Brand-spanking new kitchen

Before and after ...

A shoe-gazing trip down memory lane ...

I would never have classed myself as a Charlatans fan, but I seem to know most of their songs and have six or so albums so when they announced their first ever Australian dates, I jumped at the chance.
By my reckoning front-man Tim Burgess must be atleast 40 but he's still got bags of energy and seemed to be channeling Robert Smith from The Cure and Morrisey when he was still leading The Smiths.
'The Only One I Know' and 'North Country Boy' were person favourites, although I was surprised by how many of the songs I knew - and remembered the words to.
The crowd was clearly primarily British backpackers (there's something so obvious about drunk British men and the way they dance)but it was an awesome gig.
Some game bloke even jumped from the balcony onto the stage during the second encore song 'How High', sending the keyboards flying.
My only gripe - and it's not really about The Charlatans more concerts in general - is that why on earth are bands on stage so late these days?
The Charlatans took to the stage at 11pm through to 1am which is real value for money - but why so late? I was in need of a disco nap before I even started ...

America can hold its head up high again ...

America has a new leader - voting in the country's first ever black President in a landslide victory.
Welcome President Obama - I'm excited to see what you do.
But I AM going to miss Sarah Palin. She's a nightmare and a horror, but she's pretty hot!
Here's some of her best bits:

Off on my travels ... again :-)

Despite my plotting and planning for the big trip to Korea and the USA next year, I've managed to squish anothr trip into 2008.
Our company - despite being Australia's number one and biggest media company - is having a compulsory shut-down over the Christmas period this year. Twelve whole days off. And while I'm more than a little disturbed by a media company shutting up shop - especially the company I work so hard for - I'm taking full advantage of this enforced break and am heading to Koh Samui.
BUT even better - I'll be meeting up with my sister Jen, her partner Ru and my niece the Great Charlini Houdini who will be holidaying there.
I am so very excited - I get to be Aunty Claire again and I get to hang out with people I love. Woohoo!

Hurrah ... Sarah Palin has a sense of humour ...

This is who I'd vote for in the US Presidential elections ...

Plotting and planning ...

I wouldn't be me unless I was planning some kind of trip. I'm actually planning two (possibly a couple of weeks in wintery UK in Jan/Feb) but the big one is so-called because of the CEO Award I won earlier in the year, which will go some way to paying for this extravaganza of air travel. To hell with my carbon footprint.

As the maps above may (or may not) suggest, I'm off to New York and Canada via South Korea to catch up with Bo's family and check out the temples and, er, whatever else there is that is Korean and not Kim Jong il. I think there is something cool about visiting somewhere you know practically nothing about :-)

NYC is a dream come true for me and I can't wait to start spreading the news. I've been booked to go to the Big Apple twice before: once was in Nov 2001 but 9/11 happened and it just didn't seem like a smart or safe trip to make. And the time before that was in 1995 when I was studying in LA - I'd booked a flight to NYC for the weekend but there were storms in the midwest and Delta Airlines wouldn't let the plane leave. I think we ended up in Florida for the weekend instead ...
I had planned on having my 40th in New York but it's been accelerated due to my good fortune!

And of course Canada - where I have amazing family and close friends, and where I am seriously overdue a visit.
I'm looking forward to Kathy's 40th, a few days up at the cabin, a day at Niagara and the outlets malls at Buffalo - but most of all spending time with my family. I've been desperate to see them but just hadn't felt strong enough emotionally since my mum's death a couple of years ago.
But I think I'm ready :-)
Bring it on ...