1. Learned something new and scary from Toni Jordan's Addition.
You're not supposed to stick a knife into the toaster to get the toast out. It could electrocute you.
I don't know if it's only pop up toasters, or toaster ovens as well.
We have a toaster oven.
I can't really imagine it would be a problem with the toaster oven.
2. Scared of toasters now.
3. Asked Tim if he knew that you shouldn't stick a knife or fork into a toaster. I expected him to argue that it's safe, and ask where I heard such a ridiculous thing. Instead, it turns out he knew already, and was shocked (fun pun there) that I didn't.
I'm usually the one who knows about all these safety things. How did I miss this one?
4. Went to bed. In the middle of the night, I went to pee and then checked my email. I heard from Michelle that Tracey had become a Twitterer. I had already learned that a few days ago. I felt pressure to get back into it when I first heard the news and felt pressure again from Michelle. Then I went back to sleep and dreamed Tracey was at our house. She asked me to come back to Twitter. I don't remember much of the details of that dream anymore, except that it also involved a dog in the bed, and my earlobe was swollen from an infection.
5. Tried to get back onto Twitter, but I couldn't remember my password. I had to click the forgotten-your-password thing.
I figure it's not a huge deal to get back into Twitter. It's not like I have to actually use it. I'm on Facebook, and I don't use that too often. I have a Kondoot and Google+ account. I rarely go on those.
6. Got back on Twitter and then I couldn't even find Tracey. So all that for nothing!
But not really.
I found Michelle and started to follow her.
And I'm now following Alyssa Milano.
Checking out Alyssa Milano's Tweets is one of my guilty pleasures. I've been doing it unofficially for the last month or so. Now I can do it officially.
7. Tried to read the Tweets of my followers. I find it hard to do. There's too much information all at once, and the glimpses of half-conversations drive me nuts.
It's all very confusing.
I don't think Twitter was made for me.
I think I'm more of a Facebook person.
Actually no. I'm more of a Blogger person.
But I still do like Alyssa Milano on Twitter. Maybe it's easier for me to read one person's Twitter page at a time, rather than a bunch of updates from various people.
8. Listened to my Gleeful CD while exercising.
9. Tried again with Twitter.
It's still annoying me.
I should just give up.
10. Saw article saying the same-sex voting thing in Tasmania Parliament succeeded.
Yesterday I thought it had already succeeded. I guess I was wrong.
I really need to work on my comprehension skills.
Anyway, the vote has NOW succeeded. That's very good news. And in America, we're now officially rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell. That's good news too.
I'm tempted to bring in my own system of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Don't tell me you're a Republican, and I won't ask you if you're a Republican. I'll just pretend we're all on the left.
I'm joking.
I try to be a tolerant person.
I'm just having trouble tolerating right-wing politics and ideologies at this point. Lately, it's been making me angry and prejudice.
I hope we keep Obama as president. I just wish he was president in a world where Republicans weren't fighting him every step of the way.
I wish we lived in a world where Republicans didn't assume that left-wing=terrorist supporter and communist. I guess it's fair though because sometimes I'm quick to assume right wing = racism, selfishness, ethnocentrism, and religious intolerance.
11. Loved this part from Addition.
People don't understand obsession. An obsession is not a weakness. An obsession is what lifts people up, what makes them different from the gray masses.
Thank you! And I totally agree.
I do think there can be bad obsessions—ones that inspire people to stalk, harass, and harm others.
But for the most part I think obsession is fantastic.
I love that I get obsessed with things. I love when other people are obsessed with things. People with obsessions are more interesting to me.
12. Enjoyed reading IWasn'tBloggedYesterday's poem
Here's an example of one of her lines.
I am from a little section cut out of the Royal National Park, surrounded by gum trees, red bottlebrush and golden wattle, the calls of the kookaburras and magpies.
She wrote the poem using a writing exercise template.
I used to love doing stuff like that. I loved answering questions about myself. I used to do it with my friends. We'd make surveys for each other and then answer them.
Now I hate doing them. I still love answering multiple choice questions, but I don't like fill in the blank type things. It's a struggle for me to think of stuff.
I do love reading other people's answers though. It's a lot of fun.
If any of you reading this want to do one of those poems, but don't have a blog (or other website) in which to post it, I'd be happy to post it on my blog as a guest post. Just email me the poem if you're interested.
13. Looked at my Ofoto album and downloaded the next 10 photos. I realized it's going to be a few days before we get to the Australia pictures.
I was thinking maybe I should have skipped all the Japan stuff, but I think it's best that it stays. It was part of the trip. It was part of the experience.
14. Related to some lines in Addition.
Grace talks about believing she had meningitis and no one believing her. She says, It can be very hard to convince someone you're sick. Then she also says, It can be equally as hard to convince someone you're well.
Why is that?
I feel like it's one of the stories of my life.
I thought I had an eating disorder, but apparently, to the people in my life, I didn't qualify. For them (it seemed) eating disorders are where you weigh less than fifty pounds and you have IV's and feeding tubes. Even better—drop dead. That will prove beyond a doubt that someone truly had an eating disorder.
Losing a bunch of weight at once, exercising constantly throughout the day, weighing every piece of food you put in your mouth, and repeatedly checking the bathroom scale? Apparently that's normal and healthy behavior.
Yet if I mention feeling sad or act a little moody, some people are quick to assume I must be bipolar. I should be on anti-depressants, or something like that. To qualify for a depression-type mental illness, I don't need to do anything too extreme like cry all day, refuse to get out of bed, stop taking showers, etc.
It would be nice to be believed when I tell people I have a problem or I've overcome a problem. And it would be nice to be believed when I tell people I'm fine.
15. Thought about it more and decided it's not just about health and illness. It's about everything...or almost everything. I feel like I'm constantly struggling to be believed and understood.
16. Confused about Twitter. Since re-doing my password I've had two new followers—both porn type things.
Why?
During my days of having a Twitter account and not using it, I did get new followers every so often. It happened maybe once a month or so. But now I have two within a few hours.
The internet is full of mystery.
17. Found Tracey on Twitter. That's good.
18. Went to Facebook and now that's all confusing too. They made changes. Usually, I'm accepting and open-minded of Facebook's desire to constantly reinvent themselves; but today I'm not in the mood.
I think I should just stick to Blogging and forget all this social networking.
I'll just use Facebook to be self-indulgent and advertise my blog.
Then I also have one or two friends on there who read my blog; but they don't have a blog so I can't reciprocate by reading theirs. Maybe I'll just check their accounts everyday rather than reading the whole newsfeed.
Really. If I'm going to commit to ANY social networking site, for now I'd rather it be Twitter. That way I can keep up with Tracey, Michelle....and Alyssa Milano.
19. Had a brilliant idea. To avoid going to the Facebook newsfeed everyday and wading through a bunch of stuff, I'm just bookmarking the individual pages of people and organizations that I want to read everyday.
20. Decided I'll do the same with Twitter. I'll just save the pages of Tracey, Michelle, and Alyssa Milano to my bookmark toolbar.
21. Added Kevin Rudd to that as well.
22. Tried to decide if I want to add news.com.au to my small collection of Facebook Pages to check everyday. I like the friendliness of the people who do the updates.
I kind of remembered learning that they're a Murdoch thing. It's not that I don't want to read any of his stuff, but I'm a little weary after all that's happened.
Anyway.....
I consulted Lord Wiki.
News.com.au is part of something called News Limited. News Limited is part of News Corporation, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch.
News Limited is responsible for so many newspapers in Australia. It's kind of scary.
They operate The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun, the Courier Mail, and other stuff. I'm just naming the things that are most familiar to me.
If I want news that's not Murdoch owned, I guess my best best is The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC. I get ABC headlines on my iGoogle page.
23. Added Sydney Morning Herald feeds to my iGoogle page.
I'm not trying to avoid Murdoch news completely. I still get their stuff because I check Google News everyday. When I do that, I see news from a variety of sources.
You're not supposed to stick a knife into the toaster to get the toast out. It could electrocute you.
I don't know if it's only pop up toasters, or toaster ovens as well.
We have a toaster oven.
I can't really imagine it would be a problem with the toaster oven.
2. Scared of toasters now.
3. Asked Tim if he knew that you shouldn't stick a knife or fork into a toaster. I expected him to argue that it's safe, and ask where I heard such a ridiculous thing. Instead, it turns out he knew already, and was shocked (fun pun there) that I didn't.
I'm usually the one who knows about all these safety things. How did I miss this one?
4. Went to bed. In the middle of the night, I went to pee and then checked my email. I heard from Michelle that Tracey had become a Twitterer. I had already learned that a few days ago. I felt pressure to get back into it when I first heard the news and felt pressure again from Michelle. Then I went back to sleep and dreamed Tracey was at our house. She asked me to come back to Twitter. I don't remember much of the details of that dream anymore, except that it also involved a dog in the bed, and my earlobe was swollen from an infection.
5. Tried to get back onto Twitter, but I couldn't remember my password. I had to click the forgotten-your-password thing.
I figure it's not a huge deal to get back into Twitter. It's not like I have to actually use it. I'm on Facebook, and I don't use that too often. I have a Kondoot and Google+ account. I rarely go on those.
6. Got back on Twitter and then I couldn't even find Tracey. So all that for nothing!
But not really.
I found Michelle and started to follow her.
And I'm now following Alyssa Milano.
Checking out Alyssa Milano's Tweets is one of my guilty pleasures. I've been doing it unofficially for the last month or so. Now I can do it officially.
7. Tried to read the Tweets of my followers. I find it hard to do. There's too much information all at once, and the glimpses of half-conversations drive me nuts.
It's all very confusing.
I don't think Twitter was made for me.
I think I'm more of a Facebook person.
Actually no. I'm more of a Blogger person.
But I still do like Alyssa Milano on Twitter. Maybe it's easier for me to read one person's Twitter page at a time, rather than a bunch of updates from various people.
8. Listened to my Gleeful CD while exercising.
9. Tried again with Twitter.
It's still annoying me.
I should just give up.
10. Saw article saying the same-sex voting thing in Tasmania Parliament succeeded.
Yesterday I thought it had already succeeded. I guess I was wrong.
I really need to work on my comprehension skills.
Anyway, the vote has NOW succeeded. That's very good news. And in America, we're now officially rid of Don't Ask Don't Tell. That's good news too.
I'm tempted to bring in my own system of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Don't tell me you're a Republican, and I won't ask you if you're a Republican. I'll just pretend we're all on the left.
I'm joking.
I try to be a tolerant person.
I'm just having trouble tolerating right-wing politics and ideologies at this point. Lately, it's been making me angry and prejudice.
I hope we keep Obama as president. I just wish he was president in a world where Republicans weren't fighting him every step of the way.
I wish we lived in a world where Republicans didn't assume that left-wing=terrorist supporter and communist. I guess it's fair though because sometimes I'm quick to assume right wing = racism, selfishness, ethnocentrism, and religious intolerance.
11. Loved this part from Addition.
People don't understand obsession. An obsession is not a weakness. An obsession is what lifts people up, what makes them different from the gray masses.
Thank you! And I totally agree.
I do think there can be bad obsessions—ones that inspire people to stalk, harass, and harm others.
But for the most part I think obsession is fantastic.
I love that I get obsessed with things. I love when other people are obsessed with things. People with obsessions are more interesting to me.
12. Enjoyed reading IWasn'tBloggedYesterday's poem
Here's an example of one of her lines.
I am from a little section cut out of the Royal National Park, surrounded by gum trees, red bottlebrush and golden wattle, the calls of the kookaburras and magpies.
She wrote the poem using a writing exercise template.
I used to love doing stuff like that. I loved answering questions about myself. I used to do it with my friends. We'd make surveys for each other and then answer them.
Now I hate doing them. I still love answering multiple choice questions, but I don't like fill in the blank type things. It's a struggle for me to think of stuff.
I do love reading other people's answers though. It's a lot of fun.
If any of you reading this want to do one of those poems, but don't have a blog (or other website) in which to post it, I'd be happy to post it on my blog as a guest post. Just email me the poem if you're interested.
13. Looked at my Ofoto album and downloaded the next 10 photos. I realized it's going to be a few days before we get to the Australia pictures.
I was thinking maybe I should have skipped all the Japan stuff, but I think it's best that it stays. It was part of the trip. It was part of the experience.
14. Related to some lines in Addition.
Grace talks about believing she had meningitis and no one believing her. She says, It can be very hard to convince someone you're sick. Then she also says, It can be equally as hard to convince someone you're well.
Why is that?
I feel like it's one of the stories of my life.
I thought I had an eating disorder, but apparently, to the people in my life, I didn't qualify. For them (it seemed) eating disorders are where you weigh less than fifty pounds and you have IV's and feeding tubes. Even better—drop dead. That will prove beyond a doubt that someone truly had an eating disorder.
Losing a bunch of weight at once, exercising constantly throughout the day, weighing every piece of food you put in your mouth, and repeatedly checking the bathroom scale? Apparently that's normal and healthy behavior.
Yet if I mention feeling sad or act a little moody, some people are quick to assume I must be bipolar. I should be on anti-depressants, or something like that. To qualify for a depression-type mental illness, I don't need to do anything too extreme like cry all day, refuse to get out of bed, stop taking showers, etc.
It would be nice to be believed when I tell people I have a problem or I've overcome a problem. And it would be nice to be believed when I tell people I'm fine.
15. Thought about it more and decided it's not just about health and illness. It's about everything...or almost everything. I feel like I'm constantly struggling to be believed and understood.
16. Confused about Twitter. Since re-doing my password I've had two new followers—both porn type things.
Why?
During my days of having a Twitter account and not using it, I did get new followers every so often. It happened maybe once a month or so. But now I have two within a few hours.
The internet is full of mystery.
17. Found Tracey on Twitter. That's good.
18. Went to Facebook and now that's all confusing too. They made changes. Usually, I'm accepting and open-minded of Facebook's desire to constantly reinvent themselves; but today I'm not in the mood.
I think I should just stick to Blogging and forget all this social networking.
I'll just use Facebook to be self-indulgent and advertise my blog.
Then I also have one or two friends on there who read my blog; but they don't have a blog so I can't reciprocate by reading theirs. Maybe I'll just check their accounts everyday rather than reading the whole newsfeed.
Really. If I'm going to commit to ANY social networking site, for now I'd rather it be Twitter. That way I can keep up with Tracey, Michelle....and Alyssa Milano.
19. Had a brilliant idea. To avoid going to the Facebook newsfeed everyday and wading through a bunch of stuff, I'm just bookmarking the individual pages of people and organizations that I want to read everyday.
20. Decided I'll do the same with Twitter. I'll just save the pages of Tracey, Michelle, and Alyssa Milano to my bookmark toolbar.
21. Added Kevin Rudd to that as well.
22. Tried to decide if I want to add news.com.au to my small collection of Facebook Pages to check everyday. I like the friendliness of the people who do the updates.
I kind of remembered learning that they're a Murdoch thing. It's not that I don't want to read any of his stuff, but I'm a little weary after all that's happened.
Anyway.....
I consulted Lord Wiki.
News.com.au is part of something called News Limited. News Limited is part of News Corporation, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch.
News Limited is responsible for so many newspapers in Australia. It's kind of scary.
They operate The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun, the Courier Mail, and other stuff. I'm just naming the things that are most familiar to me.
If I want news that's not Murdoch owned, I guess my best best is The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC. I get ABC headlines on my iGoogle page.
23. Added Sydney Morning Herald feeds to my iGoogle page.
I'm not trying to avoid Murdoch news completely. I still get their stuff because I check Google News everyday. When I do that, I see news from a variety of sources.
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
24. Went to Tallygarunga.
Today I'm going to read the continuation of the thread Tomorrow Comes Today, For All We know.
It's starring Améa Du Contiaea and Zane Nedvidek.
The last post before the most recent one was on September 4. I'm not sure if I read it or not. I'm going to search through my blog.
25. Found out that the last time I read the thread was August 22. Time flies. I can't believe it's been almost a month since I read that story.
26. Saw that there's been a TON of posts added since I last read.
I probably left off on #34 and now they're up to 59 posts. Wow.
27. Started reading.
28. Thought about how I usually could relate to Améa, but now she's lost me a bit. She's finally showing respect and a liking towards someone. Why? He managed to almost strangle her to death.
I can't really relate to that.
Well, I guess I have some things in common with Améa, and then there's some stuff that we don't have in common.
29. Kept reading. It seems Zane is a control freak and Améa likes being controlled.
If someone enjoys being abused, are they being abused?
30. Saw that Améa and Zane had sex. I really have to read carefully here because it's all very subtle.
Améa was not naive. She knew what was happening here, what was to happen. She welcomed it. As Zane lay her down, all thoughts of the other, and of her broken heart, fled her mind. This was the only truth. It wasn't the love she'd so foolishly believed in, but here was someone who wanted her loyalty. Who offered protection and companionship for so long as she could remain loyal. It was a deal far better than any she'd got from friend or family, and their chemistry was undeniable. She made no fight and allowed him everything she'd promised.
The night air was chilling when all movement stopped, she sought his eyes in the darkness - hoping to read in them some assessment of her. Favourable, she hoped.
I like subtle sex scenes like that, and a little more detail is fine too. I don't like the overly explicit stuff. I guess I'm a prude.
I'm the same way with TV sex. I like the gentle sweet soap opera stuff. I don't like the stuff on True Blood. It's too much for me, and I anxiously await the scene change. Sometimes the sex looks so real. It makes me wonder. Are they really having sex and filming it? If they're not, how much work are they putting into it to make it look real? Is it worth it?
Maybe that's why most people watch True Blood. I personally prefer the mystery, suspense, relationships, supernatural stuff, etc.
If they took out the graphic sex scenes, would True Blood lose a lot of viewers?
31. Continued to read about Zane and Améa.
Améa brings Zane home. In a way, she's using him to challenge her mother. She wants to unnerve Adele.
32. Got insight into why Améa doesn't like David, her mother's fiancé. She says, And I once did love David, as thoroughly as any fool might. Mamiere left him some years ago and took me with her, he did not seek her, or for me. They are to be married now, it will not last. Mamiere will run again, she always does.
Améa doesn't like people she perceives as weak; those who give up too fast.
Earlier on in the same post, there's these lines. She pushed people away, projected a cold and uncaring persona that others would avoid, yet in essence - she craved attention. She had tried to push Zane away, he hadn't allowed her to.
There's various people trying to get close to Améa. Maybe what she wants is someone with true persistence. If someone makes vague attempts to get close to someone, do they really mean it?
Let's say our eyes are red from crying. Someone asks us ,what's wrong. We say nothing. They nod and walk away. Did they really care in the first place?
We could argue that we shouldn't make it so difficult. If someone asks us what's wrong, just tell them. Don't be coy.
But then why would we want to tell the person if we didn't think they truly cared? Or maybe they do care, but not a lot. Not enough.
33. Thought more about Zane and Améa. He's not just persistent. He's scary and dangerous. Why does Améa want that? Could a gentle and caring person get through to her if they had been persistent enough? Or is it the danger and meanness that she's really after?
34. Agreed with Améa here. I think that family is a poor word. It has a reputation of being for love and care, when in truth it is little more than the spread of similar blood.
I do think in many instances family deserves the positive reputation. Sometimes it IS about love and care. Other times the whole blood connection thing is way overrated.
I don't really agree with what Améa says next. She says, Better to focus oneself on building relationships of usefulness, it is my aim to find my place as useful to you. This would make me happier than any broken promise of family ever could.
I don't think usefulness should be the prime goal of a relationship. I think the best relationships are based on love, like, and mutual admiration. It's best to focus the most on those.
That being said, I do look at some relationships for their usefulness. I guess this is when I feel there is a lack of love, like, and mutual admiration. Sometimes I'll stay in the friendship because there's something I need from that person. Or there's something they need from me. If we can give to each other in a fairly equal way, then I think it's okay.
I know. I sound horrible.
I don't think it's fair for one person to use another person when the other person has genuine feelings of like and love.
Let's say a girl loves a guy and he doesn't love her back. Yet he pretends to love her so she'll have sex with him. I think that's horrible.
I'd be okay, though, with a relationship in which one person is using the other person for their looks (like a trophy wife) and that person is being used for his/her money. It's like a business deal, really.
35. Thought more about all this as I made myself a bowl of yummy oatmeal.
I think what I've learned is this. I have often feel used and that's made me feel unhappy at times. But I've grown to learn that instead of feeling resentful about it, I should use the other person in return. Or I should examine the relationship, and often I'll realize that I get something out of it too.
Let me add. That I DO love some people and not just because I need them for some reason.
I'm not that coldhearted.
36. Finished reading the thread. Zane says, Whatever has happened to you in the past will not come again. You will not be harmed while with me. If you are, then whomever does it will have hell to pay. I'm no force to be reckoned with. Together, we are invincible. We are one. Nobody will ever stand in our way.
That would all be extremely romantic if it weren't for the fact that Zane himself tried to strangle Améa.
37. Found out my Australian of the day is Cyril Joseph Angles.
He was a sports broadcaster. Why not a sport broadcaster? I thought Australians said sport instead of sports. Or maybe it depends on whether it's plural or not?
38. Learned Cyril was born in Sydney in 1906.
He had ten siblings.
He cried a lot as a baby.
39. Learned that Cyril was an apprentice for a jockey. Then he gained weight and had to find something else to do.
He eventually made his way into radio. He did broadcasting for horse races. That was his main thing, but he also did broadcasting for other sports.
40. Learned that Cyril was generous and not good at saying no.
41. Learned that Cyril married and had three daughters.
42. Read article about homework. Two education specialists in Australia speak out against it. Well, I don't know if they're against homework in general, but they're against homework in the primary school years.
When I was growing up, it never occurred to me that an adult would be against homework. Then I went to graduate school for education and the school was against it. From what I remember they weren't totally against all homework. But they believed it shouldn't be excessive, and it shouldn't be mindless busy work.
I personally think it's ridiculous that children get homework. They're in school for six hours! Is that not enough? They come home around 3 and many of them are put to bed by 7 or 8. Then there're extracurricular activities as well. When do kids have time to relax, play, and learn what personally interests them?
43. Had an idea. Instead of assigning homework, why not require students to keep a journal that lists what they did that evening. It wouldn't need to be an invasion of privacy because kids wouldn't have to list everything. They could keep their private things private. They could share what they want to share.
An example might be: Walked the dog, read Checkers by John Marsden, watched Glee, ate dinner with my family, and made potions on Pottermore.
They could leave out the part that says, I checked Facebook every five minutes to see if the guy I had a crush on added me back as a friend. or I spent hours looking through medical websites because my period is late and I'm worried that I'm pregnant.
I think having a journal like that would put gentle pressure on kids to do educational and worthwhile things. But they wouldn't be forced to learn and work on things that didn't interest them.
44. Looked at a YouTube channel called Red Ribbon. It's a musical group made up of three Melbourne women—Cassandra Ramanathan, Brigitte Miles, and Aarti Desai.
45. Saw that the Ribbons do both covers and original songs. I'll listen to one of each.
46. Changed my mind. I've actually never heard of their cover songs. I might as well listen to two of their originals.
Here's "Faith in Love"
I think they sound best when they sing together. Their voices are beautiful then.
I also like the tune of the song.
47. Watched Red Ribbon's video "About a Drifter".
Sometimes it sounds good, but only one person sang in the video. I think their voices sound much better combined.
48. Continued to read Addition. So far I'm loving it.
I think it has my viewpoint of mental illness.
Just because someone is weird, and somewhat annoying, it doesn't mean they're sick and need to be fixed. If they're okay with themselves, they should be either accepted or avoided. If they're not okay with themselves and want to change, they should be supported through that process. They might choose psychiatric drugs. They might choose a special diet. They might want therapy. They might just want someone to listen and be responsive in a loving way.
I would advise not being tolerant, of someone who is content with their own weirdness, if it seems they might cause harm to themselves and others. It's one thing to being accepting of someone's need to sing "Kumbaya" every time they take off their shoes. It's another thing to be accepting of someone who drinks and drives every time they get upset.
49. Started to look at more of Arthur Chapman's plant photos.
50. Learned from Lord Wiki that the Scrub Cherry is edible. He says it's sour, but in a pleasant way.
The Scrub Cherry tree is native to eastern Australia.
In this picture they look like tiny apples.
They're cute.
51. Thought this Native Violet looked very sad. Is she suffering from depression, or is she just having a bad day?
52. Thought of The Muppets when I saw this tree.
53. Thought this Mount Lofty Grass Tree looked very interesting.
54. Liked this picture of the Brown Stringbark. I don't like only the tree. I like the whole scene.
55. Read article that says the Australian dollar dropped way down today. It's very close to the American dollar now.
Well, I just checked for myself. It's now at 1.013 American dollars!
56. Thought of something regarding obsessions and my love for them.
They're not okay (to me) when someone is pushy about them.
I love that James loves Sweden, Andrew loves trains, Greg loves basketball, and Jen loves alternative medicine. I wouldn't love it if they pushed too hard for me to love those things too.
Then it changes from obsessions to extremism. It becomes very annoying...and sometimes scary.
Today I'm going to read the continuation of the thread Tomorrow Comes Today, For All We know.
It's starring Améa Du Contiaea and Zane Nedvidek.
The last post before the most recent one was on September 4. I'm not sure if I read it or not. I'm going to search through my blog.
25. Found out that the last time I read the thread was August 22. Time flies. I can't believe it's been almost a month since I read that story.
26. Saw that there's been a TON of posts added since I last read.
I probably left off on #34 and now they're up to 59 posts. Wow.
27. Started reading.
28. Thought about how I usually could relate to Améa, but now she's lost me a bit. She's finally showing respect and a liking towards someone. Why? He managed to almost strangle her to death.
I can't really relate to that.
Well, I guess I have some things in common with Améa, and then there's some stuff that we don't have in common.
29. Kept reading. It seems Zane is a control freak and Améa likes being controlled.
If someone enjoys being abused, are they being abused?
30. Saw that Améa and Zane had sex. I really have to read carefully here because it's all very subtle.
Améa was not naive. She knew what was happening here, what was to happen. She welcomed it. As Zane lay her down, all thoughts of the other, and of her broken heart, fled her mind. This was the only truth. It wasn't the love she'd so foolishly believed in, but here was someone who wanted her loyalty. Who offered protection and companionship for so long as she could remain loyal. It was a deal far better than any she'd got from friend or family, and their chemistry was undeniable. She made no fight and allowed him everything she'd promised.
The night air was chilling when all movement stopped, she sought his eyes in the darkness - hoping to read in them some assessment of her. Favourable, she hoped.
I like subtle sex scenes like that, and a little more detail is fine too. I don't like the overly explicit stuff. I guess I'm a prude.
I'm the same way with TV sex. I like the gentle sweet soap opera stuff. I don't like the stuff on True Blood. It's too much for me, and I anxiously await the scene change. Sometimes the sex looks so real. It makes me wonder. Are they really having sex and filming it? If they're not, how much work are they putting into it to make it look real? Is it worth it?
Maybe that's why most people watch True Blood. I personally prefer the mystery, suspense, relationships, supernatural stuff, etc.
If they took out the graphic sex scenes, would True Blood lose a lot of viewers?
31. Continued to read about Zane and Améa.
Améa brings Zane home. In a way, she's using him to challenge her mother. She wants to unnerve Adele.
32. Got insight into why Améa doesn't like David, her mother's fiancé. She says, And I once did love David, as thoroughly as any fool might. Mamiere left him some years ago and took me with her, he did not seek her, or for me. They are to be married now, it will not last. Mamiere will run again, she always does.
Améa doesn't like people she perceives as weak; those who give up too fast.
Earlier on in the same post, there's these lines. She pushed people away, projected a cold and uncaring persona that others would avoid, yet in essence - she craved attention. She had tried to push Zane away, he hadn't allowed her to.
There's various people trying to get close to Améa. Maybe what she wants is someone with true persistence. If someone makes vague attempts to get close to someone, do they really mean it?
Let's say our eyes are red from crying. Someone asks us ,what's wrong. We say nothing. They nod and walk away. Did they really care in the first place?
We could argue that we shouldn't make it so difficult. If someone asks us what's wrong, just tell them. Don't be coy.
But then why would we want to tell the person if we didn't think they truly cared? Or maybe they do care, but not a lot. Not enough.
33. Thought more about Zane and Améa. He's not just persistent. He's scary and dangerous. Why does Améa want that? Could a gentle and caring person get through to her if they had been persistent enough? Or is it the danger and meanness that she's really after?
34. Agreed with Améa here. I think that family is a poor word. It has a reputation of being for love and care, when in truth it is little more than the spread of similar blood.
I do think in many instances family deserves the positive reputation. Sometimes it IS about love and care. Other times the whole blood connection thing is way overrated.
I don't really agree with what Améa says next. She says, Better to focus oneself on building relationships of usefulness, it is my aim to find my place as useful to you. This would make me happier than any broken promise of family ever could.
I don't think usefulness should be the prime goal of a relationship. I think the best relationships are based on love, like, and mutual admiration. It's best to focus the most on those.
That being said, I do look at some relationships for their usefulness. I guess this is when I feel there is a lack of love, like, and mutual admiration. Sometimes I'll stay in the friendship because there's something I need from that person. Or there's something they need from me. If we can give to each other in a fairly equal way, then I think it's okay.
I know. I sound horrible.
I don't think it's fair for one person to use another person when the other person has genuine feelings of like and love.
Let's say a girl loves a guy and he doesn't love her back. Yet he pretends to love her so she'll have sex with him. I think that's horrible.
I'd be okay, though, with a relationship in which one person is using the other person for their looks (like a trophy wife) and that person is being used for his/her money. It's like a business deal, really.
35. Thought more about all this as I made myself a bowl of yummy oatmeal.
I think what I've learned is this. I have often feel used and that's made me feel unhappy at times. But I've grown to learn that instead of feeling resentful about it, I should use the other person in return. Or I should examine the relationship, and often I'll realize that I get something out of it too.
Let me add. That I DO love some people and not just because I need them for some reason.
I'm not that coldhearted.
36. Finished reading the thread. Zane says, Whatever has happened to you in the past will not come again. You will not be harmed while with me. If you are, then whomever does it will have hell to pay. I'm no force to be reckoned with. Together, we are invincible. We are one. Nobody will ever stand in our way.
That would all be extremely romantic if it weren't for the fact that Zane himself tried to strangle Améa.
37. Found out my Australian of the day is Cyril Joseph Angles.
He was a sports broadcaster. Why not a sport broadcaster? I thought Australians said sport instead of sports. Or maybe it depends on whether it's plural or not?
38. Learned Cyril was born in Sydney in 1906.
He had ten siblings.
He cried a lot as a baby.
39. Learned that Cyril was an apprentice for a jockey. Then he gained weight and had to find something else to do.
He eventually made his way into radio. He did broadcasting for horse races. That was his main thing, but he also did broadcasting for other sports.
40. Learned that Cyril was generous and not good at saying no.
41. Learned that Cyril married and had three daughters.
42. Read article about homework. Two education specialists in Australia speak out against it. Well, I don't know if they're against homework in general, but they're against homework in the primary school years.
When I was growing up, it never occurred to me that an adult would be against homework. Then I went to graduate school for education and the school was against it. From what I remember they weren't totally against all homework. But they believed it shouldn't be excessive, and it shouldn't be mindless busy work.
I personally think it's ridiculous that children get homework. They're in school for six hours! Is that not enough? They come home around 3 and many of them are put to bed by 7 or 8. Then there're extracurricular activities as well. When do kids have time to relax, play, and learn what personally interests them?
43. Had an idea. Instead of assigning homework, why not require students to keep a journal that lists what they did that evening. It wouldn't need to be an invasion of privacy because kids wouldn't have to list everything. They could keep their private things private. They could share what they want to share.
An example might be: Walked the dog, read Checkers by John Marsden, watched Glee, ate dinner with my family, and made potions on Pottermore.
They could leave out the part that says, I checked Facebook every five minutes to see if the guy I had a crush on added me back as a friend. or I spent hours looking through medical websites because my period is late and I'm worried that I'm pregnant.
I think having a journal like that would put gentle pressure on kids to do educational and worthwhile things. But they wouldn't be forced to learn and work on things that didn't interest them.
44. Looked at a YouTube channel called Red Ribbon. It's a musical group made up of three Melbourne women—Cassandra Ramanathan, Brigitte Miles, and Aarti Desai.
45. Saw that the Ribbons do both covers and original songs. I'll listen to one of each.
46. Changed my mind. I've actually never heard of their cover songs. I might as well listen to two of their originals.
Here's "Faith in Love"
I think they sound best when they sing together. Their voices are beautiful then.
I also like the tune of the song.
47. Watched Red Ribbon's video "About a Drifter".
Sometimes it sounds good, but only one person sang in the video. I think their voices sound much better combined.
48. Continued to read Addition. So far I'm loving it.
I think it has my viewpoint of mental illness.
Just because someone is weird, and somewhat annoying, it doesn't mean they're sick and need to be fixed. If they're okay with themselves, they should be either accepted or avoided. If they're not okay with themselves and want to change, they should be supported through that process. They might choose psychiatric drugs. They might choose a special diet. They might want therapy. They might just want someone to listen and be responsive in a loving way.
I would advise not being tolerant, of someone who is content with their own weirdness, if it seems they might cause harm to themselves and others. It's one thing to being accepting of someone's need to sing "Kumbaya" every time they take off their shoes. It's another thing to be accepting of someone who drinks and drives every time they get upset.
49. Started to look at more of Arthur Chapman's plant photos.
50. Learned from Lord Wiki that the Scrub Cherry is edible. He says it's sour, but in a pleasant way.
The Scrub Cherry tree is native to eastern Australia.
In this picture they look like tiny apples.
They're cute.
51. Thought this Native Violet looked very sad. Is she suffering from depression, or is she just having a bad day?
52. Thought of The Muppets when I saw this tree.
53. Thought this Mount Lofty Grass Tree looked very interesting.
54. Liked this picture of the Brown Stringbark. I don't like only the tree. I like the whole scene.
55. Read article that says the Australian dollar dropped way down today. It's very close to the American dollar now.
Well, I just checked for myself. It's now at 1.013 American dollars!
56. Thought of something regarding obsessions and my love for them.
They're not okay (to me) when someone is pushy about them.
I love that James loves Sweden, Andrew loves trains, Greg loves basketball, and Jen loves alternative medicine. I wouldn't love it if they pushed too hard for me to love those things too.
Then it changes from obsessions to extremism. It becomes very annoying...and sometimes scary.