2018 in review

I used to do this review every single year but then I sort of fell out of the habit. But maybe this is a good way to get back into it?

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

I went to Africa.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope, no new babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, yes. My friend Phil died in February. He was 36 and had bowel cancer. He left behind a wife and two young boys. Probably the saddest funeral I’ve ever had to attend.

Also, the boy’s Grandmother died in October. However, she was 92 so it was neither unexpected or quite as sad, although we miss her terribly of course.

5. What countries did you visit?

SO MANY! South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ascension Island, St Helena, Ethiopia (briefly), Egypt, UAE and Jordan. Oh and we went to Japan as well.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Better health.

7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February 5, the day Phil died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surprise event for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary (not massive but they loved it)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Staying well!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Far too much. I had a cold that lasted about seven weeks, and I developed De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis first in my left wrist and then in my right wrist. The right one is still not healed.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Um… nothing very exciting I have to say.

12. Where did most of your money go?

The mortgage, probably. And that holiday.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going on holidays, we were very spoiled by going to so many wonderful places.

14. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson, it wasn’t released in 2018 but became our go-to song for fun for the year. She’s getting a lot of royalties from Spotify from us!

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

About the same.

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same.

c) richer or poorer?

About the same.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Not much really.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I do what I want most of the time, so…

18. How did you spend Christmas?

The usual Christmas Eve with my family. For Christmas Day we had lunch with the boy’s parents and aunt and uncle at the RACV Resort in Inverloch, which was very different and very enjoyable.

19. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

The Missing. I also binged the entire series of Brooklyn 99 on Netflix which made me very happy.

21. What was the best book you read?

I always enjoy a new Clive Cussler.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

Avengers Infinity War or Black Panther.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

45, and we went to dinner at Il Bacaro and then saw Michael Palin live in stage.

24. What kept you sane?

My doggy.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Look, my bestie Chris Hemsworth is pretty fine.

26. Who did you miss?

Phil.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

Did I make any new friends last year? I think maybe not.

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Bathroom Part 3

Remember ages ago here and here I started my personal bathroom meme?  Well, it finally occurred to me that I haven’t quite finished with that yet.

So, in the continuing interest of full disclosure, here is my favourite bathroom item:

The world’s best hair smoothing serum.  If I didn’t put this in every time I washed my hair, I’d look a lot like one of those crazy ladies you see walking down the street yelling at people randomly.  You know, the ones with the really big hair?  Yep, that would be me.  Only I’d be cleaner.  And possibly not yelling at everyone.  But possibly doing that anyway.

However, my biggest problem here is that I bought this miracle product in Banff in 2008, and have so far been unable to find it anywhere in Australia.  In fact, I just emailed my hairdresser and asked if he could find me a bottle!  Gotta love technology.

The point is, if you are out and about and happen to see this stuff, please buy me three bottles.  I’ll be your best friend forever.

Dirty Little Secret

This is the top drawer in my bathroom cabinet.

All those little bottle and jars and tubes are sample sized moisturisers, cleansers, toners, and scrubs.

I’m addicted to buying the full sized deal, but only when they have a “gift with purchase”.

How much of this stuff does one person need?

Bathroom

Today we start the first in an innovative new series here at May Contain Traces of Nuts.

Proudly presenting: My bathroom!

I should explain that the boy and I have an ensuite attached to our bedroom, but it is tiny.  He keeps his stuff in there, and our toothbrush/toothpaste etc is there, but all my stuff, including my hairdryer, lives in the main bathroom.

So what’s in the cupboard?

On the top shelf, left hand side, is my hair stuff.  Shampoo, conditioner, hair smoothing balm, leave in conditioner, more smoothing serum, hairspray.  Next to that, behind the pipe, are several bottles of sunscreen, plus a bottle of aloe vera gel to treat the spots you miss with the sunscreen.   I live in Australia and we do not leave the house without a bottle of sunscreen.  On the right hand side, 26 different body moisturisers.  I buy them faster than I can use them.  And I get them as gifts from people who don’t know what else to buy me.  I’ll use them all eventually.

Bottom shelf, from the left: foot balms and moisturisers and cooling sprays.  I get hot feet.  A lot.  Next, a couple of cans of Aeroguard.  Australia, remember?  Elastoplast for vicious paper cuts, or nasty scratches inflicted by little Huffle Mawson.  Then some vaseline (no idea why that’s even there, I’ve never used it!  How weird.), nail polish remover, eye make up remover (that’s really old, I should throw it out) floss, nasal spray, strapping tape, ear plugs, and some of my various pain killer medication.

Wow, wasn’t that exciting?  Tune in later this week for more bathroom fun 🙂 .

Things about Us

I found this meme over at Dooce‘s place. Being largely uninspired for blog content this week, I thought I’d let you all learn some more things about me, about the boy, and about us. Hey, at least I’m not talking about depressing death tolls and houses lost in bushfires!

What are your middles names?
Mine is Anne. The boy’s is Peter. Neither of our parents had a lot of imagination when it came to the middle names. Lucky our first names are not so boring, eh?

How long have you been together?
Five years in April. Wow, that’s gone fast.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
For about five minutes. We met on a blind date, we haven’t stopped since.

Who asked whom out?
As I said, it was a blind date, set up by a mutual friend. He asked me on the next date though.

How old are each of you?
I am 35, the boy will be 37 in April.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine. I only have one sister who is 18 months younger than me; he has two sisters who are much younger and we have less in common with. I think it’s the age difference.

Which situation is hardest on you as a couple?
My family’s constant demands to “do things with the family”. The boy has lived away from home since he was 17, and his parents live a solid three hour drive away. We don’t see them nearly as much and they don’t expect it. Mine do, and it gets annoying at times. For both of us.

Did you go to the same school?
No, I grew up in the city and he is a country boy.

Are you from the same home town?
No, see answer above.

Who is smarter?
Depends on the subject. I can remember phone numbers, birthdays, and my grasp of English is far superior. The boy’s knowledge about IT is second to none. My store of useless trivia surpasses everything else.

Who is the most sensitive?
I decline to answer, just in case he reads this.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We eat out a lot; regular readers will know that eating out is one of our favourite activities. For the regular, quick and easy meals we’ll go to Mario’s in Brunswick St. Our fave fancy restaurant right now is Rockpool.

Where is the furthest you have travelled together as a couple?
Churchill, Canada.

Who has the craziest exes?
The boy. No contest. And I’m not going into detail here in case one of them inadvertently stumbles across this blog (not likely, but I’m not taking any chances).

Who has the worst temper?
The boy. Also no contest. He is impatient and gets grumpy with people who do not match him mentally. Hey, maybe that means I’m the smarter one!

Who does the cooking?
Me. I love to cook. The boy does not. He does all the cleaning up afterwards; it’s a fair deal.

Who is the neat freak?
Me. I HATE mess and clutter. We have sort of compromised these days.

Who is more stubborn?
The boy. I am inclined to keep the peace if I can, he will dig his toes in on a lot of things that he feels strongly about. Mostly I can’t be bothered.

Who hogs the bed?
Oh, that would be the little black cat. It’s amazing how much room on a king size bed she can use.

Who wakes up earlier?
Me. The boy is NOT a morning person. We drive to work together and I am always up first, taking a shower while he snores. Huffle also keeps him company, so she doesn’t lose her spot on the bed.

Where was your first date?
The Union Club Hotel in Fitzroy. That was the blind date, when our mutual friend was there. Our second date was to a cafe in North Melbourne, the name of which I cannot remember, but I do remember that we talked non-stop for three hours.

Who is more jealous?
Actually, I don’t think either of us is. We are secure in our relationship 🙂

How long did it take to get serious?
Not long. We actually have been together since that very first date.

Who eats more?
I think it’s about the same. But the boy eats a lot of chips, which I never touch. So I’ll say him.

Who does the laundry?
The one who can remember that $100 lingerie does not go in the dryer. That would be me.

Who’s better with the computer?
The boy. It’s part of his job. I can do most things, sometimes I just have to ask for help. Actually, since I got my mac, not so much.

Who drives when you are together?
The boy. He enjoys it. And I don’t care. I will drive if he wants me to.