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au revoir!

Well guys, it's been fun here at spilling the beans, but it's time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to the freebie host and subdomain.

Goodbye to the fantastic blogging software that has done nothing wrong by me.

Goodbye to the hours spent uploading every single post when I change themes!

Goodbye to having to play by other peoples rules.

Goodbye to the memories that resurface each time I open this site as my life sits here before me on the screen....

With the goodbyes, comes some hellos.

Hello to the new domain - that is 100% mine.

Hello to wordpress which whilst a little confusing, is already proving to be a great piece of software.

Hello to a new hosting service which has been a breeze to sign up with and use.

Hello to a new kind of blog. More content, less frills. I've done the pretty flashing things in the sidebar, the numerous stats counters that all tell me something different, the many and varied things I've tried, tweaked, kept or taken away. Lets face it, there have been so many I've forgotten more of them than I remember :)

Hello to more of me again...the one that used to write on a daily basis about anything and everything

No overhaul would be complete without a new title and look. So when I say, 'say goodbye to spilling the beans', I mean that literally. It is without any further ado that I introduce you to my brand new blog:

NO REGRETS

Thanks for the memories :)

p.s For those of you signed up via the feedburner rss feed, you don't need to change anything, I'll be doing that later on tomorrow/today depending on when you read this. If necessary please alter your bookmarks and/or change your blogrolls. I really do promise this one is here for a very long time :) I'm done with all the changes. It's time to sit back and enjoy my life :)

men are sooks!

According to this report, men mistake the common cold for the flu and take more time to 'recover' than women. But then us ladies have known that for eons haven't we, and now we have some statistical backup. Who needs stats and online surveys to tell us that men are just big sooky lala babies when it comes to being sick.

First there is 'having a man's look' - when you can't see something right in front of you, or take a casual glance into a room and claim to have searched high and low for it, now there is 'man flu' where you get to take twice as much time off work, feel sorry for yourself and claim to be the sickest person there ever was, has been, or will be all because their nose is a little runny and they occasionally cough!

That right there is why men don't give birth ladies and gentlemen. They'd have one stab at it, never go back or tell their mates how bloody terrible pregnancy and childbirth is, and this race would die out due to lack of reproduction :)

I'm updating this post to add a very appropriate line from an email sent to me today -by anonoypop- entitled "Rules of Man"

Because I'm a man, when I catch a cold, I need someone to bring me soup and take care of me while I lie in bed and moan. You're a woman. You never get as sick as I do, so for you, this is no problem.

"gayism"

This country as a whole is fairly homophobic. Our laws say so, our politicians say so and our censorship says so. Imagine my surprise when I came across this article then. Unfortunately I'm a little cynical about it actually happening, or even that it would happen for the right reasons.

I'm a firm believer in equality for all. And that includes the gay community. Especially couples. The one area that I'm surprised wasn't mentioned in the above article is the welfare system. Currently my friend and his partner can claim full benefits from the government as their relationship is not recognised. So the government are doing themselves out of money the way I see it! If they were in a hetrosexual relationship, they would each receive less money each fortnight if they were claiming it. Partners income would be taken into account and one is working. As it stands, they would both be entitled to the single rates, which are higher. The other thing that gets me is this, surely if you are going to overhaul the law in order to NOT discriminate against gays, the first place would be to allow for marriage or civil unions? The only mention of that isn't from the backbenchers who are looking to introduce the bill, it's from the ACT where they are looking at reintroducing laws to allow for 'civil partnerships' that the Commonwealth Government got rid of earlier in the year.

As individuals, most of us are accepting of homosexuality. Some don't like it, don't agree with, think it's against God's laws and will having nothing to do with gay people, but it is basically accepted as a part of life. If you see a same sex couple walking down the street holding hands, the chances of them being bashed in a dark alley are a little less today than what they were yesterday, and will be even less tomorrow. Slowly but surely gayism is fading and becoming unacceptable. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't know someone who was gay - even if they didn't know about it.

The bit that bugs me the most about the current discrimination in our laws is the message it sends to our children. Our laws are a reflection of our moral and ethical beliefs for the most part. I understand it takes time for those laws to catch up to societies ever changing acceptance levels. Some will never change, some are an ongoing ebb and flow of a societies development. But our children learn in part what is acceptable and what isn't from our laws, so maybe the wheels should turn a little faster. What message are we sending our children when the law doesn't recognise anything other than hetrosexuality in a society that is slowly waking up and realising that a persons sexuality does not necessarily define them? How does my friend explain to his children why our government does not think his love for his partner is valid enough to allow them to get married should that be what they wanted to do? They don't wish to, but surely they should have that choice?

How does a gay parent look into the eyes of his children and explain why his/her love is not ok according to this society, it's laws and our elected governement? In a world that needs more love, not hate, this doesn't make any sense to me.

stonehenge

According to this news article, Stonehenge may just be considered a wonder of the world before long.

Stonehenge has always fascinated me, and I love reading about the many different theories regarding just what it is.

Personally I like to think it was erected by a bunch of drunk and/or stoned people who sat around a bonfire at a dull party one Saturday evening, and thought - "wouldn't it be funny to put something totally useless up here and then in thousands of years they'll wonder what the fuck it is!"

p.s. Hey thanks to speedy for pointing out that I didn't have my brain plugged in when I read this article.....I must have left it under my pillow or something :)

this would NEVER happen in Australia

Go check out this article...

I nearly pissed myself laughing when I read this. I could NEVER imagine something like this being allowed in Australia. I mean this is the country that will bet on two cockroaches running across the bar at the local outback pub. We'll bet on ANYTHING. To watch horses running round without being able to 'make it interesting' would start riots that even a nude photo of our esteemed Prime Minister in a compromising position with a colleague wouldn't. I don't understand why you would start the races BEFORE you could bet on them. Isn't that kinda like showing an ice cream shop to someone but not letting them buy? It's just cruel.

it's done..

....I'm gone.

After many tears, many sleepless nights, and many farewells, we are gone. Zoe and I are at dad's house where we will be until Sunday.

I know I made the decision to leave, but man this sucks. In leaving behind Stu, and our relationship I've also left my friends, the school and so much more. It was bloody awful let me tell ya. I cried when Zoe got her gold award, I cried when I got mine:)<---The only parent to ever get one by the way! I cried when I left behind my friends. And the kids. The kids I think were the worst to say goodbye too. I hope they'll forgive me one day....

Right now i'm exhausted, so i'm heading to bed....this won't be posted until I hook it up to the net again, by which time I'll have probably written another few entries. Hope you are all well.

Okay, it's two days later and i'm online for about 5 mins...using dialup at my beaustiful sister's house.

It's been hard, really hard, but shit happens. We will be fine. This time tomorrow night i'll be in Townsville and probably an emotional wreck!! Will try to get an update to you all once i'm settled a bit.

To my girls, you know who you are, i'll call when i'm there ok? Love ya....

I just knew it....

I always suspected myspace of harboring the crazies of this world amidst it users.

Then I read this news story.

I remember JOHN GIORDANO

John Giordano

Firefighter John J. Giordano was part of Haz Mat Company 1, designated as New York City’s sole dedicated hazardous materials unit. It was quite an honor for an exceptional man. Little did he know that when he headed to work on September 11, 2001 that he would give his life doing what he did best. Helping others. The squad rushed to the aid of those in the WTC towers and suffered heavy losses. Lt Philip McArdle said that those lost, John among them, would be 'impossible to replace.' He was right, in more ways than one.

For his wife Roxann, and his three children -Jonathon, Jordan and Jessica, life must have been terribly difficult for the first few hours, days, weeks after the attacks. Their beloved father and husband was missing. It was not until October 22, 2001 that his body was recovered. The not knowing must have been terrible and I can only imagine the anguish they felt.

There is an amazing article about John and his all too short 47 year life that can be found on this page here. The title is "A strong presence in his community." What an understatement! Please take a moment to read it through. I dare you to NOT be inspired by his passion for everything he did. I have no idea where he found the hours in the day, nor the energy to do the many things he did. He must have been one of the happiest men alive. Doing all those things that he loved doing. What's that saying? Do something you'll love and you'll never work a day in your life. I'm hoping that is just how John saw it. I get the feeling it would have been.

Reading through it myself, two things stood out more than anything. He loved life. And he loved his family. He wanted to share with them in a very real way the things that were important to him. And he did just that. He passed on his love of music to his children. He was a classically trained guitarist who taught the local children from the neighborhood. He loved Bob Dylan. He also loved the environment, with the Hudson River being the topic of his thesis. He planned on becoming a teacher once he finished his Masters Degree and retired from firefighting. I mourn for the generation that will not have this man's influence in their life. I think he would have had a lot to teach today's youth about LIFE.

I'm so proud to learn about, and remember John today. He was such a compassionate, inspirational, and quite simply amazing man who left this world far too soon leaving behind a legacy that i'm sure will live on forever. To John's family, I offer my deepest sympathies and two simple words.

I remember.

I wish I had the words to do John's life justice, but it would take a lifetime to do that. He lived life to the fullest.

Click here for a full list of the tributes that are part of the 2996 project.

I remember Jose Manuel Contreras Fernandez

Little is known about Jose except that he was from El Aguacate, Jalisco Mexico and he worked as a janitor in the World Trade Center where he was tragically lost alongside those that he worked for.

We can only guess at the life led by Jose. Was he working in the land of the free to support a family back home in Mexico? Or were they with him perhaps? How many passed him each day as he went about his daily duties never knowing his story? Perhaps he shared silent and polite nods in the hallways as he did a most important job. Maybe he even wondered about the people he passed as they most likely wondered about him.

I wonder what his dreams were. An education for his children? Or maybe something simpler. Food on their table, or even a house to call home. Or was he younger, and wanting to make his way in life before starting a family? At the very least it is almost certain that Jose was chasing those dreams. How many of us have the courage to do that? Want something, and then go after it. Jose, for that I admire you. How brave you must have been to leave your home town and try to make a better life for yourself.

Jose, I remember you and I only wish that I could have learned more about you and your life. I can't help but think how sad it is that 5 years on, those that loved you will still miss you yet the world doesn't know what must have been your interesting story.

Click here for a full list of tributes as part of the 2996 project.

I remember MARISA DI NARDO SCHORPP

Please scroll down for newer posts. I'm leaving this one at the top for a few days..

As I sat and watched the events of 911 unfold, I held my not quite 12 month old Zoe's hand and cried for the world that I had bought her into. I wept for the innocence destroyed. I was devastated for humanity as a whole. But until I started on the road to writing this tribute, it wasn't a personal experience. Perhaps that was why I signed up. To make it personal. Because to the loved ones of all 2996 victims, it can be nothing but can it?

Marisa Di Nardo Schorpp

31 Dec 1962 - 11 Sep 2001

Dear Marisa,

I have the extreme honor of remembering you this September 11, 2006, 5 years after you were so tragically torn from this world along with so many other innocent victims. But you were much more than just a victim weren't you? Nobody who died in that horrible moment in time, was just a victim.

Throughout my searching, trying to find out about you and your life, I've learned many things. I've learned you had worked as a trader for Cantor Fitzgerald for around a year as one of only a few women who had to fight harder and be better, in what was traditionally a man's world. I learned that you were successful, determined, aggressive and passionate about your work. Even though you had been celebrating your mother's birthday till the wee hours of the morning the night before, you still went to work because you had a meeting, and had to be there. I learned that you were born on New Year's Eve, 1962, and were taken from us too early from the 105th floor of Tower 1 at the World Trade Center. Your birthday was the day after my daughters. You grew up in West Harrison, NY and attended Harrison High School.

These fragments of information are just part of who you were, and can be found on any of half a dozen websites through a simple web search. There were a few comments, and interesting facts that hit home to me as I tried to give you the tribute you deserve. They also raised more questions than answers as I endeavored to find out more than just statistics. You donated to charities, specifically those that helped poor children and abandoned animals. Did you know some friends of yours set up a children's charity in your name? I wish I could have found out more about them, I would love to donate. You had two cats, Gizmo, and Misha Why did you choose these names? Was their any special significance? THESE are the things I tried in vain to find out about you Marisa! What was on your desk at work? Was it a photo of your husband, Jeff? Perhaps some photos of your family. Marisa you so clearly loved both of your parents, Ester and Pio. Your younger brother Harley was obviously very proud of his big sister as evidenced by his many quotes in various news articles. Nella Baresse, who knew you since you were 8, said you were devoutly religious and your faith was strong. Perhaps there was a favorite verse or picture on a wall where you could see it throughout the day. Perhaps there were a few of the angels that I heard you collected. I hope these things were close by as you spoke to your loving husband to let him know your were ok and were leaving the building. It was the last anyone heard from you Marisa.

I never knew, you Marisa, nor was I likely to. But I think that even though we were from two different worlds, having a coffee with your would have been an interesting experience. I think you would have been an inspiration. I'm so sorry that we will never have that chance. I'm sorry for the memories that you and your loved ones will not be able to create. I'm sorry for their loss. I'm sorry for the good that you will not be able to do in this world. I think your heart was pure and strong and the world is a lesser place now that your not here.

You were so many things to so many people Marisa.

A daughter.

A wife.

A sister.

A friend.

An esteemed colleague.

So much to so many people, and there aren't the words to convey what you must have meant to them all or the loss they feel.

I wish that I could do you, and your life, more justice in this, my tribute to you. For now, all I can do is remember, and hope that others do to. I'm going to leave the final words of this to your mother. She spoke of you at a memorial service and can be seen in this video. It bought tears to my eyes.

I remember you, Marisa.

Yours Sincerely,

Kelly.

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