Protective (or the one where a dude nearly punched me in the face)

It has been bloody AGES since I have written in here. Life has gotten really busy of late. Really busy. So busy that I realise something. I am not giving myself me time. Me time to write. At the moment my head feels really clogged and I need to unglue it. While I am busy unclagging (remember Clag?) I thought I would put this up.

There have been a few instances of late where I have been talking to friends and they have been explaining their troubles or their woes and I get really fired up and protective. Like, really.

It reminded me of a post I wrote AGES ago back when myspace was cool, and I thought I might post this in lieu of me getting my thoughts together. (fingers crossed eh?)

It is a delightful tale of a group of girls out on the town. Let me take you back five years ago now, when I nearly got punched in the face by a man for standing up for my friends ...

[insert Wayne's World scene change effect]

I went out to a pub (admittedly one that I'm not the biggest fan of) to meet friends. Before this night, I had the - I don't really care where I am, as long as I am with my mates - attitude which I think I have now lost.

Now let me set the scene ... I was with a bunch of my girlfriends - all of us dressed quite casually I was in a t-shirt and jeans. (Note - not sure why I thought this was an important fact to add, like what we wear should invite this sort of behavior)

Just comfie and wanting to have a good time when we were surrounded by a group of men - okay, not great but should be no big deal right? Not at this point - so we just kept dancing and laughing amongst ourselves when one of two of them tried to dance behind some of us, so we just danced away from them. Now we weren't rude, we just moved ourselves away so as not to encourage them.

It was then that one of them decided to grab one of my friends inappropriately, grabbing at her hips and waist and pulling her towards himself. In which instant, one of the most calmest and sweetest girls I have ever met had to push them away with force. It happened to another of my friends and she did the same thing - it was at this point that one of the men grabbed my friends arm so violently it made me sick to my stomach (she still had marks on her arm the next day) without thinking too much about it I stood in between them, and just started screaming at him. That was it for me I was not going to stand there and watch this bunch of absolute neanderthals treat my friends like this.

This guy was about 40 years old and I had my arm up pointing at him (not being the tallest banana in the bunch) and he was screaming (and I mean screaming, not yelling, screaming) at me demanding me to put my hand down, like how very dare I challenge him. He seemed like the type who did not take well to a woman challenging him. He was shaking with anger, which made me even angrier. That's when I saw that he was going to punch me - hand balled and raised - when he was pulled back by his mates.

Wait, how did that just happen?

I think about it now and it's scary, but at the time I was so furious. Actually, it still makes me furious.

It was when things calmed somewhat that I was struck with that sick feeling again. Is this a common occurrence here? It was a packed pub and no one blinked or even came to help us.

Then I couldn't believe this 18 yr old kid slides along and tried to pick me up telling me he saw what happened and thought that I handled myself well.

"I am sorry, you watched that? You watched that and didn't think to help or get help?" I said.

His charming response ...

"You get what you deserve when you come to this place" he spat.

That pissed me off as much as the other mutants. IN WHAT WAY DID MY FRIENDS AND I DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS?

We were keeping to ourselves. Trying to dance with each other. Would you believe that this was actually unfortunately the second time I heard this statement about this place in one night ... clearly that is the mindset of the men frequenting this bar and I think that is terrifying. Just terrifying.

End. Rant.

*side note not all men are cock-knockers. This is not a she-woman man hating post!

Things I hate to admit, being a modern women and all ...

So I can't actually change a tyre. Yep. I know. Lame but true.


Actually it KILLS me to admit that. 


I like to think of myself as a feminist you know, no pink jobs and no blue jobs. Women can do anything men can.


But there are a few things I Lucille Ball it on. 
Spiders are included here and snakes actually.


On mothers day, I was visiting my awesome Mum. My boyfriend had made her a batch of rocky-road and I had it packed in the back seat in a freezer bag along with the pug. Dangerous but he couldn't get to them.


When all of a sudden my steering went funny. I thought, just try and get to Mum and Dads as I wasn't very far away. Of course it got worse and I had to pull over. Yup. Flat tyre. 


It has always been something I have meant to learn but it just hasn't happened. So was calling the NRMA when all of a sudden a lovely man on a motorbike stopped and helped me. He changed my tyre for me. He was so nice about it and wouldn't take any money for it either. 


Driving along afterwards and he speed up on his bike to catch me. The tyre he had just put on was looking flat so he motioned me to pull into a servo where he filled the tyre with air and then made sure the rest of my tyres were done. (OK, I do know how to do that but he did it anyway). I just want to say a big fat thank you to the man dressed in leather who helped me get to my Mum's on mothers day. You are awesome.


And yes, perhaps I should get around to learning to change a tyre.

Epiphany

Walking to the train station after work today with my fairly shitty haircut swinging in the wind and with my pants a little tight from the extra treats I have been indulging in lately, I thought to myself with a smile, "I feel confident". 


Maybe it doesn't matter what I look like, only all how I feel. 


BING!


Epiphany.


Have you had an epiphany lately?

Pug life!

We are pug sitting the gorgeous Cookie Monster this weekend. Mikey is completely in love with Cookie Monster and harasses follows her everywhere she goes ... 

Funeral

I am exhausted. It's good to be home.


Nan's funeral was on Friday. We got up early on Friday morning to drive nearly 6 hours to Dubbo. Getting ready for the funeral was a little surreal, like it was something else we were getting dressed up for. It really hit me when we got to the church and saying hello to my family. As soon as I stepped into the church I had to tell myself to breathe. My beautiful boyfriend held my hand.


After not being able to speak at my Pa's funeral I am very proud to say that I did my Nan's eulogy. It was mostly my blog post I wrote a few hours after she died, and a few other things that I added to it. 


It is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. I was the first person up to speak (which I am grateful for) but when I got up there, I had trouble composing myself to talk. My lovely dad got up and stood up there with me and put his arm around me and gently encouraged me when I had trouble. Thank you Dad. I know Nan would have loved it and I am so glad I was able to have that opportunity.


My brother and cousins also did a readings that were lovely and my male cousins and my brother were pallbearers. I couldn't look at them while they did it but they did a wonderful job.


As my cousin said at the wake, it is a shame that it is something like this that brings us all together. I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw everyone in one place so it was really nice in that sense. 


Exhausting though. 


My boyfriend and I shared a room with my brother. Love my brother but after not getting much sleep the night before, to then share with my drunk brother snoring his head off, was not at all fun. Highly entertaining while he was drunk and stumbling around though!


I also got to pick some of Nan's jewellery. I am wearing one of her rings now. It is silver with a black stone, it is something I would have picked for myself. I don't really wear any jewellery so it feels quite foreign sitting on my finger, but its nice to look down at it and think of her. 


I have it on my middle finger so if I give anyone the finger she will be right there with me. I think she would have had a good chuckle at that. 

Today

Today, my nan died. 


Just like that. It is a sentence. It is real. 


Just Tuesday night I was having dinner with my friend and he was talking about his grandma who has high onset dementia. I could relate. My nan, my only living grandparent, had it. 


She lost her speech and even her ability to walk a while ago now. 


I feel like I grieved for her a while ago. My nan. My partner in crime. I didn't expect to feel so raw. I am feeling it all over again. 


Dementia is one of the worst things I have had to watch in my life. It is the cruelest of cruel. I remember when my nan's license was taken away. She said to me then. This is it. I have lost my freedom.


I used to ring her every morning at primary school waiting for my friend to come to my house so we could walk to school together. I would fill her in on what was happening.


I wish I had a better memory. I still have a story she told me that has been branded into my brain. I am going to use it one day for a story. She will be the heroine. She was ballsy, my nan, and bloody funny. 


She was. 


That doesn't sound right. 


Her house got sold a while ago. All her things taken away, besides what she needed in the home. I wish I spoke up and got some of her books. I wouldn't care what ones. 


I remember a Bill Cosby video she had. We watched it so many times. That and a tape of Bugs Bunny cartoons. The one where he is an opera singer? LEOPOLD! It still makes me think of her. 


She was just funny. She got drunk on two stolis at our place years ago. She was hilarious. I think she nearly slid off the bar stool after having two.


She would tell me about the jokes the yanks would say during the war. When I blossomed early she took great pleasure in telling me "Tit's a nice day today isn't it?" and "Hiya tits, I mean toots!" She called my dad Ted, short for Shithead. But they loved each other to bits. When nan called the house dad always has to answer and says in a loud accusing voice "WHAT TO DO YOU WANT?" and they would both give each other shit. It was their routine. 


My school burned down when I was in year ... 1-3? Shit, I don't remember. I was off for 3 weeks and was at her house all the time. She bought me a Clancy the Koala doll. (remember him from Young Talent Time?) to make me feel better. 


The smell of black coffee and cigarettes always remind me of her. 


I don't quite know what to do with myself. 


It is my last day at my job tomorrow. 

CHOP CHOP!

Here is Mikey (otherwise known as the evil genius) after the chop last Friday. Yup, see ya later testicles!

Don't let this cute face deceive you. This is the face he puts on when food is around. 
"I can take that off your hands if you don't want that?"

He is quite fond of sitting in the sun. So much so that we have to keep an eye on the little bugger so he doesn't heat up too much with his black coat.

He has been pretty itchy with the stitches and started rubbing himself on the lounge like it was sexy times ... cut to late Monday night and my love and I had to rush off to the vet as he had *ahem* quite literally rubbed one out (a stitch that is!). He now has some bright and shiny staples in his balls/gut. Monday night was not fun as wouldn't settle when we came home. Cut to 1am and all I can hear are his nails trotting around the floor boards so I ended up snuggling on the lounge with him. He fell asleep right away and but have a pretty rough nights sleep. He was shaking with pain for a bit so I can hardly be cranky at him. Little darlin just needed a cuddle. 

This morning (after sleeping at the bottom of our bed ... not a regular thing) I woke early to the sound of licking. 

Continuous licking.

What could he be licking in his conehead?

Vomit. That's what. 

He had his little head lifted above a coat of vom vom that looked like porridge around his neck and down his chest. 

He is fine now. I think he may have overheated or something.

It has been a tough few days for the evil genius.

I don't think he is plotting any sort of revenge against us or anything though? Do you?