What's in a name?

"..that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"~ Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

As some of you may know I have had a name dilemma of late. During the whole process I had to ask myself "what indeed, is in a name?" After much deliberation, I have decided (for the moment) that Shakespeare was right.

Getting out of Sydney

Sometimes the best thing about living in Sydney, is getting out of Sydney.

After weeks of slow, deep breathing while sitting in traffic, pretending to be really busy texting so someone wont try and sell me something on the street, and needing to write every single thing down in my "To Do" list but never actually having the time to read it, I have had enough. I need to get out!!

While plans to visit my friend in Canberra were unexpectedly delayed, I have felt a restlessness for the bush that leads me to take the scenic route in everycase, walking knee-high in lawn clippings and leaves (and I will purposefully do this whenever I walk to work) just so I can smell something natural. Does this make sense to anyone else? Dont get me wrong, I love Sydney, but sometimes I need to inhale something other than bus exhaust, foul smelling brickwork (walls are NOT toilets, people) and greasy take-out.

To answer my prayers, I will be spending the weekend at a friend's house in Narrabeen (specifically, Pelican Point- how cute and "country" is that?) It's not exactly "getting out of Sydney," but a change nonetheless. The last time I went up there it did actually feel like a mini-holiday. So maybe it's what we make of Sydney that counts- just find a little respite amongst all the chaos- you might only have to go a few kilometres north of Manly...

If all else fails, I will be the one hugging the tree ;-p

Misplaced professional help

A man is walking along the street when he is brutally beaten and robbed. He lies unconscious, bleeding. While he is lying there, a police officer passes by, but crosses to the other side of the road without trying to help. A Boy Scout troop does the same, as do a number of pedestrians. Finally, a psychologist walks by and runs up to the man. He bends down and says, "My God! Whoever did this needs help!"

Ok, this joke isnt that funny. I liked it, but think I may have inherited some German humour, a dominant gene for which I cannot be blamed. I read somewhere... "There is nothing more serious than a German joke."(Oscar Wilde). I very seriously agree. Ha. Ha.

Classic quotes this year have been in abundance, and thanks to Lyndel for documenting them, we were able to publish some in "Discount Therapy." I can recount a few:

KT: "My friend was recently talking to Jesus and..."

(Lecture 1: ADVANCED Adult Neuropsychological Disorders. Pointing to a picture of the brain, Dr C (our lecturer) "This is a brain." (audible sigh of relief from students fearing the term advanced)

HH: "I look good in any hat, I really do!" BH: "So it's just the top of your head that's letting you down then"

MS: "No, let's get personal!"

HD: (After refusing all week to play table tennis while on holidays with HH) finally says: "Look, I just think there are enough things Im good at, why would I waste time doing things Im not good at?"

LM: (While teaching a slow breathing technique, LM has her hands on her chest thinking, "Geez, this kinda looks like Im feeling my breasts") says: "Dont just breathe with you breasts, I mean chest"

LA: "I am so drunk! I love you, and you, and you..., you most of all"

DT: "I want to kill myself but I just dont have time"

HD: (after a day at an eating disorders unit) "I've had a crap day. I just spent the last 3 hours cognitively challenging the belief that body butter can cause weight gain"

AL: (AL was running a social skills training group for kids with Asperger's, and thinking she was getting somewhere too) 12 year old boy says: "Miss, are you a transvestite?"

TR: (in bottle shop looking at wines) "Who wants some mer-Lot? Or white? Should we get some semi- LLon?" (and later) "I feel like a paster-ray, can we get one? Let's go to Michel's Paster-ray"

BH: "I dont care what CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can do! There's one thing it dont do. It dont cure ugly"

A one night stand with chocolate and Diet Coke

When you've got a whole night of writing ahead of you, when you know that there is NO WAY you will get it all done and you are cursing yourself for "leaving it till the last minute, as usual," there are three things that come to mind- 1) Poor, poor me; 2) How will I possibly stay up, Im already tired!!???; and 3) What do I get?? (the usual cost/benefit evaluation)

I'm sure that we can all relate, however, unlike most people, in a kind of weird way I look forward to these nights. Ok, so it's not fun and I would much rather be home watching the OC (I'm not stupid), but these are the nights I get to OD on two of my favourite vices without feeling an ounce of guilt. It's for the good of my future, I say! Without it, who knows what kind of work I would produce? Further, I have evidence (Ok, it's anecdotal, but evidence nonetheless) that caffiene not only helps a person concentrate and "stay awake" but actually IMPROVES the quality of the work. I do my best work on nights like these! The sentences may not ever end and the sentences may not ever end and the - it might be a little little little repetitive repetitive, but so so so what??? Anyone one marking this will see beyond these small details and wonder at the meaningful, no, profound quality of the work.

For instance, did you know that if you drink alcohol before trying to remember something, you are more likely to remember it?? This information is not only meaningful and profound, but highly practical. We should all be going to work and uni pissed! In fact, I should be drinking before an all-nighter like tonight!! Then I will not only be bouncing off the walls and typing at a million miles a minute, I will also be disinhibited, loud, likely to sing and find everything really attractive- Imagine the meaningful and profound work that I would produce then!!

Hmm... maybe I should just stick to my original plan... ;o)

We long for the old simple days

“We long for the old simple days but we are, most of us, caught in a world of paradox. We have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but we have less, buy more but we enjoy it less. We have bigger houses, and have smaller families, more convenience, but less time. We have more degrees, but less sense, more knowledge but less judgement, more experts but more problems, more medicine but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch too much TV and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values; we talk too much, love too seldom and lie too often. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. We have added years to our life but not life to our years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet our new neighbour. We’ve conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less; we plan more and accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush and not to wait, higher incomes, but lower morals. We’ve got more food, but less appeasement, more acquaintances, but fewer friends, more effort but less communication. We’ve become long on quantity but quite short on quality. These are the times for fast foods and slow digestion, of tall men and short characters, of steep profits but shallow relationships. These are the days of world peace, but domestic warfare, more leisure, less fun; more kinds of food but less nutrition. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, of fancier houses but broken homes. These are then days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It’s a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stock room. Indeed it’s all true. The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at this moment.” Anonymous

Banana Pancakes

Buddha Bar, The Arts Factory at Byron Bay







But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this song
It's meant to keep you
From doin' what your supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time
~Jack Johnson

Well, what can I say? I have been lazy with this whole blog concept. But now that I have kicked myself into gear, I hope to post some news at least once per month.

Thoughts, feelings and behaviours are what psychologists are always on about: thoughts trigger how we feel and this affects how we behave. This is the only simple formula that exists in psych, everything after that becomes far more complicated. It's how 2 different people can be in the same situation, but end up feeling and acting very differently. Sometimes it's a good idea to notice this formula at work in myself.

Since going to see Jack Johnson in Centennial Park recently, I have not been able to stop playing his latest CD, In Between Dreams, probably to the frustration of those I share an office with, friends and flat mate (sorry guys, I will be over it soon)

Thought: I love this song!! (listening to Banana Pancakes, Jack Johnson)
Feelings: Content, Relaxed, Hungry!
Behaviour: Keep hitting "repeat", continue listening to the track, continue to avoid doing case report
Thought: I know what I can make to eat tonight!!

So, it was a great concert- over 15 000 people, and an energetic, fun and eclectic crowd. I have never been so wet, cold and miserable in my life, but it was all worth it. I didn't even get sick!! (must be all those bananas Ive been eating...)