I am an abomination…

Dictionary definition of abomination – “A cause of abhorrence or disgust.”

So, apparently I’m an abomination. Yep. You probably didn’t know that. Me? I’ve faced this accusation before by close minded, jealous people who cannot fathom how a single woman should be allowed to own property, speak her mind, live her life by her own dictates, be alone, stand up and be counted, travel, work, vote and for god sake be heterosexual yet feel no need to marry a man. Abomination!

Everyone – apparently – knows women should be married, pregnant, subservient, quiet, controllable, have sex only on Sunday after church in the missionary position, bear children, iron her husband’s clothes and I’m sure a bunch of other stuff but I’m an abomination so I can only speculate so far on what women should do. It destroys the natural order when women are not docile and under a man’s control and there should be laws against it apparently. My thoughts on this? Chances of me shutting up and being controlled? Er – no.

As for being called an abomination due to my rebellious nature to be free? Yeah, I’m okay with that as generally those who are the most overly pious and live in the proverbial glass houses cast stones at others. Batter up!

Sanctimonious sods...

Maybe it’s because I have the freedom to think, do and say whatever I want that I believe others should have that right as well and that love and marriage cannot be legislated for or against. Love. It happens. It’s not gender specific. People. Go figure. They’re crazy. They fall in love. How dare they upset bigots? 

If all the gay and lesbian couples were legally allowed the right of all human beings to get married and live their lives the way they want to, what would the bitter and the twisted, sanctimonious sods who require the world to be a certain way do with themselves? Hmmm….maybe possibly mind their own damn business? 

Walk of Shame...

So, I was chatting to a friend on email about the walk of shame. What is that? Well, for a woman it’s when you have sex with a man and you then go home very late at night or the next day by yourself having re-dressed in the same clothes you started the day with. There are more interpretations but that is essentially what it is. It’s also an indication of liberation and freedom that women can have sex and find their way home very nicely by themselves, feeling shagged yet good. Have I done it? Yes, but I felt no shame in it. I do what I do because I can. Hence the reason why we were talking about it on email. The writer, who I was chatting to, asked me ‘can I put that the heroine did the walk of shame? How will other women react to that? Will she come across as a slut?' My answers? Yes. Who knows. And slut is a subjective term.

Firstly, you can write about anything you like. It’s your story. Look at Fifty Shades of Gray. Did that writer think ‘oh gee, maybe I shouldn’t?’ To my mind if you have no guts, you shouldn’t be a writer. Not every will love what you write so don’t expect them to. As for how other women react to a woman having a ‘very nice time’ and going home? That will swing from remembering when to jealousy. The slut thing? See above. It’s subjective.    

Walk of shame? No shame in doing what you want. 

Anzac Day...

I went to the Anzac Day dawn service on the Cairns Esplanade. What is Anzac Day? Click here. It’s a day that’s extremely important to Aussies. In many ways it forged our national identity and we don’t forget what made us the people we are. I always think of my great Uncle Sinclair who survived Gallipoli but died shortly after in a small town ‘near Albert’, as his war records tell me, in France. For all those who have died in war, to those who came back scarred both mentally and physically and to those who soldier on in any arm of the defence forces, I certainly don’t forget what you do and why.

 

What I like about the monument on the Cairns Esplanade is that the statue of the soldier faces out to sea. It’s very evocative. To me it signifies courage, hope, belief and the desire to do the right thing even though you know it may call for unbearable sacrifices. The time on the clock remains fixed at 4:25am in recognition of the men who stormed the beaches at Gallipoli at that precise time moment and forged a tradition of courage we can only hope to emulate.  

Lest We Forget.  

Benefits of Friday…

- It’s good for your skin as you can relax because it’s almost the weekend.
- No boot camp on Saturday – well, there probably is but not for me.
- You don’t have to work hard because it would be wrong to sprain anything before the weekend.
- Calories don’t count on a Friday because it’s all to do with mathematics, happiness and something else vitally scientific that makes calories rendered useless.
- World peace is doable on a Friday and would be but for the fact world leaders are not genetically human and don’t understand Fridays therefore rendering world peace useless.
- You dislike less people on Friday because it’s Friday.
- If they made a calendar of just Fridays people would actually never be sick.
- Stupid policies don’t count. They’re filed in ‘b’ for bin.
- Everyone is beautiful on a Friday – probably why there are so many hook ups.
- The time space continuum means Fridays do go slower when anticipation is higher therefore it’s best to feign boredom to confuse the time space continuum thing.
- Lastly – say what you like on a Friday. Dare all. Be all.

Navel gazing…

I was hanging out washing on the line at 5:00am before work. It was dark, still, balmy and there was only the sound of crickets to be heard. It occurred to me once more how peaceful my new home is and how I – all – of us – take peace and freedom for granted. Yeah, we do. We should stop doing that…

Co-opt me in…

Interesting idea popping up on the author circuit. Co-op publishing. Yes, it’s probably always been out there but of late I’m seeing it more and more and being asked to join in on it. What is it about? Essentially a bunch of writers pool resources – that is talents be they editing, cover art, formatting etc - and publish on an already established site where advertising and audience appeal is a done deal. The beauty of this is the royalties are higher, there are less Diva publishers who think a writer should kiss the hem of their skirt and you have a say in what and how you’re publishing your work. Sure, a lot of authors will still publish with established e-publishers in the traditional way. Some will do both trad and co-op. Some, like me will do trad, co-op and self pubbing. Choice for a writer is important. Control is paramount. Freedom? Priceless.

HQ - Wham - Freedom - Top of the Pops 1984

I can’t get this song out of my head so I’m going to share it with everyone. Wham. I used to love ‘em. I remember racing into Oxford Street in London on the mere mention that someone has seen them in a store there.

Freedom – get thee out of my head.

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