Don’t like it

I hate flying. There are tv shows which talk about airplane crashes. I avoid them. I avoid the news when they talk about a near miss, or engine failure or anything like that.

Last week Qantas had an explosion or something on a plane heading for Australia. It has played on the television over and over. I’ve tried to avoid it, but it is unavoidable unless I turn the tv off entirely.

Bugger !!

They showed pictures taken on the plane by one of the passengers. Oxygen masks hanging down. They talked to the people when they arrived in Australia.

You know, I reckon if that happened to me, I would still be wherever I ended up. I don’t think I would ever get on another plane in my life.

I’m glad I’m not flying Qantas

Madeleine

Sunday, 27 July 2008

Sydney Harbour Bridge Closed

Sydney Harbour Bridge is closed

Why? Because the pope is in Sydney and Catholics in the city made it happen.

Apparently hundreds of thousands of Catholics are walking across the bridge and being pilgrims.

This is only the third time in the history of the bridge that this has happened.

So why has it happened for Catholics and no other religion in Australia?

What makes them so special?

Imagine the response if hundreds of thousands of Muslims did a pilgrimage across the Sydney Harbour Bridge?

Madeleine

Saturday, 19 July 2008

How old am I?

this is how old I am
Take 51
Double it
Multiply by 10
Add 12.002208
Square the answer
Subtract the number of sides of a pentagon / the number of sides of a UK 50p piece
Take the square root of the answer
Subtract one of the internal angles of a square
Subtract 4.004
Divide by 17

How old am I?

Thanks Kahless

Madeleine
Saturday, 19 July 2008

The Axe

Kahless and I have a regular joke on Graffiti’s blog that I am, in real life, an axe murderer. Our last chat reminded me of this story.

I have had very little to do with axes. My last run in with one was in 1991 when my year at University had a celebration party. We were all about to become fully qualified social workers. It was celebration time. My house, cause it had plenty of room inside, with a large brick BBQ in the garden and a large garden. So we invited all the students, lecturers, tutors and all.

As a BBQ was to be part of the evening, G came over early to help set it up. Not being an Aussie male, of course, I have no idea how to operate a BBQ. So he is outside trying to light this BBQ – with large pieces of wood and a few bits of paper. I’m telling him he needs to chop some smaller to help get the fire started and he’s being the typical bloke, it’s fine, it’s fine. This will work.

So Madeleine, fed up with being ignored, grabs the splitting axe and some wood. Puts the wood on the chopping thingee and bang, ouch, that was my thumb !! Damn, that hurt !! An angry woman even with a small axe can be quite dangerous.

Just at that stage A walked in the door, and she took one look at it and said that we were off to the doctor. We left G there to get the fire going and meet and greet the people coming to a party at my house.

A and I went to the doctor’s. While we were sitting there, she said to me “Madeleine, your zip’s undone”. We sort of looked at each other. Me with my hand in the air, sore as the dickens, and only one had to do up my zipper. So A and I fiddled around and she pulled up my zip for me, amongst much laughter and silliness.

And yes, it did need stitches. The local hurt more than the wound did at that stage, but Madeleine was a very brave little girl, and she didn’t cry.

When we got back to the party, it was in full swing. G had been telling people that I had tried to chop off my thumb, much to everyone’s hilarity and G’s frustration. They thought I was up to some trick (who me??) and didn’t believe him. So when I arrived, stitched and bandaged, there was little sympathy. They really were thinking I was up to something and I think they were totally disappointed.

Madeleine

Thursday, 10 July 2008

My daddy is my mommy

I have been giggling at the news tonight. This is the story:

Sex change man has baby girl

" Thomas Beatie, who was born a woman but lives as a man after hormone treatment, has given birth to a baby girl.



Beatie, 34, from Oregon in the US, legally became a man ten years ago and had his breasts surgically removed, but kept his female reproductive organs.



The child was conceived through artificial insemination using donor sperm and Beatie's own eggs.
Beatie told People magazine: "The only thing different about me is that I can't breastfeed my baby.



"But a lot of mothers don't."



He told the magazine the child was not delivered by Caesarean, but gave no other details about the birth.



Beatie stopped taking hormone injections after deciding to have a child two years ago.



He said he took the decision because his wife of five years Nancy, 46, was unable to conceive because of a hysterectomy.



She recently told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey their parental roles would be traditional.
"He's going to be the father and I'm going to be the mother." "








He wasn't happy as a woman so had a sex change but then wants a baby. Does that sound like wanting the best of both worlds?? I don’t want to be a woman, but I want to have a baby.



And that poor child. I’ve got a mommy and a daddy. But my daddy is really my mommy cause I grew in his tummy. So I really have two mommies, but one of my mommies, my birth mommy is my daddy.



Reminds me of the song “I am my own grandpa”.



Madeleine
Friday, 4 July 2008

Trip Preparations

Well another little job has been accomplished this morning. I realised a couple of weeks ago that my credit card would expire right in the middle of my trip.

Shock!!

Horror !!



Imagine doing an overseas trip without the plastic money !!

This morning I went to the bank, and it is in the process of being sorted. Apparently, they can’t just renew it, reissue it, change the date, or something simple like that. They have to change the expiry date. And in that process, I have to be without my friendly little card for 5 – 7 days. Damn !!

However, it will be fine when I go and I will be able to use it on my trip,




Madeleine
Thursday, 3 July 2008

Katz and Kidz

Ruminating


I’ve been thinking about my Sunny cat today. I’ve been aware that she is getting on in years, but finally went and checked to see just how old she really was. I was thinking she was probably about 10 years old. In fact, she was born in October 1995. So in a few months, she will be 13.


When we got her, Susan would have been almost 18. For some reason, Susan and Sunny are intertwined in my memories. I remember when Susan started getting hallucinations and she would sit on her bed, Sunny cat at the end, both of them staring at the same spot. Were they both seeing something that most humans couldn’t? Or was it simply coincidence? I will never know.


I was sure I had a photo of that. Maybe it’s just a strong memory in my head. So strong, I thought I’d taken a photo.


Susan wanted to call sunny “Bog roll”. I asked her if she knew what bog roll meant. She said No. I told her and she giggled and we decided that we would call her Sunny instead.


I have very few photos of Sunny in the early years. I thought I had more. I guess I was so busy taking photos of the Suze that I forgot about the animals. Sad that. Also I think she was a hidey cat even when she was little.


Usually when the cold weather starts, Sunny comes and sits on my lap while I’m watching TV at night. She gets very cross when I get up and down at the commercials. Lately, she sits there on the arm of the chair and waits for me to return. This winter, she has become a under the covers cat. She’s never been one to snuggle under the covers, but this winter she has. When I go to bed, she hops up with me and starts to nose at the blankets: “Let me under where it’s nice and toasty warum !!” So I lift up the doona and under she goes. As far as she can. When I snuggle down and turn off the light, I grab her and we have a cuddle. She’s one of the softest cats I’ve ever had.


It’s funny. I remember thinking when she was a kitten that she looked like she would grow up into a big fat, lazy momma cat. She hasn’t. She is lean. Almost skinny sometimes. Very light to pick up. Even after she was spayed, she didn’t put on any weight. There’s really nothing of her.


Sunny is going to die in a few years. She could go at any time. She’s the last thing that is still a constant in my life that is part of the life I had with Susan. That’s sad. That’s also life.


Madeleine
Wednesday, 2 July 2008

I’m blocking comments on this blog, because I don’t want the sympathy comments. That’s not why I wrote it.