Spyke

An early good morning to all. Just want to let you know I really appreciate this place. The banter, support, friendly advice, cute animal pics, all of it. It really is a wholesome corner of the internet. May you all have a superb weekend.

17
aussie.zone

2nd doggo walk done.

Still hopeless.

He does attract the ladies though, just not when he's passed out under a table with his face in a puddle of drool.

14
aussie.zone

Public Service Announcement for people who use drink bottles with straws in them: you need to get a brush and clean inside the straw regularly. If you use the bottle for liquids that are not water you need to clean them every day. If the bottle has a built in piece that you put inside your mouth you need to clean inside that too.

I've just been cleaning up some stuff from lost property so it can go to the op shop and some of those bottles are really nasty inside, with algae and mould growing inside the straw and mouthpiece.

13

So true! I use those little brush thingies that come with reusable straws and then put the straws and the tops through the dishwasher. The bottles have to be hand washed because they're stainless steel and can't go through the dishie. I've learnt the hard way that some bottles have these overly complex flip out parts and whatnot that are just ridiculous and not worth buying because, while kinda cool and fancy, you just cannot clean every part of every part.

Also important is to let them dry out thoroughly before the next time you use them. I've got a collection of them which I rotate. Be prepared to replace them every few months. Man, the bottles I've bought over the last 13 years 💸 It's like pegs: when you've got kids you need 2 or 3 times as many as you think you'll need!

5

smoothing out those errant alpha waves with cat purrs or classical music really works

5
aussie.zone

Miniest wanted to go for a walk today. I really didn't feel like it but went anyway. Then while we were at the local park some relos turned up with their girls and we were there for much longer than I wanted to be. I wasn't in the mood to be social but I willed myself through it. I've been so tired lately, on the weekends I feel like I've got just enough to push through the laundry and cook a meal or two and then anything else feels like an imposition. My social battery seems always on about 50% or less. I try to do something with the kids every weekend otherwise it's not fair for them, but I'm sick of having to push and force myself through everything.

11
aussie.zone

From what you post here, I think you're doing an amazing job with everything that's on your plate. I think it takes an incredible amount of strength to do everything that you're doing. Truly ❤️

Please try to take some time for yourself. You need it and you absolutely deserve it. Easier said than done I know, but if it goes on like this for a long time it'll take more of a toll on you.

Maybe for the next couple of weeks, you can take the kids out on the weekend on alternating weeks?

I don't know if that would help, but maybe it's worth a shot? It would at least recharge your social battery for a while.

9

Thanks Gibson, you're very kind to say that. I've got to think of a strategy for energy management lol

4

so many hugs

time to ask husband to do specific things if he's up to it, to ease some of the burden

8

Of course you’re tired. You’re working a job plus doing all the housework and all of the childcare by yourself. :(

7
aussie.zone

weight loss continues, I think I'm getting my face shape back, it's supposed to be oval, not round 🫠

10
aussie.zone

Unfortunately my face shape changes very little, I just grow extra chins. This happens with disappointing ease as a result of having been an obese child in late primary school.

I'm loving your gradual weight loss; it really is the only way to get it off healthily and keep it off. Go Goonsy you good thing! 💪🏼

4

It's pretty wild how face shape changes with with weight loss! I look back on photos of me from 5ish years ago and I can see the difference now!

Clothes suddenly become baggy/looser, jeans aren't tight! Belly becomes more loose skin than fat.

I'm so happy for you that you're feeling more comfortable in your skin on this journey!

4

Packing continues. Onto the kitchen now. Finishing packing clothes, just leaving enough out for a few days.

The cats are enjoying the sunny day out on the terrace. 🌞🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

9
shiny_ideareply
aussie.zone

Equinox... equine ox... a horse-like cow.

This has been today's That's Definitely Where The Word Comes From, No Need To Look It Up.

11
aussie.zone

Also wrong. It means Equine (horse) Nox (not) - literal translation: Not Horse (Day). Traditionally this was a day that farmers would let their horses rest, and the humans would perform the laborious tasks normally left to horses. Such as, pulling ploughs, taking hauls from the market home, etc.

8

That actually listens. Its (almost) opposite end of the year to Melbourne Cup Day, when horses work harder than usual. So it all balances out. I like this theory.

7
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

now you bastards have made me look it up

directly from Medieval Latin equinoxium "equality of night (and day)," from Latin aequinoctium,

5

I had a dream I was doing labouring again. It was fairly realistic and I woke up missing the hell out of the people and the atmosphere.

The work itself fucking sucks.

2
aussie.zone

I just dropped my soup, and my attempt to catch it just meant I threw it against the cupboard door instead of having it go directly on the floor. I called Mr Woof hoping for some assistance, but he just looked at it like "I don't see how your floor soup is anything to do with me" and walked off.

9
Duenanreply
aussie.zone

On the bright side you didn’t break the bowl, at least I hope not

4

It hadn't even made it into the saucepan yet. I did actually catch the jar it was in so that didn't even get dropped. It's just unfortunate I caught it upside down.

2
aussie.zone

For the third time a so called friend has scheduled a belated birthday do on my actual birthday. That will be a Regrets, none at all.

8

"Sorry can't come, doing stuff for my birthday" is a valid reason not to go.

9

I had a glorious time today wandering around Clunes at the Booktown festival and buying second hand books.

It's continuing tomorrow if you fancy getting out of Melbourne.

7
aussie.zone

Give me your most overrated actor that somehow is critically acclaimed.

Mine is Sean Penn. Apart from being an arrogant douche that beats women, his acting is pretty shit.

Dude just mumbles his lines and acts surprised at random shit.

7
aussie.zone

I don't know what the deal with George Clooney is. Apart from Ocean's Eleven I can't think of another good movie he's been in.

4
aussie.zone

Yo what?

Syriana

The Descendants

Out of sight

Burn after Reading

Monuments men (I loved it)

4
aussie.zone

Hard disagree. His acting is boring. His characters are boring. His movies are boring. The dude is overrated.

3

George is very popular because he's handsome and a really nice guy.

I liked him in Solaris.

4
aussie.zone

I respect your opinion but disagree.

Gotta love freedom of speech 😁

3
aussie.zone

Artistic opinions are 100% subjective.

Disagreeing and respect are an amazing part of being human.

Let us all enjoy what we enjoy.

3
aussie.zone

Gal Gadot - she can't act, every line is said without feeling, and she has no emotion. It always feels like I'm watching Gal, and not the character she's portraying.

If it has to be a male actor though, then Brad Pitt. He says his lines with emotion, but I can never see the character he's meant to be - just Brad Pitt being Brad Pitt

4
aussie.zone

No arguments about Gadot. If she wasn't a knockout, she'd be nothing.

Brad Pitt is interesting actually. Perhaps his fame has overshadowed his acting, cause he's got some chops.

I think he's great, but not Oscar calibre. I do enjoy his movies though.

And he can take the piss too (Deadpool 2)

2

No lie, Brad Pitt has been in heaps of my fav movies (Interview with a Vampire, 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, Ocean's 11, World War Z, etc), but I always just see Brad Pitt - it's hard for me to see past the actor.

He's good at what he does (even if he is a piece of shit human), but he doesn't melt into a role the way, say, Gary Oldman does.

2
aussie.zone

Dwayne the rock.

j. Statham to an extent

Julia Roberts to an extent (probably won't win that argument though).

3
aussie.zone

I mean... Rock and Statham play the same roles each time. And neither are really acclaimed as actors.

Roberts is interesting. I think she's great but hasn't done anything significant since the late 90s, acting wise.

However, she's a solid performer.

3
aussie.zone

oooooh I have a soft spot for Pitch Black (2000). Probs the only one he's in though heh. Filmed mainly in aus too!

2
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

Anthony Hopkins.

he did one really good role where he actually seemed to do some acting, Dr Kellog, and he was passable in Elephant man. Everything else he was very ordinary.

Al Pacino. I just don't understand the hype.

3
aussie.zone

Wow.

That's controversial as hell, and probably justified.

His Hannibal lector was great, and honestly he was great as Odin in the Marvel flicks.

World's fastest Indian was a treat too

Apart form that I can't remember seeing him in many flicks, but his performances have always been memorable.

Great pick for this silly question.

2

His Hannibal lector was great,

ordinary

it's easy to play a killer but he did not play a psychopath, he didn't give the creeps at all

it was a movie with great stills and a few good lines

memorable lines just means a good writer

ok, he was ok in 22 Charing Cross Road.

3

The only good film I've seen Al Pacino in was The Devil's Advocate

::: spoiler spoilers for The Devil's Advocate He does The Devil extremely well! :::

1
aussie.zone

::: spoiler Extended complaining I’m feeling so frustrated at how disability and other environmental barriers make hobbies so difficult, especially outdoorsy ones. Before things got like this and before I lived here I used to enjoy forest walks, gardening, tai chi, handiwork (on top of the solitary indoor stuff which is now getting worn thin). Edit: Also I gave nightlife a go but decided it wasn’t really for me.

You get the picture.

It leads to being terminally online which wouldn’t be so bad in the circumstances… but there seems to be a massive generational divide and culture shifts that make it the opposite of good.

And yeah, the internet always had a shittiness to it but there were at least some norms around managing it then (like ‘don’t feed the trolls’ ‘not your personal army’ ‘lurk moar’ and ‘do not go online and talk to adults while announcing that you’re a child’) and I’m finding the behaviour to be ruder and more maladaptive now. The users are inappropriately young and somehow more obnoxious than they used to be. More invasive.

(And yes, this is an expected function of getting older, but I have never liked kids and teens. I’ve been a cranky old person since I was 8 years old. This crop just have managed to worsen or invent new bad behaviours. Social media is getting very toxic.)

The people I actually talk to are drifting away.

I really feel like all of the online platforms except this one are just a bad fit for me, and I feel like the area I live in is also pretty incompatible for me.

Plus I’m in pain all the damn time. -_- Quality of life is pretty low right now.

I could join online disability groups but I really don’t want to. There’s little new information that I can’t Google and I don’t want it to be my identity and the centre of my life, you know?

I have other things I’d do but I’m not currently up to it. Not really workable until I get my health managed and possibly move out of my current shithole. Which may never happen.

:::

7
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

I second Low.

A move might be what you need. Find some where quiet, friendly and easy.

4
aussie.zone

If only! I would love that and possibly give a kidney to get it.

However at my income level the options are rough.

2
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

altona is nice, full of retired people sitting in cafes and the beach

3
aussie.zone

Ahhh… ahaha… I actually stopped playing some games because of the kids specifically but also other players got a little bit much in general. Single player are good but get a bit repetitive after a while.

Don’t worry about it, I’m just a bit salty right now. I don’t think I’m getting out of here to be honest.

I’ll find something I’m able to do, I’m just mad at being curtailed.

3

Maybe! I used to have Animal Crossing when I had a DS but kinda got bored with it.

Now it’s Minecraft single player from time to time but I’m not enjoying it as much as I used to.

3

Just went out and bought a new vacuum, and been using those moth pheromone glue traps. Seems to be doing the trick!!

I swear to Ahura Mazda that I'm never moving to a place with natural fibre carpet ever again.

If I can't get rid of them with the vacc, pheromone glue traps, and white vinegar, then I will contact the RE - preferably after I get a job and can afford to get Mickey into a cattery while a hardcore pest controller comes in. I'm not giving Mickey neurological damage and death with pyrethroids ffs

7

I'm always down for natural fibres, but for clothes. Our carpet is acrylic (or whatever) and it rocks. Medium pile, nice and soft, creepy crawlers hate it.

2
Seagoon_reply
aussie.zone

I once lived in a place with old wool carpets, The moths got into my mattress. 😠

I don't like wall to wall, I like rugs that I can beat the crap out of and wash.

2

Ugh! That's so fucky! Luckily my mattress is synthetic so the moths/grubs don't care for it.

My whole apartment is carpeted except the kitchen-corner (open plan) and the bathroom. I hate it!!

Thankfully the vacc I bought can be either a stick/standing one with a normal carpet head, or can be converted to a handheld with a crevice device - so I've been able to suck up every jerk moth, cocoon, and grub I've seen. I'll do another round tomorrow and get some more moth pheromone glue traps. The traps have been incredible! As soon as I opened them the moths freakin swarmed me and it!

Next place I rent will be tiled/wood flooring throughout. Fuck this shit! I want to smack rugs dammit!

1

The birds won’t stop kick flipping their water bowl to the ground. At least it’s no longer humans doing it? -_-

These fucking tree suckers are now coming up in my backyard.

Yesterday I used the rotary tool to drill holes in the bin but I really don’t know if I have the energy to start raking leaves and putting stuff in there.

7

It's a lovely day to be outside today. I've just been out taking some cuttings from my rosemary, hopefully I will have somewhere decent to plant them when I move. I have blue, pink and white flowering varieties. The blue flowering one I originally planted over 20 years and three houses ago, mostly moving in a pot, but now growing in the garden along with a child plant grown from a cutting.

I've also pegged down a bit of thyme into a pot for it to hopefully root so I can take that too, but I only grew it from a seed last year so I'm not too concerned with that one. My mint tends to grow rampant in the garden so I'll probably grab a few rooted pieces of that to take with me too.

6
aussie.zone

Beep Beep 🚚
🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍈🫐🍓🍇🍉🍌🍒🍑🥭🍍🥥🥦🥑🫛🍆🍅🥝🥬🥒🌽🥕🥐🍠🫚🥔🧅🥯🍞🥖🥨🧀🧇🥞🧈🍳🥚🥓🥩🍗🍖🫓🍕🍟🍔🌭🥙🧆🌮🌯🥗🍲🍜🍝🥘🍛🍣🍱🥟🦪🍥🍘🍚🍙🐠🍤🪼🦀🐙 🍗🥮🍢🍡🍧🍰🧁🥧🍦🍨🎂🍮🍭🍬🍫🥜🌰🍪🍿🍯🥛☕️🍵🍺🍶🥤🧋🧃🥂🍷🥃🍸🍹🧉🔋

6
aussie.zone

I had a brilliant day. Sun. Got bought two coffees by different friends and got a puppy cuddle and a toddler cuddle (don't worry I know the puppy and the toddler). Had an amazing haul at the salvos - dishes to put under my pot plants, a denim jacket and a nice blazer for work, even a bloody calculator that I have needed for ages. Shopping done and food washed and away. Kitchen cleaned. I am ded.

Only dark spot was mould on the pizza base I was planning on cooking ...boo. having a wine and thinking about what to cook instead...

I love these autumn days.

6
aussie.zone

I grew up in the tropics where it's perfect 4 months of the year and a sauna hell the rest and I find autumn with its perfect days then four seasons magical even after all these years. Dark cold august can get in the bin but autumn 👌🏻

4

I am 100% of the same opinion. You're right, August is the worst - everyone's sick of it all by then - but I'd take Melbourne's 4 seasons any day over the tropical swamp I grew up in (shitty every month of the year). Autumn is my favourite season hands down. Days like today are just magic.

2
aussie.zone

After another session I think there's a real need to help old people with better photo storage. They all have photos on external hard drives and use Windows explorer to sort through them.

It's really apparent how terrible Windows explorer is when you see less computer literate people use it. So many UI elements are small or hidden, and commonly used functions, like going back or up a folder in the directory, aren't clearly telegraphed.

A NAS would be perfect for these people, but it can't be too complicated. A set up once black box would be perfect. I did some looking and the Synology Beelink may be exactly what these people need. I may need to get one to check it out

5
aussie.zone

Probably not just old people, my photos are a mess. It hasn't helped that when I first started trying to set up an organisation system the technology kept changing, so the systems had to keep being redone. After a few repeats of that I pretty much gave up. And these days the majority of photos I have are junk, stuff like things I was listing to sell or 497 duplicate photos of Miss Meow that didn't really work.

5
tombruzzoreply
aussie.zone

That's where I'm thinking there has to be better software out there for managing photos that isn't Windows explorer. I use Bynder at work and it's great for tagging and grouping assets in a collection.

Then you stick everything on the Beestation so you can actually show it to people instead of just letting them sit on the hard drive

1

I tend to just stick everything into folders for major events/holidays and a few things like pets or garden. For actually looking at stuff I have a webpage that is basically a photo album/blog that has the best photos on it. I've found that if I don't sort the photos out pretty much straight away I don't go back and do it later.

1

Oh god don’t remind me. I really need to finish backing all my stuff up physically and then transfer it to a drive or something. It’s hard going

1
aussie.zone

I cheated so I can't say.

I'm surprised reverse image works on that.

Now what does the text say?

3

it's usually initialed as INRI

Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum” translating to English as “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

3

It's the first scene , isn't it, with the nuns walking.

I thought it was but wasn't sure.

3

🤨

biggest selling books

but who other than old ladies remembers Jacki and Ari

3
Nathreply
aussie.zone

Lately there's been this thing of making romance novels out of Fantasy. You get into it as a fantasy setup, and BAM! all about which character will shack up with whom.

It's become so big that Good Reads now has a "Romantasy" section of its book awards.

2

::: spoiler Garden The cooler weather is kinder on the plants. Less drying out. I’m secretly hoping it means fewer people about as well. Keep the disruptive ones away from me 😏

The snow peas are starting to sprout already which is good. I’m not going to be emptying the pots when the tomatoes finish and the zucchini fully die, I’m just sticking legume seedlings in there afterwards. handwave Crop rotation.

I planted 20 seeds (2 to each secondhand or improvised pot) thinking they were expired and the number that sprout do vary a lot for me… so if too many grow I might just shove some in among the pumpkins. I don’t know if the pots will be large enough but eh… handwave Companion planting.

Maybe a friend would like to take any extras for her kid’s garden. And I still have a lot of pea seeds left.

Edit: If anyone was curious the eBay rotary tool did struggle a little with the thicker parts of the plastic bin but got through. I just had to go carefully. The drill bits are quite thin so I may have to enlarge the holes with the abrasive tips intended for grinding or beveling. When I get more energy.

I got some dill seedlings to try and attract more ladybugs because the leaves and buds of the pumpkins are being eaten alive by aphids. (Yes they are now flowering!) I have eco oil but applications may not last long. Maybe two approaches together would work when one alone can’t :::

3