Coming Out Day

Society tells people to be themselves…

and they will find contentment.

But, sometimes…

being yourself is not

what society wants you to be.

 Today is Coming Out Day.

I think it’s much easier '

for today’s kids to “come out”.

They tend to do so earlier,

with less fuss and greater acceptance.

And, I guess… that’s because

 (finally)

“we” are prepared to accept this.

Being gay is not a choice

or a fashionable new trend…

It’s just a tiny detail

about a person's life.

I looked into suicide rates in Australia,

especially among gay Aussies

and I was so pleased to learn

 that suicide numbers

have continued to fall

since 1997.

I have to wonder how society’s

acceptance of homosexuality

has impacted on these numbers...

It seems we may have moved

past the times when homosexuality

 was denied and hidden…

when lives were not really lived

because of it.

Way back, when I was a teenager

and living in rural Thailand,

my eyes were first opened

to the openness of gay men

 and transvestites.

Thai society –even back then-

 was so accepting…

teenaged boys were so comfortable

with their sexuality…

and then, I returned to Australia

and really saw how closed-minded

 our society was.

Finally, we are more like

the Thai people…

whether or not a person is gay

is no longer a deciding factor

on whether they are good,

intelligent or worthy…

Famous gay people have helped

 lead the way, I guess.

 Kids today will have less fear

 about "coming out”.

They are free to enjoy a gay

life from a much earlier age

than earlier generations.

Two men,

who have endured endless rumours

 and gossiping…

two men who have lived together

for decades…

two men who are happy together,

 and yet…

are not prepared to publicly admit

 to a gay relationship,

are Ernie and Bert. 

 

 

Unlike Noddy, they have continued

 to be young children’s first

introduction to the idea that

two men can live together.

This day really does need

to be celebrated.

(Least we slip back

into the darker ages!)

Wave your rainbow flags with pride.

(A side fact I found interesting:

The peak age-group for suicide

 in men is 85 years and over

(28.2 per 100,000 in 2009).

Over the last 10 years,

this group has consistently

had generally higher rates than

other age groups of men.)  

 

Make Your Teddy Bear Do The Work

 

"Bring Your Teddy Bear

To Work" Day

 

My teddy had a trip

to my work yesterday.

(OK, we celebrated this day

a little early – but…

we needed the pictures!)

At first, he was full of beans

 and excitement,

ready for the day!

 

He had a turn in my chair

and sat, working on the computer.

 He thought everything was fun…

until I made him work

through his lunch break.

 He got most of my marking done,

but didn’t really enjoy

this part of the job.

 

 (He may have even fallen asleep!)

By the end of the day,

he was pretty tired and happy to com

e back to a quiet house!

 

Face Your Fears Day

I’m not sure what I most fear…

The classics?

Snake, spider…

no.

Death?

No.

Maybe… rejection…

the fear of loss, perhaps…

That’s a little too deep –

so I want to know more

about the black mamba…

such a cool snake!

 

 

Lethally venomous 

 fast and aggressive 

 perhaps, the world’s deadliest snake!

I rest easily, knowing these snakes

 are African and I’m not likely

to mistakenly step on one!

It would be hard to miss

seeing a black mamba…

they can be four and a half

metres long!

(Though two and a half metres

 is more typical!).

There’d be no use trying to run

 from a black mamba…

these cool snakes will chase you

 at 20 kilometres an hour!

When I first saw a black mamba,

I was a little disappointed.

Such a scary seeming snake,

 with such a cool name…

should be black…

jet black!

No,

the black mamba is actually

a grey to green colour.

(Far less fun)

So, where does the black come from?

The inside of their mouth!

(Now, that is scary!)

 

Adding a scary feature – their head

 is shaped like a coffin!

Like most snakes,

they will slither off and most likely,

not be seen… but,

when they are scared

by the presence of people

and the inability to escape…

 they do what I am most impressed with!

They “stand” –

with about a third

of their body off the ground. 

They spread their neck (like a cobra)

 and hiss their anger and annoyance –

 showing their black mouth.

If this is not enough

to scare you away…

the angered mamba will strike

again and again

and again and again!

Enjoy your last 20 minutes of life!

Luckily, there is antivenin now…

if you live in the urban areas

(but most mamba attacks

occur in rural areas!).

The cool black mamba

 can live for about 11 years.

 

 

 

Attack Mode

Wiki pictures one and two.

 

Things Not Done!

I’m not sure

what day it is today…

I don’t know what I should

 be celebrating or learning about…

and, I don’t really care.

I’m back to work today.

I have to shake my head

 in wonder…

How did I get through the whole

holidays and not mow the lawn?

How are the spider webs

still hanging everywhere?

(I mean everywhere!)

I was supposed to spray the spiders,

but a resourceful

and hungry bird

solved that problem for me!

The leaves, twigs and sticks

are still littering my roof

as I was too busy being lazy

to climb on to the roof…

How did I get through

the holidays without ticking

these things off my job list??

 

Lights Changing

Change a Light Day

Really?

Change a Light DAY?

Ok… here goes nothin’…

 

 

Right…

today was created to encourage

 us to change our light bulbs

 from the older,

conventional light bulbs…

to the newer,

more energy efficient bulbs.

Too easy.

 

I do remember when my light bulbs

 were changed over

to the newer, greener bulbs…

A guy was being paid to go

 to people’s homes and change

 the bulbs for them…

That was his job, at the time…

So, I let him come to my house,

step up on a foot stool

 and change all

 the light bulbs in my place.

 I felt like such a hopeless girl!

I was cringing at the possibility

 that he thought I didn’t know

 how to change a light bulb!

 I was so ashamed!

But, before long,

the bulbs had been changed,

the old bulbs were taken away,

the footstool was packed up

and I was left with

new light bulbs…

If you haven’t already gotten

the energy efficient bulbs,

today would be the perfect time

to put some in!

(And, if it’s too tricky…

call someone in to do it for you…

like I did!)

Wikipedia pictures from here.

 

 

Grab It - While You Can!

Today is Come And Take It Day.

Even google didn’t have a lot

 to offer on this one.

It seems to be exactly as it sounds

 – come and take

whatever is there…

I have a bunch of furniture

I am ready to get rid of.

I was going to use

the very Australian method

of removal and “dump it

on the roadside with a FREE sign”

 and watch it all get carted away,

through closed blinds…

But, I wasn’t quite ready

 to haul it up my driveway!

Now, I’m having second thoughts!

What better day to fill

the neighbourhood with my

 unwanted furniture than today?!

When the neighbours

get upset with me,

I can justify my actions

by explaining today’s day!

 I can look super intelligent

for even knowing about today and,

 I will look like

 I really do get in and

celebrate things with style!

Oh, street furniture dumping

 never looked so appealing!

Alas…

the constant patter

of sprinkling rain

is a strong barrier between me

 and the outside…

I just can’t seem to drag myself

out the front door today…

so, my furniture plan

will have to hold out

 a little longer!

 

(But, being most people don’t know

 about Come and Take It Day,

I could put up a sign

on a different day

and no one would know…)