Turning 54 wasn't too shabby. The day kicked off with the youngest asking me if I'd enjoyed my birthday breakfast - the snail pastry she'd brought home from Baker's Delight. I stared at her blankly and we both realised we'd forgotten to tell the eldest - who tends to scavenge in the kitchen in the... Continue Reading →

“Congratulations!Today is your dayYou're off to great placesYou're off and away You've got brains in your headYou've got feet in your shoesYou can steer yourself anyDirection you choose You're on your ownAnd you know what you knowAnd you are the guyWho'll decide where you go Out there things can happenAnd frequently doTo people as brainyAnd... Continue Reading →

I had birthday drinks with my workmates last night at a pub in The Rocks called The Glenmore. It's right next to my office and it has a rooftop bar with the most AMAZING view of the harbour. Seriously, I must win the lottery and buy a city pad in The Rocks, I am in... Continue Reading →

I made a quick side trip into Newcastle during my flying visit north over the weekend and felt a surge of love for the city. I dropped my sister at my parents' place in Lake Macquarie and hooned into town to make a surprise delivery of Drinks Digest goodies to my beer loving friend Katherine.... Continue Reading →

A long time ago before Omicron arrived, when we thought Australia would finally be reunited as a nation, DD and I took a risk. We were keen to see Red Hot Summer again and rather than book tickets for Sydney, we decided to catch the outdoor music event in Perth in early April. We went... Continue Reading →

In September 2021, which feels like three lifetimes ago, I pondered via HouseGoesHome where we would all be in 12 months time and how we would look back on the tumult of 2021. I noted that I was pretty glad I got through the pandemic as a Gen X. I thought this meme was pretty... Continue Reading →

Who knows how long it will last, but all three members of the Household have jobs. I'm halfway through my latest contracting role, the youngest is working three afternoons a week at Baker's Delight and the eldest has just scored a position at Grill'd. He's very excited. I expect the euphoria will wane after working... Continue Reading →

I grew up thinking Alana House was a pretty unique name. Sometimes it was a burden - and a bullying opportunity - being "A. House", but it also felt like I was one of a kind. While there were countless Jane Smith's in Australia, I figured I must be the only Alana House. Nope. I... Continue Reading →

After working remotely for the last three months, it was my first day at my new office yesterday. I was a little anxious due to having some fairly awful workplace experiences in recent years. The anxiety wasn't because I thought my new workplace would also be awful, it was just a general, subconscious feeling of... Continue Reading →

I was in the middle of a Microsoft Teams meeting at 2pm on Friday when my computer screen went blank. A few minutes later I got a message from iiNet saying: "Our wholesaler NBNCo is investigating an outage in your area which may be affecting your NBN service." NBN put it even more obtusely when... Continue Reading →