Blogging American - as the Yank in Oz

Blogging American MOVING! Hey all, I've moved my blog over to Wordpress.com. It's under the name 'Yank In Oz' since that is what my original column is called. Seem to have a better go of things there. Come visit and subscribe. First 100 subscribers get a toast in my first vlog. ...

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Recently, while attending a friends wedding, I realized that although I know all of the countries in Europe and that a cat has thirty-two muscles in each ear, that doesnt exactly make me cultured. I am what you would call uncultured, or a philistine which I think sounds much prettier. So any...

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For those that know me, you know that I love all creatures great and small. From the majestic kookaburra to even the spurned cane toad (I know, I know) there arent many things I shy away from. Ive raised tadpoles, saved praying mantes from a certain death at the hands of a two-year-old and hand...

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To say that my eyesight is just bad would be like saying Australian summers are just sort of hot. My husband tells me that if he ever gets really mad at me, hell just hide my glasses and move the furniture around. So while I was out shopping the other day, I decided to stop and get an idea of...

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So people have asked me why I never talk about politics in my column. Well, besides the fact that I dont truly understand the Australian government, Ive become quite apathetic over the years with American politics. I was too young in the Nixon through the Reagan years to care or vote, and t...

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Every once in a while people ask me what I do for a living. Well, first and foremost I am a mum. But when asked what my job is, I believe the answer is more complex. Am I writer Sure. Am I a columnist Of course. But I think the definition of what I do extends beyond such simple explanation...

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So, the Commonwealth Games are in full swing and Australia is racking up gold medals faster than Hollywood celebs and rehab stints. Now, Im not exactly a huge sports fan. Ill watch the occasional rugby game, I like to play volleyball and Ive been known to whoop a few butts at Snakes and Ladde...

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You know the feeling. Youve just sat down to tea, have your hands full with the kids or are outside hanging the wash when it happens...the phone rings. You drop what youre doing, run to the phone and answer it, only to hear, Hello. Am I speaking to the homeowner So lets get the formaliti...

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I ran into a friend of mine, Kathy, the other day. Since we hadnt seen each other in a few months, I recounted the Donovan family adventures over the past few months. I told her about our short stint up north living on a large property that was a few hours from town, or the nearest Coca-Cola ret...

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Well, I had successfully avoided it for the past five years but finally have joined ranks with the other 100 million people that have fallen into the Twilight vortex. And no one is more surprised than I am. When the phenomenon hit, I immediately turned up my nose and dug my heels in, refusing ...

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I could hear the voice but couldnt make out what it was saying. Static, feedback...was I dreaming Somewhere in the distance a car engine rumbled. Stop! I thought. I need to hear. Mummy! Mummy! My children were crying somewhere behind me. But what was the voice saying Soon, it would be too ...

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Marriage two people meet, fall in love and vow to spend eternity together in wedded bliss. But somewhere along the historical highway of holy matrimony, someone invented the hen and bucks nights. I decided before attending my first hens night a few days ago, to look up the origins of this f...

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Being the mother of two small children certainly can take a toll on you in so many ways. You lose sleep, are the last to eat and refereeing fights over one, broken crayon can almost send you to the loony bin. So in an effort to keep my sanity and not give my children a reason to invite me on the...

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So as of last Thursday I am now officially a thirty-eight year old. I may as well have just written alien crop circle maker because it would have seemed just as unbelievable to me. When I say the last ten years have gone fast, I am not telling anyone over the age of thirty-five anything new....

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Perception is a tricky thing. Your perception is moulded from all sorts of factors from life experience to even TV. For example, our perception of hot and cold weather varies from person to person or place to place. A cold winter to someone here in Australia is actually a beautiful spring day t...

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