da Scriffles

I was horrified to see my former best friend from high school rushing towards me in the supermarket with her youngest daughter in tow.
So glad to see me she spilled her life's story out there at the checkout.
She thought it was great to see me. Eventually, she wondered what I'd been doing for the past few decades.
The betrayal this woman had committed - let's just say, my head spun around like she'd hit it with a baseball bat.
I have never understood it.
New century, all sins forgiven? No sir-eee. Not a chance!
I could have faked excitement for her benefit but my thoughts floated in space in slow motion, while she nattered on and on, while flashing her toothy grin.
High school ended and so did our friendship - with not even a word or explanation.
We had sat in classes together for years, played sport together. Shared thoughts and dreams. I thought we were friends.
I tried to keep in touch, even though our lives moved in separate directions. I was at uni. She went straight to work.
She never made time for me.
And here she is at the check-out trying to re-establish contact.
I gather all my conscious being up to be polite to her - not thrilled to know that she lives in the same suburb - just blocks away.
She's a really smart girl. Smarter than I ever was. More popular than I ever will be.
She was my best friend through senior - we were in the same home class in Year 8.
The dereliction of a friendship smarts every time I even think of her. Some hurts never fade.
High school was the longest time I stayed in one school: I never spent more than two years in a primary school.
Moved in Grade 2, moved in Grade 4, moved in Grade 6 - that was another big one but I found my best friend from Grade 5&6 and we do keep in touch.
Just watch Stand By Me to see why it's a big deal. A really big deal for kids.
Friendship, Belonging, Betrayal. The last one doesn't belong in the same sentence.
I found a photo I took of my nieces with their pet black rabbit, Sparkle = :-)
Sparkle died last year.

He used to sit beside me in the sunshine when we were by ourselves - just being together. 

I never really thought much of rabbits before him. Now I think that rabbits are just as good as dogs.
He really did have a Sparkle personality. His death hit everyone hard. Very unfortunate circumstances.
He died under the knife. He had a broken leg. The vet told my sister that rabbits don't react well to the trauma of operations but he wouldn't have lived without one.
It is believed that he fractured his leg when her littlest girl tripped and fell while carrying him. I never got to say goodbye.
Nothing to be done. I found a photo of him yesterday and cried - his big feet, that toothy grin, and he was wearing sunglasses.
We all used to have such fun being together!
Well, anyway, last week I went to a different supermarket. And guess who I saw? No, not Rabbit.
She coolly walked past me and my trolley, with her youngest daughter in tow.
I'd seen her out walking in the mornings too. I crossed to the other side of the road or just smiled without stopping to chat.
She got the message. I don't want to be friends now. I do believe in turning the other cheek.
But when you still feel the knife in your back...
And well might you say that she didn't intend to hurt my feelings.
All I know for sure is that no one was to blame for the death of Rabbit.
As they say, Shit Happens.

"Who's colourless?"
"What! Whoa? That's harsh."
 
Two little seven-year-old girls giggled in the backseat of the car.
It was kids' silly hour, after a long day of tigers leaping, feeding kangaroos, watching crocs open their eyes, falling from 90 feet up and swinging 90 feet up on The Claw - "Oh, yeah!"
Almost Heaven is ... for my niece ... boarding The Claw while singing along to Taylor Swift's Love Story playing in the background.
 
A day at a theme park with cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and your best-ever friend who you knew even before you both were born because your mothers were friends.
"They knew each other when they were pregnant with us," the girls happily declare.
Swift thoughts. Smiling eyes. Gleeful shouts. But not quite fearless.
 
Fear didn't stop her from riding The Wipeout.
She sees this demon as we walk into Dreamworld.
Lucky she had me because no one else would've gone. I'm a cool aunt. Smug.
This is no aeroplane ride that goes around in circles I'm talking about here.
She has a moment of doubt as her mum walks off to take the other kids on tamer rides and we wait in line.
But our turn comes and she runs along the gangway and plonks into a seat with a broad grin.
 
"Are you OK?" - I scream as The Wipeout flips and twists and spins, rises and falls.
"NO!" she screams.
"Close your eyes!" - I scream, the whole of theme park hears it all ... I keep my eyes closed to keep the panic down.
"Are you OK?" I repeat.
"NO!" she screams.
"Hang on!" I scream, knowing the little daredevil would be just fine.
The attendant gives us a look of concern.
 I ask her if she closed her eyes.
"No." No tears. No problem. Next ride.
 
We end the day on a playground swing except this swing, The Claw, arcs up into the wide blue yonder, swivels and dives down towards the ground from a very great height - higher than old-growth forests I think.
 
Better than The Wipeout, we agree.
 
So I'm offended, puzzled, hurt when the backseat rappers stop rapping and start talking about: colourless, overweighted, old lady?
Euphoria dies and paranoia takes hold. Who are they talking about?
 
"C"-"o"-"o"-"l" - that's what it stands for : colourless, overweighted, old lady.
It's an acronym the little friend had made up at school. It's a word game. Silent relief, thankfulness and amusement.
Cool doesn't mean cool ... interesting.
 From Taylor Swift to gangster rap: Yo! Dawg! This Place Is Rockin' ... Yo! Dawg! This Place is Rockin'..."
No R-rated lyrics. Lot's of things to be thankful for.

http://abduzeedo.com/40-cool-paper-toys-samples

Paper art animation:  Very entertaining  :  http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/paper-art/

So I put some photos up on Flickr in the Ubuntu Artwork Group:  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40566121@N07/

"Find your inner Koala": https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Catalog

"Great return on investment!"
Money in - Money out.
Like an automatic teller.
 
A pitch like that, you'd be suspicious wouldn't you?
What if they started talking ROI? Make you shudder?
 
I discovered this the acronymn for "return on investment" when I read this link .... ( http://unicashare.typepad.com/share/2007/03/social_media_me.html )
I had to Google ROI to understand what it was about!
 
If you heard someone talking about the ROI on a new property development you'd probably think : "What a load of .... http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/prixpictet/12 "
 
Now if ROI was calculated to take the big picture into consideration so that it benefited, say the long-term health of the planet which supports all life - isn't that what they're trying to do with carbon trading?
Like one environmental scientist told me once: You can't see the economy from SPACE!
Jobs and the economy are a big part of the big picture but some things are inescapable, it's like counting calories.
 
4.3 kj = one calorie
1g of fat = 9.5 calories
1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1g of protein = 4 calories
1ml alcohol = 7 calories
 
There's no room for cheating or fudging the figures to suit your agenda.