Friday, December 19, 2008

More Important World News

Australian tomato imports halted in NZ

Just days after Australia lifted its ban on importing New Zealand tomatoes, New Zealand has suspended imports of Australian tomatoes.

The temporary ban on Australian tomatoes coming into New Zealand was imposed after five of seven samples tested showed no residue of dimethoate, used to treat for fruit fly.

Imports were suspended last week and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) was asked to look into why that had happened, said a Biosecurity NZ spokeswoman.

She was not willing to speculate on why the tomatoes might have failed the test but until AQIS came up with another method for treatment or produced the results required by New Zealand authorities, the suspension would remain in place.

The two parties were in daily discussions, she said.

About eight per cent of the tomatoes consumed in New Zealand come from Australia, generally during winter and early spring.

In 2007 more than 3000 tonnes of Queensland tomatoes worth $A9 million ($NZ10.8 million) were imported.

The suspension came just days after New Zealand tomato and capsicum growers were told their produce would be allowed back into Australia under a temporary solution to cope with concerns about a pest bacteria.

Biosecurity Australia had revised its constrains on imports of New Zealand tomato and capsicum to allow shipments to resume.

New Zealand exports about 4000 tonnes of tomatoes to Australia (worth about $A4.26m), the Pacific Islands and Japan.

I especially like the first sentence...I would like to see 'tomato' replaced with 'tourist' though...because that would be funny. Especially since three stories earlier, this was reported


More Kiwis choosing to live in Australia


New Zealanders continue to flock to live in Australia in record numbers, nearly 100 each day, according to figures released from Statistics New Zealand.

The net number of people moving to Australia permanently or long term in the year to November 2008 was 35,300, up from 27,200 the year before.

It was the highest number recorded, and exceeded previous peaks recorded in 1989 (33,700) and 1979 (33,400).

Overall there were 48,500 permanent or long-term departures to Australia, but that was offset by 13,200 arrivals from Australia.

Almost two-thirds of those arrivals from Australia were New Zealand citizens.

Despite the net outflow to Australia, overall New Zealand gained 3600 permanent or long term residents in the period.

However, that was down from 6600 in the November 2007 year, and was the lowest annual figure since the October 2001 year (1700).


Friday, December 12, 2008

best. montage. ever



Do you totally want to go and kick some ass now? It's about a perfect montage, except I think if they tried they could have fit in 'I am to misbehave', which is the best line from a move inspirational speech ever, if you ask me...

Monday, December 1, 2008

Seriously?

December? Are you kidding me?

Excuse me while I go FREAK OUT

That means it is less than 2 weeks til the big scary family dinner I have to attend despite having 2 invitations to far more interesting events...

That means it is less than 3 weeks til I go to Tasmania...

That means it is less than 4 weeks til Christmas...

Which in turn means it is less that 7 weeks til my birthday.

Which means it will soon be February when my essay is due, then it will be March, which is when I should really be writing my thesis, then it will be April when I have to hand up my thesis.

Great time to get sick, really...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

now THAT'S news...

UK man kills himself with chainsaw


A British man committed suicide by cutting off his own head with a chainsaw, an inquest into his death has found.

David Phyall, 50, took his own life because he was "irrationally opposed" to leaving his home, which had been repossessed, Deputy Coroner Simon Burge said at Winchester Coroner's Court in southern England.

"In the 15 years I have been sitting as a deputy coroner, this is the most bizarre case I can recall," said Burge, recording a verdict of suicide.

"He thought through how he was going to commit suicide very carefully. He went to a great deal of trouble."

Phyall, who had been drinking alcohol but not taken any drugs, tied the chainsaw to the leg of a snooker table and plugged it into a timer.

Police were called to his apartment in Bishopstoke, southern England, on July 5 when his parents could not contact him.

Requesting the parents to remain outside the property, officers broke in and found the walls and floor covered in blood, with Phyall's partially decapitated body in the lounge.

The apartment block where he was living was set to be demolished and despite various efforts from the local housing authority, Phyall - who suffered from mental illness and had attempted suicide in the past - had declined several offers for an alternative home.

Eventually, a court decided that his home, the only apartment in the block still occupied by anyone, was to be repossessed.

take note, ABC news. THIS is what you should be reporting, not this 'two planes didn't crash' rubbish

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Newsworthy?

Landing aborted at Adelaide Airport

A Virgin Blue jet had to abandon its final approach into Adelaide Airport last night to avoid a light plane that was on a cross runway.

Airservices Australia says at about 7:00pm air traffic control calculated clearance times and decided against letting the 737 land.

The Virgin jet circled and landed safely on a second approach.

Airservices Australia says the air traffic controllers followed routine procedure.


is it just me, or is that news story basically

'Overnight, two planes didn't crash at adelaide airport. The safety procedures worked, and the air traffic controllers did their job'


I guess in Adelaide, every day is a slow news day...

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Election Day...

On a day when America is basically deciding the future of the free world...let us remember one of the great speeches by the greatest president ever.

Except he's fictional...



Which reminds me: Garry, are your West Wing DVDs amongst the stuff you're leaving being when you go overseas? Can I borrow?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

quick note

Can I just say...how is it November already? Where has my year gone? This is not a good indication of how quickly my time doing Honours is going to run out.

I'm freaking out. Maybe this is the source of my lack of happiness. Stress.

Only I don't feel particularly stressed.

Maybe I should...
I've been reading a few people's blogs lately, and it really hit home how much of a terrible blogger I am. I don't keep this up to date at all! I think it partly has to do with being a fairly private person, really, and trying to sort through things myself and not sharing them with (potentially...) the whole world.

The thing is, at the moment, I'm in a bit of a funk. I'm not feeling happy, and it annoys me, because I have nothing to be unhappy about. Uni is progressing well, I'm busy but that's OK. I'm sleeping well, I'm mostly managing to maintain my friendships. I really want to be happy. And I'm not and it bugs me. It's not that I'm mega depressed or even particularly unhappy. I'm just not happy.

That doesn't make any sense, does it. Damn. I hate it when that happens. I also hate being in a funk, because it means I don't get along with people, I get all snappy and then eventually I will have a break down and everyone will hate me for a few days. And that is something I would really rather avoid.

Bah-ness. See? This is why I don't blog about how I'm feeling. Because it doesn't really do me any good anyway.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

what? WHAT?

So, after my rant yesterday about the evils of breast cancer marketing, I got my unrelated essay topic for honours.

'Desmoplasia in breast cancer'

Geez.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Cancer contemplations...

No, don't panic, I don't have cancer. I wouldn't be sitting here calmly blogging if I did.

It's October. That makes it breast cancer awareness month. Which is fine. I have no problem with it.

Actually, that's a lie. I do have a problem with it. Not with people with breast cancer, or people who research it or treat it. I have a problem that it gets so much attention when other cancers and diseases effect a lot of other people, but don't get a whole month of awareness.

Like leukaemia. As far as I'm aware, there is no leukaemia awareness month. There is no brand of tomato sauce, or bottled water, or toilet paper, or biscuit, or god knows what else that I can buy so my $0.50 goes to leukaemia research. At least on a regular basis. And yet, in church on sunday, 4 different people named friends/acquaintences struggling with leukaemia. This is clearly a disease that is still a problem.

Bowel cancer is also a big problem. As is ovarian cancer and cervical cancer (even with the vaccine. That's not going to lower deaths for 10-20 years, at least). What about cystic fibrosis? Or multiple sclerosis? Where are the awareness months for these diseases?

You know what I've decided it must be? Pervert CEOs, etc, who want an excuse to say 'breast' and not be slapped/sacked/sued for sexual harrassment. And while I'm on the subject, just because you're raising funds for breast cancer, it doesn't give you free reign to make offensive advertising. I'm looking at you, Mount Franklin.

It's unfortunate, because I'm so ticked off by the inequality of all this that I'm almost at the point of NOT buying products that have pink ribbons on them. And that's not fair to the sufferers and researchers of breast cancer. It's not their fault that the awareness is so biased.

Damn it feels good to rant. I think ranting is good for the soul, don't you?

Tim Told me To...

Tim told me I have to blog. So I'm blogging. Usually I don't let people boss me around, but he probably has a point.

So. I've been sick. Bronchitis. Not my favourite way to spend the weekend. I'm even more behind at uni, because I only spent 2 and a bit days there last week. I'm getting very frustrated that NOTHING seems to work the way I want it to. People keep telling me that this is how research works. I think, actually, it's just the way my life works. Because nothing ever goes the way I want it to. I'm sure other people experience this. But it does seem sometimes that other people I know always fall on their feet and things go according to plan. Me? Nup. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

BUT I'm making a concerted effort to not think like this and therefore wallow in self pity. Surely there has to be some power in positive thinking, right? And one thing did go my way this morning. My barista clearly had a case of Monday-itis, and accidentally gave me a large coffee instead of a normal sized one. Yay for free upgrades.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

stupid pasty marwong...

Once I got quite offended when my brother called me a 'pasty marwong'. I believe the term hails from his college days and refers to a person who ridiculously fair...although it may or not have originally been a type of fish.

Any who. I realise that I am a useless pasty marwong. And I realise this before because today I had to go through the ordeal of buying makeup. This is something I don't like doing. Because apparently, as well as being a pasty marwong, I sort of also suck at being a girl. But I digress (again). I wanted a particular kind that I had used before, but a few shades lighter as when I used it last time it was for stage, and because I am a pasty marwong my face is barely visible from the glow. Ew.

But here's the kicker. Even the lightest shade is almost too dark for me. What the? I can wear it, but only if I don't put it on too thickly. Crap.

Oh, and the other reason I apparently suck at being a girl is I hate shoe shopping. I really do. Why can't there just be normal shoes in shoe shops, instead of freaking enormous metallic sex-and-the-city gladiator monstrosities that look good on NO ONE? Bah.

Plus, I went to the optometrist to get contact lenses, because despite how awesome glasses are, sometimes they are a little inconvenient and I would like to still be able to see when I'm not wearing them. But apparently I'm one of about 5% of people who has eyes so freaky, they don't stock the lenses I need. Which means I have to go back again. Because, as previously stated, eveything in my life is designed to niggle me. Which, you know, is fine. Things could be so much worse. But it seems I get the niggles that everyone else is meant to get as well as my own...

Hold on. I just used 'niggle' as well as 'marwong'. Clearly, I have been talking to much to my brother...


p.s it would appear that a marwong is a deep sea bream. Why this refers to pasty white people, I have no idea.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

untitled...

I mentioned a while back that I was having some knee problems. Well, an x-ray, MRI, 2 specialist visits and around $800 later...there is nothing structurally wrong.

Which means my pain has no explanation and is probably down to muscle weakness. This should be good news, but I've been doing physio for months and I still have pain. It would have been nice for a simple explanation and simple fix. But, seeing as this is my life we're talking about, it's not simple. Big surprise. Still, could be worse I suppose.

What else can I blog about? Oh yeah, my seminar. I had to give it for my honours project. It was great, I got all good feedback, except for one person, who basically said my presentation was crap, I had no idea what I was talking about, and didn't use the information I had effectively. Which I don't mind. Honestly. I figure 8 people who say I did fine are a better indication than the 1 person said I was rubbish. Except this is me we're talking about, and my life never goes along happily like most normal people. Which means this anonymous naysayer will end up being the person who marks my thesis. I just know they will, even though I don't even know they are. Because that is just how my life works. Like the way I control the weather. My middle name should just be Murphy. Couldn't be any worse than my real middle name, in any case...

The thing I found funny was my mentor telling me I say 'um' too much. Because clearly, he has never had to sit through one of his own lectures. Although to be fair to him, he's more of an 'Ah' man...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The Omnivore's Hundred

Here's a new twist on those stupid list things that always float around myspace. Apparently, this list contains 100 things an omnivore should eat before he or she dies. Lets see how many I've smashed, then, eh?

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle Tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (hold on. I lived in college for 2 years and didn't have this? oops...)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

20? sheesh. that's soft. I need to expand on this, I think...let's see...tbar has nettle tea, at least I guess they would...A whole lot of them I've never heard of so I guess I need to travel a little and see what I can see...

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Nothingness

Damn it. I forgot to blog again.

It's not my fault nothing interesting ever happens to me. Besides, I have no evidence that anyone is actually reading my blog, so there's little motivation to actually keep it updated.

Mind you, a lot has actually happened since I last blogged. I just feel weird blogging about things like my grandfather dying. It doesn't seem particularly blog worthy. Which sounds quite harsh. It's not really. I'm just not sure how I feel about him dying and so it didn't seem worthwhile blogging indecisively. Also it doesn't seem fair to totally bitch about my family on the internet. Because it's not polite.

Um...what else. Oh. It would appear my knee is a little screwed. Hopefully I'll know more on Thursday following an MRI. Ugh. I'm not impressed at having to have an MRI. But I guess it's better than having to have an arthroscopy just to work out what's wrong.

And...um...yeah. That's all. Once I have something interesting to say, I'll say it, don't you worry about that!

Monday, August 18, 2008

oops...

Ah. OK. I didn't blog for a whole month. My bad

For, you know, the 2 people who might actually read this blog.

Anywho. So, I've started honours, I've sorted out all the issues I had with 5 different people telling me to do my seminar 5 different ways...which is good. And I seem to have impressed the honours coordinator with my ability to be organised and to actually know what I'd doing.

I think she must be easily impressed.

Seriously. I am about the least organised person I know. And it doesn't take a genius to know that you shouldn't read off notes when you give a seminar, you should just know what you are going to say about your slides.

The only reason I am staying on top of my work is because if I don't, I will not only be stressed about my ailing grandparents, I will also be stressed about uni. Surely this makes sense and shouldn't surprise anyone.

Which begs the question: What the hell kind of people are they accepting into the honours program, if they can't time manage and organise a seminar in 3 weeks???

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tales from the Tram

I love public transport. I'm not saying it's the most convenient way to get around Adelaide, or that it wouldn't be handy if I could drive, but honestly, nothing beats the people you see and the conversations you hear when travelling on public transport.

Take today, for example. You know it's going to be a great trip when a woman, who looks and sounds like someone from 'Ladette to Lady' sits down next to you and says 'Goodbye fake Chanel, hello fake LeSportsSac'. Add to this her daughter, who must've been all of 6 or 7, and their stereotypically gay companion, and you know some interesting conversations are going to ensue.

Like the one about the little girls obvious recent purchase: a couple of packets of nail stickers from somewhere like cheap as chips. Said little girl asked said stereotypical gay man which set he liked better, the pink or the yellow. Now, I'm not 100% he wasn't taking the piss, as you can with small children as their perception of sarcasm isn't all that great, but he proceeded to give his reasons for why he liked the yellow ones better. It had to do with the design of the pink ones, because, honestly, why would you put a little picture of a rose on the sticker then put a stinking great diamante over the top so you can't see it?

I suppose he had a point.

Still. Any grown adult talking to a 6 year old rationally about the design merits (or otherwise) of their ugly nail stickers sounds hilarious. Yet I suppose I sound just as hilarious when talking to my small cousins about their possessions...ah the price we pay for the approval of small children...

I'm hoping I can regularly blog about the interesting things I see and hear on the tram. However, this relies on a few different factors. 1) that interesting things keep happening on the tram...which is almost guaranteed but you never know, 2) that I remember them and 3) I actually get around to blogging about them.

Because lets face it, my life is fairly boring, and I'd rather talk about other people. Which some people may not believe, because a blog is a fairly self indulgent place where people often crap on about themselves. But there you have it.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

cabin fever

Ya know what? I haven't been outside for about 2 days...since Sunday afternoon, actually, when I went to Spotlight. This is for 2 reasons, I suppose. Or maybe it's just one. I'm not sure. Basically it's so freaking cold and wet, why would anyone go outside who didn't need to?? I figure, that's 2 reasons, right? Too cold, plus I have no reason to.

Well. No pressing reason, anyway. There are several things I could be doing, like going to visit J out at Hampstead where she is recovering from being hit by a tram. Or visiting my very sick grandfather. Or buying stuff for my latest craft venture. But none of those things are pressing enough to get me to go out in the rain and the occasional hail.

I kinda wish I did have something to do, though. I'm getting awful bored. Plus the cabin fever.

Oh well. Next week I'm off to Darwin to escape the cold that is Adelaide. Yay!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

boast...

Yay! I have a pretty header. Now, my photoshop skills are EXTREMELY limited, so it's not the worlds greatest image, but I'm proud of myself!

And my exams are OVER. Hence why I have time to muck around with photoshop making headers for my blog....

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Strange Sources

As someone who has studied science for a few years now, I'm always taught to use data etc from reliable sources only. Basically, if it's from Nature, it's probably a good bet. Or anything with a decent sort of impact factor.

Definitely don't try to cite anything from, say, wikipedia. Although most science students will confess to using that marvellous database of knowledge as a starter for most of their assignments. Most importantly, never believe anything you see on TV.

The problem is, I saw something, or rather heard something on TV last night that pretty much perfectly sums up my thoughts on science. And God. And the same rule applies with religion that applies to science - don't believe anything you see on TV.

Still. I couldn't shake the thought that this expression of science and God was about the best I had ever heard. So I thought, screw it, I'll go and find the exact quote. Which proved tricky. Thank the fates for Facebook and the devoted fans who create the 'addicted to...' applications. And for that 'Numb3rs' fan who had posted the following in the 'quotes' section.

"I mean what kind of mindless cretins would blind themselves to the gifts of science? How else would a Creator reveal Himself but through His creation? And to deny the mind of that creation is to deny the mind of GOD."

There you have it, folks. Profundity in a TV cop show, or as my dearest father calls them, a 'shoot 'em up bang bang thing'...Because there's truth in those words of the fictional Dr Larry Fleinhardt. Well, I like to think there is anyway. I never get how some christians just dismiss science. It scares me. I think it scares me because it is irrational. You cannot just dismiss evidence based science because it doesn't fit your theology. At least I think that is an irrational thing to do...

Anyway. Let's see. Exam tomorrow? Check. Procrastinating? Check. Nearly killed computer today? double check.

Great day...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

study

yes that's right folks, it's that time again: swot vac! so technically I won't be blogging much between now and the 1st of july...God that seems like a long time to be studying. I think I might actually die.

Mind you, I might end up blogging just to break up the tedium.....ugh...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A few things I've learned in the last few days

As much as I told people I had a good weekend, really, I spent quite a bit of it feeling really rather blah. Which was rather unpleasant. But it showed me a few things:

* Watching Torchwood, oddly enough, is not a mood lifter. In fact it is pretty much the opposite. Especially because I accidentally know how some of it is going to end. At least I had the sense not to watch the last two episodes, and to switch to Daria instead.

*As mentioned previously, Daria is a much better alternative to Torchwood when feeling blue. I'm not sure why. Surely all the sarcasm and angst can't be conducive to a good mood? Oh, wait. This is me we're talking about. Moving on...

*When you are blue, it is really hard to eat just one chocolate frog...

*Other people's blogs are far more interesting than mine. This probably explains why, as far as I am aware, no one actually reads my blog...

*The one things that is better than Daria when you feel blue is watching QI on youtube. Ah the hilarity. Laughter, as they say, is indeed the best medicine.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Sometimes governments get it right...

I was hugely excited on Saturday to hear that after years in Baxter followed by community detention, my friend Giwa has been granted a visa to live in Australia, providing he passes a health check and a police check back in Nigeria.

Which is awesome. But I must ask, why does it take so long? Giwa is a teacher, and a christian. It confuses me as to why it takes so long to work out that someone like him is not in anyway a threat to this country. I get that we don't necessarily want people associated with terror cells or other such nastiness to live here permanently. But how hard is it, seriously, to run background checks. I don't buy it.

In other news, I'm trying a new made up recipe tonight, involving rum, bananas and other goodness. Hopefully it goes well and the kitchen doesn't go up in flambe...hmm...

Sunday, May 18, 2008

git

Here's something that occasionally surprises me: the fact that I seem to be turning into some kind of old git. I get crotchety at the littlest things...although maybe they aren't so little. It bugs me that people I'm studying with aren't as passionate as me. Or maybe even passionate at all. I realise that it is quite unique to have formed a dream some 6 or 7 years ago and still be pursuing it with only minor alterations. But seriously. If you want to be a health profession, have a little passion. Have some fire. Don't be all 'well if I don't get in, I'll just do such and such'. Screw that. I have all sorts of (meaning, OK, maybe 1) contingency plans in place in case I don't get into physio. I'm prepared to somehow work my way overseas if needs be, where I can buy myself a place if I have to. For godsakes, don't whinge about why you have to learn something that seems irrelevant, and please, if someone points out it is actually relevant, have the respect to accept that and move on. Be educated about what it is you actually want to do.

To sum up, whatever you do, do NOT piss me off. I will totally diss you in my blog. Bitches. Grow up, get a life, realise that the world will not, contrary to popular opinion, hand you everything on a plate. You have to work, you have to learn some mind numblingly boring things, as well as some hard things, and you have to accept them and accept that some things don't change. Above all, do not argue with a Choleric-sanguine type personality when she knows she is right. Trust me. She won't argue unless she knows she is right. Which means you are wrong. Accept that and move on.

Bitches.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day?

Ugh. I feel like a bad person, because sometimes, I get totally sick of my family. Not my own mother, at least most of the time, but my extended family. It feels like they organise my life, or at least my special occasions, and just generally make me not look forward to family celebrations. Which seems contradictory. Family celebrations should be good, right? Yet they are about my least favourite thing to do. I have my small cousins thrust in my face constantly as small people who are far better than I'll ever be (note: everything these supposed prodigies can do, I could totally do at their age. Except crossover skipping. But who cares about skipping, anyway. I could, like, count to 100 and beyond when I was 4. Beat that, bitches). Clearly, whatever I do will never be good enough, as either Ann or Barbara could do it better than me. I eat the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, do the wrong subjects. I hate it. I shouldn't care but I do. This is my family. Of all the people in the world, your family should be the supportive, nurturing ones, right? Ha. Clearly you have the wrong family.

The problem is, if I rebel against it all, it just makes the situation worse. And yet I don't want to just pander and smile and do what I'm told. What the hell kind of life is that? Bastard catch 22...I don't want them to hate me, yet to do what it would take to please them would be unbearable. Gah.

Screw this. I don't need it anymore. But as they say, you can't choose your family. Which, as I'm seeing more and more, is a tremendous pity. On days when you are supposed to celebrate family, I find myself hating mine. Does that seem right to you???

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

anato-me

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate studying for anatomy tests? It makes me blog, for instance. This must be serious...

The thing is, I am not a rote learner. I don't believe in rote learning. If there's some important fact to know, well, that's what google is for. I am a girl who makes up half her exam and gets 80%. Because I study biology and that's what you do, isn't it? Make it up but try to sound halfway intelligent?

Except anatomy doesn't work that way. It might, if I knew slightly more latin and could make up awesome names for things when I can't remember what they are actually called. Hmm...perhaps I should just hit the latin section of internetbumperstickers.com and see what I can glean.

Or, you know, I could actually study properly. Bwa ha ha...

Saturday, May 3, 2008

grievances

Tomorrow marks one year since my Nan died from cancer. One whole year. Which means it's also nearly a year since I decided to stop wallowing in my self pity and dwelling on how ridiculously unhappy I was and to basically get over myself. It actually worked, too, for most of the last year. I was happy, even though things still weren't great, I was able to deal with them better. Somehow, though, in the last few months or so I seem to be sliding back along the path of self pity. It sucks. I hate who I am when I'm all mopey and depressed. It's not the 'me' that I'm used to. It's definitely not a nice person to be around. So I guess I need to try and remember that I have defeated this before and I can do it again.

It doesn't help, though, that nearly a year to the day that my grandmother died, my best friend faces the same reality, telling me today that her grandmother has the big 'C' word. Pancreatic and liver. Which is not a great prospect, really. I guess it surprised me (see? I can keep on topic occasionally...) how much that effected me, because I've been all teary and mopey and generally sad all day, and I'm sure it's not really about Ria's grandmother, who I've never met, but it's more about me. Which is an utterly selfish response but there you have it. But I thought I was past all this grief stuff. Acceptance, etc. But today I have been a total basket case. I cried during an episode of Gossip Girl, for crying out loud. That there is surely an indicator of some major problems...

I suppose it doesn't help that this morning I woke up suffering some kind of allergy to the eye makeup I was wearing last night, and my right eye was nearly swollen shut and I kind of looked like Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Or like I got punched in the eye whilst wearing a rather stunning shade of pinky-red eyeshadow. Maybe it's karma getting me back for laughing at Wez for managing to twist his ankle and cut his eyebrow open when he passed out Thursday. But seriously, when someone hears you coming and goes 'Don't laugh', surely it's the natural response, when you see them hobbling on crutches with stitches in their face to laugh in a somewhat maniacal way. That's not just me, right? Cause I don't really believe in Karma anyway...because I've seen enough even in my short life that makes me believe that the worst stuff always seems to happen to the best people, and not the other way around.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

deleted scene...

for no apparent reason, here is possibly the funniest deleted scene ever



I sat for no apparent reason...really, I guess, the reason is it's my blog and I'll damn well put what I please :)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Dear Rachel, are you a complete moron?

Grr. Why do people always assume other people are stupid?

OK, wait, that's probably unfair coming from me...but seriously. I spend three years studying science at Adelaide Uni. Why would anyone think I got through that without some understanding of processes and protocol?

Why the rant? I'm trying to organise my honours project for next semester. I emailed a few people who work in the fields that I am interested in. One of them has been really lovely and helpful. The other asked if I had talked to the honours supervisor about my academic eligibility and possible supervisors. Um, what? You think I picked you randomly, trying to bypass the pesky process of actually being organised?

Meh. Hopefully I'll still discuss projects with him, but I'm thinking someone who a)doesn't remember I was in his class a year ago and therefore should know that yes, I am academically qualified and b) thinks I am a moron may not be the best honours supervisor...

And now I have a cold. Meh. Meh meh meh.

Monday, April 21, 2008

bah!

So, after the excitement of Wednesday, things went pretty much downhill...on Thursday the recruitment agency rang to say the client had changed their mind so I don't have temp work after all. Which led to me feeling crappy for the next 3 days or so...went out with the girls, though, so that was nice, except I ended up with a neck headache, something I've been trying to avoid, which keeps threatening to rear it's ugly head and I have a nasty feeling that sometime soon it's gonna blow and I'll be agony for a few days...bah...

Friday was rather uneventful, except at the end of it I still felt rather crappy and had a headache so the night out was postponed...

Saturday I had training all day for Emmaus...which meant sitting at a computer with someone who didn't know how to use it very well whilst feeling crotchety and blue...so much fun...

Sunday I woke to find that somehow my scales have gotten broken, and despite having a lifetime warrantly, there's little I can do without a receipt. Bah. At least I had brunch to cheer me up

All up it was a busy but only mildly enjoyable weekend. In fact I enjoyed only a few bits of it, the rest kind of sucked.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Squee-ness

I had a call from the temp agency this morning and I have another 3 days work over the next 3 weeks. Which basically means I will get to go to Darwin for a bit of a holiday after all. Because it means money to pay for the ridiculously expensive airfares.

Except that I'm working as a receptionist in an aged care facility. Which basically means I will turn into my mother for those three days. But I'm fully aware that this isn't an entirely new phoenomenon and so I am quite accepting of my fate, really.

Monday, April 14, 2008

somewhat surprising

I've sort of been toying with the idea of starting a new blog for a while. I say new, really, I mean, one that I actually use and that is actually relevant compared to the one I started nearly 2 years ago. One that I can blog anything random that occurs to me. That said, you then have to give it a title, and that should say something about the content, you'd think. I mean, 'Rachel's Blog' is a stupid name for a blog if you're not 14, right? So I figured that the older I get (which makes me sounds like a middle aged twat, but meh) the more things that seem to surprise me. Which seems to me to be contradictory, because the more that you see, the less that should surprise you. But it doesn't seem to work like that.

For example, yesterday I was surprised by my own reaction to the news that someone I don't know, who I know only by a screen name and some rather witty/bitchy/snarky comments on another site, has leukaemia. Why do I care as much as I do? I mean, sure, I'm human, but you occasionally hear that celebrities or some such have these nasty diseases, yet my reaction to that sort of news is totally different. Surely it should be the same? In both instances these are total strangers who are not much more than a name to me, maybe a face. Yet I feel differently and that surprises me.

So, I figure I can blog things that surprise me. And all sorts of other random stuff that won't ever be relevant. Don't say you weren't warned. I say 'you', I'm assuming one day someone might actually read this...is that egotistical? I have no idea. But I don't think it really matters, actually...