Insanity is only reality.

Between 2008 and 2010 over 166 US newspaper companies shut down or stopped printing.

Over 35,000 people from the newspaper industry lost their jobs and that's not just journalists. We're talking about assistants, deliverymen, entire factories and warehouses and those adorable little street urchins that call out "Extra! Extra!". Outside of the Newspaper Industry other companies would have been affected; Tree farms, lumber mills, paper mills, Ink manufacturers, newsagencies and magazine street vendors.

This year USA's Borders liquidated its remaining 399 stores and eliminated 10,700 jobs, in Australia Redgroup has begun closing down both Borders and Angus and Robertson. Its not a coincidence that Amazon's Kindle has been doing spectacularly, when you compare a $5 ebook to it's $50 paper comparison what consumer would use a bookstore for anything but browsing?

With the shitstorm that is Facebook, people are now getting instant social interaction, instant satisfaction (aka attention) and entertainment on the side. Lets break that down a bit:

Instant "Social Interaction":
For a kid, just being in the playground can be a stressful situation add to that cyber-bullying, a lovely new way for children to psychologically destroy each other without punishment, social skills are not being developed properly and is starting to result in anxiety based problems which is then medicated (do you feel hungry, thirsty or tired? Then we have a pill for your disease!)

Instant Attention:
Communication has certainly evolved from our telegram days (another industry now gone) and near instant communication must be provided by businesses who wish to be successful. But what is that doing to us as people? Have you noticed people becoming more aggressive when asked to wait? or that they're just impatient? How dare you make me wait while you provide me with a service and make my caramel mocha double shot latte with soy milk and no sugar.

Entertainment:
Farmville? Pick up a fucking book. Oh wait, you cant. All the bookstores have closed.

The internet itself is a good resource, want to learn a language? Free lessons online! Want to check your bank account? No problem! want to spend lots and lots of money on things you REALLY don't need? Ebay! But could it be affecting us badly? Just in little ways? Little ways we don't notice until the next generation of kids are all of a sudden running the planet. These kids are the same kids who can't spell basic words at age 15, can't calculate without using their phones (bad example, I fail terribly at maths) and who are unequipped to deal with situations outside of a social network site.

Not to mention I could just google your name or email and dig up your entire life.

Let me just say now I am an avid user of the internet and I am aware of the irony of ranting about the internet on the internet. The internet itself is a wonderful concept that can be used in many many good ways. But how is it really used? Facebook, Opinions on youtube (really, no. I can't. Thats a whole other post of hate.), Google - the overlord who is nice about it; and Twitter... seriously, what's the appeal of twitter?

I think that we shouldn't take all that we have achieved so far for granted. Go out, buy a pen and paper and write someone a letter. Feels good man.

I've hit that part of uni again, you know, the part that sucks.

Mainly because of assignments, and I never seem to be as organised as I can be. Even with all my study taped to the wall and my room in a neat state constantly (which is HUGE for me, lets not dwell on just how messy I am), with four assignments due within a week (each being 50% of the unit) I don't feel that I have time to draw up a months worth of lesson plans. It comes down to learning what I have to be teaching the night before.

Oh did I mention that? In a week or so I'll be teaching Art and SoSE for a month. 3 lessons a day. I don't even know what part of the curriculum I'm supposed to be teaching. It also throws my plans for finding a job out the window, I doubt I'll find an employer that lets me take one month and then two months straight off. Just One more semester after this month. Don't think about exams. Just think of the two degrees and full time employment.

We've adopted a stray kitten, by adopted I mean Wah found a stray and said "ima keep this". Freyja is gorgeous but has taken to biting now, she was 4 weeks old when she started living here and couldn't walk properly. Now she's about 9 weeks, absolutely huge and all doesn't wobble about anymore, although she does have a bit of a bobble head.

Well I have another assignment to finish before tomorrow morning, time to stop procrastinating (ha!).

Been kind of busy.

On top of the usual uni work and assignments I've started the first of my prac placements (Thornlie Senior High), Day three and I haven't broken down yet so it looks promising.

Wah found a stray kitten, its currently asleep on my lap, taking her to the vet tomorrow to see just how healthy she is, very skinny and can't walk properly but is eating now and doesn't have fleas (miracle!). If she is healthy enough we will keep her.

She was lumping about with a rat in the morning so she should be fine with them.

Preparing for supanova eats away much of my time and has been put on the backburner, Dreadfalls just take so damn long. Was considering making other hair extensions but will see how it will go.

Oh the kitten is awake now, time to see if she can walk around well for a bit.

I have had a fantastic day.

After dating for a month Simon asked me out officially, I said yes, of course, and promptly called him a scruffy looking nerfherder. So when people ask who my boyfriend is I say a scruffy looking nerfherder. =D

Got a bridesmaid dress for my sisters wedding, Its one that I chose and in the end it flattered everyone the most. I'm the fatty bridesmaid but hey, I look damn nice in that dress. It is black too so that's a bonus.

Had dinner with my family for Jodie's engagement. I hadn't been to Fremantle for a long time and walking around out on the pier is great at night.

Tomorrow I get dressed up in my graduation regalia and walk up shake the hand of the vice chancellor (or whomever he is on the day) and accept my bit of paper that says I have completed a Bachelor of Creative Industries. I am nervous about this I admit, and it seems a little strange when I'm going back to uni again next year, but god damn I have worked my ass off for that bit of paper.

I'm Graduated =D

Finally! Now I get to put on a funky robe and probably embarrass myself at the graduation ceremony. Although I am hating the bell curve right now, most of my CR were 68/69 which without the curve would have been a D which means I would have been on the honour roll. But no. But then again, I never failed a unit so I can't complain.

Hopefully I'll hear from Curtin soon, then after this year I'll have two degrees under my belt and can work full time. This excites me, Yes Yes. But for now I am a qualified Graphic Designer =D

=D
=D
=D

I want to have a rant but just don't know what side to take:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8098613/Police-given-advice-on-witches-and-pagans.html

On one hand I am happy that alternate religions are becoming recognized by the police (and government) but on the other hand it may just be far too PC to take it seriously. Should we really ask our police to act differently according to religion? Police don't just wander into your home without reason to grope at your ritual tools, you can ask them not to touch your property if they're are just questioning you in your home. But really, if you were being mugged you wouldn't care what religion the mugger was, you would just want the nice policeman to defend you from the scary mugger. And the mugger should be in jail, regardless of religion.

A 300 page booklet on this seems a bit much, I would really like to read the full text and get a better grasp on what they are trying to convey and I really hope its not all just basic knowledge such as "There are no prescribed texts. Atheists have no prayers". I am hoping that this would inspire understanding more than anything else (hopefully thats the reason behind the booklet rather than a 'how to' PC manual)

I am also wondering just how many Wiccan initiations English police walk into if "Some ceremonies include a blindfolded, naked participant, whose hands may be bound. This is in accordance with ritual and has the full consent of the participant." has to be included in the booklet (why yes I did know the ritual as soon as I read it. *feels all smarty pants*).

I'm not religious anymore, I'm spiriutal at most but I don't think you have to be religious to appreciate the understanding this booklet might provide... or be a bit ticked off at the overwhelming political correctness dripping out of this taxpayer nightmare.

Apart from reading articles while I should be doing Uni work, Moved into new house, it is about 300% more awesome than the last. Two units finished out of five, still a bit nervous about the Grad Show, really need to get in application for next course, Mandurah train line is much better than Midland train line and I have two books I have to finish for tomorrow so I had better get back to work.

It's a good feeling to know that I wont be homeless, it feels great that I wont be a burden on any of my family while between houses, Signed a lease this morning on a house. It feels especially good since I fell down a bunch of stairs last night, had to be taken to royal perth by my brother and received my first ever stitches *feels proud*.

Its my theme this month to be in and out of hospitals, apart form last night my cyst is growing back again (though there is speculation that its not actually a cyst) which means more biopsy's and operations. I am getting quite a collection of ultrasound, xray and CRI scans! =D

Soon to graduate, be apart of an exhibition (in which I will publish my first ever graphic novel!) and travel to Bali. Then just one more year of Uni and I'll have two degrees, I may even be in my brothers class if he decided to take the same course. My portfolio is online and is receiving some interest, my lecturer is helping me refine my portfolio to get into illustration/fashion industry jobs, even if I plan to teach I'm sure as hell am not going to give up on a dream job, after all we have to have SOMETHING to aspire to.

Not much else to say really, I'm full of stitches, my arm hurts from tetanus shots, I'm bruised all over and life is good.

Thinking of shutting this journal down and creating another somewhere else, make it more design focused, it could act as a portfolio too... just need to decide if I want to use something like word-press or blogger or just get my own domain all together. That way I could get off Etsy too. If anyone knows of a good site or has an idea, let me know.

For the grad show I'm making a graphic novel and I think it's caused me to actually settle on a style which isn't that bad, its just surprising with how fickle I get in design. Its bringing the whole webcomic idea back into mind, now that I have set characters and logic for this project.

Busy weeks ahead, many birthdays and road trips coupled with 5 units at uni, I can't believe its week 4 already, I thought this semester would be slower considering it's my last (Finally! 5 years to do a 3 year course? what hooey.) But it's not the end of studying, oh no, a year after this and then I'll have 2 degrees under my belt. Then I can teach and then study what interests me, linguistic anthropology here I come! Why you ask? Why not!

Got my poi in the mail, very fun and easier than I thought, learned a few tricks. A good distraction from being ready to go down to Bunbury to tend to my cat, she got hit by a car but she's just a bit wobbly.

Well time for Op-shop trawling, two themed birthdays on one weekend... I can see myself waiting in line at the voting place dressed as either a mad hatter or Cyndi Lauper.

Just went to the pub with uni friends for the first time in a long time, it was a huge relief for all of us being in the middle of the most busy time, in hindsight I should have spent that time doing my assignments, but after being at uni for 9 hours, leaving the building in the dark we all decided to go to the flying scotsman, where the bartenders are awesome and the galssies are snipers. seriously. as soon as we put a glass down the guy came from behind to take it away, scaring the shit out of the girls in the process.

I realised I was the only person in that group born in Australia, I think that was why I liked it so much. And now after they found out the kind of person I really am (hurr hurr) I'm now lined up for a risque photo shoot (crap!) but its all for assignments. honest.

I'm thinking of moving interstate after I graduate, which will be at the end of the year (which would have been 2 years ago if I was smart instead of different choices), I always wanted to go to Sydney again and there is nothing stopping me really.

I would like you to now imagine a rant on the low quality of males in the area, their incompetence and general lack of manliness with the final statement being "but that's okay, Adolfo is collecting Russians for me."

Now its time to try to operate either the microwave or the oven and convince the rat that I do love him and wont leave him alone for 14 hours ever again (even though I will).

I'm having too much fun this week, It's making me leave all my uni work behind. I have 7 assignments due in the next couple of weeks, but they'll get done.

I met Julie and saw the house on Wednesday, we are scarily similar to the point where we were freaking out. The house is old but I like it, it still had the old furniture in it and french door on the front and back. High ceiling and wooden floorboards, plus I get the biggest room! She also has a room dedicated to costumes! I'm signing the lease and moving in about a month.

Saw some family that night, they haven't changed much, just gotten older and frailer...

Spent yesterday with a very nice man, we both ranted about star wars and such, mainly about the Nintendo 64 game, hehehe. So that was much fun. That night Wah dragged me to tae kwon do, it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.

Today I'm picking up my brother for lunch, because he is lazy =P
Tonight I was asked out by a different very nice man, I have to see just how much Uni I have before I can say yay or nay. This dating game is well fun =D

*dances*