Thursday, May 30, 2013

Cruel & unusual punishment for being in a tragic situation

So this is what anti-abortion laws look like.

A young woman in El Salvador, married with a toddler, is apparently seriously ill. She has lupus and a kidney malfunction, exacerbated by the fact she is pregnant... with a non-viable foetus. Several scans have shown conclusively that the foetus is anencephalic. The chances are high that she won't survive giving birth, and the child will inevitably die shortly after birth.

This is so 'pro'-life. Potentially kill a woman, widow her husband & leave a child motherless for the sake of what exactly?

#throws up#


Updated: The El Salvador Health Minister has stepped in to allow a caesarian section.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Mrs Mop

Mopping the kitchen, I come across a dark mark and up the strength of my moppage. For some minutes, I continue scrubbing away, wondering how it resists my patented dilution of bleach unfazed.

Only to realise it's the shadow of a biro hanging partly off the table.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Audio

I'm really enjoying audio books. I never expected I would get much from them, always having thought that I don't tend to remember/take in information by ear as effectively as by eye. But I've listened to three long books through my headphones now, and I'm finding it really good. None of it has been fiction so far: Stephen Fry's memoir The Fry Chronicles, Mistakes were Made (But not by me) an examination of cognitive dissonance and self-justification and Jeanette Winterson's autobiography Why be happy when you could be Normal? 

I'm not sure I'll enjoy fiction in this form - but then, I was wrong about not liking audio books in the first place, so probably I should give it a go. These books have really made a big difference to my happiness, giving me something else to think about when drudgery beckons.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Sad Cat Diary

"Dear Diary, I have decided to plead with the authorities to rub my belly, I think it will do me good in my current condition. I would like to receive two rubs exactly - a third one and I will bite the shit out of them as per protocol. Wish me luck."

Friday, May 03, 2013

me no understandy

Just when I think I know what's what, and that we're on the same page; she texts me asking me to join her for a party.

Why?

I don't understand. I don't think she likes me, what is she doing it for?

Maybe it's truly quantity not quality of guests.

I feel bad, cos I know life is hard right now for her. But I don't feel me accepting her invitation will make her celebration go better, more likely I'll be a downer. Huh?

Electoral test

Voting yesterday in the local elections was depressing. There was a 'choice' of candidates, between LibDem, Tory, UKIP or independent. So: more of the same, more of the same, worse or pointless.

On the bright side, I like to think that if UKIP do get in that it could be because they're the only actual party party, so it could be just as a protest against the current incumbents? There's a lot of talk about UKIP supposedly representing issues that other parties don't ("are afraid") to deal with on the tv today, but I am hoping it's more kicking back against the assholes in charge.

But I fear that people are swallowing the xenophobic/anti-immigration bullshit we're being fed, instead of seeing* it's the powerful, rich & privileged in the finance world, playing with currency & property like gamblers, that screwed up the economies. Walking around the village lately has been depressing, with all the signs being UKIP or Conservative. On the way into town there was a huge UKIP sign, but someone evidently didn't approve and kicked it down once. It was put back up, but whoever knocked it down must have returned to write "NO!" in white paint over it. That cheered me up.



*Or perhaps they know but feel that's unchangeable?