Matt Gibson's
Blog

This is a good day to start my Blog, because today marks 2 things; Mariah Carey's Anniversary, and also the day I go in for a minor operation. The surgery is for carpel tunnel syndrome, and it's only day surgery. I have to be at the hospital at 12:00pm, and I can't eat or drink until then and it's nearly killing me because I'm busting for a nice cold glass of Coke. 8-]

Happy Anniversary Mariah!!! I hope you enjoy YOUR day to the fullest!!!

I have recovered somewhat from my surgery, although I still have a bandage on my wrist. I have an appointment at the hospital on April 13, so by then I should be fully healed and ready to play basketball. At least that is what I'm hoping. Also on April 13 I'm going to apply for a visa to the USA. Right now I'm looking at leaving June 17 and spending 2 months over there. I'll be going to see Garnet and Carlie in Redding, CA first, then over to Chicago, IL, then coming back to California and spending some Time in Hollywood before coming home. It's going to be great.

Right now though I'm waiting for 6:00pm, because I got a text message on my cell phone from Cleo and she wanted to go to the movies. We're meeting at Northland (Northland is a shopping mall in Preston) at 6:30pm and it takes me about 15 minutes to drive there and I like to be early. We are going to see 300.

I have some bad news. I went to the doctor yesterday because I thought my hand had opened up and was bleeding under the bandage, and he told me that it probably wouldn't be fully healed for about 4 to 6 weeks. So no basketball... Maybe. Good news is that it wasn't bleeding, it was just sore from over use. But there is nothing I can do about that because it's my left hand and, being paralyzed down my right side, it's my only "good" hand. But hopefully I should be right for basketball because I usually heal pretty quick, and when the doctor took off the bandage that the hospital put on I found that I could move my hand more freely without pain. The doc put a smaller bandage wrap on my hand to cover it up, and it's feeling much better than what it did when I had the hospital bandage on.

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that the day before my surgery, I picked up a puppy that I bought the week before. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback x Bull Mastiff. I will put up some photos soon.

By the way, the movie I watched with Cleo last Saturday, 300, was pretty good.

I applied for the visa to the USA yesterday. I was going to do it on Friday, but just didn't have Time. Nowadays, you have to make an appointment to see the US Consulate, and my appointment is on May 3. I hope it all goes well, because I sure could use a holiday to relax.

I had lunch with the Rev on Tuesday. We usually go to Hungry Jacks for lunch, so we kept up the tradition. We were going to go to McDonalds, but we decided against that. A few years back we used to meet in the city, and we would always go to Pizza Hut. Hungry Jacks is a hamburger restaurant which is owned by Burger King. They have close to the same menu as Burger King in the USA, but over here they call it Hungry Jacks. The Rev likes this particular Hungry Jacks because they have pictures of Marilyn Monroe (along with others from around that Time), and he's a big fan of hers.

I went into the city on Monday with my sister, Tennille, to go to Nike Town so I could buy some clothes for myself. Just one problem... It's closed!!! I was devastated, because aside from a few shirts, I only wear Nike clothes. Apart from those t-shirts (and there's only 2 or 3), my whole wardrobe is filled with Nike. So we went for a walk down Swanston Walk to look at the shops and we come across Foot Locker. So I went in to find out if they had Jordan shoes, and they did, so I bought a pair. The salesperson was really nice, and his name is Owen. The reason why I mentioned his name is because I tend to do business with nice, friendly people, and I can see myself going back there in the future for more Jordan's now that Nike Town is closed. I don't want to wear the new shoes until the first week of the Finals in my basketball. That's if we make the Finals; if not, then I will wear them the first week of the new season. Then today I took my sister to Northland, and I bought a pair of Jordan tracksuit pants, and a pair of Jordan shorts. We had lunch at La Piazza.

Just a week to go until my interview with the US Consulate, and I have to tell you, I'm plenty nervous. I just had an appointment with my immigration lawyer on Tuesday, and she went over everything for me and wrote a cover letter to go with my application. Like I said before, I hope everything goes alright.

The interview with the US Consulate went just like I thought it would; they will fax my application off to US Immigration in the States, and they will approve a waiver. The guy who I had the interview with was the same guy that I had last year, and he said that he would be very surprised if they didn't grant me another waiver like last year. The whole process takes about 2 - 4 weeks, so hopefully I will be in the US on June 17 as planned. If you haven't guessed by now, I love the United States!!!

I wore my Jordan's for the first Time at basketball on Friday in the Semi-Final, and we won.

I can go!!! Yesterday I checked my P.O. Box, and my passport was in it with the waiver to go to the States. Now it's just a matter of booking everything, getting everything ready and then going. I was so excited last night, and I don't think the excitement will wear off until I have to come home again.

I did something else yesterday that is worth mentioning here. I bought a new laptop computer. I haven't bought it yet, but I ordered it yesterday. It's an ASUS Lamborghini. If you're wondering, yes, it's based on the car. I will be picking it up next Tuesday or Wednesday, which is good timing because then I can get it working how I want it to work before I go to America.

We lost at basketball last Friday. I wore my new Jordan's but apparently the magic had worn off. **LOL**

A lot has been happening in the past 2 weeks. I've been running around chasing things up, but the good news is that I'm just about done and therefore, ready to go to the US. I had to go down to my travel agent and confirm all the flights, but that was all fine because the flights are still available. Then I had to go and order some travelers cheques, and I picked them up last Friday. I need some new clothes for my trip, so I took a trip into Collingwood (it's a suburb in Melbourne, Australia) to the Nike Factory. Seeing as how Nike Town in the city is closed down, I now go to the Nike Factory. The difference between Nike Town and the Nike Factory is that the Factory sells last season's stock at a reduced price, whereas Nike Town USED to sell all the latest gear. The Factory does sell some latest stock, but because of the reduced price, it's hard to find any. I only found a couple of shirts, a pair of shorts, and a few pairs of socks. I'm going to go back there in the next week to try and find some more stuff. Then last Thursday I had to take a trip to Footscray (another suburb of Melbourne) to see my orthotist (Rob). You see, I wear a brace on my right ankle to keep my foot at a 90 degree angle, so that my foot doesn't drop when I walk. Anyway, I had to see Rob for him to fix my brace because it was rubbing and cutting into my leg. Also, it was my birthday on the 21^st of last month, and, like every other year for the past 9 years or so, I never got what I truly wanted. There is only one thing that I want... And that's a hug from Mariah Carey. That is all I've wanted for the past 9 Christmas', birthdays and Easters, but somehow none of my friends can get it for me. Maybe I just need new friends. **LOL** Just Kidding!!!

Well I have arrived in the USA!!! Right now, I'm sitting in San Francisco airport waiting for a flight to Redding, CA where Garnet lives. The flight wasn't too bad as I managed to get some sleep, so it went by fairly quickly. First I had to fly from Melbourne to Sydney, then catch a flight to San Francisco. The flight from Sydney took about 12 hours, but I had a shower when I got here, so I'm all refreshed and ready to catch up with Garnet. The flight from San Francisco to Redding is only about an hour, so I should be seeing Garnet REAL soon. I very nearly never made it out of San Francisco airport. Because of the type of visa I had the guy at customs asked me why I needed this visa, and when I told him it was because I was denied a visa in 2001, he directed me to the immigration people. But after I explained my situation, it was all good, and I was on my way.

I'm on a plane writing this entry traveling to Chicago from Redding. It was really great to see Garnet and the family again. Garnet, one of Garnet's friends, Linda, and myself went to a place called Burney Falls which was fun. While I was in Redding, I flew to Phoenix to see Layne and Dan. People kept telling me that phoenix was going to be really hot, but I didn't find it all that hot. Maybe it was the fact that Phoenix is a dry heat and I'm used to more humid weather, like Melbourne. Dan's father is a Colonel in the US Air Force, and I've wanted to be a pilot since I was a little kid, so we got talking about planes. He then offered to take me to the Air Force base where he is stationed, which I happily accepted. He made a phone call to the watchtower, and took me up the watchtower to have a look. Unfortunately it was a Saturday and no aircraft were taking off or landing, but it was still a lot of fun to see what I did see.

I'm still in Chicago, and I'll be here until August 2. So far I have managed to catch up with most of my friends here. All except Andrea. She doesn't have web access so we couldn't stay in touch while I was back home, so I looked her up in the White Pages, and sent her a letter, but I haven't yet got a response. Maybe she has moved since the last White Pages was published??? I will be seeing Crystal next week, and that's always something to look forward to. I have made some new friends while I've been in Chicago, but then it's easy to make friends when the American people are so nice. I've nearly met 2 celebrities while I've been in Chicago, and both occasions were at Johnny Rockets, where I met Ice Cube 4 years ago. First of all, Chris Tucker walked past the restaurant and someone came inside and told me that Chris Tucker just walked past. The second was when Eric Clapton was out the front, and I was inside, and because he had a lot of people with him, they couldn't seat him anywhere so he left. As much as I want to go to Hollywood, I'm going to miss Chicago.

If leaving Chicago wasn't enough, in 4 days I'm going to have to leave America!!! I really don't want to go back to Australia, but know that I have to. It's been a great trip; I've caught up with some old friends and met some new ones. I'm going to miss the people the most as that's what draws me to America to begin with. I will be back, you can count on that. When??? I'm not quite sure. I'm going to go back to Australia and seriously start looking for a job for something to keep my mind occupied so I don't miss America too much.

To all the people who made my trip a wonderful journey, I say THANK YOU!!!

This is it... I'm at LA airport sitting in the First Class Lounge waiting for my flight back to Melbourne (via Sydney). I have had a great Time, and let me just fill you in on some of the things I've done... I went to Six Flags Great America 3 Times. That's in Gurney, Illinois, so I was in Chicago. The first Time I went, I caught public transport there, and the trip there and back was about 6 hours. A long day. The other 2 Times, I went with someone who I met at Johnny Rockets. I saw a whole heap of movies while I was in America, including: Rush Hour 3, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Simpsons Movie, Harry Potter, and a few more that I can't think of right now. I went to see Blue Man in Chicago, twice. Blue Man is a fantastic show that features 3 men who play music with pipes, they have a couple of drummers, and a bit of comedy. I saw them the last Time I was in America in Las Vegas, and so I HAD to go see them again. Also while I was in Chicago I bought the 7th Harry Potter book, and took it with me wherever I went. Then when I got to Hollywood, I finished it. I've read all the books and seen all the movies. While I was in Hollywood, I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I bought a season pass at Great America, so it was natural that I go there. Besides, I love roller coasters!!! 8-] I took a Stars' Homes tour while I was in Hollywood, which was actually better than what I thought it was going to be. A woman from Australia directed the tour, and it was fun. Half way through this entry I had to board the plane, so right now I'm about 2 hours away from Sydney, which is jut a stopover, then I arrive in Melbourne at 9:35am.

I've been home now for a little over 2 weeks, and I couldn't be more miserable. I don't remember being this miserable the last time I came back from America, and I have no idea why I feel like this now. I think it's because I miss America, but I'm just not convinced that that's all it is. It could be a mixture of that, and the fact that I'm back in the one country that I DO NOT want to be in. I know Australia is the country I was born in and I should have some patriotism towards Australia, but I can't help feeling that Australia has let me down. I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again; the people of America treat me better than people over here. People in America treat me as an equal!!!

I'm feeling a little better than what I did in my last entry, which is a plus. I had an appointment with the job agency that I was with last year, and I'm now officially a client of theirs. I forgot to mention that I do have a job, but it's just not enough. I work at a video store, Video Ezy, but it's only a casual thing where the boss calls me when he needs me, and that's not going to keep me busy. So this job agency is going to help me find work, and then they follow up to make sure that I'm doing OK in the job. I'm excited about that because it means that I'm not alone in trying to find a job.

Last weekend was terrible... The Dallas Cowboys lost their first game of the season. They played against the New England Patriots, and I guess the Patriots were just too good for them. I didn't see the game live because in Australia we only get a couple of games of NFL shown here a week. But I did see 3 of the Cowboys' first 5 games live, and they won all those games, so I'm happy about that.

I forgot to mention that on my trip home from the US, I stopped over in Sydney and had to leave the plane so they could clean it, and then get back on. I had my iPod in my hand when I stood up and put it down on the side of my seat so I could get my bag and laptop down from the overhead compartments. After I got them down, I completely forgot about my iPod and just walked off the plane. When I got back on the plane I realized what I had done and told the cabin crew member that I left my iPod on the plane and so they contacted the cleaners who said they didn't find anything. Now I know that I was the last person out of First Class, so it had to have been either a flight attendant or cleaner who picked it up, and that made me so mad. So from now on, I don't fly United!!! The dishonesty they showed me has turned me off flying with them. Next Time I fly to the US, I'm going to try Qantas. I'm going to put in an insurance claim for my iPod, to try and get a new one.

I found out some Time ago that Sarah would be moving in with her boyfriend. That hit me hard. Not because she was moving in with her boyfriend, but because who her boyfriend is. He's a dropkick. None of her family like him, none of her friends like him, simply because he's a loser. They bought a house together in Melton in the outer Western side of Melbourne. Her mom, Joyce, is moving to Rye soon which is in the South Eastern part of Victoria. It just came as a shock to me when I first heard all this, so I went to say goodbye to Sarah and Joyce a couple of weeks ago. When I got to their house Sarah wasn't home, so I sat with Joyce in the backyard and we talked for a while. When Sarah got home, I said hello to her, then when she went inside I left. I couldn't say goodbye to her. Although I know that was possibly the last Time I would see her, I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye.

Also, with there being no chance of either Sarah or Joyce coming back to basketball, I'm seriously considering giving it up. I think I'll put in one more season, then walk away. It's not just Sarah and Joyce who are making me leave, my fitness level is getting worse, and I'm getting fatter. I will be joining a gym very soon, so maybe if I can get my fitness a little better than what it currently is, and IF basketball becomes fun again, then I will keep playing basketball.

OK, I joined the gym. It's a local (to me) YMCA, and I joined last Wednesday. Technically I didn't join until Friday because that's when my fitness assessment was, but I went in and paid for a 6 month membership on Wednesday. Apart from the job agency, it's the only thing I've been excited about for a while. I have another appointment with the YMCA this morning so that they can get me started on the new fitness programme they have written me out. I just can't wait to get back into a gym, because I haven't been to a gym in 13 years, and I had fun back then, so I'm expecting big things from this membership. Judging from my fitness assessment, I have to admit, I am out of shape. Right now, I weigh 293lbs (133kg) and I stand 6'3" (190cm) tall, and my weight goal is to be down to about 220lbs (100kg). I know it's a lot of weight to lose, but I'm confident I can get there.

About 3 weeks ago I finished watching The OC. I had already seen the first 2 seasons on TV, and then when I got back from America in 2007, I bought the 3rd season on DVD. I watched that season and then hired the 4th from Video Ezy. I like to think of myself as a very masculine, and emotionally strong person, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a tear or 2 in my eyes after watching the last episode. I first started watching it when I was in America in 2003, when it had only just started. Then I got home and waited for it to come to Australian TV (back then TV shows took a while to come to Australia, but they're getting better now) and when it did I missed a few episodes, so I stopped watching it. Then when it finally came to cable I made sure I watched every episode, up until the end of season 2. I missed the first couple of episodes of season 3 so I didn't watch it. Right now I'm watching Las Vegas, and I've just started season 2 after watching all of season 1.

The gym is going excellent, better than what I could have hoped for. I've been going every day with the exception of about 3 days, and even though I've only been going for around 3 weeks, I can already start to notice the difference in my fitness. I'm moving around a lot easier, and I don't seem to be as tired as what I was before, which is weird because I thought that the extra exercise would make me more fatigued, but apparently not. It's also fun to go to the gym, because there is nice people who work there, it gets me out of the house, and I know I'm doing good by going. I like to get out of the house more now than right after my accident. Back in 1992, I hardly ever went out, and instead I would stay home and play video games and watch TV. I was really shy back then and conscious about the way I looked and acted. But now I couldn't care less about what people thought of me.

I have now watched the complete Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of Las Vegas, and am waiting for the 4th to come out on DVD (if in fact it isn't already out). It's a really good show if you watch it from the start and know what's going on. That's what I try to tell everyone who watches a TV series from the middle and then say they don't like; watch it from the start.

I'm driving up to Sydney on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) to see Neil and Lorraine and hang out there for a week. I am quite pleased with myself this Christmas, as I went and bought 2 bottles of Mariah Carey's new fragrance as Christmas presents. One bottle I'm giving to Lorraine, and the other I'm giving to my sister, Tennille. I always wanted to buy some Mariah Carey perfume, but I just don't know too many women who would appreciate a gift like that coming from me, so I'm happy that I got to buy 2 bottles and support Mariah.

Let me start this entry by saying that I had a fantastic Christmas. Christmas Day wasn't the best, but the drive up to Sydney the next day was worth it. The Christmas break is usually the loneliest Time of year for me, simply because I don't have anyone special to share it with, but this Time I had a great Time. It was truly a great week.

I got home a week ago, and after recovering from a head cold I started back at the gym on Monday. It's going great at the gym, better than what I thought it would. So far I've lost nearly 9lbs (4kgs) which is pretty good considering I ate heaps over Christmas. 8-]

By the way, I didn't get what I really wanted for Christmas, but hey, my Birthday is only 4 and 1/2 months away!!!

So much for a head cold!!! I thought I was over whatever it was I had, but apparently not. Last Sunday when I woke up, I didn't feel the best, but I got on with my day all the same. I went to the gym at about 6pm, spent 5 minutes on the cross trainer, and then that was it, that was all I could take. So I went home, watched a few hours of TV and went to bed. Bed was the wrong idea, or maybe the cross trainer earlier on was the bad idea because throughout the entire night, my legs were aching severely. I got up the next morning, had a shower and got dressed (and that was not easy), and went straight across the road to the doctor's. My doctor is on long service leave until March, but the doctor I saw prescribed me with some antibiotics and Panamax for the pain in my legs. I'm feeling OK now, and hoping to go back to the gym tomorrow after not going for another week.

I got some bad news a week ago Tuesday; I have to move!!! Apparently the owner of the house wants to sell, and he wants us out before he sells. So for the past week I have been searching the 'Net looking for a new home. It isn't easy to find a house for the same money that you are already paying, as I have now rented and lived in 5 houses and the rent has increased with every house. I started off back in 1995 paying $325 (Australian dollars) per month in rent, and am now looking at paying up to $1,200 per month. But a good side to all this is that while I have been paying more for each house, they have been better houses. So I'm just looking for one that is around the Mill Park area, for that amount of money, and there isn't a whole lot. I've been to look at a couple, I'm just waiting to hear back if I got one of them, but I'm confident I'll find a nice home.

I forgot to say what happened with the iPod that was stolen on the plane. I put in an insurance claim, and when I never heard back from them in a while I went and bought an iPod Touch. But then about a week after I bought it I got a phone call from the insurance company telling me that one was in the mail to me. So now I have an iPod Touch, and an iPod 80GB Video. I haven't taken the iPod Video out of its wrapper yet, because I think I might sell it. I can't wait for the iPhone to come to Australia, because as of yet, we haven't got them over here.

The gym is going excellent. So far I have lost 22lbs (10kg), and I'm still going. I'm quite pleased with myself that I haven't eaten any junk food, although I have been tempted, I keep thinking of how good it is to lose weight and that alone turns me off. Instead I eat a banana.

First thing I'm going to do in this Journal entry is wish Mariah a Happy Anniversary!!! Have a great day Mariah, and I hope ALL your wishes come true.

Still haven't found a house!!! We've been looking and put in a few applications, and actually got accepted into a house, but when Tennille saw it, she thought it was too small. I was close to getting another house, but when I went to see the real estate agent today, they told me my application was unsuccessful. A good thing that happened was that the house we're living in now was sold, and the new owners withdrew the old notice to vacate, and gave us a whole new 60 days to vacate, so now we have until May 9. Hopefully we find a place... SOON. **L**

Right now I'm a little mad (the angry kind of mad). Because Mariah's single (Touch My Body) was released late over here in Australia, and that meant that they had to push back the release date of her album. So instead of getting the album on Wednesday with the rest of the world, I now have to wait until tomorrow. I know it's only a few days, but I've been patiently awaiting this album since last year, and I just want it now. I'm sure the wait is going to be well worth it.

We still haven't found a house, and now I'm starting to get a bit anxious. We've come close to getting a couple of other houses but in the end we didn't get them. The search will continue...

Just over 2 weeks ago I got a new cell/mobile phone. It's a Nokia 6110, and it has a built in GPS. It's a great phone. Before I got the new phone I wasn't in a contract with my phone carrier (Vodafone), but in order to get it I had to enter into a contract. The contract is pretty good though, as I only pay $49 a month and I get $310 worth of credit to use on phone calls and text messages. When I wasn't on a contract I was on a No Plans deal where I only paid for the calls and text that I used, but now that I have $310 worth of credit I've been using my phone a lot more.

Well, we didn't find a house in Time. I'm moving out tomorrow, with help from Simon. At first I was going to stay at Simon's, but then I decided that if I wanted a house in the Northern suburbs I needed to stay close, and Simon lives too far away, so I'm going to stay at Bianca's until I can find a house for Xander and myself. Tennille and Steve are going to his parents' place, and then they are going to find a place of their own. All my furniture is going into storage while I'm at Bianca's, and Xander is coming with me.

Tonight I'm a little nervous, as it's my basketball Grand Final tonight. We played the best team in our division last week in the Semi-Final and won by only one point. I'm just about to head across the road to the Mill Park basketball stadium to get some practice in before the game.

An amazing thing happened a little while back. I went to my car dealer to get my car serviced, and as always I got them to drop me off at Northland while the car was being worked on. Northland is a 5-10 minute drive from there. So I went to the movies to see You Don't Mess With The Zohan, which is something I normally do because I like to give them a bit of Time with my car, and not rush them. While I was watching the movie I had no idea, but in it, Adam Sandler wears 3 different Mariah t-shirts, they play 2 Mariah songs, AND SHE'S IN IT!!! I can't even begin to describe how happy I was when I saw Adam Sandler wearing a t-shirts of hers, let alone seeing Mariah. I thought that was a pretty cool moment, especially when I didn't know.

Another good thing happened in my life since my last entry... I found out that Def Leppard are coming to Australia!!! Bianca read it in the newspaper, then sent me a text, and straight away I sent Carolyn and Kirsty a text to see if they knew. Carolyn had only just found out that day, and Kirsty didn't know yet. At first Carolyn and myself were going to go to all the smaller shows, but then she heard that she had to work in Singapore on the dates that they are touring so she couldn't do it. Then Kirsty said that she wanted to go to a couple of the smaller shows because that's all the time she could get off work, so I've worked it out with her that I will go to them shows with her. I am also going to the Melbourne show. I tried to get 4 tickets to the Melbourne show so I could take Simon (after all he is the one who got me hooked on them), and Bianca & Rob, but in the end I could only get 3 in a row. Then Rob said that he didn't really want to go, so that made life a whole lot easier, and even easier when he said that before he found out that I only had 3 tickets. So I'll be going to the Melbourne show with Simon and Bianca on November 3, then driving to Sydney on November 8 and stay with Neil and Lorraine until November 10. On November 10 Kirsty will be flying into Sydney from Adelaide and I will pick her up from the airport. We'll then drive from the airport to Wollongong to watch the Wollongong show, spend a night in a Wollongong hotel, then get up the next morning and drive down to Canberra to catch the November 11 Canberra show. Once the Canberra show is over, she'll fly back to Adelaide, and I'll drive back to Melbourne. It's going to be great because I have never seen them live, only on DVDs and videos. I'll also be a little disappointed if I don't get to meet them again, even if only once.

I found a house!!! Tennille and Steve are still living at his parents' place, so I'm back on my own. I found a place in Mill Park for $1,235 a month, and while it's a little more than what I had planned on for just myself, I'm totally happy with it. Never have I lived in a house that has a dishwasher, but this place has one. I was only at Bianca's for about 3 weeks before I got accepted, and it's through one of the real estate agents that I wanted to go through. Because I was continuously looking for a place, I got to know the agents pretty well, and there were only a couple that I was really hoping I got a property off, and I got it off one of them. It is going to get a bit lonely, but if I can keep myself busy I'm sure it won't affect me too much.

We lost the Grand Final of basktball, and actually, we didn't even come close. Steve didn't turn up, and in the process lied to me about why he couldn't come, which is why they're still living at his parents' place and are not living with me. I sent a text to Glenn a few weeks ago, and now he's back at basketball after having a bit of Time off. Welcome back Glenn. I've decided to keep going to basketball, and right now I'm taking it season by season. I feel a litle bit fitter since going to the gym and that weighed heavily on the decision to keep playing basketball.

I thought I would put this bit in between the good bits seeing as how I'm in such a good mood, and I don't want to bring it down. I haven't seen Vanda in a while, and a few months ago while having lunch with the Rev, I found out why. I have been sending her text messages with no reply, and then the Rev told me that maybe she thinks I want too much from her. Especially now that she is married, I can totally see where that would be a problem for her. I love Vanda enough to know that she is married and that we will only ever be friends, but I guess she doesn't see it that way. Right now I'm in the middle of writing her a letter explaining my side of events and ofering her a chance to break all communication with me for good. Of course I'm hoping that she sees I want her friendship more than anything, and contacts me.

Lastly, but certainly by no means leastly, I got a job. I went for a job interview last Monday, and then got a phone call from the boss on Wednesday telling me that I got the job. I'm now working for a car repair center washing and detailing the cars once they're finished getting repaired. To start with I'm only working 4 hours a day, 5 days a week but that could change later on to full Time. I have been looking for a job for a while now and it's great to finally be able to say the look is over.

Just a quick entry to let you know how my first Def Leppard concert went. It was awesome!!! Anyone who says they're not good in concert has obviously never seen them before. They played all the songs I wanted them to, and more. Simon came over to my house on the Monday they performed, in the morning, and picked up his ticket so that he could get in on his own. Bianca came to my place when she had finished work, and we drove into the city and parked, then went and had something to eat at Subway before we went to the concert. Simon got there later, but was in Time to see the show. The show was everything I hoped for from them, and I can't wait to drive to Sydney tomorrow.

I want to get this entry posted before Christmas, and Christmas is tomorrow, so I'm doing it now. The reason why it's taken me so long to post this entry is because this entry is all about my trip to New South Wales to watch Def Leppard and I wanted to put as much detail in to it as I could. What I've been doing over the past 6 weeks is adding to this entry slowly as I remembered the details. So here it is, my trip to watch Def Leppard...

Saturday, November 8 started like just about every other day; I got out of bed, had a shower, then had some breakfast. Once I was done getting my shoes and socks on, I packed my Nike sports bag to take to Sydney. By the Time I was ready to go, it was about 9:00am, which was a good Time because every Time I leave earlier I usually get very tired very quickly from the driving. I stopped twice on the way to Sydney; once in Glenrowan (approx. 135 miles/218km from my house), and again in Gundagai (approx. 304 miles/489km from my house) before ending up at Neil and Lorraine's (approx. 504 miles/811km from my house).

The next day (Sunday) Neil, Lorraine and myself drove up to the Blue Mountains to see Lorraine's daughter, Tamara. Then on the Monday, I got up at 5:00am to make sure I had plenty of Time to pick Kirsty up at 8:45am, had a shower and some breakfast, and drove in to Sydney airport. I ended up getting there at around 8am which gave me plenty of Time to park and make it to Kirsty's gate. The plane was around 15 minutes late, but when it did land I got a very nice surprise. I was looking for Kirsty, and when I saw her I made eye contact with her but could see someone out of the corner of my eye to her side. I didn't pay attention to this other person as I thought that it was just someone who Kirsty had met on the plane, but then when Kirsty got closer to me, she motioned towards the other person so I looked. When I first looked I didn't recognize her, but it was Carolyn!!! I was shocked and surprised to see her there, but it was great. There is one thing you have to know about Carolyn and Kirsty, and that's that a few years ago they stopped talking to each other. So when I saw the 2 of them together on the same flight and talking, well, that just made me so happy. Carolyn's work had put back her trip to Singapore back by a couple of weeks, so after seeing Kirsty at the Adelaide Def Leppard show and mending the bridges, she and Kirsty decided to surprise me. I was surprised!!! Carolyn got tickets to both shows and also booked into the motel Kirsty and me stayed in at Wollongong, but couldn't get a room in Canberra so she stayed just down the road.

So we left Sydney airport towards Wollongong (approx. 47 miles/75km) and arrived about 1½ hours later. We all checked into the Motel, then went and found something to eat. After we were done eating, we went back to the motel and got ready for the concert. Kirsty booked the hotel, and couldn't have gotten a better position as it was directly across the road from the WIN Entertainment Centre (the venue where they played). It actually reminded me of the Mariah Carey concert I went to in Boston where the hotel was directly across the road. Only the Mariah concert was a little more exciting; 1) Because it was my #1 Women, and 2) I was in America. Because we had general admission tickets we went over to the stadium about 3pm (the show started at 7pm) to get in front of the line so we could get front row, which we did. We stood right in front of Vivian Campbell (one of their twin lead guitarists). The supporting acts were The Galvatrons and Cheap Trick. Where we standing, Rick Nielson (Cheap Trick's lead guitarist) was in front of us and he had guitar picks stuck to microphone stand and every now and then he would throw one into the audience and get a new from the stand to use. At the Wollongong show there was a security guard behind the gates and he picked up one of the picks and gave it to me. Also, during The Galvatrons and Cheap Trick sets, if you look really carefully, up the back of the stage Rick Allen could be seen watching and listening to their acts. Then after Cheap Trick, Def Leppard came on, and to me the place just came alive. Viv had guitar picks stuck to his guitar and instead of throwing them into the crowd, he would occasionally reach down and hand one to someone in the front row. Usually to a female. Rick Allen (Def Leppard's drummer) was great and sounded so good. It was fantastic standing in front row because it was just how Kirsty and Carolyn had described it; the band right in front of you, and the power of the crowd behind you. At the end of the show, the three of us went around the back of the stadium to try and meet them as they left. All up there was about 15 people waiting to meet them, and after about an hour waiting they drove straight past us all in their Tarago's and kept going.

Next stop was Canberra (approx. 142 miles/229km), which took us about 3½ hours. When we got there, Carolyn walked around the corner to the motel she was staying at and Kirsty and myself booked into our Motel. When Carolyn had booked in she came back to our motel and then we all went and had something to eat before the show. Like Wollongong we got there around 3-4 hours early to line up. While we were lining up, I could hear Def Leppard doing their sound check and I said jokingly to one of the security guards who was walking in and out of the doors that I would appreciate it if he would leave the door open. He said he couldn't, but, that if he was to open the door all the way open every Time he walked through, then he couldn't stop someone looking in and catching a glimpse of them during their sound check. So from then on, every Time he walked through the door, he would open it all the way and go really slow closing it. I thought that was nice of him. We were standing in the same spot as in Wollongong, and this Time when Cheap Trick were playing, Kirsty pointed out Rick Allen to me standing at the back of the stage, so I waved to him, and he waved back!!! Rick Nielson was throwing guitar picks into the crowd as usual, only when I wasn't paying attention to him, he throw one right at me and it hit me in the chest, bounced off and landed on my right arm. Now I have 2 guitar picks from Cheap Trick. During the intermission I had to sit down because my feet were killing me, so I asked the guy behind me if I was to sit down would he be able to help me up (only because of the crowd, otherwise I can get myself up), he said he could so I sat down. While I was sitting down I was listening for one song, For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) by AC/DC, because that was the song that was on right before they came on in all their other shows. I eneded up getting a bit anxious and asked him to help me up a couple of songs before that. It wasn't hard to tell that that was the last song because when it came on the volume was turned up a little. Now, every Time I hear that song, or just get reminded of it and sing it in my head, it reminds of the anticipation and anxiety I went through knowing that my favorite band was about to come on and tingles go up my spine. At the start of the Def Leppard set they had a little something that went through their history then they came out singing Rocket. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again... Tney were AWESOME!!! Vivian Campbell was doing his usual thing in picking out certain females in the crowd and handing them a guitar pick, only this Time, one of those women was Carolyn. I was so happy for her that she got a guitar pick off him. When the show was over, they were saying their goodbyes to the audience and I was standing a few people behind the platform in the middle of the stage, and Rick Allen threw his glove into the crowd. Had I have been a bit closer, I could have easily reached out and grabbed it, but unfortunately it was not meant to be. After the show we did the same thing we did as the last show and went around the back to try and meet them. My feet were still hurting so I was sitting down for some of the wait. After around an hour or so Carolyn got my attention and said, there you go, whilst pointing down the ramp to the inside of the stadium. There was definitely a hint of disappointment in her voice as she said it and I thought for sure she was pointing to their Tarago driving past us again. But they weren't. Instead, she was pointing at Rick Allen and Phil Collen walking up the ramp to sign aiutographs and take photos. That right there made the whole trip worth it!!! Rick Allen is my hero, and to meet him for the second Time and have him happily take photos was just an honor. It was the first Time I had met Phil, and it was also an honor to meet him as he was a nice person also. While Rick and Phil were signing things for the crowd of about 15, Joe Elliott, Rick Savage and Vivian quietly made their exit in a Tarago. I think she was disappointed when she saw just Rick and Phil and knew that Viv wasn't going to make an appearance. Correct me if I'm wrong Carolyn??? It was great to meet Rick again, and I hope that Def Leppard come back Down Under soon.

After I dropped Carolyn and Kirsty off at Canberra airport I made my way back to Neil and Lorraine's (approx. 146 miles/235km). I knew I wouldn't make it all the way to Melbourne from Canberra mid afternoon, so I asked them if it would be alright if I was to drive back to their place, spend another night, then drive home the morning after. They said yes, so that's what I did. All up, I drove about 1,343 miles/2161km, and I personally think that's a fair effort for 6 days of driving. But of course it was worth every single mile!!!

Another quick entry just to wish Mariah a very Happy Anniversary!!! I hope you enjoy!!!

This entry is all about updating on all the things I haven't followed through with. I feel like I have a lot of loose ends so I will attempt to rectify that by finishing them off here... Along with a few new things...

Do you remember that job I got back in July of last year??? It didn't last long. You see I was hired by one manager, a week after I started he left and the assistant manager moved up to manager, then a week after that the new manager fired me. The reasons he gave were totally false, but because I was still in the probationary period, there is not a real lot I can do. So now I'm looking for a new job. That's all I want to say about that because I was filled with anger when it happened, and it still angers me just thinking about it.

I sent that letter off to Vanda, but the only address I had of hers was a business address out of the phone book, and she mustn't practice there anymore because the letter was returned to me unopened. I would like to think that's the case and not that SHE returned it. Either way, it just goes to show how much she thinks of me. She hasn't contacted me since I sent her a Happy Birthday text a while ago. I've already said my goodbyes to Sarah (sort of **S**) and now it looks like I'm going to have to do the same with Vanda. I want to call her, but am too afraid that she really doesn't want to know me anymore. I will ask the Rev next Time I see him as to what I should do, even though I'm sure of what he's going to say.

I had another good Christmas last year. I drove to Sydney to see Neil and Lorraine like the previous year, but this Time I didn't get sick. That was probably due to the fact that I got sick a little before Christmas and it was all cleared up by Christmas. I didn't get the ultimate present, but I did get a few good ones. My mum gave me Def Leppard's new album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. The only reason why I didn't get it myself earlier was because I knew someone would buy it for me. For my last Birthday back in May Bianca gave me Season 2 of The Ghost Whisperer, so for Christmas I gave her Season 1 of How I Met Your Mother and she got season 4 of Boston Legal for me. Simon gave me a Nike shirt, and Neil and Lorraine gave me a clock for my kitchen and a steamer to cook food in. I feel really good again because my mum's Birthday was in January and I bought her a bottle of Mariah Carey perfume, the gold edition. Also for my Birthday, Simon gave me Season 1 of The Ghost Whisperer.

Las Vegas still isn't out on DVD, but then it started on cable a few weeks ago so I've been watching it on TV. Other shows I've been watching on TV include: Kyle XY, Friday Night Lights, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Packed To The Rafters and Shark. On top of that I've been downloading the latest episodes of: Prison Break, Heroes, Life On Mars, Lost, Breaking Bad and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. What I normally do is download a couple of episodes, then transfer them to my iPod Touch and watch them on the train when I travel into the city to see my employment consultant. I won't bother getting Las Vegas on DVD as it's already on TV.

A bit of news on the job front. Although I only lasted 2 weeks at my last job it hasn't soured my prospects of finding a job where I will be appreciated. Where I get my hair cut/styled there are 2 brothers who own the business, and one of the brothers, Dave, has offered me some voluntary work at his son's football (Aussie Rules) games. I'm going to be the referee's escort. Because of the parents getting a bit carried away with the game, the referees don't feel safe, so my job will be to escort the referee onto the field, and then escort him/her off the field and make sure no parents harass him/her. Although I know very little about Aussie Rules football I am learning. There is a woman who works with Dave and his brother, Dino, and her name is Linda. Dave used to do my hair for the first few years that I went there, then when Linda started Dave asked her if she wanted to do my hair and she said yes, so now I leave my hair in Linda's hands. Well the three of them all follow different Aussie Rules (AFL, not Dave's sons competition) teams, so I decided that I (sort of) follow Dave's team, Collingwood Magpies. So now that I am following a team and I have a job at football matches, I will be learning about the game real quick. Because Dave's son, Luke, only plays on a Sunday, that will be the only day I will be needed, but it's good to considered. One thing I have to say before I end this part of my entry; about 6 weeks ago I went in to Linda and I asked her to shave my head... Bald. Well, she really didn't want to so she asked me if I was really that bored with my hair and I told her that I was. So then she asked me if I trusted her, to which I said yes, so she put blonde tips in my hair. It's a big deal for me as I've never had my hair colored... Ever. Most of my friends who see me for the first Time since I got it done straight away look at my hair and don't say a thing. I hate that because I want them to give me feedback. I like it, but I want to know what other people think of it.

I am not looking forward to winter. You see, about 7 years ago, I loved the cold and hated the heat. But I think because I have spent so many summers over in America then coming back here for another summer it has acclimatized me to the heat, and now I hate the cold. Simon bought me a sweater/jumper about 8 years ago, and at the Time I thought "why is he buying me this for a present"??? But last winter I wore that sweater more Times than I wore it the whole seven years I had owned it before then. I even bought an electric blanket last winter, and I haven't owned one of them since I was 10. Anyone who hasn't got one, who lives in a place where it gets cold, I strongly suggest you buy one. They are great. Thanks mum for the vouchers.

I'm still going to the gym, although I think I may need to step it up a little. I lost about 33lbs/15kg in the first 7 months, then came my Birthday and I got a little down. Not depressed, just down. When I feel down I usually eat, and I just fell out of the routine of eating healthy and the end result was that I put back on about 26lbs/12kg. But since then I have lost another 15lbs/7kg so I am on the right track, I just think I need to push myself a little harder. It's difficult for me because of my disability, because I can't just get up and exercise without some pain. My whole body is wound up real tight, so I'm not the most flexible person, and that there is the problem. But I'm pretty sure that if I persevere with it I'll get down to my goal weight of 220lbs/100kg... Eventually. I have already noticed my fitness has increased, so that's motivation enough to keep at it.

The last Time I commented on the Dallas Cowboys, they made the Finals that season, but lost in the first round. Then last season they didn't even make the Finals. Now that they have released Terrell Owens, who knows how they'll do. But I hope they return to the form they were in when they won the 1996 Superbowl soon. I watched that match live.

It was my birthday 3 days ago, and I have to say, this was one of the better ones. My mum came down from Sydney, and then Bianca and Rob came over, and Tennille lives with me again. Yes, things didn't quite work out at Steve's parents' place. Steve isn't here, just Tennille. Steve stayed with his parents and that's the way it's going to stay unless Tennille wants to move out and move in with him. I have mended the bridges with Steve and Tennille, so we are now back on speaking terms. I was speaking to Steve a little while ago, and he was saying how he wanted to sell his PlayStation 3, and then I remembered the debt he owed me from when he left my place back in May last year. I made a deal with him; he give me the PlayStation 3, and I wipe his debt me clear, and he accepted so I now have a PlayStation 3. The debt was $250 so it was a good deal. As well as my mum, Bianca and Rob, Tennille and Steve, Simon came over with his partner, Maria, and their 2 kids, Lili and Daisy. As for birthday presents, mum gave me another sweater (she also bought me one late last year) and $50 worth of iTunes vouchers; Bianca and Rob gave me season 3 of The Ghost Whisperer; Simon and Maria gave me 2 PlayStation 3 games; and Tennille and Steve gave me a Jordan t-shirt. I am still awaiting a present from Neil and Lorraine because when I checked my P.O. Box on the day of my birthday it wasn't there, and then I forgot to check it when I went back to Preston on Friday. Also, I told Dave on the Sunday before my birthday when the day was, and he remembered and gave me a card. Actually he gave me 2 cards; one from him and his family; and one from him, Dino and Linda. It's always nice to get unexpected cards from people. I know I must sound like a broken record, but I'm going to keep bringing it up until I get it... No ultimate gift!!! Fortunately my birthday and Christmas' are getting easier to deal with even without that special someone. I'm still positive that it's going to be my turn to find someone one day, because if I wasn't I would have "checked out" a long Time ago.

We played in yet another Grand Final at basketball on Friday night, and lost again. The team we played actually remind me of another team who we played a couple of years back in Grand Finals and lost to every Time. This is the second Time we have lost to this team in a Grand Final, and it's not fun. We beat them twice in the regular season, but then Finals are a totally different game. Scores were close for a while but then they just overpowered us. Next season we are at a whole new venue, Methodists Ladies College in Kew, which should be good because it means no more 10:00 games. In fact, because only division 2 are going to the new venue, it means that the latest possible game Time is 7:50pm. I'd like to send a big hello and thank you out to Vern who I have gotten to know ever since I started playing at Hawthorn. The thank you is for being a friend and a good basketball referee, and for always calling fair games. Thanks.

I helped Dave out at the football today, and I have to admit, it's more fun that what I thought it would be. I've been going for about 6 or 7 Sundays now and I like it because it gets me out of the house and gives me something to do.

One thing I forgot to mention in the update post I wrote a while back was the iPhone. I want one so bad, but right now I just can't justify a new phone with my Nokia still being on contract. My contract runs out in April of next year, so I think I might get one then. Although, if it's not too much to break the contract, I think I might get one sooner. Especially now that the iPhone 3GS is here, which came to Australia just last week.

We played basketball at a new stadium about a month ago, and I have to say, I like it. It's just a great atmosphere.

While we're on the subject of doing new things, on May 31, after the football with Dave and Luke, Dave said he was going to watch Collingwood play that evening. I asked him if it was alright if I came with him, and he said yes so Dave, his wife Mary, his daughter Laura, Luke and I all went into the city to watch the football. It was the first professional football match I had EVER watched live at the stadium. It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and it was excellent. The seats we got were just great and the crowd just put the icing on the cake.

I got some Britney Spears tickets!!! Tennille has a friend who said she had some already, so Tennille looked up Ticketek (the company you buy the tickets from) on the internet, and they had a pre-sale. The only problem was, was that you needed a Visa card to buy them, and I have a MasterCard. So I rang Simon but he has a MasterCard also so I rang Bianca. It turns out that Bianca has a Visa card so I asked her if I could use hers to buy them and I would pay her back. Bianca said yes so I bought 2 tickets, and I'm so happy that I got some, and that they're pretty good seats. It's going to be good to see Britney, because I have already seen Mariah and Def Leppard in concert and all that will be left to see will be Shania and then I will have seen all my favorite musical acts live.

I'm going to the football again. You see, Rob follows a team in the AFL, Carlton, and apparently Carlton and Collingwood have a bit of a rivalry going on, so when I told him I followed Collingwood, he was devastated (not literally). So he invited me to a game between Carlton and Collingwood which is tonight. He thinks he's going to convert me to a Carlton supporter, but once my mind is made up on something, it's pretty hard to change me. It's still going to be fun.

We have a few weeks off basketball because we have a bye tonight and then the school that we play in are doing something with the courts for 2 weeks, so we don't play again until August 14. We're not doing too well this season, as we have won 1 game, lost 4 and had 1 tie. I'm glad that this is the winter season, because the winter season is longer than the summer season, which means we have more games to get back up the ladder.

I know it's been a while since I updated my blog, and a lot of stuff has happened in that time, so I'm going to try my best to get through the important bits, and then soon I'll catch you up on the rest of it. First up I have some crappy news, then I promise I'll end on a high and finish with some excellent news.

September 2010 was a month I'd much rather forget. My nana turned 90 on September 8, and my mum was throwing her a birthday party. So I organised a road trip to drive from Melbourne to Sydney for the weekend of September 4 & 5. I have driven to Sydney many times in the past, most of the time on my own. Just passed Albury (about 2½ hours from Melbourne) my whole world changed. I was driving along in the right hand lane of a 2 lane highway (2 lanes each way with a big grassy divider seperating them), when I yawned. As my yawns usually are, this was quite a deep yawn, and I knew that I was going to close my eyes for a split second in the middle of the yawn, so I tried to keep the steering wheel straight. The wheel must have turned slightly to the right because as soon as my opened, I heard gravel, then before my eyes focused properly I heard my mirror smash against the fence. In a natural reaction I tried to steer away from it but I steered a little much and ended up spinning out of control, crashing into the fence on the opposite side of the road before coming to a stop. Unfortunately for me, driving behind me was an off-duty SES (State Emergency Service) officer and driving behind her was an off-duty paramedic. I say that was unfortunate because when they pulled over to help they wouldn't let me move, much less get out of the car. I was fine, shaking a little more than usual, but otherwise I was ready to get out and walk it off. The paramedic called for an ambulance and the SES officer called her people, and when they all arrived they made a decision to cut me out of the car. I tried to tell them that I was fine, but they were just following protocol. So they cut the side pillar out and then slid me out of the car. As soon as they cut the side pillar, my car became a write-off. So I have been without a car now for over a year, and it's very depressing. I try my hardest to hide it from friends and family, and I am trying to stay positive, but deep down I know that I'm falling apart. Driving for me is like heaven; I'm equal with all the other drivers on the road because I can drive just like them and I'm not slower than everyone else, unlike outside of a car. The Global Financial Crisis that the world is going through has wiped off a great deal of my investment portfolio, and so the car I want is a little too pricy right now without extra money coming in. My car was fully insured and I did get some money back for it, but I really don't want to buy a second hand car, so I'm now looking for a job harder than ever. The employment agency I was with closed down, so now I have found a new one and hopefully they can help me find a job. Then about 4 weeks after I got back to Melbourne, my house got robbed. I know who it was too, it was someone who I helped out by letting them stay with me when they had nowhere else to go. For obvious legal reasons I can't say this person's name A number of things tell me it was this person; There was no forced entry and I lock my place up tight so they must have had a key, what was taken (My TV, PlayStation 3, xBox 360, a couple of old cell phones, camera and a bit of stuff that I had taken out of my car after the accident). What wasn't taken was about $100 worth of casino chips from my bedroom that I had put on my dresser in my bedroom after this person had moved out. There is nothing of great value in my bedroom, and only a person who was familiar with my house would know that, so if it was a random burglary the person would checked my bedroom and taken the casino chips. After the burglary, I moved house, again. Every time I go over all this in my head, thinking of what I'm going to put in my blog, it's always seems so dark, so I'm going to leave it there.

This isn't the excellent news that I was talking about, but it's still very good. Def Leppard are touring again!!! I've been in touch with Carolyn and Kirsty, and this is what's going to happen: I'm flying over to Adelaide (normally I'd drive) tomorrow, and I'm going to stay with Carolyn for 2 nights. The 3 of us are going to the Adelaide show on Tuesday night, then I'm flying home to Melbourne on Wednesday. On Friday, Carolyn is flying in to Melbourne and she's going to stay with me 2 nights, then Kirsty and her boyfriend (Danny) are flying in on Saturday and they're staying with me Saturday night. The Melbourne show is on Saturday. Carolyn, Kirsty and Danny are flying home Sunday. It's going to be awesome!!! As I have to catch the bus to the airport tomorrow, and it's a morning flight, I have to get out of bed at 4am, so I'm writing this post rather quickly. I will put up another post just after the 2 concerts are over and tell you about them.

The Britney Spears concert was good. It was a bit off putting knowing that she didn't sing live, but it was still good. I ended up taking Bianca with me as a thank you for allowing me to use her credit card to book the tickets.

I have to explain something... You see, I'm from Sydney, and Sydney's major football code is rugby league. Melbourne's is Australian rules football. They are 2 completely different games and so depending on where you are from, you like one better than the other, so that is why I never really followed or understood Australian rules football. When Dave asked me to be umpire escort for Luke's football matches, I didn't know much about Aussie rules simply because I didn't want to, but I like it now. Know one thing though... I still prefer rugby league!!! 8-] The team I follow in rugby league is the Cronulla Sharks and I have done ever since I was a little kid. Since I posted last about going to watch Collingwood play, I have been to one more game which brings the total of games I've been to to 3.

I finally got an iPhone!!! Towards the end of 2009 I upgraded my 6110 Navigator to an iPhone 3GS. Then at the end of 2010 the phone started to plsy up. The Home button was becoming increasingly difficult to push, so I went to Vodafone (my phone carrier) and asked them to fix it knowing that I had purchased an extended warranty. I buy extended warranties for everything I can just in case things like this happen. Apparently, Vodafone never had any record of me buying an extended warranty and were not willing to fix it, so after a couple of months of trying to sort it out, I ended up switching carriers and upgraded again to an iPhone 4. I was with Vodafone for 12 years and to have them do that to me was a big slap in the face. I'm now with Telstra, and I have to say, they're excellent. They have the best network coverage in Australia, so compared to Vodafone the service is outstanding.

Linda is no longer my hairdresser. Linda fell pregnant and left the salon, so now my new hairdresser is Monique. Since Linda left a couple of years ago, she has had another baby and as far as I know she's happy. Monique is great. So far she has done a few crazy things with my hair including; putting a blonde stripe diagonally down the back of my head, dyeing a tic tac toe board (complete with a couple of nought and crosses) and then she shaved a Jordan symbol in the back. Don't mistake me, Linda was very good, but Monique is comfortable enough to take on the unusal requests. I didn't take on the role of umpire escort for Luke's football this year because Luke didn't play this year, but Dave told me the other day that Luke intends on playing next year so I will be doing that next year.

Now for that excellent news I mentioned earlier... The employment agency I was going through closed down about midway through 2009, but before they closed they got me into a course. The course was Certificate IV in Information Technology and it was great. Because of a whole heap of forms and some unfinished business with applying for a government benefit, it meant that I missed the start of the course. The program that I qualified for to do the course was also closing down, and seeing as how that was the last time I could have done that course with government funding, they decided to throw me in at the deep end and start me in the already started course. I ended up starting about a month or so late, but with some hard work I caught up on the months work plus did all the other work in time to graduate with the rest of the class. The only reason why I did that course was to update my resume to show that I had a recent Certificate IV instead of just having a 11 year old Certificate II. That course lasted for 6 months and so at the end of 2009 I started to look for a job on my own seeing as how the employment was no longer there. At the start of 2010 I got a phone call from the college I did the Certificate IV at, asking me if I wanted to come and do a Diploma of IT, and I hadn't found a job at that point so I said yes, and now I have a Diploma of IT. For those of you not living in Australia, don't try and match it up with your schooling system because ours is a little different. All you need to know is that a Diploma in Australia is not university degree, but it is the first year of one. So if I wanted to do a university degree, the first year would be exempt.