Welcome to the magical realm of blogging, where every blogger’s journey begins!
This is my inaugural post—a blank canvas with training wheels. Will I edit it into a masterpiece, delete it into oblivion, or let it sit here collecting virtual dust?
The choice is mine, I reach over grab my coffee, flex those fingers, and let my writing commence!
I just watched Van Diemen’s Land for the second time, and when they killed the young one, it hit me that it’s been over fifty years since I’ve truly felt that raw mix of hunger—real, gnawing hunger—along with fear and loneliness.
It made me think about how few people might really grasp just how tough it was to live on the fringes, trying to survive in a place where hostility seemed to hang in the air. I wonder if anyone really understands how hard it was to fringe dwell in a nation of haters.
Plastic materials are ubiquitous in modern society, and everyday products such as cutting boards, clothing, and cleaning sponges can expose individuals to microplastics, which are plastic particles with micrometer-scale dimensions.
Recent research indicates that chewing gum may also be a source of microplastic exposure. In a pilot study, investigators identified the release of hundreds to thousands of microplastics per piece of gum into saliva, raising concerns about potential ingestion. Chewing gum is composed of a rubbery base, sweeteners, flavorings, and various additives.
Natural gum products utilize plant-based polymers, such as chicle or tree sap, to achieve suitable texture, while synthetic variants employ petroleum-derived polymer bases. Contrary to initial expectations, both synthetic and natural chewing gums were found to release comparable quantities of microplastics and contained similar polymer types, including polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylamides, and polystyrene.
Polyolefins—such as polyethylene and polypropylene—were the most prevalent polymers detected in both categories of gum.
I’m not sure how I ended up coming home with this thing called a boomerang. I was disappointed by its tacky look. Despite what others thought, it seemed like a mass-produced piece of junk made from a board, with no traditional markings or signs of fireside attunement.
It was a fake—perfectly symmetrical, unlike the boomerang I remembered holding years ago. This one had “Australia” burned into it with an electric wood engraver, a common tool, like an electric fry pan. When I threw it that day, it didn’t come back. I felt disappointed, still depressed, still scared, and still lonely.
It did break, though—along a glue line, if I recall correctly. I also remember my father’s words, which made me go fetch it from over the fence. That only left me feeling more disenfranchised. I threw it away, never to be spoken of again.
Those Influencer Types
Influencers! Sometimes it feels like their job descriptions include being crass, lazy, and finding new ways to offend. Their advice? Often about as genuine as diet cola at a pastry convention. No wonder I’m skeptical—if I listened to every “must-have” they peddled, I’d need a second apartment just for face creams and energy drinks..
Skills I Actually Have (and Enjoy!)
Now, I’ll admit, I’m not exactly a rocket scientist and yes, there’s a long list of things I don’t excel at—like parallel parking and remembering where I put my glasses. But give me a kitchen or a messy room and I’ll cook, clean, manage my life, and still find time to enjoy a good movie or book. Who needs a university degree when I’ve mastered the fine art of remote-control navigation?
Shopping: My Way or the Highway
What really grinds my gears? Being bombarded by everyone and their dog about what I should buy, and why their choice is obviously the best (spoiler: it’s not). I’m all about price, how long stuff lasts, and where it’s from—because nothing says happiness like a well-priced blender that survives more than two smoothies. I keep track of different versions of products because, let’s face it, variety is the spice of life—and the secret to not buying the same disappointing brand twice.
Food Labels: The Saga
When it comes to food, I want labels that tell me everything. I want to know where every ingredient spent its summer vacation. Transparency? Yes, please! I want to read about my food’s entire life story, down to the last vitamin and mineral. If I could track the amino acids and get a postcard from each one, I’d be thrilled. Detailed information isn’t just a preference, it’s my secret weapon in the battle against mystery meat and surprise ingredients.
I read about this one day in a book, I found this in one of my pop’s garages, before nine, probably around seven or eight. Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson, I think it was, a poem that from time to time, I have taken the time to reflect upon.
I too, “have suffered greatly, both with those, that loved me, and alone”. But then have not we all.
Some people are okay with the concept of death. I am just Zen. I am sometimes drawn to Shinto, but I also could become Vegan. This is my trinity, or as some might call it, my “triptych,” though it is not about death, but about dying.
While I have a God who is always with me, some would argue that God is not a “he,” and I agree. In English, God has no shape or form, yet in my private moments the manifestation is “he.”
At other times, God appears as a “magpie,” a “dream,” a “reflection,” a “wave washing over me,” a “bullet brushing past,” or a found “carpark space.” These are moments of dialogue with what I believe to be my God.