No, I don't understand why this particular woman held millions of people in some sort of thrall, why we felt we knew her (although I've read a great deal about her from many sources, positive and negative, and I do have a good idea what she was like), and I don't know why so many millions of people were so upset when she died. She was an icon in the true sense of the word. She was a symbol of the beautiful, romantic, tragic princess of our imagination, and she managed to tap into some part of our collective consciousness and become, for many of us, a sort of archetype.

Diana's wedding to Charles was on at 4am where I lived. Didn't matter. I stayed up all night to make sure I was up on time (because I was seventeen, and you can do stuff like that at that age). I watched the wedding with my grandmother, and I remember how we both sort of gasped when Diana got out of that impossibly picturesque glass carriage in that enormous dress made of all that silk and lace with absolutely the biggest train I have ever seen in my entire life (and I've seen a lot of weddings, thank you). Yes, the dress was kind of poufy and it had too many bows on it in rather silly places, but Diana looked incredibly beautiful, despite the merangue of a dress. I remember watching her come down the aisle of the cathedral, that masterpiece of architecture that is the jewel in the collection of works by Sir Christopher Wren, and I remember how the diamond tiara she wore, the Spencer Tiara, glittered as she moved.

I can't say I've ever thought much of Prince Charles, really. He's said to be highly intelligent and quite charming, and that may well be the case, but he's not particularly charismatic and any charm he might have isn't immediately apparent to the general public. Diana's charisma, on the other hand, was dazzling...

I felt a sort of kinship with Diana. She was a woman who suffered a great deal. Perhaps some of it was her own doing. In fact, I'd say that some of it definitely was her own doing, but she was very damaged and damaged people do stupid things. She was vulnerable and emotionally needy. She was sometimes extremely unstable. She was in a marriage that was making her extremely unhappy, and she was suffering from an eating disorder and mood swings, plus she admitted to engaging in self-injury. How could I fail to identify with that?

And then, just as she was starting to get herself and her life together, to finally figure out who she was and what she was going to do with her life, she was gone. It was a bit of a shock. Okay, that's an understatement.

I was watching Saturday Night Live on that day in 1997, and they interrupted the show to say that Diana Princess of Wales had been in a car crash in Paris. Initial reports were that she was injured, but it didn't sound too serious. Then more reports came and then they reported that she was very seriously injured, critical. And then she was dead and I just felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and I started to weep.

Which, of course, is quite strange, given that I didn't even know this woman, not really. But I felt I'd lost someone that I did know. Someone beautiful and charismatic and who was trying to do some good in the world, in spite of her own failings and flaws. And, yeah, it hurt. I cried quite a lot, actually.

Mind you, at the time, I was emotionally extremely raw, myself, having been going through what amounted to a complete and total breakdown for some time. I was unstable, I was hurting. Losing Diana most certainly did feel like I was losing a friend, or at least a kindred spirit. I felt that a light had gone out of the world. Judging by the reaction to her death, a lot of other people felt the same way.

So, well, now it's been ten years. I'm an extremely different person now. Different name, different nationality, different family, different life.

I still miss Diana, though.

How much more must she be missed by those who really knew her and who really loved the actual woman, and not just the image, the icon, the archetype?

People in the 1950s had really weird ideas about the year 2000...

I was in the grocery store today and a bloke looked at me. And by that I don't mean he glanced at me and then looked at his shopping cart or whatever. I went past him, smiled politely as you do, and he responded by looking at me, full eye contact, and then he proceeded to stretch somewhat suggestively, like, "Oh, gee, I just need to do a big stretch, by the way, did you see my stomach?" I definitely recognised that look. (And trust me, I don't have delusions that random blokes are giving me the eye, I really don't, but I do know a flirtatious look when I see one, having seen quite a few of them in my life, although not for a long time.)

He was a good deal younger than me, probably only in his late twenties, and not normally the sort of bloke I fancy, but, hey, it was nice having that sort of look. I haven't had that happen in a really long time, not since before Zoë was born, really.

I can only assume that this young bloke just happens to like plus-size older women. Hey, it happens. Trust me. But, well, whatever it was, it was quite nice to experience. So, hey, young bloke, whoever you were, thanks. You made my day!

See? Fairies are real! Here's the video proof!

But remember, not all fairies are good... Some are quite the troublemakers... (not entirely safe for work)

I recently found out, kind of by serendipity, that not far from where I live is a place that has flotation tanks. Basically, you get in to this oblong shaped tank that's full of super-salted water (and the salt is epsom salt, which is a mild muscle relaxant) and you float there, nearly weightless. The thought of it is just heavenly, and I've heard it's very good for chronic pain and puts you into a theta brainwave state pretty quickly (theta is the deepest stage of sleep, where your body released Human Growth Hormone, which is used to heal and repair your body). I can't help but think it would be good for me, and it might just break the cycle of pain I've had for years.

I'm actually quite determined to get back something that looks like good health. I had it for years, despite being overweight and overstressed (okay, so I didn't have good mental health, but physically I was mostly okay). I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired...

Anyway, I'm looking into this. I'll write about it when it eventuates.

First, watch this (which is real):

Then, watch this (which isn't, but which is extremely amusing):

And then, related to the second video but not the first, but extremely entertaining (at least, I found it so):

One American student sent major corporations, governments and even the Vatican on the defensive after coming up with Wikipedia Scanner, a software program that reveals who changed Wikipedia entries.

Here's the background for this video:

"So these two people raised this lion cub who they named Christian, and sadly he got too big for them to take care of so they decided to release him to live as a wild lion. Well, in this footage, a year has passed and it looks like Christian's adapted to living with a pride of lions when his old friends come back to visit him. Watch closely and you can see the look of pure disbelief that dawns on his muzzle- it's awesome. ^_^ Next thing you know, we have a heart warming reunion. Not long after, members of Christian's pride approach and even they seem to accept Christian's human friends."

A woman in Australia has been killed by her pet camel after the animal may have tried to have sex with her.

So Miranda came up to me and said, "Mum, why didn't you go to university to learn how to do something?"

To which I replied, "I did!"

Her father just laughed, but then he pointed out that not only had I gone to university and learned many useful and interesting things, I'd had a number of skilled jobs, and I knew a lot of useful things that I'd taught myself.

But he still laughed...

I had occasion today to see a picture of the lions outside the New York Public Library. I remembered them from my very early childhood (and I do mean very early, as I was born in New York and we moved away when I was only three), but when I saw them again, my memory was jogged and I was very pleased to see them. Apparently, they've been restored, which is good, because they're pretty darned iconic, as these things go.

So now I'm happy, having seen the "library lions" today. It seems oddly appropriate (and makes me smile) to think that one of my earliest clear memories is of a library...

Have you ever REALLY read the Microsoft License Agreement? Hmmm...

Just got an email with this subject line: Andrew Bromage said you two are married...

It was from the Facebook system, and wanted confirmation of the relationship for social networking purposes. My thoughts went like this, though:

Andrew Bromage said you two are married...

I should slap him for spreading rumours like that...

There's a full lunar eclipse on 28 August 2007 that will be visible in its entirety for all of Eastern Australia and New Zealand. And the best part is the peak of the eclipse is early enough that the little girls will be able to see it! I love lunar eclipses (doesn't everyone?). It'll be very cool sharing it with Zoë and Miranda.

Well, I've voluntarily undertaken a fat-reduced diet. I've done this before (lost about thirty pounds in a year that way, actually), and I know I can do it. Nobody actually told me to watch my fat intake, but I did my own research on gallbladder disease and decided it would be wise. Plus, I really, really need to lose some weight for all kinds of reasons (none of which include vanity).

So I've been finding all sorts of lower-fat options to things I like. The chocolate is difficult, as there aren't too many low-fat chocolate options, but I've mostly cut chocolate out of my diet, anyway (I know, I know, but it had to be done). I got a burger from McDonald's the other day and instead of my usual Quarter Pounder with Cheese (yummy) I got a McLean Beef Burger, which I do actually quite like. Much lower in fat and calories, still got the pleasure of eating a burger, and no guilt.

Today I had a ham and egg sandwich. I cooked the egg in the microwave (no added fat at all) and the ham is extra smokey and very lean. The only fat I added was a bit of spread on the toast. Yum. Quite satisfying! If I'd had some low-fat cheese around I would have put on a slice of that, but it was nice just the way it was.

No, I'm not going to turn this into a diet blog. Generally speaking, I find those incredibly boring (not that I make any claims that this blog is particularly interesting), and, face it, most people don't really care what I eat or how much of it or if it's high or low fat and I'm under no illusions that they do.

BUT... I wanted to post that it IS possible to switch to a lower-fat diet and still enjoy the food you eat. If a fat-loving, chocoholic, cheese-devouring, mayonnaise-eating mama like me can do it, hey, ANYONE can!

Well, I'm slowly but surely recovering from having my gallbladder pulled out through a small hole in my abdomen. The incisions are mostly healed, but a couple are still a little oozy (what a lovely image, eh?). The worst part is the ongoing pain in the upper abdomen. Ugh. For the most part, it's controlled by medication (Nurofen Plus and Panadol, taken together), but it's still pretty ouchy, especially when I first get up in the morning (as the pain relief will have worn off while I was sleeping). And since, first thing in the morning, I have to walk twenty minutes to take Miranda to school and come back home, it's not too pleasant at this point. The exercise is ultimately good for me, of course, but the pain in the abdomen is quite unpleasant.

The only position in which I'm fully without pain is when lying on my right side. I guess the internal organs are sliding over to fill the spot left vacated or something. Whatever it is, if I lie on my right side, the pain subsides almost completely. Naturally, I've been spending a lot of time lying on my right side.

One really odd (and happy!) thing, though... Since I went into hospital I haven't had ANY headaches. Not at all. This is very strange, as headaches are usually a huge problem for me. I normally get headaches every day or close enough to it. But I haven't had a headache in a week, it's amazing and wonderful!

What headaches might have had to do with a diseased gallbladder I cannot imagine. One theory is that the diseased organ was causing all kinds of havoc in my poor old fat body because diseased organs do that. The other theory is that it's just a weird and happy coincidence and that I should just accept it as a blessing and not look too hard for and "explanation". I'm taking the latter approach, for what it's worth.

So, well, if I'm not writing much here (or anywhere else, for that matter), it's because I'm probably lying down on my right side or I'm just in too much discomfort to have much to say.

(And looking at the title of this post, I now have a Rutles song in my head. See below.)

First, have a look at the untouched photo of Faith Hill compared to the one that actually appeared on the cover of Redbook. Then, when you've taken that in, be sure to check out Jezebel's "Distort by Numbers" point by point commentary on the changes.

Well, I went in on Tuesday to get my gallbladder removed. They were running late, so I didn't get into surgery until mid-afternoon. The surgery went well, and they did it all with the keyhole procedure, which was a relief (I was a bit concerned they'd end up having to do a full incision). As I came out of the anesthetic I was moaning, over and over again, "Oww... oww... oww... oww..." and one of the nurses said "Now, the ow ow ow won't help anything," which was the first I was actually aware that I was even speaking at all (coming out of general anesthetic is always so weird!). Then I was trying to take the oxygen mask off, I just felt like I couldn't breathe, and I kept saying so. The nurse kept trying to get me to keep it on, but I wasn't really capable of rational thought and I felt like I was suffocating, so she put on one of those nasal oxygen things, instead (which was fine). And then someone shoved a specimen jar into my hand, which contained my gallstone.

The gallstone is pretty big as gallstones go. It's the size of a big olive, or a large grape. Yikes. No wonder my gallbladder was inflamed!

I wasn't anticipating the level of pain. I thought, "Oh, keyhole surgery, out the next day, no problem," but it was a lot more painful that I expected it to be. And I wasn't out the next day, due to having rather more drainage from the wound site than the surgeon liked to see.

Today, though, I feel pretty well. I'm still in a fair bit of pain (got lots of drugs to keep that under control) and my belly and lower back are really stiff (the back from lying on it so much, the belly from all the incisions and from being pumped full of air so they could do the surgery), but overall, I feel surprisingly well. That's not something I've felt for a long time, actually. I don't know how much effect the gallbladder had on my overall health, but I'm hoping that now that it's gone, I'll enjoy generally better health.

So I'm not sure what to do with the gallstone. I do collect mineral samples and rocks and stones.... Hmmm....

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

Very cool hand-drawn figure study, starting, quite literally, with the bones and building from there. Fascinating to watch!

Tampa's Mark O'Hara was released from prison this week. He was serving a 25-year sentence for possession of 58 Vicodin tablets. Prosecutors acknowledge he wasn't selling the drug. They acknowledge that he had a prescription for it. At his trial, two doctors testified they'd been treating O'Hara since the early 1990s for pain related to gout and an automobile accident.
 
But prosecutors inexplicably brought drug trafficking charges anyway, because as the article explains, "Under the law, simply possessing the quantity of pills he had constitutes trafficking."
 
This is simply stunning. The man was sentenced to 25 years for possessing 58 pills for which he had a legal prescription.

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.
 
"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

I just finished reading The Fairy Folk and She by Mary-Anne Grosse Ivie. Not only am I pleased to see the use of correct grammar in the title (most people would say "fairy folk and her" but that's not actually grammatically correct), it was a really enjoyable read.

It's your basic fairy tale material, witches and fairies and wizards and old women living in shoes and such (in fact, the old woman in the shoe is the mother of the story's heroine), but it's got a fresh perspective and the author's unique voice really shines. I found myself giggling quite a lot while reading the book, actually.

This book would be suitable for young and old alike, though it's what my five-year-old calls a "chapter book" and therefore not suitable for very small kids who can't keep track of what they've already read and who want pictures.

So, if you like fairy tales with a bit of romance and a humourous perspective (not "ha ha" funny like Shrek, though, just a frequently amusing take on things), give it a look. It's an easy, breezy, fresh read.