OrganiSed Chaos

As I type, I am currently sitting on the back deck at Michael and Pamela’s place.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and life is damned good let me tell you.
I have so much in my head it’s hard to process it all.
I will begin by saying we had the best week a person could ask for at Cape Cod. Some rain on one or two nights, but let me say, nothing brings people together more than sitting huddled under an umbrella to have a smoke.
Brings you close if nothing else!

Having said that, we had some brilliant nights around the fire pit too.
Many things were spoken of, much bourbon, beer and good Aussie rum were consumed, and friendships that will stand the test of time, were forged.
I guess the easiest thing to do at this point is try and summarise and highlight, just so you have some idea of why we’re all been so damned quiet and where we’ve been.
Firstly, the internet connection was slower than a fucking wet week, and we decided after spending hours trying to make it workable, that we would simply need to do without it.
Mobile service was, at best, intermittent.
Next time we come over {probably next year} I’ll be shopping around for a better provider I can assure you!
Brilliant food, just brilliant! Every word you hear about New England seafood is 100% accurate.
I am officially hooked on cheeseburgers and pink lemonade.
If I keep eating them the way I have been, I’ll need an extra seat for my fat arse to get home! I shit you not.
I can still feel the tears running down my face, and the pain in my stomach from laughing so much.
Snort and stamp is all I’m saying about that one!

Don’t ever let anyone tell you Americans are anything less than friendly, helpful and more courteous than you can ever imagine.
If you come across a loud, brash American as we sometimes do in Australia, please know they’re not all like that.
I say this from first hand experience. They are wonderful, wonderful people.
Fenway Park! Good God, what can I say to describe the feeling of standing outside the home of the Red Sox?
That’s just going to get better because tonight we go to a ball game!
Can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The people we’ve met.
That’s another subject I will struggle to verbalise.
These are people who are so damned real it’s just beyond comprehension.
Given the way we came together, it seriously defies any logic that comes to mind.
There will be much more about them at a later date, but for now, suffice to say they are people we could spend an inordinate amount of time with.
Geography will mean little, however that’s always been the case I think.
This trip simply reinforced that fact.
I had a feeling it would comfortable, and it was. Still is actually.
Christmas in July.
Another subject there will be more about, but know that for many reasons, it was a Christmas that will never be forgotten.
Not ever.
There was almost one disaster, however it was narrowly averted when the missing luggage was delivered by a courier on the Monday night.
Quite the experience let me say, and one I am NOT inclined to repeat at any time soon.
There was only one irreplaceable thing the airlines could have lost, and can you guess which one they lost?
No prizes for the correct answer there!
Waiting an hour and a half for luggage at LAX is not something I’m in any hurry to repeat either.
Having said that, the horror stories we heard about US customs did not come to pass, and it took us all of 25 seconds to clear them, so that more than made up for the luggage.
Handling the Evyl one’s smalls, having the same person drop their jeans to model said smalls, one liners flying thick and fast around the table, enormous amounts of bourbon, plus the table and deck of knowledge will all be the subjects of future posts, I promise.
Mannequins with the biggest tits I’ve ever seen, the disorientation of driving down the wrong side of the road, stores that seemed to have come from the last century, just so many things to say, and still clueless on where to start!
I will tell you I’m more relaxed than I ever thought I could be, and I’m not the slightest bit homesick.
There’s a statement that will scare the bejesus out of some daughters we know!
For now however, I need to be gone.
Much to do, even more to see, and only another 5 1/2 days to do it in, so I need to move my cheeseburger and pink lemonade enhanced arse.
There will be another couple of posts before we come home people, and before one person asks, yes, there will be pics!
Would we do this again?
Hells yeah!!

Yes, I hijacked Moe’s blog, hence the snow . . .   :O)
Got a call from my wife on my way home from my gig and she was
overly excited knowing that Maureen and Mark had made it here safe.
They are currently @LAX due for a flight at midnight and will arrive in Boston tomorrow morning. (with WriterChick!)
Although I hear thunder off in the distance as I type this,
I know that whatever the weather is tomorrow, the sun will be shining.

Welcome to our ‘home sweet home’.
Enjoy yourselves, although I already know you will.

Michaelm (badsneaker.net)

By the time anyone reads this, Mark and I will be around 30 minutes into a 14 hour flight to LA.
Our destination is one that has been discussed for a long, long time, and the culmination of 15 long {and, at times} trying months.
In that time we have had to traverse many, many things, for many, many reasons.
Suffice to say it was quite a trying, anxious time, however we have never lost sight of the purpose we had in mind.
For what seems the longest time, we’ve been driven to make this happen.
Driven sounds quite odd, I know, but that’s what this “thing” has done to us.
I’ve spent so much time mentally, emotionally and physically on this trip, that there was a Skype call ended in tears on Saturday because the sheer depth of emotion has been, simply put, over whelming.
I can’t deal with it.
I struggle.
Badly.
Reality hit home last Saturday in the most intense possible way.
For someone who ordinarily keeps her emotions inside, this outpouring is quite the experience.
Some might think this is a bad thing, and looking back on what I’ve said here, that’s understandable, but it’s not.
It’s good thing.
Others might wonder why we would do this crazy thing, which in a nutshell, is spend close to 10k on flying to the other side of the world to spend time with people we’ve never met.
Firstly, it’s not like we can duck into a coffee shop to meet them as you would ordinarily with other bloggers, now is it?
These people are, literally, on the other side of the world!
There is no real answer, not to that question, nor to many others in my own mind, let alone others minds.
The only thing I can tell you is deep waters cannot be ignored regardless of the lack of understanding or the confusion it creates in your mind.
The only thing I know, deep inside me, is that we’re meant to do this {seemingly} crazy thing.
It refuses to be ignored, and it feels the right thing to do.
My instincts have stood me in good stead my entire life, and I was not about to questions the ones that led to this decision.
We found this to be quite the logistical nightmare once the decision was made.
The coordination, arrangements and actual doing has been quite the monumental task.
Without a doubt, it’s the single biggest thing either of us have ever done.
However….
It’s going to be worth it.
Every single tear, sleepless night and anxious moment will be forgotten by 11.00am Sunday morning.
That’s when the last little piece of this puzzle will fall into place.
Even before that last piece is seen though, there will have been many, many more tears, hugs and emotions to deal with, for many, many reasons, none of which make an ounce of sense to either myself or Mark.
We can see light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s getting bigger by the minute.
Added to all this emotion will be seeing 2 daughters, a granddaughter and another very close blogging friend, none of whom we have seen for quite some time and, again for many reasons, there is enough emotion just in that, let alone the rest of it.
I will tell you, this post was done last Saturday afternoon just after the aforementioned, tearful Skype call ended.
I did this and scheduled it while my head was in a place where I could do it.
I needed that intense emotion to put it together.
Much of this emotion is being driven by the name of the post.
Anticipation.
Strange as it may sound, I love it!
Catch you in the first of 2 of the most magical weeks a person could ask for.
Keep an eye out for some blogging fun too!
I’m sure I don’t need to point you in the direction of the blogs in question, now do I?
I can guarantee you know which links they are!

The place {Cape Cod}
The time {Next week}
Christmas in July will be had
The food will be good
{Much} laughter will be long and loud
Tears will be shed
Hugs will be long
Words will be many
Emotion will run {very} high
Photos and videos will abound
Blogging will play a part {given it bought us together, it stands to reason}
Each memory will be like a snowflake. Unique
The people involved in creating this magical scenario.
Myself and Mark
Michael, Pamela, Sarah, Jenna and Hannah
Annie
Evyl and Joyce
Next week we begin this much anticipated holiday that has been 15 months in the planning.
In time it will end, yes, we know that too.
It will never be forgotten though.
As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, this very special holiday will never be forgotten.
We already know.
See you next week my friends….see you next week

At work a week or so ago, I heard about a strange recipe.
Now, I’m an adventurous cook, willing to try anything once, but when I was told the ingredients for this one, my eyebrows shot up.
Have a go at this:
Heat oven to 180C or around 320F
Take one packet of French Onion soup mix and coat some chicken wings with it.
I used a freezer bag to do the shake and roll thing. Less mess, always a bonus.
Put the wings into a baking dish.
Into the dish, with the wings and soup, pour one can of coke.
Normal, diet, zero, which ever you prefer. I used zero cos we like it.
I shit you not my friends.
Chicken wings, French Onion soup and coke.
I made it tonight, and let me assure you, it will be a regular on our menu from here on in!
Fucking beautiful!
You can use as much or as little soup mix and coke to your taste.
I did 1.2kg of wings and used 2 packs and 2 cans.
The soup mixes with the coke and creates a sauce that is good enough to dip bread in and eat once the wings are gone, or even if they’re not gone.
Now I know Mark thought I’d lost the plot when I asked him to bring some coke from downstairs so I could do dinner.
I got one of those “Do you need take a pill and lay down sweetheart?” looks.
He ain’t looking at me strange any more however.
After dipping several pieces of bread in the sauce and inhaling quite a few wings, he’s decided we can maybe try a variation on the wings.
Use thighs, or maybe breasts, coat them in the soup mix, only pour in one can of coke, then have the lot with rice perhaps?
As I said, the soup mix and coke can be adjusted to your taste, and if you want, the sauce can be thickened with corn flour, and you could even throw some veggies in if it takes your fancy.
Take care not to let it dry out in the oven though, and if it looks like it may, simply add more coke! Whatever is left in the can, well, if you have some good bourbon or scotch, there’s no need to waste that either!
Have a drink while waiting for one of the most tasty meals you’ll eat, from a couple of ingredients I would never have though to use together.
In fact one of them would never have entered my head to use at all!
How about you?
What’s the strangest recipe you’ve ever made?