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1) I now know of at least one shop in Perth that sells hair products for black-African hair: Cape to Cairo. Being an import shop from South Africa, not really a surprise there.
1a) I bought hair straightener. This may be evidence that my brain was frying at the time. On the one hand, I'd really like to try having straight hair... on the other hand, seriously, this is not a plan with no possible drawbacks.
2) I learned a new way to play G major on a guitar from Hugh Laurie. It's a better way. Thanks, Mr Laurie!
3) In response to my talking about learning to play guitar, and the keyboarding I'm also wanting to integrate into my musical accomplishments, I periodically get things like: "I wish I'd learned more about music..."
To which I want to say: "So do."
Seriously. I'm 28. I spent many years bitterly regretting the lack of music in my life - in my case, there are circumstances that add to the bitterness factor, but I felt it keenly as a loss.
And then my very, very musical friend Dean showed me that music was still within my reach - she sat me at a piano and had me play some very basic songs, and then she made me work out one without sheet music - Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, nothing complicated, but the sense of achievement I got from this was pretty cool.
I had a chance come up to get a semi-decent guitar cheaply, and I bought it. I started with basic chords - awkwardly, uncertainly, and then with greater confidence, I learned more chord shapes, I practiced transitions. I'm still not very good at all, but I practice every day, even if only for a couple of minutes, and I'm getting better. My hand gets stronger and more flexible. My chord changes get faster.
I'm reclaiming music for myself, because I can. I'm teaching myself, because I can.
And you can too, if you really, really want it.
If you want an instrument... sure, they can be expensive, but they don't have to be. Sure, you could spend thousands of dollars on a piano, or you could spend a few bucks on a harmonica or a mouth harp, or a hundred or so on a beat-up second-hand guitar that still plays enough to learn on... or you can sing, which is free. If you're reading this you have access to the internet, and the internet has guides for learning music, and some of them are even not terrible.
There is no "when I had the chance". The chance is now.Current Mood:  depressed
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- Made a shopping list. Realised that my shopping lists a) have way too many question marks, bracketed comments with exclamation marks, and entries which will make no sense to anyone but me. (e.g. "beany things? samp!" Which I know means "beans, or possibly snow peas, or something like that, if there's something there I like that will go well with samp, but it's not a big deal if I can't find those".)
- Thought to put soy milk on there, because I think I've been having too much lactose lately and my tummy is starting to send me rude notes. (Things other people might not read into that: gluten-free soy milk, because most soy milk isn't, but I know the one brand that is.) (I really should see if I can learn to like rice milk.)
- Intermittently remembered that I want to stop by church and light a candle for Steven Johns, among others.
- Considered, yet again, making a "shut up, militant atheists" post, and decided I can't be bothered.
- Vaguely catalogued in my head the pictures I want to post to catch up on photo-posting.
- Made vague plans for the Very Serious Blog, which won't necessarily be that serious, but: not the point.
- Made actual progress on getting back to finishing this semester's uni work.
- Had pineapple Fanta for the first time in about fifteen years, I think. Mmm, tastes like liquid lollipops.
- Had actual ideas for writing stuff that I will try to get started on today, where the stuff is responses to prompts.
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Dr. LeRoy Carhart, of Bellevue, Nebraska, says he will begin training his staff to perform late-term abortions.
Less than two weeks after George Tiller was murdered, I call that courage. In the wake of a terrorist attack, Dr Carhart, who previously performed late-term abortions only at Tiller's clinic in Kansas, is stepping up, refusing to be intimidated.
Dr Carhart is a big damn hero.
From his wikipedia entry:
On 6 September 1991, the day of the passage of the Nebraska Parental Notification Law, arsonists targeted Carhart's farm, setting fire to his home and a 48-stall barn, along with two other buildings and numerous vehicles. The attack killed two family pets and 17 horses. The fire, which had started in seven different locations on Carhart's property, was never deemed arson and no one was prosecuted. Carhart stated that he received a note the morning after the fire claiming responsibility and likening the deaths of his animals to the "murder of children". At the time of the fire, abortions had been a small part of Carhart's surgical practice; afterwards, determined not "cede a victory to the antis", Carhart began performing abortions full-time.
He's 68 years old, and by the sounds of things, he's an ornery old bastard. More power to him.
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