Writers Workshop

Time again for Mama Kats writers workshop. Great prompts this week, and I have chosen:

4.) Hi, my name is Michelle and I am a wannabe rockstar. I have always been interested in music, how it's made and how it sounds. When The Hubbster and I first started going out, hmm that would be over 20 years ago, we dabbled with the electric guitar. We both had guitars and amps, and took lessons from this ditzy lady who said she was a guitar teacher, but I'm not sure that was the case. As I am left handed, that kinda threw her.

Next I started playing the drums. We bought a huge, noisy drum kit and I took lessons from a guy, who was amazing and who gave me hope and inspiration. I remember sitting at the practice drum kit, while he sat next to me at his, fascinated by how he did those drum solos, just like the professionals. He was great. My drum playing came in handy at my hens party, when full to my eyelids on malibu and coke, I performed amazing drum solos, missing several important sections of the routine. Actually I missed hitting the drums several times. Funnily enough, no one noticed.

When the children were born, we sold the drum kit, as it was just too damn noisy. Which brings me to my latest adventure. Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Brandi Carlile in concert. You can read about my exploits here. She was so amazing and talented, I immediately wanted to learn guitar, again, properly this time, not from some nutter like before.

I happened to mention this to my father in law, a few days before my birthday last year. As a fellow music buff, who plays several different instruments, he most promptly went to down to his local music store and arranged for me to collect a brand new guitar.


Here is my Martinez acoustic/electric left handed cutaway guitar. I instantly fell in love with it, caressed it, kissed it and vowed to play it everyday. I decided against lessons as the internet has some great guitar how to's for the beginner. I started off well, learning some chords and managing to play a couple of tunes. My fingers formed calluses, and I was well on the way to being a wannabe rockstar.


Oh here I am, pretending to know how to play the guitar whilst thinking "how the hell do I play this thing?"

One day I played a song for The Hubbster, to which he responded with "I have no idea what you are playing". My goal in life was to play a song that he could recognise. It was "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison, for God's sake!

We moved to our farm, 10 months ago and my black guitar was stored away with the rest of our things. I have only this week brought it out, dusted it off and tuned it up. Which was tough in itself. I am now back to the beginning, relearning chords, toughing up my fingertips, and hoping like hell my guitar playing doesn't sound like a screeching cat. And my goal is still to play something that The Hubbster recognises. And to perform on Australian Idol. *joke*.

Our early start today

I woke up this morning with a big, ripe pimple smack bang in the middle of the bridge of my nose. I couldn't have centred it better had I drawn it on with a texta. I mean, what am I, a frickin' teenager?

I whinged to The Hubbster and he took a close look and said....BAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Great, thanks for the support buddy. All I can say is thank God for concealer.

We had a very early start today. We woke around 6am and left home by 6.45am to get The Hubbster to the airport. He's off to the specialist to see about his a) sore knee (football injury) and b) sore foot (old age *snigger*).

My daughter said "Daddy I hope the wing doesn't fall off the plane" and Daddy says "well Honey, me too!"

I said "Don't forget to eat everything they give you". It's a bit of a family joke when someone flies, to be told to eat everything on the plane. It's kinda funny when you're there, I suppose.

The Hubbster said "if you see a snake, get the keys, the gun and the ammo and shoot it" to which I reply with a stunned silence. Lucky I have been having shooting lessons with our new double barrelled shotgun, shooting milk containers and peanut butter jars, and I must say I am a damn good shot!

Of course I am all for conservation, but if I have to choose between my kids, and a snake getting too close, well sorry snake you're history.

Twilight.. Again.

You may remember the issues I have with the "phenomenon" of Twilight, as discussed
here and here and also here.

And how I put it all away in favour of The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

Which may I say still rocks my world, as I am reading book 5 and am totally in lust with Vampire Eric *drool*.

Well something strange is overcoming me. I just watched the trailer for the upcoming second installment in the Twilight series - New Moon. And I have to say, I am looking forward to it! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the character of Jacob plays a more noticeable role in this film.

He was one of the only characters I liked in the first film, and he gets a meatier role in this one. Apparently. The film features werewolves, here they are and I don't care if they have airbrushed abs:-

Now if they would only replace the two leads of Bella and Edward - Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, (which I don't see happening any time soon, lest a riot on our hands we will get), I may get the books out again and read them. Sincere apologies to the Twilight nutters out there, but these two annoy the crap outa me.

And while I am on this train of thought, Charlaine Harris (author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries) writes of vampires, werewolves, shapshifters and various creatures in her books, the first one being published in 2001. Twilight was published in 2005. Kinda makes me wonder where Stephenie Meyer (author of Twilight) got her ideas from. In both stories, the female lead character has a very close male friend who is in love with her, and who changes into a dog.... ummm hello.

C'mon get it started already

I am so impatient, it hurts. Our builder was supposed to start today the 17th, but he has another week of finishing his current project so we are put back about a week. I am so antsy, I just want to see a start. I have waited for this long, one more week won't kill me.

I heard another great report about him today, so I do know we have done the right thing. Let's hope next week I can post the first pic in the series of "Farmers Wife and the faceless house that is FINALLY getting started".

Blog Fart Friday.. um Sunday

I probably need to do another blog fart Friday, to fill you in on what's been happening, as I have lots of little tidbits that don't deserve their own post. But it's not Friday, it's Sunday so I'll do a blog fart Sunday which doesn't have the same ring to it, but that's all your'e gonna get so just enjoy!

* we have used up all of our internet hours, and we used them BY the 14th of the month, so I need to keep away from youtube as that's what is eating our hours. Now we are back to dial up, or by the condition of our internet, SLOWER than dialup, so I am ready to either pull my hair out strand by strand, stay off the computer or poke my eye out with a stick.. whatever comes first.

* we had a great weekend with Mr T's football and a ten pin bowling birthday party yesterday, a playdate today, a game of tennis with the kids this afternoon and Australian Idol tonight. A few glasses of wine and some sunshine has added to the happiness I feel!

* Miss D and I watched the movie Hairspray last night. I had seen it before but I wanted her to watch it as she is doing a jazz dance routine to one of the songs in the movie. I loved it just as much as the first time I saw it. I felt like dancing myself. And I gotta say, I am a married hetrosexual mum of three, but Queen Latifah singing Big, Blonde and Beautiful is smokin' hot...

* our builder was supposed to be starting on the house tommorrow, but he has to finish his current job so we are put back about a week. Which seems like a month because I have been waiting in anticipation for the 17th.....I have waited this long, one more week won't kill me.

* the weather is glorious here at the moment, unseasonally warm temperatures for August. What the hell will it be like during summer?? if this is what we are getting now.

* I went to the gym today and killed myself on the treadmill.

* I am determined to get my guitar out of its dusty storage this week, and start playing again. Or as The Hubbster would say, strangling the cat again.