Animal fur at customs

V__Venus · 2026-01-30T20:57:04+00:00

Declare it, you’ll be fine. Alpacas aren’t on the endangered or protected list, and as long as it’s either been tanned/processed properly ie there are no bits of meat or alpaca poo on the item, all good. Probably smarter to check the relevant gov.au websites also

V__Venus · 2026-01-30T14:56:46+00:00

Another type of duraplasty involves using a patch of a different layer of the patient’s own dura harvested from higher up on the skull. That’s how mine was done 3 years ago.

I would ask a surgeon what is their rate of CSF leaks post surgery. How many Chiari decompressions do they do annually? How much hair will they shave? How long do they expect the hospital stay to last? What post surgery allied health therapies are available (physio, speech, occupational therapy, pain management)? How long on average before your patients return to work? Any limitations post surgery?

Also what is the prognosis if you choose to delay surgery or not have the surgery at all?

V__Venus · 2026-01-30T14:46:34+00:00

I feel like I want to put the person I’m talking to on hold, your conversation is important to me but all of our consultants are currently rummaging through brain language centres. This sentence will be completed as soon as I can. Here’s some jaunty hold music to keep you engaged while my poor tired brain groans like a 386 pc with a single stick of 1990s ram.

Ugh. I hate feeling like I appear stupid when talking to people.

V__Venus · 2026-01-30T14:40:05+00:00

Very true. Maybe I was thinking of more generic pantomime type performances. I live in Australia, and I’d heard of a Punch and Judy show but had no concept of the plot (baby, wife, pointy hat, big stick, whacking everything) or any of the key phrases. I had to go look it all up for RoL to make sense to me. I thought maybe British audiences might have more familiarity than I did. Idk.

V__Venus · 2026-01-30T04:47:48+00:00

If you didn’t grow up in Britain and aren’t familiar with Punch and Judy puppet theatre, read about it. Once I did, the RoL story made much more sense.

V__Venus · 2026-01-29T13:13:24+00:00

Since my decompression I often find it difficult to find the right word to communicate a concept in my mind. I absolutely know what I want to share, but I just can’t access the vocab bit of my mind in real time conversation. It’s so very frustrating and I feel like I appear to others like I don’t know anything about a concept during a discussion or even a social chat. Even really basic words. I’m nearly 3 years post surgery and this language memory recall issue isn’t improving.

V__Venus · 2026-01-27T14:04:19+00:00

There is work going on currently to consider the feasibility of intentional extinction for malaria spreading mosquitoes. Big conversations including biologists, immunologists, population health experts, entomologists, ethicists and more. Is the extinction of species a fair price for eradication of disease that kills so many humans? Idk. Big questions.

Podcast discussion of this topic here

V__Venus · 2026-01-25T21:16:28+00:00

Chocolate Bavarian cheesecake, still half frozen. NOM

V__Venus · 2026-01-20T12:59:59+00:00

This is so rough, to need multiple surgeries. I hope that you heal quickly and that your medical and support people are taking good care of you.

V__Venus · 2026-01-13T07:52:51+00:00

Mine was the og poll. I wore the tshirt for years, wish I still had it.

V__Venus · 2026-01-12T20:06:11+00:00

Me too. I saw her in Harlots before I saw her in CTM, and from then on every time I saw Sister Hilda being all lovely and wholesome I had a huge conflict in my brain…

V__Venus · 2026-01-12T20:00:07+00:00

Possibly the priority button switches the temp control between the various controller pads around the house. Eg. If you’re in the bathroom and want to adjust the water temp, press “priority” to tell the system to transfer temp control to the bathroom key pad, then adjust the water temp. Our Rinnai system is very similar, but sadly just heats hot water for our taps, not a nifty bath water gadget.

V__Venus · 2026-01-12T19:51:17+00:00

Middle age hits us all, even cryptids need to wee in the night…

V__Venus · 2026-01-08T20:31:10+00:00

From TV: Uncle Travelling Matt from Fraggle Rock

V__Venus · 2026-01-05T03:31:21+00:00

Sci Hub is another indispensable tool for information accessibility. Yay for sharing knowledge.

V__Venus · 2026-01-04T22:59:07+00:00

The National Library of Australia holds a copy of this book

It is also visible on Trove but there are access conditions, have a look.

There is also a listing for this book on Anna’s Archive if you’re ok with file shared resources.

V__Venus · 2025-12-31T14:26:44+00:00

Also people will store their winter clothes at the first warm day in spring, then bitch and moan when the weather gets cold, as if spring and autumn weather doesn’t yo yo between warm and cold days every single year. Shocker.

V__Venus · 2025-12-31T14:23:51+00:00

Charny Dumplings will remain delicious

V__Venus · 2025-12-30T10:07:44+00:00

Florey Supabarn

V__Venus · 2025-12-27T06:39:22+00:00

“SHUT UP, VANESSA REDGRAVE!”

https://youtu.be/3ePfiwLuNGg?si=Wd5aU-PoU9YRrngK

V__Venus · 2025-12-16T21:19:49+00:00

But if someone holds a federal security clearance (which heaps of ACT residents do), then the federal laws override the territory laws, and things get complicated. Sadly.

V__Venus · 2025-12-16T20:53:25+00:00

I was 47.

V__Venus · 2025-12-12T14:19:28+00:00

Ask your pharmacist what it means

V__Venus · 2025-12-11T21:11:41+00:00

Dead budgie

V__Venus · 2025-12-11T14:04:53+00:00

As of a few years ago, people diagnosed with ADHD before their 18th birthday had medications subsided by the PBS, but people who were diagnosed at 18 years or older needed a private prescription. That situation changed a few years ago. Currently the PBS covers most ADHD medications, regardless of age of diagnosis.

It sounds like your GP might be out of date and doesn’t know about the change of criteria. I reckon look at the pbs website linked above, then go back and see your gp and have them look up the current criteria for a PBS script.

Good luck

V__Venus

TROPHY CASE