Merry Christmas to Everyone

Published December 23, 2024 by helentastic67

Wants and Needs

This post is likely ahead of the first five to ten I’ve only written in my head but here we go. I’ve been doing a lot of research lately for where I will be next living, for how long I can afford to live there or just live in general, If I can afford to travel, in other words have a holiday and can I finally afford furniture from my favourite shop, can I afford any or all of these things?

I now utter sentences that includes words like “my financial advisor.” and it’s weird. I’m getting more comfortable with it but it’s still weird.

Don’t for a heartbeat imagine I’m wealthy however, my father, God bless him, has allowed me to consider life could have potential and could be a little sweeter.

A wise woman suggested I work out how much I need for the furniture I want, potential travel and work backwards.

Furniture, Holiday, Forever home, Check.

I just consulted the website to my favourite furniture store and my antidepressants are not strong enough.

Calming My Mind

Published January 29, 2024 by helentastic67

Calming My Mind

Might be a surprise to know I once upon a time worked in Admin, I was that busy little admin person whose desk often looked like a bomb had hit it. My boss once wandered around to loiter around behind me. Bit like a Creeper. He seemed to be just checking out what the hell I had going on.

I had a splash back/divider between my desk and the next person and it was covered in lists, post-its. Sell kinds of things. The coral I had created around one desk so I could have layers of in and out trays. This boss I prompted this particular day with a grumpy “What!!!!!!” (Note, not. Question?) He dismissively expressed he’s not being impressed with what a mess my desk area was. I told him I knew where everything was, he only had to ask and I would put my hand on it. He disappeared and went back to his messy desk.

Occasionally during preparing for an audit another Satan member would pullout the clients files she had not been able to find. He would ask “Where is this file?” I would put one hand on my head, he would do this to take my hand off my mouse when he would “train me” how to do something on my computer so as not to put his hand on mine. And with my other hand I pointed to an overflowing in tray on his desk, he had neglected. The other colleague then mentioned the next four client files she’d been unable to locate. Again, hand upon head and the other pointing to his desk.

Later he would check the files, the referral, the notes and put post-its on each, then deposit them on my desk with instructions of who to contact, each potential host to send that client to that corresponding host to do their mutual obligation. Then, I would do the rest. I guess his desk was often an extension of mine.

Time for an Acronym.
MO, Mutual Obligation. Otherwise, known as Work for the dole. Damn it. Also known as WFD. We commonly nicknamed it Work for the coffee scroll.

On one occasion the Grumpy boss asked the office in general “What’s Frank’s number?”
I altered my sight of vision ever so slightly and read him out the number.
He had,
A) De-skilled.
B) Gotten lazy in remembering Frank’s Number.
C) He never questioned my messy desk again.

And before anyone feels they need to ask? Yes! I did feel like a trained monkey. I also could point out the location of his coffee mug to remind him where he had left it.

Yet, I’ve still not covered the post I had intended to write today. Always happens this way.

The Like

Published January 3, 2020 by helentastic67

The Like

Today, I thought I’d write about how I started blogging and the process I use to be a valuable contributing member in the WordPress community.

Now, I have been writing since I was a teenager, nothing worth saying, but writing extremely all the same, but I’ve been posting and blogging consistently since November 2015 and when I began, I trusted Noelle to sort out who to follow. I gather she picked the top 10 bloggers and over the years, a few of my favourites still post with regularity, some have fallen away and a few I unfollowed fairly quickly after I realised their blog was not what I was after.

I mean, I can only deal with so many carefully manicured red nailed fingers smashed into a woman’s well waxed snatch (vagina; not kidding) that I can cope with.

In case you are wondering, my limit for the above was one. One, and done!

Well, I think I also want at the bitching, whinging and moaning ‘he’ was using to complain about how his wife had cheated on him, while he was overseas fighting for his country and maybe, it’s because your wife is bi-polar and you were self-medicating with a S & M lifestyle and when you weren’t there, she looked for another.

Not suggesting any of those things are wrong, just it’s your life and you can choose how you live it. But if it goes sideways, you deal with the consequences.

I have a rule of thumb, if a blog inspires me, I will follow. If I think I can help you in some way to better understand the shit you are dealing with, I will comment. Short and pitchy, in the comments. Because, they wrote the post, it’s not for me to write a blogpost in their comments section.

On a rare occasion, I will email someone for a more in-depth conversation, because I consider that’s the medium for more informative advice.

If someone new likes a blogpost I will go check out their blog, if it interests me, even if they haven’t chosen to follow my blog, I will follow theirs.

Also, I will give them a ‘Like’ to say I’ve visited. I have the rule I don’t follow everyone that chooses to follow me.

I just figure, if you need numbers, it happens organically and it takes time and after a while I check how many followers I have and I’m surprised.

My first blog post, I got followers. I mentioned it to Noelle, my administrator, I was so excited, I went to check out their blog and they had created a profile, but had no contact. Sadly, I’ve never seen them like another post since. But with that first follower, Noelle said the wisest of words ever “Keep writing”.

Now, five hundred posts later, two hundred and forty plus followers later, I’m still chipping away at the past, present end, I’ll get caught up in the end. What I hope for the future.

Today’s Lunch – 31st January 2018

Published January 31, 2018 by helentastic67

Todays lunch 3101

Today’s Lunch

Wednesday’s Good Mental Health Day…

Luckily, I got to be here for a quick lunch yesterday. As once a month I see my GP in this neighbourhood. I was able to scribble down a post and as I’m falling behind in my written posts with still plenty to say.

Visiting Dr

So, yesterday’s lunch was the grilled Mediterranean vegetable quiche with a side salad and my medicine! I keep having the best of intentions to order a salad but they are popular and sold out by the time I arrive.

Quiche

Latte

Ah! Wednesday! Salad! It’s called a brain grain salad. I’ve arrived late today and it’s a bit cooler and schools went back today so it’s a little quieter. Thank God!

Brain Grain

Still got my constant companion, my migraine! Not thrilled. Actually, been getting to bed by 1am the last few nights. This morning I managed to sleep in until 9.30am when my Mepacs rudely woke me! And yet my left eye still hurts!

Migraine

Oh, and today due to time restraints and no young John, I can take whatever salad I don’t eat with me and work on my medicine and this little rum ball.

Rum ball

I will need to include a rum ball recipe because it’s that naughty yummy thing that we grew up making but you don’t make them all the time and yes, you must use rum!

Rum balls

Have a great day!

Happy Wednesday

Cheers,
H

Busy Brain

Published March 3, 2017 by helentastic67

busy-brain-1

Busy Brain

It’s not something I’ve been officially diagnosed with and I’m sure other Mental Health related conditions might experience these symptoms, but in my case my mind is always (for want of a better word) “ON”.

Planning, problem solving, writing, scheduling, busy, busy, busy! Bills to pay, rent due, incoming, outgoing. People I want to see, people I have to see, brain training, appointments that keep me mobile. And I’m very lucky I can do all these things, hear me?

BECAUSE THEY KEEP ME INDEPENDENT!

independent-living

But at the end of the day, I sit on the couch, amongst my ‘In Tray’ and I attempt to catch up on my admin.

Attending to the mail, scheduling when bills are due, when they need to be paid, brain training (OK-pirating) and brain training (word finders, puzzles, list making) and often it’s around 9 pm, I have dinner.

busy-brain-3

And then I settle into email-mode! I know, ridiculous. And then I have to start trying to turn off the busy brain! And that’s why I like to finish the night with a TV show where I don’t touch a remote or my iPad or my phone or anything.

I call it ‘Single-Tasking’.

Impossible being One-Handed…

one-handed

Where to Start

Published October 17, 2016 by helentastic67

latte

Where to start?

It’s been maybe a week since I last put pen to paper and I’ve been busy living ‘Life’ as crappy as ‘Life’ is these days!

Oh! Stop press! My Latte just arrived and the lovely wait staff (he’s new) misinterpreted my visits here as me doing ‘WORK!’

Working in Cafe

Every Wednesday, I visit my favourite Café. Ideally I’m all blogged-out with nothing to write about and I might switch off and read a comic.

Otherwise it is good to have “Lunch” at a reasonable time for the midday meal!

Because from here I commence what I refer to as my “Punchy/stabby” day. That translates to my weekly Chiropractic appointment, followed by a tram ride back up to my neighbourhood where I see an Acupuncturist.

chiropractor accupuncture

I like meeting people here for meetings as they have gotten to know me here. I no longer have to explain my disability to the regulars and I now seem “Normal” to them.

But the new ‘young’ guy doesn’t know my past, my issues and just sees me here as a ‘Professional’. Having my meetings and writing/working on my blog!

2.10am

Published September 2, 2016 by helentastic67

night writing 2.10am!

Let’s do a little experiment! Let’s see if I can successfully substitute the F Bomb! (Helen’s favourite word!) With a substitute. Also starts with ‘F’!

Keep in mind my GP will gauge how I am mentally by now many times I drop the Fudge word! When I’m frustrated I use the Fudge word a lot and when I see my GP I debrief him on all the things incompetent people aren’t doing. We kind of case manage my care together which works well.

People with an ABI need a lot of sleep. I can’t recall when I last had a night of 8 hours undisturbed! Seriously, maybe never!

I go to bed late (or early) I think you can tell. Tonight I managed not to have my pre-dinner kip. It’s a miracle! And surprising considering the start to my day.

Went to sleep at 2 am.

Stupid neighbours think it’s OK to run their washer/dryer all night long disturbing my sleep!

So already on bad start!

Fudging asshat! Parks his Bogan car outside my bedroom window. Insists on warming his motor like it’s the 70’s and his car is vintage – it’s not! At 6.30am – Fudge!!!

Asshat! Goes back inside and comes back 5 minutes later.

Can’t believe I’ve put up with this 3 and a bit years!

Get back to sleep!

Instagram-c5c344

8.30am – there is a chainsaw!

What the Fudge???

But wait! Then a wood chipper!

FUDGE!!!

30 minutes and it’s done.

Bet back to sleep after hitting the MEPACS ALARM!
(Diverting a 9.30 wake up)

Had put on my washing machine so again, disturbed sleep.

10.45am – my carer arrives early!

FUDGE!!!

Discussed today with my GP the lack of follow-up by a hospital Orthotists to get funding application for a 2^nd pair of shoes.

shoes for afo 1

For say. If these ones get wet, get sweaty or die because they are my only shoes to wear with my AFO (Ankle Foot Orthotic)

“FUDGE ME!” I tell my GP when he asks how hard it is for the Orthotists to do it?

He smiles and I try to look a little repentant.

We already have a backup plan.

I have an appointment with a private Orthotists I’ve seen previously. He won’t have a problem doing the forms to get me the funding for both an AFO and a pair of shoes.

ankle+foot+orthotic+modification

It’s just going to take some time!

And I guess the NDIS kicks in on the 1^st of July!

FUDGE!!!

Time for bed.

My first wake-up call is at 6.30am after all!

Strangely, my brain is all systems ‘GO’!

F off trying to sleep

2 am

Published August 29, 2016 by helentastic67

2 am 3

2am/Again!

I have written a million posts in my head today! Have a busy week and Melbourne is hot!

Not yet mentioned perhaps but I don’t cope in the heat!

2 am 1

Have a 4 day weekend at the end of this chaos – can’t wait!

Promise to catch up on some writing then.

Sweetdreams…

Grumpy cat

Administrator!

Published April 8, 2016 by helentastic67

Office-Administrator-Job-Description

Administrator!

So, sometimes I want to post a blog, just so I can tell people of my accomplishments. And I can but by the time you hear about them a month or more would have come to pass, but it’s the perfect Segway to me telling you about my process and intern my wonderful administrator.

My process starts with me trying to practice “mindfulness”.

Sometimes I’m waiting for the right thing to happen to trigger a post coming together, just right in my mind. I like to write with pen and paper. Old school.

Then, because of my many issues or deficits, whatever I have been stuck with that for about 5 years that I’ve been planning this blog and talking about it.

And I guess it’s taken a while for a few things to fall into place. Admittedly I was slow to get on the Social Media thing, and a bit longer to be introduced to the right person.

And that is how I met my Administrator!

She is my wizard who made my blog become a reality. More of this hero in a moment, but first I write long hand, copy and post about once a month. So far (Scanned once and emailed) and send to someone in Sydney who types my blog posts up, emails to me for final editing and then after she does some final searching for pictures and some networking “she posts”.

And she be my friend Noelle. And I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to tell you about her, so will pause here…..

Sometimes, I want to brag about the things I’ve just achieved, one-handed, but now there is no time.

I often debrief via text to check in with him.

Sometimes they go something like this;

“Had Chiro and Acupuncture today. And if I had a husband I’d be all over that as well!”

Over time I will tell you of my friends. I hope you will understand more about me and what I value by the friends I keep.

Also don’t be confused by the dates on my posts. I am a prolific writer and have been preparing and writing for this blog for years, so at times I will pull something out of my archives.

If and when I do it will be because it’s still current.

Or I’m still really angry about it….