what the f*@#...

be careful what you say on the streets in future, because the baillieu government is introducing a new law to parliament this week giving police the power to issue on the spot fines to people using 'indecent language'... isn't swearing part of the aussie vernacular, and if so, doesn't that make this law 'un-australian'? a tad draconian anyway don't you think...

supposedly it will be used to curb ‘obnoxious and anti-social’ behaviour – surely each cop will have their own interpretation of what that means, and what they consider ‘indecent language’ depending on their personal 'moral code' - and then there's the matter of who you are and whether they 'take a shine' to you or not...

guess baillieu and cohorts don't ever swear (yeah, sure!!)... hmmm, perhaps not what it appears though - after all, the fine will be around $230 - with swearing so much a part of our culture that should make the government a tidy little sum - looks like they're onto a real revenue raiser there... a swear tax...

lucky i'm a homebody – the way i swear (just in normal conversation!) i’d be fined often - and broke all the time (unlike just being broke some of the time now)… unfortunately life will become even more frugal soon… my rent is going up $109 a month from august – fuck, that’s the highest rent increase i’ve ever had - now that's enough to make a person need to fucking swear - after all, a 2009 study by british psychologist richard stephens found that swearing is both therapeutic and good pain relief...

on a brighter note, i may have found a new favourite author – well, favourite after reading her first novel anyway – and what a treat it was to read rosamund lupton’s  ‘sister’... it’s hard to define as any specific genre - there's an underlying psychological thriller that takes a back seat to the exploration of relationships between sisters, and between mothers and daughters - her treatment of grief and how we cope differently with it is deeply touching...

'sister' is written as if a letter - from beatrice to her sister tess, whose baby died soon after birth after 'being cured' of cystic fibrosis in utero - tess disappeared not long after and was found dead six days later – the cause being ruled suicide due to post natal psychosis according to 'the experts'... knowing her sister better than anyone, bea doesn’t believe this and sets out to find what really happened to tess and her baby… there are a number of twists and turns which kept me engrossed –  it was haunting and mesmerising - definitely a gifted wordsmith with a refreshing writing style…

i can’t wait to read her second novel 'afterwards' (although 'sister' could be a hard act to follow!) - it's due out this month (and i’ve just reserved it – the library has it on order and i'm second in the queue, yay!!!)