aMusing my genius

Farewell to aMusing

2012-01-29T17:47:00.001+11:00

It's time to retire this baby. This is post number 466, I think. I had hoped to get aMusing to 500, but I fear it's not to be. I'm going to start a new blog at some point but it's obvious that blogging regularly has been a very low priority for me this past couple of years. This is...for now... the final post for this title. Thank you Muse for adding spice thus far. <3

Closed lids of peace: A Poem

2011-12-17T22:21:00.000+11:00

In the leaning towards the laying down I veil these eyes and relax my frown. Casting aside all earthly graces To feast upon the open spaces, Within the heart. All those that flash sight behind closed lids of peace That bring forth healing for daily griefs. All this I lean towards in laying down; To be a death, a little one for little while. All this, so that tomorrow's rise can smile.

Teenagers having babies? So what's the real problem?

2011-12-06T19:16:00.001+11:00

There's a bit of brouhaha in Australia this past 200+ years. It's been happening - off and on - since Captain Cook first spotted Botany Bay and subsequent hordes of disadvantaged and desperate "criminals" left English shores to be bound forever to the land Downunder. Teenage pregnancy. It's not new but every generation judges women on the basis of it. Interestingly, it's always; always;

Alone in the crowd because I want it that way

2011-12-04T17:02:00.001+11:00

This series of photos over at the Behance Network are beautiful and tell a story about our modern lives - at least in the wealthy First World. I wonder what the real story is though. Perhaps it is that people "need" tools to protect themselves from the crowd. In the early 20th Century, it was the cigarette that created that elusive forcefield of protected space around a person's body. Now

Crazy time: Cave time

2011-08-20T16:14:00.000+10:00

Describing 2011 as the globe's "Annus horribilis" is probably a bit cutesy! Even so, it has been one hell of a year so far, eh? Crippling droughts to rip roaring storms and floods; riots, terrorist killings, Coup d'Etats and civilian rebellions; wobbly economies, Wikileaks and stock market crashes; earthquakes and volcanic ash plumes; the tsunami to end all tsunamis, killer tornado's, hurricanes

The inconvenience of gender polarity.

2011-07-22T20:42:00.005+10:00

Gender to most people in the North World is probably defined as being either male or female depending on biological sex at birth. If you were born with a penis, you were placed into the gender category "Male". You were given a name that reiterated this measurement and clearly marked your polarity for all the world to know and concur with. You were "encouraged" to wrestle, explore, dissect,

Aspiration to Resolve: The journey between

2011-07-17T11:23:00.007+10:00

As much as I aspire to nearly everything - except gardening and sewing - I really don't do Resolve very well.Aspiration comes from the Latin 'aspiratio' meaning desire. It has various other meanings but in this context it is about a strong desire to achieve something tangible and real. It is the aim of such a desire. Resolve is both a noun and a verb and comes from the Latin 'resolvere' meaning

The "Older" Woman and her relationship with her body

2011-05-30T12:27:00.005+10:00

The following has been inspired by a post from Hugo Schwyzer over at "Healthy is the New Skinny". A cause which I support if still a little in two-minds about. Skinny is still considered healthy way too much I think and for some of us older women (who don't have the genetic predisposition towards the metabolism of a race horse) - skinny is unobtainable.**Two pregnancies, some 20+ years, a

How I feel about the Opera House now that I've seen it

2011-04-27T12:59:00.003+10:00

Sydney Opera House.For the past 30 years or so, it's been this iconic photograph for me. Not quite representative of my notions of Australia as a nation but accepted as a "National Symbol" nonetheless. SOH is a postcard; a marker of Aussie superiority in all things just a "little-bit-out-there". It has appeared to be an aloof, austere and stand-offish kind of place reserved for those with money

Information

2011-04-03T17:31:00.003+10:00

There is a never-ending supply of information. It is neither static or fluid. Information resides. I don't think it does anything more than that. Resides.It does change of course. Information is a collection of data. It's words, symbols, images, numeric scales. It's news I guess, in a sort of transient way. That transience is cached of course, so it isn't as transient and temporary as we

Body and Soul?

2011-03-27T17:32:00.005+11:00

I just listened to the first audio file of a lecture series given by Professor Hugo Schwyzer of California USA. I shall probably listen to the rest in this particular series of recorded audio's around the topic of "Beauty and the Body in the European-American Tradition".The topic introduces Plato's concept of Body and Mind (or Soul) being at odds. Plato contended that both the body and the soul

2011 and then some.

2011-03-15T20:02:00.003+11:00

In memory of the vast numbers of people who have lost their lives in a series of astonishing natural disasters within the first three months of the year.2011 - and then some. Two thousand and eleven:the number of waves that hit the shoresof Lifeon this small blue planet:the number of lives that wavedgoodbye:the number of questions thatchurned in the minds ofthe living:the number of answers

River Rise

2011-02-08T19:03:00.002+11:00

I watched the river riseand in its flow I saw,the depth of natures gloryand her scathing violent flaw.I watched the river rise,it's gloating ripples fast,encroaching, stultifying -engorging what was past.I watched the river rise.My heart? It did but stilland fret within these caged ribsfor what lay sleepless nights until.I watched the river riseand gathering every witI ascertained its victory

How has the Internet changed the way you think?

2011-01-30T10:40:00.002+11:00

In recent days I have stumbled on a treasure-trove of ideas and thoughts from some of the worlds eminent thinkers and captains of intellectual analysis. www.edge.org is a collaborative conversation based around a yearly topic posed by the editors , notably, John Brockman. In 2010 the question above was posed and some 160 thinkers, artists, scientists, actors and dignitaries have written essays

sweeping cobwebs

2011-01-01T21:58:00.005+11:00

It's a brand new year.2011 sees my fifth year in this blog. 2010 bombed a bit for me in the writing game. I had little energy for much else other than work.There's a few things I'd like to change of course as one usually does as we turn a calendar page to a "clean slate" so to speak.Thing is I just want to clean up. At least for now. I've tidied house today and it's looking not too bad after

Seismic Shifts and Wikileaks

2010-12-10T18:06:00.007+11:00

Julian Assange.His name is everywhere!Literally, everywhere!He's on the tele! He's all over the internet. He's taking up headline space in the papers.Facebook, Twitter, blogs and Youtube is going gang busters as the World scrambles for opinion, history, re-framing, defamation, and everything else in between.Now, for the purposes of this particular blog post, I make the following disclaimer.

Walk a little more

2010-09-26T19:02:00.000+10:00

bone ache in my hearti've lost the candor of my youthemotional resonance is difficultI just wanttowalk a little morethin down mortal fleshfatten bank accountsand lose the blackened fogI just wanttowalk a little morebreak down mental barriercreate a finer future aginglove ignores inspired invisibilityI just wanttowalk a little more

Why I culled my blogroll and other overloads

2010-09-05T15:46:00.003+10:00

Some weeks ago, I decided to check my blogroll over at bloglines.comUgh!I used to read approximately 20 + blogs on a regular basis. All of them entertained, inspired, intrigued, or taught me something.Then I think I must have got RSS as in "Reading Sucks Syndrome" or something because I started letting my blog roll languish. The more prolific bloggers - generally those who do it to make a buck

The 2010 Australian "I couldn't give a f@#$%" Election

2010-08-22T17:04:00.002+10:00

Well here we are.It's the day after Election Day 2010 in Australia. We still don't know who is going to lead our nation into the next three years. To all intents and purposes, it's being called a "hung parliament". This means that the few men - who claim to be independent of the major parties - are suddenly the King/Queen Makers rather than ineffectual voices amidst a majority rule government:

Awareness of Perception

2010-07-18T12:56:00.004+10:00

In 1995 Seth Godin, marketing guru of the new Millenium, created, along with his team, a website called "Squidoo" with the intention of making available a place for the masses to report on what they knew about a particular subject through a "lens". Essentially a lens is a page of information about the subject. The metaphor of a "lens" to describe this information dissemination seems logical. On

The music is gathering

2010-07-11T16:29:00.002+10:00

It's taking me ages but I'm slowly getting heaps of old CD's back into iTunes again.I had all the CD's from the family collection in my old hard-drive. Sadly, that HD crashed and burned along with all the music about two years ago. I've finally gotten around to adding the music to this current HD in my beloved MacBook. The bonus of being able to share favourite music with dear friends via

Push me and I leave

2010-06-13T11:25:00.005+10:00

For a little while now, I've been playing in the MMOG called "Evony".Essentially, its a medieval kind of strategy game where you build up cities with resources and troops by the thousands in order to conquer other cities and troops. All this so as to get your name at the top of the leader board.It's supposedly simple but its not. As will all games there are "rules" and "cheats" which one is

Jessica comes home

2010-05-15T12:37:00.005+10:00

She's going to be 17 years old this coming Tuesday the 18th of May 2010, but Jessica Watson is capturing Aussie imaginations as she sails Ella's Pink Lady into Sydney Harbour in just under an hour or so.She's been alone in her little pink "boat" for the past 200 plus days circumnavigating the world. She can't be recognised by any "official" bodies as being the youngest person to sail the world..

cry baby

2010-03-23T21:49:00.003+11:00

What is it about myself that any kind of argument or confrontation causes me to shed tears?I have been a cry-baby ever since I was a little girl. What I ask myself though, is "Why is it, that at age 48, I still feel an instinctive urge to shed tears the moment I am being confronted?"There are a few things I do know about myself.1) I feel guilty in any kind of conflict or tense situation whether

My feet hurt!

2010-03-19T21:50:00.001+11:00

Forget achy breaky hearts... let's try achy breaky feet shall we?Feet that have stood too long.Feet that have walked too far.Feet that have been - it seems - forgotten during sedentary jobs. Feet that get hot and bothered.Feet that aim for comfortable shoes but which never quite manage that task.Feet that hurt.Feet that throb and throb so violently, if it were a noise, it would be the sound of a

writing style

2010-03-17T19:39:00.003+11:00

I spent hours writing a speech for my boss at work today. It nearly killed me! A mere 1612 words too! Not much of a drop in the sentences bucket really. I enjoyed the work but I was vaguely stressed about it too. Thing is, writing a piece for someone else to read aloud is extraordinarily difficult.The considerations to take into account are the prospective speakers language style, their

The safest harbour 2

2010-03-16T23:25:00.004+11:00

The Safest Harbour 1Next morning the man woke stronger and ravenously hungry. He scanned every corner of Millie's hull and upper decks for items he might fashion into fishing hooks, spears and other meat gathering devices.The gulls aloft, were nonchalant, not realising the man's intentions. His spear, thrust with an expert eye through the breast of a young gull, scattered the rest in shrieking

Trust: the thing we must do for others but not for things

2010-03-15T19:51:00.004+11:00

Something wicked this way comes...One of those slightly dodgy "current affairs" magazine style shows on commercial television was proclaiming the horrors of new kinds of mobile phone spy technology tonight. Yes! It was indeed a rather scary concept - that there are applications out there which make it really simple to track your every conversation and text message. In the hands of the wrong

The safest harbour

2010-03-14T22:23:00.002+11:00

Millie sighed and bobbed unhappily in the briny sea next to the broken down jetty near the miserable little sea-side village of Brae. Her mast paint peeled in the blazing sun, her decks dull and spattered with the ruminations of seagulls, she eyed the forlorn little street that fronted the harbour above. No one came by to gaze out over the sea. No one stopped to cast a rod for a lazy afternoon

Hugo and the irrelevance of logic in Christ

2010-03-04T21:40:00.004+11:00

Hugo Schwyzer is a pretty broad-minded, leftist, feminist bloke! He writes insightful discourses in all manner of subjects about gender and sexuality as well as history and other esoteric things.He's also a professed christian.It makes no sense of course. There's that lovely Rennaisance assumption alive and well to this day, that says that rational and intelligent persons who "believe in

Indian cooking: a symphony for the nose

2010-03-02T18:25:00.001+11:00

A new Indian restaurant is opening today just a few doors down from my workplace. The smells emanating from their kitchen today, drove my salivary glands giddy with desire and my belly with hunger.I've thankfully, refrained for now from indulging in the massive range of delicacies on offer. I'm sure this won't last long! Goodness knows how many kilojoules of wonderment await in this den of

from encyclopedia's to Google: thoughts on portals for information collection.

2010-02-27T22:31:00.001+11:00

Once upon a time, information was power. Those who controlled the information had the power to make, break, change and iterate their particular polemic. The rest of us accepted that those who "knew", knew what was in our best interests. Those who controlled information flow could control not only its dissemination but also its generation. What was written, kept hidden, made public, exposed,

the email test blog

2010-02-26T22:20:00.001+11:00

I'm actually writing this from within my email account. Bizarre but true! If it actually works it may yet revolutionise the way I blog! For the past four years, I've conscientiously gone directly inside blogger.com in order to record my impressions, thoughts and creative ideas. I'm always up for a trick if it makes life easier and in the past year, writing in blogger has succumbed to a

a little pool of freedom

2010-02-17T07:49:00.003+11:00

Hold me lightlycupped like waterand do not clenchor graspor squeeze;just lightlysoft -carefully casual like,precious even.I shall rest there,in your handso soft -courageously gentle;a warm resting placefor freedomto lie still a moment.A little poolof freedominviting you to sipbut not hold.michelleFeb 2010

Just because he's not famous...

2010-02-13T10:11:00.004+11:00

Matt Stevens huh?My little journal entry about my trip to see Porcupine Tree last week seems to have generated far more interest across the globe than I might have expected! Bizarre how the blogging world opens up microcosms of connections really... but that aside:I had a rather strange email land in my inbox this morning - in the Junk Folder. I'm not inclined to trash junk just too willy nilly

Porcupine Tree and mini-breaks for over 45's

2010-02-08T20:22:00.004+11:00

I've had a wee holiday. A "mini-break", if you will.It all started yesterday. Sunday 7th February 2010 (and yes... the fact that it was the anniversary of "Black Saturday" does not escape me as I shall never forget the 2009 version of this date for the rest of my days). I left for Melbourne on the bus + train combo we endure just because we live so far from the "suburbs" etc etc (dramatic

Hope for Haiti Now Album

2010-02-04T09:00:00.003+11:00

Apple cobbled together a few of its pals to make a music tribute and raise money for the victims of the recent Haiti Earthquake.The album is definitive 2000's pop + 20th Century classics, some apparently re-worked by the artists especially for this album. Most tracks have a slightly more down-tempo feel which I suppose is to demonstrate respect but also appeal to a much wider than usual audience.

carpets in the halls of hearts

2010-01-26T21:49:00.002+11:00

Soft. Deep, like the coat of a wintering cat,my heart feels full and sensuous;luxuriating as I am in the pleasure of this touchupon its long, un-walked halls.Toes curling in delightful wonder,on a carpet of alluring possibilities.It's not the room at the opposite endthat holds my enthrall,but the sense of the way there -each step a wondrous epitome of discovery.New love in every sinuous move -

the ubiquitous resurgence of emotional turbidity

2010-01-17T10:13:00.003+11:00

Cloudy. Cloudy thoughts like those kinds of clouds raging across an unsettled sky. The questions are the clouds.What is actually necessary? What is actually required? What is beneficial?I "know" idealistically what I want but what I want may not be what is beautiful or perfect or desirable over the long haul.The answers are feint; hidden as they are behind impenetrable mists of confusing needs

The cool, calm quiet

2010-01-08T07:30:00.003+11:00

It's going to be hot here in the next few days! Damn hot! Forecasts suggest in the realms of the low 40's Celcius (104F and then some). The temperatures these past few weeks have been up and down and all over the place. The highs and lows of the weather seem to be matching the roller-coaster ride of my life this past few years!Right now it's very mild. There's a tinge of coolness on the air as

Silent Night

2009-12-24T18:01:00.004+11:00

It is Christmas Eve 2009.Mellow air and warmth caresses this evening like a kind of balm. Christmas Eve has always had a sense of the unabashed Holy about it. Years ago I used to spend this night in a frenetic anxiousness and the crazed and over-extended ardour of The Director. I revelled in the Chaos of Christmas Eve and relished the crowds at Church, the heat and noise and blustering nerves

affairs of an online monster

2009-12-03T19:50:00.005+11:00

Short, short story time! :) Dashed this one out in under 30 mins. It probably needs 'work' but hey? I just blog for the fun of it - not because I'm a perfecto editing freak. This is really just to ease me back into this space gently. If you enjoy it - good for you! If you reckon it's autobiographical...*smirk* ... maaaayyyyybbeeeeeee......but I'm not telling! :p***Judy was an affable and

Waves

2009-12-02T18:57:00.005+11:00

I have Google Wave!!!Woooo hooooo!Thanks to my daughter who now has her own blog, I got an invite to the "beta" version before GW gets released into the wild some time in 2010.I don't have very many contacts in there yet but the whole concept has appealed to me for a very long time anyway. I do think Google Wave and others of its type may well revolutionise how we go about email and how we learn

I will be back ... eventually

2009-11-16T07:58:00.002+11:00

The tides of time and the phases of the moon have kept me from this space of late. All is okay. I won't forget to keep musing and hoping and striving and creating. Moving with the flow of things for now :)I'll be back!

Zero to wine

2009-10-09T08:00:00.004+11:00

Eating her sandwich she glanced desultorily at the bottle of coke zero in front of her and noted that the use-by date on it was the day before her next birthday.She wondered if that meant she'd be "passed her useby date" too, once it had slipped on by.Sighing she mused on the fact that beauty these days, seemed to be more like soft drink with its quick-to-consume use-by dates, instead of like

of inner bag ladies and screwy humanity

2009-09-27T18:35:00.003+10:00

lessons are learned when we hit our metaphorical heads against the obvious, which hitherto has been invisible to us.I'm learning lots of lessons in this microcosm of time called a "Weekend".Lessons about the art of practising loneliness without letting the human will rise up to scream that "It's not my fault!".What one feels is always, at the human core, one's "fault". Not a fault that is bad

back

2009-09-24T20:56:00.004+10:00

It's been a strange thing not writing in this place of late.The heart is definitely willing but the will has been left high and dry through the use - and misuse - of a multitude of other distractions. Right now, my life consists of the treadmill of work, family life and Second Life and little else.But anyway... I have plenty...plenty...of people telling me that I need to "get out there" and "meet

unsure of everything

2009-08-22T13:20:00.003+10:00

There is a line from one of my favourite songs from the mid 70's by the Steve Miller Band that goesTime keeps on slipping slipping slipping into the futureErgo the phrase is a little mundane given that time is such a difficult construct to pin down with any philosophical accuracy. Still...I need to go dig the track out and play it loud I think. It may actually soothe and answer where other

never the same again

2009-07-27T06:37:00.004+10:00

Life has changed a lot!Some for the better, some not so for the better.When I chose to leave my marriage of 18 years, I knew that any changes to come could be difficult. At the time I thought little of what might be positive about the future other than a chance to start again and for life to be "different". Certainly, I was feeling there would be more pain and distress in the staying than in

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 9

2009-07-16T21:19:00.001+10:00

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8The Psych-doc was sitting in a large faux-leather chair, the back of which towered above his head. The top of the chair had a panel, which incorporated a camera, sound equipment and recording devices. The person sitting in the chair merely had to pose the questions and all information was processed through his or her chair

it's hard not to comment on the MJ thing.

2009-07-05T10:01:00.003+10:00

So...This past couple of weeks, the world "lost" a couple of iconic personalities that have graced our screens and magazine editorials for many years.Farrah Fawcett died as a result of her long-running battle with cancer. To all intents and purposes, she appeared to have displayed great courage and fortitude and a clear desire to help others going through a similar battle to her own.She was

A wave just took on a new meaning

2009-07-04T18:16:00.004+10:00

I've just spent a very pleasant and informative hour watching a YouTube of the "preview" for "Google Wave" at a web development conference.The little YouTube vid might be one giant ad for a new product but because the product is going to be Open Source (more or less), it means that it has the potential to become one of the most revolutionary communication tools to hit our desktops and mobile

freaky mind things - a slightly whingy post about nothing much

2009-06-25T17:39:00.003+10:00

The vicissitudes of life have caught up with me this past couple of months. Since starting in my job full time a few weeks ago, I seem to have relegated a few of my favourite things to the backburner.1) Being organised at home: This is a nightmare really. I love having a tidy home and things in their proper places but currently, my in-tray is overflowing and the kitchen floor looks like it

vogue's version of a wedding

2009-06-08T16:26:00.005+10:00

Vogue Australia had a rather creepy fashion concept in the past edition June 2009. Sadly I can't find the pics I want to show you on their website so you'll have to go fishing for a copy at your local dentist waiting room now I suppose.I happened to pick up a copy to read at a local cafe while having lunch last week. A couple of articles were read...yeah ..they were okay.But then I turned the

choosing to go with the flow

2009-05-31T16:15:00.003+10:00

I've chosen a hard option.To celebrate that which I do not have.I have it but I don't.I have generally railed and ranted and complained and whined and moaned about my propensity to choose that which is - in my perception that is - the unavailable and out of reach.This time I choose to say "well yes...in this context its unavailable but in that context there it is very much available"This time I

heresy or insight...the dilemma is Now

2009-05-19T16:49:00.008+10:00

NOTE: For those of my readers who are opposed to, or find any kinds of ramblings about the christian faith somewhat annoying, please stop reading now. I don't profess to be a complete fundamentalist when it comes to christianity but every now and again, I have to muse on stuff that butts up against my faith in significant ways. This blog post is one of "those".Some online friends and I are

it's been awhile dear blog hasn't it?

2009-05-03T18:37:00.002+10:00

I've become a little slack at a number of things of late not the least of which is writing in my favourite corner of the WWW; that being this little amusing blog of mine.I don't know why I have these long periods of "whatever" about writing in here! After a week, this blog calls to me like a Siren from across a vast ocean of responsibilities and tasks. I long for it but the thought of tapping

If I knew how to write I'd...

2009-04-22T17:27:00.006+10:00

write enough "Love Actually" scripts to sink the Titanic.I'd write a "Gone with the Wind" or "The Fountainhead" classic every year.I'd write love poems, tragedy, comedy and I'd be as prolific as Ben Elton with even more of an edge.I'd write for the New Yorker. I'd write for Time. I'd write for The Boston Review.I'd write the lyrics of songs that would be sung in a hundred years time.I'd write

who do you think you are?

2009-04-19T18:49:00.003+10:00

well?Who do you THINK you are?What we see of our Selves as we go about our lives, is a screwy combination of a lot of assumptions about things that have happened to us, or are going to happen to us, or are happening to us.We perceive ourselves through a rather faulty lens most of the time. It's really hard for most people to be completely honest about who they think they really are inside.We

Musing on my relationship with food

2009-04-12T17:30:00.002+10:00

(NB: This is pretty much a stream of consciousness ramble. I'm thinking aloud sorta in words. It is probably too long and boring for most to read but for me it's my way of figuring out something baffling. You're welcome to read it and hopefully you will have an insight that can help yourself or someone else - including me - along the way).I am an eater.Nothing new about that per se. Most living

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 8

2009-04-05T14:47:00.001+10:00

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Ariadne did not feel like eating but it was against the few rules mutants had to skip meals. She went to the servery and seated herself in her usual place. A meal was placed before her, the gravy spilling a little over the edge of her pannikin. In her mind, she was sculpting a dead tree, every nuance of the carving taking up her

The mystery of emotional attachment to animals

2009-04-04T17:49:00.003+11:00

Sevvie is our 6 month old moggy. A cat of no fixed pedigree who came into our lives on a whim one fine November day in 2008. I had originally called him "4711", that being the date we got him, all wobbly back legs and tiny thing of fluff and innocence. Four legs arriving on the 7th of the 11th. Seven being shortened version of said weird name for a cat and "Sevvie" being the normalised

cloud cuckoo's pine for the fjiords too

2009-04-03T20:30:00.003+11:00

I live in the future a lot. I plot and plan, design and idealise phantasms of perfection in my work habits, my romantic aspirations and my personal development. I want to be perfectly formed physically, glowingly attractive both within and without - whilst still enjoying cold pizza for breakfast on lazy Saturday mornings. I want to be with 'The Perfect Partner', who "gets" my every mood. You

1000 buzzes

2009-04-01T23:09:00.003+11:00

It's late and the sleepy, eyes-half-closed quality of horizontal avoidance threatens to lay me flat despite the insistence to remain up. I am resisting sleep and yet I must. A thousand thoughts burble and bumble their way across the canvas of Ideas. Things to do. To say. To be. To want. To buy. To sell. To think. To read. To muse. To blog.Things too innumerable to be anything but transient, soft

getting things right with getting things done

2009-03-29T09:17:00.008+11:00

I have more than a passing interest in organisational and productivity tools and concepts. Most of my life, I've made repeated attempts at finding the synergy between being productive, organised and creative and I've used many tools in the past to find the magical formula that works for me. It's not always simple as I'm also easily bored with too much routine and tend to knock my life out of

Diigo Update

2009-03-25T20:41:00.005+11:00

I've been using Diigo for nearly a week.It's been interesting so far if a bit of a mind meltdown just for the sheer amount of reading one COULD do if you really got into this application!All over, I've found it okay so far. It does take a lot of getting used to the interface for a very slow only basically web savvy lay-person like me. Just explaining Diigo to people with basic computer skills

From the Diigo Ugh to the Diigo aHA!

2009-03-21T23:37:00.002+11:00

I've just done something "unusual" for me! Normally, I'm very careful about the kinds of things I download to my computer. I tend to trust only the stuff recommended by trusted friends or I do careful research first before I hit the "Install Now" button on any new application for my beloved "Preciousss" (aka my MacBook).Today, however, on a complete whim at the suggestion of a stranger, I

The Feminine Getting of Things Done

2009-03-20T22:33:00.004+11:00

The GTD Times, a blog I've recently only started reading due to the fact I "found" it by accident on Twitter, raises an interesting point about the massive GTD craze sweeping the corporate world. Namely, the dearth of women at the top of the GTD "game".Now, granted, The David Allen Company does have women, good women too, who regularly spruik the GTD mantra but there are very few of them outside

The Edgy thing!

2009-03-17T18:22:00.003+11:00

I have it right now... a deep underlying sense of tension and vague anxiety sitting down in my being like a lump of exposed and foul-smelling flesh in the sun.Where does Edginess come from? Why is it that some days we can feel like a "Cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof", jumpy, uncertain, fearful and yet have no basis in fact or reality for that feeling. Is it just a mutable kind of energy in the "atmosphere

The pure essence of Being

2009-03-11T22:23:00.005+11:00

Roughly around this time three years ago, I helped bat name his 'Genius'. We stumbled on the rather strange name for his innate and wonderful gift as "Being Muse".It's an odd conjunction of words for a man really.A Muse is generally considered in classical mythology as female. The Muses were the 9 daughters of Zeus and each brought a special focus to the culture of their mortal subjects

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 7

2009-03-11T22:18:00.002+11:00

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6The dream she had that afternoon changed things. She dreamed she was sculpting something from wood. A tree, old, extremely large, but utterly dead was in front of her. She could feel nothing from it and it pleased her. The tree was caught in a giant lathe. Ari was tiny in comparison. She climbed a hover-ladder and began to carve into the

The Quest

2009-03-09T14:55:00.004+11:00

All human beings are on a Quest once we are born.As children we instinctively, but without being able to form that instinct into words, know what it is we are here to achieve or simply do. In the mire of social responsibility and in the encouraged internment of our fantastic and "silly" dreams, some of us lose this knowledge and wander aimlessly seeking that which is our purpose. Not so much a

The validation of Jorga McGuire

2009-02-22T12:50:00.007+11:00

Jorga smiled anxiously at the screen. Its light was the only one in her room, the rest of which was all dark shadows and deep blue recessive pockets of gloomy distortion. Her brightly lit laptop screen fluoresced and accentuated the shadows under her eyes and the red, inflamed zits she'd been picking at."'Only14U' has winked at you" said the words on her screen. She clicked the underlined name

Watching butterflies

2009-02-19T22:18:00.007+11:00

In the strange story that is a life, you can never take too many chances on letting the butterfly of happiness rest awhile on your shoulder.Happiness - the Butterfly - is a flighty little thing. She won't be caught in a net or trapped in an enclosure or pinned to a board. She can't do her softly, softly magic dead now can she?Happiness - the Butterfly lands artfully where she pleases and it

Fractal Love

2009-02-13T22:32:00.000+11:00

Back story - Sierpinski Triangle

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 6

2009-02-08T22:20:00.003+11:00

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5"Tell me why do you draw spirals again, Ari?" His look made her close her eyes as the throbbing sensation behind them threatened ever louder. "Because it’s the only way I can cry, Dwayne" she said simply, her eyes shut tightly, willing back the violent surge of emotional intensity behind them. Dwayne stared at them for a moment, trying to understand,

Satans Saturday Playground

2009-02-08T07:16:00.004+11:00

As the state of Queensland in Australia sinks under king tides and rising flood waters and they achieve rainfall totals to break records - my corner of Australia is tinderbox dry and as of Saturday 7th Feb 2009, is burning up!Around my own home town, a large fire that skirted the town on three sides came close to ripping through this city, flames surfing on the viciously hot and powerful winds.

Phantasmic adventures over the roads of maddening distance

2009-02-05T18:21:00.007+11:00

Dakar!Associated with born nutcases obsessed with wheels and riding or driving them over the roughest terrain imaginable, at the fastest possible speed.Having purchased three DVD's in recent weeks, I have been following the series called "Race to Dakar" which is one of a set of three armchair travelogues by Charley Boorman and his team of savvy adventure entrepreneurs.The first dream was to

Alexys' game

2009-01-31T21:49:00.003+11:00

1. So far in my life I have... learned that my mind mostly observes what I'm feeling, likes to discuss it philosophically as open source material for observation and comment. However I am actually not very good at understanding my own emotions, let alone accurately - nor often honestly - expressing them.2. I am happy about my life because... I learn something important every single day. It

too hot to handle

2009-01-30T18:18:00.005+11:00

too hot to thinktoo hot to do anythingtoo hot to musetoo hot to decidetoo hot to sleeptoo hot to playtoo hot to be greentoo hot to be amusingtoo hot to coheretoo hot to knowtoo hot to geltoo hot to writetoo hot to walktoo hot to runtoo hot to dreamtoo hot to createtoo hot to attendtoo hot to wear stufftoo hot to gametoo hot for shoestoo hot for clothestoo hot for standingtoo hot for sittingtoo

Millenium Gen mi

2009-01-22T20:20:00.003+11:00

It's my birthday and I am 47 years old. I feel right at this moment, 17 years old, giddy with the fullness of loving attention being shown to me on this my "special" day. In many ways, I do identify with the modern and current trend of youthful expression, the strange mix of youthful exuberance for self-expression and individualism. I am just on half way through a full life. What lessons will

a slightly weird saturday

2009-01-17T11:39:00.002+11:00

Well... it's not like it's anything extremely out of the ordinary as such.I got up a bit later this morning after having HAD to get up very early to an energetic kitten (as you do! *sigh*).But she was still driving me nuts by 8:30am so I resigned myself to getting out of bed and doing my morning "check my mail" routine on the computer here. I do live a rather sad existence, counting on mail from

overwhelm good: overwhelm bad

2009-01-14T16:42:00.002+11:00

Seems to be a big week for me. Overwhelmed is the catchphrase of each day. My new job as a Project Worker with a Volunteer Resource Centre is taxing my brain to the hilt. I'm being thrown in "gently" by trying to absorb as much information as I can. Once January is over, and the year finally begins with the kids going back to school and volunteer groups all re-convening, my job is bound to

volunteering and do I even care?

2009-01-12T21:57:00.004+11:00

I started my new job today. I work in an agency delivering resources and information, training and options for all sectors of the volunteer community. My role is as a Volunteer Management Program Project Worker. A rather dry sounding mouthful for a job title really. It's more or less community development work with a focus on assisting Not-For-Profit organisations with all their volunteer

my tenuous home

2009-01-09T22:46:00.002+11:00

This fragile circleholds only enough to soothe us -there isn't much left over to grow us.Do not sleepDo not cryDo not breathe unnecessary thoughtsinto the ephemeral chemistry around you.Think smaller rather than biggerin the practical application ofbigger dreams.Life is a Law. Law isn't life.Be free to challenge the unnecessary.It may well be gone tomorrow or last one hundred thousand lifetimes

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 5

2009-01-06T08:33:00.000+11:00

Everything about Dwayne was long. His legs were long and very thin, his torso similarly long and wiry thin. His neck and even his face were long and thin. His ears looked as if the lobes had been stretched downwards, his nose was ungracefully long and very thin, the tip pointed and sharpened as a result. Only his eyes remained round enough for him to be considered reasonably human. He was a

The final Gathering

2009-01-04T08:43:00.002+11:00

My father's side of the family is "unusual". So I have been told by those in the know on these things anyway.Dad was the eldest of six. A big loud, brusque bunch of four boys and two girls. A close-knit and cohesive family unit growing up with an extraordinary father and mother of their own during the greater part of the 20th Century.Those six kids went on to have families of their own. I am

an overwhelming responsibility?... maybe not...it depends

2008-12-31T21:08:00.005+11:00

"There's a New Year on the Doorstep, Mother.It's come to kill the past.."Those are the first two lines of a poem I wrote at around age 17. I'll have to find the rest of it though as I forget most of the following lines. I don't recall it being particularly brilliant but I've always liked the rhythm of these first two lines despite that.What did 2008 do in your life?Did the year do anything at

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 4

2008-12-30T08:23:00.004+11:00

The scientists had long since dismissed such notions as fractals. It was considered boring computer science. Ariadne however, had simply begun to draw them. Her art was similar to a fractal from the very first, only a static version on paper and not on computer. Still, like the computerised visual equations, her imagery soared in and out of the perspective, giving the illusion of spirals

Luhrmann's Oz and The Moving Castle

2008-12-27T18:36:00.007+11:00

Two movies this weekend.The first was Howls Moving Castle on SBS Television late on Friday night (26 dec 08). An award winning film in the style of Japanese Animé, this lovely little story, blending fantasy and period, captured my imagination. There is enough in the sub-text under the basic plot to have one thinking and musing on it long after the movie is done. There are themes about the

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 3

2008-12-24T10:16:00.001+11:00

Unable to grieve biologically, Ari had developed other means of dissipating the pain. For Ari, the only way she could find solace was in her art. She had a theme, which she assiduously studied and built upon to the point where her designs and ideas contained the seeds of genius. This caused some consternation among the scientists on the other side of the Perspex screens. Ariadne’s work was

Within 24 hours, calm claimed my anxiety and beat it to a pulp

2008-12-23T11:00:00.004+11:00

yesterday she didn't have a job. Yesterday she was suffering mild anxiety and was desperately trying to be philosophical and resigned to her current situation.Today she has a job! A good job from all accounts. One practically designed for her (well...that is when she figures out exactly what it is and how its done of course).yes!I have work.I've been under more physical stress than I realised.

Musing back... Deciding foward

2008-12-22T10:39:00.002+11:00

2008 has been one Annus horribilis There's been a couple of good bits but overall, it's not been an easy year, a comforting or comfortable year or a year in which things sort of "flow" smoothly.2008 seems to have been more about personal decisions and growth on the more subjective strata of the Inner Bean.I've learned a lot more about what emotions are... what BIG emotions are. How they affect

Footnotes to the Girl story

2008-12-20T09:36:00.003+11:00

hahahaAm getting a bit of feedback of sorts re the first two "chapter" posts for a story I've been writing called "The Girl who couldn't Cry". You can find chapter 1 here and chapter 2 here.The story is entirely a work in progress. I do have a few chapters written up but they may be tweaked or changed and even I don't know where this story is going to end up. I'm just glad I have more than one

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 2

2008-12-19T18:37:00.003+11:00

The intuiting thing was a double curse for Ariadne. Her gift in knowing the feelings and mind of others could often cause her such grief that, at times, the pain behind her eyes threatened to explode her head. The need to weep in release of the guilt, pain and horror of what she saw and felt inside others, was denied her. He brain knew it as a response that was humanly natural but her

Dropbox is jaw dropping wonderful

2008-12-18T18:08:00.005+11:00

I downloaded a little application to Preciousss here today that may have the potential to revolutionize the way we do business, communicate, share information and generally collaborate over distance.It's called Dropbox and works with either PC or Mac, interfacing between the two platforms if necessary. Essentially, it's a secure way of backing up your own personal data to a web interface OR a

Can you believe it?

2008-12-18T09:08:00.005+11:00

Found this cute little article by someone who calls themselves "Divine Caroline" on the beta version of the new age spirituality website, intent.com.It made me smile because I really like it when some of the sillier aspects of the Christmas story are shown to be...well.... very silly! Laughed my head off about Mary being "preggers" trying to ride a donkey!Exactly! *Applause*The POINT to the

The Long way to Intentional "Community"

2008-12-17T22:43:00.003+11:00

I'm a "sort of" member of an "intentional community" currently finding its way in Second Life. I am not really a full member as such as I deliberately stay on the side-lines, preferring not to get just "too" involved. The community is experimenting in creating a virtual "tribe" of people who 1) want to live sustainably 2) want to build lasting commitments to people they love 3) want to practice

The girl who couldn't cry: Chapter 1

2008-12-16T08:17:00.012+11:00

Pain seared the spot between her eyes where no one could see. It was as hot and as sharp as if a poker had stoked her brain instead of fire. She longed to be able to weep for in the weeping, it might be cooled. She could not.Ariadne reached into her bag and scrimmaged about for the small bottle of tears she kept with her at all times. In the autopilot of long habit, she twisted off the cap,

Dreams et al

2008-12-14T17:02:00.010+11:00

What are your dreams?You know? The disembodied visions sequestered inside your cortex responsible for imagination and emotion? I don't mean the dreams of your subconcious as you sleep as such, but the imaginative aspirations you place far beyond capability and possibility in your life. The kind of imagination that builds a story about what you'd love to do with your life and which makes you feel