I'm Going To Jackson

Well, actually I am going to Bowen Hills to the Twelfth Night Theatre to see "The Man In Black: The Johnny Cash Story" Starring Tex Perkins and the Tennessee Four with Rachael Tidd!! Whoo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can not imagine how excited I am about this! When I was 18, we had this little thing called Expo 88 virtually in our backyard and my sister and I bought a 3 day pass especially to see Johnny Cash but he pulled out at the last moment. I was devastated, still am....
Then I missed this same stage show with Tex Perkins two years ago.... dumb, dumb, dumb me..... but thankfully I got my tickets this time round and I am so excited! I'm taking my sister, as the husband, naturally, doesn't like Johnny Cash or Tex Perkins... oh well, his loss. I actually blubbed when I bought the tickets and read out the blurb on the flyer! I am a little worried that I might blub all the way through the show, that's how emotional I am about this event! Will definitely have to take tissues!

Onto other news....
For some time now I've wanted to make myself some inspirational gym shirts. I am tired of seeing the same old shirts when I go to the gym. Lorna Jane or Nike shirts that say boring things like "Just Do It" or "Never Give Up".  I want a shirt that says something meaningful to me. When it comes to the gym, the only thing that gets me through a half hour on the treadmill at 9.5 kms/hr or half an hour on the cross trainer is my music. I mainly listen to the Ramones and the Hard Ons.... naturally... and I have another folder of mixed gems that inspire me to move my butt as fast as I can. I finally finished the first shirt.... the front says "There's A Ramones song....." which is my catch phrase.... and on the back it says "Let's Go"  a good song to exercise to. I've started the next t-shirt... It just has "Ramones" on the front and on the back says... "Go Mental" and the third shirt I've bought but not all the letters yet, probably get them on Monday when I go back into the city for work... it will have the title of a Hard Ons song .... "1st Element is Sweat" ... so yeah for me for doing a bit of sewing at last....

  

Speaking of my gym activities... Loving it still... I am sure that some of the people there think I am a bit of a weirdo tho, lol.... I really go to town on the cross trainer, it feels almost as good as dancing and I bang my head in time to my music. I try not to mouth the words to the songs, coz you know it's a slippery slope to actually singing out loud and out of key when you have head phones in. A few weeks ago, when I was still getting used to running on the treadmill .... I only started running when I got my new purple runners at the start of August...

whilst I was pumping my arms, I accidentally pulled the head phones out of my MP3 player and it fell onto the floor. I only had 2 minutes to go and I didn't want to stop to pick up my MP3 player, so I just let it play for everyone to hear, lol... not that many people would have been able to hear it for all the other noise at the gym. The 2 songs that were playing during that time was the end of  "You've Got Good Taste" by the Cramps and the start of "Cherry Bomb" by the Runaways, lol.... anyway...
 

apparently I am the devil incarnate... or so my scales tell me.... well... that was over a week ago... I am now 65 kilos, yippee! So everything is going good in that department. I  think it's the new running kick.... when you run on the treadmill, all your fat wobbles, and I believe if you shake the fat up, it dissolves, lol! So I'll be shaking it a bit more, hee hee! 

Went to an Indian restaurant with my sister last week, we had a good time, she just loves her Indian..... 

A nice little restaurant in West End. Very nice. Next time we will try the Indian restaurant in South Bank.

Oh, and the husband and I went out with our German friends to the German Club in Woolloongabba a couple of weeks ago. Drank too much... HAD to try schnapps and jagermeister  and about 3 different German beers... one mainly because it came with a purple lable... oh dear! That's my new avatar too by the way...

wish I'd remembered to keep the bottle, bugger! but we all had fun, it was a good night. We might be going to Oktoberfest, but I might just stick to 1 or 2 beers, not that I even like beer... but when in "Germany".....

Anyway... better get to bed, I am keeping the husband awake....

I was playing a Johnny Cash CD today and he called me his little cowgirl.... he has no idea!

When I was a teenager I loved lots of  alternative country... Wall of Voodoo, Beasts Of Bourbon, The Johnnys, The Gun Club, Violent Femmes..... I used to wear suede vests and my Fathers bullet belt, lol.....

Sooooo looking forward to this Thursday night when we see The Man In Black!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good night!

Good bye 30 Kilos

This time last year, I was 99 kilos, today I am 69 kilos! whoo hoo! :) It's taken me a year to lose 30 kilos but it's worth it... hoping to lose another 10 within the next 4 months, that's my goal, cross fingers! and the irony is that I ate Tim Tams and hot chocolate today... but oh well.... all work outs and no chockie makes Chryssie a dull girl, lol... :)

 

and this is my new Cadbury Hot Chocolate maker that I bought in the city and brought home on my bike on Tuesday

Got it marked down for $20, couldn't go past it, being purple and all, lol

Xmen First Class..... there's a Ramones song...

Husband and I went to see The new Xmen First Class movie in Gold Class on Friday. The majority of it is set in the 60's and there is a scene where they are at a party and there is the Freddy Cannon (I presume the original) version of Palisades Park playing in the background, and I am sitting there going, hmmm, I know this song.... Oh, it's a song the Ramones covered, whoo hoo!!! Best moment in the whole movie, lol.....
that's all I've got at the moment..... off to bed so I can get to the gym on time for my work out at 10.15....
cold and tired and bleah :(

Work and Play.

Well...
this week has been interesting. I went to a Sarina Russo interview and walked out with a job interview. I haven't worked since I was 6 months pregnant with my 16 and a half year old eldest child, so I wasn't expecting anything to come of it, but I got the job then and there! I work 3 days a week, Monday to Wednesday from 11 to 3. It's not much but it's a start and something to write on my resume at the very least. The people I work for are very nice and I am getting used to it, so yeah for me! :) How I am going to fit my full time job of going to the gym and losing weight and my other full time job of being a Mum of 4 children in with this part time job, I'll never know, but I will try. I am going to try and go to the gym after work on Monday.... see how it goes, hopefully I won't be over doing it. I didn't go to the gym after work last week as I thought it was too much to expect of myself, especially as the first day my back was killing me by the end of my day. It was so good to get back to the gym on Thursday, especially as I hadn't been for a week as my Mum had been down and staying with me for 4 days previous to getting the job.
Play.... my sister took me to see her favourite band, Amy Meredith last night. As I have made her come with me to see the Hard Ons, how could I say no. They are good tho, I did enjoy it, even tho the audience were all young enough to be my children, tho as my sis says, music is ageless. Here we are, rocking it with the youngsters, lol...

She says she wants to take me to see Short Stack next, geeeezzzzuzzzzz! lol Give me my Hard On boys any day.... at least the crowd majority are older persons... ah well, who cares... we can be too old when we're dead!

May Already

Well, Easter and Mothers Day are over....
here is our cat Joey, getting into the Easter spirit, lol... Amethyst made the ears for him

 

And here is Amethyst and hubby with the Mothers Day dessert they made for me, Amethyst really wanted to make me something and so Rob agreed to help her, it was very yummy! She enjoyed cooking with Dad so much that she is insisting on doing some more cooking with Rob today. She gets this cooking thing from her Father's side of the family... I hate cooking, tho I will do some special cooking for special occasions. For Easter I made an onion and cheese flan, egg salad, creamy potato bake etc so that we could have an Easter feast, instead of the kids just ODing on chocolate. We still have Easter eggs in the fridge, all of us are a little bit over chocolate at the moment...still!

What more could this Mum want on Mothers Day? My 4 bubs, home made cards, home made potpourri, home made dessert, fancy chockies and pizza! Yeah! :)
What else have I been up to? Riding into the city weekly, even twice a week sometimes. I love it so much. Friday gone, I rode into the city to have our monthly lunch date with my sister and cousin. This was the first time I had done that. Normally I get the bus coz I love to dress up all girlie like when I go into the city, but of course I can't wear those sort of clothes on the bike, so I wore my Hard Ons tshirt like I usually do on the bike and took my other clothes and make up in my back pack. So I didn't feel too guilty for eating Indian food and then coffee and a slice of cheesecake, lol... Here is a photo of the bike track along the Brisbane River.... it is the most glorious sight after riding down Sylvan Road, it is such a relief to get there. I do so love my ride into the city!!!!

I also got some more Ramones CDs.... 'Acid Eaters' and 'Mondo Bizarro' and ordered 'Brain Drain' and 'Adios Amigos' and the DVD 'It's Alive'  thinking that then I will have them all, but realised that I still need 'Halfway to Sanity' and "Weird Tales of The Ramones"... so I am loving all the 'new to me' Ramones songs... god I love'em! As usual I made the girls laugh in the city on Friday with my constant .... "there is a Ramones song..."  there always seems to be a relevant Ramones song or line from a song for any given situation and it is my catch phrase... need to get  a tshirt that says.... "There is a Ramones song dot dot dot" lol... Also got the May edition of Mojo magazine as it has the Ramones on the front cover. Last month on the 15th was the 10th year anniversary of Joey's death and it would have been his 60th birthday this Thursday, the 19th of May. It goes without saying, I'll be listening to Joey all day Thursday. As everyday is Ramones day for me.

Husband and I will be going to see 'Water For Elephants' in Gold Class on Monday. It's a big girlie movie and I am expecting to bawl my head off. I've been in the mood for a good soppy love story, so hopefully this won't disappoint. Looks good. Anyway, gotta go feed the family...

School Holidays

Today was the first day of the Easter holidays, yippee! Took the girls to see "Rio" with our neighbours.

I have promised to finish reading the last book of Harry Potter to them these holidays before the movie comes out. But other than that, we have nothing planned for the holidays, just taking it easy and I at least will be trying not to eat too much chocolate. I have been riding my bike and going to the gym. On my way into the city this week my bloody back tyre decided to blow out! I'd reached Milton, down on the river side bike path, beautiful, exhilarating and I decided to go to the nearest petrol station and pump up my tyres.... and the back wheel gave up the ghost. Had to walk home... two and a quarter hours later..... grrrrrrr. Anyway, the husband and I went into the city the next day (by bus) and picked up a new tube for my bikey wikey... so I am happy again. We went to lunch at the Treasury casino for lunch. Last time that will be happening. They've put the price up $10.... no members discount anymore. Looks like we will have to find a new place to lunch.
Anyway... onto other things... books..... Here are the 4 books I have read recently....

Ramones An American Band by Jim Bessmen

On The Road With the Ramones

I Slept With Joey Ramone by Mickey Leigh with Legs McNeil

and as my copy of Dee Dee's book STILL hasn't come in yet, I read Dawn French's book...

 

The Ramones books were wonderful, especially the ones by Monte and Mickey, very personal accounts. And after being Ramones-afied it was a tough call to choose another book to read, but Dawn's book was wonderful too. I almost wet myself reading about when her Mother took her to see 'The Exorcist',  pure bliss, Mother's....aren't embarrassing ones the best! I've got one of those too.... I do hope I can live up to this... lol! And as usual, I was inspired by her swearing.... it was cocking this and cocking that after I read Dawn' book.... lol... and loved her use of the term 'Lady garden'.... Funny lady....

God knows what I am going to read after these fine books. Just hope my Dee Dee Ramone book comes in soon. I blinking well ordered it before Christmas... what are they doing... typing the ruddy thing out again????

Hmm, what else have I been up to?? Well, I got my Ramones albums from Rocking Horse records... Leave Home, Pleasant Dreams, Animal Boy plus my Joey Ramone solo album and one of Dee Dee's solo albums... . so lots of new songs to listen to. I really love going to the gym and listening to the Ramones on my MP3 player and going to town on the cross trainer. Yeah, the gym is going great, loving it. Losing some weight. It's slow but it's going. 

Anyway, hope everyone has a great Easter. Looking forward to Good Friday, for the hot cross buns, not so much the chocolate on Sunday....*sigh* ... can't wait for it to be over really... and all that temptation to be gone....

Wedding and Hard Ons Friday

Last Friday was a very long but wonderful day.  First, my cousin and his beautiful wife got married. I had such a great time at the reception with all the family. Well, Rob was at work and the kids were at school, so it was just me and my extended family. I had a Cointreau and lemonade and then a Gin and lemonade and then when we went into the reception room there was a big bottle of bubbly on the table, for everyone at the table to toast all the speeches but I was basically the only one able to drink, or who wanted to drink. Besides my Mum having about 2 glasses, I drank the rest, hee hee! :)   I was a bit loud and having lots of fun. Lots of people gravitated to our table as we were the loudest and laughing a lot. At the end of the day, my cousin Phil said that the champagne on the table was non alcoholic and he didn't know what my problem was, lol... it was very funny, guess you had to be there. Then I went home and my sister went home and picked up my nephew and they came over to my place and sis and I went off to see the Hard Ons. It's the last Brisbane gig with drummer Pete, he is leaving for family reasons. Hopefully the guys will find a new drummer soon. The night was great, I bought a Hard Ons t-shirt from them and a Nunchukka Superfly CD as well. The guys were in good spirits and they played brilliantly, such a powerful band.

Scrapbooking wise, I have only done 2 layouts in quite awhile, one about my sister's and my last night out to see the Hard Ons back in Halloween (didn't get a photo of us this time around) and a layout of the lyrics from the Ramones song 'I Remember You'...

 Off To The Monsters Ball

I am still cycling and rode into the city again this week and ride to the gym everyday.  I think my fitness levels are getting better. My Mum is coming for a visit tomorrow for a few days, so I will be giving the gym and riding a bit of a break until she goes home on Sunday. Goodnight  :)