Seriously, i'm over the cold weather already. Winter doesnt even officially start until tomorrow( ( and its not even " cold" cold yet ) but already im not enjoying having to climb into a cold bed at night and shiver around to warm up; rugging up before leaving the house in the morning; having to turn the heater on by lunch time so i dont get nippy; and definately not enjoying the sore throat that is lingering from last weeks common cold. ( the only thing i am enjoying is the hot chai latte before bed of an evening...mmmm .)
Poor little Flynn still has a runny nose and a sore throat aswell, and its a battle to keep him warm during the night because the little dude likes to wriggle and kick around - which means the sheets and blankets either go flying or, at the very least, end up around his ankles. Luckily he has a few pairs of soft, snuggly pyjamas so i can layer a singlet, a onesie and the pj's to keep him toasty.
We've had a spare mattress set up in a loungeroom for the past week because people have been sick ( ie me and Flynn ) and other people ( ie Mick ) have very kindly given us our space and thus saved their own sleep. However, i am contemplating leaving it out for the entirety of winter so Flynn and i can be warm and snuggly all day long, snuggled in under the quilt. It would probably look like we had squatters moving in, but other than that it would be awesome.
What would also be awesome? Spring. Only 3 months of crappy winter to get through!
------------------------------------------------ Help support The Duck Avenger's efforts to make it to English-speaking countries - Superduck comics now available in America and the United Kingdom through Disney Digicomics!
Useful links: Here and here. Overly long post explaining this: Here.
Hello there reader-people. Today i take part in a great little initiative that i found via Sian at Pumpkin and Piglet ( although it is the brainchild of Gigi at Kludgy Mum ). Its called Friday Flip-Off - its basically a weekly outlet of rage. You know, so we dont take our shit out on our nearest and dearest. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my end of week rant.
To the common cold - you've managed to infect everybody in my house, including my little bubba. This has meant little sleep, lots of crying ( on my behalf aswell as bubs ) and itchy, scratchy sore throats... flip off!
To the selectors of the NSW rugby league team - i am sick to the death of you people. Seriously. Could you please stop picking players out of position and start picking some players with a bit of passion, regardless of their age ( wink, wink, nudge, nudge Nathan Hindmarsh ). If you persist in stuffing we NSW supporters around, i may just have to move to Victoria and pretend that i dont care anymore. And i dont want that to happen. So get your act together or....flip off!
To people who dont know how to correctly negotiate a roundabout - its not hard. Give way to your right; stick to your own lane; blink off when existing. The next time someone cuts me off or uses their blinker incorrectly, i'm going to give them the finger and tell them to ....flip off!
To my neighbours dog - stop shitting on my lawn. Stop barking in the wees of the morning and when i am trying to get back to sleep after a breastfeed. Stop scampering through my flower bed and kicking the wood chips everywhere. You dirty, mangy, fluffly little mutt....flip off!
To the washing - please stop piling up everywhere. Dirty, clean, doesnt matter - you are taking over my house. I know that technically this is my fault for being all depressed like this week and not being motivated enough to even contemplate washing/folding/putting away, but if you could just learn to wash/fold/put yourself away ( magically ) that would be awesome. Because right now, you're the bane of my existence...flip off!
P.S I dont know how to include the blog hop thingo, so if someone could help me with that for next week, that would be great.
P.P.S Head over to Blog This! and vote for me this week...
------------------------------------------------ Help support The Duck Avenger's efforts to make it to English-speaking countries - Superduck comics now available in America and the United Kingdom through Disney Digicomics!
Useful links: Here and here. Overly long post explaining this: Here.
Welcome to this weeks Blog This! challenge. On todays menu: Tell us about a proud moment in life - of you, of someone else, when you made someone proud. Maybe you want to focus on an aspect of your life or someone you know that exudes pride?
Ok, yes, first of all - i totally stole the name of a U2 song for my post title. Second of all, the first person tha comes to mind when i think of the word " pride ", of who I am proud of, of who is proud of me....is my Dad.
Thats him - my dad. We've always been close, my dad and i, the kind of relationship where we can finish each others sentences, have inside jokes and generally just " get " each other. But in the past 8-ish years, since finishing high school and growing and maturing into adulthood, i've realised not only how much i love him but how proud i am of him as a person.
He's always done whats best for our family, regardless of whether or not it was good for him; he worked two jobs for years, existing on only a few hours sleep a night, to provide for us; when he could afford to cut back to only one job, the job he took on was physical labour. He was told by his doctor that this work would aggravate his back condition, to the point of paralysis if he let it get too far - but he continued to work regardless. For 10 years in fact, until he was told it was either a spinal fusion and rehab and cutting back on duties - or it was a wheelchair. He chose to take the surgery option and once he was back on his feet, he was back to work, doing the same job as before, because thats what he needed to do for his family. This persistance has paid off for him in the last two years - he was given a promotion which meant a better paid job with less manual work.
His dedication to us knows no bounds. He came to most of our sporting games ( even though he admits to never liking netball ); he would let you practise your speech with him as your audience, so you werent so nervous when you had to give it in class; he listens, even now, to everybody's issues and doesnt expect anything in return but that you consider his advice; I'd never in my life seen him pick up a pen and paper to write a letter, but he did just that, and wrote me when i was living overseas; he's an amazing Poppy to his three grandkids, even though he tells them " stories " about how he used to be a doctor/cowboy/hatmaker ( and we kids know none of it is true ).
Basically, I'm proud of him because of the kind of man he is. He loves with his whole heart, which means he doesnt forgive easily when he's hurt. If you hurt him too much ( though he wont admit that " hurt " is the right word ) he'll cross you off his Christmas card list forever. Yes that may be stubborn - but it also means he doesnt suffer fools easily, and that he knows the key to life is to be happy. If someone doesnt make you happy, you dont bother with them anymore, and you take that love you had and focus it on the people who mean most to you. He does everything that he does for his family, and we love him for it. Though i know he's taught me many a life lesson and showed me, through example, how to be a good parent, he claims it was us, his children, that taught him to be a good father.
Which ever way it happened, no matter where he picked up his skills, he is a good father and a good man. And thats enough for me.
Thats the question that I, and many others in Australia, am pondering today? It comes on the back of the case of a couple who, after having been hit by a drug driver on Christmas Day, lost their unborn child at 32 weeks ( " NSW to review unborn child laws " ). This poor woman, who was hit whilst out taking a walk, had to endure the pain and suffering of having to birth her child even though they knew the baby, already named Zoe, would be stillborn - and now, because of laws regarding what constitutes " human ", she cannot even get justice for that loss. See, here in New South Wales, a baby is not considered human until it has taken a breath and, thusly, this drug driver cannot be tried for either murder or manslaughter.
This, frankly, is ridiculous. Is the law saying a baby does not exist until it breaths? So you can have a baby growing inside you, evidence of their existence available on any ultrasound screen, available to any passer-by in the street - yet, in the eyes of the law, that baby doesnt exist until it takes its first breath of air. What a load of rubbish! I know this poses all kinds of moral and ethical questions, but surely a baby at 32 weeks, that could be born that early and survive, which kicks its mother, and gets the hiccups, and can suck its thumb - surely that MUST count as human?
The problem, as its been described to me, is that it raises the question of when would abortion become murder? I dont know at what stage abortion becomes murder - and therefore illegal - in this state, but i'm damn sure its well before 32 weeks. Not that i want this to become a debate on abortion but, for the record, i consider myself pro-choice - although i dont believe that abortion is the right choice ( for me, or anyone else ), i do believe that each individual woman should be able to choose for herself. But abortion is illegal in this country beyond a certain stage because the law regarding abortion must recognise late stage abortion of a fetus as murder. Mustn't it? Otherwise abortion would be legal at any stage. So why is it different for the loss of a child through other criminal means?
I just dont get it. And i'm sure this poor couple mustnt either. My heart goes out to them, their living daughter, and their angel baby. I just hope this legal loophole can be rectified soon so that other families need not suffer the same....
Flynn isnt exactly up to the TV watching stage yet - at 5 months old he doesnt have the worlds longest attention span ( hello goldfish! ). However, i do put the kids channel ABC2 on for an hour or so everyday - he doesnt actually watch the programs but he enjoys the music and the colour, and that comes in handy if Mummy has to run outside and hang some washing or needs to go to the toilet. Dont get me wrong, i'm not going to be one of those mums who uses the TV as a makeshift babysitter, i just 5 or 10 minutes of distraction sometimes. So little Flynn doesnt actually watch the shows - I, on the other hand, being an adult, cannot help but pay attention ( even if sometimes i dont really want to ). And do want to know what i've noticed ? Some kids TV shows are just stupid. They dont even compare to the great shows I had to watch when i was growing up. You know, like " Sesame Street ".
" Sesame Street " is the bomb, baby. I should i say the baby bomb? Either way i loved it back then and i love it still. The characters are kid friendly, the puppets come from the fabulous Jim Henson Company, it gets the best celebrity cameos ( Garth Brooks, Adam Sandler, Aretha Franklin, hell even Michelle Obama ) and they use music and colour and stories to help kids learn. " Sesame Street " is the kind of show i want Flynn to love. Suffice to say Mummy will put this one on when he's old enough to actually pay attention to TV. I've also discovered two other little shows that i dont mind, and would be happy to sit down and watch with him:
" The Hoobs " - this one is a British show about these aliens called Hoobs that travel around in the Hoob mobile, learning about things here on Earth. They call adults " peeps", children are " tiddly-peeps " and babys are " squiddly-tiddly-peeps". Cute! What i like about this one is that every episode is about something in particular and the Hoob go around and try to learn about that thing. So, for example, yesterday one of them had found a painted egg and they wanted to know what it was and it was for - queue learning that eggs come from chickens, humans eat them, and when theyre boiled and painted they are used for egg hunts. Also, this also a Jim Henson production so it gets extra points from me just for that. Hooba-licious!
" Chuggingtons" - this is pretty much the new, modernised " Thomas the Tank Engine ". Not thats there is anything wrong with old Thomas but this one is just a little more " hip". Its more colourful, there are human characters and the storylines teach a moral or lesson without being as clunky as Thomas tends to be. Mick and I bought Flynn a Chuggingtons showbag ( with a backpack and lunchbox, dinner plate and cute hat! ) at this years show so my fingers are crossed that he gets into this one!
I dont get the appeal of some of the other popular kids shows. " In the Night Garden " ? Its rubbish - i'm not too keen on kids shows that use baby sounds instead of actual language. I know babys might like being spoken to in goo-goo-ga-ga but i'd prefer Flynn to watch something where he is going to pick up actual words and language. " Yo Gabba Gabba " ? Those puppet character thingys are weird and freaky! The stripey green one doesnt even have elbows - whats up with that? And DJ Lance has one of those faces i just want to punch. So i'm thanking God for " Sesame Street " - as long as it remains on air i might have a little bit of sanity for the next 10 years of childrens tv watching!
I wasn't quite happy with our translation of Angus Fangus' characteristic, cackling laugh, so from now on, we're gonna go with "Gyeh! Gyeh!" instead of "Igh! Igh!"
(If your first reaction was "Oh, that was supposed to be a LAUGH?", you can see why we'd want to change it.)
------------------------------------------------ Help support The Duck Avenger's efforts to make it to English-speaking countries - Superduck comics now available in America and the United Kingdom through Disney Digicomics!
Useful links: Here and here. Overly long post explaining this: Here.
I know i've already participated in this weeks Blog This! challenge, and usually i would consider one rant post for the week enough but, well, somethings just got on my goat and i want to rant about it. I found out this morning that a young mum i know is rorting the government and, frankly, this knowledge has given me the shits.
This new mum ( who i have mentioned previously ) is getting the maximum Baby Bonus* ( which i dont begrudge her - i get it too ) and is also claiming Family Tax Benefit A and B. Thats all fine, no worries. Because her partner is part Aboriginal she is also claiming all the Indigineous benefits she can. I dont want to get into all that but i'm not a big believer in being able to claim extra monies simply because of your race ( or hell, even one quarter of your race ). But whats really gotten up my nose is that this woman is claiming single parents benefits - because she's told the government that her partner does not live with her - and thats an out-and-out lie. She and her partner have been engaged for over 5 years and have been living together longer than that. So, she's lying to Centrelink so that she can claim all kinds of money she isnt really entitled to.
The rorting of benefits really gives me the shits. This woman is telling a bald-faced lie and, consequently, she is able to claim almost $500 more per fortnight in government benefits than I am. You might want to say that i'm jealous, but thats not it ( although a little more in my pocket each week would be nice ). Its annoyed me that Mick and I are being honest, we've paid our taxes in the past, and now that we need a little monetary help from the government, we get what we're entitled to based on the truth of our situation.... and then you have people like her, who lie and are able to get so much more than they need or deserve. I cant stand being ripped off, and even though the money is not going directly from my pocket to hers it may aswell be. I pay my taxes in the anticipation that they will be used properly and to good effect - and then there are money grubbing people out there who are a drain on the system.
People who claim disability benefits because they have a slightly pulled muscle in their back, when honest-living people ( like my father ) work for 20 years with a legitimate disorder, up until their doctors tell them if they keep going they may not be able to walk....and then those honest people have surgery and get straight back to it. Women who have numerous babies to different fathers so they can live off the family benefits. People who claim unemployment, even though they are perfectly able to work - they just have no drive nor desire to find work because why should they when taxpayers will keep them in the money?
I have no problem with people claiming government benefits when its legitimate - i am, at least while i'm on maternity leave - it just really gets my back up when people cheat the system. I have half a mind to go and dob this girl in, to have her investigated, and made to pay all the extra monies back - but i wouldnt want to seem spiteful. I guess i can just sit back and know that i'm doing the right thing and live knowing that my son will be brought up with good moral standards, because his father and I are setting hime the best example ( even though its the hard way ) right from the start....
*NOTE* For those of you not in Australia, the Baby Bonus is a benefit paid to new mothers to help with the immediate costs of raising a child. The maximum benefit is just over $5000, paid over 26 weeks.
------------------------------------------------ Help support The Duck Avenger's efforts to make it to English-speaking countries - Superduck comics now available in America and the United Kingdom through Disney Digicomics!
Useful links: Here and here. Overly long post explaining this: Here.
I had me a little mummy meltdown last night. I'm not proud of it, but it happened, and i can admit to it. See, my bubba is still having the " tummy troubles " that i've previously blogged about and the challenges of trying to help him shake it are kind of getting to me.
We went to the specialist paedatrician on Monday who advised that i keep up the breastfeeding, give him water and prune juice after every feed and give him a double dose of medecine everyday. Believe it or not, the medecine part of that menu is the easiest. His medecine is super sweet so all i have to do is measure him out a spoonful, into his mouth and mmmmmmmm - he gulps it down. The breastfeeding and the water/juice part is proving to be a little more difficult. I love breastfeeding and i'm so glad that, despite a few hiccups at the start, Flynn and I stuck with it. Problem is that now, at almost 5 months, my milk is not quite enough for him ( which is why we tried a bit of rice cereal - which has seemingly caused the tummy issues - in the first place ). By early evening the little guy is wanting to feed every hour-ish and, before his bedtime rolls around, my supply runs low. This means a little " Mum, i'm still hungry!! " tantrum, before i can settle him down and get him to sleep.
The other issue is with the water and the prune juice. Two weeks of different medical professionals telling me try prune/carrot/apple/orange juice means that my son has developed a sweet tooth early - which means he's not interested in plain old water. He's also not interested in a bottle anymore. Since having all the different remedies shoved at him, he now HATES the bottle. He starts crying as soon as he sees and if you try and put it in his mouth? Screams! So consequently its either force the bottle in and make him swallow something ( while he screams and cries and splutters ) or, well, nothing.
So last night, i had my moment. My milk had run out, Flynn wouldnt even contemplate the bottle of formula i'd made up for him and Mick decided, after an hour of wailing, that it was time he hit the sack. Which left me with a crying, hungry baby, a supply that couldnt satisfy him, and a major headache. I gave him what i could of my milk and then sat with him on my lap, hoping for sleep. Two and a half hours and another feed later, Flynn was pushing out the zzz's.... and i was pouring out the tears. I felt like a bad mum because i'd gotten so frusturated; like i had the most difficult baby in the world but it was my fault because i should never have tried the rice cereal; like my head was going to explode if i couldnt get some quiet and some sleep soon; and i even felt resentfult towards Mick because he'd crept off to bed instead of staying up and helping me.
But fear not - i've moved past it today. I love both my gorgeous fiance and beautiful son to death, and i know i'm a good mumma. The last five weeks have tested my limits and i've had my crazy moments, but i havent ( yet ) completely cracked. Lets just cross fingers that the blood tests that my little guy had on Monday show up nothing serious and we can get a solution to his " difficulty " soon!
Just quickly - you may have noticed that i've changed the theme around these parts. I'm not entirely sure that i like it. I might even change it again. What do you guys think? Note: i actually have changed it since i posted this entry. What do you think now?
Its time again for another Blog This! challenge ( i've missed the last two or three... ). This week its: C'mon. It's time to shout out your cause, your gripe, your mission. Get on your soapbox and talk about something that really matters to you. Something you think about but perhaps don't talk about. Start a conversation, be heard!
Ok, so those of you who read me fairly regularly know that i dont grandstand very often. I like to keep things fairly light and fluffy and only get really opinionated when something is really important to me, and to others. You know, things like: a) breastfeeding b) blood donation c) leggings as pants. Important stuff. Seeing as i've blogged about these things in the past and you should, by now, know where i stand on those issues ( breastfeeding, yes; blood donation, double yes; leggings as pants, hell no ) i thought i'd get my knickers in a twist about something new for this challenge. Or rather something old and, apparently, frequently going missing from our society - manners.
Thats right - manners. I dont want to sound old before my time, but it seems to me like manners have kind of fallen by the wayside these days. I dont just mean kids, or teenagers - i mean basic manners from everyone. My son may only be (almost ) 5 months old but i'm already saying to him " Ta Mum " when he takes something from my hand, because a simple " Ta " or " Thankyou " is about the easiest thing in the world to learn, and amongst the most courteous to use. Its pretty simple - you say " please " when your requesting something and " thankyou " when receiving it; " excuse me " when you need to verbally or physically interupt someone;don't point and dont stare, its rude; no talking on your mobile at the checkout or at dinner; and, my biggest bug bare, you hold the door open for others when you are simultaneously using a doorway.
It really gets up my nose when people forget these most simple of things. Like the guy at the supermarket this past weekend who pushed in front of Mick and I at the self serve checkout. Even when i said " um, excuse me, there is a line here ", he just looked at me and then went back to scanning his bread. Not even an insincere " Oh, sorry, didnt see you there ". That guy ? Douche. Or the middle aged man who, despite seeing me coming with my pram, rushed through door to the carpark and went on his merry way, even though he could have ( and should have ) held the door open for me. I was taught that if you're coming up to a door way at the same time as someone else, you hold the door open for them - and i do just that, whether i'm pushing a pram or carrying my bub or am by myself, and whether the other person is a man or a woman. Its just basic manners. Or the people who get a friendly " have a nice day " from the cashier and dont even offer a " Thanks! " in return.Is it so hard to give them a one word answer? Uh - nuh.
So, blog type people, please go out of your way today, and everyday, to use your manners. I know your parents taught them to you so hold those doors open, smile and say thankyou, and make your children say " please " instead of stamping there little feet. And if you come across someone who forgets to use their manners when dealing with you, smile ever so sweetly and wait until they're out of sight before you give them the finger. After all, its bad manners to flip the bird to someones face....
The following announcement is kind of long-winded. There's an abridged version at the bottom of the post, if you just want the main points.
Alright, announcement time:
Disney has now been publishing comics starring Paperinik/The Duck Avenger/Superduck for a while, and we've had some time to think about how to move forward.
And our conclusion is this: We want to support an official translation in any way we can. And that probably means we won’t be translating the entire series ourselves. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be quitting the project anytime soon. We’ll be translating PKNA for a long time yet, and at some point, we’ll take a break to focus on other great Italian Disney comics.
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See, here’s the thing – an official translation is probably the best thing that could possibly happen to the series. Our goal has always been to spread the word on The Duck Avenger, and an official translation will do that much more effectively than our site could ever hope to.
Now, while we enjoy making these translations, of course we don’t want to spend year(s) on translating comics that Disney might very well do themselves eventually.
But if we’re going to see an official translation, we’re going to need your help!
That's right. This isn't just a blog with comics being uploaded anymore. It's a cause!
We need to make Disney aware, that there is a real demand for this series, made available in YOUR country. And there are two ways a corporation like Disney can tell what their readers want: They can look at sales, and they can look at reader response.
So here's what we need you to do: Write to Disney. Tell them that you want to be able to read Paperinik New Adventures as soon as possible. Possibly after the Superduck comics (translated from PK: Pikappa) have been translated, but ideally even before then.
If Disney DigiComics aren't available in your country, write to your local branch of Disney, and tell them you’d like to see DigiComics made available. So you can read Paperinik New Adventures.
If you don't have an iPod Touch, iPhone, or Playstation Portable, write to Disney and tell them, you want DigiComics made available in other ways (say, on a regular computer). Because you want to read Paperinik New Adventures.
(Oh, and for God’s sake, don’t mention THIS site to Disney. We prefer not to be sued.)
Here are some good ways to contact Disney – though you may be able to find a more direct link to your local branch:
The official site of Disney in America: http://home.disney.go.com/guestservices/contact
The official help desk of Disney UK: help@disney.co.uk
The most direct and effective way to reach the people we want to reach is probably through old-fashioned snail mail. Here's Disney's postal address in the US:
The Walt Disney Company
Attn: Disney Publishing - New Media
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
USA
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And, hey, if you DO have access to Disney DigiComics, why not buy an issue or two of the available Superduck comics? It's not quite PKNA, but it's pretty close, has gorgeous art, and there are 10+ issues available, which you don't even have to wait a month for.
Just as importantly, it will let Disney know that there is a demand for Italian comics starring Superduck/The Duck Avenger. And after all, they'll run out of Superduck comics from the PK: Pikappa series at some point. So we want them to feel, that it'll be a good idea to translate the next readily available series of Superduck they've got. Which is Paperinik New Adventures.
And as always, another great way to help the cause is to spread the word of this series to all the corners of the Internet.
*
SO, what about our site? As I said earlier, we don't want to translate the whole series, if Disney will ultimately be doing it themselves. But we DO want to keep this site active, and bring in more new fans.
So here's the plan: We'll keep on trucking, translating and uploading new comics from the series, until we reach the 14th issue (that's issue #11, 'Urk'). 14 issues is a pretty darn good sample, but still modest enough that there will still be a series for Disney to translate when they get to it.
After issue #11, we'll focus on some OTHER great Disney comics that are in need of a translation. First up will be Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine, a series by the same people who did PKNA, featuring Mickey Mouse using his detective skills in the city of Anderville. Like PKNA, the series features a more mature approach, a long story arc, and some darker elements than most Disney comics.
So that's the plan. Hopefully Disney will end up doing an official translation of the series, and more people will learn about the series. If they don't, we'll just rethink our approach when we get to that point.
For those of you who saw a wall of text and skipped it:
TL;DR
Please help us get an official translation of Paperinik New Adventues, by writing to Disney, buying the available Superduck comics, and/or spreading the word of this site.
Our site will be running like usual for the next long while, until we reach issue #11, after which we'll start translating other great Disney comics, including a series that features Mickey Mouse with a shotgun on one of the covers.
------------------------------------------------ Help support The Duck Avenger's efforts to make it to English-speaking countries - Superduck comics now available in America and the United Kingdom through Disney Digicomics!
Useful links: Here and here. Overly long post explaining this: Here.
