Category Archives: Personal

Current Affairs, Introspection

Would you run in the torch relay?

Groover asked me the other day: “If I’d been selected to run in the Olympic Torch Relay in Canberra – would I pull out?” and it’s a question that has been plaguing me all week.

I imagine the thrill of being asked. The honour. The excitement of representing my chosen field, my family, my country, my Olympic representatives – the athletes who have trained so hard and for so long – in such a public event.

Then the dilemma. Does running mean that I support China’s action in Tibet? And if it does, can I live with myself if I run?

And then the horror of watching the other relays – in London, in Paris, in San Franscisco – and the debacle they’ve turned into. Watching other runners being caught up in the protest. Being attacked.

Being shoved into a warehouse as organisers try and work out what to do next.

Being surrounded by a phalanx of secret service guards.

Where is the honour in that? Where is the glory? Where is the pride?

So imagine. You’re sitting at home watching the news on the telly. Your torch relay uniform, clean and sparkling new is in its box. Your brand new sandshoes gleam. And you, with your heart in your mouth, have to decide whether you’ll take part.
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It’s easy to say “No I won’t take part” from your lounge room when you don’t have to make that decision but if you were actually in those gleaming new sandshoes… would you withdraw?

I am torn on this question.

What I will say on behalf of those who decided to run is that at least they have provided a very public platform for the protesters.

What about our athletes? Do they boycott? What difference would it really make? Did boycotting Moscow back in 1980 really achieve all that much? Could you turn your back on four years of training, of dreams?

Sport and politics should not mix. Is that possible in the real world?

So in summary: I think I would run in the relay as it is a great forum for the Tibetans to make their protest. I don’t think athletes should boycott the games, after all we don’t expect our companies to give up their trade contracts. And at this stage I think Kevin Rudd should consider not going to the Games although, I can’t imagine the Chinese would care if he were there or not.

Your thoughts?

Creative Commons License photo credit: Monster Pete

Blogging, Introspection

Brain space – the zen of blogging

I can’t tell you how often people ask me how I find the time to blog, but the truth is where others might meditate, or do some yoga, or pray… I blog.

light

I find it relaxing. To let my consciousness stream via the keyboard onto a white screen. To play with the words. To shape and reshape my thoughts.

Blogging opens my mind and releases the frantic thoughts that buzz inside my head.

When I blog, I’m not thinking about all the jobs I haven’t done, the mountain of work awaiting me. How I might approach a meeting tomorrow, what words to achieve my goal with that report. Not to mention the housework piling up, the kids’ dinner, health, glasses… and where is Groover anyway?

I just blog.

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I add a photo. I jot down a few tags. I select the categories. I hit publish.

My thought bubble, now words on a screen, floats away into the sunset.

My mind is clear.

Nirvana.

SUNSET

Groover, Introspection, Random

The power of the itch

Scratch it babyI’ve got an itchy foot. An actual itchy foot, not wanderlust. Or maybe it is wanderlust too? It’s just at the top of my left foot near where the leg starts but on the flat of the top of the foot… if that makes sense.

Have you ever noticed that if you start thinking about an itchy foot or somewhere else and you don’t scratch it immediately that all of a sudden other bits start getting itchy… like your right shoulder, the back of your left thigh where it’s against the chair, your head… And then you scratch your foot but it’s too late …your shoulder, thigh, damn now my chin niggles at you.

What’s going on?! It was just my foot one minute ago!

Does that ever happen to you?

It’s like when you hear someone talking about nits – that’s it! I’m scratching my head. Even if there is no, absolutely no chance of me having them, I’ve been living on my own in the desert for a month, no contact with children and my head is shaved anyway… suddenly it’s itchy.

Sorry. Are you scratching your head now?

That was just mean wasn’t it? But isn’t it true!!
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It’s like our bodies are pre-programmed for suggestion… maybe it comes from when we were apes… I mean we’re still apes but when we were in the jungle picking lice off eachother… maybe it’s hard-wired into our DNA to scratch so that others will come over and groom us, pick the odd crawly out of our hair…

After all that saying “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” had to be based on something…

GROOVER! What are you doing? My back! Oooooooh darling that’s it… a bit to the left… ahhhhh.

What? You’ve got an itch where?

Isn’t it time for me to be putting on the dinner…

Creative Commons License photo credit: belgianchocolate

Current Affairs, Introspection

2020 – I’m just not engaged

2 Comments

Can you name these players?

No, not the cricket game… the 2020 Summit!

(I bet John Howard wishes it were a cricket game…)

Yeah the summit. Where 1000 Australians will discuss matters of import such as:
* Productivity Agenda – education, skills, training, science and innovation
* Australian Economy – the future of the Australian economy
* Sustainability and Climate Change – population, sustainability, climate change and water
* Rural Australia – future directions for rural industries and rural communities
* Health – a long-term national health strategy – including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population
* Communities and Families – strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion
* Indigenous Australia – options for the future of Indigenous Australia
* Creative Australia – towards a creative Australia: the future of the arts, film and design
* Australian Governance – the future of Australian governance: renewed democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
* Australia’s Future in the World – Australia’s future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world
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*yawn*

Sorry, where were we?

Yeah the summit. I don’t know why but this one just hasn’t captured my imagination. I’m sure it’s all very worthy. I’m sure some good stuff will come out of it. Eventually. I’m not saying it shouldn’t go ahead. But… I’m not excited.

And if that makes me a head-in-the-sand, political neophyte who couldn’t give a toss about the future of this great country… well.

Bugger.

Because I wish I were more engaged! I wish I did care a little more. I wish I had time to read the briefing papers and think about the issues involved. To have my say. To stand up and make a difference.

Maybe, you just have to be there.

Maybe that’s one good reason why I’m not.

Dippity, Health, Hugamuga, Introspection

How long should it take to name a child?

There is a high profile person in Perth who has recently become the father to a healthy baby girl (as opposed to a fully grown one). She is beautiful and the mother is by all accounts a very lovely and organised person.

The baby was born on the 14th March and to date the babe is not named.

Now there are probably very good reasons for that. Who knows what is going on with them.

But I find it hard to imagine going three weeks without naming my babes. I think I took one look at my babes as they were laid on my chest and said “Welcome to the world little Hugamuga/Dippity”, barely seconds old.

Newborn Son

With Hugamuga we’d had a tulmultuous time… first births often are. I’d gone into labour two days before and after getting to 8cm and having my waters broken in the home birth centre at the hospital it was decided to transfer to the hospital proper – so I could have an epidural and a rest.

Things didn’t proceed well – the baby was posterior and presenting the widest part of his head – and I was transferred from the labour ward to theatre, prepped for an emergency caeser and they tried first to suction him out… yep, I got the cut.

I was pretty high on drugs at this point but what I remember is that the doctor was pulling on the suction thingy and the bed started going with it. The brakes weren’t on!

Then we heard a loud sucky sound and we thought – omg! Here he/she comes! Then there was a loud theatrical “pop” and the suction cap fell off and the doctor went flying.

The monitoring equipment went wild and it was decided they couldn’t wait for a caeser – they just had to rip him out. The student midwives observing at the back of the room visibly winced as the forceps went in and Hugamuga came out. (that’s not a good sign)

He scored 4 on his first apgar, and 8 on his second. He looked like a little blue frog with a squashed nose and bruises on his head both where the suction cup had been and by his ears – like sideburns – where the forceps were clamped. But he was okay. Safe. Yes a rocky landing but the plane didn’t crash. I was lucky.
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Meanwhile at the other end of the bed the doctor was busy practicing his needlepoint. Third degree tear. 40 stitches. Please remember I’m still very high on drugs. “So you won’t be able to have sex for two months and you’ll need to take laxitives regularly for 6…” sew sew sew… “Oh,” says I, “So I guess anal sex is out of the question?” The midwives glare at Groover. I was joking! I think I’m hysterically funny. “Don’t distract the doctor darling”, says Groover, “you need him to concentrate at the moment…”

But I digress what were we talking about again???

That’s right. Names.

I don’t think I’m especially well organised but I did have the name thing organised. We’d agreed on both a boys and a girls name for Hugamuga… he would have been Madeleine if a girl.

Newborn Girl

And for Dippity we had a deal, Groover got to name the baby if a boy – Declan (hmmm not so much) – and I got to name her if she was a girl, which happily, she was. But again no delay.

So (finally) here’s my question. Did it take you a while to name your babies?

And if so, why?

Religious reasons perhaps? You’re the Crown Prince of Denmark maybe? You had the baby unexpectedly early?

I’d love to know your story…

Bridge, Extracurricular, Youtube

How to Riffle Shuffle

Babtamore (Trish) asks “What is rifle shuffle?” Well I don’t like to take a shot-gun approach to my answers (hehe) so I’ve made you all a little video on how to riffle shuffle.

In fact this is a riffle shuffle with a Cascade Bridge Flourish. Sounds fancy eh?
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Here’s some more tutorials…

And yes… that’s Groover at the end. 🙂

Introspection

The importance of a best friend

The other day at work I mentioned a friend in a conversation and my colleague turned to me and asked “Is she your best friend?”

It stopped me in my tracks.

I’ve been thinking a lot about best friends lately and how important – to 10-year-olds at least – it is to have a best friend.

I met my best friend at school at the age of 10. In years 6&7 we were inseparable. I’d go over to her house 2-3 times a week, we had sleepovers, secretly liked the same boys, played hopscotch, trampolining, elastics, and board games endlessly. We were both born in Canada. Her family Canadian, my family Australian (working abroad at the time). I went to Wave Rock with her family. She came to Rotto with mine.

She taught me how to riffle shuffle – a skill I enjoy to this day. I don’t think I taught her anything. Her dad would wake us up in the morning singing lougly:

Good morning to you
Good morning to you
Whatever the weather
We’ll face it together
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a beautiful day!

Best Friends circa 1979

Note the similar fashion style, even similar hair! We’d have been around 12.

I remember on the way home, her dad stopped on the side of the road. A fox had been killed. I don’t know why he stopped – maybe to get the foxtail. He turned the dead animal over and I can still see to this day the teeming maggots, green and maroon.

Today we don’t see each other. We grew apart when she moved schools in Year 9 but kept in touch. She has moved to Vancouver with her husband and two boys. Maybe she reads this blog. I hope so.

If you’re reading girlfriend: Thank you for being a great best friend!

Extracurricular, Introspection

Floating in the Indian Ocean

Cottesloe Sunset

I’m floating in the Indian Ocean. The water is like a mill pond. My head is back, my limbs crucifixed. I can feel the water lap against my ears and in the distance, above the water, children playing, a car roaring past, the faint duuf duuf of the Cottesloe Hotel.

The water supports my body. A posturpedic mattress. The sun, gentle as it begins its downward journey one hour earlier.

I am at peace.

And yet there is the faint niggle of disquiet. How long will my family let me lie.

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“Will you swim with us around the pylon? I don’t want swim on my own.”

“Oh alright then.”

How could I refuse? This is my perfect swimming environment. Still and quiet. No waves.

Bliss.

Introspection, Travel

Me time

It’s very odd being on your own after living in a house with seven other people for a few days.  I need to stay down south for another day as I’m working tomorrow in Bunbury and I thought I’d have to spend a night on my own but instead everyone left early this morning and I’m left, with a lot more me time than I expected.

me

Now it’s all very well to have me time and I know I continually crave it when I’m in the rat race at home. But you know, I’m just not quite sure what to do with myself.

To start with I thought I’d clean the house.  Then I took the garbage to the tip.  Now, I’m down at the shopping centre internet cafe chatting with you.  And I must admit, it’s nice just to blog away knowing that noone is going to come and hang around waiting for me to finish.  Or ask me for money.

But then, after I buy some loo paper and water and maybe an avocado, I’ll be at a loose end.  I’ve read my books.  I don’t really want to work.

I should go for a walk.
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I think the problem is that I’m not used to not being busy. 

Maybe I should do nothing.  Just, do nothing.  

Hmmm.  Do nothing and maybe have a glass of wine.

Yeah.  THAT sounds like a plan.  🙂

Beliefs, Introspection, Youtube

A genuine question to Christians

This video is the second most watched comedy clip from Rowan Atkinson on Youtube.

And I’m wondering – if you’re Christian – is it offensive?


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My opinion – and I wouldn’t call myself religious – that it isn’t. But then again, would I say the same about a similar sketch based on the Koran? I’m not sure.

Please let me know what you think in comments.