skinks, heat, mountain-tops and comics

the skinks are cranky. specifically, splodgy the blue tongue, who everyone else insists on calling 'stinky' because, well... he smells a bit, is pacing his house moodily, ramming his little head under twigs, putting his little paws up against the glass. i want to let him crawl around outside the house, only he's being sprayed for mites and ticks today, and i need to keep them in confinement. no water either. fortunately, they are desert animals, and it's not going to hurt them.

the Lizard People have given excellent advice - Dr Cuddle's lack of teeth might not be animal cruelty, but just the remainder of a disease, or something... he had a big meal of Crumbly Lizard Feed, and loved it. i think splodgy has settled. the bunnies had cherries today, which delighted them, and i gave one to audrey rat, and she grabbed it so excitedly with her itty bitty hands and devoured it.

today, two new books - the first volume of 'love and rockets' - 'maggie the mechanic' -- and the first mouse guard comic bind-up - 'mouse guard autumn'. i had ordered 'mouse guard autumn' online, and the order got cancelled, which was disappointing. but i am going to move between these two and poetry while my focus is still wavering a little.

any suggestions of female poets to read are encouraged - my preference is 20th century at the moment.

Now, to CURRY. i am not a very excellent cook, but i do like making curry, and making it simmer for ages to make it strong an' tasty and delicious. so i goin' to cook that and leave it, and have a delicious fruit salad too. and make cous-cous to take for lunch this week.

sore tired attempt at blog post

i was going to write a reflection on the Forgotten Australia's apology, but i felt too ... mentally exhausted by working so closely with it to say anything substantial.

i was going to ponder the question/rant someone posted at me about the fact i do pole dancing fitness classes - they accused me of supporting female subjugation due to a fitness class, and i get irrationally furious when men tell me how to enact my feminism. but, i don't have much of substance to say, other than to raise the question of how this is different from other forms of dance, and if it matters?

i was going to write about the book i just finished reading - "the year of living biblically' by A.J. Jacobs - let's see -

i really enjoyed it. i like his writing style; it is easy, it flows well, it is personal without being forced, and intimate without that detracting from what he is investigating. his analysis of his own behaviour is interesting, and honest, and the interludes to his family life are actually quite touching. and i enjoy it as a way of looking, and really, honestly investigating the bible's content in such a deeply intimate way - enacting the rules with your own body, your own life. it is a daring thing to do, and i think he writes about it in a way that honestly communicates both the problems of fundimentalism, and the many, many variations of it, through his discussions with adherents to the faiths.

Jacobs also approaches all of the people with an openness i found refreshing. it's so easy to laugh at these seemingly absurd beliefs; but rather, he doesn't aim to make fun of them, but to try and understand what they are doing, what they believe and why they do. the scope, and the lightness of the tone of the book didn't allow for a thorough investigation of this - but this was not his purpose, and nor was there the space to do it.

not everything sat comfortably with me - i think there were two points where i stopped and went 'huh? i don't know about this...' - both towards the end. but i like that. i like that i was not sure how i felt about it. and it's not likely to be something i need to mull over - these are not issues i need to deal with. but any book that allows me to approach religion critically, compassionately, and gently humorously is something i respect.

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today, my complete works of anne sexton arrived. i need to add Carol Anne Duffy to my 'list of female poets to read'. anne first. i am excited.

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i got two new pets. a splotched blue tongue lizard, and a shingleback. the blue tongue 'musks' a lot - ie, puts out a 'sexy' smell for Da Ladies. the shingleback nuzzles you with his little face. they are both adorable little muffins.


this is the shingleback. the name is Dr Cuddles - N and i suspect he is a she, so Dr will suffice as a title.

the bunnies seem indifferent to the lizardly additions.