An Atheist, a Christian and a Marriage

May 7, 2013 in Dating, Friendship, Lifestyle, Marriage, People, Relationships, Religion, Self

I go to church sometimes. Voluntarily. And I don’t mind (much). But I’m not a signed-up member of any religion, and I don’t plan on joining. When I met my husband, Jelly, three and a half years ago, I hardly knew anyone my age who was serious about religion. Other than the compulsory Christianity most of us get in Anglo Australia (weddings, funerals, scripture classes), my childhood had been pretty secular. My attitude was that church was all a bit silly and anachronistic. Where I did have a Christian friend I avoided discussing it or whispered about it (‘they’re churchy, [...]

Working The Midnight Shift

April 5, 2013 in Anecdotes, Health, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Nutrition, Society, Stories, Work

This post is a true story and contains some swearing and drug use. I slouch into work, clutching a pack of cigarettes in one hand, and a bag of takeaway Chinese in the other. The receptionist I am taking over from grins at me altogether too cheerfully, and I grunt at him. “Aww, don’t be like that!” he smirks. “It’s all very well for you,” I snap back. “It’s Friday night and you’re probably off to get totally hammered before crawling back here tomorrow.” He grins even more cheerfully. “I sure am!” “Yeah, yeah, fuck you,” I mutter, shoulder barging [...]

Marriage: I’m Just Not That Into You

March 27, 2013 in Lifestyle, Marriage, People, Relationships, Religion, Self, Sexuality, Society

Like many other girls, when I was young I would picture my wedding. There was the white dress, the flowers, the bridesmaids, and sometimes even the groom. The thing is; I never thought I would actually get married. I always assumed I would feel different when I was older. It’s never happened. In fact, I’ve become almost adamant that I never want to get married. I would like to preface this piece by saying that I love weddings. Seriously. I LOVE them! Seeing a couple stand up and affirm their love for one another is a beautiful thing. And there [...]

Reverse Body Dysmorphia: Loving The Arse of Authority

March 20, 2013 in Body Image, Health, Mental Health

I have a confession to make. I have reverse body dysmorphia. Gasp! There, I said it! For those who aren’t aware, body dysmorphia is when perfectly normal-looking people like Michael Jackson, Joan Rivers and the entire cast of any of the Real Housewives shows believe themselves to be so physically hideous that they require surgery or extreme action (weightloss, etc) to correct their deformities. Only some keep “correcting” themselves until their noses fall off or they look like total freaks, or in fact they simply die of old age because they never stop (*cough, cough, Cher, cough*). Reverse body dysmorphia [...]

We Take Valentine’s Day Too Seriously

February 14, 2013 in Dating, Marriage, People, Relationships, Self

It’s Valentine’s Day today. But I’m pretty sure you already knew that. It would be pretty hard to forget, with all the posts on Facebook, tweets on Twitter and signs and specials all over the shops. Valentine’s Day seems to have people divided. It’s the couples vs the singles. The couples say it’s a beautiful day, an expression of love. The singles say it’s a Hallmark holiday and that it’s rubbish (generally speaking). I fall somewhere in the middle. I think the idea of Valentine’s Day is lovely, it’s a nice day for people who are crushing on someone to [...]

Fiction: Old Wounds

February 11, 2013 in Family, Fiction, Relationships, Stories

Gabby held her menu up, obscuring her view of her mother, who sat across the table. “The pork looks good,” Gabby remarked. “I’m not very hungry, would you like to split a garden salad?” her mother replied. Gabby pursed her lips and tried to think of a better way to decline than, ‘No, that would leave me starving and thank you for the subtle implication that I am fat.’ “How about a caesar salad?” Gabby said. “No darling, I’m off bacon, it’s terribly fattening. Chicken salad?” Gabby tried to hide her instant gag reflex at the mention of chicken. Why [...]

Love Yourself (and a manifesto or two)

December 14, 2012 in Body Image, Gender, Health, Meta

In 2011 I realised I only needed one new year’s resolution for the rest of my life. It would be the same resolution every year and it would encompass every new year’s resolution anyone ever needs to make. It was simple. Just three words, that I’ve made even simpler and now it’s only two: Love Yourself With those two words I knew we could change the world. There’s nothing more powerful, more intimidating, more life changing and better for you than to love yourself. And when you break down that list of new year’s resolutions you may have made, you’ll see how [...]

What I Know (Or Don’t Know) About Men

November 26, 2012 in Family, Gender, People, Relationships, Self

The first thing I learnt about men was loss. It was a tough lesson to learn, especially in your first week at Kindergarten. My younger brother, Michael, had passed away from spinabifida. Grief was not an emotion that I recognised. I remember my kindergarten teacher carrying me around the classroom when I went back to school. She had the kindest heart and made me feel safe during a time of uncertainty. I remember Mr O’Brien used to come into our classroom and draw grand pictures on our blackboard and his handwriting was so neat. I wanted to be neat and [...]

Book Review: Looking for Alaska

November 20, 2012 in Books, Dating, Entertainment, Friendship, People, Relationships, Sex, Sexuality

Like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska is a young adult novel that can easily be enjoyed by adults. In fact, any of John Green’s novels make for good adult reads. He is a fan of exploring his character’s inner most desires and writes intellectually satisfying prose. The main character is Pudge (Miles), a fifteen-year-old who manages to go through life mostly unnoticed. He is scrawny, smart, and studious and stays out of trouble. His one quirk is memorising people’s last words. It’s this pastime that leads him to pack up and move to boarding school in [...]

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

November 15, 2012 in Books, Dating, Entertainment, Friendship, Sex, Sexuality

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a young adult novel, but it certainly falls into the category of YA fiction that adults would love. The story is told through letters from fifteen-year-old Charlie to an unnamed friend. Charlie is apprehensive about starting high school after his only friend committed suicide a few months prior. He feels like no one understands him and that he is destined to go through life alone. This is a coming-of-age story that explores the importance of friendship and the need for us all to feel accepted. Charlie feels disconnected from his family and doesn’t [...]