The Maroon Diaries

I was just thinking about that time in the 00's that my GP, Dr Janeil Hall , tried to bully me, as a young, single, disabled woman, into conceiving and birthing a baby because she was convinced that it would cure my (at that point undiagnosed) catamenial epilepsy.  For every reason I had as to why that could be a bad idea, she told me I was wrong about that.  I didn't think anything much of that at the time, simply because I expected that being harassed and pressured to procreate was just a normal part of life for all young women. The world had taught me nothing different.  It's only decades later that I understand how horrific it is that this could have happened.  Oh and it turned out that the cure for my catamenial epilepsy symptoms was actually the contraceptive Pill. 

I watched a movie called Lucy , with Scarlett Johanssen and Morgan Freeman, last night. Nice science fiction flick. The first twenty minutes were particularly brilliant, but then I was sadly disappointed to hear that they made Morgan Freeman repeat that old chestnut about humans only using ten percent of their brains. I mean, come on, the man deserves more respect than that. At least he was getting paid bloody well, I suppose.  I'm surprised that this myth has lasted so far into this day and age of MRI technology, but it is still a very popular idea, and not just in the realm of Hollywood fiction. Why is that? Why do people just accept a statement like that with no evidence, let alone common sense, attached, and go on to repeat it as truth? Is it just because it sounds catchy and profound? Apparently that is enough for many a human brain. But this is not because we only use ten percent of them.  Firstly - where did this myth come from? There are a few different theories about...

2025 was the year I got my reading groove back.  It's been a source of nagging sadness to me that I just hadn't been reading as many books over the last several years. I mostly blamed the discovery of social media addiction. And then this year, I got my new home. I got an armchair from the op shop, and I put it directly underneath the small, north-facing window in the lounge room. I got a footstool to put in front of the chair. And now I have a reading chair. A comfortable chair with a footstool and natural light coming in over your shoulder when you sit in it.  And I started reading more books again.  As it turns out, I still have time for social media addiction, as well.  1. Nocturnes by John Connolly 2004 2. The Knowledge Gene by Lynne Kelly 2024 3. House of Glass by Susan Fletcher 2018 4. Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison 2024 5. Angels and Insects by A.S. Byatt 1994 6. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective ...