This is for Louise, my creative writing teacher who died of cancer last week.
I do not wish for her to rest in peace. She would be singularly unimpressed by peace and la la angels.
I wish for her to be in the great wine bar in the sky, drinking caberent sauvignon, scoffing brie and biscuits and carrying on, at length, with relevant quotations, as to why Cormac McCarthy was the greatest writer alive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy
This is for her emotional generosity and the encouragement that helped me keep writing through a dark time.
This is for her irreverant sense of humour that not everyone understood (I often had to stifle my sniggering behind my hand at a particularly witty bon mot while others looked bemused).
I don't pity her death. She would hate that and give me the verbal equivalent of a clip around the ear. I (with many, many others) am grateful for her life.
All we have are our relationships and memories. All else turns to dust.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The meaning of life is 42
Thanks to Douglas Adams (sadly no longer with us) for the revelation that the meaning of life is the number 42. I think it comes from his book "Thanks for all the fish".
After the terrible events of last week in Virginia in the USA, I needed to remind myself of the fundamentals of what makes life worth living. My condolences to all those affected.
My preferred explanation of the meaning of life actually comes from Emerson
" To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life has breathes easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
After the terrible events of last week in Virginia in the USA, I needed to remind myself of the fundamentals of what makes life worth living. My condolences to all those affected.
My preferred explanation of the meaning of life actually comes from Emerson
" To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life has breathes easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Crushed tomatoes
As a potential vegetarian (not this life, maybe the next) I would like to protest the use of "crushed" tomatoes in the Italian food section of my local supermarket.
It is not clear whether these tomatoes have been held in rendition in Eastern Europe, interrogated then tortured by a middle eastern state starting with "I" or simply confined for a long period without trial in Gitmo.
I don't care which side did it but it has to stop.
Tomatoes deserve the right to justice and a fair trial. They should not be confined endlessly then "crushed".
They deserve better and civilisation is not civil when their rights are ignored.
Mummified
It is not clear whether these tomatoes have been held in rendition in Eastern Europe, interrogated then tortured by a middle eastern state starting with "I" or simply confined for a long period without trial in Gitmo.
I don't care which side did it but it has to stop.
Tomatoes deserve the right to justice and a fair trial. They should not be confined endlessly then "crushed".
They deserve better and civilisation is not civil when their rights are ignored.
Mummified
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Apparently it is bad form...
Went to the World Championship Swimming Competition last night. Amazing stuff. Not the sort of thing I'd usually attend. Hence, somewhat unversed in swimming etiquette.
Checked the program, it listed the events, nothing in it about not appreciating the male swimmers. Shockingly, apparently they wear those full body outfits so they can swim faster.
Well, that is just a waste of a good resource. In today's marketplace, it is all about "adding value".
I had to wait until each race was over before they would peel down their tops so I could appreciate their chests. I don't remember shouting out - "ooooh, nice pecs". I am sure it was the rowdy lady in the aisle behind us.
Mummified would never be so badly behaved. I would be more likely to shout "Has it been half an hour since you ate ?" followed closely by " I'm not nagging, I just don't want you to get cramps when you hop back in the pool."
Checked the program, it listed the events, nothing in it about not appreciating the male swimmers. Shockingly, apparently they wear those full body outfits so they can swim faster.
Well, that is just a waste of a good resource. In today's marketplace, it is all about "adding value".
I had to wait until each race was over before they would peel down their tops so I could appreciate their chests. I don't remember shouting out - "ooooh, nice pecs". I am sure it was the rowdy lady in the aisle behind us.
Mummified would never be so badly behaved. I would be more likely to shout "Has it been half an hour since you ate ?" followed closely by " I'm not nagging, I just don't want you to get cramps when you hop back in the pool."
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink
The heading above is a fib.
Australia is currently suffering a particularly nasty drought but I have been watching the television ads and apparently it does not matter if you mislead people -you just have to make sure that they remember you so, there we are -" water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink"(I expect someone really clever came up with that one - sadly, it wasn't me).
In fact, this post is about our new water tank but, sensibly (in my very sensible view), I did that tricky thing with the heading and lured you in.
What a devious mummified ! What a sneaky, beaky, tricky mummy...
Of course, I have a toddler so I spend quite a lot of my time being tricky. When I uttered the word sh*t recently in front of said child, I quickly added - sheet, doona, pillowcase - that's what we put on the bed. Phew !
But back to the water tank issue. We have got a quote and if we order now we will probably get one in 22 weeks. If we order this week and not next week when it could take even longer. 22 weeks ? That is like - AGES AND AGES AND AGES.
However, we need it because soon (unless God provides 40 days and 40 nights of rain or some such) it will be unlawful to water your garden at all unless you have your own supply - tank or grey water run-off from washing machines, etc etc...
Imagine that...
When I lived in England, I would often complain about the rain. Now I look at the sky and try to be encouraging. "Go on, rain - you can do it - you know you can - you've just lost the knack - it's probably only a confidence thing..."
So far, a little luck but not much...
Can anyone out there do a rain dance and if so, could you post a comment explaining the steps ?
Australia is currently suffering a particularly nasty drought but I have been watching the television ads and apparently it does not matter if you mislead people -you just have to make sure that they remember you so, there we are -" water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink"(I expect someone really clever came up with that one - sadly, it wasn't me).
In fact, this post is about our new water tank but, sensibly (in my very sensible view), I did that tricky thing with the heading and lured you in.
What a devious mummified ! What a sneaky, beaky, tricky mummy...
Of course, I have a toddler so I spend quite a lot of my time being tricky. When I uttered the word sh*t recently in front of said child, I quickly added - sheet, doona, pillowcase - that's what we put on the bed. Phew !
But back to the water tank issue. We have got a quote and if we order now we will probably get one in 22 weeks. If we order this week and not next week when it could take even longer. 22 weeks ? That is like - AGES AND AGES AND AGES.
However, we need it because soon (unless God provides 40 days and 40 nights of rain or some such) it will be unlawful to water your garden at all unless you have your own supply - tank or grey water run-off from washing machines, etc etc...
Imagine that...
When I lived in England, I would often complain about the rain. Now I look at the sky and try to be encouraging. "Go on, rain - you can do it - you know you can - you've just lost the knack - it's probably only a confidence thing..."
So far, a little luck but not much...
Can anyone out there do a rain dance and if so, could you post a comment explaining the steps ?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Oh Stella !
Well, well, well....
The land of Oz has finally grabbed the "mass-tige" (vs prestige - ie haute couture) concept by the lapels and Target (a big US chain store here) delivered the first collection by Stella McCartney about 2 weeks ago.
The day it was released there were hordes of ravenous shoppers salivating outside the store from 6am that morning so that they could be first to buy the new collection.
It was not a limited collection (ie they made lots and lots of them girls and boys) but it was mass hysteria and made the TV news.
I know they still had more because my mum went in there and bought herself two items the week after. And very fetching they were too.
Listen, I know I'm square. I'm so square that I am practically rectangular but the frenzied shopping for labels thing is just beyond me. I mean seriously, are we so bereft of intellect that buying a new outfit causes wild surges of adrenaline to rush though our systems ? What the heck is going on ?
Answers that do not include four letter words are most welcome.
The land of Oz has finally grabbed the "mass-tige" (vs prestige - ie haute couture) concept by the lapels and Target (a big US chain store here) delivered the first collection by Stella McCartney about 2 weeks ago.
The day it was released there were hordes of ravenous shoppers salivating outside the store from 6am that morning so that they could be first to buy the new collection.
It was not a limited collection (ie they made lots and lots of them girls and boys) but it was mass hysteria and made the TV news.
I know they still had more because my mum went in there and bought herself two items the week after. And very fetching they were too.
Listen, I know I'm square. I'm so square that I am practically rectangular but the frenzied shopping for labels thing is just beyond me. I mean seriously, are we so bereft of intellect that buying a new outfit causes wild surges of adrenaline to rush though our systems ? What the heck is going on ?
Answers that do not include four letter words are most welcome.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Indigenous rights and wrongs
For those expecting a laugh, you may want to change channels...
Surfacing now, in mainstream media in Australia, at last, is the issue of sustained and widespread domestic and sexual violence against women and children as young as seven months. Dribs and drabs have variously been reported but the size of the epidemic is now becoming known.
First a snapshot = some stats and facts provided by Louis Nowra in his Article in The Australian - ALR - March 2007
* The rate of domestic assault in indigenous communities is 8-10 times that of non indigenous communities
* The sexual abuse of girls is so widespread that one-third of 13 year old girls in the Northern Territory are infected with Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.
* Last year, Alice Springs crown prosecutor, Nanette Rogers, reported a case where a woman was bashed and stabbed by her husband throughout her marriage. Eventually, her husband beat her to death, tied up the corpse and left it on an ant's nest.
* A seven month baby was taken from its home and raped. She needed surgery under general anaesthetic. A six year old girl was playing in a waterhole when an 18 year old petrol sniffer grabbed her, pulled her under and simultaneously anally raped her and drowned her.
I have no slick comment to make, no glib retort. My mother's heart says get the women and children away from these hellish situations. Yet this is hard to do when "traditional (customary) law" is given precedence over "white man's law" and (false) claims made by the perpetuators that tribal law allows them to rape.
And if that is the case and we do separate the victims from the aggressors - do we end up with another stolen generation - disenfranchised from their culture. Given what their culture and the extreme poverty of their circumstances has delivered to a large majority of women and children, is this a bad thing ?
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, I refer you to Louis Nowra - Bad Dreaming
Surfacing now, in mainstream media in Australia, at last, is the issue of sustained and widespread domestic and sexual violence against women and children as young as seven months. Dribs and drabs have variously been reported but the size of the epidemic is now becoming known.
First a snapshot = some stats and facts provided by Louis Nowra in his Article in The Australian - ALR - March 2007
* The rate of domestic assault in indigenous communities is 8-10 times that of non indigenous communities
* The sexual abuse of girls is so widespread that one-third of 13 year old girls in the Northern Territory are infected with Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.
* Last year, Alice Springs crown prosecutor, Nanette Rogers, reported a case where a woman was bashed and stabbed by her husband throughout her marriage. Eventually, her husband beat her to death, tied up the corpse and left it on an ant's nest.
* A seven month baby was taken from its home and raped. She needed surgery under general anaesthetic. A six year old girl was playing in a waterhole when an 18 year old petrol sniffer grabbed her, pulled her under and simultaneously anally raped her and drowned her.
I have no slick comment to make, no glib retort. My mother's heart says get the women and children away from these hellish situations. Yet this is hard to do when "traditional (customary) law" is given precedence over "white man's law" and (false) claims made by the perpetuators that tribal law allows them to rape.
And if that is the case and we do separate the victims from the aggressors - do we end up with another stolen generation - disenfranchised from their culture. Given what their culture and the extreme poverty of their circumstances has delivered to a large majority of women and children, is this a bad thing ?
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, I refer you to Louis Nowra - Bad Dreaming
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Product placement - the bane of modern movies
No, people don't watch the advertisements anymore. They turned away, switched off, logged out. So we need something new. I know, we'll have their favourite characters in the movies using our products on every occasion possible. We'll call it the "halo" effect to keep the marketers happy....
And the most shocking exponent of this plague on our screens ? Yes, Wallace himself.
Most people think "Wallace and Gromit" are simply a couple of old duffers - well actually, that would be Wallace, Gromit is the dog who keeps the show on the road.
I counted an astonishing number of references to "CHEEEEEESE" in their latest adventure, "The curse of the Were Rabbit" and I was disturbed to see carrots and all manner of other vegetables being pushed front and centre. Where will it all end ?
And the most shocking exponent of this plague on our screens ? Yes, Wallace himself.
Most people think "Wallace and Gromit" are simply a couple of old duffers - well actually, that would be Wallace, Gromit is the dog who keeps the show on the road.
I counted an astonishing number of references to "CHEEEEEESE" in their latest adventure, "The curse of the Were Rabbit" and I was disturbed to see carrots and all manner of other vegetables being pushed front and centre. Where will it all end ?
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Well honestly...
If I told you all the sagas with little fella's health over the last month, you simply wouldn't believe me.
You'd say something like - "Liar, liar, pants on fire" or, if you decided you wanted to be a little less harsh, you might go with " Oh really ? " and roll your eyes so far back in your head that they disappeared entirely.
Honestly, what is the world coming to ?
Assuming that his recovery continues well (as it is now doing after I stripped the pharmacy of most of their supplies), I will try to write something a little more interesting in the next few days.
In the meantime, I apologise for the lack of wit and entertainment to be found here and recommend the reading of other people's blogs for a while.
hasta la vista
You'd say something like - "Liar, liar, pants on fire" or, if you decided you wanted to be a little less harsh, you might go with " Oh really ? " and roll your eyes so far back in your head that they disappeared entirely.
Honestly, what is the world coming to ?
Assuming that his recovery continues well (as it is now doing after I stripped the pharmacy of most of their supplies), I will try to write something a little more interesting in the next few days.
In the meantime, I apologise for the lack of wit and entertainment to be found here and recommend the reading of other people's blogs for a while.
hasta la vista
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Passionate about work
http://www.vimeo.com/clip:114601
Like nothing I have ever seen or want to see again...
Like nothing I have ever seen or want to see again...
Friday, October 27, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Mummified is horrified
Ok then. You got your basic - women wearing skimpy outfits and swaying their hips suggestively as "asking for it " (it being rape) type argument coming from the Ramadan sermon of our most senior muslim cleric in Australia - Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali.
(Yes, lets use such an important sermon in the muslim calendar to promote hatred - what a brilliant idea...)
And, to cement our reputation as barbaric and misogynist, the recent gang rape of a mentally impaired 16 year old (including setting her hair alight) in Werribee portrayed as "a bit of fun".
Actually, you should see the DVD - they filmed the incident and sold copies to their mates for $5 each. Having fun and making a profit - geez, does it get any better than this ?
Interested in your comments....
(Yes, lets use such an important sermon in the muslim calendar to promote hatred - what a brilliant idea...)
And, to cement our reputation as barbaric and misogynist, the recent gang rape of a mentally impaired 16 year old (including setting her hair alight) in Werribee portrayed as "a bit of fun".
Actually, you should see the DVD - they filmed the incident and sold copies to their mates for $5 each. Having fun and making a profit - geez, does it get any better than this ?
Interested in your comments....
Sunday, October 22, 2006
An inconvenient truth - or Al Gore's slide show
See it.
Think about it.
Debate it with friends and family.
Decide what you need to do.
Do it.
There is nothing more to say.
www.climatecrisis.net
Think about it.
Debate it with friends and family.
Decide what you need to do.
Do it.
There is nothing more to say.
www.climatecrisis.net
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The Devil wears Prada - Who was the devil again ?
So I still can't decide - is it the Meryl Streep character who is supposed to be the devil or the Anne Hathaway character ? Because it seems to me like Meryl is:
a) working hard and doing her job well
b) telling it like it is - ie I work in fashion, it is what it is and it is indeed all about making money and influencing trends in a very competitive environment
c) giving the "smart" girl who is utterly clueless - a break
wheras the Anna Hathaway character is:
a) whiny
b) sanctimonious
c) lacking commitment
d) playing the "but she made me do it" card for all it is worth
Yes, yes, there are some outrageously demanding antics on the part of Ms Priestly. She is very, very naughty to ask some of the things she does of her staff. However, I'd prefer to work with Miranda Priestly any day of the week.
Hell, I'd learn a lot more than College taught me.
a) working hard and doing her job well
b) telling it like it is - ie I work in fashion, it is what it is and it is indeed all about making money and influencing trends in a very competitive environment
c) giving the "smart" girl who is utterly clueless - a break
wheras the Anna Hathaway character is:
a) whiny
b) sanctimonious
c) lacking commitment
d) playing the "but she made me do it" card for all it is worth
Yes, yes, there are some outrageously demanding antics on the part of Ms Priestly. She is very, very naughty to ask some of the things she does of her staff. However, I'd prefer to work with Miranda Priestly any day of the week.
Hell, I'd learn a lot more than College taught me.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Now that I have more than 30 seconds free...
As regular readers will know, I LOVE people who question the why's and wherefores of this little world we like to call home. Passive blobs who just suck up everything they are told and accept it frighten me.
And I love a blog that displays a bit of independent thinking, a hefty dose of scepticism and humour - yeah humour, lets all have a laugh.
http://www.gapingvoid.com/
If I could articulate my thoughts as well as this bloke, I would be a very happy woman.
And I love a blog that displays a bit of independent thinking, a hefty dose of scepticism and humour - yeah humour, lets all have a laugh.
http://www.gapingvoid.com/
If I could articulate my thoughts as well as this bloke, I would be a very happy woman.
Monday, October 16, 2006
It's not like you can blame her...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30604
JK Rowling has apparently given up writing books to flirt with boys. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. (Yes, I do realise they are pulling our collective legs).
:-)
JK Rowling has apparently given up writing books to flirt with boys. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. (Yes, I do realise they are pulling our collective legs).
:-)
An emotional vacumn cleaner...
Area Woman Emotionally Invested In Jennifer Aniston's Well-Being (From The Onion)
October 15, 2006
SCOTTDALE, PA—Pennsylvania native and entertainment-news consumer Gayle Caudill admitted to a deep personal investment in the happiness and well-being of TV and film star Jennifer Aniston, an international celebrity who has a reported net worth of $80 million, and, according to Caudill, is "a down-to-earth gal just like myself."
Like the international celebrity, Caudill has also been through "so much." "She's had her share of troubles, like anyone else," said Caudill, referring to Aniston's much-reported divorce from fellow megastar Brad Pitt. "But if I know Jen Aniston, she'll come out on top. She's a survivor."
The divorced 41-year-old dental-office receptionist and self-proclaimed "Team Aniston" member said she felt an "uncanny" bond with the $8-million-per-picture superstar. The two have never met, and are not expected to.
Don't get me wrong. What I am about to write is not a crticism of Gayle or others of her ilk. That would be foolish given that this story is a spoof that appeared in The Onion.
However, I too have stood at the supermarket checkout and flicked through the types of magazines that carry this stuff. In Oz, these babies sell like hot cakes. In fact, better than that, they sell like meth amphetamines to meth heads - ie lots of, heaps and stacks.
And it makes me sad. Now, some of you will dismiss this as being too serious about "a bit of fun". Bear with me though, I think there is more to it than that. I think it is about feeling lost and lonely in a big scary world and clinging on to any brightly coloured floatsam that passes by.
And we chicks are the main culprits. I don't know why we kid ourselves that reading about women wearing small amounts of expensive, glittery material is interesting or even meaningful. But we do. Some of these stars also act as well as being modules (sorry, I think I meant models not modules - no, oops, I did actually mean modules).
It's like their sparkly world is a panacea for all that ails us. We suck it up and it leaves us breathless and a little high. It tempers every cr*p job, bad relationship, no relationship, lack of satisfaction aspect of our lives.
Except, it is actually like meth amphetamines - you subdue the pain but the addiction is worst than the original condition.
October 15, 2006
SCOTTDALE, PA—Pennsylvania native and entertainment-news consumer Gayle Caudill admitted to a deep personal investment in the happiness and well-being of TV and film star Jennifer Aniston, an international celebrity who has a reported net worth of $80 million, and, according to Caudill, is "a down-to-earth gal just like myself."
Like the international celebrity, Caudill has also been through "so much." "She's had her share of troubles, like anyone else," said Caudill, referring to Aniston's much-reported divorce from fellow megastar Brad Pitt. "But if I know Jen Aniston, she'll come out on top. She's a survivor."
The divorced 41-year-old dental-office receptionist and self-proclaimed "Team Aniston" member said she felt an "uncanny" bond with the $8-million-per-picture superstar. The two have never met, and are not expected to.
Don't get me wrong. What I am about to write is not a crticism of Gayle or others of her ilk. That would be foolish given that this story is a spoof that appeared in The Onion.
However, I too have stood at the supermarket checkout and flicked through the types of magazines that carry this stuff. In Oz, these babies sell like hot cakes. In fact, better than that, they sell like meth amphetamines to meth heads - ie lots of, heaps and stacks.
And it makes me sad. Now, some of you will dismiss this as being too serious about "a bit of fun". Bear with me though, I think there is more to it than that. I think it is about feeling lost and lonely in a big scary world and clinging on to any brightly coloured floatsam that passes by.
And we chicks are the main culprits. I don't know why we kid ourselves that reading about women wearing small amounts of expensive, glittery material is interesting or even meaningful. But we do. Some of these stars also act as well as being modules (sorry, I think I meant models not modules - no, oops, I did actually mean modules).
It's like their sparkly world is a panacea for all that ails us. We suck it up and it leaves us breathless and a little high. It tempers every cr*p job, bad relationship, no relationship, lack of satisfaction aspect of our lives.
Except, it is actually like meth amphetamines - you subdue the pain but the addiction is worst than the original condition.
Step 1 - sell your soul to pay the mortgage
Step 2 - pick a career that pays well, has kudos and will make your parents proud
Step 3 - do this career everyday until you are nearly 40
Step 4 - stop, reflect, realise you are wasting your life
Step 5 - reset your direction
Step 6 - not up to this bit yet
Step 3 - do this career everyday until you are nearly 40
Step 4 - stop, reflect, realise you are wasting your life
Step 5 - reset your direction
Step 6 - not up to this bit yet
Sunday, October 08, 2006
And you say you want to be a journalist...
From the Indy Star - www.indystar.com
Journalist who criticized government is fatally shot
Moscow -- A prominent Russian journalist known for reporting of human rights abuses in war-torn Chechnya was shot and killed Saturday in her apartment building in what colleagues and authorities described as an apparent assassination.
Anna Politkovskaya, 48, was shot in the chest as she was getting out of an elevator, then was shot in the head, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing investigative sources. The image of the suspected killer was captured on a surveillance videotape, the agency said.
Politkovskaya, a mother of two, was considered one of the toughest critics of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and of pro-Moscow Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov. One of her areas of expertise was documenting mistreatment of ordinary Chechens by Russian troops or forces loyal to Kadyrov.
Journalist who criticized government is fatally shot
Moscow -- A prominent Russian journalist known for reporting of human rights abuses in war-torn Chechnya was shot and killed Saturday in her apartment building in what colleagues and authorities described as an apparent assassination.
Anna Politkovskaya, 48, was shot in the chest as she was getting out of an elevator, then was shot in the head, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing investigative sources. The image of the suspected killer was captured on a surveillance videotape, the agency said.
Politkovskaya, a mother of two, was considered one of the toughest critics of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and of pro-Moscow Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov. One of her areas of expertise was documenting mistreatment of ordinary Chechens by Russian troops or forces loyal to Kadyrov.
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