Blogging

Published October 20, 2025 by helentastic67

Blogging

I remember reading a blog post in my early blogging days by a very prolific and consistent blogger who I think stopped posting in the last year or so did a very good public announcement about not doing comments longer than a post you are commenting on. I was so guilty of this in my early blogging days in my desire to share hints and tips of living with my kind of disability and how having carers really helped. I know commenting is a skill I’ve lost in the recent upgrades from blog site to webpage.

But something this particular blogger instil in me, is to not comment a longer comment than the actual post. Many a time, I’ve written a lengthy comment only to reread then delete the whole thing. I guess it’s nice to give someone a bit of positive reinforcement, but you need to hope they edit or read before approving your comment on their blog. Otherwise, use their post as inspiration and write a post on your blog to link to them.

Angry

Published June 15, 2025 by helentastic67

Angry

I have recently self-diagnosed well, myself with a new medical condition. It’s called being ANGRY. I suggested this via text to my GP who replied, “Not so recent!” and a recommendation to “Chill” never have words had the desired effect rather than a red flag to a bull. However, I gave him a “Hahaha!”

Every now and again I reach a level of intolerance to people just wasting my time. Not my GP, he’s always part of the solution. Not part of the problem. But then there’s everyone else.

For example, my tram route in Melbourne still does not have accessible platforms throughout. I think my route is only one of two. Ours is the longest tram route in Melbourne. There is no excuse! I mentioned it should be an agenda item at a local council meeting and was informed by someone new that it had been discussed at a previous meeting back in 1924. I just made up that date to be fair and its pre-dates the meeting it was discussed at.

And you know unlike that new council member I both attended that meeting and can look out my balcony to tell you there are still No accessible tram stops throughout, nor even the area they had promised to be achieved by late 2024. (That date is accurate! FYI!) The proof is in the pudding that it’s still not done.

I think this is part of the problem of why I hate email so very much. They just go back and forth not making me feel like much is achieved. Just people pushing responsibilities onto someone else, because people don’t want to do their job, or don’t know how to do something that’s been asked of them, so deflecting and avoiding a learning experience.

Also, to my great annoyance is when I must educate people on what should be included on an invoice. What the actual fuck people.

I’ve been project managing a little something lately that has been doing my head in. To be continued…

Circle Back to 2024 – Part 2

Published February 24, 2025 by helentastic67

Circle Back to 2024 Part 2

So, 2024 was weird also cause money became a huge topic and while I’ve always had an income from somewhere and five cents to my name it’s a weird space to find yourself in to have some actual money and options.

I wanted to blog about it last year but was up to my eyeballs in all the things, so had to let things play out and play catch up. This ergo-case-in-point is the catch up.

I guess, women of my generation, didn’t get educated about how to manage money. I’m Gen X remember. I did grow up with coins and handling money. My first paid job I picked up a yellow envelope with cash and coins in it. I had a paid job from around fifteen years old.

As an adult when you have household expenses you learn you need to have more coming in than going out. Sure, but on bigger expenses women my age was taught that we would marry and our husband would take care of it. Do you see me writing about a Husband? I have an Italian surname so it was largely assumed I would get a husband. Not bitter. Just making a point.

Some of the groups I’m in, some women will see and ask a friend who seems to manage her finances well and when asked she will be told “Oh, my husband does all of that!” So, it is to say I did consult a financial advisor. He’s in his late thirty’s, lovely man who I have not made proud. Yet. He wanted me to continue renting forever.

But as my next post will context women like myself when I reach sixty, are more than likely find themselves homeless. I’ve had to educate younger men on this topic.

I mean, C’mon! Do I have to do everything?

Pity

Published February 26, 2024 by helentastic67

Pity

Ok, finally gotten a few posts out from current things and this is one I’ve been meaning to write for ages, so here we go.

I don’t write to get pity from people. I don’t think my blog or by extension my situation deserves pity. It’s not the shittest life I could have asked for. There is always someone else out there worse off.

Sometimes, they just don’t have the words and maybe I’ll write about them, I don’t think anyone writes to be pitied by others. I don’t think anyone does.

I think I write to educate people, if they are interested enough to reward or pay attention and blogging is the best way to do that.

Now, that’s done, I’ll bring out the big guns and you might need a good stiff drink and a box of tissues on hand. Just kidding! Or am I?

Best Advice

Published December 18, 2023 by helentastic67

Best Advice

Once upon a time pre-treatment, I was given some very handy advice for when seeing specialist doctors.

I was told “take a book!”

I was actually going to see her neurosurgeon. So, she knew I’d be waiting. Reading materials in hospital waiting rooms my mum and I would compete as to who had the oldest magazine. Best game ever.

Meanwhile, fifteen years on and I’m still waiting in the waiting rooms and I’ve next levelled and packed my iPad.

Only thing is, I’m one-handed and have half the eyesight. I cannot balance my bag, keep-cup (medicine) walking stick, let alone iPad on top of all those things. So, here I am taping out a blog post on to my phone and I’m now feeling weirdly seedy, Super.

If you recall? I gave the advice early on, any doctor you have to wait for is a doctor worth seeing.

Still true. Next time? Not bringing my iPad. Too heavy.

Trying to Catch Up

Published November 27, 2023 by helentastic67

Trying to Catch Up

Feeling like I’m behind on so many things right now, including blogging. It just seems I can’t catch up. There are often layers of red tape and bureaucracy to wade through to maintain life as I know it now. Let alone try to expect more from life like Normal people take for granted.

Yes, I know. It’s going to be a rough few posts so strap in. It’s that time of year again (October) where I try to keep my head down and avoid getting stabbed in my heart and soul any more than normal. I just can’t take it. This time of year is traditionally hard because it’s my birthday at the end of the month and it’s always shit.

It’s my belief a person’s birthday is special. It’s the one day of the year that they are special, celebrated. I don’t mean fireworks but people showing they give a flying tutti fruitti.

It shouldn’t surprise anybody that I’m single. What!? How? You seem like a reasonable and decent human. Don’t worry, it’s the million-dollar question even my google mini can’t answer. Today’s post will not be about that.

My favourite question of google is “Where’s my husband!” I just want you to know google does not have a sense of humour. She responds with enquiring if “He” had an appointment, seriously.

So, I digress, normally, my family would arrange a Ladies Lunch for the day of my birthday. Often not contacting me until the week before to lock in a location and getting family further away to be included. I am roughly in the middle of my two siblings and their respective partners and my mum. So, travel for everyone but myself was required.

It’s frustrating that these days is considered so late as if I don’t have an offer from family, it’s too late to find a friend to do hangs with so I’m not alone. All my friends are busy. Often away on weekends. Which is fair. They are allowed, it’s just shit being alone on your birthday, to be continued.

Censorship

Published May 9, 2022 by helentastic67

Censorship

When you read this post, please keep in mind I’ve had my brain injury over fifty years and I’m not even fifty yet. I know I only learned of my AVM (Arterio Venous Malformation) when I was thirty-four, but my diagnosis meant many symptoms I’d experienced all my life, finally I had some meaning.

So, I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. I just always imagined it might be a family member that thought to insist I edit my blog. But then, my family would need to read my blog. We all realise blogging is about sharing thoughts, ideas, theories, witty stories (I hope in my case), but thought-provoking stuff. If you don’t like one post or a word, think about why? Have a Conversation. It’s how we learn new things. Get educated.

I didn’t ever think it would be from an ungrateful group I’ve donated ten plus years of my life volunteering for. Talking members off a ledge, explaining and giving context to past endeavours and advocating for all the efforts of past volunteers so everything they have contributed isn’t burnt to the ground.

Seriously, so many emails.

People insisting on using “Reply-All!!!!!” Can people please stop doing that? Just stop it!
So, having been offered an ultimatum. I think nobody will end up thrilled with how this plays out.

I regret in my last post I used the word slut! Note, if you read the post, I was not suggesting sharing a brain injury made people have loose morals or ethics. I regret using this term. I also dislike the fact that a ‘Player’, usually a reference towards loose men as being something to celebrate and receive a pat on the back for perceived conquests and all the terms for a woman that may choose to live a similar lifestyle is ugly and offensive.

From Wikepedia – SlutWalk – Wikipedia Please read the whole article, before commenting.

SlutWalk is a transnational movement^[1] calling for an end to rape culture, including victim blaming and slut shaming of sexual assault victims.^[2] Specifically, participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman’s appearance.^[3] The rallies began on April 3, 2011,^[4] in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after a Toronto Police officer suggested that “women should avoid dressing like sluts”^[5][6] as a precaution against sexual assault. Subsequent rallies have occurred globally.^[7]

The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress in clothes considered to be “slutty” such as short skirts, stockings and scanty tops. In the various Slutwalks around the world, there are usually speaker meetings and workshops, live music, sign-making sessions, leafleting, open microphones, chanting, dances, martial arts, and receptions or after-parties with refreshments.^[1][8] In many of the rallies and online, women speak publicly for the first time about their identity as rape survivors.^[9][10] The movement’s ideology has been questioned and its methodology criticized by some.

From the Washington Post – SlutWalks and the future of feminism – The Washington Post

While I choose to be single and celibate, as I have done most of my adult life since I was a young adult, when I wasn’t in a relationship. I have had a friend who chose a very different lifestyle. I never judged her and loved to have our catch-up brunches to hear all about them. So, I apologise if anyone was offended and I ask you read the rest of that particular post so you get the context of personalities living with brain injury and how I think I’ve developed my personality in spite of and around my brain injury.

Now, the fall-out to me not doing what I was asked to do (edit offensive words from my previous post) apparently could result in my blog link being removed from the website of the Not for Profit I’ve given my time to as explained above. You have no idea how much I had to negotiate to make that happen in the first place.

But if you know me? You know I don’t give in to such demands. It is MY BLOG after all and later this year I again need the support to remain a voting member on the board to help create change and support worthy projects, etc. and if I don’t get that maybe it’s my time to move on? Maybe I get a little selfish for a while, get it in my community more? Go do coffees and write. I have neglected my writing lately.

I do not know if people realise how busy I really am. But I DONT GOT TIME TO GO OVER SCORCHED EARTH! I’m not doing everything twice!

So lastly, I hope this explains some of the things and settles and calms any ruffled feathers from my previous post. Who knew right? And if you understand, empathise or appreciate what I’m trying to do? Please comment or hit Like!

Out of Order

Published January 10, 2022 by helentastic67

Out of Order

I’m no more broken than normal, however the title refers to me posting some blogs out of order from the previous ones.

Living on a busy intersection in an apartment complex. I want to put a sign up on the tram stop downstairs. It will state!
“PLEASE LEAVE YOUR ADDRESS SO WE CAN BE A BOGAN IN FRONT OF WHERE YOU LIVE”

It’s so convenient living in an apartment with a tram stop at your door, a supermarket close by, but add a tram depot around the corner, drunk people wait too late to get the tram to the city and get left at the last stop before the depot. There’s a pub too and a random bogan who overuses my favourite word and a petrol station.

A bogan downstairs who just ignores basic etiquette. Anyway, I’m just saying I hear an engine and I can tell it’s a Coles or Woolworths delivery truck.

And I’m the weirdo.

Hot off the Press – 29th November 2021

Published November 29, 2021 by helentastic67

Hot off the Press

So, Melbourne recently was freed from its sixth lockdown to slow the spread of the plague (cannot keep mentioning the C-Bomb!)

Just in time for my birthday, but a lot of cafes have not been able to put patrons back inside while socially distancing and it requires more staff to police and restraints in the evenings is pretty similar.

Starting with the first lockdown in 2020, I started doing more take away lunches, even collecting and taking home in-between appointments, anything to support my favourite cafes. Gotta have a place to go write my blog again, right.

On Wednesdays, being the day, I haven’t been to my regular Wednesday locale I started shaking things up a bit. A fish and chip lunch, a Lebanese wrap lunch, even a beef curry pie and all of these on a steady rotation.

Fridays became the days to support my regular haunt. My Girl Friday and I would order in, wait out the front for our order and then sit in the car for what we dubbed Car Café. Here is what the dashboard looked like.

I would call on Thursday to ask if they could put my new favourite thing aside for me. My new favourite I for years ignored due to its simplicity. But now, I’m convinced that thing has crack cocaine in it. Because the humble ham and cheese toastie has something in it that just makes it next level. I think I know what it is, it’s not drugs, but either way, I’m hooked.

They also started making this naughty little thing Robert (the owner) came down from his office one day and grabbed one. I asked what it was and he told me if I didn’t have the last one, he might come back and get it too. And I did. Treats are always cut in half so I can share them with Girl Friday. Shared calories equal no calories as far as I’m concerned. I went to order one a few weeks ago and I was told they were not doing them anymore. They were only over winter. But I had only bought 2 and I had shared them both with my Girl Friday. FML. This is the “Fly Me To The Moon” and the very addictive Ham and Cheese Toastie.

Ways to survive lockdown in Melbourne.

Cheers,
H

Who Am I?

Published September 13, 2021 by helentastic67

Who am I?

My name is Helen, I started blogging in 2015. Since then, I’ve written over 600+ blog posts and acquired over 280 followers all around the world.

I’ve really let my blog speak for itself and not really marketed myself in any commercial way to gain a larger following.

Pre-Covid I was sharing three posts a week. Hellonwheels, is me doing brain injury differently. I’ve had my brain injury for over 48 years, only learning I even had my Arterial Venous Malformation (AVM) at aged 34 when I was really stressed, as a result of workplace bullying. After diagnosis and treatment, I have been left with stroke like symptoms.

It’s not easy being a high-functioning Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and it’s even harder to explain. I have a good memory, a love for music and food – things some people with brain injuries can’t enjoy.

I’m a single-barren spinster, often including further descriptions, straight and fucking fussy!

I have strong opinions, which may or may not appeal to everyone. This is why I include stories of my past, little moments of life, foodie posts and beautiful things from nature.