Tag Archives: life observations

I don’t mean to bore you …but ….

26 Nov

Tonight I’ve been wondering about yawning. That bizarre phenomenon that most of us know little about … because while there are many myths and theories, there are not all that a many facts.

So why do I care ??? well last night while I was pondering why it helps to smile when you are at work …  I went searching for a yawning picture, and the minute I saw a page full of yawners …. I STARTED TO YAWN myself.

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Now, like you, I know all about being in a room with someone who yawns…and watching the chain reaction take off; but I would never have dreamed that looking at a photo could have the same effect …..(nor sitting here writing about it ..so far I have had 7 …. how many have you had ??) .

According to  research they say that the more you are affected by nearby yawners … the more empathic you are, which kind of makes some sense… I’ve always said I have an over-active empathy gland….but who would have thought THAT would extend to one dimensional people who don’t even have a heartbeat??? … wonders never cease!

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who am I ? ….really?

24 Jul

Tonight’s musing is in a similar vein to last night … but without the ‘risky twist’.

I want to share another story of vehicle incongruity ….. As I said last night I love the colour and  richness that cultural and religious diversity brings to our day …and today was no different.

Today, when I was in the carpark of a very multicultural suburb in Sydney’s western suburbs I spied a small car with religious decals on (almost) every window … you’ve probably seen them…stickers depicting  rosary beads, crucifix, hands lady praying …even a silhouette of Jesus himself.

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You can imagine my surprise, amusement and delight when I walked past the car to spot hot pink car seat covers with “playgirl” plastered across them …

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I’m wondering if there is a clash of identity going on here ? or simply a struggle for the playgirl to shake the shackles of her rosary beads??

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beauty in a bottle..or tube..or jar….

20 Jul

Back in the bathroom and reflecting on the tough world of womanhood.

There are products everywhere to…clean, moisturise, tint, tighten, straighten, add body, strip colour, whiten, hold and shine, deodorise and sanitise… and they just keep coming even when you don’t buy them. Sample products that all look like a great offer (everyone likes something for nothing …right?) …and a chance to try something new …(but rarely do).beauty-sweeps

On Wednesday I left the hairdresser with yet another tube of cream styling stuff … my reward for having visited 10 times….. I came home and added it to the collection, wondering why I couldn’t have just had a discount instead.

Now the challenge is to figure what tube does what each morning as I prepare to face the world…. Being ’50Something’   means having the glasses handy so that I can actually read the labels.

The last thing we want is to moisturise with a styling cream that adds body and bounce…..to my face!

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birds of a feather …

6 Jul

the birds

I have never professed to be a nature expert …not even close.

I mean yes, I like to admire the beauty of a landscape or sunset…and I do like small furry creatures …. but when it comes to actually knowing anything about ethology or the environment I’m pretty hopeless.

If we take this a step further and consider bird-life and the habits of our feathered friends … then I draw a complete blank.

This brings me to my (pretty pointless) point.

Driving home the other day, I crossed the bridge and noticed a gathering, pack, group, gang, flock…(well a whole bunch)… of black birds perched high on the electricity bird on cablecable. There they sat, about 30 of them grouped tightly in a row, high above the MIDDLE of the river. There was plenty of cable remaining either side of them but they were huddled close, all perfectly positioned and facing the same direction, a bit like an army regiment on parade.

As I drove on, it got me thinking about the life of a bird and I realised just how much I don’t know … Like… what DO they do all day ? Surely they get tired of hanging around in the air, and if they stop to rest, they have to perch on a branch, (or worse still a cable like the ones in question), and cling on tight with those poor little claws. No kicking back and relaxing at all… and as far as I know they even sleep in that position, which doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

If there happens to be an ornithologist reading this nonsense, you may care to shed some light on the subject to help me (and no doubt, others) to more fully appreciate the life of these small feathered creatures.

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queen of the cover-up…

30 Jun

Well if there is one thing I’ve learned in my ’50Something’ years it’s the value of the humble bed sheet… table fabriccloth… or a similarly large remnant, when it comes to a quick-fix tidy up. In fact I’ve become renowned for my ability to hide almost any ugliness under a piece of freshly pressed fabric and make it look like a …..mmmm, well… better than it did.

I must attribute this carefully honed decorating skill, to my dear departed Mum, who also had the knack of ‘hiding things’ to please the eye.

A quick whip ’round before our festivities on Saturday revealed a number of snappy make-over opportunities …With a metre of cloth here and there, I was able to hide a multitude of sins…. not-the-least of which was the filing cabinet on the back verandah.

Now… while most ‘normal’ people keep their filing system in an office or spare bedroom… not us.

Instead, we relocated ours a couple of weeks back with the view to a rather severe cull…but of course it hasn’t ‘quite’ happened; so in our pre-party frenzy, there was no other option than to drape it in fabric and create a decorator feature for all to see…so a quick flick of the wrist and problem solved.

The question is ….at what point does the great ‘unveil’ take place ? or do we learn to live with it and move on to the next project ??

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no words left …

21 Jun

been writing all day and I’m

 too tired

so…see you tomorrow

(I’m 50 something …and tired …but not dead yet)

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can someone remind me where I’m going…

2 Jun

Well almost four years in and I’m still not sure what I think about my mid life decision to do Uni by Distance. On the one hand I love the flexibility and being able to fit it in around my real life… but on the other hand I find myself wondering if I have some kind of death wish….(and enjoy running the gauntlet).study kitchen

As a 50Something, I made the decision to jump into the books. Having lost my voice I had rediscovered my love of the written word, so I thought it would be fun to write …ESSAYS !! …. LOL ..What was I thinking ?

exam hallAnyway, as a student I make a great full time worker.

My dedication to the task of study is haphazard to say the least…yet in a weird way I am really enjoying it (a crazy thing to say after doing the longest exam in history today). I have spent the last 6 hours sitting at the kitchen table in my PJ’s, making up 3000 words on topics related to law and human rights… punctuated by hanging the washing on the line and taking regular coffee breaks… exams were never like this ‘back in my day‘.

With any luck, only 18months to go … I’ll still be 50 Something and then I might decide what I want to do when I grow up!

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hot pants in the burbs ….

5 May

Today I was amused  and puzzled as I followed a couple of posties riding their scooters around the back-blocks of the western ‘burbs’.P1130756

Determined not to be injured on the job… (and no doubt fulfilling the ever increasing occ health and safety requirements of Australia Post) there they were, decked out in high viz jackets, with high viz pannier bags, high viz ‘neckerchiefs’ to protect from the ‘high viz’ suns harmful rays… and they even sported a high viz flag flying atop a flagpole on the back of their scooters.

And then I pulled up beside them at the lights …only to see that one of them was wearing the shortest of short shorts. Bare(but very hairy)  legs emerged from his pants, with oversized steel cap boots dangling on the ends of them. Not a fashion statement by any stretch …and certainly not warm on this crip autumn morning…but it made for very entertaining travel scenery

However, I couldn’t help but wonder how you decide that a sunburned neck would be a bigger concern than having the skin ripped off your legs as you slide along the tar …or as you fend off a hungry dog while delivering the bills… OUCH !IMG_9189

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26 Apr

essay writing

I have hit the critical 2 day mark …so sorry but there are no wise words, pearls of wisdom or nonsense tonight.

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wayfinding gone feral…

22 Apr

Today I met a friend for coffee in an unfamiliar… yet ‘oh so familiar’ shopping mall in Sydney. I say unfamiliar because it is not one I frequent normally… yet familiar because once inside, that are all so ‘same same’.

That is … except for the carpark.carpark

Oh my goodness I felt like I was driving in a foreign country as I tried to negotiate the unfamiliar space, complete with construction work…barriers…one way signs and temporary redirection signs. The markings on the ground were confusing to say the least with arrows having been re-routed… and at one stage I found myself going up the down ramp !!!

wrong wayNow I don’t know a great deal about traffic flow …BUT I was part of a “way-finding strategy working party” (yes I work for a Gov’t Dept)  for a new Health facility …and I know that the signage in this particular car park would have failed miserably on any way-finding measurement scale.

Shame on you Macquarie Centre …lets hope the new look centre is worth all the bingles, road rage, lost cars and frayed nerves.

Here endeth the rant 😉

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