I feel like such a horrible blogger, in fact, given November's record, I don't think I can really call myself a blogger at all ! 

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and I think we have bought almost all of our gifts... one or two remaining, but who's counting?  I think that my lack of Christmas growing up has made me appreciate it more in some ways, be confused in other ways, and just not understand some of what it's really about.  However, I am trying to learn!

Tonight we went out for dinner with a couple of friends, and exchanged Christmas presents, which we unwrapped there and then even though it's not Christmas yet.  Well, we unwrapped theirs, and gave ours to them... unwrapped as I had given up trying to wrap the awkward shape, much to Kurt's disappointment (but I hasten to add that he did not attempt to wrap it himself!).  Surprise, surprise, we both gave each other a form of Christmas hamper.  Is that what you automatically get for people when you really can't think of anything to get?

Actually the one we got is really nice, a wicker picnic basket that is a sealed cool-bag inside and lots of chocolately and sugary snacks!  Bang goes any semblance of a diet between here and the new year - there are way too many goodies to get through, given my resolution to give up sugar in January...

...I know, I know, it won't last, but ONLY January, is the resolution, don't want to make it too hard for myself.  Cold turkey much.  And I obviously am not the type to make resolutions to actually help people and make the world a better place... as my giving up sugar will really just make everyone around me completely miserable.  *evil cackle*

I'm rambling.

Apparently I don't blog about flying any more, well, there's not really much new about flying.  I go to work, I fly to M, G, R or E, and then I fly back to Brisbane.  And then, usually, I do it again, often overnighting in R or G, and not really anywhere else.  And I fly with all the same people, some of whom I like (which is great) and others that I'm not particularly bothered about (which is fine) and others that I really am not fond of at all (oh well) and then I get to go home!  Whoopee! 

After Christmas I get to fly somewhere new... new to me, not to everyone else who has been going there for months, but I didn't get rostered before now.  I'm glad I waited, because now the airport (well... landing strip) has lights!  and RNAV approaches!  and an actual airport plate! When people first flew in there, there was no weather report (actually I think there is still no weather so we're very restricted about time of day etc. that we can fly in there, like we can't go in if it's night time, for instance) and no lights, no PAPI (approach slope guidance), no approaches and no map of the airport to show us where to go after we land.  Which actually wasn't that much of a big deal as you land, keep going until you run out of runway, and then turn off the runway and voila, there you are at the terminal (okay, one-sided shed) and you can pick between two bays (generally you don't get to choose) and God forbid that someone else taxied at the same time as you, because there isn't anywhere to turn around once you've moved off the bay!  So much fun...  I'm just waiting for someone to taxi and some other idiot to land and them sort of look at each other stupidly, like what do we do NOW?

It's been very stormy the last few weeks, summer came in with a bang, and although Brisbane technically does not have a Dry and a Wet season, I think it does, because it was very dry (except for our wedding day) and now it is very decidedly wet.  Even Moranbah is green, which is saying something.  However, it doesn't just rain over here.  When it decides to rain, it's like a swimming pool in the sky, and add that to some tennis-ball sized hail (in some areas - we only got tiny little golf-balls) and a whole bunch of lightning, and there you have it.  The Brisbane Wet.

Obviously, flying + thunderstorms (with the occasional supercell thrown in) doesn't mix all too well, especially when you have idiots flying around who think they own the sky.  Over the last week we have had two aircraft grounded due to lightning strikes.  I don't know if I've just been lucky, but in all 7 years of flying, with 2.5 of them over here, I am still waiting for my first lightning strike.  And I'm happy to keep waiting, thank you very much.  Pick the other guy, why don't you.

On the subject of guys, we were walking through the terminal yesterday, me and another female pilot, flying together, as we often do, and some guy fundraising for life savers says "are you really pilots?"  T lost her smart, as she often does, stopped, and was like "what did you say???"  The guy is like "what?" and she is like "what did you just say?  Did you say are we really pilots?"  And believe it or not, ye life saving fundraiser man replied "I just thought you were models."

Which was weird.

Aaaaanyway... add that to the list of crazy-female-pilot's-life stories (like the female security guard looking me up and down and declaring "aren't you a cute little pilot?") !

I have now submitted my application for Permanent Residency - and I was told that as soon as I had the email confirming my application I could apply for Medicare.  Oddly, you submit the application and THEN upload all the supporting documents, so without having uploaded anything to support my application, I printed out the confirmation letter and headed off to Medicare.  Having done it all so promptly, my details weren't even in the system yet, but apparently that didn't matter so they gave me a temporary card and sent off the permanent one which should arrive in the next 3 - 4 weeks (give or take Christmas).

So once I had the temporary card, we managed to get me proper Australian health insurance so I can cancel my useless visa health cover!  That also warrants a "Whoopee!"

I think I'm running out of things to say, which probably you are all (or maybe there is only one of you left reading this blog by now) pretty happy about.

Oh yeah, it's our four monthiversary on Monday.  I forgot the three monthiversary which was probably more significant but I think I got stuck in an outport or something similar.  I won't get to see Kurt on this one either as he goes to work at 0530 and I leave at 1200 on an overnight before he gets home from work!  Such is married life :)

Anyway that's it folks, I'm bored now!

TTFN!