In the bag...

Julia Gillard, Aussie PM and Hillary Clinton met up at the Asean summit. Anyway, I’m sure they discussed all sorts of important things. However the thing that fascinated me the most was they were both holding enormous handbags. It goes to prove the bigger the handbag the more powerful the woman. Me? I kick arse.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/hillary-clinton-coming-to-melbourne-for-fun/story-e6frf7l6-1225945902433

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Hits and misses....

Miss…

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has turned back the clock to the days of the Taliban, signing a law that strips women of basic rights protected by most civilized nations. The new Shiite Personal Status Law, which applies to the country's Shiite minority, is a disastrous step backward for millions of women, who suffered most under the Taliban's Islamic fundamentalism. It severely restricts their rights in every area of life: A Shiite woman would need her husband's or father's permission to leave the house, pursue an education, hold a job or even go to a doctor's appointment. Only fathers and grandfathers would have child-custody rights, and by stipulating how often a husband is entitled to sex, the law permits marital rape.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-karzai4-2009apr04,0,6515825.story

This saddens and angers me so much. I want to go over and shake him. I actually thought this bloke had a clue but I think he is more interested in being a fashion plate than a leader. As far as we have come as women – and I mean women of the world – because I believe what effect one woman effects the other - because we are all one – there is some idiot man trying to drag us back. You are a wanker mate. Develop some balls and stand up for the women in your country.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton explained clearly why the country's progress cannot be separated from that of its women. "You cannot expect a country to develop if half its population are underfed, undereducated, under-cared for, oppressed and left on the sidelines," she said. "And we believe strongly that that's not in the interest of Afghanistan or any country."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-karzai4-2009apr04,0,6515825.story

Damn straight Hillary.

Hit…

The Iowa Supreme Court today ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage violates the state constitution's equal protection clause, striking down a 1998 state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman.
The ruling makes Iowa the first state in the heartland, and the first key swing state, to legalize same-sex marriage.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/Iowa_court_backs_samesex_marriage.html

I don’t care if you are purple, green or spotted. I don’t care who you love. The thing is you love that person and that is all that matters and if you want to be with them then you should be regardless of what religious bigots think. Good on you Iowa. The oppression of anyone is wrong and needs to be fought against and anyone who thinks otherwise should pull their head out of their arses and contemplate for one moment how they would feel if someone took away their rights. I don’t think you’d like it.

‘Want to piss me off? Piss around with human rights and that will do it every time.

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Go Ahead : Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

'Got to laugh or scream or maybe sit in a corner and rock...

Mad About Mirabelle – review

I’m sure if you’ve read any of my previous reviews of this Australian wonder, you know I’m a die hard fan of Amarinda Jones. Mad About Mirabelle is just one more to add to the “Things I love about this author” list. The enthusiasm in which her latest couple engaged in carnal sports was not only exciting but hilariously funny. Talk about two energizer bunnies. Flynn and Mirabelle had to be out of their clothing more than in. I love couples who are able to smile and laugh as they get to know each other. Appreciation of life is so evident in Ms. Jones’ characters that you fall in love with them immediately. Anyone who loves to smile while enjoying desire won’t want to miss this latest morsel from an author who continues to bring as much fun as she does desire to her work.

http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/May08/
madaboutmirabelle.AJ.html

‘Got home last night and there was a card in my mailbox from Promptel that said “Service checked and everything working fine now.” Uh huh…I went inside and guess what? No dial tone – that was new – it was just the internet that was not working before – now the phone line was dead. I laughed my arse off….wankers… Saturday and the new connection to the rival company cannot come fast enough. So - off the topic of the as-useful-as-a-chocolate-fireguard-company aka Promptel. If you are an Aussie and want to know which company this is – email me and I’ll tell you who to avoid.

There is this big debate in Queensland at the moment – actually two – one is about a 64 year old child killer who is in hospital in a coma. This woman stood by as her mongrel dog of a husband raped a teenage girl then they both stabbed her to death. People are pissed – and rightly so in my less than humble opinion - that we are spending public money trying to keep this child killer alive. And no, the argument that she is a human does not wash in this case. She is lower than pond scum and doesn’t deserve a peaceful death. I truly hope there is a special hell for sub human people like this. Forgiveness for crimes like this? Never.

The other debate – the drought – the damn levels are dropping back down as no rain. People are now saying ‘why did the government have that day back in March where everyone could use water to do what ever they wanted to do with it for an hour?’ For those who don’t know, in south-east Queensland, we have been on water restrictions for yonks – yonks is a long time – do you use that as a time reference – yonks? We’re not supposed to use more than 140 litres of water a day and showers are cut down to 4 minutes. Though I did not participate in the use water for an hour however you like thing, it happened, and yes maybe it was crazy but we can’t be bitching about something that has happened. To my mind it goes into the shoulda-woulda-coulda pile of stuff that we need to move on from.

Dr Gozgo Zongo, apparently my good friend, sent me an email this morning. What did he want? First he asked if he could ‘trust me.’ Wow, that really made me feel special. Then he just asked that I send him $1000 so he could invest it into a new venture with me as his partner. What is it? Hmmm, not sure. Gozgo was a bit vague on that. Will I send money? Um, let me think…oh hell no. Who names these people and more to the point who would send Gozgo money? How many people do you reckon actually believe this shite?

For the past couple of days the coffee man who comes to our workplace has been most concerned about me. No coffee for Amarinda? Is she okay? Has she quit work? Is she on holidays? He was pleased to hear I was just ill and the thought of coffee was pukeable to me. As an old work acquaintance of mine, let’s call him Cedric, used to say, “I could puke all over someone’s shoes.” Okay, to be honest, Cedric said this a lot even when he wasn’t sick. He was a bit of a queen. So where was I? Yes – sick - miss a couple of days of an addiction and people begin to worry, not about you personally, but more about feeding your addiction. I suppose that’s sweet in its own, strange way. Beware the coffee pushers for they are truly divine…

Came home and cleaned this afternoon after work. No, I’m not sure either what possessed me. Maybe it was the home made cherry ripe slice that I bought at lunch time as I felt crap with this dry cough thing I now have – but I cleaned the house. Amazing, Grace. I do believe chocolate has restorative powers. What is a Cherry Ripe? It’s the nectar of the gods I tell you.

Someone sent me this long list of rules for something today via email…oh hard… I just deleted it as why piss yourself off with reading such officious tripe? Blessed be the rule makers as they need all the help that can get for removing sticks from their…er…anatomy.

So tell me – do you think Hillary Clinton ever had a chance of winning the Presidential nomination? My personal belief is that no matter how kick arse Hillary is she still doesn’t have a penis and there is a mindset against voting a woman in for the top job. Sure, political commentators can spruik on about how she has ‘balls’ but why does a strong, smart woman have to be perceived to have the suggestion of male appendage to be taken serious? We may have come along way baby but it isn’t far enough and what’s in your pants still rules.

So, have you checked out Anny and Kelly’s blogs? I am sure they are doing something very authorial..not sure, that could be a made up word. I’ll put it in my next manuscript and see if my editor has an opinion on it.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

Don’t sleep in a subway darling….

Things we’re not supposed to do…

-don’t pull a face as the wind will change and you’ll stay that way
So if you continually pull faces and the wind continually changes, you could have a new look all the time. That's better than a makeover.
- Don’t speak your mind to those in authority or disagree with the general consensus
Yep, this is dangerous but very liberating. Try it.
- Don’t eat dessert first as you’ll spoil the main course
I think if you are calorie counting (boring) and you look at the dessert then the main and the dessert is more appealing then I say use the calorie count on the dessert
- Don’t drink, swear, smoke etc
Any thing to excess will kill you – not sure about swearing though unless you swear at the wrong people – anyway I think everyone should have a least one vice as it makes us human – Amarinda philosophy only.
- Don’t throw the job in, the man away etc as it/he may never come again
No, it/he may not but is there any point doing something you hate or being with someone you don’t like because you are scared of taking a risk?
- Don’t ask – wait until someone offers.
What if you’re never offered what you want? I believe in asking politely first as people are usually as so amazed they will give you whatever it is.
- Don’t be an individual in a group situation – be part of the team
If I hear one more there is no ‘I’ in team speech I will puke. As I have said before if I made up the English language I would have put an ‘I’ in team. The sheep mentality is overrated.
- Don’t lie
I think this depends on the situation. Arse saving – yours or a friend’s – lies are okay.
- Don’t have sex on the first date
Now, I’m not telling you to or not to – that’s up to the individual – but who comes up with these rules?
- Don’t waste you time writing e-books – write a real book.
Someone told me I should write a 600 page proper book. I said they should they should climb Mt Everest. They said they did not want to. I said exactly.

What rules don’t you follow? What rules to you go out of your way to break? I’m not advocating total anarchy but do you always follow the rules?

Hillary…

Okay, no surprise - I would like to see Hillary Clinton as President of the USA. I watched this kick arse speech she gave the other night about oil prices. Confidence is everything. We need more Hillarys for women to be inspired by. Agree or disagree as you will but I admire the woman.

Mea Culpa…

Quote - People are ‘who’ and not ‘that’ -- my editor
I have to repeat this 100 times. I am such a nuisance – and don’t get me started on my formatting technique. All I will say it sucks badly and my editor wants me to do penance by not eating Tim Tams. I have promised, of course, no Tims Tams will touch my lips. I’ll just swallow them whole. But really, I have no idea how editors put the airy fairy, half-arsed writing of their emotional writers into any form or shape at all without copious amounts of gin. I think I may have given my editor concussion last night as I know she was banging her head on the desk at my inability to ‘get’ formatting. Thank you H for persevering.

Anny is putting her characters under the microscope once more on www.annycook.blogspot.com. Kelly will no doubt have some dazzling quote for us all to ponder on www.kkirch.blogspot.com

I leave you with this peak from Silverhills by Sandra Cox. It is a damn good book. Check it out by clicking on the link below

A stubble-faced cowboy looked at the horse and then its young rider. He spit a brown stream of tobacco out of the corner of his mouth and guffawed, “Why, it ain’t nothing but a damn kid. Hey, sonny,” he bellowed, “better get off that stallion before you fall off. That’s a man’s horse if I ever saw one. Let a man show you how to ride him.”
The drover swaggered towards the stallion then took a hasty step back as Alexandria drew her six-gun. A loud click sounded as she pulled back the trigger. “I wouldn’t, mister.” Her voice was low and husky like that of the boy she was dressed to resemble in her four-button brown shirt and Duckins.
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419912900

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?