http://fiverr.com
Just go and look at it.
Just go and look at it.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Homeschool Group Calendar is Up
See Gin Gin Home Educators to know what the homeschool group are doing each week. I'm using the blogger platform because it saves logging on somewhere else or making another website. The KISS principle wins every time :-)
Hey, Strawberry Shortcake!
Blueberry Muffin's here for breakfast!
This is not my child.
But she looks suspiciously like this one...
...so she must have escaped from TV land.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
That Time of the Month
It's amazing what a little pressure can do to my productivity. Normally I will spend a good week tinkering with the wording of a grant, finely tuning the nuances, clarifying the points and culling redundancies. But when the pressure is on, I finally pull my finger out and it all falls into place.
Evaluation
This week Sean had to buy mower parts (cue: native drums) and there was a HUGE pack of washing powder on special in IGA so I grabbed it. Haven't done the cull yet due to it being that time of the month* but I am expecting couch surfers tomorrow so I'll do it when I clean the bedroom.
On the topic of washing powder, about 15 years ago washing balls came onto the market. They claimed to clean your clothes without washing detergent. They appeared to be inert, some were made of ceramic and others were very obviously just basalt rocks in a plastic cage. The sellers tried to tell me that the balls had some sort of magnetic property which made the water molecule smaller so it could penetrate the cloth better (Here comes a Charlie!).Nevertheless, it made me think that if these people were still able to wash clothes without washing powder (a) those people obviously did not have kids and (b) washing powder in itself was overrated.
SO! I experimented with how little washing powder I could use and still successfully wash clothes. My conclusions after a few months were; YES, if you worked in an air conditioned office like Sean, you certainly can discard washing powder BUT you might like to pre-scrub the collars and chuck in a little vinegar to deodorise the effects of stinky male armpits. However if you were a massage therapist who worked at a mud farm like myself then NO! Massage oil, mangrove mud and fish guts have particularly penetrative properties and will not come out even in hot water without some chemical assistance.
Once Kirk was born, people gave me LOADS of advice - one of the best parts was from a lady around the corner who raised 6 kids with cloth nappies, "If you soak the nappies in Nappisan then don't bother with washing powder as the residual will give the kids nappy rash." So again I experimented and found that I didn't even need to soak the nappies in Napisan. I discovered if I dry pail the pissy nappies the urine converts to ammonia so I don't have to use Napisan at all and 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent suffices. Note also I generally use an eco-wash so there are no brighteners or bleaching agents so the nappies come out clean but not retina-piercing white.
*That time of the month" means lots of grants are due.
On the topic of washing powder, about 15 years ago washing balls came onto the market. They claimed to clean your clothes without washing detergent. They appeared to be inert, some were made of ceramic and others were very obviously just basalt rocks in a plastic cage. The sellers tried to tell me that the balls had some sort of magnetic property which made the water molecule smaller so it could penetrate the cloth better (Here comes a Charlie!).Nevertheless, it made me think that if these people were still able to wash clothes without washing powder (a) those people obviously did not have kids and (b) washing powder in itself was overrated.
SO! I experimented with how little washing powder I could use and still successfully wash clothes. My conclusions after a few months were; YES, if you worked in an air conditioned office like Sean, you certainly can discard washing powder BUT you might like to pre-scrub the collars and chuck in a little vinegar to deodorise the effects of stinky male armpits. However if you were a massage therapist who worked at a mud farm like myself then NO! Massage oil, mangrove mud and fish guts have particularly penetrative properties and will not come out even in hot water without some chemical assistance.
Once Kirk was born, people gave me LOADS of advice - one of the best parts was from a lady around the corner who raised 6 kids with cloth nappies, "If you soak the nappies in Nappisan then don't bother with washing powder as the residual will give the kids nappy rash." So again I experimented and found that I didn't even need to soak the nappies in Napisan. I discovered if I dry pail the pissy nappies the urine converts to ammonia so I don't have to use Napisan at all and 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent suffices. Note also I generally use an eco-wash so there are no brighteners or bleaching agents so the nappies come out clean but not retina-piercing white.
*That time of the month" means lots of grants are due.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Story of my life...
Last week, I opened the PO box, stretched up and shoved my arm inside, feeling around for stray mail that I can't see. I then jumped up and down a couple of times (yes, very amusing for onlookers) to verify I hadn't missed anything and then I noticed there was a note taped on the other side, sticking down so the post office staff could read it. It was bent inwards and although upside down it was legible so with great curiosity I dragged myself up to the level of the box and read it. It said, "Two short ladies live here."
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Month of Rejuvenation
This is turning into a month of rejuvenation. Not for myself unfortunately (far from) but for appliances. Earlier this month we involuntarily bought a freezer and a washing machine. This week the stove needs new parts (for god's sake it's only 16 years old!), the speakers on Kirk's computer died (damn, it's not like he uses them on full bore), and the mower needs the starter motor and fuel pump replaced (can you say "Lemon"?). It appears the whitegoods are revolting.... "Computer! I know your keyboard is starting to be faulty and you're getting slow in your old age but you know I love you very dearly, and want you to continue working indefinitely!"
Mmm...my friend is selling a wood cooker...but I really don't want to light a fire every day...
Mmm...my friend is selling a wood cooker...but I really don't want to light a fire every day...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sweet Relief
The response I get in highschool when they see me coming for their relief teacher is "Oh no, it's HER! She's gunna make us do work!" Usually followed by a series of expletives. It's better than the response another teacher gets, "Woohoo it's Miss ** - Bludge time!"
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Scroogezilla Revisited
Week 1 of the the Buy Nothing Challenge has not been very challenging so I'm going to add another dimension; I'm also going to shed an item every day - this does not include garbage - and when we HAVE to buy something (eg mower parts) I will shed 2 things for every 1 that we buy. Stuff should also go to a new home if possible and not just be dumped on Lifeline. Now it's a challenge.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Born a rev-head
Kirk has taken possession of an old, electric whipper snipper which, thankfully, has no powerhead so essentially it is useless. But in the hands of a mini-rev-head the sound alone evokes from him evil genius laughter. I'm sure he's thinking about strapping it to the canoe...hey...yeeaah..."Oh Kiiirrrk!" [sound of two evil geniuses cackling].
Garbage Guts
Malunggay
A friend was shopping at the markets with me and asked about some leafy stuff I bought. The Philipine name is malunggay (in Tagalog) and it is similar to spinach and is it is just 1/5 the price. However it is very twiggy so if you're a lazy cook like me, your diners have to pick the sticks out of their curry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera
I looked it up online years ago and had a laugh as it sounded like a miracle plant - much like the Neem and Aloe Vera - largely overrated as it is here: http://stuartxchange.com/Malunggay.html I think people mistake the intake of better nutrition as the agent of cure but with the right building blocks the body largely cures itself. (Hippocrates had something there).
To me malunggay seems a better deal because you get 4 products in one, being a tree it only has to be planted once unlike spinach which needs to be planted annually, and from what I see it needs little care and can cope with bad soil and drought. One day I'll get around to asking one of the Philipine ladies for a few cuttings.
There's your lecture for the day...
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Searching
As I drove towards town this afternoon, I saw a police helicopter land at the showgrounds....bad.
As I passed the hospital hundreds of cars, police & SES were gathered there...very bad.
This evening I discovered it is the Lawrence family grandfather who is missing. Their grandfather is a spritely 88 year old man who has dementia and was last seen heading north along the highway....catastrophic.
His large family literally CARE for the people of Gin Gin. They work as fieries, ambos, counsellors, teachers, foster parents and chaplains. They are ALL open minded, non-judgemental, unassuming people who work incredibly hard. I hold them in the highest regard. Darren Lawrence performed Rohan's funeral (his first as a chaplain), his family prepared the church and were on hand with food and support the whole time (+ months afterwards).
The search resumes tomorrow 6am, a lot of people are going on horseback because it is all bushland north of there.
Sigh...and our day started off so lovely with the baby music class - run by the Lawrence family girls.
As I passed the hospital hundreds of cars, police & SES were gathered there...very bad.
This evening I discovered it is the Lawrence family grandfather who is missing. Their grandfather is a spritely 88 year old man who has dementia and was last seen heading north along the highway....catastrophic.
His large family literally CARE for the people of Gin Gin. They work as fieries, ambos, counsellors, teachers, foster parents and chaplains. They are ALL open minded, non-judgemental, unassuming people who work incredibly hard. I hold them in the highest regard. Darren Lawrence performed Rohan's funeral (his first as a chaplain), his family prepared the church and were on hand with food and support the whole time (+ months afterwards).
The search resumes tomorrow 6am, a lot of people are going on horseback because it is all bushland north of there.
Sigh...and our day started off so lovely with the baby music class - run by the Lawrence family girls.
Friday, February 10, 2012
One for Rachel
From Highly Irritable ;10 things to do before you graduate University
Sigh...Yes, uni at 18 was sooo much more fun than uni at 25 ... actually uni at 25 was no fun at all. However TEACHING at uni was GREAT - it's so cruisy compared to normal jobs.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Borking
Adjective. When something is so boring you go barking mad. eg How is the introductory IT subject? Borking!
Crash Test Dummy
Yes, it's permanent pen so I'm glad Sean is taking her to the swimming lesson tomorrow.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Snip Snip Snip
So what ELSE can I cut?
Bathroom: I've pushed down the usage of toiletries down massively - I have not bought anything for months. One bar of soap in a jar of water refills the soap pump at least 20 times which far outlives a bar of soap going squishy on the sink. I hang the shower soap in a net bag so it does not dissolve down the plughole. We rarely use shampoo - hot water each night seems to be enough. I am still using up moisturisers people gave me for Skye 2 years ago and will make my own in the future. I make my own deodorant (bicarb & peppermint oil). Installing the butt gun (bidet) cut our dunny paper usage to 1/5. Toothpaste: tiny squeeze & lots of brushing. Shaving: optional. Hot water is free but if we had shorter showers then the pump would not have to run as long.
Laundry: I MIGHT use a box of laundry detergent every 8 weeks and I am currently sorting our towels and putting away the excess so the kids can't drag them around the house to provide me (now THEM) with more washing. Also I'm going to keep a tighter control over their clothes to reduce the laundry...do kids need to wear clothes at all?
Cleaning: I am conservatively using up the odds and sods in the cupboards, some of them since the previous owners moved out 8 years ago - although I think this says more about my negligent cleaning habits than my frugality.
Kitchen: Maybe we can eat more Arabic & Indonesian dishes where everyone shares from the same platter rather than making a mountain of dirty dishes? AND I'm going to put away all the extra cutlery & crockery. That one will be hard because I always seem to have a house full of visitors. I suppose I could also cut down on hot drinks and hot, buttery toast because those appliances cost a fair bit to run...
Electronics: Sean already turns off the unnecessary things at night and I work with just one desk lamp. We don't have a TV or stereo system but we do have computers running all the time but that should change when Sean farms out the server and maybe I can discipline myself to only turn the computer on when I sit down to work at night (Hard!)
Climate control: The fans are on constantly during summer but maybe solar panels would cool the roof even further and negate that completely. Also we could move outside earlier instead of turning on the fans or just get used to the heat! In winter I have started to sit under an electric rug instead of turning on a heater and maybe I'll move the whole family into one bedroom next winter so only so heater is required.
Food: I don't think I can get more frugal in this department without ceasing to eat completely - with the exception of bread and cheese I make everything from scratch. Mind you, I CAN make the bread and cheese from wheat and milk but that costs more than buying it. I suppose we could cancel the wine subscription - but then we'd need to turn up the heat in winter.
Transport: Another tough one. It is hard to cut the miles living here and I am out 4 days a week with kids activities. I NEVER "pop down to the shops" and we try to organise all the homeschool activities on one day. Also it is common sense to take care of the cars properly so we do not skimp on maintenance. HA! It took me 7 years to wear through the first set of brake pads so my driving can't be too bad but maybe I can turn off the air conditioning and drive even more slowly. Perhaps I should take more care about where I buy fuel and at what time of day and start keeping he fuel vouchers from the IGA.
Anyway, PLEASE feel free to give me more ideas! I would be very appreciative :-)
Bathroom: I've pushed down the usage of toiletries down massively - I have not bought anything for months. One bar of soap in a jar of water refills the soap pump at least 20 times which far outlives a bar of soap going squishy on the sink. I hang the shower soap in a net bag so it does not dissolve down the plughole. We rarely use shampoo - hot water each night seems to be enough. I am still using up moisturisers people gave me for Skye 2 years ago and will make my own in the future. I make my own deodorant (bicarb & peppermint oil). Installing the butt gun (bidet) cut our dunny paper usage to 1/5. Toothpaste: tiny squeeze & lots of brushing. Shaving: optional. Hot water is free but if we had shorter showers then the pump would not have to run as long.
Laundry: I MIGHT use a box of laundry detergent every 8 weeks and I am currently sorting our towels and putting away the excess so the kids can't drag them around the house to provide me (now THEM) with more washing. Also I'm going to keep a tighter control over their clothes to reduce the laundry...do kids need to wear clothes at all?
Cleaning: I am conservatively using up the odds and sods in the cupboards, some of them since the previous owners moved out 8 years ago - although I think this says more about my negligent cleaning habits than my frugality.
Kitchen: Maybe we can eat more Arabic & Indonesian dishes where everyone shares from the same platter rather than making a mountain of dirty dishes? AND I'm going to put away all the extra cutlery & crockery. That one will be hard because I always seem to have a house full of visitors. I suppose I could also cut down on hot drinks and hot, buttery toast because those appliances cost a fair bit to run...
Electronics: Sean already turns off the unnecessary things at night and I work with just one desk lamp. We don't have a TV or stereo system but we do have computers running all the time but that should change when Sean farms out the server and maybe I can discipline myself to only turn the computer on when I sit down to work at night (Hard!)
Climate control: The fans are on constantly during summer but maybe solar panels would cool the roof even further and negate that completely. Also we could move outside earlier instead of turning on the fans or just get used to the heat! In winter I have started to sit under an electric rug instead of turning on a heater and maybe I'll move the whole family into one bedroom next winter so only so heater is required.
Food: I don't think I can get more frugal in this department without ceasing to eat completely - with the exception of bread and cheese I make everything from scratch. Mind you, I CAN make the bread and cheese from wheat and milk but that costs more than buying it. I suppose we could cancel the wine subscription - but then we'd need to turn up the heat in winter.
Transport: Another tough one. It is hard to cut the miles living here and I am out 4 days a week with kids activities. I NEVER "pop down to the shops" and we try to organise all the homeschool activities on one day. Also it is common sense to take care of the cars properly so we do not skimp on maintenance. HA! It took me 7 years to wear through the first set of brake pads so my driving can't be too bad but maybe I can turn off the air conditioning and drive even more slowly. Perhaps I should take more care about where I buy fuel and at what time of day and start keeping he fuel vouchers from the IGA.
Anyway, PLEASE feel free to give me more ideas! I would be very appreciative :-)
Scroogezilla
With a new freezer & washer, swimming, soccer & vet fees plus car repairs all amounting to a rather ouchy sum, my next personal project will be to buy NOTHING for the rest of the year. Food, transport, electricity & education are acceptable. My kids won't object - they'll be too busy washing clothes.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Wishy Washy Memories
The washing machine died 3 weeks ago and I finally replaced it. I loaded it the minute it arrived home and the kids watched the whole process exclaiming and squealing in delight... Bunch-a dags! They won't be squealing when they have to do the washing themselves!
My first machine after leaving home was a twin tub (TT) in Japan (1993). I always hold the rinse water for the next wash and one very cold winter the cat, Arbuckle, jumped onto the machine thinking the lid was on and was shocked to find himself crashing though an icy crust. Do I need to describe his reaction?
The next washer was a late 70s TT from my grandma, followed by Sean's mum's TT Whirlpool - an early 70s (?) vintage - which washed so violently the clothes looked like they were trying to escape (socks were regularly thrown clear across the laundry). It was FANTASTIC! But soon I inherited Nana's top loading automatic and Sean kept repairing it until the only things which kept it running were washing line pegs and wire. When Nana had a stroke and she and Pa moved into nursing homes their newer machine came to live with us and I suppose we wore that one out too.
Around 2004 we moved to Gin Gin where the property owners had left behind their monstrous top loader which used 140 L with every wash. Now we were on tanks I choked at the water consumption. However my sister moved in and introduced us to front loaders. How curious! How DID the water stay in? Did it wash as well as a top loader? Was it as fast as a top loader? The damn thing used just 60L for the whole cycle so when Sean moved to Kingaroy I sent the white elephant with him and *BOUGHT* a washing machine. OMG! *ME* SPEND MONEY?! And it wasn't a cheap one - it was an $800 whoopty-doo-scrub-yer-jeans-and-polish-yer-dog front loader. Was I impressed? You bet! And I was sooo thankful for it because we then entered 5 years of severe drought and right at the end, when the rain failed completely, we were still able to wash nappies. MOST families ran out of water early that year and the kids were showering at school (or going to the public pool a lot more regularly! BLEAH!)
Anyway the Bosh has died (only 7 years old!)... and I replaced it with a twin tub. NO, I am not nostalgic for manual washing but right now my wallet us firmly sewn shut. The TT cost 1/3 the price of a regular washer and can wash 3 loads in the time it takes a front loader to do one. It is simple enough for Sean to fix, uses the same volume of water as a front loader and if it is anything like its predecessors it will last 50% longer than an automated machine. And yes....EVEN A CHILD CAN USE IT.
My first machine after leaving home was a twin tub (TT) in Japan (1993). I always hold the rinse water for the next wash and one very cold winter the cat, Arbuckle, jumped onto the machine thinking the lid was on and was shocked to find himself crashing though an icy crust. Do I need to describe his reaction?
The next washer was a late 70s TT from my grandma, followed by Sean's mum's TT Whirlpool - an early 70s (?) vintage - which washed so violently the clothes looked like they were trying to escape (socks were regularly thrown clear across the laundry). It was FANTASTIC! But soon I inherited Nana's top loading automatic and Sean kept repairing it until the only things which kept it running were washing line pegs and wire. When Nana had a stroke and she and Pa moved into nursing homes their newer machine came to live with us and I suppose we wore that one out too.
Around 2004 we moved to Gin Gin where the property owners had left behind their monstrous top loader which used 140 L with every wash. Now we were on tanks I choked at the water consumption. However my sister moved in and introduced us to front loaders. How curious! How DID the water stay in? Did it wash as well as a top loader? Was it as fast as a top loader? The damn thing used just 60L for the whole cycle so when Sean moved to Kingaroy I sent the white elephant with him and *BOUGHT* a washing machine. OMG! *ME* SPEND MONEY?! And it wasn't a cheap one - it was an $800 whoopty-doo-scrub-yer-jeans-and-polish-yer-dog front loader. Was I impressed? You bet! And I was sooo thankful for it because we then entered 5 years of severe drought and right at the end, when the rain failed completely, we were still able to wash nappies. MOST families ran out of water early that year and the kids were showering at school (or going to the public pool a lot more regularly! BLEAH!)
Anyway the Bosh has died (only 7 years old!)... and I replaced it with a twin tub. NO, I am not nostalgic for manual washing but right now my wallet us firmly sewn shut. The TT cost 1/3 the price of a regular washer and can wash 3 loads in the time it takes a front loader to do one. It is simple enough for Sean to fix, uses the same volume of water as a front loader and if it is anything like its predecessors it will last 50% longer than an automated machine. And yes....EVEN A CHILD CAN USE IT.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thankyou Gambling Addicts!
DUDES!!! I WIN - AGAIN!!! I just scored $20,000 for a shed for SES, $5,000 for solar panels for the Curra Country Club and $32,000 for Blackbutt State School for pool heating. All courtesy the gambling fund.
SO! Over 2011 I brought in $300,000 for Wide Bay-Burnett community development. I'm waiting on two more grants to be announced from last year and if I can score just ONE of then my hit rate will be 50%
What would REALLY make my day would be to score the $1.5 million medical centre we applied or last year but we'll have to wait until May for that announcement.
SO! Over 2011 I brought in $300,000 for Wide Bay-Burnett community development. I'm waiting on two more grants to be announced from last year and if I can score just ONE of then my hit rate will be 50%
What would REALLY make my day would be to score the $1.5 million medical centre we applied or last year but we'll have to wait until May for that announcement.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Run like a muppet
A year or so ago I would exploit the innocence of my boy and say, "Show us yer nuts!" and he would put on a crazy act. This fell out of use for obvious reasons. However recently Kirk and I saw the latest muppet movie and noted how much Skye resembles them when she runs. So now our cue for "do silly stuff" is "RUN LIKE A MUPPET". Gales of laughter guaranteed.
Dance with Wolves - Plays with Pigs
The Dutch are very into animal rights (but they still eat them) and are looking for ways to prevent boredom in mass farmed pigs. Some researchers are experimenting with computer games for pigs where they interact with people via a touch screen hooked to the internet.
http://www.playingwithpigs.nl/
Could you imagine kids playing this game and then being served porkl? "OMG! You're eating Clementine. Booo Hoooo Hoooo!!!" or maybe it could go like this, "The damn pig beat me! Bahhahahaha! BUT I WILL HAVE THE LAST FORK!"
http://www.playingwithpigs.nl/
Could you imagine kids playing this game and then being served porkl? "OMG! You're eating Clementine. Booo Hoooo Hoooo!!!" or maybe it could go like this, "The damn pig beat me! Bahhahahaha! BUT I WILL HAVE THE LAST FORK!"
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
If you don't like the way I drive...
...stay off the pavement, and the out of the paddock and definitely don't go anywhere near the creek! Bob's Pajero ROCKS ...and tilts and spins and slides.... I wonder if I can keep it?
PS: Changed my mind! Drinks like Noah and its gearbox is just as shagged!
PS: Changed my mind! Drinks like Noah and its gearbox is just as shagged!
Monday, January 9, 2012
I walk the dinosaur....
Sean lent my car to friends while theirs is being repaired so I am driving Leo's* dinosaur - an automatic Ford Falcon GL Wagon. This morning pottering around town it started to overheat so I drove it VERY carefully to a mechanic. It seems there may be a blown gasket. Sigh.. it looks like another "interesting" week on the way.
Post Script: Bob is offering to loan his Pajero for the week - mmm...a serious 4WD...play time :-)
*Who is Leo? Algerian-French guy on a working visa. We met him via Isaac & he left his car & gear with us so he could travel light to Catherine for work. He must have struck gold because now he is in Fiji.
Post Script: Bob is offering to loan his Pajero for the week - mmm...a serious 4WD...play time :-)
*Who is Leo? Algerian-French guy on a working visa. We met him via Isaac & he left his car & gear with us so he could travel light to Catherine for work. He must have struck gold because now he is in Fiji.
Why I love Nat Geo
 |
| Nice Purse :-) |
"Distractable" is an understatement
Some people say, "Take time to stop and smell the flowers" but being easily distracted means I eat them instead.
Reading Cosmos magazine tonight has taken me on a really enjoyable journey... Their article on synaesthesia (sorry can't link as it is in the digital subscriber section) has prompted me to wonder if my friend who sees auras actually has an unusual form of synaesthesia? So possibly people are not actually putting out an aura - rather her synapses are cross wired and when she interprets their emotions it shows as a coloured field around the person.
And from there it was all tangential...Looking for support about this idea I came across the Periodic Table of Swearing and then a blog about the benefits of being bilingual. Apparently bilingualism makes you better able to apply theory of mind (guessing what other people are thinking, empathising etc...) and this gels well with my personal theory that ALL kids should be sent overseas after highschool for at least a year and this would stop all wars because it's very difficult to make war when 1/2 your population is shagging the enemy. (When you stop seeing people in 2D and understand they love their kids as much as you do it is impossible to make war on a population).
THEN on the same blog site I discovered the Navajo Indians' taboo of eating fish. This reminded me of an account I read over 20 years ago of an early Tasmanian explorer's encounter with an aboriginal woman when he was fishing (pub. date approx early 1900s). He offered her some fish but she expressed revulsion and rejected the offer. He concluded that native Tasmanians did not eat fish so I wondered if there was any confirmation of this in modern anthropology. Reading this article, The Polemics of Eating Fish in Tasmania, it looks like this question is still far from settled and there is a tousle over that the lack of evidence (ie lack of fishbones in the ancient middens) does not mean people are not eating fish however the subtext is about anthropologists quibbling over whether dropping fish from the menu represents a step back for their society having lost the knowledge of fishing or a fine tuning of their needs as richer fare was available for less effort. I speculate that the anthropologist's emotional-ethical pre-disposition towards the native people may affect which side of the issue they stand on. (At a stretch I could say that this phenomenon is similar to that issue of empathy & theory of mind attributed to bilinguals ;-)
I eventually regained my original track, and there were plenty of studies of the various types of synaesthesia but no studies supporting my idea about aura readers although someone beat me to the hypothesis and has suggested an emotional synaesthesia. I wonder how many aura readers would submit themselves to such a study and what would their conclusions be - those of the scientist and the subjects?
Post Script: While I was writing this post an old friend rang and raved on for a couple of hours. He was very drunk and in a very deep funk as his uncle died last week. Sigh...c'est la vie...
Reading Cosmos magazine tonight has taken me on a really enjoyable journey... Their article on synaesthesia (sorry can't link as it is in the digital subscriber section) has prompted me to wonder if my friend who sees auras actually has an unusual form of synaesthesia? So possibly people are not actually putting out an aura - rather her synapses are cross wired and when she interprets their emotions it shows as a coloured field around the person.
And from there it was all tangential...Looking for support about this idea I came across the Periodic Table of Swearing and then a blog about the benefits of being bilingual. Apparently bilingualism makes you better able to apply theory of mind (guessing what other people are thinking, empathising etc...) and this gels well with my personal theory that ALL kids should be sent overseas after highschool for at least a year and this would stop all wars because it's very difficult to make war when 1/2 your population is shagging the enemy. (When you stop seeing people in 2D and understand they love their kids as much as you do it is impossible to make war on a population).
THEN on the same blog site I discovered the Navajo Indians' taboo of eating fish. This reminded me of an account I read over 20 years ago of an early Tasmanian explorer's encounter with an aboriginal woman when he was fishing (pub. date approx early 1900s). He offered her some fish but she expressed revulsion and rejected the offer. He concluded that native Tasmanians did not eat fish so I wondered if there was any confirmation of this in modern anthropology. Reading this article, The Polemics of Eating Fish in Tasmania, it looks like this question is still far from settled and there is a tousle over that the lack of evidence (ie lack of fishbones in the ancient middens) does not mean people are not eating fish however the subtext is about anthropologists quibbling over whether dropping fish from the menu represents a step back for their society having lost the knowledge of fishing or a fine tuning of their needs as richer fare was available for less effort. I speculate that the anthropologist's emotional-ethical pre-disposition towards the native people may affect which side of the issue they stand on. (At a stretch I could say that this phenomenon is similar to that issue of empathy & theory of mind attributed to bilinguals ;-)
I eventually regained my original track, and there were plenty of studies of the various types of synaesthesia but no studies supporting my idea about aura readers although someone beat me to the hypothesis and has suggested an emotional synaesthesia. I wonder how many aura readers would submit themselves to such a study and what would their conclusions be - those of the scientist and the subjects?
Post Script: While I was writing this post an old friend rang and raved on for a couple of hours. He was very drunk and in a very deep funk as his uncle died last week. Sigh...c'est la vie...
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Book Hunting
A new book recommended by Good Reads.Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time
by Georgia Pellegrini
I might buy this one for Dad...yeah...ahem..DAD would love it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
First came Cookie Monster
What scares me is a small piece of jerky weighing 30g was a 100g steak. Nevertheless! If you want any of this then you had better get in quick because I can not resist its savoury leather chewiness.......mmm...nom nomnom, Mmmm!! Nom! Nom! Nom!
I should work for the BOM
Yesterday the fence jumper & her calf went to the butcher and I started to make jerky with the remaining meat. It started raining last night...and it's still raining.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
With Macca on a Sunday Mornin'
The Adaptive Curmudgeon on the other side of the Pacific has made a list of those little
freedoms which have escaped the the country's cotton wool policies. This list reminded me of Sean's sister, Kath, who was interviewing Gin Gin people about their recreations for her PhD thesis. She asked a bloke why he lived here, and he replied something to the effect, "Because
in the city I couldn't sit here, in my car, at a skate park and have a
few beers. The police would hound me off but here they just leave me
alone because I'm not causing any harm."
Moving to the country might be founded in sticky sentiment like that expressed by the listeners of Australia All Over but the reality is it offers freedoms not available to people in the cities. Many Gin Gin-ites are here to enjoy those little freedoms which mainstream Australia only looks fearfully at from the corners of half-closed eyes. This district abounds with nudists, brewers, guerrilla gardeners, housework sloths, pig hunters, eccentrics, owner-builders, agricultural & self sufficiency experimentalists, pet lovers, addicts, big families, impoverished people, homeschoolers, back yard mechanics and a million other types of people whose activities are not illegal but are definitely marginalised.
Moving to the country might be founded in sticky sentiment like that expressed by the listeners of Australia All Over but the reality is it offers freedoms not available to people in the cities. Many Gin Gin-ites are here to enjoy those little freedoms which mainstream Australia only looks fearfully at from the corners of half-closed eyes. This district abounds with nudists, brewers, guerrilla gardeners, housework sloths, pig hunters, eccentrics, owner-builders, agricultural & self sufficiency experimentalists, pet lovers, addicts, big families, impoverished people, homeschoolers, back yard mechanics and a million other types of people whose activities are not illegal but are definitely marginalised.
Goons
Sean: ANOTHER blond kid!
Just like you! They're everywhere!
There must be something in the water!
Kirk: Yep! Crocodiles!
Zombie Thwarted
The Kirk-zombie attempted a 2nd strike on my bedroom the other night, fortunately Sean redirected him in time. We have since started taking him to the loo before midnight to avoid any more creative uses of non-toilet spaces.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Mental Cloud Seeding
It's been very dry lately and we have to destock so the fence-jumping heifer & her calf are going into the butcher next week meaning it's time to empty the freezer. No one here wants the the monster fillet weighing around 8 to 10kg so once that slab has defrosted (this might take a few days) I'll carve, marinate, give it a light smoke and then dry it into jerky. Just thinking of doing this should turn the sky black with downpours to screw up the dehydration.
Ironically once the brindle bull went in due to drought, it rained a week later.
Ironically once the brindle bull went in due to drought, it rained a week later.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Gob Smacking
Around midnight Kirk hopped out of bed and made a beeline for the kitchen sink. "Needs a drink" I thought. But no, he opened the cupboard and the next thing I heard was a long, continual stream of piss. He then headed back to bed completely unaware of what he'd done.... I can't wait for that 21st birthday party.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
As you do
I was reading the Icelandic Review, as you do, and became acquainted with Jonas Sigurdsson. He is definitely worth sharing. I have no idea what he is singing, but I don't particularly care.
I enjoy reading this journal because it is the environmental flipside to Australia with novel ideas and solutions. Remember the volcano that errupted? Iceland's answer to the tourism drop was, Inspired by Iceland, which invites tourists to join Icelanders in their favourite activity. Of course, I am a sucker for this because I love the Couchsurfing and Wwoofers networks which bring all manner of people to our door allowing me some measure of vicarious travel. OMG! Trawling Inspired by Iceland there are so many things I would enjoy; hotpools, bedtime stories, walk with an Icelandic sheepdog, language lessons, bushtucker, turf houses, cooking, seals & farms...and swamp soccer.... How do I afford a ticket to Iceland?
I enjoy reading this journal because it is the environmental flipside to Australia with novel ideas and solutions. Remember the volcano that errupted? Iceland's answer to the tourism drop was, Inspired by Iceland, which invites tourists to join Icelanders in their favourite activity. Of course, I am a sucker for this because I love the Couchsurfing and Wwoofers networks which bring all manner of people to our door allowing me some measure of vicarious travel. OMG! Trawling Inspired by Iceland there are so many things I would enjoy; hotpools, bedtime stories, walk with an Icelandic sheepdog, language lessons, bushtucker, turf houses, cooking, seals & farms...and swamp soccer.... How do I afford a ticket to Iceland?
Thursday, October 27, 2011
She feeds me
I met Ale in Guayaquil. She was 14 with wild curly hair, passionate eyes and bee-sting lips.
At that time she had a radio show of her own, a wide interest in music and was on her way to study law. 22 years on after discovering there really is no justice she has turned to her 2nd passion - playwriting - and is slowly carving a niche for herself there. What I really love is Alejandra feeds me music. A couple of times a week she sends me a variety of music clips which Skye & Kirk LOVE.
Today Ale sent me this; Calle 13 - Latin America (translation here: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/latinoamerica-add-english-title-here.html)
At that time she had a radio show of her own, a wide interest in music and was on her way to study law. 22 years on after discovering there really is no justice she has turned to her 2nd passion - playwriting - and is slowly carving a niche for herself there. What I really love is Alejandra feeds me music. A couple of times a week she sends me a variety of music clips which Skye & Kirk LOVE.
Today Ale sent me this; Calle 13 - Latin America (translation here: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/latinoamerica-add-english-title-here.html)
Monday, October 24, 2011
Next Project
I reckon we could make one of these - on the far side of the big dam. We'd have to remove the barbed wire fence though. Who's gunna drive the suzi? (Link thanks to Michelle)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Middle Age
Middle age is when women fail to care what others think about their natural functions. As I exited the IGA tonight with a dirty, grumpy baby on my shoulder and a pack of sanitary pads the teenage, male cashier said, "Have a good night!" I waved the flowery pack of vaginal dressings at him and replied,
"Do you REALLY think I'm going to have a good night?"
"Do you REALLY think I'm going to have a good night?"
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Stories for posterity
Kirk started learning basic circuits today. One of the things we made was a pot plant water tester (continuity circuit) so he went around testing everything: a grapefruit, Skye's milk, the soil outside, the dog's tongue and then his own tongue. Mmm...interesting...that will be a story for the first girl he brings home.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
New Words
My client wrote this:
English is a great language.
We are well aware that the rates of cancer are monsiderably higher in rural areas due to poor GP coverage so cancers are caught at much later stages.And from a student, Volumptuous.
English is a great language.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Happy Camper
Kirk is ensconced in his new tent - with his books and fairly lights. I wonder if he will last the night?
PS Thanks for the tent, Rob! It's had a lot of use and it's about to get a lot more :-)
PS Thanks for the tent, Rob! It's had a lot of use and it's about to get a lot more :-)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Shelly V Miss Kate
This week I successfully persuaded the grade 9 girls class that protest poetry was worth their while so I feel the enormous efforts I made and risks I took were worthwhile. Shelly's sonnet, England in 1819, baffled them. Sinead's, Rebel Song entranced them, and then Miss Kate's, "To Thineself be True" which I had on an old CD from our old poetry club days, shocked them completely. Today, the third lesson, I lightened up and we just did a bit of onomatopoeia, attempting to write the sounds of an angry cat in a cardboard box...they liked that...
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Screwing Around With Pipes
Today Cate recounted an article on TV about an old Italian water diviner
living in Victoria. Apparently he sticks a section of PVC on his penis and walks around the
property until it points him towards the underground water source.
THE IMAGES IN MY HEAD ARE FRIGGIN' BRILLIANT. It took me a fair while to stop laughing...
The ensuing conversation with Sean;
T: So HOW did he develop his technique?
S: Men will stick their dicks in anything.
T: So what caused him to be wandering around outside with his penis stuck in a pipe?
S: Well, you've already got it in there...why not take it for a walk?
I suppose that pretty well sums up the male-logic side of things.
READERS: Feedlines please!
Investor: Maybe there's a market for those things in Papua New Guinea?
SCA member: Hell of a codpiece dude!
THE IMAGES IN MY HEAD ARE FRIGGIN' BRILLIANT. It took me a fair while to stop laughing...
The ensuing conversation with Sean;
T: So HOW did he develop his technique?
S: Men will stick their dicks in anything.
T: So what caused him to be wandering around outside with his penis stuck in a pipe?
S: Well, you've already got it in there...why not take it for a walk?
I suppose that pretty well sums up the male-logic side of things.
READERS: Feedlines please!
Investor: Maybe there's a market for those things in Papua New Guinea?
SCA member: Hell of a codpiece dude!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Freeeeedoooommm
I dumped Faecesbook! The first day was uncomfortable. On the second I was distractable. But today I have completely replaced my habit with a crocheted bikini.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
I've got a luverly bunch of coconuts!
Sean found Skye pulling the cotton buds OFF her pretty creation and stuffing them down her shirt. Maybe she wants to look more like her mummy?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Angry Birds Exorcise Boy
You know, there are things kids do which will
remain in our memories forever...one of these occurred at 1am this
morning. I submitted the final grant at 6 minutes to midnight and around 1am headed for the sack. As I got into bed - tossing aside all the comics surrounding Kirk - he
suddenly sat bolt upright and produced some hind-brain inspired babbling and
proceeded to spew all over my bed...and books...and doonas. An hour later the shower of shit began...and he continued to to shit and vomit for the next 6 hours. No wonder Regan's parents thought she was posessed. HOWEVER I cured this case with the words, "I don't care anymore! You can play Angry Birds all day." And it all stopped.
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