I love this song. Originally written by Joni Mitchell whilst looking out of the window of an airborne plane. Which is exactly what I am doing right now! I have never written a blog 35000 feet in the air, in fact I am not sure I have ever written anything 35000 feet in the air, except maybe an immigration card. But I have 17 hours to kill and I don't do movies or reading all that well in the air. Music yes - movies and reading no. Must be something to do with my eyesight and motion sickness. Or I'm just waiting patiently to die. To really look at life from both sides. But then it wouldn't be life.
My nephew Isaac and I are off to Florida. He is my only nephew - I am his only Aunty - We have no choice. We are stuck with each other.
It hasn't been a long term plan, it all came about quite suddenly actually - but here we are. Bonding. Good Lord who knew that 16 year old boys never. stop. eating. Ever!
I never thought I would have the opportunity to look at life from the responsible parental side - but here I am. I've already misplaced my phone and my wallet and my mind. I don't know who is keeping an eye on who here but I'm keeping up appearances. I only see Isaac 3 or 4 times a year. But at 16 I now realise we can look at each other without speaking and sense each others thoughts. It must be a DNA thing.
We are off to Winter Garden near Orlando to visit Isaac's godparents Colin and Sara and we are pretty darn excited! I have even become a short term Florida blonde! And we have already agreed
#whathappensinfloridastaysinflorida!
I have never been to the eastern side of the USA. Only the west side and of course Hawaii. And Isaac has never been to the States at all so this was a first for us both. Immigration was a little confronting - it was helpful that we both carry the same last name and they were convinced I was not kidnapping a teenager who is 6 inches taller than me!
In the last few months I have been to a run of concerts. All of them superb and all of them artists imitating the genuine artist. I know there is a word for that but we are experiencing a few bumps up here and I can't think of it right now.
All I can think is why isn't the Captain flying higher! Or lower, or left, or right! Stat!
Simon and Garfunkel, Carol King and Adele.
In fact I have worked out that if I listen to Adele sing 'Hello' 170 times we will be on approach to Dallas- Fort Worth Texas! That doesn't seem too painless now does it?
I think it's an excellent way of looking at things.
Hello from the outside.. I must have called a thousand times ..
Hello from the outside.. I must have called a thousand times ..
Hello from the outside.. I must have called a thousand times ..
In the early 1980's I saw the real Simon and Garfunkel in Brisbane at the then Lang Park. I remember it was fantastic. In the 1990's I saw Art Garfunkel at the Palais in Melbourne. Also fantastic. There is slim to no chance that we will ever see these guys reunited one last time but I have to tell you these copy boys were awesome. I cringe at this overused word but we are still travelling on this bumpy road up here and I am feeling around for my ginger pills. I am.
For the last 6 months I have once again been commuting over the bridge each day while waiting for my new little shack to be completed in June 2017. It is still ghastly, even worse than 3 years ago - the only difference being that the little red bambino with the 6 speeds, and outrageously overpriced parts had to be traded in. I was immensely gutted. I miss it so much. I have a black car now. It has absolutely no personality whatsoever save for a black pineapple decal. The only thing that I really love about it is that it is automatic. I can actually walk when I get home after battling the bridge. Except for the week I had to have 11 injections in my foot to kill off a troublesome nerve (which ended my tap dancing career) with radio frequency ablation. And the side from which I was looking at that little procedure was not all that flash! Three years back I wrote how my boss, the Principal had resigned.
I'd only worked with her 18 months! And now it's gone and happened again.
And now I go through the wondering and waiting - what will happen to little old me.
It's immensely unsettling.
One of my friends introduced me to a version of 'Sound of Silence' by Disturbed.
In comparison to the Simon and Garfunkel original it is a very grungy, earthy rendition and it is fabulous.
Almost awesome.
Except of late I often think how much the sound of silence really is disturbing.
Worrying. Confusing. In so many ways.
But now - having escaped Hurricane Matthew by 10 days, the Zika virus and alligator attacks - here we are at home. Both of us back at school.What a wonderful adventure we had. Such a beautiful warm welcome and an itinerary perfectly balanced with up time and down time. I think we did it all! Sea World, Cape Canaveral, Disney Springs, Outlet shopping, professional soccer and NFL games, Wild Florida, Airboat rides, swimming, rain, sun and humidity. And boy do I mean humidity. 34' with 98% humidity. Trust me - it was sweat running down your cheeks hot. That would be the cheeks on your face! Cheeky!
Oh and did I mention my Cabana. Well if I saw life from the other side it was in my Cabana. My very own Cabana. With a TV and a fan and a fridge. Six feet away from the adults only pool. With staff fawning all over me. And my name written in the sky! Yes really! No not really - I thought it was SUSI but it was actually JeSUS Loves. Oh well!
I was getting a little full of myself.
It was difficult to decide whether to hang in my suite ( yes suite ) or my Cabana. The "Pretty Woman" moments were heady!
The only thing missing were some friends of legal age to help me decide between a margarita or a daiquiri!
Best Godparents ever! ( actually the other one is awesome too .. just in case she is reading this! )
And eating - yes we did. No paleo, gluten free, high fat low fat no fat. No gigantic portions. Just really great southern food. With a few hot dogs and mexican grub thrown in.
My favourite night was at the Ritz Carlton. Eating my Key Lime Pie. A little slice of heaven. Secretly, I really didn't want to but I shared it with Team Florida.
Having never been a parent and never understanding the tremendous responsibility of the role I now have a different perspective of the admiration I feel for parents.
We had a wonderful time in Florida Isaac and I, but when the wheels downed in Sydney and we basically ignored each other to be cool - while simultaneously high five-ing and hugging that we had made it there and back without incident - I felt the great weight of responsibility lift. Well actually there was one incident when I threw the teddy out of the pram on the 17 hour flight home, having been travelling 7 hours already, and there was nothing left to feed my boy except fruit salad - FRUIT SALAD!! Stern words to Qantas have been spoken. I know forever more I will be a marked person but hey! I will give you some advice - NEVER EVER sit in row 28 on an A380 in Premium Economy unless you love Fruit Salad. Because that is all that is ever left to eat. Or so they tell you. Until you have a meltdown and suggest to the jumped up twenty something year old flight attendant that if for $5500 you cannot find me one sausage on this whole freaking aircraft then send the Customer Services Manager down to me NOW!! It worked. I scared everyone around me, I even scared myself a little bit but our boy got to eat.
And yay me I say. I do.
However - since stern words were emailed I have received a phone call from a crew member agreeing with every word I said! And on my way home from a quickie to Brissy last weekend the Customer Services Manager on the flight came and singled me out and we had a very nice chat. Indeed. Seems I am a marked person but maybe in a very nice way.
Even though I wasn't really ready to leave such a wonderful holiday, I was quite sad - it was such an immense relief to arrive home safely from Florida .. until the grim discovery that I was sans handbag. That would be handbag containing wallet, passport, cards, glasses etc etc etc.
The only thing I had was my phone in my hand. Through fatigued tears tears and more tears I called Melbourne Airport to no avail. I was overwhelmed and resigned. Finally I was put through to a message service and between sobs I left my name and phone number. I could barely understand myself. And then I headed back to Tullamarine. The trolley that had my little Lulu Lemon handbag resting in was gone. The trolley had been collected. More uncontrollable tears. I was officially done in. Fatigued.
So I headed to the lost property desk which doubled as a tour desk where a young man was seated. That poor kid. And in between more tears he finally figured out what I was trying to say and he reached down under his desk and pulled out Lulu. Is this it he said?
If life hands you a lemon - make sure it's a Lulu!
From despair to euphoria in 5 seconds.
Jesus really does love!
I've looked at life from both sides now.
Well in the past 5 weeks anyway.
I am going back to the brunette side.
And no - I really don't know life at all. Still.
Both sides now - with a French view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alDjmCnOQYg
