Dr Amy felt like a sister when I came across her for the first time, on Twitter of all places. That was maybe a decade ago. Staunch and unwavering, socially conscientious; yet deadly clear, and academically wise. I remember that stood out on ‘Blaktwitter’ at its height.
I learned A LOT more from Amy’s amazing memoir, Tell Me Again! What a struggle, what strength. It enthralled me from start to finish. It’s equal parts upsetting and uplifting. At times I had to put the book down and just feel the feels. It’s important for everyone to read, to understand the unlimited positivity that’s possible – in seemingly impossible circumstances.
The second book by Sedaris I’ve read, and again I enjoyed his perspective throughout. This book – loosely arranged around events culminating with his father’s death, gave a clearer visual of his family’s dynamics. It obviously helped make him the interesting character he is, with so many entertaining takes. But you should probably look up his sister Amy, I hear she’s even more so. 😛
ADDENDUM: I saw the library also had a copy of “Pretty Ugly” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165940550-pretty-ugly), the first children’s book David Sedaris has authored, which was illustrated by Ian Falconer shortly before he passed away.
I saw Sedaris spruik it on an American late night show, although not very convincingly. He claimed it took a few minutes to write, which did NOT fill me with confidence.
While I can tell it probably took longer than that, it was not a book I’d proudly gift a friend’s kid. Which strangely might be my new measure of children’s book quality. But I thought the book was kind of fun, with an obvious message coming through after all.
In my household of five people (3 adults), it’s become clear I’m the only person who knows the recipe for making ice. There are perpetual empty ice trays in the freezer til I notice the need for ice.
Maybe my family are close to the age where I can confidently pass on that secret family recipe.
I generally don’t think of myself as unintelligent. But today, during a meet & greet with a new colleague, I made a note of his legal studies major, where I incorrectly spelled “intellectual” (property).
I have enjoyEd documenting the occasional moment or observation in the form of Haiku.
Haikus are poems that follow a strict, concise three-line format. They appear simple on the surface, but there is always a challenge to capture the essence of something in 17 syllables. No more, no less.
I’ve brought here the ones I published on Twitter over the years, and hope to return to the practice.
On my 47th birthday:
The day of my birth As old as I’ve ever been A number only. (07/05/2024)
Haikus make you count Each and every syllable One, two, three, four, five
(25/08/2011)
Taking her for wees She takes minutes or seconds Depending on rain. (02/12/2019)
A tiny kitten She prances so joyfully Sadly on a road. (27/09/2013)
Watching a cat pee, I realise I meditate So very poorly.
(23/08/2018)
Cold and wet with fog Two pidgeons enjoy cover A black cat observes. (08/02/2018)
Eucalyptus tree A rare treat here in Dubai Squeezed leaves smell like home.
(12/10/2018, may have inspired my return to Australia)
Computer keyboard An ant is walking Next stop "Esc" key. (05/11/2015)
A man got married Got divorced, met a new girl More trouble ahead (03/02/2012, I picked it - a former colleague’s unfortunate fate)
Destroyed someone’s home. Disabled a hunter’s trap. Goodbye spiderweb.
(31/01/2020)
A troop of kangaroos They reveal themselves to me Hopping in tall wheat. (29/11/2019, I was the only commuter watching this spectacle on a busy regional train into Melbourne)
Sleeping on a train, Argument lost by old man. I’m happy to stand.
(17/01/2023, content that I gave my seat to another passenger – who was clearly very tired)
Our community Facebook group recently had one member post images of alleged shoplifters, and even asked for their names, or perhaps it was just for the purpose of shaming the pair into oblivion. Unsurprisingly a huge community uproar ensued, with only a couple of people questioning if it’s an appropriate use of the channel.
What I did find surprising among the pile on, was one person commented with a link to the Pimeyes web service – mentioning they may get lucky and find the culprits from the images.
I couldn’t help myself, and wanted to check this site out. I happened to have an extremely obscure photo of myself pulling a strained facial expression – when my kids and I were goofing around to see who could look in the most painful state. So I uploaded the absurd picture and wondered how many similarly absurd people their algorithm would uncover.
My mind was blown!
It found just one character in their index of 900 million people, and it was me! A single image, I know that was taken in early 2012 which may have temporarily been a social media profile picture which was long since changed and deleted.
The Pimeyes service makes it money from the next actions available. You can either uncover the source of that file and associated info to help in your person hunt, for $27. OR, if the incriminating photo is you, for $70 they can purge the image and all information to keep your discovery safe from prying Facebook sleuths.
What a business model!
I regularly use facial recognition in managing my online photo albums, and find it quite amazing how it can match my kids’ baby photos to their current photos.
It was jarring though to fail to deceive a third party service with such a bad source file.
In a world where privacy feels increasingly elusive, the realization that a single photograph from my past transcended time and resurface with such ease is jarring. As I ponder the implications, a sense of vulnerability takes hold. I’m reminded that the digital realm can be an unforgiving archive. Despite my efforts to outsmart the technology, it possesses an eerie ability to cut through my disguise and reveal the truth, leaving me unsettled and questioning the extent of anyone’s control over their own image and identity.
Those two girls appearing to steal perfume and makeup at Westfield’s don’t stand a chance if they don’t change their ways.