Happy birthday to me - I'm 103!!!!! (well minus 70 but who's counting!)

Oh time marches on and I'm another year older but also happier, smarter, wiser and more comfortable in my own skin. Speaking of skin, my birthday present today was that very thing I said I would do as one of the three biggies for this year - the nose piercing, the tattoo and the karaoke. My kids all eagerly chipped in money with DH and I went out today and had a hole put in me where God had not intended one to be. And yes, it hurt like buggery (but if you're a Blackadder fan you'll know that nothing hurts like buggery!!!!!) but it was over in thirty seconds. I was kind of hoping they'd use the gun like they do for ears but this guy was serious and out come the hollow biopsy needle instead. He then proceeded to show me a short stainless steel rod about half an inch in diameter and cut on the diagonal at the top. That, he informed me cheerily, was going up my nose. It's to provide some resistance under the flesh for the needle to go through and it also stops him stabbing you a second hole right through your septum of your nose as well. I was willing to go without that second hole so we got right down to business. How considerate of him - he even told me it would sting and that my eyes would water. What a clairvoyant that kid was - and to me he seemed like a kid but with far more holes in him than God ever intended too. Once the needle was through he removed the stainless steel tube and because I basically couldn't bear to open my eyes at this point I just kept them closed and could feel the tip of the needle sticking out of the end of my nose. (Apologies for weak-stomached dear readers at this point - cheer up, at least you didn't find out about this kind of thing first hand!!! lol). He then, even more cheerily than before, informed me that the painful part was yet to come. Nose studs have a bent or coiled post to stop them from falling out and my pink bling stud (scrapper at heart here folks!!!!) had the coiled post kind and the only way to get it into the hole all the way through is to SCREW IT IN!!!!!!! Oh he wasn't kidding - that was the more painful part (this whinge coming from a woman who's had four kids - one labour that lasted 27 hours and 40 stitches too!!!!) but as soon as it was in it felt better right away and within five minutes I couldn't feel it at all. I think I was more worried about stuff like whether it would disloge if I sneezed or blew my nose but it's okay on both those counts. So now I just have to get used to the slightly strange sensation of my peripheral vision picking up that I have some foreign object on one side of my nose and remembering that it's permanant and actually meant to be there!

So there ya go! I've now proudly crossed the first of my three ambitions for this year off my list. I'd love some ink but I'm in the process of going to the gym and losing some weight and I'd really like to get further along the weight loss path before I go having something permanently drawn on my body (there's nothing sexy about a shruken tatoo!!!!) so I have to think the karaoke will be next. Cass and I and our respective menfolk are going to the races on Saturday to the Triple M Trackside Marquee for what will essentially amount to a chance to dress up, wear something that looks like the aftermath of a pheasant shoot on our heads and basically bask in the free food and open bar. I can only assume that after a whole day of that I'll be primed for some truly classic embarrassing karaoke but the blissful part is that hopefully I won't remember too much about it. I have terrible nerves and even though I sing all day every day I still am horrified at the idea of anybody but my DH, my kids and my Cass hearing me!!! I know I'm not awful, just nervous. Having a passable voice does not a confident karaoke-er make!!!

I'm even happy with the couple of quick snaps I took in the bathroom mirror so that must reflect some kind of acceptance and maturity!

Thanks for stopping by.....have a quick indulgence for me, a glass of wine, a shot of something naughty or a slice of something wicked if you prefer. Today my motto is "Viva La Acceptance!!!!" - rough translation is "do what you want and don't give a s**t what anybody thinks!!!!!!"

Later chickies, Lu (with an extra hole that God did not intend but I love nonetheless!!!!!)