Eight

Tagged by Melissa

8 Things I'm Passionate About

1. Justice. I am calm and easy going until I perceive some injustice - then I become a raving lunatic.
2. Writing.
3. Education for all. Education for education's sake and not measurable in dollar terms. Education not to get a job but to learn and grow and expand.
4. Rights of women. The right for girls to have equal standing as boys in all parts of the world. To not fear rape as a method of social control.
5. Latin American politics, though I'm much less informed than I used to be.
6. Australian politics, and the politics of politics.
7. Philosophy and the meaning of life.
8. Music. Australian pub rock, ballads, indie rock, classical, trance


8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

1. Study Philosophy formally
2. Own trees, lots and lots of trees. I would sell my body for trees lol.
3. Play with my great grandchildren
4. Decide on and get my tattoo
5. Learn an instrument
6. Actually use my French and Spanish
7. Skydive, it's only finances preventing me atm.
8. Learn how to ski/snowboard

8 Things I Say Often

1. Anyway
2. Crap, as with Melissa, need to tone this down
3. I love you. To my husband, to my children, to my friends - I don't think it's ever said too much as long as you mean it.
4. Fuck me dead. This is a very inelegant saying. I need to remember that I'm a laydeeee
5. Get DOWN - usually yelled at high volume to my kamikaze children
6. Now! - usually after number 5 has been ignored
7. I'm sorry. I'm an apologist. I apologise even when I know I haven't done anything wrong. I have had PATIENTS tell me to stop worrying so much lol.
8. No. I am trying to tone this down as well. Sometime you really need to just say yes.

8 Books I've Read Recently

I can't honestly do this one for 2 reasons, one is because 6/8 are textbooks which I don't think count, and the other is far more embarrassing and that it that the books were kind of the equivalent of eating a Big Mac with fries and scarfing it down in 30 seconds before barfing it back up again behind the pub...

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over

1. My Happiness - Powderfinger (LH and my "song")
2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Beatles
3. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
4. Fix You - Coldplay (Sums up my relationship with LH)
5. Throw Your Arms Around Me - Paul McDermott version (close but not quite)
6. I Alone - Live
7. If You Could Only See - Tonic
8. Flames - VAST

8 Things That Attract Me to my Best Friends

1. Humour
2. Levity
3. Principles
4. Compassion
5. Intrigue
7. Contradiction
8. Passion

8 Blogs I Love AND Why.

1. Once Upon a Dream
- like Mel I love the cheeriness of Ave's blog. She reminds me of the type of woman, wife and mother that I wish that I was.
2. The Things I'd Tell You- I get Mel, I think she'd probably get me too.
3. Diary of a Wannabe Hippy- If I think Mel "might" get me, I *know* that Shel does.
4. Gossip, Hearsay and Tittle Tattle- Marywin is an amazing writer, she makes me laugh and squirm and blush. It takes talent to make your audience actually feel something.
5. Anne Nahm- Absofreakinglutely hilarious
6. Here Be Hippogriffs- Julia is one of my favourite writers, I actually cried when she posted those first pictures of her twins.
7. Go Fug Yourself- Fugly is the new pretty... Fashion with snark!
8. Postsecret- I'm a voyeur, secrets are my thing.


8 Things That Have Made Me Smile This Week.

1. "MUMMY"
2. Monkey and Elfling sliding down our couch both squealing WEEEEEEEEE
3. My latest present from LH
4. Being told that I am the most beautiful woman in the world by LH
5. Getting bunches of pungent red roses (my favourite flower) from LH
6. Waking up next to LH (are you sensing a theme yet lol)
7. Making Level 73 on my EQ2 Wizard
8. Sitting on my couch after an awful awful day and having my babies cuddled into me


8 People Who Have Influenced Me.

1. My grandmothers. I miss them all the time. I still open the box of Nana's paintbrushes just to remember her smell
2. My parents
3. LH. I wish I was as good and loving as him.
4. Miss Wills - my English teacher in year 9 and French teacher from years 8-12
5. My mild mannered Spanish lecturer who invoked fire in my belly when he taught us about Latin American politics
6. My suave, dark, impeccably principled and attractive French professor who believes passionately in the Arts
7. Certain friends in and outside of the computer. Who have reminded me of the beauty of life and to never ever stop seeking the Gleam. Who've shown me that there is more than one way to love, and that I am valuable even if I"m not beautiful.
8. My daughters who have taught me humility, compassion, patience but above all the lessons of unconditional love.


8 Things I Cannot Do.

1. Snowboard - I am almost willing to cede defeat.
2. Make pan gravy that tastes as good as LH's
3. Wear makeup as a daily occurrence. I want to scrape my skin off any time I wear it.
4. I can't make my hair do what I want it to.
5. I can't commit. I am a complete commitmentphobe and run away at the mere mention of being pinned down to something. Without panic anyway.
6. I can't reach a full octave on a piano properly. My hands are too small.
7. I can't do a chinup any more. I tried the other day and failed. Then felt very embarrassed.
8. Admit that there are things I can't do *blush*

8 Places (or things) I'd like to see before I die.

1. Paris, La ville d'amour
2. Petra
3. Prince Edward Island, particularly in their autumn. (no arguments here Mel!)
4. Karnak
5. Angel, Victoria and Niagara Falls
6. Kilimanjaro
5. Tibet
6. Wales, Derbyshire
7. Angkor Wat
8. Macchu Picchu