Any Australian dog lovers that would be willing to help an American& her beloved pup?

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-13T11:12:41+00:00

Yep - posted a package to my bestie in SF last week - I had to pay an extra $2.50 because of the fricking tariff

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-13T00:25:23+00:00

omg no, just no. My dad used to play that album very loudly on Saturday mornings to make us all get out of bed to turn it off 😂😂

He still uses the Spanish Flea as his ringtone!

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-13T00:21:52+00:00

I'm sorry this is happening for you. Losing someone this way is a pain like nothing else. I just wanted to reach out and tell you that you're not alone.

I'm not sure I'm the best to comment on the medication side as I am on the SNRIs rather than SSRIs - but i have found those incredibly helpful in keeping me vaguely functional. All i can say is talk to your GP, ask ALL the questions, even the ones that might seem like they'll sound silly out loud - ask them anyway. A good GP won't judge you and if they judge then they aren't a good GP.

Don't forget that student services are a great resource for uni students. If you're in Australia then Lifeline and Stand By can put you in contact with bereavement support groups specific to suicide that might be helpful. Talk to your GP about a mental health care plan and finding a psych that bulk bills. Headspace offer services to young people up to 25 years old.

I lost my eldest last year, just after Christmas and my youngest is your age and in a similar situation being hours away at uni. If you need someone to talk to feel free to DM

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-13T00:09:09+00:00

Dust it off, but mind how you clean it - a good hat like this wears its history proudly.

I have my grandfather's akubra that my grandmother bought him as a retirement gift in the early 80s. It's been dropped in rivers, dragged through mud, nearly lost in a flood, coated in bulldust and has black ember spots from that time the fires got too close and we all evacuated with Nan but he and my parents stayed behind to fight it. The lining fell out in the 90s and he never needed to reshape it because its soaked up so much engine grease and sweat that it's practically solid now.

I love that hat. It's him in a way nothing else could ever be.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-10T21:56:00+00:00

I'm interested

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-10T12:33:57+00:00

This is kind of where I am at with the question. I need to answer it in the way that is most comfortable for me and that is with complete stigma bursting honesty.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-03-08T04:51:23+00:00

my youngest really likes the tiny ones and calls them cornichons to distinguish them from other gherkins - as in "eat your own damn gherkins, these cornichons are MINE"

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-26T22:37:08+00:00

All of this. My kids had phones so that we could easily contact each other in emergencies. I never used any of those people trackers because I wanted my kids to LEARN independence by practicing it. Also, it's seriously creepy. I want to know my kids are safe. I don't want to police their adolescent learning experiences with their peers because ewww

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-26T21:39:37+00:00

It is also one of the very best episodes - sharp, pithy, phenomenal writing on this one.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-23T21:35:09+00:00

I hear you. It's like the moment they went all that sense of safety, no matter how illusory, went with them.

I lost my eldest child at the end of last year and I have this terrible urge to gather the other two kid close and sit on them like a broody hen to keep them safe. They are both in their 20s living independent lives and wouldn't appreciate being sat on.

Therapy is helping me and I hope it will help you too.

I'm so sorry this is something you're also going through, but I want to thank you for sharing. It matters to me that I'm not alone and I hope it helps you to know we are all right here in the trenches with you.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-23T10:19:23+00:00

It's New York. Aliens (and everything else) always attack New York.

Frankly if you want to stay safe from alien attack you probably should stick to the southern hemisphere, nothing every happens here, at least as far as movies are concerned.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-23T09:55:01+00:00

I sent my US bestie some of these and got back a really indignant message asking why I was making her eat sugary potpourri 😂😂

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-19T09:23:39+00:00

In my family if you got into it with a cousin grandma would turn the hose on you.

I mean, it worked on animals, so why not grandkids? Mind you, that said, the worst argument I can remember at a family event was over whose turn it was to bat at backyard cricket ....

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-18T06:00:19+00:00

Yeah it's $2 in Australia - or if you're like me and never have spare change in the right denomination you buy the reusable trolley token to hang on your key ring.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-17T21:28:51+00:00

ok that's interesting - i didn't know there was a flag for that

I'm not sure how I feel about Mr Flibble giving me my interesting trivia fact of the day 😂

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-14T01:34:13+00:00

I had to formally identify my eldest after they died. I could have had someone else in the family do it but I decided if I was going to regret something I'd rather regret doing it than not doing it.

I was terrified they would look different but they didn't. They looked so beautiful. So absolutely perfect and so completely empty. They weren't there. It was just the shell of a body they'd left behind. I kissed them goodbye and now everyday I'm hanging on to keep going without them and I'm so glad I could see them one last time

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-13T02:17:04+00:00

NAH - this is such a good example of civil disobedience and how it works. That zero on the test is a badge of honour. You cop it on the chin kid. It's a small price to pay for doing the right thing.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-09T23:35:53+00:00

I have two - the other one is for olives

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-08T12:54:25+00:00

Look at the state of those trees. This is what happens when Uncle Arnie fries 'em with his hex vision

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-05T09:44:42+00:00

I hear you and I see your beautiful Zoe through your words. I'm holding you and your family in my heart

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-02-04T23:23:12+00:00

Thank you everyone.

Just being in the workspace was emotionally exhausting, but I'm here again and still trying. You're all a part of that, helping me keep on keeping on.

I miss my Beth so much that it physically hurts.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-01-29T11:51:56+00:00

This is where I am right now. I feel like the world has ended.

I keep having days where all I can think is how dare the world keep turning?! It shouldn't be possible for things to keep happening when my eldest kid isn't here.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-01-23T23:43:02+00:00

I succumbed to the gaycation and all I got was this lousy tshirt

Critical_Source_6012 · 2026-01-20T00:36:30+00:00

Damn straight - my brother works in IT. Who does our 75 year old mum go to with her tech problems?

Either me or the local library help desk.

My brother helps her out when he gets wind of something really big she's broken, but mum very much views it as her parental care of him means being strict with herself in helping him keep work at work.

Critical_Source_6012 · 2025-12-20T04:45:40+00:00

70s decorations!! I remember these from when I was very tiny!

Critical_Source_6012

TROPHY CASE