• writer • philosopher • dog magnet •
Here in Australia, we’re just a couple of weeks away from the Federal Election. Like all elections, the bulk of candidates are campaigning on Traditional Family Values. Traditional Family Values Or to put it another way, defining who Australians are, what we stand for, and what our way is. It’s quite funny. Most candiates have no idea about what we…
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It’s been about six months since my Jack died, and his sister Pretty Girl is experiencing a new interest in the things that make Labradors happy; cuddling, eating and walking. She’s making me think that there are times you need to renovate your life. When to Renovate Your Life Essentially, your life is either doing well enough or not. If…
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It seems that just recently, a bunch of people have died. I know people die all the time and we barely think about it, but now and again there’s someone we want to pay our respects to, and that means thinking about a Signature Wardrobe Funeral Outfit. In the old days, people would maintain one “good” outfit, sometimes for decades,…
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Today’s post is for Emily, who recently read about my Research Outfit and wondered exactly what kind of rewarding research project I’m tackling that risks my hair getting caught in machinery. A reasonable question when you’d think I wouldn’t risk much more than paper cuts because I’m in a library of some description. I can’t imagine what she must have…
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I’ve been reading Any Ordinary Day and thinking about what makes a bright future. In the book, Leigh Sales interviews people who’ve been through rare and shocking events and compares their first-hand experiences with what academic literature predicts. But one thing caught in my mind – that we all tend to fixate on the rare and unusual events (like massacres,…
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As March 2019 disappears into long-term memory, I find myself gasping and trying to figure out where the year went. Already. What I do know, is that my Programme Manager brain runs on a year-long to-do list, and a daily list just makes me angry. In fact, I’ve spent a lot of the month angry about one thing or another,…
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I can’t believe the year is a quarter gone – it’s passing me by. I had grand plans, but I’ve achieved nothing. Panic has set in. It’s time to take a deep breath, stop dithering, and get stuff done. You can see more of my Haiku here. Image by Arieth via Canva.
I’m cold, it’s wet outside, and I’m wondering if I have enough warm clothes, so that makes it time to develop my 2019 Signature Wardrobe Winter Plan. Outfits I’m still working with outfits, still looking at: 5 interchangeable work/errand/social outfits 1 exercise 1 house cleaning 1 yard work Wardrobe Plan Following the 2018 Summer Update, there are some changes for Winter. Budget It’s a new year,…
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We have this thing called “The Great Australian Dream,” which is basically to own a house on a quarter acre block. This dream has its roots in returning servicemen wanting to live the good life they fought to defend. It was part creating a comfy family nest, part preventing the land going to “undesirables”, and part an asset to draw…
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I’ve met someone new. We met on a warm sunny morning, in a pretty cafe I’ve not tried before. Outside a couple of dogs lounged on the sidewalk while their owners drank steaming lattes. And nearby, a flock of sulphur-crested cockatoos debated the day’s business. My New Friend She told me she’s very busy with her small business and community…
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We’ve had some cooler weather, the mornings are darker and it’s too nippy to leave the doors open. Daylight savings ends in a few short weeks. So, it’s time to do my 2018 Signature Wardrobe Summer Update. My 2018 Summer plan was for a basic 8 outfit wardrobe: 5 interchangeable work/errand/social outfits 1 exercise 1 house cleaning 1 yard work For my $750 budget, my planned…
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And already February 2019 has passed. I mentioned last month that it would be interesting to see how the record heat/climate change would affect election campaigns, and the major parties are already off and running. My local member sent me a postcard to tell me that he (personally) had secured $15m to build an extra 500 free car parking spaces…
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We recently replaced our old worn out mattresses. Not before time, because you can’t beat a good night’s sleep. They’ve had a decade of good solid use. And they’ve probably seen the rise and fall of a civilisation or two of bacteria and other creatures. Who probably got a better night’s sleep than we did. The mattresses are mostly made…
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Since I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, I keep falling over intense, library voice (whispered) bookish debates about whether to keep or not keep books. More often than not, the argument centres on not keeping, and Ms Kondo’s insistence on only keeping those that “spark joy.” Can/does a book “spark joy”? Well, I guess that depends on…
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If you hadn’t noticed, we’re just starting the Chinese Year of the Pig. I have a few words about pig perspicacity. Mainly because it’s a nice alliteration. Though according to Chinese lore, pigs aren’t very clever (or perspicacious). But they’re not bent on world domination or harming others. They’re pretty laid back and generally make good friends. And their chubby…
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