Money Comparisons, Trees, Dragon Fruit, and St. Andrew's College

1. Continued to read Gordon Aalborg's Dining With Devils.

I'm starting to get into it.

There's a lot of suspense.  

2. Read editorial about the Australian dollar.

Michael Pascoe says the Australian dollar hasn't gone down.  It's that the American dollar has gone up.  But he's not saying that as a compliment to the United States.

Pascoe explains why it's gone up. It goes way over my head, unfortunately.  But his main point is it's temporary.

We'll see what happens.

I think money was one of the worst ideas ever invented.  We should have stuck with bartering.

Money makes things too complicated.  

3. Decided I'm going to stop comparing the Aussie dollar to only the American dollar.   

I'm going to broaden my horizons.

So for now on, I'll compare it to the American dollar, British pound, and Swedish dollar.

Maybe I need something Asian in there.  How about China? What money do they use?

Well, I'll find out.

4. Started looking at the conversion rates.

One Australian dollar equals .98 American dollars.

One Australian dollar equals .63 British pounds.

One Australian dollar equals 6.71 Swedish Krona. I was wrong about them using dollars.

One Australian dollar equals 6.24 Chinese Yuan.

I'll check back later today to see if anything has changed.  

5. Read Jayne's post about remarkable Tasmanian trees.  She and her man are going to Tasmania; and they're going to look at interesting trees.  She has a book called Australia's Remarkable Trees to help her with this.  

It sounds like a really cool book.  And I love the idea of focusing on trees while on a holiday.

Jayne mentions a forest called Huon Pine at Mount Read. She says it's a forest made up of clones of one tree that may have lived 15,000-20,000 years ago. That's amazing.

Then there's a 500 year old tree near Hobart called Arve Big Tree. The sad thing is the tree might not be around for much longer. I thought Jayne was going to say the tree is going to be chopped down.

But no. It's not that.  The type of tree lives usually for only about 450 years. So this guy is past his prime.

6.  Found an Australian nature website that has an article about big Australian trees.   It has some great photos, including one of the Big Arve Tree.

Most of the photos are from Tasmania.   From what I'm reading on this site, and Jayne's blog, I'm getting the idea that Tasmania is the place, in Australia, to go if you're into big trees.

7. Went to Tallygarunga.

Today I'm going to read Head, Meet Desk.  

The stars of that are Stewie Blair, jr. and Zara McNamara.  

The story takes place in Tallygarunga's library.

8. Started to read the story.

It's the morning of August 6.

Stewie has received a mysterious fruit in the mail.  Is that the Australian Post or the owl post?  

I'm going to guess it's the owl Post.

The package had a name on it. Hylocereus undatus.  

Stewie assumes that's the name of the fruit.

9. Googled the Latin words.

Lord Wiki says it's the fruit we call dragon fruit. 

10. Reminisced, with Jack, about eating dragon fruit in Australia. We ate it at David Jones. I don't remember what it tasted like.

Jack says he liked it.   

11. Started to read Zara's first post in the thread.  She went to Penrose before Tallygarunga, and was a sort of social pariah there.  Her post says, One or two of the girls were nice to her, sure, but they never got close: probably out of fear of committing some sort of social suicide.

It's sad when people feel pressure to ostracize others.

I guess the good news is there's sometimes people who are brave enough to ignore the pressure.   I think growing up, I was one of those people who sometimes defied the unspoken rules of who we should ignore and/or  mistreat. But I have to admit that I felt conflicted about it—nervous.   I think I worried about how my own social standing would be affected; not that I had much social standing.

I'm guessing there are people who are socially fearless, who will be friends with anyone, and have no worries about how it will effect their own reputation.

I admire that.  

12. Spent time on the Qantas website.  

13. Went back to reading the Tallygarunga stuff.

Zara is avoiding eating lunch where the other students eat.  She's eating in the library instead. That isn't allowed, technically.  So she's a bit worried about getting into trouble   

She notices Stewie, and then watches him with the Dragonfruit. She gets the idea that he doesn't know what it is, and she decides to help him.

14. Confused a bit by the story thread.  From what I read, I get the idea that Zara knows the plant's a dragon fruit.  It says here:

In the other he held a curious dragonfruit, a tropical cactus that he was carefully comparing to every picture he came across. She wondered, did he not know what it was? That was the only explanation she could hypothesize for the moment for why he was looking through a book of magical items: unless of course he was one of those Spencer kids who might for some reason want to find a magical herb that looked like dragonfruit. Upon closer inspection she decided that no, he was probably far too nice for that.

But then a few paragraphs down, it says....Typical of Zara she searched the shelves, hunting in particular a cookbook or some other recipe guide that would have in it the answer he was probably looking for, she hoped. She needn't have hunted very long, for there on the page before her she'd uncovered a large, brightly coloured photograph of the plant in question. Now that she had this information the girl was presented with the arduous task of actually delivering it to him.

If she already knew the answer; why did she have to hunt for it? Why didn't she just approach Stewie with what she knew?


The only thing I can think of is that she didn't know it was a dragonfruit.  Maybe the writer was using the term for the reader's benefit?

But...no...the writing seems to be through Zara's viewpoint.

Knowing me. I probably read too fast and missed something important.

I tend to do that fairly often.

15. Continued to read.  I had another idea.  Maybe Zara does know about the dragon fruit.  But maybe she believes she needs to come to Stewie with confirmation.   Maybe she's not confident enough to believe he'd believe her without a book and picture backing her up.  

16. Glad to see Stewie getting excited about receiving the answer.  He acts very grateful to Zara, and she's pleased about this.

17. Found the answer to some of my question.  Zara DID know what a dragon fruit was.

18. Surprised at a part in the story.  Stewie reveals that Tamarah is his sister.   Zara admits to hearing about her from Penrose.  Then she says, Back at Penrose. None of the other girls had anything nice to say about her.

I'm trying to imagine a shy person saying that to someone about their sibling. Would they do that? I would think they'd be too shy and intimidated.

I can't imagine doing it back when I was shy.  I imagine I would have been polite and kept my mouth shut.

Then again, sometimes shy people are awkward. And I think also they have moments where they escape their shyness and blurt out honest things.

19. Started to read the biography of Stewie Blair.

I like his role-player.  She's the one who sings.

Anyway....

Stewie's face claim is Nathan Kress.  He's on our show iCarly.  



We were really into the show awhile back. Maybe last summer? We're not that much into it anymore.  But we still like it a little...sometimes.

20. Learned that Stewie is a fourth year Spencer student. I actually noticed the Spencer bit when I was reading the story thread.  I failed to mention it then. So I'm mentioning it now.

I also didn't mention that he got his head shaved.  That was also  talked about in the story thread.

There's too much going on in my brain right now.

21. Learned that Stewie has a tongue piercing. Jezabel talked him into it.

Now Jezabel would be his half sister. I think.

They share the same father; but have a different mum.   

22. Learned that Jezabel helps Stewie pick out his clothes.  She's like his own personal stylist.

I don't think it would be bad to have a sibling who provided that service, as long as they accentuated YOU rather than attempting to turn you into something you're not.

Then again, if lacking style is part of your personality, making you look stylish would be, in itself, changing you into something that you're not.  Well, maybe you'd be you minus the fashion problem issue.

23. Learned that Stewie is very hyper.

Some of this stuff I'm reading sounds familiar to me.  I don't remember reading Stewie's biography and I did a search through my blog.....

Maybe I just wrote about someone with similar traits? 

24. Decided it doesn't matter if I already wrote about him.  I kind of want a review on the family history thing, anyway.  He's connected to the whole Améa and Jezabel thing, the story that confused me the other day.

Maybe it was yesterday?  

There's mention though of Stewie being able to play the triangle (the instrument). That sounds really familiar to me.

25. Learned that Stewie's parents are Stuart and Tanya.

26. Read about how Stewie learned his mother was cheating on his father.  They got an owl.  It was addressed to Stuart, and Stewie assumed it was for him.  He opened it up and read his mother's confession. The letter had been meant for the OTHER Stuart.

Oops.  

27. Saw that I have another Angus for my Australian of the Day, but I don't think he's related to the other Angus men I've written about in the past few days.

This guy's name is Samuel Angus.  He was a religious (Presbyterian) professional from Ireland.  He was born in 1881.

28. Learned that Samuel did some of his Presbyterian education in America.  He did this at Princeton University.

When Samuel was a student there, the president of the university was Woodrow Wilson. Later Wilson would become President of the United States.

29. Saw that Samuel made his way to Australia when he was in his early 30's.  

30. Learned that Samuel was a bit of a radical when it came to religion.

At one point he started a discussion group for heretics.  

31. Consulted Lord Wiki about Samuel Angus, because some of the stuff in the Australian Dictionary of Biography confused me a bit.

Okay...well, I had guesses about what the Australian Dictionary of Biography was saying.  But I wasn't positive.  I was lacking confidence in my comprehension.

Lord Wiki explains things in a much more simpler way, and it turns out my comprehension wasn't so off after all.

What he says is that Angus rejected important beliefs of Christianity. He disbelieved in the trinity, virgin birth, and bodily Resurrection of Jesus. 

Yeah.  I definitely can see why he'd be seen as a heretic.

32. Went to the website of St. Andrew's College.   It's part of the University of Sydney, and it's where Samuel Angus worked.   

33. Wondered if these colleges, within a university, are a combination of America's dorms and fraternity houses.   

I know I've questioned this before.  I can't remember if I came up with any answers.

I'm reading the accommodation description, and it's not like our dorms and apartments.  Well, at least it's not what I experienced at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Maybe if you go to a more posh school, you get something more like St. Andrews.  

Students at St. Andrews get their room cleaned at least once a week. They have housekeeping service!

They have their own dining hall, and meals are provided. I'm confused over whether they pay for their meals; or is this included?

The college has it's own library, common room, reading room, and tutorial room.

It all sounds very nice.

34. Looked at more information on this page. 

Meals ARE included.

There's also free tutoring.

There's guest rooms for visiting parents, or other people.

35. Wanted to add that the building is beautiful too.

I want to go back in time and be a St. Andrew's student.

I probably wouldn't be smart enough, though.  And maybe I wouldn't be religious enough.

36. Looked at the FAQ page.   They say it's Presbyterian, but they welcome people of all faiths.

The whole thing really attracts me.  It's not just the pretty building and facilities.  It seems they also give you a family away from home. I imagine being part of a college makes it easier to meet people.

Then again.  It could backfire.   What if I had moved into the college, and no one liked me? What if I felt alienated and lonely?  Then it would be really depressing and uncomfortable.  

37. Went to Jeremy's YouTube page.  His last name might be Cotterill; or it might be Edwin.   I'm not sure.  I'm a bit confused.  His videos say Edwin; but it says Cotterill in his YouTube profile.  

38. Saw that Jeremy writes his own songs.

 In this video he sings "Homecoming"



39. Wondered what I accidentally pressed to make my post be posted way before I was ready.

That was weird.

I accidentally posted before I was ready the other day, but that time I knew what went wrong.  

40. Listened to Jeremy sing "Not Okay Hey"



41. Thought it was cute that Jeremy makes his videos in the bathroom. Bathrooms do have good acoustics. 

I like to sing when I pee.  It's a bit of a problem sometimes. See I've gotten into the habit.  Now when I use public toilets, I have to remind myself not to start singing.

Sometimes it's a struggle.

42. Looked at the lyrics of Jeremy's song.   One part says,

And i know, that you want me too.
And no, it's not okay.
And i know we can't act just yet, we'll sit and wait.
And i know the day will come, where i will hold you in my arms.

I'm guessing it's supposed to be about two people who love each other, but circumstances keep them apart.  

But there's a part of me that reads it differently.  I picture the song being about one of those erotomania stalkers. He THINKS he knows that she wants him, but she really doesn't.

I suppose the song can be either romantic or scary, depending on your perspective.

43. Went back to looking at currencies.

I'm going to see what has changed since the last time I checked.

So....

The Australian dollar is still at .98 American dollars.

It's still at .63 British pounds.

It's worth more Swedish Krona now. Earlier today is was worth 6.71.  Now it's worth 6.78.

It's still worth 6.24 Chinese Yuan.  

I'll check again tomorrow. 

44. Consulted Lord Wiki about the Tasmanian devil because they're mentioned in Dining with Devils.
I kind of just skimmed a bit because I want to get this post finished.  It's late and I still need to take a shower; and we haven't even eaten dinner yet. 

I'm going to read more tomorrow.

It looks interesting, though. 

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial.  I don't know if I knew that or not. 

It's a carnivorous one like the Thylacine. 

Lord Wiki says there are very few Tasmanian Devils outside of Australia.  Export rules are very strict, and the few outside Australia haven't done much successful breeding. 

I'm going to force myself to stop reading now.  I'll read the rest tomorrow.

I'm excited.  

Deafblind Alphabet, Writer's Block, Small Churches, and Mysterious Photos

1. Saw article that says the Labor Party isn't so popular in Queensland right now.  But they still like Kevin Rudd.

I probably feel the same way.

2.  Thought of Andrew when I started looking at Phunnyfoto's Railway Stations, Trains, Bridges, photo set.  

3. Intrigued by this photo.  People are having some type of lunch event on a bridge.  

4. Found information about the lunch event.  It was part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  The bridge with people eating is the Noojee Trestle Bridge.

5. Found Noojee on Google Maps.  It's about 2 hours east of Melbourne.  

I'm starting to get the feeling that Phunnyfotos lives somewhere in east Victoria.  Most of her photos seem to be from around there.

6. Wondered if Phunnyfoto ate at the Noojee lunch event. Or did she just come close enough for photos?

7. Saw that the Australian dollar is going up high again.  It's now equal to 1.061 American dollars.

8. Glad to see that the Victorian government is working to pass laws that will inflict harsher punishments on people who have dangerous dogs that kill.    

If someone has a dangerous breed of dog, and it kills someone, the owner can get up to 20 years in prison.

That makes sense to me.

The article, I read, says there's also going to be a hotline for people to call if they know of a dangerous animal in the neighborhood. I don't know what will happen once the call is made.  Will the dog be taken away from the owner? Or will neighbors have to wait for the dog to bite someone?

Will certain types of dogs be outlawed all together? Or will they be judged on their behavioral record?

Personally, I think they should just be outlawed. I think having a pit bull is like having a lion or tiger. They might be very friendly and lovable. Then suddenly they snap and attack.

If someone has such a huge desire for a pit bull, then they should have it well hidden. If the owner keeps the dog safely away from the neighbors, how would anyone know about it in the first place?

9. Read article about Melbourne's public transportation ticket inspectors.  Research shows that people see these officers as being rude and intimidating.

I went to the Metlink website to see what they have to say about their ticket inspectors (AKA Authorised Officers).  The site says these officers ARE there to reduce fare evasion. But they also say they're to provide good customer service and assist travelers.

Maybe the officers are doing more policing than supporting? Or is that just public perception?

The article says the officers are being accused of lacking interpersonal skills. I can imagine this means if you go up to one and ask a question, they respond in an unfriendly way.   If that's true; it's unfortunate.  Sometimes it takes courage to admit you're lost....confused. If you ask for help, it's nice if someone responds in a polite, kind, and helpful way.   

10. Went to Tallygarunga.  Today I'm going to read a Reade and Arti story called Silence is Golden.  

It takes place in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne, on the evening of August 26th.

11. Started to read the story.

Reade and Arti are learning a blind-deaf type sign language that is done by tapping on the body.  They're doing this so they can have secret conversations with each other.

12. Found a website about the deafblind alphabet.  I'm not sure if this is the version Arti and Reade are using.  This one talks about messaging letters on someone's hand.  Reade's post says the messages can be done on any part of the body. Maybe it's a different alphabet; or maybe they made their own adjustments to the one on the site.

13. Looked at various letters in the deafblind alphabet. They're pretty cool.

It's basically just touching someone's hand in various ways. For example, the letter R is done by bending the index finger and laying it on the other person's palm.

14. Noticed the website provides other blind-deaf communication methods. One is to just spell out the letters with your hand. I guess it's kind of like the game where you write a letter with your finger on someone's back; and they guess what it is.

There's also a form of braille that can be used.

15. Went back to reading the story.

I'm wondering if Reade and Arti have had sex yet.  It says here, After buying a book in Narragyambie on the topic they had spent the last two weeks absorbed in their project in almost every spare moment.

Other spare moments had been spent in more adult activities.

Maybe they're having sex; or maybe they're having almost-sex.

16.  Learned that Reade has a doctor's appointment coming up.  He's dreading it less than usual because Arti's staying at his house. He feels better having her around for support.

17. Concluded from more reading that Reade and Arti are having sex.

18. Found the story thread where the sex first happened.  What can I say?   I was curious. It's not very explicit, which is probably good.  The book I'm reading now is too explicit for my tastes.  I guess it's like vampire erotica.  It's probably not the explicit bit that bothers me, but more the idealism.   It's that romance novel fantasy of perfect love and mind-blowing sex. I think I've heard it too many times before, and it's gotten old.

19. Felt like I have writer's block today. Usually it's so easy for me to find things that make me blab on and on. It's different today.   I feel kind of blah. I read stuff and it doesn't inspire any deep thoughts.  Or if it does, I don't have the motivation and energy to write about it.

Hopefully this is just a short phase.

Maybe I'll be back to my old self later.

20. Saw that my Australian of the day is another William Anderson. This one is Sir William Hewson Anderson.   He was a business man and political organizer.  

21. Learned that William was born in Sydney in 1897. His father was a Minister and, because of that, the family moved around a bit.

William did some of his schooling at Fort Street Boy's High School. Then he went to the University of Sydney. He didn't stay long. He joined the armed forces.

War wasn't easy on William.  He was wounded, traumatized, and suffered hearing losses.

He left the fighting stuff and went back to school. He also started working for Shell.  

William got married. He and his wife had three kids.

22. Learned that William was a Liberal. He reminds me of American Republicans because he equated the left with communism.

23. Learned (if I'm reading this right) that William was part of the group that helped establish the Liberal Party.

He became the first President of the Victorian branch of the party.

24. Learned that William didn't like socialists, people on the left, and pacifists.  He did like patriotism and free enterprise.  He differed from some right-wing people, I've encountered, in that he supported social welfare. I guess he believed in some social welfare, but not to the point that it becomes socialism.  I think people on the right vary with that. I know of some who seem to be against social welfare all together. If you're life isn't doing well; it's probably your own fault for being lazy and lacking interest in work.  If it's not your fault for having a bad life, it's not the duty of taxpayers to help you.  I'm guessing other people, on the right, are more open to helping others.  But they might believe changes are needed in the system.

25. Perplexed by Americans who are so bothered by the idea of their taxes going towards universal health care and welfare; yet they have no complaints about their tax money being wasted in the war.

Why is that?

26. Started to look at Phunnyfoto's Hotel Flickr set.

I think it's hotels as in bar/restaurant, rather than the sleepover kind.

Or maybe I'm wrong.

This photo caption uses the term inn.  I'm thinking inn infers sleepover capabilities.  But I could be wrong. 

27. Went to this dictionary site. They say an inn is an establishment for the lodging and entertaining of travelers.    

So it does involve sleeping there rather than just eating and drinking.

28.  Looked at pictures of the the Royal Hotel in Drouin.    

The building doesn't look too inviting to me, probably because I'm not fond of that architectural style.
I think maybe it's art deco.

I don't hate art deco; but it's not one of my favorites.

29. Looked at the website for the Royal Hotel.

They do provide accommodations.  There's five ensuite rooms.  

30. Thought this hotel looked fairly nice. It's called Copper Mine Hotel at Coopers Creek.

I also like this Shamrock Hotel in Bendigo.  

31. Didn't love the photo set so much, because there seemed to be a lot of art deco buildings.   I don't mind a few,  but I get tired of them after awhile.

32. Started to look at Phunnyfoto's Church set.   Maybe I'll like this one better.   I don't think churches are that often art deco.  If the ones in this set are; then I'll assume Phunnyfoto prefers that type of building.   Then maybe it's best I find another Flickr account to stalk.  

33. Liked this small church.  It's yet another thing that reminds me of Little House on the Prairie.

34.  Pictured this church as something that would fit into the decor of Fort Worth. 

35. Felt unimpressed so far with what I'm seeing of south-eastern Victoria.   Is it a place I wouldn't like?  Or is it a matter of Phunnyfoto having different taste than me?   Maybe she's taking photos of things I wouldn't like; and someone else, with a camera, in south-eastern Victoria would take photos of things that would appeal to me.

I don't know. 

35. Noticed the sky was very blue in this picture.  

36. Thought this Catholic church was very unusual looking. 

37. Thought this church looks extremely tiny. How many people could you fit in there?

Well, maybe it's in a very rural area, with a very small population.

38. Looked up Yinnar South, Victoria.  That's where the church is located.  

Lord Wiki says it has a population of 1148. All those people couldn't fit into that church.   Although why am I assuming they all belong to the same congregation?  Some might not even be Christian.

Oh!  Lord Wiki talks about the church.   He says it's one of the smallest churches in Australia.  It's four metres by five metres.

I have to convert that.....

Google says one metre equals 3.28 feet.   So it would be about 13 by 16 feet.

That's small!

39. Impressed by the tall tree in this photo.  

40. Did not like this Catholic church.  Well, I mean I don't like the building.   It reminds me of synagogues I've seen and been to. It's just so unimpressive.

I know.  I'm a building snob.  

41. Did not like this church building either. It looks like a doctor's office.

42. Liked this church, at least compared to a lot of other churches I've seen in this photo set. 

43. Unimpressed with St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Brisbane.  

Really.  I'm starting to feel enlightened here. I thought Jews were the only ones who liked worshiping in ugly buildings.  

I'm joking.  We have some ugly churches in Fort Worth.  And I do know that there's pretty synagogues out there somewhere.  

44. Listened to "Charlie Hangs Around" from the Lost soundtrack.



I wondered why I had love for a character that died way back in the second season. By the 6th season, shouldn't I have stopped caring?  Then I remembered he died in the 3rd season, not the second one.

Lord Wiki helped me remember what happened on the third season finale.

Now I'm trying to remember what happened in the finale of the second.

I know Lord Wiki will give me all the details if I ask. But I want to remember on my own.

45. Gave up trying to remember.

I'm thinking it might have had something to do with Michael, Ana Lucia, and Libby—all that stuff. 

But I don't think all that happened in the finale.

Oh!

Now I remember!

It was the big trade scene, and we learn about Ben's position with the Others.

46. Started to miss Lost again.

47. Decided not to quit Phunnyfoto; but I'll stop looking at her building-oriented sets. 

I don't think we have the same test in architecture.

48. Started to look at Phunnyfoto's Tasmania set.  

49. Saw a photo of Truganini's memorial. It's in Bruny. 

50. Liked this photo of Bruny Island.  It's beautiful. 

The boat in the picture makes me think of a movie I found the other day.  Throughout my adult years, I sometimes remembered this short film we watched at school.  It was about a little boat.   My memories were vague, but I decided to try and find it.

It's called Paddle To The Sea.  



I haven't watched much of it yet.

I watched 2-3 minutes, and to be honest I thought it was kind of boring. It was probably entertaining to me as a child because it meant we got a break from hearing the teacher blab on and on.

51. Listened to the movie while looking at Phunnyfoto's Tasmania pictures.

It's getting more interesting to me now.

52. Liked this photo of Cape Bruny.  

53. Liked seeing photos of the Lake St. Clare Visitor Centre in Cradle Mountain. It has a summer camp feel to it. 

54. Found the website of the architects who built the centre.  They're called Heffernan Button Voss Architects.  

I'm intrigued by this Trial Bay house they made. 

55. Amazed by the tulips in this photo.  

It's from a place called Table Cape, which is about 30 minutes north-west of Burnie.  

56. Started to look at Phunnyfoto's East Gippsland set.

57. Consulted Lord Wiki about East Gippsland.

It's not a town, but a region.  It's made up of towns.  The only one I've heard of (that I remember) is Lakes Entrance.  I think Lakes Entrance is on my pretend-Australia-trip itinerary. 

58. Checked my pretend-trip calendar.

Yep.  Lakes Entrance is there.

I have us pretending to go there on February 6.  

59. Liked this photo of Croajingalong National Park.

And I like this photo from there too. 

60. Enjoyed looking at photos of the Delvine Cemetery.    They're delightfully spooky.

Here's one in color.  The trees are great for the scene.

Then here's a picture using a negative effect.  It looks like a classic horror thing.

61. Decided to look at one more Phunnyfoto photo set. It's called My Faves, and is a collection of all her proudest photography moments.

I'm wondering. Will any of her favorites be my favorites?  

62. Wondered how this jumping rebel photo was made.  

Is it special effects?

Can people really jump that high?

I can't.

63. Liked this Ferris Wheel from Adelaide.  It's very unusual...and colorful. 

64. Consulted Lord Wiki about Glenelg, the suburb of Adelaide that has the Ferris Wheel.

He says it's a beach suburb.

In the 1930's, Glenelg had it's own Luna Park.  It lasted only four years. Then the rides were disassembled and sent to Luna Park in Sydney.  

That's very interesting.  

In 1982, a new park was opened in the area.  It was called Magic Mountain. Lord Wiki says this stayed open until 2004.    It was well-liked by some—especially young people. It was disliked by others. They thought it was ugly.

Now there's something in its place called The Beachhouse.

65. Thought The Beachhouse sounded fun.  It has the cool Ferris Wheel, a carousel, indoor water slides, and other stuff.

66. Looked at the Beachhouse website.

They have a variety of pricing plans.    It's expensive, but not shockingly expensive. The prices are comparable to American amusement prices.

Well...actually.  Maybe it's a little more expensive.

Maybe I'll try to compare.

Mini-golf there is $9.50.

At the mini-golf place we go to in Fort Worth, it's $7.50 per game. That's not too huge of a difference.  

67. Thought the Power Hour Max at the Beachhouse was ridiculously expensive.  It's $45 per person for 100 minutes. You get mini-golf, the carousel, water slides, bumper boats, train, arcade games, and a few other things.  You do NOT get the cool Ferris Wheel.

In comparison, one day at Disney World costs $85 dollars.  You can stay ALL day, and not just 100 minutes.  For that price, you can go to only one park (versus all four) but there's much more at that one park than there is at The Beachhouse.

68. Read article about dangerous dogs in Victoria.  People can keep their scary pets, but they have to register them.  This action includes getting them neutered and micro-chipped. And they need to be kept in a secure location.

If this is not done, then the state can take the dogs away and have them destroyed.

I'm not sure if registering the dogs will solve the whole problem; but maybe it will reduce the dangers.

I hope it does.

69. Went back to looking at Phunnyfoto's pictures.

I'm not liking too many of them; so I think we have different taste.

That's okay.

70. Loved the building in this picture.  It's fantastic.

The caption says it's from Harbourtown Melbourne.

71. Googled Harbourtown Melbourne and came up with an outlet shopping centre in the Docklands.  

I was really NOT expecting that.  

72. Consulted Lord Wiki about Harbourtown, and got the idea that I've mixed things up.

I think maybe it's some kind of trick?  Like this is an old classic European building and it's photo-shopped into Harbourtown?

Well...no.  It's not photo-shopped.  It's in a photo group called Illusions (NO photo-shop creations please)
 
73. Perplexed by the photo.   How was it done?

74. Searched through Flickr for other photos of Harbourtown Melbourne. So far, I'm not seeing anything like Phunnyfoto's picture.

There's no super fancy building.

75. Realized I'm probably making a huge fool of myself.  The fancy building is probably something famous that I should recognize from elsewhere.  

It looks like the type of thing you'd find in Prague...or somewhere like that.

76. Started looking at the wrong photo album.

Oops.

I'm going to try to get back on track.

I ended up looking at the illusion photo group rather than Phunnyfoto's favorite photos set.  It took me a few photos to realize I was on the wrong path.

77. Thought this cloudy building photo was cool.  

78. Wondered....

What's the deal with Australia and their scary clowns?  

Are Australians missing the clown phobia gene?

I imagine when Australians saw Poltergeist they looked at the clown doll and thought, Oh, how darling!

79. Decided to admit I do like Fizbo the clown. But I like him better without his make-up. 




80. Thought this photo was really cool.  I wonder if it's natural; or did Phunnyfoto use effects? 

81. Thought the tree trunk in this photo looked very strange.

82. Loved this storm cloud photo.  

83. Saw a picture of a pink lake, and wondered if it was real.  

Someone in the Flickr comments says it's caused by algae.

Why have I not heard of this pink lake before?

It's near Dimboola, Victoria.

84. Found Dimboola on Google Maps.    It's four hours north-west of Melbourne, and only 1.5 hours north-west of Halls Gap.  I was planning on us going to Halls Gap for our REAL (but probably canceled) Australia trip.  If there's a pink lake, we'll drive that extra hour or so to see it.  

85. Looked at a website that talks about the lake.  It says the day has to be overcast for you to see the pink. 

What if end up going on a day that's sunny? That would be disappointing.  

86. Followed link that Phunnyfoto provided about the lake. 

It looks much less exciting on that website.

I'm guessing Phunnyfoto used some kind of coloring effect with her photo. 

I wish photographers were more revealing about what effects they used. I think it's frustrating looking at a photo and not knowing if you're seeing something real or manipulated.  

Or maybe it is real in her photo.  If it is, then the tourism sites should borrow it. 

87. Liked this snowy photo.  It's from Mount Hotham in Victoria. 

Lord Wiki says that's north-east of Melbourne.

There's a ski resort there.

I've never been to a ski resort.  

Do I ever want to go to a ski resort?

Probably not.

I don't like too much cold; and I'm scared of the ski lift thing. 

88. Decided it's foolish to talk about disliking the cold when it's so hot here; and we have another broken air-conditioner!  This one is worse than our last breakdown because it's the kitchen.   Now our food might melt.  And this is where we keep Max, our cat that pees a lot.  We're going to have to move him to the bathroom in the guest room. That's a total pain, and not fun for him because the bathroom is smaller than the laundry room.

Hopefully, we'll get it fixed soon.  

89. Decided to shut up and be thankful that we still have electricity. 

Social Pickiness, Mining, European Settlers, and Reincarnation

1. Found an old dream about Australia.  It's from January 23, 2007.  

I'm in some place/movie/story with people obsessed with Australia. I'm kind of embarrassed of them and embarrassed to be associated with them. Melissa Gilbert is there and Bill Paxton. He sits behind me at one point. Maybe on a bus?

When I read that first I was amused.  Why would I ever be embarrassed of people obsessed with Australia?  

Then I thought about how I can be passionate about something.  Then I meet a person who's a fanatic compared to me, and I'm embarrassed about it.   For example, what if there was a person who wore an Australian flag t-shirt everyday with Australian-themed face-paint; and they also always wore Australian flag thongs even when it was cold outside?   What if they carried a jar of Vegemite wherever they went and the only dessert they ate was Tim Tams, Lamingtons, and Pavlova?

I'd probably think they were a bit wacky and had gone too far.

Although if they just wore the costume and ate the food, but could still carry on a variety of rational conversations.; I'd probably think they were just fun and quirky. It would especially be okay if they had a sense of humor about it.

2. Saw how the Internet can be wonderful when I read Tinkertines' post about moving to Australia.    She says;


I have been welcomed with open arms not only by family and friends but also the wonderful online community that I have been sharing this process with for the past year. I was so pleased to see all the welcome "home" messages from my Australian twitter friends upon our arrival, I was DM'd phone numbers and offered to be picked up from the airport from people who I've never met but hope to one day. I've had the pleasure of meeting 2 of my favorite Aussie tweeps already and have plans to see them again and meet others soon.

It's neat that people can find each other via the internet.   It makes me think about my own social life in Fort Worth.  I sometimes make attempts to meet new friends.   Last year we had a disaster of a party at our house.  And well...the people did come from the internet. I advertised online about our homeschooling party.  But I think maybe the trick is to get to know local people on the internet; then if you find you get along well, THEN meet in real life.

3. Tried to find Fort Worth bloggers. It's a bit disheartening. I'm not finding people who I feel would be good friends for us.

There seems to be a lot of very religious people.  I don't have a problem with someone having a religion. But if they put it as a top interest, it makes me think that religion is a huge thing for them.

Then again I have an online friend.  Religion plays a big part in her life and she's cool.

Maybe I'd be okay with religious people if they had something quirky on their profile.   For example: I love role-playing, studying insects, playing the ukulele, glow in the dark condoms, and God.    That might be interesting. But I'm tired of the usual I love God, scrapbooking, knitting, collecting antiques, and hanging out with the girls!

I sound judgmental.   I know.  

I don't think there's anything wrong with people who like all that. It's just I feel we wouldn't have enough in common. 

4. Annoyed that I already know people online who'd make great friends for my family. But most of them live in Australia!

5. Decided to give up on finding Fort Worth people. We're not lonely. We're fairly satisfied with the friends we already have.

I think I'll just leave it up to fate. If someone in Fort Worth is meant to be in our lives, we'll run into them somehow.

6. Read Fruitcake's blog.  She talks about the recent tragic dog attack. A four-year-old child was killed.

I just went to read the article for myself. It's extremely awful.  

I went to the article, because I was wondering why Fruitcake said, But as a dog owner it’s my job to do the teaching – people who don’t have dogs should not need a dog training certificate to live in their own homes.

I wanted to know what she meant. Why would a dog be at the house of someone who doesn't own a dog?  Was it a playdate? Were they babysitting?  Well, in that case, I think the family should learn a bit about dogs before taking on the temporary responsibility.


But that wasn't the case. A pitbull escaped one neighbor's yard and entered the house of another family. There he killed the child and injured others. I guess they had a door or window open?  Or maybe they had a doggy door for their own pet.

Fruitcake says, I’ve lost count of the times people have been walking dogs, off lead, and when their dog has attacked another they’ve said “He doesn’t normally do that!

I remember walking with Jack when he was young and having dogs run up to us. It's scary.   We don't know if they're going to attack or be friendly. I think people should use leashes.If they want their dog to be off a leash, then go to a dog park.     

As for dogs in their own backyard.  If someone has a mean and scary one, people should make sure they can't escape.    

I've dealt with a few dog escapes since we've lived in Fort Worth.    It's really not safe for the dog, because they could get hit by a car.   It also might not be safe for humans, depending on the dog's personality.  I understand that accidents happen sometimes, but I think people should work hard to prevent it from happening.

I can think of three times we encountered an escaped dog.  In each of them, it was a matter of the dog escaping from the yard and the owner not even realizing it (until we informed them).  I think with two of the dogs, there were multiple escapes.  So it's probably just a matter of patching up a fence.

7. Read disturbing article about mining companies.  Certain ones are making broad promises about Aboriginal employment.  Yet, when the Aboriginal people come over to get the jobs, they're not being paid well and they're apparently not being given sleep accommodations.  

It reminds me of one of Fruitcake's recent posts.  She talks about how there's a push for people to get themselves employed. The problem is there's not always decent jobs out there that match the unemployed's qualifications.  

The article says a spokesperson from one of the mining companies said that....all of the trainees are adults and that they were fully aware of accommodation issues before they came to the Pilbara, were told they'd need to make their own travel arrangements, and that most training courses pay no wages at all.

I guess these workers were desperate enough to make a go of it. Or maybe they didn't read the fine print.  Maybe they weren't given clear information. I don't know.

My feeling is a training program like that shouldn't even be offered. To me, it sounds like exploitation.  I understand that there are many training programs out there that don't pay. I was in one of them when I went to graduate school to be a teacher. Not only was I not paid, I had to pay to be trained. It seems a bit unfair to me really.  But that's the world of education for you.

I think if a company or organization uses trainees in a way that provides service to the organization, the trainee should be paid or at least get benefits. They should have a place to sleep at least.

From what I understand from the article, it's not just the fact that the trainees aren't being GIVEN accommodations (free or at a reduced price). There's not enough places to stay...period.

8. Went to the website of Fortescue Metals.  They're the ones featured in the training article.

Here's their employment page and here's a page about the benefits of working in Pilbara (the place where trainees aren't finding accommodations).     

On the website they sound like a fantastic place to work.

Here's some of the stuff they promise.....

A. Housing and utilities subsidies and a Home Ownership Assistance Scheme for our employees based in the Pilbara. 

Well, I guess if there IS no housing, the company doesn't have to pay any subsidies. Hey yeah...if you manage to find a place to sleep at night, maybe we'll help you pay for it.   

B. Financial assistance for permanent employees wanting to undertake further education which adds value to their current role and/or Fortescue.

So why can't they give financial assistance to trainees who plan to become permanent employees?  

Anyway, no.   I don't see anything on this website that says, We'll train you, but we're not going to pay you and there's no housing available. Come at your own risk.  

I can't blame the Aboriginal trainees for seeking employment at Fortescue Metals. And if I was one of them, I'd be angry and disappointed too.  

9. Read article about Malaysia rejecting live animal imports from Australia. They're scared of the Hendra virus. 

So maybe that's how live transport will end in Australia. Maybe it won't be about compassion.   Maybe it will simply be about fewer countries wanting to take in the animals.

I know.  We're supposed to be sad for all the farmers out there who are left with an excess of product.  But isn't that the risk of any business?   You buy or make too much of something. It doesn't get sold, and you're left with excess.

How many warehouses out there are filled with things that never got sold?

If Australia gets rid of live transport, then there will probably need to be a reduction in animals bred and raised for slaughter. 

10.  Liked this part from Finnikin of the Rock.

I suggest you give your people words, not silence.  I suggest you all turn to your wife, to your husband, to your children and speak of those days. Of the little you did when your neighbors were taken from their houses and slaughtered.  Of the sorrow you have felt all these years.  And you suggest you forgive yourself. But more than anything, I suggest you beg the one true goddess to forgive the legacy that you have passed on to your children.  For they wear your coat of dissatisfaction and grief tightly over their bodies and this bloodless patch of grass you have chosen to live on will be where they die with nothing but rage in their hearts. I suggest sir that you find no joy in being an exile.  Do not make it a badge to wear with honor. 

I think there's many people in the world who choose misery and anger over self-determination and progress.  That's not to say people don't have a right to be angry. There's a lot of shit in the world.    But I feel we should do everything possible to make a great life for ourselves and our family. Then in your spare time, do some complaining.  Blog about it.  

It's sad when people actually AVOID happiness because they don't want to give up their badge of misery.

I've done that on a personal level.  I'll get very angry at someone and work it up in my head.   I gather evidence of my mistreatment. Then the person does something nice and I actually feel slightly disappointed. Shit.  Now I can't be mad at you anymore.  Or at least I have to be less mad.

11.  Went to Tallygarunga.

It looks like a story thread has been deleted. I've never seen that happen before.   It's the one about Korea.

Maybe it was just moved?

Anyway....

Today I'm going to read the continuation of A Serendipitous Sprawl.  This is the story thread with the two first years; Ella Glenn and Thatcher Hyland.  

Ella has a face claim now.   Oh! And Camryn Adiarte has joined the show.   She's the one with the awesome singing role-player.  

The kids have their own banner featuring the three of them. I guess they're going to be like Ron, Hermione, and Harry.—a cute little threesome. Although with this group, there's two girls and one boy, rather than two boys and one girl. 

12. Wondered who Ella is using for her face claim. I don't see a name.  

13. Tried to find where I left off lost in this story thread.

I think it was post #12, but I'm not positive.

Nope. I'm wrong.  I read all that.

I think I left off at post #17.

14. Could totally relate to Ella here.  

Ella wasn’t really good at hiding her feelings, and at the moment she was feeling conflicted, which was not an emotion she wanted Thatcher to see on her face. On the one hand, she really wanted to keep talking to Thatcher. On the other hand, the books in her bag were calling to her, as was her favorite spot in the common room, where the sunlight warmed a corner of the carpet that was perfect for reading. And there was that shy, reserved part of her that told her to run away before she did something really embarrassing.

That's me.   I sometimes want to socialize, but then I don't want to give up my reading time.   And if I read instead of socialize, I lessen the risk of embarrassing myself.


15. Started to read Camryn's post.  She says, She also discovered the library located there -- a big plus since she loved to read and had recently finished a book called "Where the Red Fern Grows". She'd loved it and cried over the two dogs in that story. She wondered if wizards and witches who grew up knowing about magic their whole lives read those types of stories, or if there were stories specifically written for such children by writers who also had magic.

I've wondered that myself.   I haven't heard much about wizarding world fiction, outside of The Tales of Beetle the Bard.   I wrote a post for my fictional blog talking about fiction written by wizards.   I think Alex read a book owned by her witchy sister.  I made up a very ridiculous plot.   Alex wasn't very impressed. I was hoping it would spark creativity in the other participants and that they'd make up their own wizard novels.  It didn't happen. I don't think that post got any comments.  

16. Saw that Camryn tripped on her shoelaces. The two others take this as an opportunity to play rescue heroes.

17. Liked that Camryn's American accent is mentioned and noticed.  I think Americans often don't understand that there's an American accent. I have Americans coming to my blog asking, Why doesn't Portia de Rossi have an accent? 

She DOES have an accent.  The question should be, why does Portia de Rossi have an American accent or why does Portia de Rossi not have an Australian accent?  

I don't think I realized there was an American accent until I was in college and a British guy imitated the American accent.

Our Australian friends have done American-accent imitations for us. They often strongly emphasize our R sound.  

18. Remembered that when we were in Port Stephens, a woman at the pool remarked that Jack didn't have a strong accent. I think it was because he couldn't say his American r's yet.  If an American child can't say the r's in the middle of the word, it won't sound exactly Australian. But they'll probably sound a bit less American.  

19. Saw that my Australian of the day is Samuel Anderson.  He was an agriculturalist and an explorer.

I'm guessing agriculturalist is a fancy way of saying "farmer". 

Samuel was born in Scotland in 1803  He was a twin. 

When he was in his early 30's, Samuel moved to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).

He went to Launceston.  There he learned about planned expeditions to Victoria.   These were the ones taken by the fathers of Victoria, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner. They had both led their settlement groups to the same place, but then decided to share the settlement.

If I'm understanding things correctly, Samuel Anderson found a different place in Victoria. I'm trying to figure out where it was....

He had an "agricultural settlement" (farm?) on the Bass River. 

20. Tried to map out the general area of the river on Google Maps.   Lord Wiki says it starts around Korumburra and flows to around a town called Bass.

21. Read that Samuel Anderson discovered the Anderson Inlet. I guess he found the inlet and then named it after himself.

There's an Anderson Inlet Road.  

22. Learned that Samuel Anderson found coal near a town called Wonthaggi.  Miners were brought to the area and it became a coalfield.

23. Consulted Lord Wiki about Wonthaggi.  He seems to disagree with the Australian Dictionary of Biography.   He says the coal was discovered by a guy named William Hovell.   And he says it was discovered in 1826. I didn't know there were settlers in Victoria at that time. 

In 1826, Samuel was still in Scotland. Or London. He spent some time in London as a journalist before heading to Australia.

24. Confused about Victorian history.

25. Consulted Lord Wiki about the history of Victoria.  I need a brief review.

Okay....

The first settlement was in 1803 and led by David Collins.  They came from England.

If I understand this correctly, they didn't stay long.  Collins didn't like the area.  He went off to Van Diemen's Land and helped establish the town of Hobart.

The next settlement project in Victoria was in 1935 led by John Batman and the Fawkner guy.  

Just as a reminder: I'm talking only about white people settlement here. There were plenty of black people already settled.

26. Managed to understand things better, thanks to Lord Wiki.

Although there were no European settlements in Victoria from 1804 to 1835 there WERE European explorers.  One of these explorers was William Hovell, the guy who found the coal. I guess he found some coal in that area and then later Samuel Anderson found more.

26. Started looking at page 8 of Stuart's Tasmania photos. 

Here's a photo of Salamanca. I've heard of the Salamanca Market.  It's in Hobart...in Salamanca.

27. Wondered about this photo.  It looks like those are cauldrons. It must be for the witches of Hobart.  

According to Mousie, there is a school for wizards and witches in Hobart—both a secondary and tertiary one. 

28. Saw that Mousie has created a page to describe the four houses of Tallygarunga! 

From the descriptions, I'd guess I'd be a Flinders student.  That means my color would be yellow.   I'd sleep in Kookynie Hall.  My animal would be the possum.  My plant would be the acacia.

Lord Wiki reminded me that the Golden Wattle is an acacia plant. That's the plant emblem of Australia.   So that's pretty cool. I'd feel special if I was in Flinders.  Hell what am I saying?  I'd feel special to be a Tallygarunga student, period.  Although maybe magical people feel more special before they go off to wizarding school.   If they live in the Muggle world, they'd feel like big fish.   Then when they got to school, with a bunch of other wizards, they'd probably feel like small fish.  

29. Went back to looking at Stuart's photos.

Here's another picture of the cauldron thing.   It has one of those historical plaques.   It must be important somehow.  

30. Started to look at page 9 of Stuart's Tasmania photo set.  

Here's a boat statue thing. It's pretty cool. 

And here's a platypus statue. 

The platypus is the animal mascot for Sturt House in Tallygarunga.  

31. Wondered if this was Stuart.  I think it is because he looks a little like Stuart's Flickr icon photo.  The icon photo is small though; so I can't tell for sure.

32. Liked this picture—especially the dog house. At least I think it's a dog house. 

33. Listened to this song.



 34. Started to look at page 10 of Stuart's photo set. 

This page has more Hobart photos.  

35. Wondered if this is a wombat.

Are there wombats in Tasmania?  

Maybe it's not a wombat.  It doesn't exactly look like one, but I can't figure out what else it could be. 

36. Looked at a wombat distribution map.  They are in Tasmania. 

37. Wanted to say that I'll be doing less blogging next week because of Jack's birthday. And we're going to be doing a little holiday together.   It's our tenth anniversary of being a family. 

38.  Read chapter four of Michael's Fuery's novel Dream Within a Dream.   

I totally love it.  It involves recurring dreams, reincarnation, and a mystical Aboriginal man. 

I also love the book because it has little things that go along with my own personal preferences and philosophies.  There's one scene where the doctor recommends that the character seek counseling.  She hesitates because she worries they'll try to prescribe psychiatric drugs.   That's the main thing that would make me hesitate too,  The doctor reassures her that it will be a psychologist and not a psychiatrist.  The psychiatrists are the ones who prescribe drugs.

I have to remind myself that not all people in the field of psychology (or psychiatry) are into the whole lets-drug-everyone mentality. 

I also often have the stereotype that psychologists are anti-spiritual. If you see experience something mystical, they'll automatically assume you're hallucinating and/or delusional.   But that's not true.

When I had my past life regression thing done it was by a psychologist.  And some of my favorite reincarnation books were written by a psychiatrist.  

39. Looked at Frederick McCubbin's painting "Lost". It's talked about in Michael's book.    

40. Called downstairs because Jack wanted to remind me about the Paddle Pops in Australia. We looked at the Streets website. 

I looked at this Bubble O'Bill ice-cream thing and it feels so familiar to me.  I joked with Jack that I must have eaten it in a past life.  He said, no...it's new. 

So I must have eaten something similar in my past life. Or it could have been this life. 

41. Consulted Lord Wiki about Bubble O'Bill. I don't know where Jack got the idea that it is new.  

Lord Wiki says it was born in 1985...in America.   But it achieved more popularity in Australia.  

I probably ate it during my childhood.

42. Told Jack he was wrong about Bill.  He accepted that, but reminded me that I couldn't have had Bill in my past life because I was in this life in 1985.

Yep. Michael Fuery's book is filling my head with all kinds of wacky ideas. 

Detention Centres, Water balloons, Dairy Australia, and RSPCA

1. Listened to Sally Seltmann singing Heart that's Pounding.  I saw it when looking for a Bran Nue Day song.  I haven't listened to "Heart That's Pounding" for a few days.  I'm glad I ran into it.   My love for Offspring has been overshadowed a bit by my obsessive love for Tallygarunga.  But hearing the song has rekindled the love.  I'm going to download another episode soon.   I think I'm going to wait though and watch the show in New York.  I'll watch it on the plane or car ride...or both.  I'll split it up again.  

2. Found the Bran Nue Dae song. It's the title one.  I thought of it because someone found my blog by searching for it. I saw that on Statcounter, and it made me want to listen to the song.

3. Remembered what I thought about in the shower.  It was regarding what I said in the last post about feeling bonded to Adrian, the character from Tallygarunga.

I do think you can bond with characters.  Maybe bonding is the wrong word.   I don't know what's the right word.   But it's where you start having feelings for the character.  It could be love, in a very lose form of the world.

Let's go back to Offspring.  I think I immediately had feelings for Nina and Cherie. It was love at first episode.  It took me awhile to like Billie. I think the last character I "bonded" with is Mick.   It took me a long time to like him.  He was blah to me at first.  I was always eager for his scenes to end.  I look back at those past feelings and it seems totally crazy. He's one of my favorites now.

4. Went to sleep and dreamed about my sort-of Australian cousin. She's an expat, and I think in the dream, my older sister Dawn and her friend were expats as well.   I'm with Dawn, and her friend, in a room.   I ask Dawn if she's seen our cousin lately.  She replies that I can answer this question myself by thinking of Dawn's photos that I've seen. Are there any recent photos of our cousin?  I don't remember seeing many photos, so I'm guessing the answer is no. Then Dawn and her friend start complaining about my cousin. They say she uses all these Australian words and phrases; and it sounds very fake.   I defend my cousin and say Australian words and phrases sound strange when you first hear or see them.  But after awhile you get used to them and it feels very natural to say and hear them. I tell them that there are Australian ways of saying things now that sound more natural to me than the American counterparts. I try to think of an example, but I can't.  

Dawn and her friend seem surprised by this, but they seem accept what I say.

5. Dreamed about the sons of my sort-of Australian cousin.   I'm in a house with lots of people.   A child has just peed on the floor of the bathroom.   People start to take care of that.  Coming from down the hall, I can hear one of my young cousin's singing with a microphone.   I go in the opposite direction to another room. The singing cousin's younger brother is there.  I tell him that his brother is singing. He doesn't really respond to that.  He takes off a big piece of paper from a pad and starts to draw.  I watch him and think about how he's pretty adorable.  

I wonder if that dream is symbolic in some way. Singing vs. drawing?   Someone peeing on the floor.  It all seems like it could mean...something.

6. Dreamed about one of our Australian friends.  I have sent my friend a bunch of my clothes.  She's going to do something to them—some kind of favor for me.  I start thinking that it's a bit strange that I have sent so much clothes to Australia.   Then I remember that I didn't send money for the return postage. I feel guilty and embarrassed about that. 

In real life, I would have realized I could just send money through PayPal. 

7. Read article about the cows in Australia, the ones not being sent over to Indonesia.   It's a problem for some of the farmers because they don't know what to do with the cows.  I was thinking, why not just keep them for awhile?  But the article says they don't have enough feed.

There's talk of a lot of meat going to Australian grocery stores.  This might be good for the consumers. If there's a lot of supply, the price will go down.   It's not good for the farmers.  The article also talks about how cows are prepared differently for the Indonesian markets. They weigh less, and in turn they taste differently when dead. They're going to try to fatten them up before killing them.

For the thin cows that taste differently, could they not be turned into dog and cat food?

8. Wondered if it would work to have a charity set up for the cows and farmers. Maybe the money could go towards getting more food for the cows so they don't have to be slaughtered right away?

Also, this might sound weird coming from a vegetarian, but I sort of think maybe Australians should try to eat a lot of beef in the next few weeks.   It's best if it doesn't come from a factory farm, of course.

I wonder how much beef in Australia comes from factory farms, and how much comes from regular not-so-bad farms.

9. Changed my mind about my advice...sort of.   I read the article again, and it sort of annoys me.  The farmers don't seem to care about the welfare of the cows. It seems they (at least the ones in the article) only care about their losses.

I don't know. Maybe it's better if the cow industry has their losses and the farmers go onto producing something else.  How about more vegetables?  Fruit?  Cotton?  Nuts?  All that's useful.  

10. Decided I'd like to live in a world where animal farming becomes very rare.  Only a few farmers do it, and meat becomes a fairly expensive delicacy.  All the animals are treated wonderfully before dying.  On most days, people eat vegetarian food. Every so often, they have a steak or chicken sandwich.

The alternative is that thing where meat is grown in a laboratory with no real animals involved. It's just live tissue. I hope that happens someday. It's creepy, but cruelty free.   

11. Started to read an article about the experiences of an asylum seeker.  The man (Kamal) is from Burma, and he was in Malaysia. Then he got on a boat to Australia.   He's now in the Villawood Detention Centre.

Kamal and his family fled Burma because of slavery and persecution. That was about twenty years ago.  He spent a long time in Malaysia before coming to Australia.    He had to leave his family behind.  I'm guessing he was hoping to bring them over later.

In Malaysia, Kamal set up a refugee centre and was given donations by a Christian group. A Muslim group didn't like that, and stalked Kamal and his family. That's why Kamal left.

So now Kamal is stuck in a detention centre and he's away from his family.   It would be nice if he got out of the detention center, became part of Australia life, and brought his family over to live. I hope they're reunited someday soon, and have a happy life.

12. Consulted Lord Wiki about the Villawood Detention Centre. It's in Sydney.   I'm looking at it on Google Maps.  It's pretty far our west.  

Lord Wiki says it's been the center of a lot of controversy. There's been suicides there, and a few months ago, some of the detainees set the place on fire.   I vaguely remember that

13. Skimmed through article about the Villawood fires. There's a part of me that asks, what kind of rude person would come to a new country and set it on fire?    Then another part of me answers....one who's had an awful life, came to Australia to find a better life, and is now still living a very horrible life.

As for the fire, no one was injured, fortunately.  But three rooms were destroyed—a computer room, media room, and a dining room.  A place that provides those three types of rooms doesn't sound all that bad.  But who knows. It could have been a very gross and ill-equipped dining, media, and computer room.

14. Disturbed by some of the comments on the Villawood article.  Glynn says, Refugees who dont accept our temporary institutional detention system for filtering unsuitable aliens are potential threats to our safety, security and a drain on our taxpayer provided funds.   But it's not temporary.  In 1994, the time limit for detaining people was removed.  They can be there for years. I think there'd be much less anger if there were a reasonable time limit.

Nurse Ian says, Send them home. Anybody who wanted to be here and truly deserved to be here would not behave in this way. Does the government really think Australians want these people living in our society?    That's true.  You don't set fire to a place where you want to be lived and welcomed.   But maybe after being in the detention center, these refugees no longer even want to live in Australia.   I am betting they're extremely angry and disillusioned.  They don't feel safe and welcomed in Australia.  They don't feel safe in their old country. Their life is hell.   What are people supposed to do when they're in that type of situation? What would Nurse Ian do if he was stuck in a detention center indefinitely?


Still. I wonder. Are the detainees truly being treated horribly?  Now the whole indefinite detention thing gives me the chills.   I hate that.  But within the detention experience itself, is it horrible?   It's really hard to tell, because people have different tolerance levels.

How bad are the detention centres when compared to Nazi death camps? I mean minus the death.   I don't think anyone's being gassed in showers.  Are people getting enough food?   Are they overworked?  Do they have enough living space? Are they free from verbal and physical abuse?

Is the fire a desperate response to horrific abuse?  Or is the fire a response from people who are a bit too demanding regarding their accommodations? 

15. Wondered if the detention centres are comparable to prisons? Are they? If so, is it right to treat refugees like criminals?

16. Wondered if you could have a detention centre where people have a fairly decent life. It doesn't have to be full of luxury.  When I was young, my family used to go to this camp in Illinois.   It was fairly rustic. We slept in cabins with no air conditioning. You had to walk outside to go the bathroom.   There were daddy long legs there, and it was a bit creepy.   If I remember correctly the toilet stalls had no doors, so there was a lack of privacy.   There were also no private showers.   There was a big outside thing with multiple shower heads. All the women would have to shower together.   People would usually wash while wearing their swimming suits. 

It was all really awful, but we had a fantastic time.   Why?  We were treated with respect.  The counselors were nice to us; and they were fun.  We were also free. That was a big thing.  And we stayed for only a week.

My ideas for fixing the detention centre situation is to a)have a time limit.  I don't know if it's feasible to get people in and out within a few weeks; but how about a few months?   Maybe have a three month limit?  Would that work?   b) Even if the detainees can't have the most comfortable of living standards, make things as enjoyable as possible.

I don't know.  Maybe people are already trying to make things okay for the detainees, and the detainees won't be happy until they get the hell out of there. It's really hard to know.  

17. Read article that says underage drinking happens more in Australia than America. The belief seems to be that this is because drinking is more tolerated in Australia.  Well, at least a Dr. Hemphill believes that.   She thinks America has a zero tolerance approach, and that Australia has the attitude accepting that young people might sometimes use alcohol and other drugs but trying to encourage them to do that in a safe way.

That could be true.  The thing I wonder is whether the results were obtained by self-reporting tests only. What if American kids were less likely to admit to using alcohol BECAUSE of the zero-tolerance thing?  Yes, I'm sure they were told the results would be private and anonymous. But what if the kids didn't have full trust in the anonymity system?   


Personally, I think it should be a balanced approach. I don't have a teenager yet, so I'm talking out of my ass here.   I wouldn't want a zero tolerance approach when Jack's older.   I don't want him to feel something's absolutely forbidden, because then he might do it in secret.  I feel he might make safer choices if he feels he can be open about it. On the other hand, I don't want him to get the idea that I support drinking and drug use.  I want him to know that I think drinking/drugs are bad for you; and I already talk to him about this.  I think Tim is more open to drug use.   He drinks. His message is probably more about being responsible and moderate.  Jack's going to be getting mixed messages.   That's fine.  It's part of life.  I do hope my message wins out.   At the very least, I hope he waits until he's older to start drinking, smoking pot, etc.   I've already told him about the studies I've seen that show early pot smoking can lead to schizophrenia.  I told him if he wants to do that, wait until he's older.

18. Read Andrew's post about the cow issue.  His opinions seem similar to mine.  He says, this morning I heard a farmer come up with some doozeys. The poor Indonesian child sitting down to dinner with a bowl of rice and no beef to go with it. Worse was, the north of Australia will be full of farmers hanging from trees. I do feel some sympathy for the farmers, but you can't tell me they were all so ignorant.

The Indonesian child thing disgusts me. Are we still perpetuating the myth that a meatless diet is one of deprivation?   It's ridiculous.  And I agree with Andrew, it's hard to believe the farmers were ignorant of what was happening to their animals on the ships and at their destination.   I'm not a farmer.  I'm not even in Australia.  But I heard stories months ago.   Really.  Four Corners is not the first program or organization to mention the abuse.  It's NOT new news. It's old news that most people previously chose to ignore.   

19. Read article that says asylum seekers being sent to Malaysia will be spared the caning experience. I guess that's a good start. The article also says that the asylum seekers will be released into the community after six weeks. Is that the Australian community, or the Malaysian one?

20. Talked to Jack about drinking again. We had a nice discussion. I also told him about some of the cow issues in Australia and Indonesia.

21. Ate a bowl of mashed potatoes with vegetables and did not feel horribly deprived because there was no meat in my lunch.  I will admit that it had some cream and cheese mixed in.   It was leftovers from two nights ago though.  I feel less bad about eating leftovers because they're likely to be thrown away.   

I'm trying to be moderate rather than extreme.  Last night I had a small bowl of ice-cream. Tonight I'll choose abstinence.  Maybe I'll eat dairy the way I wish meat-eaters would eat meat. I don't wish for them to give it up all together, but it would be great if they didn't indulge in it at every meal.   

Last night I had ice-cream. This morning I ate my cereal dry.   The pathetic thing is we have soy milk. Tim and Jack drink that, and we rarely ever buy regular milk anymore. But soy milk grosses me out a bit.  I don't know why.  I do like almond milk; so I may buy more of that in the future. 

22. Learned from the Australian Dictionary of biography that my Australian of the day is William Race Allison.  

The family arrived in Hobart on November 22. That's my birthday!  William was about ten when they made big move from England.   

23. Tried to figure out if the Allison family stayed in Tasmania, or moved to New South Wales.  I was confused because the dictionary mentions the Macquarie River.  I thought that was in New South Wales.  And it is.  But there's also one in Tasmania. And they mention Sandy Bay. I looked that up.  It's a suburb in Hobart.  

The Allison family didn't have it easy.  At one point, their property was attacked by some rough people.   William's father ended up with a injured head.   I'm not sure if it was severe or not.

The family also had another family as their enemy; the Gatenbys.  It's like Romeo and Juliet. After William's father died, one of William's brothers was made manager of the property. The family lost the property to the Gatenbys, and William's brother committed suicide.

William became a politician.  He wasn't very popular because he supported the continuation of bringing convicts over for cheap labor.   On the other hand, some people liked him for other reasons.   I'm not going to go into detail about that.  It deals with stuff I don't understand, and I don't care enough to learn more.   

24. Watched the GetUp Australia video about the live animal transports to Indonesia. It's a sequel to the video launched a few days go.  It talks about the abuse, the internet campaigning, and the petitions. It's nice to see that sometimes people can make a difference.  

25. Went to Tallygarunga.  What storyline should I read today?

26. Decided to read a story called "It's Harmless Really".   It started yesterday, and is four posts long.  It's starring Emily Smith(the nonreligious athletic wizard who looks like Kirsten Dunst) and Riley Lightfoot.   I think I may have read a Riley Lightfoot story before. I think maybe he's the guy from New Zealand?   

The setting for this scene/story is the basement corridor of the Eureka Underground Hallway.   

I can see from this page that the Eureka Underground Hallway is a converted mineshaft. It's likely named after the Eureka uprising thing.   

Students would find themselves in the Eureka Underground Hallway if they were taking Herbology, Potions, Muggle Studies, or Wandless Magic. It's also the location of the Spencer Dorms and the Spencer common rooms.   

So here we have Riley and Emily in the corridors. Are they coming back from class, or were they hanging out in their common room? Are they Spencer students?  

Well, I'll read and find out.   

27. Started reading.  

Yes. They're both Spencer.   Emily is eleven, and Spencer is fourteen.  I can imagine an eleven-year-old girl crushing on the 14 year-old boy. 

Emily is in the Spencer common room. She's bored and finds some water balloons. She's going to do something wicked.

Do you know what?  Water balloons are hard to blow up.   I didn't realize this until my niece's birthday party last year. Then again., they might have been bad balloons.  I don't know.   But we couldn't just turn on the tap and let the water go in. The water went in, but the balloons wouldn't inflate at all.   Although now that I think of it, it doesn't make sense.  Shouldn't the balloons have expanded when there was enough water?    

Well, you would think so. But it didn't work that way. We had to get a water bottle and use that.  That way water and air was squeezed in at the same time.  

Emily just used the bathroom sink to fill the balloons. She probably has better ones than we did.  And no, they're not magical balloons.  The text here specifically labels them as being Muggle water balloons.  

Emily does use magic though, with the balloons. She suspends them in the corridor, waiting for her victim.   

28. Read the next post in the story. This is from Riley's point of view. He's reading an Alex Rider book.  What's that? 

Lord Wiki says they're British spy novels.  Maybe Jack would like them?  He hasn't read any novels since Harry Potter.   

Anyway, Riley's reading. And he wants some chocolate.   

Oh.  This is a disappointment.  Riley had a secret stash of chocolate hidden in a chair.  He opened the fabric with magic, and the chocolate was gone.   It's awful when you're expecting to have some chocolate, and then it turns out there's none available. Although it's probably not as bad as situations where people are expecting their heroin, and they don't get it.   

Riley leaves the common room to head to the kitchen. He meets up with the water balloon and Emily.  He catches her before the balloon falls.   

Now they're having a debate about rule-breaking.  Riley somewhat scolds Emily for doing the prank, but then he offers to be her pranking mentor.  Ah...now I remember Riley.  He's the one who likes wearing cargo shorts so he can keep pranking materials in his pocket.    Did I read his biography already?  I hope not, because I have probably forgotten most of it, then.   

29. Looked through my old posts and found that I did read about Riley before.  This is so annoying.  Things go in my brain and then out again. Well, at least my memory was triggered and I remembered the cargo pants thing.  

Riley is the one who likes the chase, but not the relationship. He's had many girlfriends, but hasn't kissed any of them yet.

30. Decided to read Emily Smith's biography.   I'm pretty sure I haven't read it yet. AND...in a few days I'll have forgotten most of everything I've learned.  

Emily is Muggle Born and originally from Ireland.   

She doesn't like her curly hair.

Why do people with curly hair so often not like their curly hair?   

Emily is sweet but she speaks before she thinks. She also has a bad temper.   

She likes being outdoors and she likes candy.   

Like Ron Weasley, Emily is afraid of spiders.  She doesn't like to pick on kids who are younger than her.   But I guess it's okay if they're older than her?   Oh, okay. I think she means just joking around—prank/silly stuff.   She's not into bullying, though.   Sometimes it's hard to know where the line is drawn.   My rule of thumb is if the target is amused, it's a good joke.   If they're hurt and not amused, and the behavior towards them is continued, it's bullying.   

31. Delighted to see that Emily was an Irish homeschooler.  The family fished and raised sheep.   Then they got a letter, and Emily went from being a homeschooler to a potential boarding school student in Australia.  I do have to wonder why she didn't get the letter from Hogwarts. Why Australia?  Was there something about Emily that disqualified her?   

32. Learned that Emily's also afraid of horses.  I like that. I mean I don't like that she's afraid. But I think it's an interesting quirk for a character.   

33. Went to the website for DairyAustralia.  Maybe it will give me some insight into what happens with the dairy cows. I'm sure they'll give it a very positive spin.   In turn, the animal rights group give it a very negative spin.  The true story is probably somewhere in between.

Here's their page on animal welfare. They have a nice photo of a woman having a tender moment with a cow.   

Here's the page on calves.  I'm going to read through that.   On this page, they do admit to removing the baby within 12 hours of birth.  They claim that this is to reduce the risk of infection.   Is this just a cow thing?  Cow babies are better off being without their moms?  Why isn't the same for other animals?   

Apparently mommy cows have a disease (or threat of a disease) called Bovine Johnes disease.   These are the milking cows.  If they're diseased, does that say anything about their milk?   Should dairy consumers be a bit worried?  Or is it a disease that effects cows only?   

Well, Lord Wiki says baby cows can get it in the uterus and through udder-feeding.   So maybe breast isn't best with cows.   I would be interested in hearing the animal rights groups position on this. I'll be so glad to find out that the animal rights anti-dairy thing is just anti-animal industry propaganda.   Then I can happily go back to eating ice-cream and super cheesy nachos.  

34. Continued to read the calf page, and they say there's another reason for separation.  The sooner the better. Then there's no time for bonding.   I think there may be truth to that.   Although it would be nice if the baby and mom could be together for the full natural nursing relationship. How long is that usually?  

Wow.  It's longer than I expected.  I thought it was going to be just a few months. This University of Florida site says that beef calves in the United States are weaned at 7-8 months. I think though that this is forced weaning. I wonder how long they nurse in the wild?  

35. Started to wonder something. If this Bovine Johnes disease is such a threat, why are beef calves allowed to nurse for so long?   Is the disease not a threat to them? Or are Australian beef cows weaned immediately? Maybe only in America they're allowed to get Mommy milk for several months.   

Nope.  The RSPCA Australia page says that beef cow babies are weaned at 8-10 months usually.  

What's going on here?  What protects beef cows from disease?  

Why do I have an awful feeling that I'm NOT going to be able to return to happy guilt-free ice-cream eating?

Ah...never mind.   This Victorian Government page says the disease IS more prevalent in dairy cows than beef cows.  

I'm looking at Google and seeing it's not just a Victorian phenomena.   The same dairy over beef thing is shown in other places as well, including America.  

36. Felt sad after reading this page from Dairy Australia.  It talked about calves being transported when they're 5-8 days old.   It's one thing to imagine them being taken away from their mothers and being hand-raised by some friendly human farmers. It's another thing imagining them being shipped off to somewhere like Indonesia.  

Are dairy cows sent to Indonesia, or just beef cows?   

This page does agree with the animal rights groups who say the calves legally can be denied food for a maximum of 30 hours.  They say scientific studies have shown this is okay for the baby cows.   Maybe it is?   It does seem like an awful long time though. Oh and just to clarity, although it's legal, the animal rights groups do NOT think it's an okay practice.    

37. Searched for information on how often calves are supposed to be fed. All I can find so far is this website.  They recommend feeding the cow every 12 hours.  

38. Looked at the Animals Australia site.   On their dairy page, they don't mention the Bovine Johnes reasoning for removing the cows from their mother. It's an interesting oversight.  I would have more respect for them if they mentioned it and provided a counterargument.  

39. Saw claims on various animal rights sites that baby and mother cows bond soon after birth. I decided to read this page to get more insight into the whole thing.  It's about the maternal behavior of beef cows.  

It's interesting reading.  They talk about how the bond is very dependent on hormones, and that it's somewhat dependent on cervical stimulation. Therefore, cows removed by c-section tend to have higher incidents of maternal abandonment.   

Now I'm reading that the cow licks the baby after birth and this stimulates the bonding experience as well.  If the mother doesn't lick the baby, then mismothering is more likely to occur.  So maybe dairy farmers need to remove the baby before this licking takes place?   

40. Felt after reading about beef calves and dairy calves, that it's probably better to be a meat-eater who avoids dairy than a vegetarian who eats ice-cream and cheese.   

41. Wrote a message to Dairy Australia.   I want to know what percentage of calves are slaughtered, what percentage of the slaughtered are used for veal; and whether any of the dead animal goes completely to waste. The animal rights group makes it seem like these animals are simply trashed.  But there's maybe more to the story?  I'm hoping the dead animal is maybe used for cat/dog food?   Hey, and how about feeding them to crocodiles in the zoo?   It's mean, but those guys do have to eat!  They could kill the calf beforehand, so it doesn't have to be tortured by the croc.

Anyway, when I tried to send the message, the system complained about the phone number. It might be because I have an American number. I asked Tim if he could maybe try to find our Australian number. 

42. Tried instead using the Dairy Australia's phone number. Hopefully, they won't try to call themselves.  I don't know if it worked though. When I press submit, I just get the form again.   I don't get anything along the lines of, Thanks for your message.  We'll get back to you soon.... 

43. Read some good news from Australians who like their veal.  The RSPCA says that Australia does NOT have that horribly cruel way of raising animals for veal.

They say one way to tell evil veal from okay veal is the color. Bad evil veal meat will be white. The other type will be light pink to red.

I wonder what's the status in America?  

Lord Wiki says they're still raised the bad way, but some states are phasing out the system.  Maine is supposed to get better sometime this year.

44. Found the answers that I asked of Dairy Australia. The RSPCA has them.  You know I'm thinking maybe the RSPCA has a more balanced approach to the animal rights issue.   I might start relying on them somewhat.  

So....

They say most male dairy calves are slaughtered at five days old.  Some are not though.   Some are raised for veal production. Then about 1/4 of females are allowed to grow into adulthood so they can become milking cows.

The newborn calves who are killed are not simply trashed. They're used for leather and byproducts of the pharmaceutical companies. 

Here's where the RSPCA complains.  Before dying the animals are TREATED like trash.   The RSPCA says, Because they will very soon go to slaughter, bobby calves often do not get the same standard of housing, cleanliness, care or attention as the valuable replacement heifers or the bull calves being reared for veal. For their health and welfare, bobby calves should be fed twice a day and be housed in sheltered, clean and dry environments with room to lie down on suitable bedding. 

This makes me think many in the animal industry lack compassion for the animals.  When they treat them well, it's merely for the fact that they want them to be in good health.  Healthy animals make better meat.   If you're not going to be turning the animals into meat, don't spend any time or money on them. Treat them like crap.

I think it's really sad.

45. Read what the RSPCA wants for the baby calves.

For these reasons, the RSPCA believes bobby calves should be at least 10 days old and be fed at least four hours before being transported. Further, transport to the abattoir should be for less than 10 hours and in trucks that have protection from the elements, bedding and enough room for all calves to lie down. 

Is that not reasonable?!!!!!

And they give a reason for the ten days vs. five days.   It's not so the cute little calves can have more time on earth.  As they get older, they're following behavior improves. When they're too young, it's hard to get them to follow the herd.  And because of that, rough handling is more likely to occur.

46. Saw that the RSPCA supports the killing of cane toads....since they're known to be a invasive species.  But they believe it should be done in the most pain-free way as possible.   They give detailed instructions on how to commit cane toad murder.  It pretty much involves making the toads cold enough to render them unconscious. Then you hit them really hard in the head. Or you can stick them in the deep freezer for 2 days.

47. Read about Queensland's Toad's Day Out event.   People go around and help reduce the toad population.   It used to be done in a cruel way.   The toads were run over and hit with bats.   Now they use humane methods of euthanasia.  I like hearing that. I'd probably feel less okay about it if I had just finished reading one of Morris Gleitzman's toad books.

48. Forgot to feed the cats because my mind was so wrapped up in animal rights.   I was only about 30 minutes late though. And it's not like they're on a super strict time schedule. I try to feed them approximately ever 6 hours.

49. Compelled to say that I feel really stupid for being this vegetarian who eats dairy.   I mean I always knew that it was a little bad, but I ignorantly believed it was less bad than meat.  And I hate to say it, but sometimes I probably have had a bit of a moral superiority complex.   Now it seems I'm worse than all those meat-eaters.  Then again, they usually eat milk products too. So we're equally bad.

50. Decided to see what the RSPCA says about beef cows.  Here's their page on that.    They talk about castration and dehorning.  They're not against it; but they believe it should be done by a veterinarian under anaesthetics.

They're okay with identification methods that are not harmful to the animal, such as microchips.  They're not okay with hot iron branding or ear mutilation.

It seems for the most part Australian beef cows are treated okay...until they're shipped off to another country.  Now do the farmers love their cows?  Do they feel affection towards them?   I'm doubtful.   Otherwise, I think they would have put a stop to the live transport thing a LONG time ago.  

51. Changed my mind.   Beef cows might not do so well in Australia after all.   Some of them go to something called feedlots.   This is where cows are crowded together before slaughter.  The farmers try to do some last minute fattening up of the animals.

The RSPCA says, There are, potentially, some serious welfare problems associated with keeping animals in this type of intensive system. These include the restriction on the ability of animals to move around, lack of adequate shelter from the extremes of weather (especially heat), and the problems of manure buildup and wet manure. Other potential problems are associated with handling of the animals, mixing of unfamiliar animals, dust levels and feed management. The RSPCA is opposed to the confinement of animals in ways that unreasonably restrict their movements and normal behavioural patterns, and that result in unacceptable risks to their health and wellbeing. 

52. Read about the killing of baby male chickens.  They're killed at birth because they won't grow up to lay eggs.  Sometimes they're killed by maceration, and other times they're killed with poison gases.   I would have thought the maceration is worse, but the RSPCA says if done quickly it's more humane.   Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong definition of maceration. I'm picturing some kind of chopping process—like a blender.

Well, Lord Wiki says I'm right. That's what it is. How can that not be horrible?

The thought of being chopped up into little pieces doesn't quite appeal to me. I guess if it happens quick, maybe it's not that bad?  I don't know.

Anyway, the RSPCA answers the question someone asked me the other day. Why aren't the male chickens turned into chicken meat?   The answer is they come from a different breed of chicken.   Still.  Might they not taste okay?  

53. Felt horribly guilty (and stupid) because I allegedly made a negative comment to my cousin when she ordered veal when we went out to dinner.   I don't remember it, but that doesn't mean anything.   We all know I have a horrible memory.  So here I was questioning her veal ordering and I was probably ordering some damn meal that had cheese in it.  Well, the cow who gave the milk might have been treated fairly okay. But there's a good chance her babies had a very short and uncomfortable life.  

I do still feel validated at thinking nasty thoughts about my family when they eat veal.  They're eating the American type. So there!    

54. Decided maybe I can imagine the cheese in my meal came from the cow who gave birth to the veal that my cousin ate. Maybe he had a fairly short life, but it was a wonderful one with rolling hills and smiling farmers. Then they came together at our dinner table. 

I must note again that as I don't remember the dinner conversation, I also have no memory of what I ate that night.   Maybe it didn't even involve cheese.  I doubt that though. 

55. Wanted to note (for the record) that I usually do NOT comment on people's food choices at the table.  I usually keep the nasty comments in my head.  

Read my online novel The Dead are Online (please?)