I love these little quizzes. This one struck a chord. It's looks at autism triggers. As somebody who's AuDHD (ADHD with some autism attached - what fun!) I was curious to see where I stacked up. The criteria come from Tony D, who's a neurodiversity coach that popped up on my feed on Facebook.
And this was better than doing a post about looking for work - too tired to do one of those.
Here we go. Put a finger down if:
1. You rehearse conversations in your head before you have them.
All the time. It's normally the more 'important' conversations, but it could be something as odd as taking the cat to the vet or voicing a complaint at the supermarket.
2. Small talk drains you faster than actual work does.
Hell yeah. I try and keep small talk to a minimum. I had work drinks tonight. Turned up, said hi to everybody, gave the antibiotics excuse and got the hell out of there. I'm better in small groups. But I did turn up!
3. You've masked so well, people done believe you when you tell them you're masking.
I'm a Generation-X, first daughter. Masking is what we do. Menopause comes along and the mask drops. I have different personae for different situations. So, yes, I do this. All the time.
4. Certain sounds, textures or lights can ruin your whole day.
Do not put me near any of the following:
Flannelette sheets
Bananas
Chickpeas (when I'm not expecting them)
Soggy green beans
Anything furry when it comes to clothing.
Necklaces, ties or scarfs that do up in front of my neck.
Skivvies (it's the neck thing again - I used to get told off for stretching the necklines on skivvies as a kid.)
And I carry prescription sunglasses with me at all times so the bright lights don't get me.
I think that's a yes. It's a yes. The list is a lot longer.
5. You need to know the plan before you actually relax.
Absolutely. And being spontaneous goes against the grain, but if plan change, I'm normally grateful for the night in.
6. You've been called 'Too much" and "Too sensitive" in the same week.
In my youth, definitely. I've been masking the crazy for most of my adult life. Besides, in the words of Jewel, I'm sensitive and I'd like to stay that way.
7. Infodumping about your specialist interest is your love language.
Go on, ask me about my cat, Shakespeare, Tudor history, English Cathedrals or the modern novel and see how much I love you.
8. You need recovery time after socialising, even if you enjoyed it.
Transition time - and recovery time - hell yeah. If I socialise with more than three people, I need at least an hour to find my equilibrium again. If I get home after midnight, I won't be ready for bed until around two. This one is real.
9. Sudden changes make your body go on high alert.
To a point, yes. I think I'm on high alert all the time. It's probably why I've got high blood pressure.
10. Your exhausted from spending your life translating yourself for everybody else.
Exhausted? I know that I do this. My shrink and I started talking about this last session. I was talking about it with another friend over the weekend. I am very selective about who sees what of me.
So, yeah. Mind you, as a late diagnosed AuDHD woman, you'd half expect me to relate to some of it.
And now off to bed, as I've had enough of today and want my bed.
Do not ask me about my 'TBR" (to be read) pile. It's vast. It's excessive. And I've no idea where to start.
Remember, when it comes to books, it's not hoarding.
Yet, after a what felt like a day spent in the car - which really was just dropping the car out to Mulgrave for its annual service, and picking it up some hours later, driving what felt like a couch of a loan car (Mazda CX-5s - seriously, it felt like I was driving the Titanic after my little CX-3) I got to finish my audiobook. The book, JoJo Moyes's The Peacock Emporium got off to a slow start, but I loved it in the end. It helped dim the anguish of the $700 bill for the service. (40K services are always a killer).
I also started our book group book, Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell, on Sunday morning. It's a wonderful, and quick read - I flew through this. That too has been finished.
So, now what?
I need an audiobook to listen to while on public transport and while I'm in the car.
And as the book group book is read for next week's meeting - what now?
I've been going through a stage with audiobooks where I do a classic, then something lighter. Do I go something lighter again (as JoJo Moyes tells a great story, but she's not literature), or line up another classic? Do I finally dib into Middlemarch, some 40 years after I was supposed to read it at uni? Or get around to a Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which I've somehow not gotten around to reading? Or get onto the last Austen, Northanger Abbey? Do I listen to the audio version of Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things. Most of these books I've picked up on sale or free from Audible.
As for the paper book, there is too much choice? Again, do I go contemporary, or find something older? Do I dib into my shelves and read something that's been sitting there unread for years? Murakami anybody? Franzen? Louis de Bernieres' first trilogy set in South America where he attempts to emulate Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Something impenetrable like Ducks, Newburyport or Ulysses? (Mind you, Ulysses is meant to be dipped into - it's not something you read in one sitting.....yes....yes, YES!
Do I find something Australian, or something shortlisted, or something obscure. It's all there in the TBR pile.
The choice is exhausting.
(After a night of deliberating, I've decided on listening to Russell Tovey read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray for the audiobook, and I've picked up a copy of Gabbie Stroud's The Things That Matter Most - mainly because I know nothing about it. If I don't like them, I can find something else.)
I'm sitting in on a Zoom call. It started at 7 pm.
7 pm on a Sunday night.
I'm wanting to write a poem to the rhythm of Green Eggs and Ham.
I'd rather be watching The Block. It is on in the background, but it's not being watched as the meeting requires some attention. It's not a long meeting. But it is 7 p.m. on a Sunday night.
I do not like these Sunday zooms
I do not like they make me snooze
I do not like the way they drone
I do not like how people moan.
I do not like this committee
I do not like the jobs I'll see
I wish I could be somewhere other
But then I'd be in lots of bother.
I do not like these Sunday zooms
I feel I'm trapped in some dark tomb.
It's amazing what you can do with the camera off the mute button pressed. Then again, I knitted a blanket during defect triage at another job. Boring meeting, camera and microphone off.... time to be productive.
The song of the day comes from the ADHD brain searching for lyrics, because I want to be anywhere but here....
Welcome to my unmedicated brain. This is what happens when I skip my afternoon dose of Ritalin.
I'm trying to get myself back to Melbourne after a relaxing overnight stay in Sydney. I'm getting myself packed up and ready to go to the airport. What fun!
So, let's get the questions out of the way. As always, the questions have come from Sunday Stealing.
TRUE OR FALSE
1. I'm married.
What would I want to do that for? False.
2. I'm raising a teenager.
Wouldn't like to do that either. False.
3. I recently vacationed in California.
A year ago, almost to the day, I was in Los Angeles for seven hours as I changed planes on the way to London. Sorry, not a fan. It was no holiday for that seven hours. Not a fan. Not a vacation either, just a transfer. The rest of the holiday was great. False.
4. I have traveled to Asia.
Many times. True.
5. I have a dog.
I have a cat. Would love a dog, but not in my current living situation. False.
6. I received money from a class action settlement.
We're not as litigious here in Australia, though I have my name on a class action over some of an airline's actions. So, for the moment, false.
7. I've been in the waiting room when a family member had surgery.
False. I have been sitting with family waiting for the outcome of a surgery, but that was at my grandmother's place while my uncle had open heart surgery. Same same but different.
8. I have attended a convention.
True. For technical writers and freemasons. Not at the same time, however.
9. I subscribe to my local newspaper (either print or online).
True. I have a digital subscription to The Age - although I sometimes wonder why - the standards have gone down. At least it isn't Murdoch slop.
10. I recently had work done to the exterior of my home.
False. I rent my flat - that's the body corporate's concern.
I've always loved the film Practical Magic (1998). I mean, what's not to love? Witches and love and curses and Margaritas. I'm in. Regardless, I went into the sequel with some trepidation. After seeing the truly dire The Devil Wears Prada 2, I was wondering how they could bollocks this up.
Thankfully, they didn't.
This has a couple of things going for it. Firstly, this is based on a book - The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Secondly, she had something to do with the writing of the script was written by women (Akiva Goldsman had a hand in writing the first film). So, we're off to a good start. It's also not a carbon copy of the original film. Thank goodness.
The movie starts two decades after the last film finished. Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) has not let her children, Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams) that they are witches. The Owens course, where none of the family are lucky in love, or if they do partner, the partner dies a premature death.
Sally's sister, Gillian (Nicole Kidman) is her happy-go-lucky self, but Sally has shut herself away from love, and to a point, life.
Their aunts, Jet (Dianne Weist) and Franny (Stockard Channing) are still kicking around. It's sighting of a death watch beetle that urges one of them to find a book that can help to reverse the family curse, especially after young Kylie falls in love and her love is put in peril.
I don't need to say more about the plot, other than the sisters end up in England and meet up with Ian Wright (Lee Pace) - an academic who has the knowledge to help them out.
As I said earlier, as sequels go, this is not bad. The script is good, the acting good, sure there are a few hiccups, but nothing that is too jarring. To be honest, I just sat back and enjoyed this perfect Friday night film fodder.
One other thing, the director of this film, Susanne Bier, has directed some fantastic films - including one of my favourites, After the Wedding (2006). It's the Danish film that introduced me to Mads Mikkelsen - it's also a fabulous film if you want something really different. Bier knows what she's doing.
I was pleasantly surprised with this sequel. It's go enough heart, wit, fun and drama to keep me occupied and engaged. I cried at the end too.
And yeah, it's about witches. I'm just supporting my tribe.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere at work is somewhat testing at the moment. We've had a spill and fill. Thankfully, as a contractor, I've not been affected, but it's been hard to be around the low energy. Another good thing is that worst of the restructure is over and my team have had the outcomes they have wanted.
Also, as my contract is up at the end of the month, I've been looking for work. There is a chance that I'll stay on where I am, then again, I may not. I had a good interview on Wednesday with an energy company. The interview was pretty good - but as this is for a year's fixed term contract, if they're actually interested, there will be another one or two interviews. We'll see. Regardless, it was great to get an interview, and if this isn't the job, the right one will come my way.
So, due to all of this uncertainty, I got out my trusty tarot deck to have a look at what's about. I shuffled and chose three cards.
The Knight of Pentacles.
The Page of Pentacles.
And The Sun.
I've been reading long enough to know these are good cards. At a base level, money is coming in. I have to keep at it and know that I'm being looked after.
I also ran the cards through ChatGPT - interested in their take on things. This is what it came back with:
That’s a very positive three-card pull. All three cards point toward steady progress, practical effort, and ultimately a happy or successful outcome.
🌱 Page of Pentacles — The beginning
The Page of Pentacles is about a new opportunity with real potential. It can represent learning, starting something practical, receiving an offer, or deciding to invest time and energy into something that could grow.
The Page says: pay attention to what is being offered to you, even if it seems small at first.
It’s an earthy, grounded card—less about wishful thinking and more about “What can I actually build from this?”
🐎 Knight of Pentacles — The journey
The Knight takes the Page's initial idea and says stick with it.
This is probably the clearest card in the deck for slow and reliable progress. It suggests patience, consistency, responsibility and doing things properly rather than rushing.
Together, the Page and Knight are particularly interesting: something starts as an idea or opportunity, then becomes something tangible through persistence.
There may not be dramatic overnight changes. Instead, you're being encouraged to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
☀️ The Sun — The outcome
And then you get The Sun, one of tarot's most unequivocally positive cards.
It represents joy, clarity, confidence, success, vitality and things coming into the light. Something that may currently feel uncertain can become much clearer.
The Sun also suggests an outcome where you can genuinely say, “Yes, this was worth it.”
🔮 The three together
I'd read the sequence as:
Opportunity → commitment → success.
Or, more personally:
Something worthwhile is beginning. Take it seriously, nurture it, and don't be discouraged if progress is gradual. Your persistence has the potential to lead somewhere genuinely joyful and successful.
What's particularly lovely about this spread is that The Sun doesn't appear to be promising a lucky shortcut. It's at the end of two very grounded Pentacles cards. The message is more like:
“You've got something good here. Put the work in. It can flourish.”
As somebody who reads well and has trained in tarot, it's not a bad reading. Still, I don't think ChatGPT will ever take over as a tarot reader, but it was a fun exercise.
And as I keep telling myself, I'm going to get a job, it's going to be great, and I make my own luck.
When I come back from being away over the weekend, I'll put in a few more applications.
I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I am supported by the universe.
I saw something on social media today - this bloke, who's platform is him ranting,"I BELIEVE THIS AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND". He's pretty funny. He often does suburb reviews.
Today, he was pontificating about biscuits. And the worst biscuits.
Ah, found it on Youtube.
And see, I don't agree with him on some of his list.
Sure, Marie biscuits are only there for making pie crusts, and even then, I prefer to use Nice biscuits.
It's a fair call in regard to the ginger nuts. They are only good after they've been dunked in tea or coffee for a few minutes, save you crack a tooth.
The only good ANZAC biscuits are home made. I had a colleague in Darwin who made the absolute best ANZACs - and I refuse to have them when they have been bought from a store.
Kingstons are making a resurgence, particularly after the viral Kingston Peach crumble recipe has been doing the rounds.
And I agree with what he says about the Orange Cremes. They really are the Turkish Delight of the Assorted Creams pack. (Says she who loves Turkish Delight - often have one in the fridge.)
But he can leave the Chocolate Digestives alone. For me, they're a throwback to England - and they provide heaps of roughage, so you don't need to take Metamucil.
And he does have a point with the Hundreds and Thousands biscuits - they're just badly produced fairy bread. But they still have Tic Tocs! I used to love licking off the icing as a kid.
We also deviate on the Lemon Crisp. They're my absolute favourite. They don't taste like multi-purpose cleaner. I don't buy them, because I inhale them. I love the touch of salt on the surface - it's like eating a Margarita. And they aren't too sweet.
Of the Arnott's stable of biscuits, I also adore Venetians. The currants and the white icing. They're thin and crispy. Love them. I've introduced many friends to these.
I'm also amazed that he didn't bring up Iced VoVos - as they are nowhere near as good as they were when we were kids. Now, they have next to no toppings. The marshmallow used to be soft and fluffy. Not any more.
On my worst list you find the following:
Marie (cardboard substitutes)
Milk Arrowroot (they dry your mouth out - may as well be eating a Sao)
Chocolate Scotch Fingers (why ruin a good thing with chocolate?)
Milk Chocolate Royals (Too sweet, too fussy)
Orange Slice (as above, nobody likes them, they just fill in the assorted packet)
Oh, and any fancy flavour of Tim Tam that deviates from the plain. We don't need Iced VoVo Tim Tams - just fix the original Iced VoVos for pity's sake.
Oh, and one last favourite, the Arnott's YoYo. It's something that you tend only to find in Adelaide, city of all good parochial food stuffs. Best served with lashings of butter while singing the YoYo song.
You don't believe me? Just as the Nutbush can get any Australians in a room up on the dancefloor, the YoYos song will get anybody from Adelaide over the age of 45 singing a stupid advertisement from the 70s.
I fear I may have some unpopular opinions here - but please, give the name of the person who loves Orange Cremes. They don't exist.
