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There’s no place like home
Read more: There’s no place like homeSomewhere in Australia is an HR specialist who has gone on holiday for two weeks. I don’t know this person. In fact, I have never spoken to her, but her holiday is keeping me up at night. You see, she is the person who is responsible for submitting Ben’s work visa application so we can…
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Why I love watching HGTV (and why I don’t blame you if you don’t)
Read more: Why I love watching HGTV (and why I don’t blame you if you don’t)Earlier this year, I visited an old friend in LA – not that she is old – she is my age and we are certainly not old – we have just known each other for a long time. She loves HGTV and she had it on in the background throughout much…
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Homeward Bound
Read more: Homeward BoundOur family is on the move. My partner, Ben, is being transferred to Melbourne, Australia early in the new year, and we are packing up and heading down under. For those of you who don’t know, this will be a homecoming for me, as I am an Aussie…
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My Inner Warrior
Read more: My Inner WarriorWe started watching The Mindy Project when it began airing this fall. I’m enjoying the fast-paced, self-deprecating humor. And Kaling is clever, sassy and cute, which works well for the style of the show. In this week’s episode, one of the guys Mindy works with teaches her some prison wisdom; he encourages her to name…
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The Next Big Thing
Read more: The Next Big ThingI am cheating a little in posting this meme, as I was not tagged by the author who I follow via her blog, Charlotte’s Web, and that is part of the meme’s premise. That said, Charlotte Otter – a South African writer who lives with her family in Germany – has often inspired me to…
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A (writing) contract with myself
Read more: A (writing) contract with myselfSix weeks ago I enlisted the help of a dear friend and fellow writer, Jen, to hold me to the terms of a contract. I drew the contract up myself – no, I am not suddenly a lawyer – so that I would be accountable for working as a writer. I got this idea from…
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We need another song, Helen Reddy
Read more: We need another song, Helen ReddyWhen I was a young woman of 22 I returned to Australia from the United States. Not long after my return I was sat down by the Bishop of my church, the Mormon church, and asked why I wasn’t married yet. The conversation went something like this: Bishop: I am concerned that you are not…
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Behind Closed Doors
Read more: Behind Closed DoorsI was reading an article about marriage in a women’s magazine about a decade ago and there was a quote from Angela Lansbury – yes, that one, the “Murder She Wrote” lady. She said that the secret to a long and happy marriage was a closed bathroom door and that she never let her husband…
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10 Question Meme
Read more: 10 Question MemeI was looking back over some previous blog posts and I came across this Stolen Meme, which I first posted in March 2008. I had forgotten about the two confessions at the beginning, but in reading them I feel warm affection for my former self. Whenever we watch the Inside the Actor’s Studio, I will…
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Retreating to move ahead
Read more: Retreating to move aheadToday I will be retreating to Whidbey Island for their Writers’ Association “Lockdown” Retreat. I will be locking myself away (voluntarily) with other writers – authors and poets – for two-and-a-half days on my absolute favorite of Puget Sound’s many islands. My aims: • To get some ‘objective’ feedback on my book (the people attending…
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The world is watching
Read more: The world is watchingFour years ago I lived in Sydney, Australia. Four years ago I was part of the ‘watching world’ as we held our collective breaths waiting for election day in the United States. Like many of my peers, colleagues and family members, I was so pleased and so relieved, when Obama was elected in what we…
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Coming of Age
Read more: Coming of AgeLast night I watched the film Liberal Arts, which is written and directed by and also starring Josh Radnor from How I met your mother. I am not a huge fan of the show, but it isn’t because I don’t like Radnor, and this film is about as far from the show as you can…
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The night I didn’t meet Kevin Costner
Read more: The night I didn’t meet Kevin CostnerYou know those lists that couples write where they name 5 famous people that they are allowed to sleep with – without any repercussions or recrimination? As if those 5 famous people would be so flattered by being on THE LIST that they would not only jump at the chance to sleep with the person,…
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Read more: untitled post 941A dear friend, whom I have known for 20 years, pontificates about what 40 means to a modern woman.
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Reminiscences of an Olympic Volunteer
Read more: Reminiscences of an Olympic Volunteer12 years ago I was a volunteer at the Sydney Olympics. Don’t laugh, but I worked in security. I was based at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Hall in Darling Harbour (I included the ‘u’ because that’s how we spell it in Australia.) Two days before Day One, I showed up at an enormous warehouse…
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Paris Lite
Read more: Paris LiteNote to self: do not get the flu the day you are going to Paris. I have been to Paris nine times. I realize that this is an obnoxious comment, but it is true. A long time ago, in a galaxy that seems far, far away, I was a Tour Manager for a company who…
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French Women Don’t Get Fat (???)
Read more: French Women Don’t Get Fat (???)A few years ago I read a break-through book by Mireille Guliano, who purported that French women (typically) do not get fat, because – and this is especially true for Parisian women – they walk everywhere, and eat small portions of all foods. They do not subscribe to the notion that there are ‘good’ and…
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Half-way there
Read more: Half-way thereAs I start writing this, Gwen Stefani is demanding to know ‘what I am waiting for’. Perhaps her bleats from the radio are rhetorical, but I can’t help asking myself the same thing. What am I waiting for? Anything in particular, or is it all good, right now? Good bloody question, Gwen! In a few…
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Standing By You
Read more: Standing By YouA few weeks ago Ben and I went to the local cinema with some friends to see Stand By Me. It was the first time in more than 25 years I had seen it on the big screen, although I do not exaggerate to say that I have seen it at least 40 times since…
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When I grow up…
Read more: When I grow up…I want to be an author. A published one. Who writes for a living. Books, in case you were wondering. I am taking a class with two published authors, who also worked in publishing. They have authored 40 books between them – and they are my age. They know stuff, and in one lesson I…
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A Guide to Staying at an All-inclusive Resort
Read more: A Guide to Staying at an All-inclusive ResortI distinguish myself as a traveler, rather than a tourist. Ben has adopted this mantle too. The difference? How each handles differences. A traveler embraces, while the tourist compares. “This place/meal/person is amazing,” “Or, it is better back home.” So, does a traveler travel, while a tourist ‘vacations’? Not necessarily. Most of the time we…
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Gap Year
Read more: Gap YearThere is an Aussie rite of passage that is not really part of American culture. This rite is also shared by the Kiwis, Brits, Irish and even the South Africans. It is the ‘gap year’, where young adults leave their home country and go on grand adventures. They almost always end by moving back home…
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Reading, Writing and Relatives
Read more: Reading, Writing and RelativesI am spending some time with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew in London. They live in the bustling borough of Teddington, where terraces houses are the norm and vehicles try to maneuver down narrow streets without taking off the side mirrors of parked cars. I have spent most of my time here at home, or…
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New Year’s Absolutions 2011
Read more: New Year’s Absolutions 2011It is now 10 days into 2011 and I have nothing by the way of resolutions. Nada, rien, niente, zippo. And because, “Have you made any resolutions?” is usually the first thing that follows “Happy New Year”, the question has been posed a lot. So I started to ponder “why?” – why haven’t I sworn…
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Mexico
Read more: MexicoThe day we landed in paraíso It was hot when we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac at Puerto Vallarta airport. A warm breeze blew across us, and despite my tetchy stomach, I smiled at Ben. Immigration, customs, time-share hawkers, rental car shuttle, rental car, Walmart (for water and forgotten sunscreen), a lively drive…
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Writing with abandon
Read more: Writing with abandonI have been writing a book for nearly a decade. When I type out those words it seems impossible that it has been that long, but it is true. Nine years ago I started penning a travel biography about my time in the UK and Europe from ’96 to ’97. I began this project old-school;…
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The Gray
Read more: The GrayYou step out into it. It consumes you, touching you in ways that make you uncomfortable. It doesn’t have your permission, but you have no choice; it forces itself on you. Sometimes you can forget that it is there, but not today. Its companions are damp, cold, and quite often, wind. The damp seeps into…
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Heatwave in Seattle
Read more: Heatwave in SeattleI have a confession to make. I am one of those women you see at the gym who reads magazines on the cardio equipment. I have another confession. I feel superior to other women who read magazines on the cardio equipment, because I am working on level 20 while they are usually on level 4…
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Write now!
Read more: Write now!I want to get back to writing my book. Let me qualify that: I need to get back to writing my book. My book starts as a series of journal entries (both personal and travel) and letters in 1996 and ‘97, long before I know I will write a book. In 2001, I start writing…
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Excess packaging
Read more: Excess packagingI have a somewhat minor frustration that comes up on a daily basis. Packaging. I realised the other day when I was unsuccessfully trying to open a cheese stick, that US manufacturers do not seem to discriminate between things that can poison us if ingested, and actual food. Trying to extricate the highly delicious and…
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No excuses
Read more: No excusesThree months and five days. That’s how long it has been since I last blogged. Now, as millions of people world-wide are setting (and already breaking) New Year’s resolutions, I find I have no plausible excuses left. And so I blog. Since I last wrote, I started working at Groundspeak, the days have turned dark…
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Leaving home and homeward bound
Read more: Leaving home and homeward boundI have been home in Sydney for the past week to finalize a work visa for my new job in Seattle. The trip, while being ‘immigrationally necessary’, has been the greatest gift. When I landed the position at Groundspeak two months ago, I was thrilled – and then a little sad. I realized that it meant I would…
Sandy Barker | Author 
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