Thursday, March 6, 2025

I felt like writing

I don't want to be unkind, but how many more times will the dead cat in Rome bounce? Ok, that was unkind.

While it's not always the case, sometimes when a State Premier leaves office midterm, a poisoned chalice is handed to woman. This is the case now in my state, Victoria. Jacinta Allen is a very decent and competent person, and while she has such a good margin for the next state election, the government is stale. The new opposition leader is a fresh face and so far, quite electable. If he can keep his gob shut, and that of his shadow ministers, he is in with a chance. 

Many words have been written about #47's meeting with Zelenskyy. I can't add to them more than it was cringeworthy and clearly aimed to belittle a leader of a country that has been invaded by a powerful aggressor. Pure school boy bullying by #47 and his bitch boy. 

As I type this a cyclone is approaching the state of Queensland, looking like it will be a direct hit on its capital city, Brisbane and south to the Gold Coast, with extreme and extended rain, and with tidal surges. 

I saw my doctor today, just to get more prescriptions for drugs what keep me alive. Did I mind if a trainee doctor sat in? OMG, he was stunning! I wanna have his babies. I don't know what triggered this, but my doctor, after me becoming both a widower and an old age pensioner, now always bulk bills me. He loses money, but that should be standard for those in need, not that I am saying I am. If I was charged, the government would pay about $40+ and I would pay about $50. I think he receives more than the $40 if he bulk bills me, but he certainly ends with a good bit less from my visit. A standard appointment is 15 minutes. I don't think I've ever been 15 minutes. My needs are simple. 

Kosov went off very early today for a class, and left me a lovely note. Phyllis also went off early a couple of hours later. Again the bahn mi was sold out, so he brought home bread rolls to make bahn mi, but has now has gone to church for....yesterday was pancake day...ah, Ash Wednesday. There is some chicken and salad in flat bread. That will do for my dinner. It is just cooling after being in the airfryer. I better eat now. 

Back with more ranting. I was rather lucky to get Phyllis as a boarder, and Kosov turned out to be a bonus. Really, if you are alone and have the space, take on an overseas student boarder.  Make an agreement that after one month if it isn't working for you or the boarder, either of you can say so, without explanation and end the deal. You need to state some very clear rules initially. Don't imagine that they will know what is right and wrong in your home. Define your spaces and theirs, and what they can do. Define what you don't want moved or tampered with. Your living room is your space, which includes your tv and what you like to watch, or listen to on a radio. They are welcome to your space, but it is your space. 

You are the boss of your home, and they need to understand that from the word go. Once this is established, you can then turn into a softer and more indulgent person. You can then note what young people are interested in, their musical tastes, and if they are foreign, their culture and practices. It's all so interesting, and at times a little challenging. As an older person, I quite like being challenged and to have rethink what I believe in and think. 

I advertised on Gay Share on a whim just a few months after Ray died. While I was so busy with dealing with things after Ray's death, the apartment felt so empty, with two spare bedrooms and a bathroom and toilet. Phyllis' response was immediate and he quickly paid a deposit. I took the ad down. 

Should you share your home with a student boarder, it can take you out of yourself and give some meaning to your life beyond your own, in my case anyway, self indulgent life. 

48 comments:

  1. This is very well written and should be shared widely to other Senior like ourselves. Your comments about the US president are welcome and agreed with! We are all looking for smart ways to limit the damage and win the next Congressional elections. My message to the rest of the world? So sorry! Thanks for sharing, Andrew. Aloha

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    1. No need to apologise Cloudia. We know there are so many decent people in your country who are ashamed of what they are seeing.

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  2. Quite a lot here to digest. It took me a little while to get the dead cat in Rome reference .. you are so naughty Andrew.
    You are also much braver than I would be to take in two boarders who are strangers, but I am the sort of person who enjoys solitude so think I could quite easily live alone if it came to it.

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    1. JayCee, I am quite ok with solitude as at times friends and family events crop up. When Ray died, I no longer had any responsibility to anyone, which was somewhat liberating, but I then felt I needed to be responsible for someone, and to help out a foreign student who was in need seemed like a good idea. It is something I had broached with Ray some years ago, but he was very negative about the idea.

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  3. Jacinta is a decent person but Labor will likely lose the next election. I live in Brad Battin's electorate and have met him - he is dopey. His fairly conventional good looks hide his lack of brain power.

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    1. J, if it wasn't for the huge margin Labor has, I might agree, and I could be wrong too. Ah yes, you would live in that electorate, where one of my brothers lives. Battin has a couple of years to sell himself.

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  4. Andrew, you have mirrored my thoughts on cat in Rome, the nightmare in Washington. who needs enemies when your friends are enemies and deranged.
    I wonder why men premiers stuff it up and leave women to clean up their mess.?
    It is wonderful to see those two young men in your life . It must have been meant to be . From afar it seems like it has been a reciprocating and kind relationship

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    1. I could make a list of cases where men have left women to clean up a political mess, but left them in an untenable position.
      Yes, they are both great lads, but young and without experience in many areas. That is not their fault. I'll say they have learnt a bit from me, and me from them.

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  5. Doctors don’t lose money on pensioners . We are their bread and butter the government subsidies bulk billing … if you think about it at least $160 an hour plus government top up for a 7 hour day is at least $1000 a day. Plus top up from government. Young hospital interns earn around $ 160000 a year with overtime .

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    1. Yes, they don't lose money, but they receive less money per visit from those patients. I trust your figures are correct, and it could be a lot of overtime to earn $160,000. With overtime, I heard tram drivers are earning about $120,000+.

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  6. I'm glad your boarder experience has turned out so well. It's really brought new ideas into your life as well as a couple of nice young men. It sounds as if they feel lucky too.

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    1. Yes, all good Boud. There could be a sad parting in the future, but at the moment, they are looking after me well. They insist on doing things I can do perfectly well myself. Who am I to argue.

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  7. Teenage violence is widespread throughout Bendigo, which falls within Jacinta Allan's electorate. She is indeed facing a formidable challenge. Bulk billing generates revenue only when a practice has more than eight general practitioners.

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    1. Roentare, you saw the tv report of violence in Bendigo? It was disturbing, but how often is it really happening?
      That's interesting about the size of the practice. Prahran Market Clinic where I attend has doctors, a nurse, a physiotherapist and a psychiatrist, along with Dorevitch lab testing facility. My doctor is the major owner of the practice.

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  8. I'm so happy that things have worked out so well and you're enjoying some challenges. It's important to keep our minds active, as well as our bodies. Be well, my dear.

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  9. "Pure school boy bullying by #47 and his bitch boy. "

    Precisely!

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  10. It’s interesting how life can be filled with so many different challenges and moments of reflection. I agree with you on how complex political leadership can be – sometimes a fresh face brings in a wave of change, but it’s a delicate balance to maintain. I also found your thoughts about boarders quite insightful. It’s true that having someone else around, especially a student from another culture, can open your eyes to new perspectives and add a different kind of energy to your home. It’s all about setting clear boundaries from the start, and when that happens, it can indeed be a rewarding experience. Thank you for sharing such a personal and thought-provoking post!

    Wishing you a great Wednesday: I just shared a new post: [https://www.melodyjacob.com/]

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    1. Thanks Melody. I was say having lads here is 85% is good. I don't understand why they spend 20 minutes in the toilet with a bucket of water, and I am not asking.

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  11. You really lucked out in the roommate pool and they are lucky as well!

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    1. I reckon I did Deb. I am fairly easy going.

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  12. I think the Leader of the Conservative Opposition is always vulgar, whether the Leader of the Labour Party is male or female. Peter Dutton, for example, has no sense of moderate politics or polite language whatsoever :(

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    1. Hels, I would make an exception for Turnbull, but he did not last long.

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  13. This post made me smile. I'm glad that you and the boys found each other. I think they kept the sadness from overwhelming you.

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    1. Debby, it is a two edged sword. While I miss Ray terribly, I no longer live on tenterhooks about what I say and do. And you know, I am surviving without criticism. Any mistake I make is mine to own.

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  14. I very much enjoy reading of your adventures with Phyllis and Kosovo. Keep 'em with you as long as you can.

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    1. I intend to Kirk, and I will ignore the knock at the door from immigration when their visas expire. Phyllis, a hard working and very clever somewhat effeminate but stylish gay male is a good fit for Australia, as is an immigrant young straight couple from India.

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  15. The Pope, doing much better now, the way it was reported days back I'm sure he was going for good but no, he rallied.
    Your boarders have certainly changed your life and given you a different meaning to your life.

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    1. Margaret, he seems to recover and then go backwards. He is very old. Quite so about the boarders.

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  16. Yes, you seem happier with Phyllis and Kosovo....and having some mutual help and adventures with them....Peta

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    1. Yes Peta. I am learning about to involve them and not involve them in my life.

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  17. I should check with the local clinic I go to, at one visit I wasn't charged for repeat prescriptions, but at other visits I have been. If I have other things done or checked fair enough I think, but not just for repeat bits of paper.
    I've lived with multiple people for years, mostly my family, but then there were family members who left and later came back home with partners and kids and stayed for weeks at a time, friends of my kids who wanted to move out of their parental home etc, I just want my small space for myself now. I don't have a spare room anyway.

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    1. River, I agree with you about just getting prescriptions renewed. But if needs some doctor expertise, I am happy to pay.
      I get what you are saying. Since the age of 22 I lived with Ray and no one else around. I get you have had enough.

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  18. As an ignorant Pom, I've never heard the expression "dead cat in Rome" so I did an on-line search but the only thing I could find was an article from January about the body of a cat found in Rome that appeared to have been attacked with fireworks... is there any connection?

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    1. Richard, the key word was bouncing. The dead cat bouncing. The cat is pretty well dead, but briefly bounces back to life. So Google dead cat bouncing for a better explanation. And check on the health of the Pope.

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    2. As they say, you learn something new every day, thank you Andrew.

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  19. Well as someone who looked after about 200 language students over the years, it is an interesting experience. And what is perhaps more important a humbling experience meeting people from all over the world and learning about them. I am glad you settled down with them and they for a what will only be a short time made you happy.

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    1. Thelma, I hope it is longer than a short time. I will need a carer to push me about in a wheelchair.
      What an interesting job you had. I guess that none were native English speakers. I am truly astonished by my tenants' English writing skills, and their understanding of colloquial Australian English. They were no doubt privately educated in India, and I think their education was first class. The can speak English and Tamil with equal ease. Sometimes they speak Tamil to each other, sometimes English. When they write, it can be young people's abbreviated text writing, and just proper English writing. They are also terribly smart and pick up on things so quickly.

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  20. I remember your initial hesitancy about having a lodger. How well it has turned out for you - and for them, too.

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    1. JB, thanks for remembering. I've been fairly lucky in life, and struck it lucky once more.

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  21. You seem to be doing well, and enjoying having youngsters around. My annual docs visit was this week. She was relaxed and talked business for about 10 minutes, then till next time. I think she gets like $150 from my insurance for that, and $15 from me.

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    1. TP, that sounds like a lot of money for a 15 minute visit.

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  22. So that's how you found Phyllis! "Gay share." My! Your post was coy on the subject. Roderick

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    1. Yes, Roderick. It was interesting that so many looking for accommodation identified as bi or straight. Desperate times perhaps. It would not have really mattered to me, as long as they led quiet lives at home.

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  23. I'm glad your boarders are working out well. I don't think I could do that. I'm glad to have my son here though.

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    1. Thanks Jenny. It is like having two sons here really; cheeky, funny, respectful and good guys.

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