Don’t know about you, but I’ve been preoccupied with death. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you, I’ve written about death and momento mori before. The lists of Covid-19 infections, deaths and recoveries make grim, yet compulsive viewing as I grapple with the scale of it. And when you add the scams on top, […]
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2020 Q1 Review
Before I start with the 2020 Q1 review, let’s take a quick look back. As it turns out, those astrological predictions of a turbulent start to 2020 weren’t that far off. It’s gone so far that the ABC’s political editor Andrew Probyn has named it the year god forgot. Already. And just like it seems […]
March 2020 Progress Report
March 2020 was a horror month. There was/is all the Covid-19 shit going on, but more importantly for us, we had to say goodbye to Pretty Girl. She leaves an enormous hole, but also the opportunity to consciously reshape our lives with better habits. Virtue Feb Mar Notes Pleasure: AdventurePlan and take an international vacation […]
2020 Signature Wardrobe Winter Plan
Thanks to our highly variable Melbourne weather, I’ve been thinking about my 2020 Signature Wardrobe Winter Plan for some time. And staying warm! 2020 Winter Plan Following the Summer 2019 Update, I’m still a bit enamoured with costumes (the kind of tv/movie costume that represents aspects of the character). And I still have two characters […]
Do I Start Again or Start Something New?
Poor Pretty Girl is gone now, and I find myself not only orphaned but petless too. It’s been hard to start again. She’s left a large void behind her, literally as well as figuratively as we dispose of her toys and bedding, and vacuum up sh*tloads of dog hair. The house has been making all […]
In Memoriam Maidenbelle Snow Lily (2004 – 2020)
On Not Perpetuating Sexist Language
I recently read an interesting piece by Alison Flood, who reports Oxford University Press (OUP) are replacing the sexist language in example sentences in the Oxford English Dictionaries (OED). If you don’t know, the OED is the source used by Google and Apple. So when you look up words on those platforms, chances are, that’s […]
2019 Signature Wardrobe Summer Update
I know that technically, Summer has just ended, and it’s time for the 2019 Signature Wardrobe Summer Update, but the weather has been cool and wet and I’m already thinking about Winter. And pretty much the entire clothing season has left me irritable! Though I did get some nice clothes, so it was really just […]
February 2020 Progress Report
Made some progress in February 2020, but I feel the year has already run away without me and I’ll not be able to catch up. Maybe that’s because my to-do list seems much bigger with the whole quarter on it, instead of just a few weeks. And I’m already behind. Plenty of time to adjust […]
Was that a Radio Conversation or Not?
The other day I was trotting around doing some chores before work, and I thought I heard a radio conversation. The kind of morning radio thing where a couple of presenters talk about the usual kind of inconsequential nothingness. (And you want to climb inside the receiver and punch the lights out of them. Or […]
Wealthy is as Wealthy Does
There’s a proverb of sorts, Beauty is as Beauty does And according to Walt Disney (video has sound) at any rate, it means being kind and doing something nice for someone who feels down. Every single day. Because beauty is about what’s on your inside, not the outside. And you can Google to your heart’s […]
The Pleasure and Pain of Healthy Habits
My last Transplant Clinic appointment was less pleasant than I’d hoped, and now I’m back to contemplating the nature of choice and healthy habits. And complacency. It seems that after my last transplant biopsy, a small piece of vital information slipped through the cracks. Not that I can honestly say it would have changed much, […]
The What, Why, and How of Pleasure
When times get tough, one of the first expenses cut is pleasure. In the face of all other considerations, it becomes frivolous and wasteful. And yet, without pleasure, life can look and feel very grim. The other day I was watching one of a series of news reports by Geoff Thompson on Australia’s housing affordability […]
The Weird Joy of Life with Wildlife
Since my post about my garden planning, people have told me how weird they think life with wildlife must be. And maybe for someone who doesn’t live with it, life with wildlife is weird. But it’s not like I have a zoo in my garden, or lions and tigers and what-not. Though, depending on where […]
How to Design a Peaceful Garden
I’ve mentioned one of my major goals this year is to create a peaceful garden that’s lush and abundant, provides habitats, weather protection and a mystical threshold. And the goal for Q1 2020, is to plan and start landscaping it. So, I’ve been reading some books about Edna Walling gardens, mainly because I’ve seen what’s […]
January 2020 Progress Report
January 2020 marked the start of the transition to Quarterly planning. It’s been both harder and easier than I expected. Virtue Dec Jan Notes Pleasure: AdventurePlan and take an international vacation late Q3/early Q4. – 😐 In the main, I’ve just looked at the dog and felt guilty about planning a trip to take place […]
Public Bathroom Benefits
A while back, someone told me that most people are too lazy to travel more than one or two cubicles in a public bathroom. And the longer the run, the cleaner the end is by comparison to the beginning. I don’t know about men, but women don’t often find bathrooms with more than three cubicles. […]
How to Respect All People
Respect politeness, honour, and care shown towards someone or something that is considered important Cambridge dictionary When I was young, all the people I came into contact with were “ordinary” people, just getting on with their lives. I didn’t think surviving to adulthood was anything that commanded respect, so I didn’t see why I should […]
Planning a Life Worth Living 2020
Before we get to the 2020 planning, let’s take a quick look back. According to global horoscope predictions (if you believe in that kind of thing): 2017 would be a difficult year full of turbulence (check). 2018 a year of rebuilding and gradual progress (maybe). 2019 would bring positive change, offering hope for a joyful […]
2019 Year End Review – Project Life Worth Living
Now the year is done, it’s time for the 2019 year-end review. I wouldn’t say that 2019 was my best year ever, but I feel like I made some progress towards my goals, especially the writing. Not quite to plan, but getting somewhere. 2019 Background My 2019 vision was of a prolific writer, making a […]
December 2019 Progress Report
I’ve been so busy planning 2020, that December 2019 has become a distant memory. I’ve had to go back through my journal to see what happened. Virtue Nov Dec Notes Beauty: bodyI enjoy exercising my lean, healthy 59 kg body several times a week.• Eat < 5g of salt and sugar per day.• Walk 10,000 […]
Welcome 2020, good to see you
It seems like no time at all since I was wishing you Happy Holidays, and now it’s all Welcome 2020. Last year I was feeling all optimistic, but this year I’m feeling tired and worn out. Half the country is on fire, has been for months, and it feels like we’re running on global charity. […]
Happy Holidays 2019!!!
The fifth anniversary of this blog passed quietly during the year, so this is the sixth time I’ve wished you all Happy Holidays. Here are just some of the celebrations taking place in December: • Christmas • Hanukkah • Kwanzaa • Bodhi Day • St Lucia Day • Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe • […]
How to Solve the Time Management Mystery
I was chatting about the Time Management Mystery with some creative friends the other day Actually, we were whining about how we have so much to do, and not enough time to do it in. And speculating how some of the creatives we’re inspired by manage their time. For the most part, all of us […]
November 2019 Progress Report
November 2019 was difficult as Pretty Girl has been very ill, and we thought we were going to lose her. Not that we’ll have her for much longer, but at least we have time to prepare. Virtue Oct Nov Notes Beauty: bodyI enjoy exercising my lean, healthy 59 kg body several times a week.• Eat […]