blamebrampton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blamebrampton) wrote2008-06-17 10:41 pm
blamebrampton) wrote2008-06-17 10:41 pm
ARGH!
I am filled with argh at the moment. Let me tell you why ...
* My ears are still tragic. I have the trashy telly news turned up to old lady volume at the moment. More annoyingly, the snot has militarised and gone forth to conquer my lungs. My immune system is mounting a counter-attack and keeping it all from going yellow and green (which are fine colours if you are an Australian Olympian, but not recommended for snot). I recognise that was TMI, this bit is worse, feel free to skip ahead ... none of this would happen so badly if I had not broken my bloody nose so often. Snot is meant to run out, not in!
As a result I have been sleeping a lot, but not feeling rested. I was drifting off an hour or two ago and decided to wake myself up so that I can go properly to sleep once I am really tired, not just manky tired. So I will use LJ to keep me awake, then organic red wine to send me to sleep. That may or may not be a good idea ...
That's enough misery, a few pieces of happy news
* Will shortly be posting new chapters of fic. About bloody time, I know.
* While watching the news, a charming young woman came on to promote her website, meetaminingman.com.au, which is a dating service for mine workers (I did mention this was the trashy news). She was a sweet little blonde person who clearly cares deeply, and was bending over the shoulder of a young hot mine worker to show how the net could help him find Twoo Lurve. What the cameraman did not think to mention to her was that her low-cut top and half-bra meant that we could see her breasts almost entirely. I imagine this segment will stay firmly in the minds of any mining men who were watching.
* The kitties remain hilarious. Monster spent half an hour today curled up in the basin in hopes I would turn the tap on. Freaky little cat.
* Happy birthdayenchanted_jae, you're a sweetheart, I hope the day is perfect!
* My ears are still tragic. I have the trashy telly news turned up to old lady volume at the moment. More annoyingly, the snot has militarised and gone forth to conquer my lungs. My immune system is mounting a counter-attack and keeping it all from going yellow and green (which are fine colours if you are an Australian Olympian, but not recommended for snot). I recognise that was TMI, this bit is worse, feel free to skip ahead ... none of this would happen so badly if I had not broken my bloody nose so often. Snot is meant to run out, not in!
As a result I have been sleeping a lot, but not feeling rested. I was drifting off an hour or two ago and decided to wake myself up so that I can go properly to sleep once I am really tired, not just manky tired. So I will use LJ to keep me awake, then organic red wine to send me to sleep. That may or may not be a good idea ...
* The trashy telly news has been bemoaning the price of oil. In Australia, this has the obvious effects that it has in every other country, but it also has significant and immediate impacts on food prices, because over the last 15 years the powers that be have destroyed the rail networks that used to underpin the massively far-flung agricultural sector. And I mean destroyed; rail was an awkward piece of government infrastructure, the cutting of which sundry state governments saw as an easy way to balance budgets without raising extra revenue.
At the time, many people said "Look, road transport is cheap at the moment, but over time it will destroy the roads, pump out lots of greenhouse gasses and, when petrol prices go sky-high again, there won't be an alternative and it will be calamitous."
The powers that be said: "Eh, we'll worry about that later."
It's later.
* On the topic of trains, since petrol has gone up, there are more and more people crowding onto them. Do you think that the rail authority has responded to this by adding extra carriages or inserting extra trains into the schedule? Why no, they have not. Because they are rubbish.
Do Sydneysiders still insist on travelling on the vestibules of the trains and blocking the doorways? Why yes, they do. Because they are ill-mannered gibbons.
* Also on the trashy news, an alert regarding a drug-use booklet that has been distributed to schools for the last two years. Someone has complained about it and now the state government's health minister (a woman I used to know and who I considered a great self-promoter, but useless at the time, nothing has changed my opinion) has pulled it.
The booklet basically says: drugs aren't a great idea; if you feel you really must, you're much better off waiting until you're older because of the significant effects all drugs (alcohol and nicotine included) have on growing brains -- effects that can lead to real problems; if you really think you must, here are some basic safety guides including use small amounts, know your medical history, have a straight friend who's not afraid to call an ambulance and be aware that speed and coke can stop your heart if you are susceptible to some chemicals.
Now, the above is what I tell young people who ask me about drugs. That and "If you want to use, make friends with pharmacology students, since you can trust the stuff they make, just check they have a good average mark." Because saying no doesn't work.
Mentioning that if you're unlucky you can have an instant heart attack or develop serious psychological illness is enough to give a lot of young people some pause. Mentioning that you will commit insufferable acts of bad poetry and the person you lust after will hear them and remember them is a solid deterrent. Mentioning that you will not remember any of your weekend until the tragic photographic evidence emerges on Facebook? Serious pause.
My generation is so happy to tell its children not to act as we did. It's not a good idea. All of those Gen X parents should be doing as mine did and being wholly open about their drug usage, because there was a reason I was the soberest of my whole peer group; it's simply not cool to use the same drugs as your parents.
At the time, many people said "Look, road transport is cheap at the moment, but over time it will destroy the roads, pump out lots of greenhouse gasses and, when petrol prices go sky-high again, there won't be an alternative and it will be calamitous."
The powers that be said: "Eh, we'll worry about that later."
It's later.
* On the topic of trains, since petrol has gone up, there are more and more people crowding onto them. Do you think that the rail authority has responded to this by adding extra carriages or inserting extra trains into the schedule? Why no, they have not. Because they are rubbish.
Do Sydneysiders still insist on travelling on the vestibules of the trains and blocking the doorways? Why yes, they do. Because they are ill-mannered gibbons.
* Also on the trashy news, an alert regarding a drug-use booklet that has been distributed to schools for the last two years. Someone has complained about it and now the state government's health minister (a woman I used to know and who I considered a great self-promoter, but useless at the time, nothing has changed my opinion) has pulled it.
The booklet basically says: drugs aren't a great idea; if you feel you really must, you're much better off waiting until you're older because of the significant effects all drugs (alcohol and nicotine included) have on growing brains -- effects that can lead to real problems; if you really think you must, here are some basic safety guides including use small amounts, know your medical history, have a straight friend who's not afraid to call an ambulance and be aware that speed and coke can stop your heart if you are susceptible to some chemicals.
Now, the above is what I tell young people who ask me about drugs. That and "If you want to use, make friends with pharmacology students, since you can trust the stuff they make, just check they have a good average mark." Because saying no doesn't work.
Mentioning that if you're unlucky you can have an instant heart attack or develop serious psychological illness is enough to give a lot of young people some pause. Mentioning that you will commit insufferable acts of bad poetry and the person you lust after will hear them and remember them is a solid deterrent. Mentioning that you will not remember any of your weekend until the tragic photographic evidence emerges on Facebook? Serious pause.
My generation is so happy to tell its children not to act as we did. It's not a good idea. All of those Gen X parents should be doing as mine did and being wholly open about their drug usage, because there was a reason I was the soberest of my whole peer group; it's simply not cool to use the same drugs as your parents.
That's enough misery, a few pieces of happy news
* Will shortly be posting new chapters of fic. About bloody time, I know.
* While watching the news, a charming young woman came on to promote her website, meetaminingman.com.au, which is a dating service for mine workers (I did mention this was the trashy news). She was a sweet little blonde person who clearly cares deeply, and was bending over the shoulder of a young hot mine worker to show how the net could help him find Twoo Lurve. What the cameraman did not think to mention to her was that her low-cut top and half-bra meant that we could see her breasts almost entirely. I imagine this segment will stay firmly in the minds of any mining men who were watching.
* The kitties remain hilarious. Monster spent half an hour today curled up in the basin in hopes I would turn the tap on. Freaky little cat.
* Happy birthday
enchanted_jae, you're a sweetheart, I hope the day is perfect!
no subject
I am already waving the snot flag for our country. Please do not be mistaking this for support of our olympic team, for although I'm sure I should be overcoming my aversion to parochialism and getting excited about having an olympic team, I have decided to boycott the china olympics on principles (one of which is my aversion to parochialism...) However, if they even introduce Coughing as an Olympic sport - I'm THERE baby!
Nothing like trying to explain over the phone to the doc why I need his help, when he can't actually hear me - he got the message though, and I am now the proud owner of those horse pill type antibiotics that come inside nuclear proof tin foil that you need a can opener to get to. No bacteria is safe.
I hope, at least, that you realise I would not blow you off for anything less than the killer Flu virus of epic proportions?
Your poor, poor ears - wish I had some quality suggestions, other than a heat pack. If blacksmith supplies were cheaper I'd suggest at least an upgrade on your hammer and anvil, but you'd probably need industrial solvent to get them out. Nasty!
The state of our national rail network makes me cry tears of blood. International diesel shortage, welcome to our inflation. And can our Reserve bank recognise this impact? Nope... let's put interest rates up, cause that will help. If this govt doesn't reintroduce the cap on rates for owner occupied properties, there will be more tears of blood - although it does make me smile wryly when I hear 20 somethings going on about the appallingly high rates now - 18% anyone? which is where it was when we got our first home loan... the year PRIOR to the introduction of home owner grants.
Ooops, I may have rambled in your journal. *stops before knickers are bared*
*hugs*
no subject
Given I'm now sneezing again, it makes me wonder if I do not have a cold on top of my cold? Because everyone down south seemed to have the sniffles, though it was a cold and windy day. Eh, no work till Monday, should be functional by then.
I think I would like KRudd to stop trying to save the world and sit down and commit some of our giant surplus to rebuilding a real national rail network. The corridors are all still there, and it's no point selling them off to developers if you then can;t feed the people who move there.
Ramblings about stupid policy are always welcome here!
no subject
Poor honey - I'm glad you have some time off to feel better, anyway.
*totally agrees* - yes, I know the world needs saving, but it would be nice if we had a functioning society left to enjoy it should he manage to stop the lava flow at the last minute (using only fire trucks and road barriers... wot? it worked for hollywood - what have they got that KRudd doesn't? except possibly more fire trucks and road barriers).
Of course, one of the major issues has been the handling of freight at rail heads when it backlogs because it still needs to be moved by semi at local destinations - but there are a number of possible new technologies that we could use, if they were willing to make the investment.
While we're at it, can we shoot of all the Yanks' tame science boffins who have been 'advising' our Govt (pre and current) on supposed 'carbon scrubbing' technologies and why we should buy them from the US, and put their salaries along with some significant investment into solar towers?
Did you mention fic? *perfects cat like topic change*
I could use some about now. *looks pathetic* (no, really - it's not a stretch, I really am pathetic)
no subject
no subject
I just coughed and now the room is spinning - blurgh!
*wombles off in search of more drugs*