That’s What Your Mum Said

I always assumed my stomach was made of steel with regards to things I see, hear or smell. Until this week.

I managed to finish reading a novel called ‘Wetlands’ by Charlotte Roche. Her first publication, ‘Wetlands’ is the story of a young woman and her mental, family, physical and hygiene issues. The author does not hold back, which is normally something I thrive on;  shock me and I will love you. However I have discovered I do have a line and Charlotte Roche crossed it! I spent many pages attempting not to throw up (my imagination is vivid and I find the written word moves me far more than the moving image) and I was introduced to some wholly new concepts.

Charlotte Roche

Honestly, if you are like me and think that you can’t be shaken, read this book. Although I am disgusted, I am also really impressed and respectful of the author that fucked with my head! If you have a weak stomach, do not even attempt this. No way jose.

Seeing as though I am now essentially jobless and a poor, baked-bean eating student I can’t afford to be too frivolous with the dollars this year. The partner and I are also saving up to buy a shiny car at the end of the year (one with amazing things like power steering and air conditioning and an automatic gear shift that I can actually understand) so I can’t keep using all my money on whores and cocaine.

There are some things I will not ignore though. Like this line-up:

Silverchair / Tegan and Sara / Vampire Weekend / Empire of the Sun / Spoon / Grinspoon / Lisa Mitchell / Miami Horror / British India / Bag Raiders / The Only / Jonathon Boulet

AND MORE

So Adele, say hello to Mi-Goreng for every meal for the next few months. Yum.

Orange earrings from a Brazilian girl at markets, unicorn necklace by Kim at Cupcakes & Mace, Owl and Cat from friend, big coloured beads I bought at a random store, and small coloured beads were my Grandma's (she had killer taste)

I have insanely bizarre taste in jewelery which means that I don’t have a lot of it – I really only get pieces that strike me and that I love. I am not a fan of simple gold or silver pieces and I like what I wear to drive people to ask about it. A good example of this is my Scrabble earrings – a friend bought me some earrings made from the A tiles (for Adele) and whenever I wear them they never fail to spark debate. Some people love them; others nudge their partners and whisper; others just don’t get it and you can see them thinking ‘what an idiot, why would you wear that’? I am one of the most liberal minded people I know and love quirkiness, so anything that can force people to open their minds to difference is great!

Bought in Queenstown as a reminder of NZ and their cabbage trees

Bangle made out of cartoon strips

Anyhoo, kind of off topic! I have noticed a lot of bloggers writing about displaying their bling in teacups or on jewelry trees which is really lovely. I however do not have a tall-boy or a piece of furniture in my bedroom that would allow me to do this; also, my bedside table is for books and plants so I had to come up with another solution. I remembered an old room-mate had made her own display frame so I set to making one and I am so very happy with the results!

I can put my earrings, necklaces and brooches on it and I have even managed to attach a coat hanger so I can display my favourite dress of the moment. The only thing I can’t put on there is bracelets or arm bands so they just sit on a little space on my bedside table.

Necklace bought at a local art gallery

All I had to do was get a photo frame and remove the glass and backing board. I bought some dense fly-screen and some small nails and hammered it into place. I attached some silky ribbon to the top and tied it in a bow to hang on a picture hook on my wall. The earrings hang by themselves, and the necklaces are hung on bent paperclips. Very cheap and very simple but I think quite lovely.

Oval brooch from Grandma, Giraffe came on a birthday card (best brooch ever), earrings from a friend for my 21st

Bag holding all of my stud stlye earrings (including Scrabble pieces), owl brooch from a local boutique, silver earrings from Sportsgirl and pink earrings from a market.

My lovely Nana Josie passed away back in 2004 however I have only recently received some of her belongings. My Pop had kept most of her things and as he passed away last year my family is selling their home. My Mum managed to grab a few things that she though I might like and she did a really good job of it. Not only did I get some lovely cake plates (I adore using second-hand kitchen wares, every time I cook I think of the people who passed their tools on and what they used to make for me with those exact pieces) but I was also on the receiving end of some very old knitting patterns.

I am not a wonderful knitter but I love the relaxation and also the joy of wearing/using something I have created. I usually always have a project on the go, which some would see as madness considering I am currently enduring an Australian summer that is offering me over 30 degrees Celsius every day with around 90% humidity. Well, I will have the last laugh when winter bears down!

Nana had many patterns all of which are booklets or torn out of magazines from the 1960′s (some of the accompanying articles are pure gold). Only one pattern was hand written so I decided to knit it first and I am now the proud owner of bedsocks! They are ugly and messy and I ran out of green wool so had to do the green/grey combination but they are darned comfortable and they make me think of Nan.

(Yes, I ran out of one type of green wool then used a different type for the top half of the green sock, what of it)?

I have also recently just finished the Palindrome scarf. Although the pattern is relatively simple it took a LONG time to knit; it was well worth it. I can’t wait for things to cool down here so I can show off my handy work

I think you should all share in the wisdom of my Nan’s insanely simple pattern, so here it is. Look at her beautiful writing, wonderful.

Josie’s Bedsocks

No. 7 needles (use long ones)! They made socks that fit my feet which are a US size 8-9. Increase cast on stitched for larger feet. Also, bear in mind that these do not look anything like socks until you sew them together at the end. Don’t freak out, they get there eventually!

Cast on 94 stitches

Work in garter stitch (all knitting) increasing once at the end of each row until you have 108 stitches.

Work in garter stitch without shaping until work measures 2 1/4 inches. Decrease once at the end of each row until back to 94 stitches.

Cast off 22 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows (comes down to 50 stitches).

Work in garter stitch for 2 inches. Cast off.

Fold work in half and sew together. Crochet if desired (Adele has no idea how to crochet, just putting that out there).

Thanks Nan!

This week the lovely Naomi Rose has kept my belly full and a smile on my face with these recipes:

Mexican Wedding Cakes = frackin yum

Coconut, Chickpea & Coriander Curry = genius.

Thank you Naomi, mine and the partners tummies very much appreciate you

Last night I watched a current affairs program called ‘Four Corners’ and the title of their episode was “A Good Death”. It followed four people, ranging in age between mid-40′s to mid-80′s who have recently been told they only have a short time to live due to terminal illness. It documented their experiences and their stories in a truly honest and heartbreaking manner and managed to highlight the lack of palliative care in Australia (I dare say this is an issue in many Western nations).

This episode reminded me of two very important issues. One was the obvious notion that we have a very short time on this planet and it would be selfish and utterly ridiculous not to make the most of it. The other is that I truly believe humans should have the option to die a dignified and self-imposed death.

To me, it makes total sense. If I have been told I have a terminal illness and there is very little likelihood I will survive, I would like to be respected enough to make a decision regarding my life. I would like to know that I would not have to suffer unbearable pain with no quality of life simply because our politicians are conservative and wish to impose their beliefs on me. I am a mature, intelligent being and I would like to think I could be treated as one, even when it comes to the touchy subject of euthanasia.

Why is it that humans will put down an animal that is in extreme pain and has no chance of survival because it is the ‘humane’ thing to do? Why do we hold that this is totally different if we replaced the word animal with human? A friend has a mug that says ‘I want to die like a dog’ and I agree wholeheartedly.

I have been involved in this debate for many years and have heard arguments from many points of view. The one that seems to crop up the most is that God tells us not to kill and therefore euthanasia is wrong. If you believe in God I respect your stance however I do not agree. I don’t believe in an all supreme being, so shouldn’t I have the right to my beliefs and be allowed to carry them out with the respect of others who may not hold them?

Another argument that is often raised is that if euthanasia was allowed, people would be killing off their relations for material good such as money and property under the guise of ending suffering. Do the people that make this argument truly believe that a legislated and policed act could really lead to this? The simple solution to this highly unlikely problem is to have many layers of checks and balances in place so that an individual can prove they are of sound mind and are ready to end their life. It works in Switzerland, why not here?

This is such a dense and complicated topic and I could not hope to cover all of the bases often discussed in relation to it- I have really only skimmed the surface. I just wanted to highlight the problem and let the blog world know where I stand on this. I have put some links at the bottom, including the episode of ‘Four Corners’ from last night. More than anything, I would like to start a discussion and hear what you all have to say; I know this is a heavy topic but please comment and leave your thoughts/beliefs with regards to euthanasia. It needs to be discussed rather than ignored like our politicians manage to do so well.

Four Corners: A Good Death

Exit International – An organisation headed by Dr Philip Nitschke that advocates the right to choice regarding euthanasia

Where is euthanasia legal?

As some of you may have noticed, I have been a craptacular blogger over the past two weeks. Lazy lazy lazy. I have been reading all of your wonderful posts though, so please forgive me my absence and lets be friends, ok?

Reasons for my absence (all pretty shitty but I have to try):

• I got accepted into a Graduate Law degree at university and have spent a lot of time ordering textbooks, printing papers, getting student cards, organising timetables and being ridiculously excited (give me a week into the study and I will be over the childish glee)
• I have been doing all of the stuff I won’t have time to do when I get back into the study, such as going to the dentist (need wisdom teeth removal, will worry about that at a later date), getting more tests done on my crazy digestive system, cleaning the house like a maniac, reading fiction books and watching a lot of ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Ellen’ (and even a little bit of ‘Oprah’, ‘Dr Phil’ and ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’)
• I have been attempting to catch up with friends and family before I go MIA in the general vicinity of a human-sized stack of law texts
• I have been staring at the wall and contemplating what to eat next

There you have it, a comprehensive list of extremely good reasons why I have been a poor and lax internet buddy.