personal political

post-op

• About 600ml of fluid (" a kind of dirty colour", said the doc) was drained from the cyst on Friday.

plan c (aka plan a)

Um, there is no clot. It was an artifact.

the good the bad and the complicated

The bad - co-parent's coat was stolen from her car today, with her wallet, digital camera and iPod Touch in it. 

present tense

I seem to have something wrong with my ovary.

men and abortion

Leslie Cannold has a very strong article in today's Age on men and abortion.

circs

There's just been a huge HIV/AIDS conference in Mexico, which I didn't see any mention of in the media here (though that might indicate more about my non-reading of the Australian media than about what they publish.) A friend of mine attended from England, though as she's not back home yet I haven't heard her account. But I came across this discussion of the anti-circumcision booth at the conference - there's been a move (largely from the US) in recent years for male circumcision as a counter to HIV transmission in Africa. This discussion neatly summarises the phallacies in that position and there's a link to a webcast of the anti-circumcision session at the conference.

party talk

I've been to countless 40th birthdays and several 50ths and a couple of 80ths, but last night was my first 70th - and it was for a friend, not a relative. Such is the age bracket I now move in.

georgia

If, like me, you didn't have a clue about the Georgia/Russia situation, this analysis by Immanuel Wallerstein is enlightening.

friday night laptop in bed meme

taken from Suse in the soup

Eye Colour: green
Hair Colour: my reflex is to say 'very dark brown' but in fact it's now grey/white
Dyed or Natural: undyed
Curly or Straight: curly
Right or Left-handed: Right
Tan or Pale: a bit of both, because one parent was olive skinned and the other was floridly pale
Jeans or Khakis: both, occasionally but not regularly
Country, Rap, or Rock: of those three, I'd opt for women's country
Heritage: Polish, Irish, English, Jewish
Shoes you're wearing today: black slip-on shoes from Birkenstocks (one of those Birkenstock sub-brands)
Your weakness(es): Currently, playing word games on Facebook. Chocolate.
Your perfect pizza: Napoletana.
Favourite colour: I don't like insipid pinks and am not particularly fond of yellow. Other than that, I like most of them.
Favourite place: My locality in inner Sydney.
Goal you'd like to achieve: Being able to run again without getting a sore knee.
Your most overused phrase(s): I don't overuse any phrases, that I'm aware of.
Your thoughts on first waking up: what time is it?
Your best physical feature(s): My hair, shoulders and fingernails.
Your bedtime: Usually 10.30-11pm.  In my early 30s, I remember hearing the 1am news on the radio most nights.
Your most missed memory: I assume this means someone I most miss? My mother and my dear friend Catherine.
Pepsi or Coke: Neither. I've probably only had about five glasses of this substance in my entire life (not counting the rum and coke phase in my late teens.)
McDonald's or Burger King: Neither, I'm a vegetarian. Don't think I've ever set foot in a BK. I've been in McDs with other people and eaten their chips.
Single or group dates: Don't date.
Adidas or Nike: My current trainers are Nikes, surprisingly.
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Yuck.
Chocolate or vanilla: vanilla as a flavour, chocolate as a food in itself.
Cappuccino or coffee: I've never drunk coffee.

DO YOU:
Smoke: No
Cuss: Usually only when driving.
Have a boyfriend/girlfriend: Yes.
Take a shower: Every night before bed.
Have a crush(es):  Not currently, though I wouldn't mind having one.
Think you've been in love: definitely
Want to get married: absolutely not
Believe in yourself: Yes
Believe in God: No
Believe in your government: I wouldn't use the term 'believe in' about any government. I don't mean that cynically.
Get motion sickness: If I read or look at a map in a moving car.
Think you're attractive: Much less now than I used to be.
Think you're a health freak: Semi.
Get along with your parents: They're both dead and when they were alive it was more complicated than that.
Like thunderstorms: I don't mind them. I enjoy some.

IN THE PAST MONTH, HAVE YOU:
Drunk alcohol: Yes
Gone on a date: No
Gone to the mall: No
Been on stage: No
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No (needless to say, this is a very American quiz).
Eaten sushi: I don't think so. I'm not a huge sushi fan.
Been dumped: No
Gone skating: No, but I did take my son skating.
Gone skinny dipping: Haven't done that for quite a few years.
Stolen anything: No.

HAVE YOU EVER:
Played a game that required removal of clothing: No.
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes. I wish I hadn't been. I once fell off my bike into some snow simply from being drunk.
Been caught "doing something": Doing what?
Been called a tease: No.
Gotten beaten up: Not even close.
Age you hope to be married: Never.
Number of children you'd like: At least two.
Describe your dream wedding: I have no such dream.
What do you want to be when you grow up: I don't know yet.

WHAT YOU LIKE IN THE same or OPPOSITE SEX:
Best eye colour?: brown
Best hair colour?:  dark
Short or long hair: above shoulders. I don't like very long hair on women or men.
Height: not too short
Best first date location: restaurants, cocktail parties, parties - somewhere with other people
Best first kiss location: outside the restaurant, party, nightclub - after the first kiss, you decide to go home together.

IN THE NUMBERS:
Number of people I could trust with my life: I'm trying to imagine a 'trust with my life situation' and failing ...
Number of CDs: Not very many at all.  About 40 in total.
Number of piercings: Just one. I've been meaning to have the other ear done for years.
Number of tattoos: None
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: I don't know about newspapers - a few times, maybe. I have about four pages on Google.
Number of scars on my body:  Laparaotomy/caesarian, laparoscopy, various cuts and childhood falls, that's about it.

futures

In September we'll be moving to London for a few months. I'm thinking of doing something different then, blogwise.