The Dark ages

The dark ages fell upon our house on the 8th of July when Telstra announced that we had gone over the 60gb download and now had to pay 15cents per mb. How can anyone download 60gb in 2 weeks......well, when 18 year olds return home ...that's how!
So we now have 17 days left until it kicks over to the new month and even after 2 days we still (all 6 of us) wander around the house, aimlessly staring into space because for the first time in 12 years I have switched the cable modem off.
In half an hour of us having to pay per mb we had already used 220 mb which is about $33.00.
That was within the first 30 minutes, imagine after 17 days!!!!
My dear ol' dad is letting me use his computer/net for banking and stuff. I do everything online. EVERYTHING.
The youngest kids are upset because their crops are dying in Farmtown. I am unable to read blogs and my husband cant peruse the pages and pages of Frothers forums at 4:30 in the morning.
17 days to go
I have cleaned every draw in the house and that was after 2 days.
I really am that addicted. My whole family is that addicted.
Ill be back in 17 days 6 hours and 24 minutes. Until then I will have to learn to communicate with people using my verbal real life talking skills. No more MSNing my son to come in for dinner.
No more telling my daughter to clean her room via a message on her Facebook wall.
No more playing Everquest II every night with my brother in law in Ohio who I already miss calling me names because that's what we do. Gosh, Ill have to talk to my husband. Oh and you know what was the worst of the worst?!?! My husband sat and watched Greys anatomy with me last night. NOOOOOO, I do not , now, or ever, want a man to watch chick flicks with me.
So I will sign off now. tapping the keyboard lovingly because I miss the feel of keys beneath my fingers and I will go and join reality until the 26th of July. I wont like it one bit but at least the house will be clean:)

Craft/blog/browse and do whatever you do like crazy. I will miss you all....Ok ok I better go before dad starts thinking I am writing a novel and using up all his internets.
Mwah!
BBL
Melanie
xox

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Trash Talk .yeah, im talkin about trash again

OK enough namby pamby stuff about dogs cats and kids. This is Tuesday and its time to talk about trash again.
I have linked some interesting headlines that I have found informative about the "plastic bags" situation and as I type "plastic bag" I hear choking noises in my head and I'm not sure if that's the sound of baby animals suffocating on our waste or myself gagging with my inside voice as I say those two words together, in a sentence......*gag* plastic bag *gag*.

The first article from Haaretz.com makes an old and valid point and this isn't only true for degradable bags. Read

'Degradable' plastic bags are no such thing, claim experts

By Lior Dattel

to find out more

If you think that is disturbing then take a look at this article from The Daily Kos

New report - The effect of plastic on human health and the environment

Mother Nature network has provided some recycling Q & A's for plastic and other waste that you might find interesting. It doesn't have much to do with plastic bags but I really gotta tell ya that barely a sniff of plastic bags ever get recycled and re-using it as a garbage bin liner doesn't deserve any medal does it? I mean really? These are all things to ponder!

That's enough talk about trash and enough trashing of plastic bags. Think happy thoughts!
Hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday.
Cheers
Melanie

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Standing on the inside looking out...

not wishing too hard for the rain to stop, for that would be wrong in a drought.
I went out regardless of the wet. A garden lover, even a chaotic one, needs to garden and my need was great.

The neighbors watched from the dead tree. This is the kind of family I enjoy sharing my street with. We have trees with leaves but they prefer this one. I'm not about to argue with a magpie about seating arrangments in wet weather, they have very pointy beaks so they can sit where they want.


I spied droplets on tiny trumpet like flowers
or are they umbrellas for ants?

then I checked my chickens, all safe in their pots.

and because I had taken the time to tend to it, my garden gave me a rose

What a lovely surprise in Winter!

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Today

I made my bed my office since my proper comp is broken and my laptop sits snuggly on my lap.

I had many visitors to my big bed office because it was very inviting on such a cold day

I also had a very productive day. I tinkered with online store demos in an effort to rid myself of the need for highly infuriating websites that require knowledge that I am not interested in filling my head with.



When I am rich I just know one of you gals can do websites and I will pay you for it and make you a huge capucinno or chai latte. Until then, its just me, my sausage fingers and dinky online stores for the htmlly impaired.

My other comp had so many programs on it that I use so it might be a while for me to adjust. I am still vigourously reading everyone elses blogs but have lost my blogroll so I am missing so many.

no pictures to day but I will provide a space for you to stare into and picture something exotic.....space provided here..I I......
Cheers
Melanie

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IE8 broke my blog brb when I have sorted it.

Update, my blog appears to work fine in Firefox. Anyone else having problems after installing IE8?

update 2
it is definitely my blogger template,ie8 which installed AGAINST my wishes also,.... and some flash issues which i was in the process of fixing and then............my GPUs CPU and power fan all over heated and i tried to fix that and fried my mother board. /sigh.
husband has stepped in because my tech days are clearly over and if my prognosis is wrong he will fix it. If i am right, hopefully I will get some tax back.....a lot of tax back, and i will get a new mother board.

(insert grown women crying out loud noises here)

Oh and...................... I rushed my dog blacky to the vet today because I was sure he had cancer and was going to die but all he has is a bad back. lol seriously! He is on anti inflammatory (sp) Some one make me a drama queen tiara please. I totally earned it today.
Bear with me whilst I relearn my laptop keys etc. Thanks heaps girls for the feed back you gave me, it helped me eliminate the problems before I killed my comp completely (here comes loud crying noise again)....wheres my bloody drama queen tiara, Im earnin it here!!

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