Tis spring in Melbourne. We have hail, flash flooding, humidity, sunshine, cloudy days and much politics. Also, we have spam, lots of spam referencing flowers. It's the season: She cherished the flowers. I love flowers of every kind. The flowers. Sounds creepy with 'the'. But think of this as a season for crafts and markets. … Continue reading Spring in my spam
Random Short Thoughts
Something old is renewed
You can never experience your own writing in the same way readers can. Writers know their own story, are often unaware of their usual or unusual foibles, and read what they want imagined, not what they put on the page. So they see the wood for the trees. Unless you write something and completely forget … Continue reading Something old is renewed
Uses of enchantment
I have Bruno Bettelheim's book Uses of Enchantment, somewhere. Yet I'm less interested in Freudian readings of myth and fairy tales than other types of interpretation. But that's not the point of this. I was reading how selling is the art of story telling, (in a Medium piece here) but earlier I'd been looking for a … Continue reading Uses of enchantment
Pedalling underwater
Once again I made my slow path to that vale of tears, much like Dante described the way to Hell. I faced the contents of the spam folder. Forthwith I returned, emerging from my own dark night of the soul to present some of its contents. Tis the era of correct pronouns spammer: she and … Continue reading Pedalling underwater
Holding an idea
I've had difficulty sleeping recently. It's spring messing with my sinuses, as per usual, and my brain thinking about things, also as per usual. Anyway, the week the Australian Prime Minister spoke about "abiding the law" when asked about banning conversion therapy for LGBTIQA+ people, I couldn't sleep at all. During one restless night I … Continue reading Holding an idea
Bread and circuses
News and social media can be like that scene in The Matrix where the dude is looking at the people and only sees lines of glowy green symbols. I feel like I only see, or too readily see, the bad, the sad and the maddening. There's plenty of it. Which is exactly why I resist … Continue reading Bread and circuses
How I see it
Recent news coverage, and events and how people are reacting to them have me despairing and internally ranting. This is not a rant. These are my thoughts. I'm not looking for anyone to change my mind. If you can't see the racism or sexism in a picture, sentiment, text or action, it doesn't mean it's … Continue reading How I see it
Another dose of inspo
From the vaults once more I return with yet more spam wisdom and affirmations... We begin with this below. Frankly, it is a bit mystifying but I'm glad someone can benefit from my writing where ever they are watching from and why ever they are reading. I’m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate … Continue reading Another dose of inspo
Inspo’s where it’s delivered
Sometimes the will to continue with writing flags a bit. It might be that my big break, or even a little one, is around the next corner, or a decade away...but I can't bear to think on it. What I can do is search for inspiration and practical help. There are serious things to do, … Continue reading Inspo’s where it’s delivered
Schooled for life
You may have noticed media covering research about air pollution after a paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study from China found air pollution increases the risks of dementia, and impairs cognition, affecting language and arithmetic test scores. Xi Chen, Yale School of Public Health: "Polluted air can … Continue reading Schooled for life
Writing Bec 