Monday, January 30, 2017

Happy New Year

Well January is almost over, and it's 2017. I haven't posted since June 2016, so that's me, averaging out at about two posts a year.

Pathetic.

I am overwhelmed, overloaded, and over it.
We are moving house. And as well as moving house our landlord and real estate agent are insisting on an inspection while we are packing up! What idiots. The new house is cheap but so far away from here, the kids are all unhappy and I am just doing it for Clokes. Also means we can save money and think about buying again. But really. SO FAR.

And Tr*mp. God. What the fuck is happening there? You can't turn on twitter without feeling all is lost. Facebook is better for that sort of stuff but a haven for narcissists. I am hating both at the moment.

I can't keep up with my blog here, obviously. And I struggle to keep up my author page, though do better there.

Good things:

- health. No more bottom issues, no more reflux. Am on an eating plan and it is going so well. I have energy, am losing weight. And it's sustainable.

- we have a cat and he is the joy of our lives. So strange. And poor Gigi - a bit neglected, although we are walking 20 minutes after dinner (part of the eating plan - it's 'walk back to camp' so we are taking her. It's about all she can manage.

- my second novel is being published. Big relief.

- the family is all well

- the kids are all good

- my walking is going well. Doing an hour most days a week.

- the business is going well. We doubled our invoices last year from two years before. We have taken on a new educator so that's less teaching for me I hope.

- some things in the pipeline with the writing world, ie some festival appearances etc. Am happy about that.

- I've started writing a diary again most nights. It's helpful for writing stuff down but also helpful for working things out (writing things). Maybe one day I'll get back here. I reckon if I wasn't on twitter and wasn't on facebook - both HUGE timewasters - I'd be able to post here once a week easily. And read a fuck load more books. And keep a tidier house. And do more writing.

One thing I wanted to do this year was read up on totalitarianism and all that. I bought a stack of books, so I will get to them. Want to devote a few months to informing myself. I also want to stand up and call out stuff - however and wherever. It is so wrong what's happening in the world, and my instinct is to draw in tight, and I get that's what a lot of people will do, but it's so inspiring to see people making a difference.

Are other people struggling with all this stuff? It feels like a first for me. A first time that I've been really worried about the world. Maybe my denial is wearing thing.


*

How are all of you?




19 comments:

Alex said...

Hey Melbs. Good to see some activity here … that isn't spammers talking about how great iStripper is. Also good to hear that family, business, and health are all good. Don't neglect your old dog too much. You might regret it when she's gone.

Let me know if you want a reading companion for your journey into totalitarianism. I wouldn't mind reading a bit about political history, and I probably can, now that I AM FINALLY HOME!

I have started diving into the great social justice wars currently raging across Twitter & Youtube … and the streets of Yankland … and other places. Personally, I think there's plenty of blame to go around, with no small portion going to the political left, which seems to have lost touch with the working class—and to some extent—reality. Also, the partisans who were willing to hand-wave everything Obama was doing because he was a Democrat who gave some rousing speeches and "OMG teh 1st black prezident—how progressive!", and were willing to back Hillary because "OMG teh 1st women prezident—how progressive!"

I still have hope that Trump can do some good; like a dose of salts ripping through a body politic that has become entirely full of shit … he probably is going to leave a mess on the floor though. If nothing else, at least he knocked TPP on the head.

Finally, a rellie put me onto the "My Dad Wrote a Porno" podcast. The premise is that a 60 year old, Irish retiree has seen the success of 50 Shades Of Grey and decided to have a go at self-publishing erotic fiction. Each episode, his son—along with two mates—read and critique a chapter (working through each book in sequential order). It's quite funny, even if the audio production betrays the fact that it's probably not as authentic as they would like you to believe.

suze2000 said...

On Saturday I quit Facebook.

Well, I posted that I'm taking a break for a week and that people who wanted me should text or Messenger me.

I do not miss it. Much. But I think the missing is partly due to habit. It's usually the first thing I open on my lappy in the morning and on every break at work, and when I get home of an evening. I really do NOT miss the relentless barrage of outrage. I have some friends who are soooo left-wing they seem to be bending themselves into a pretzel to be PC. I'm as sick of them as I am the people who think it's okay to send people packing just because of the mystical sky-god they believe in.

And while I'm complaining about these people, can I just say: F*cking vegans! Last week I had a friend comment on something (on FB) about how ridiculous it is to eat meat just because someone 10000 years ago decided that it was a good food source. Well hey, just let me point out that 10000 years ago we didn't have tofu, and also if they didn't eat meat, you would BE HERE because they would all have withered away from chronic iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies etc etc and also that veganism (even more so that vegetarianism) is dependant on 21st century medicine, in particular, iron injections and (in the case of another friend of mine) iron infusions, and vitamin B12 shots/tablets. Not to mention the highly processed meat substitutes they eat, and also the ridiculous amounts of processing (and food miles) involved in even the simplest things (like, for example, tofu).

Okay, great I finally got that off my chest (I mean, I told my husband, but he hears everything from me and has to agree with it regardless if he wants to continue having sporadic sex, sooooo does that count?)

Anyway, I think Facebook and Twitter have just descended into an outrage-fest and people have forgotten that FB is supposed to be for connecting with friends. Who you like, without the outrage. (I quit Twitter about a year and a half ago because I just didn't have time for it, and apparently it's full out outraged people too)

Apparently, Instagram is a nice safe space that still only contains pictures of kittens and people's perfect homes, if that's what you like. :)

So Melba, where are you moving to? If it's the North, I can at least help with recommendations for food and the like. (I live in Preston, after 8 years in Ivanhoe). Also great about the second book, health (what was wrong with your bottom?), business and cat. :)

squib said...

I want to respond to this but we just got a new dog and he's full-on. I will return at some point

Alex said...

What's the new dog like Squib? What breed? Puppy, or fully grown? Bought or adopted?

The world has indeed gone mad Suze. Have you gone back to Facebook yet?

suze2000 said...

Yes, I went back a day early, but it's still annoying me a LOT.

Did a sourdough baking class today - well, most of one, because I had to go home sick because the room was so hot and humid by mid-afternoon I thought I was going to vomit. But we didn't leaven the bread for long enough (I'm aiming to leaven it overnight for nearly-gluten-free bread that's not full of flour substitutes, which I suspect could be almost as bad for me as gluten itself, as I suspect they are all high-GI.



squib said...

New dog is gorgeous but hard work (esp as MrSquib is not here). Breed is Chodsky Pes, nearly wiped out in WWII - bought, yes I know very wrong to buy a dog and not adopt. 15 weeks old

Back to above: I joined Twitter briefly for some Tweet your book Pitch shit but am steering clear of it as I already waste enough time on FB. FB is supposed to be for keeping in touch with friends but it feels like a ghost town lately with 'To Let' signs in the windows. Sometimes I get peeved at all the grandstanding but I think in the present case it feels necessary to say something because it's so gobsmackingly outrageous. On the other hand, I'd also like to never ever hear/read the T word again

Courtney Barnett put Preston on the map. I had never heard of it before that song

Speaking of tofu, I don't know if you read what I said at Alex's joint about the 5 day mimicking fasting diet I went on before Christmas but just doing it once has completely changed my food preferences. It's very weird as I'm normally such carbs person - pasta, bread, potatoes to the max. Suddenly I'm all rice and soba noodles and tofu (only problem is LittleSquib does not share my enthusiasm and I have to cook her separate stuff- MrSquib BTW is now working in oz

Congrats again Melbs, re: book and everything else being relatively fine

Alex said...

Wow, if Mr Squib is back in Oz, is there a chance that you will all be moving back?

It didn't occur to me that people consider it wrong to buy a puppy. I always think there's a danger with adopting, in that you don't know how the former owners have treated the animal (including spoiling it).

And aren't rice and noodles just another type of carbs?

squib said...

Fair point but soba noodles are wholemeal. I guess rice goes hand in hand with soy sauce which is surely better than Parmesan and bread. Anyway carbs needed for brain function but I just think it's weird how my taste has suddenly changed

Unlikely that we can move back given that houses are simply not selling due to crash. Also the pound is worth nothing. I wouldn't rule it out completely though



Alex said...

You can feed your brain fat in the form of ketones, but that involves basically going carb-free, which sounds like it would be off the table for you.

When I went carb-free, my tastes completely changed as well, so I know what that's like. My appetite also dropped to a fraction of what it was.

I notice a lot of the Pommy podcasters I listen to are complaining about the Pound at the moment. You're just going to have to wait it out, I guess. It can't stay down forever.

phoenixmummy said...

Hi people, mind if I jump in, one or two months late? Melba, it's so good to read about your home life on here, I've missed it, especially given we had to cancel our last catch up due exhaustion on both sides.

I am struggling with the whole Tr*mo thing as well. My fb and twitter are full of them too and it's damn depressing to see the world in such a state. Yes I am worried, but am trying not to be. The world is not getting any better, so yes, am pulling in tight and only concentrating on my own world, because I don't have the energy to fight. I am so, so tired, so tired of doing everything. And teaching, though I am having success and people are noticing my contributions, is wearing me out.

My kids are good, they are excelling. They are growing into gorgeous, conscious young adults and I am very proud of them. This is our 5th full year back and I still share the story of how my blog, started at your suggestion, saved my sanity.

How is Princess? She must be so proud of you, as we all are, of your success with your writing. I can't wait to read the second one. You've moved north too? Let me know where you are, if I am in the neighbourhood....Much love to you. xx

Melba said...

Oh look at all of you, gorgeous people.
Here I am, so late to reply.
Suze - we are near you! More Reservoir way. Would love food recs. And my bottom stuff was a fissure, triggered I think by hormonal stuff, stress, a week of no walking and irregular toileting, and dehydration caused by yoga in an extremely hot room. Glad you asked?
The eating is going well, pretty much carb free apart from what's in salad.
But am struggling with ongoing chronic sinusitis again argh.
Princess got her license last week so that is pretty big. And she has listened to/is listening to My Dad Wrote a Porno - she finds it really funny and told me to listen. When I say the dog is neglected I don't mean really, like you don't need to call animal welfare. Agree about adopted animals versus bought. There is a real thing against buying animals now, but you really don't know how their early life has been. We got the cat as an abandoned little boy but he was two weeks they think when they found him so no previous owners however he does have some behavioural issues, ie pretty feral, so that's fun and games.

Glad everyone is still out here in blogland.

Jo we will have to catch up this year for sure!

Alex said...

Have to admit that sometimes Blogland feels a little bit desolate these days. Still seems better than packing up and moving to Facebookland though.

I didn't think you were criminally neglecting your dog Melbs, but old pets are a bit like old rellies: once they're gone, you'll probably wish you'd spent more time with them.

Also, don't neglect your old rellies.

phoenixmummy said...

Hey Melbs,
Definitely make time to catch up this year. When you've got a gap in your busy timetable, drop me a line. xx

suze2000 said...

Had just been posting on Alex's blog that I found your IRL blog on Wordpress. There's some interesting stuff there, but I do not want to create an obvious link between here and there because I think we (most of us in our tiny community) are pretty clandestine about this space at Blogger. I know though that if someone were to google suze2000 they would find it, and there's a large number of people I know IRL who could find my posts, they aren't aware of whose blogs I'm following and writing comments on and this is my safe space.

But if you want to discuss S-Town or The Handmaid's Tale, you should pop over to Alex's blog and make a comment or two. :)

Melba said...

HI I'm back Suze. Ah the handmaid's tale and s-town yes let's discuss at alex's...

it's strange, i couldn't sign in to my account to comment here but alex emailed me a link to her blog and i went there and for some reason was signed in... anyway glad i'm back and it's fixed.

Alex said...

Happy new year, Melbs.

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