it keeps disappearing when I click 'publish' and my headache still isn't better. In fact it may be worse due to retyping. Must get more drugs.

Saturday Skinfest

It's another hot and sweltering Queensland summer day. I think my face is melting. My first full day as an Aussie and I've got the whinging about the weather down pat. As much as I don't miss the snow and cold back in New England, the cold does have one advantage over the heat. You can bundle up against the cold, but you can only take off so much when it's hot before you violate public decency laws. And when you look like me you scare people if you take off too much. I'm looking into a burqua.

Luckily these folks don't have that problem! I start with Brent Tate from the Broncos. Brent was married yesterday to his long time love - not kidding about the 'long time' bit, he was 14 when they met - so I think it's only right we feature him and his fine looking legs today:


Also present at Brent's wedding was brother-in-law and New Zealand Warriors captain Steve Price. Hot damn! Not bad for a guy of 32:

Getting off my sci-fi kick of fine lookin' women, I give you this weeks 'chicks I'd switch teams for', at least as a one-off, Scarlett Johansson:

More skin next week.

Photo Friday

Tough to go past this pic of Clive:

Taken today during our Australia Day citizenship ceremony. Yes, we're Aussies now! You can see the rest of the pictures - taken by Miss WTF & Mr. Mumfies - here. Details to follow Sunday.

Feel the Burn

I took the tribe to Bribie Island yesterday for a bit of fun in the sun. The beach there is better protected from heavy surf and rips, even though many consider it rather daggy. I see this as a bonus because the beach isn't very crowded as a result.

All had a great time, despite the presence of a few bluebottle jellyfish. Even having the protection of Moreton Island did nothing for the heavy swells and northwestern flow. The Toddler had the best time of all, especially when I carried her out into the deeper water for a while.

Want proof of what the Queensland sun will do to you if you forget the sunscreen? I did very well in slopping it on, but there's always one spot I miss:

If I ever get melanoma it'll be on the tops of my feet.

Tantrum on a Plane

I saw this story and just had to comment since I have kids of my own. Summary - a Massachusetts couple was asked to deplane after their 3 year old daughter's temper tantrum delayed the flight leaving from Ft Meyers, Florida. The ABC write up is sympathetic to the parents, stating that the girl was "crying", had been a "model passenger" on the flight down and earned the sympathy of fellow passengers. The Yahoo! version offers more details, revealing that the toddler refused to get into her seat (in accordance with FAA rules), was hitting her parents and climbing under her seat. The flight had been delayed 15 minutes already when the family was essentially kicked off the plane. The parents are outraged, despite being refunded their money and flying home the next day, and rejected AirTran Airways offer of three round trip tickets to wherever the airline flies.

So who was in the right? Whose has your sympathy - the parents or the airline? After all, toddlers are prone to meltdowns regardless of their surroundings, as any parent will tell you. Surely the airline could've been more helpful and given the family a little more time.

Bullocks, I say and I say it as a parent having experienced many toddler meltdowns in public places. I think the airline did the right thing in asking the family to get off the plane. There were another 112 people on that plane - why should they be held up? Were they really as sympathetic as Mrs. Kulesza claimed? Perhaps at first, but the longer it went on I'd bet money that sympathy flew right out the window. How long were they supposed to wait for little Elly to get hold of herself? I've seen some tantrums become quite prolonged; would the Kulesza's been willing to reimburse their fellow travellers for missed connections or meetings? What about any incoming flights waiting for that gate; would they explain to those passengers that their Little Princess just needed a few more minutes? Of course not! Instead they go on Good Morning America to vent their spleen that the world ceased revolving around the needs of one three year old girl.

The best way to deal with a tantrum in a public spot is to remove the child from the situation. Is it inconvenient? Abso-friggin-lutely. I once abandoned a shopping trolley half full of groceries because the Teen in her toddler days wouldn't/couldn't calm down. I've missed huge chunks of movies (kid friendly ones, mind you) and had meals go cold so that my misbehaving child didn't disrupt others too much. Having to miss your flight home is a major bitch, to be sure, but it is the price you pay when you have kids.

Boarding a plane isn't like hopping in a taxi - there's generally 20 minutes or so from the time you board to when you leave the gate. If the child hadn't calmed down in all that time plus the 15 minutes the plane sat waiting for her to chill, I think the airline was within their rights (yes, others have rights too!) to ask you to leave. Perhaps the 24 hour ban on flying was harsh and the airline could've gotten you on a flight later in the day or with another airline the same day, but had I been a passenger on that plane I would've been thanking them for giving you the boot, not criticizing. It would've been a good lesson to your bundle of joy about consequences of behaviours, but now you've taught your child that tantrums will get you on TV! Way to go asshat! Use the money the airline refunded you and buy a clue that the world does not revolve around your little precious.

Am I too harsh? We're taking your comments below...

Because One Just Isn't Enough

I've started a second blog! Because I have just that much time on my hands to have another blog. We all know stay-at-home mothers do nothing all day anyway.

In all seriousness, after this weekend's clothing experience it's time to get back on the weight loss wagon. I don't want this blog to become all about that, but because it's something that is important I decided to give it it's own space. Please welcome Chocolate Moose Addiction. Oh go look, you know you want to...

To date all I've done is tweak the template and wrote the opening post. There won't be much more, if anything, until next Tuesday when Patsy and I go back to our Weight Watchers meeting. So if you're dying to read about my attempts to get back into my pants, please stop by now and again.

And since Clive is in a hold-me-all-morning mood and I won't get the chance to post anything more significant, here's a quiz to tide you over:

Your Slanguage Profile

Aussie Slang: 100% Canadian Slang: 50% New England Slang: 50% British Slang: 25% Prison Slang: 25% Southern Slang: 25%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

How is it I've scored 100% in a country I've lived in for 4 1/2 years, but only 50% in the place I was raised?

The Bad and the Good

Yesterday I had some bad and some good. Let's start with the bad.

After hitting the 6 week post-partum phase when everything is returned to normal, at least in terms of physiology, I was left with the depressing fact that my weight didn't. Return to its pre-pregnancy point. OK it did, but it went back to 2005. I'm at the same weight I was when I started going (again) to Weight Watchers. Dammit.

I always knew I'd have to go back, so that wasn't the really bad part. The bad part was even though I'm the same weight I'm not the same shape. All of my fat cells have taken up residence around my midsection so that even the few clothes I still had from pre-weight loss don't fit. I can't button them. Very depressing. I had to go out yesterday and pick up a few pairs of... wait for it... size 16 trackie daks so I could stop wearing my maternity pants. At least those were too big to be comfortable anymore - a faint silver lining. But size 16!!!!! Ack!!!!! They don't even fit well as they are too loose everywhere else - bum, legs, crotch - except my hips and waist. I feel like a cow every time I get dressed.

I did mention the good, though, so let's end on that note. The Hermit, after being reminded that he did forget my birthday, finally decided that compounding his crime by not getting me anything was not a good idea. So embracing the 'better late than never' theory, he ordered me something special. They arrived yesterday:

Personalized plates for my car!!! Even better, Broncos plates!!! I was quite pleased. He teased me about now being a soccer mom, but I think I'm just a footy tragic. After all, if I was a soccer mom I'd have two less kids, drive a mini-van, or at the very least a Toyota Land Cruiser and not my second hand Nissan Patrol, actually fit into the size 8 and 10's I have in the cupboard, would have a $50 corkscrew to open my many bottles of wine and have this for a personalized plate:

Nor would I be able to feature the number combination '69', thus being able to be vaguely naughty yet claiming ignorance because it's my birth year. Yeah, so not a soccer mom.

Saturday Skinfest

I had nearly four whole hours of child-free time today. First time in 6 weeks and I enjoyed every second. Not that I did a whole lot of 'me' things. Okay, I got a haircut - a new style that I quite like and makes me look a little less exhausted - but otherwise spent time doing errands. But I was alone! Blessedly alone!

Then I came home and scooped Clive up and spent the next 45 minutes cuddling him whilst happily watching the Toddler do suicide dives off the side of the pool. Bliss.

And speaking of bliss, this is the last calander pic I have. Please, whoever put this together I beg you to do another one. I'll even buy it this time, I swear! Just give me more of this:

I'm proud to support Queensland in State of Origin, especially when they give me views like this:

I have this thing for sci-fi chicks. I'm sure there's some connection between the fantasy aspect of those shows and the fantasy aspect of me actually jumping ship for another woman... or my husband's fantasy of watching me jumping ship... Anyway, here's my latest - Katee Sackhoff, otherwise known as Starbuck on the new Battlestar Galactica:

More skin next week!

Photo Friday

From the Shepster files during their visit to Syndey and Taronga Zoo last September:

More Me Meme

I was kind of tagged by Yellojkt for this meme, and since he not only tagged me but did it in a daring kind of way, here we are. Enjoy:

1. Elaborate on your default icon.
My what?? I am so uncool I don’t know what this is. If someone will tell me I'll elaborate.

2. What’s your current relationship status?
Married with four, yes four, children.

3. Ever have a near-death experience?
Can’t say that I have and I’d like to keep it that way.

4. Name an obvious quality you have.
I’m sarcastic. If you haven’t figured that out by now you have issues.

5. What’s the name of the song that’s stuck in your head right now?
Spare Me the Details by The Offspring. It was the last thing I heard on my mp3 player and I’ve always loved how they made a song about something so sucky so damned catchy.

6. Name a celebrity you would marry.
If I wasn’t married already? And if said celebrity was willing and able? Hugh Jackman. You thought I’d say Shane Webcke, didn’t you? I classify him as a sporting god, not celebrity.

7. Who will cut and paste this meme first?
Jennine if she’s bored.

8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?
Yellojkt once compared me to Bettie Page. Does that count, given that he’s never meet me in RL?

9. Do you wear a watch? What kind?
Yes, a Tag Heuer the Hermit got me a few years ago for our anniversary.

10. Do you have anything pierced?
My ears, but the standard one hole in each. I did have double piercings once upon a time, but those have closed ages ago. Again, I'm not cool.

11. Do you have any tattoos?
No, although I toy with the idea. I simply wouldn't know what to get.

12. Do you like pain?
Are you kidding?? I’m not a fan of it, no. Which probably helps to explain why I only toy with the idea of a tattoo.

13. Do you like to shop?
I have to be in the mood, and not for clothes. I don’t like to wander shopping centres for ages looking. I like to shop for books, however.

14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
My lottery tickets and some stamps this afternoon.

15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card?
The Hermit’s medical bills from last month. I paid them straight away on credit so I could still qualify for my Medicare Safety Net and thereby get more back from the government.

16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
A telemarketer whom I hung up on as soon as I realized what she was.

17. What is on your desktop background?
Rotating pictures from APOD.

18. What is the background on your cell phone?
The Broncos logo. Can’t wait for footy season to start again.

19. What was the last movie you watched?
In it’s entirety? I took the Tween to Talladega Nights a few months ago. I’m not into movies so much.

20. What was the last book you read?
I just finished the excellent biography Isabella She-Wolf of France, Queen of England by Alison Weir. I love her work and highly recommend her to anyone.

Easier Said Than Done

I've been spending the late morning and early afternoon hours ringing rainwater tank companies to get people to come out to our place and give us a quote on a tank plus installation. I need the site evaluation and quote part as we've never done anything like this before and know nothing about tanks. It's not the type of thing you want to practice on. That and my property isn't very flat so I need advice on just what size tank will fit.

So far I've got one company calling me back "in a few days", another coming out at their earliest available appointment... in late February... and I've been on hold for 16 minutes and counting with a third.

If anyone out there knows a good company who does it all, not just sells me the tank, feel free to let me know.

In other news, I had to pee today. What, this isn't exciting? Sure it is, especially when I tell you that I was at the Council Library... holding Clive... with nowhere to put him down... and no one to hand him to.

So I juggled Clive from arm to arm as I managed to get my pants and underdaks down, empty my bladder, wipe, pull said garments back up, flush and wash my hands.

Am I a champion multitasker or what?

25 minutes on hold later and I've got an appointment with company number 3 in early February. Given there is a huge wait to get the tank as well, I'll be lucky to have it by the 1 July deadline the state has given me as a pool owner. But if I don't do it now, I'll be up shit's creek without a boat, never mind the paddle, when Level 5 water restrictions kick in around June - barring cyclonic rainfall.

Peeing while holding a one month old infant is easier than getting a rainwater tank.

Saturday Skinfest

Before you get on my case about the Skinfest being late... again... you get up two to three times a night every night for the last five weeks, staying up for an average of 45 minutes each time, and then remain awake each day from about 6 am and tell me how well you do! Alright?!

Excuses. I've got a million of 'em. You don't get to be as good at procrastination as I am without them.

I think I'm going to take the kids to the beach this week if the weather co-operates. I can only hope I'll see this sight while I'm there. Hello Nurse:

I don't know who this random fan is in this picture, but I hate her. Only because I'm green with envy, and if that were me I don't think my hands would be resting simply on shoulders:


I'm having a hard time today coming up with someone for whom I'd change sides. Bone numbing fatigue will do that, kill all your interest. But here's someone who could make me forget all about sleeping right quick:

More skin next week!

Photo Friday

From our holiday at Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island September 2005:

And it wasn't even summer yet. God I love Queensland! See more photos of our good time here.

Necessity

You know that you don't drink very much when upon deciding to have some wine with dinner one evening, you're left with this method of opening said bottle:


Necessity is the mother of invention.

And yes, I now own a proper corkscrew.

Define Weird

As mentioned yesterday, I got tagged by Jennine for a "6 Weird Things About You" meme. Define "weird". Oh, right. Well, what's weird for you may not be weird for me, or vice versa. But I'll give this my best shot:

1) I like to put tomato sauce, or ketchup, on my scrambled eggs. I'd say I like to put it on other forms of eggs - poached, boiled, etc. - but I only like scrambed eggs. With ketchup.

2) For the first 15 years of my life, I refused to eat pizza. I suppose most 1 year olds don't eat pizza, but I didn't touch it until I was 15 and gave in to peer pressure. I didn't want to seem weird in front of my friends, so I ate it. And wondered what my problem was all those years. I am now making up for lost time.

3) When I hang the laundry, I segregate the clothes on the line. For example, if the first thing to go up on the line is a shirt everything else on that particular line must be a shirt. I cannot alternate with whatever comes out of the basket next, and will dig through the basket until I come up with the required piece of clothing. The only exception to this rule is if I've hung up all of that particular item then I can move on.

4) My OCD with laundry extends to my shopping, or more specifically the placing of my groceries on the conveyor. I put my items into groups - cold stuff, fruits, bakery, drinks, non-perishables - on the belt. I do not do this in the trolley, only when it comes out to be bagged. This is so bad that I hate going into an empty check out line, because then I'm pressured to simply empty the trolley without thought to my system. I also get cranky with the cashiers if they put different groupings into the same bag - for example mixing the fruits with the toilet paper.

5) I have sock issues. If, when wearing a pair of socks I need to remove them for whatever reason I cannot put them back on. Even if I simply pull one down to scratch an itch I have to take them off and put on a clean pair. On only a few minutes? Doesn't matter, off they come. I also cannot wear anyone else's socks. When I stayed at the Hermit's apartment one weekend many moons ago and realized I had forgotten to pack a pair of socks, he offered me a pair of his. I had to sheepishly explain why I couldn't take him up on his offer - sure I'll sleep with you but I won't share your socks. I can't sleep with socks on, no matter how cold my feet are in winter.

6) I firmly believe in the existence of spirits and ghosts, even before my own experience some years ago. You will never convince me otherwise.

Still with me after all that weirdness? Cool. I'm supposed to tag six other people, but my blog community is very small and most of the ones I read have been tagged already. I'll tag BostonBootGirl when she returns from wherever she is at the moment, Gabe, Simone, Kitten and anyone else who wants to share in the comments section.

Nip the Tip

I was going to do the meme I was tagged with from Jennine today, but I read a passing comment over at Suburban Turmoil that reminded me about something I've been meaning to write about for the last week and a half. I'll expose my weirdness tomorrow, I promise.

When you have a baby boy, one of the decisions you have to make it whether or not to the have the little guy's little guy snipped or not. Many years ago it was done as a matter of routine and parents probably didn't even get a say. It was just done. When I had the Tween nearly 12 years ago I was at least asked but the expectation was that I would have him circumcised.

And I did. Not because the doctor pressured me into it, or because his father insisted, but because I felt he should have it done. I'll get to my reasons in a bit, but I never regretted it, even though several years later my maternity nursing instructor told me I had traumatized my son for life - those were her exact words - and the trend has been increasingly moving away from not having it done.

When I learned I was having another boy, the Hermit and I discussed it and we were both in agreement - nip the tip. So towards the end of my pregnancy with Clive, I asked my OB about it. I've learned that things in Australia work differently and knew I shouldn't assume he'd be the one to do it. I was right. In fact, there is only one doctor in all of Brisbane who does circumcisions. I know we're not a big city, but only one??? And it wasn't done in the hospital? How long would I have to wait for an appointment? It was Christmas after all, and people go on long holidays at this time of year. Perhaps I should find a rabbi and claim some kind of Jewish decent through my brother Gabe in order to have it done.

Faced with these unknown factors, I thought it best to go over why I was having it done. Was I unconsciously doing it because of familial expectations? No, my feelings were my own. Was it important that Clive look like the other boys? Well then if that were the case I'd leave it alone, so that wasn't it. My reasons were medical. The incidences of some fairly nasty diseases, including HIV, are lower among men who have been circumcised. And I've seen cases where uncircumcised men ran into various problems and had to be circumcised as an adult. Not pretty. You think men are sensitive about their bits on a day to day basis? Tell them a doctor wants to cut it apart and watch their eyes.

But what about Clive's right to decide? Shouldn't I leave it for him to decide when he's old enough what to do? After all, it's his penis. I can't buy into that argument. I'll make literally thousands of decisions about what is best for my children before they reach age 18; it's my job as their parent. This is just another one of those decisions. If he wants to hate me for it later, so be it. He'll also want to hate me for making him have his hair cut or denying him that nose piercing. And for the record, the Tween shows no signs of needing circumcision counselling.

So I made my appointments, managing to get seen before Christmas, and was comfortable in my decision. I was even more so after my initial consultation and having the procedure explained. It used to be a commonly held belief that newborns don't feel pain, and so many circumcisions were done without the use of anaesthetic. Fortunately this has been proven false, and even more fortunately this doctor firmly believed in using local anaesthesia. (How many of you know of doctors who do things the way they've 'always done' despite changes or new research?) I was given a tube of EMLA cream and instructions on its use.

Two hours before the procedure I was to apply the cream to his wee bits and then wrap it in cling film. I'm not making that up. My son's privates were to be wrapped like a leftover sausage. I needed to reapply the cream and wrap every 30 minutes or so, so I broke out my scissors and Glad wrap and cut tiny squares for his use. Watching me wrap something so small was pretty funny, I have to admit.

The procedure lasted all of 10 minutes, and the only reason Clive was screaming was because he was hungry and I wasn't feeding him. That and he hates having his nappy changed anyway - he cries nearly every single time I change him, pre and post nipping. I feed him immediately afterwards and he slept on the ride home. There was no bleeding and he wasn't bothered when I bathed him that night. The Plastibell fell off 5 days later with no dramas. All in all a successful procedure.

As I sat in the waiting area confident in my decision and waiting our turn, I noticed a couple sitting across from me. The mother was a young Asian woman, and the father was an older Caucasian man. Fifty if he was a day. After the nurse took their son, the woman hunched over and started quietly crying. Not just a few tears, but silent sobbing. Her partner sat next to her, absently patting her back. I wanted to smack the man upside his balding head and tell the woman to go and collect her son. Because while I was in favour of having my son circumcised, it is an extremely personal decision. This woman was obviously distressed by it - circumcision is not common in Asian cultures - and seemed to be going along with it because her Aussie husband wanted it done. Bastard.

So the moral of my story is if you want to have it done then do so. If you don't, then don't. But respect the decision of the parents. Look at the for and against arguments and come to your own conclusions. Be in agreement. Listen to the opinions of others, but remember that opinions are just that - opinions, not facts. The fact is that baby boy is your child and you call the shots.

To nip or not to nip - that is the question.

UPDATE: Clive had his two week post-nippage check up yesterday (11 Jan) and guess what? He's fine. His bits are fine. Although I had to fight the urge to giggle when the doctor referred to the "puppy fat" that is my son's penis. Must remember to use that one some day...

Saturday Skinfest

Since we brought Clive home, the Hermit has been doing the grocery shopping. This is a big step for him - five years ago I went away for a weekend and when I returned home the first thing I had to do was go to the grocery store to top up the basic supplies. They had run out and the Hermit refused to brave the Stop and Shop, instead waiting for me to return from my trip. These days however he's out braving the crowds to get us food. Bravo. But I do have a complaint after this week's trip.

"I only got you an 18 pack of Diet Coke instead of the 30 pack," he said, hefting the cube of Diet Coke into the pantry. "I can't believe you already went through that entire 30 pack I got you last week."

Is he kidding??? I'm getting about 4 hours of sleep a night, and none during the day. How does he think I'm functioning? Large doses of caffeine and chocolate, that's how.

Rejoice, because those two things allow me to bring the first Skinfest of 2007! Hurrah! One of the first proto-Skinfests I did featured the now retired Luke Ricketson of the Sydney Roosters, so I think it's only fair we revisit Luke and his budgie smugglers:

Another player who featured in the early Skinfests was Billy Slater. I got turned off by Billy's on-field brain explosions, but I'm willing to give him a second chance this year based on this pic:

Last month we finally got the SciFi channel on our Foxtel (cable). I'm now able to watch a lot of my favourite shows like all the Star Treks, Buffy, and best of all The X-Files. I'm also able to see what all the fuss is about regarding the 'new' Battlestar Galactica, and I like it. I know a lot of the guys go ga-ga over the blonde Cyclon chick, but the one I'd wear comfortable shoes for is Boomer, played by Grace Park. Frak me:

Thanks to Dave for the last picture. More Skin next week.

Photo Friday

Today's entry isn't from Australia, but it reminds me that whilst it is summer here - not much of one so far, but summer nonetheless - it's winter back in the US. Again, not much of a winter in New England so far, but it was 2 years ago when we went back for a visit:

HermitHouse on Cape Cod where my in-laws still live. I have to say as pretty as it is, I don't miss the snow one little bit.

Wanted

Is this the face of a murderer?

Apparently so. This is Jacko, my neighbour's dog. We are dog-sitting again this holiday as they have gone to New Zealand to visit family. Usually Jacko is no trouble; he spends his days with Dumb and Dumber running around the yard and attempting to assert his male dominance. Given his male bits have been snipped off, however, this fails as Shelby generally whoops his ass. We had him for 5+ weeks last Christmas with no problems.

Yesterday, however, Jacko descended into a life of crime. I don't know where we went wrong. It began with breaking and entering into another neighbour's property. We found him several times and chastised him strongly before ultimately letting him off with probation after bringing him home. I found the weak point along the fence line and plugged it up with a large tree stump... or so I thought. When the Tween found blood specks along Jacko's neck, I told myself he had cut himself along the fence as he pushed his way under. How deluded I was.

About 7 pm, the Tween came inside to tell me the neighbour whose yard Jacko was violating wanted to speak with me. Jacko's crime spree had spiralled out of control into murder... of a chicken. No need for Grissom on this one - they had the body, the pawprints, witnesses to place Jacko at the scene of the crime. I apologized profusely whilst reminding them I was merely dog-sitting - it wasn't my fault!!! My neighbour was very nice about it - perhaps they're his wife's chooks and he was secretly delighted one of them had been snuffed out - but clearly wouldn't tolerate another killing. Jacko was banished from my property and taken home to be locked up in his yard until his owners came home. He didn't go quietly, however, doing his best to wriggle away from the Hermit as he was lead by the leash home.

And yet his life of crime continues. He's broken out twice so far today, adding escape attempts onto his crime file. I'm also waiting for a phone call from the council to address a complaint about his barking since he's been locked up - clearly he's protesting his innocence. I've plugged up the weak points along the fence, I hope, and have his owner's permission to put him in solitary confinement if he continues to escape.

Do you think I could get FOX to come out and do a special on 'When Dogs Go Bad'?

Welcome 2007!

While I didn't ring in the moment 2007 arrived, I've seen just about every other hour of the new year so far. Fortunately Clive's wakefulness has been quiet and full of faux newborn grins which made being awake so often easier to bear.

Not ringing in the new year is nothing new for me. I'm not a party-all-night type of person, and often I wake up on the couch after midnight only to stumble off to bed mumbling "Happy New Year" to no one in particular. The only way I was guaranteed to see in the new year was if I was working the 11-7 shift at my old job. Luckily, the Hermit is much the same with the last new year personally witnessed by him was 2000 when, as a programmer, he was required to be at work in case the world came to an end with Y2K. It didn't.

I won't bore you all with a list of my New Years Resolutions. Suffice to say they are the standard, run-of-the-mill ones. I've got a fair track record with resolutions, especially in the last few years as I've learned to be realistic in my goals. What about 2007 then?

You Will Keep Your New Year's Resolution

You planning on making a resolution that's smart, attainable, and perfect for where your life is.

Will You Keep Your New Year's Resolution?

See, I told you! To all of you still in 2006, I can tell you that so far 2007 is pretty good. I hope it remains the same for you throughout the year. I look forward to sharing the ride with you.