1. Dreamed about sharks and Queensland. I tell my parents about something I did in Queensland. It involved the ocean and sharks; and it was dangerous. I'm a bit surprised I did it. My dad seems to think it was some easygoing tourist thing, but I want him to know it was much more than that.
That dream seems VERY symbolic of my life. I think it relates to me feeling like a doormat.I feel people take advantage of me. I try to push them away. Get free. Then I feel bad; I worry about hurting them.
2. Dreamed that my sister asked whether Australia was patriotic. I want to tell her a story, but hesitate. I feel uncomfortable sharing stories with my family. I decide to go ahead and do it. I talk about how I bought all this Australia clothes in Australia and wore it. Then later I learned that there are certain stereotypes attributed to people who so proudly display the Australian flag all over their body. I remind my sister that it's pretty much the same in America. What kind of people wear t-shirts with the American flag on it? My sister looks very bored by my story. I'm bemused because I feel pressure to tell more stories in my family, but then I tell them, and I end up making them bored.
3. Watched parody video that one of my email-pals sent me. It's about Kevin Rudd overworking his staff.
4. Decided I should learn about BER. My email-pal mentioned it. It seems to be about modernizing school buildings. I guess I can support this. If kids are going to be forced to go to school, they might as well go to one with decent libraries, playgrounds, science rooms, etc.
From what Lord Wiki says, and what I can see by glancing at a few articles....it seems the whole thing was controversial. There's complaints about misspending money, and overspending money. Stuff like that.
5. Saw that my blog was described as being strange. I'll use Geoffrey Rush's line in The King's Speech and say I take that as a compliment. It's funny....my eyes ran down my Facebook news feed, and I saw the words strange blog. I automatically imagined that it was about me. And it was!
Whether it was a compliment, insult, or a little of both.....I definitely can't argue with the assessment.
6. Read this EXCELLENT advice page about donating to the cyclone victims on the Adopt a Cyclone Yasi Affected Town Facebook Page. It reminds people that if they want to donate furniture and other items instead of money/gift cards to make sure the stuff is in good condition.
Justine Christerson says, The generosity and quality of items the volunteers and I witnessed was truly amazing. However there is always too much of one thing and not enough of the other. And always too much of many many items. Damaged or stained items that are not ideal to pass on. To ensure your effort and generosity is appreciated and accepted this is the best way to help in recovery.
She also says the best way to help is to donate money to one of the charities (such as the Red Cross or Queensland Premier thing), donate gift cards, or help set up an account in the town you want to adopt.
Then it changes to us having the conversation while IN the ocean. We talk about how the sharks won't bother us because they're well fed. But then a shark grabs onto me. It doesn't bite me. There's no blood and guts. It just clings to me. I drag it along, and we find an ocean exit. It's a food court. I get the shark to let go,and get out of the water. I feel bad for the shark, though. I worry that it's hungry. I wonder if it would be okay to drop it some food court crumbs. Would that be really bad for him?
That dream seems VERY symbolic of my life. I think it relates to me feeling like a doormat.I feel people take advantage of me. I try to push them away. Get free. Then I feel bad; I worry about hurting them.
2. Dreamed that my sister asked whether Australia was patriotic. I want to tell her a story, but hesitate. I feel uncomfortable sharing stories with my family. I decide to go ahead and do it. I talk about how I bought all this Australia clothes in Australia and wore it. Then later I learned that there are certain stereotypes attributed to people who so proudly display the Australian flag all over their body. I remind my sister that it's pretty much the same in America. What kind of people wear t-shirts with the American flag on it? My sister looks very bored by my story. I'm bemused because I feel pressure to tell more stories in my family, but then I tell them, and I end up making them bored.
3. Watched parody video that one of my email-pals sent me. It's about Kevin Rudd overworking his staff.
4. Decided I should learn about BER. My email-pal mentioned it. It seems to be about modernizing school buildings. I guess I can support this. If kids are going to be forced to go to school, they might as well go to one with decent libraries, playgrounds, science rooms, etc.
From what Lord Wiki says, and what I can see by glancing at a few articles....it seems the whole thing was controversial. There's complaints about misspending money, and overspending money. Stuff like that.
5. Saw that my blog was described as being strange. I'll use Geoffrey Rush's line in The King's Speech and say I take that as a compliment. It's funny....my eyes ran down my Facebook news feed, and I saw the words strange blog. I automatically imagined that it was about me. And it was!
Whether it was a compliment, insult, or a little of both.....I definitely can't argue with the assessment.
6. Read this EXCELLENT advice page about donating to the cyclone victims on the Adopt a Cyclone Yasi Affected Town Facebook Page. It reminds people that if they want to donate furniture and other items instead of money/gift cards to make sure the stuff is in good condition.
Justine Christerson says, The generosity and quality of items the volunteers and I witnessed was truly amazing. However there is always too much of one thing and not enough of the other. And always too much of many many items. Damaged or stained items that are not ideal to pass on. To ensure your effort and generosity is appreciated and accepted this is the best way to help in recovery.
She also says the best way to help is to donate money to one of the charities (such as the Red Cross or Queensland Premier thing), donate gift cards, or help set up an account in the town you want to adopt.
How would our world change if we knew for sure there was life after death, and it was easy for our dearly-departed to talk to us via the Internet?
The Dead are Online a novel by Dina Roberts
7. Read Andrew's post about Tony Abbott's shit. It's less about the actual shit and more about how he responded when asked about the shit. Abbott kept quiet for a long time. Awkward moment of silence. I haven't watched the video yet. I need to do that. Anyway, I think Andrew says it well when he says, I would like to think our Prime Minister can cope with provocation by a tabloid television news reporter, never mind provocation by a large power off our shores.
8. Watched the video of Tony Abbott. I thought it was sad, and not at all funny. I don't know. It looked like he was having a seizure or something like that. Or maybe he was just REALLY nervous like the king in The King's Speech.
We kind of give mixed messages about what people should say when the cameras are in front of them. Watch what you say. Choose your words carefully. But don't take time to think about it. MAYBE if Abbott had chosen awkward silence in Afghanistan, he wouldn't have said shit happens in the first place.
Yeah. Abbott's silence was...VERY WEIRD. But maybe he stopped himself from saying something that would have made things even worse.
9. Took the cowardly route of pretending I knew what an Australian was talking about when I was truly a bit lost. I think maybe it was some type of sport analogy.
10. Did that game again where I pick a photo on Flickr from Adelaide and one from Hobart. This time Hobart won the round. Adelaide's picture involved a creepy clown. All together though....Adelaide is still in the lead.
11. With the help of an email from someone in Adelaide, I was able to find a good Google Map view of the old and new Parliament. And I see that Google has changed their linking methods. I hope my old links still work. Okay. I just checked. They still work....at least for now.
12. Read story about Tom Hooper's mom. She went to a reading of an unproduced play...something that she doesn't usually do. It was The King's Speech. I guess this was the one that David Seidler wrote. I wonder why she went to the reading. What led her there? Destiny stories like that fascinate me.
I'm trying to remember whether my mom has ever led me down a destiny path. And will I ever do that for Jack? He claims I already have by introducing him to Mario Bros. I'm not sure if that counts.
13. Read article about flying foxes being moved from a school because they bother students. There was a fight in Parliament about it, and the anti-bat people won. Someone from the school said, Have you ever been near a bat colony when it's raining? The smell is just awful.
Do humans smell that great?
I don't know. I can support animal control when it's about ecology and safety, but not just for smell issues. What about kids who go to school near dairy farms? That can smell pretty strong.
Are there issues besides smell? I guess there's the danger of a bat pooping on your head as you walk by.
I love the flying foxes in the Royal Botanical Garden.
14. Learned that Rachel Taylor is dating Josh Lawson. Maybe that's why people are coming to my blog to read about Josh Lawson. Who is Rachel Taylor? Is she Australian? This article says she's on Grey's Anatomy.
15. Looked up Rachel Taylor on IMDb. She's from Launceston Tasmania. That's where my friends live.
16. Watched a clip of Rachel Taylor on Grey's Anatomy. I wanted to see what accent she used. Like most Australians on American TV, she uses an American accent. I think that's getting rather old.
17. Read that Hobart is having a big wooden boat festival. There's a bit of a problem because lots of people want to visit Hobart, and there's a shortage of hotel space. There's talk of whether more hotels need to be built. A guy from Tourism Industry Council Tasmania said if you build more hotels for peak seasons, then you have to deal with excessive amounts of empty rooms during less peak seasons.
I guess it might be like Dallas/Fort Worth. We had the Super Bowl here on Sunday. That's a pretty huge American event. I wonder if there were many accommodation shortages. I think that's something that happens in many cities. There's an occasional major event, and not enough places for people to stay. It's probably not something to fret about, unless it happens on a regular basis.
18. Looked at the website for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. It looks pretty fun. It's not just going to be wooden boats, although I'm sure wooden boats are lovely. They're also going to have food and music.
19. Proud of Jack because he got into the top ten in his Traveler IQ quiz. I may have been a bit too enthusiastic, though. I scared the cat with my cheering.
20. Read article about tell-all book regarding Julian Assange. In summary, Assange is an asshole. I wouldn't argue with that. I also wouldn't argue with the assertion that he's a megalomaniac. But lots of people are assholes and megalomaniacs. That doesn't mean they're criminals. I would personally would label Assange as an heroic asshole. I'd venture to say that most big players in history could be described that way.
I think Assange is good for what he's standing for. I think he's brave, and I'd admire him. But no. I wouldn't want him as my friend or coworker. MAYBE I'd have him as a Facebook Friend, although I'd likely mute his updates on my news feed.
21. Read that Jeff Kennett wants to change the national anthem to "I am Australian". It kind of surprised me, because Kennett spoke out against multiculturalism. I kind of think of "I am Australian" as supporting multiculturalism. I mean it doesn't mention Jews, Muslims, Asians, Indians, Africans, etc. But I think it talks about people coming together to become one. ALTHOUGH....that is kind of what Kennett wants. I can see his point. The thing is Aussie citizens can all be Australian, and at the same time be other things as well. It's just like I'm American. I have that in common with all other Americans. At the same time, I'm female, and....other stuff. What am I? I don't know. Let's move on.
As for the song.... I like all the Australian songs. "I am Australian" is probably my favorite, but the others are lovely as well.
The article about Kennett wanting to change the song has a poll. The overwhelming majority agree with Kennett. You know, maybe Australia SHOULD change the song. People want to make Australia a Republic. People want to change the flag. Maybe there just needs to be SOME kind of change. I don't think adding cheese to Vegemite scratched that itch. So yeah. Change the song.
22. Learned that Jack's geography skills probably come from Tim. We had him take the quiz Jack made. He satisfied us by not doing too well. Jack and I got to feel all superior. Then Tim practiced a bit, and he's already ranked as #6. Is that fair??!! No!!!
23. Read article about some guy named Eddie McGuire calling the Western Suburbs the land of the falafel. He also suggested a sport team would get tired of living there. I think the latter part is offensive. Why would they get tired of living there? As for falafel, I really don't understand what's so offensive about food stereotypes. Well, never mind. I guess it is offensive. Because it's just substituting falafel for Muslim. AND it's in a very negative context.
I wouldn't mind if someone was moving to NYC and they said, I'm moving to the land of the bagel. I'd think that was cute. I WOULD mind if they said something like I would never want to move to the land of bagels.
I feel some stereotypes ARE hurtful and unfair. Like....I'm not too happy when people assume all Americans are all dumb. But if they refer to us eating hamburgers and apple pie. Who cares??
I don't.
24. Saw this photo and randomly thought of my grandma's apartment in Chicago. I have NO idea why. It looks nothing like her apartment. I have weird memory triggers like that. They make no sense, at least not on a conscious rational level.
The one thing I can think of is that I had a past life with my grandmother, and something in our lives resembled the photo.
OR.... if we don't want to get all spiritual, maybe at my grandma's apartment, I saw a picture or we watched something on TV that resembles the photo.
25. Saw a 19th century picture of the Park Side Lunatic Asylum in Adelaide, and wonder if the building is still around. Why does it seem like asylums are often abandoned, and then opened up for haunted house tours or something?
26. Found a history page about the Park Side Lunatic Asylum. In 1967, the name was changed to Glenside Hospital. Lunatic Asylum sounds so much more elegant.
27. Found a recent photo of the asylum on Flickr. It's a beautiful building. The photographer says it's now used for luxury housing.
28. Listened to From Little Things Big Things Grow.
29. Had a weird theory come to my mind. The thing is I'm so focused on Adelaide right now. It's like I could change my blog to That Weird American Who's Obsessed with Adelaide. I still love ALL of Australia. Of course. My affection just seems to be a bit focused right now.
I was thinking maybe Adelaide is in my destiny, and The King's Speech was a kind of catalyst to get me there.
Is that nuts?
Probably.
But see....I'm just living up to my blog title.
And who knows. It could die down in a few weeks. My obsessions either fade away or they explode into something extremely massive.
30. Watched scenes of Creepy Claire singing on Lost. That was a really dark episode. I miss Lost.
31. Listened to a song from The King's Speech, and some of it reminds me of Lost. I don't know if there are similar notes here, or if I have Lost on my mind. I can't think of what Lost song it reminds me of, so maybe it IS in my mind. Are any of you fans of Lost? Maybe you can listen for me. The part that reminds me of it begins at about :23.
I'm listening to some of the Lost soundtrack now.
32. Convinced that the soundtrack to Lost is largely responsible for that show's greatness.
33. Got all emotional when listening to "Parting Words". I'm having MAJOR Lost nostalgia right now. I think it started when I was in the shower tonight. I was singing (like I usually do) and started singing "Downtown". Of course, I thought of this.
34. Listened to more of The King's Speech song. It's really beautiful at 1:25; and that part doesn't remind me of Lost.
35. Shocked and disturbed that I'm obsessing over a few music notes. I'm looking through the Lost finale. I'm thinking the notes might be there.
36. Started to cry. I'm getting way overly emotional about this. I think the notes might be from my favorite scene. Not exactly. Maybe just similar. I'm watching it now.
Maybe I'm just imagining things.
8. Watched the video of Tony Abbott. I thought it was sad, and not at all funny. I don't know. It looked like he was having a seizure or something like that. Or maybe he was just REALLY nervous like the king in The King's Speech.
We kind of give mixed messages about what people should say when the cameras are in front of them. Watch what you say. Choose your words carefully. But don't take time to think about it. MAYBE if Abbott had chosen awkward silence in Afghanistan, he wouldn't have said shit happens in the first place.
Yeah. Abbott's silence was...VERY WEIRD. But maybe he stopped himself from saying something that would have made things even worse.
9. Took the cowardly route of pretending I knew what an Australian was talking about when I was truly a bit lost. I think maybe it was some type of sport analogy.
10. Did that game again where I pick a photo on Flickr from Adelaide and one from Hobart. This time Hobart won the round. Adelaide's picture involved a creepy clown. All together though....Adelaide is still in the lead.
11. With the help of an email from someone in Adelaide, I was able to find a good Google Map view of the old and new Parliament. And I see that Google has changed their linking methods. I hope my old links still work. Okay. I just checked. They still work....at least for now.
12. Read story about Tom Hooper's mom. She went to a reading of an unproduced play...something that she doesn't usually do. It was The King's Speech. I guess this was the one that David Seidler wrote. I wonder why she went to the reading. What led her there? Destiny stories like that fascinate me.
I'm trying to remember whether my mom has ever led me down a destiny path. And will I ever do that for Jack? He claims I already have by introducing him to Mario Bros. I'm not sure if that counts.
13. Read article about flying foxes being moved from a school because they bother students. There was a fight in Parliament about it, and the anti-bat people won. Someone from the school said, Have you ever been near a bat colony when it's raining? The smell is just awful.
Do humans smell that great?
I don't know. I can support animal control when it's about ecology and safety, but not just for smell issues. What about kids who go to school near dairy farms? That can smell pretty strong.
Are there issues besides smell? I guess there's the danger of a bat pooping on your head as you walk by.
I love the flying foxes in the Royal Botanical Garden.
14. Learned that Rachel Taylor is dating Josh Lawson. Maybe that's why people are coming to my blog to read about Josh Lawson. Who is Rachel Taylor? Is she Australian? This article says she's on Grey's Anatomy.
15. Looked up Rachel Taylor on IMDb. She's from Launceston Tasmania. That's where my friends live.
16. Watched a clip of Rachel Taylor on Grey's Anatomy. I wanted to see what accent she used. Like most Australians on American TV, she uses an American accent. I think that's getting rather old.
17. Read that Hobart is having a big wooden boat festival. There's a bit of a problem because lots of people want to visit Hobart, and there's a shortage of hotel space. There's talk of whether more hotels need to be built. A guy from Tourism Industry Council Tasmania said if you build more hotels for peak seasons, then you have to deal with excessive amounts of empty rooms during less peak seasons.
I guess it might be like Dallas/Fort Worth. We had the Super Bowl here on Sunday. That's a pretty huge American event. I wonder if there were many accommodation shortages. I think that's something that happens in many cities. There's an occasional major event, and not enough places for people to stay. It's probably not something to fret about, unless it happens on a regular basis.
18. Looked at the website for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. It looks pretty fun. It's not just going to be wooden boats, although I'm sure wooden boats are lovely. They're also going to have food and music.
19. Proud of Jack because he got into the top ten in his Traveler IQ quiz. I may have been a bit too enthusiastic, though. I scared the cat with my cheering.
20. Read article about tell-all book regarding Julian Assange. In summary, Assange is an asshole. I wouldn't argue with that. I also wouldn't argue with the assertion that he's a megalomaniac. But lots of people are assholes and megalomaniacs. That doesn't mean they're criminals. I would personally would label Assange as an heroic asshole. I'd venture to say that most big players in history could be described that way.
I think Assange is good for what he's standing for. I think he's brave, and I'd admire him. But no. I wouldn't want him as my friend or coworker. MAYBE I'd have him as a Facebook Friend, although I'd likely mute his updates on my news feed.
21. Read that Jeff Kennett wants to change the national anthem to "I am Australian". It kind of surprised me, because Kennett spoke out against multiculturalism. I kind of think of "I am Australian" as supporting multiculturalism. I mean it doesn't mention Jews, Muslims, Asians, Indians, Africans, etc. But I think it talks about people coming together to become one. ALTHOUGH....that is kind of what Kennett wants. I can see his point. The thing is Aussie citizens can all be Australian, and at the same time be other things as well. It's just like I'm American. I have that in common with all other Americans. At the same time, I'm female, and....other stuff. What am I? I don't know. Let's move on.
As for the song.... I like all the Australian songs. "I am Australian" is probably my favorite, but the others are lovely as well.
The article about Kennett wanting to change the song has a poll. The overwhelming majority agree with Kennett. You know, maybe Australia SHOULD change the song. People want to make Australia a Republic. People want to change the flag. Maybe there just needs to be SOME kind of change. I don't think adding cheese to Vegemite scratched that itch. So yeah. Change the song.
22. Learned that Jack's geography skills probably come from Tim. We had him take the quiz Jack made. He satisfied us by not doing too well. Jack and I got to feel all superior. Then Tim practiced a bit, and he's already ranked as #6. Is that fair??!! No!!!
23. Read article about some guy named Eddie McGuire calling the Western Suburbs the land of the falafel. He also suggested a sport team would get tired of living there. I think the latter part is offensive. Why would they get tired of living there? As for falafel, I really don't understand what's so offensive about food stereotypes. Well, never mind. I guess it is offensive. Because it's just substituting falafel for Muslim. AND it's in a very negative context.
I wouldn't mind if someone was moving to NYC and they said, I'm moving to the land of the bagel. I'd think that was cute. I WOULD mind if they said something like I would never want to move to the land of bagels.
I feel some stereotypes ARE hurtful and unfair. Like....I'm not too happy when people assume all Americans are all dumb. But if they refer to us eating hamburgers and apple pie. Who cares??
I don't.
24. Saw this photo and randomly thought of my grandma's apartment in Chicago. I have NO idea why. It looks nothing like her apartment. I have weird memory triggers like that. They make no sense, at least not on a conscious rational level.
The one thing I can think of is that I had a past life with my grandmother, and something in our lives resembled the photo.
OR.... if we don't want to get all spiritual, maybe at my grandma's apartment, I saw a picture or we watched something on TV that resembles the photo.
25. Saw a 19th century picture of the Park Side Lunatic Asylum in Adelaide, and wonder if the building is still around. Why does it seem like asylums are often abandoned, and then opened up for haunted house tours or something?
26. Found a history page about the Park Side Lunatic Asylum. In 1967, the name was changed to Glenside Hospital. Lunatic Asylum sounds so much more elegant.
27. Found a recent photo of the asylum on Flickr. It's a beautiful building. The photographer says it's now used for luxury housing.
28. Listened to From Little Things Big Things Grow.
29. Had a weird theory come to my mind. The thing is I'm so focused on Adelaide right now. It's like I could change my blog to That Weird American Who's Obsessed with Adelaide. I still love ALL of Australia. Of course. My affection just seems to be a bit focused right now.
I was thinking maybe Adelaide is in my destiny, and The King's Speech was a kind of catalyst to get me there.
Is that nuts?
Probably.
But see....I'm just living up to my blog title.
And who knows. It could die down in a few weeks. My obsessions either fade away or they explode into something extremely massive.
30. Watched scenes of Creepy Claire singing on Lost. That was a really dark episode. I miss Lost.
31. Listened to a song from The King's Speech, and some of it reminds me of Lost. I don't know if there are similar notes here, or if I have Lost on my mind. I can't think of what Lost song it reminds me of, so maybe it IS in my mind. Are any of you fans of Lost? Maybe you can listen for me. The part that reminds me of it begins at about :23.
I'm listening to some of the Lost soundtrack now.
32. Convinced that the soundtrack to Lost is largely responsible for that show's greatness.
33. Got all emotional when listening to "Parting Words". I'm having MAJOR Lost nostalgia right now. I think it started when I was in the shower tonight. I was singing (like I usually do) and started singing "Downtown". Of course, I thought of this.
34. Listened to more of The King's Speech song. It's really beautiful at 1:25; and that part doesn't remind me of Lost.
35. Shocked and disturbed that I'm obsessing over a few music notes. I'm looking through the Lost finale. I'm thinking the notes might be there.
36. Started to cry. I'm getting way overly emotional about this. I think the notes might be from my favorite scene. Not exactly. Maybe just similar. I'm watching it now.
Maybe I'm just imagining things.