Where the F*** have you been?

Workload has been hellish.

My opinions are old and boring.

I need a new muse.

Stories

My dad was telling me some gruesome stories about workplace accidents and it got me thinking about my grandad. He used to tell me stories about his past, a time which I could barely comprehend, every Sunday afternoon. Sadly I can't remember them all, in fact I remember very few of them and the details are pretty sketchy.

It's our funny and memorable stories which live on long after we disappear into the great unknown and I wish I'd written them down or recorded them before his Alzheimer's progressed. Currently he isn't able to speak, instead he says nonsensical things which have the intonations of sentences and questions interjected by his laughter or pauses for your answers but they aren't understandable words.

I knew the time would come when he wouldn't know who I was anymore, but last time I went to visit him his face brightened up and he hugged me so tight that I thought maybe somewhere in there he might have a faint recollection. But my head knows that's probably not true, and in the end the only person that makes a difference to is me it doesn't hurt him at all.

I digress, my point is that recording family histories especially that of your parents seems to be a good idea, at first painful to recall or listen to when they go but those stories become sweet reminders of the people who lived them.

Top 5: things I like about Twilight

Yes you read right, Twilight the unconquerable vampire empire loved by females of all ages and seemingly hated by the majority of the male population (most of which I suspect either haven't read it and or are jealous of the new found love of a fictional character... namely Edward Cullen).

1. I'm definitely on team Edward (as opposed to team Jacob). Why? well I'm partial to Carlisle considering his medical inclination but if I have to pick between Jacob and Edward... between a furry, juvenile dog and a sleek hundred and something year old, immaculately preserved sparkly protector I'm gonna go with the latter. So my top "like" would be Edwards delightful way of swooping in and saving the day with enough rage to match my own.

2. Clumsy, boring, plain girl meets shining, dangerous, mysterious immortal. It's not an original idea but it strikes a cord in me that I can no longer deny exists: I have a damsel in distress complex lurking somewhere in me.

3. The cheesy, yet heart-flutteringly good one liners. "look after my heart, I've left it with you", "And the sound of your heart, it's the most significant sound in my world."

4. How much it annoys so many people when a group of Twilight loving people group together and share their feelings on how wonderful Edward is.

5. Even though the books aren't exactly masterpieces there is something about the concept that has drawn millions of people to love them, buy them, and watch the hilarious movie that was slapped together as soon as it was clear billions of dollars could be made from the simple title "Twilight". In many ways it's brought people together and segregated them only so far as in the form of witty remarks and quips.

Looking forward to laughing my ass off with my best friend at the new moon opening later this year.

David Koch

Top ten: Most annoying individuals

1. Cyclists. OH. MY. GOD. Did I tell you that one of them ran into the back of my leg in the underpass leaving uni? I was heading in a straight line for the love of GOD! Couldn't he have just slowed up, or walked his bike through there? And he mumbled some kind of half assed apology.
What's with them riding side by side on the road? I'm trying to drive here without squishing you!!!! Even though my JVP is steadily increasing as I go 20km/hr behind you.
ANDDDDD they ride on the "No bike path"s near Adelaide terrace and glare at me for frickin being on the path and making them go around me. Conclusion? Cyclists are the most selfish bastards out.

2. Smokers. Oh here have some of my filthy, carcinogenic, DNA altering, headache inducing fumes! You're welcome. How about I flick some of my ash at you while I'm at it.
And no, no you are not hot so don't look at me like that smoker boy blowing smoke up in a wispy cloud above your head, I think you smell like an ashtray and will die a horrible and painful death.

3. People on the train on their mobile having an entirely boring conversation with their uber enthusiastic friend so loudly that no one is unaware. "Oh my god Alice, I saw a dog with a fluffy tail this afternoon and it was brown, hooray!" spare me.

4. Slow walking, able-bodied people in the city. I have somewhere to go, at a moderate pace and you're going so slowly that I could overtake you if I was a 90 year old osteo suffering woman with two hip replacements and a sight problem.

5. Hippies. Yes the wilderness society.... you know who you are! Quit bugging me, trying to get my hard earned cash to paint your hemp signs. FAIL!

6. Arrogant suits glaring at me in the coffee shop. Yes I got the good chair because I got here first, and no I don't have to be wearing Gucci to drink a flat white here, No I don't read the finance section because it might possibly be the most boring part of the paper.

7. Sick people coughing and sneezing without covering their mouth. The last thing I want on the back of my neck is your mucus. *shudder*

8. People who are constantly bragging about their disturbing and usually drunken sexual exploits. You're not cool, you're sad.

9. Young people not getting up for the elderly on public transport. I was on the train when a delightful elderly woman got on the train and a scruffy looking emo was sitting in the VIP seating and when she asked him if he knew that those seats were for elderly people and women with children he just stared at her and spread out more. JERK. You make me lose faith in people.

10. David Koch.

"Morality" vs Autonomy

In medical ethics you use four principles to approach situations where you need to make a decision about an individual patient or a population.

• Autonomy: The right to choose to have or not to have a procedure. Doctors must obtain proper informed consent.
• Beneficence: Do what is best for the patient
• Non-Maleficence: Do no harm.
• Justice: Fair distribution of resources and health care to society. What's best for society.

It seems to me that autonomy should outweigh all other things on this list. The patient may decide what is best for them after all you have told them that they don't want treatment for a life threatening illness. No matter what their reason is, if they have all the information about benefits and consequences of treatment it is their choice in the end to allow someone to do something to their body.

For me as a deconvert when I hear particularly staunch seventh day Adventist won't allow a doctor to give them a life-saving blood transfusion I think that that person is a fool. But as far as I'm concerned even though it is in the best interest of the patient and will not physically harm them I believe that autonomy is very important.

So as an atheist I refuse to, after giving them all the fact, force a transfusion on them when they have their own beliefs.

But there are religious soon-to-be doctors who would have me prevented from aborting a pregnancy due to their beliefs. Is that fair? is that in following with any of the ethics I've mentioned above?

They want to take away peoples options- no autonomy.

They think it's in the best interest of the child who may be only a cluster of cells at time of abortion, they aren't taking into the best interest of the mother.

Are they doing less harm? To whom? Is the mother going to be harmed by being pregnant for nine months, being off work or study, perhaps having the child of a rapist, maybe dropping out of school at 15. And then where does that child go? Does it go into the state system? Is that good for the child? What about if the baby has a cognitive disorder and will never lead a normal life?

Is there social justice? Will it cost the population more by having that child then destroying it? yes.

As much as I love a good argument when it comes to the abortion debate in particular the religious people rear their hypocritical, self righteous heads from the sand and start dictating how everyone else should be living their lives because they believe that a sci-fiesque god of their choosing created that life and it's his to take.

Without getting into how ridiculous I think their beliefs are I'm focusing on autonomy.

Why the hell should a religious doctor be able to influence peoples decisions because of their beliefs? Instead of approving the abortion after explaining the pros and cons of the procedure, offering counselling and assessing the persons ability to make decisions that doctor can refer you on to someone else because their beliefs don't allow them to approve. Though, they are in fact still handing them the gun by referring them to someone who will approve the abortion, they're not pulling the trigger but they may as well. And no matter which way they put it the patient will most likely feel more guilt than necessary when their doctor gives them that reply after they've decided that abortion is the best option. So much for ethics.

What about the religious bastards who want to make abortion illegal? I have nothing against people who disagree with abortion because of any reason it's them trying to force that belief on me and on people like me who don't agree that really grinds my gears. Who the hell are they to try and force people to abide by their religiously grounded "morals" and values? They think they're pretty hot stuff.

But there's no point arguing on the side of autonomy with them because they believe that they should be able to influence peoples decisions based on their silly and illogical worldview.

They seem to think that by doing that they are doing gods will. Funny how they always talk about gods will, god creating life and having his right to destroy it and it's not our place. And yet I don't see god doing shit all about it, it's the humans who do things.

Try convincing them of that!

I'm tearing my hair out in annoyance at their ignorance, stupidity, blindness, arrogance and utter disregard for independence.

New hobby?

I'm quite excited because I've just become the proud owner of a squash racket! My friends took me to the squash courts the week before last and I enjoyed it, actually enjoyed a sport. Unbelievable. I think the thing I like best about it is hitting the ball as hard as I can and trying to aim the ball so it's impossible to hit for the opposition.... but I'm new. and crap. But give me a month or two!

Top five things annoying the hell out of me this week

1. Being lectured on my now-eternally-damned soul by my brother for no less than 45 minutes. Major arguments included "All the proof you need is out this window", "You've been brainwashed by university" and "You're a quitter." Also... he even tried that "The power of Christ compels you!" thing and shook my head like he was exorcising some spirit. Sigh.
2. People saying that diabetes, Alzheimer's, and osteoporosis is "Just something you get when you're old" instead of taking preventative measures. Oh there's nothing I can do about it, I'll get it anyway- IE I'm too lazy/scared to change.
3. The daylight savings debate. Hand me a voting slip already.
4. The new star trek movie based on the newest series that's been running- the POOREST star trek ever made!! Enterprise story lines are more concerned with who had the hot oil rub down in the cargo bay unlike TNG and Voyager where there were real life issues, moral decisions, the difference between right and wrong etc. Grrr!!!
5. The fact that they don't make up&go's in a super value pack of 12 or twice as big in a value pack instead of three at a time. THREE?! pfft.

The merits of using socially unacceptable words.

Ah the humble swear word, while completely inappropriate in a professional context such as dealing with patients or breaking bad news to any one, is a particularly enjoyable part of language for me.

While I enjoy shocking people by saying such words especially in conjunction with politically incorrect statements or with rather dirty "Ya mum" jokes I find that people really perk up and listen to what I'm saying if I add it into a sentence with the conviction of the pope.

On the other hand I don't believe that we should rely on it to get our point across for two reasons: 1. People become desensitised to it and 2. It seems to cause some people to drop half their vocabulary. Overuse sucks, but I do believe there are appropriate ways to insert it into conversation without being a complete bogan.

Krypteria: Victoriam Speramus

I'm just sharing this song because I'm so in love with it right now. Happy Friday!