In space no one can hear the thunder...

Nor can we in Perth.

BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY!!!

I am so over being told by people in the know that we'll be having thunderstorms and rain. All we're getting is fecking hot and humid weather and I'm really, really over it. Towards the end of a bitterly cold winter I shall never again look expectantly forward to summer.

I tell you, I think hell decided to relocate to the south of Western Australia.

Ok, enough ranting about the weather.

What have I been up to lately?
Well, I've been implementing one of my new years resolutions.
No, not the 'gym more, eat less crap' one because I think I'm going backwards with that. I shall be the size of a house by the time some of you come to visit me in October.
No, the one I've been implementing is the 'do more of the things that I want to do' one.

To put it simply, Christian and I don't exactly have similar tastes when it comes to hobbies. Sure there are some movies that we both like, TV shows are pretty on par and I've taken up an interest in cars, but on a base level we're quite different.
Now I don't have a problem with that at all but to actually spend time with each other it does mean that one if us ends up doing something that isn't a real interest to us.
That person tends to be me.
99.9% of the time.
Since we've been together I've ...

• Joined a rally team and hence spent many weekends being cold and wet in the middle of nowhere changing muddy tyres.
• Sat for many an hour watching Christian participate in track days plus attend numerous Motovations and car shows.
• Watched endless Jackie Chan movies plus other martial arts movies (to be fair I have developed a liking for some of these but they're still not my genre of choice).
• Spent hours on end and occasionally all night playing cards and board games.

• Spent hours on end and occasionally all night watching Christian play on his computer (once again I've developed a bit of a liking for this as I do enjoy chatting to the guys that attend LANS but it's not something I would have taken up by myself)

I wouldn't mind this if it went both ways but Christian is a stubborn male and absolutely refuses to do an activity if he won't enjoy it. Therefore all he has done in return is...

• Take up Squash (he refused to play Badminton as he doesn't like it but this was his compromise)
• Watch one or two girly movies with me at the cinema (Ever After being one and Harry Potter 5 being the other!)
• Once (and only once - it was last Sunday) help me in the garden.

I've discovered that I've kind of lost myself over the years and so I resolved to this year make more time for myself and do less things just because Christian is doing them. If this means that we spend less time together then so be it. If Christian wants to spend more time with me then he can participate in some of my activities.

Now I don't want to give the wrong impression - things are great between us. No marital problems or anything, I just need to do what's right for me. So in aid of this I have recently undertaken the following...

• Taken up Jazz Funk classes. These are classes in which we're taught a new routine every few weeks (the first is a hip hop routine, not sure what the next will be) with the intent of having fun and getting fit at the same time.
• I've stopped going to soccer on both Wednesdays and Sundays. I did like going to soccer but it was more for the perv value I think than out of any actual enjoyment for the game. I can perv on my hubby at home just as well as there and it does mean I can do more important things on the weekends instead of cutting them short just to sit around watching Christian exercise.
• I've chosen not to attend two games nights that our friend Daniel has held since the New Year. Now, there are a couple of board games that I quite enjoy but at these nights the boys tend to steer away from those and play more strategy based ones and I get bored and try to sleep on a mouldy old couch.
• There are a few movies that Christian has gone to watch that I haven't joined him with simply because I'm not interested in them. Instead I've seen a few chick flicks with some girls from work and my sisters.
• Barb and I are going to take up Belly Dancing when the new term starts. It's something I've always wanted to do, although I'm sure I'll be crap at it.

So hopefully is all goes well I'll start actually having my own life as well as my married one. I think the problem I've had is that I've only been thinking of me in terms of 'us' and not as 'me'. Just because I'm married it doesn't mean I should give up my own life.
I'm already feeling much happier for it which is great although I don't think Christian realised just how resolved I was. I'm pretty sure he thought I was having a whinge but wouldn't make any changes. On Sunday I went off to the markets and received a txt saying 'Soccer's on at 3 will you be back in time to come'. I really wanted to reply 'You assume I'm going' but managed to restrain myself. There's no need to be snippy after all. Instead I waited till I got home five minutes later to inform him I wasn't going. He seemed a bit shocked as I always go but I'm sure he'll learn that that's all going to change.

So I'll let you know how all my new hobbies go. If Belly Dancing doesn't work out I'm thinking of taking up another type although most of them you need a partner for (and I'm sure it comes as no surprise to hear that Christian refuses to take up dancing lessons with me). We'll just have to wait and see I suppose.
Sorry if this seemed like one long rant. I'll try and make my next post a little cheerier. Till then, take care.