View from the Seventh Floor
View from the Seventh Floor of Stockholm’s Södra Teatern.
Not bad, eh?
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Home for Easter
If it wasn’t for Blues-Fest (held at nearby Byron Bay), the local paper, “The Northern Star” would have been a fairly thin volume today. Aside from the “social page snap” of Kings Cross nightclub owner, John Ibrahim, there wasn’t much to be found in today’s paper. Normally, when I come home, I can always find an hour or two’s entertainment in reading the paper, catching up on the hatched, matched and dispatched column, but even that was a bit “light on” today.
Today was a day of visits to cemeteries and nursing homes. We went to visit an ageing relative in Casino who recently moved into a nursing home. Sadly, another family member has succumbed to the combination of dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. She didn’t really remember us until prompted, and even then we weren’t all that sure she really did remember, or if she was just saying so. And then she said something about one of our “big family secrets” which meant she hadn’t completely forgotten everything.
We also went to visit the grave of an uncle who died recently, and who is buried in the same cemetery as legendary musician, Winifred Atwell which I’ve also blogged about.
The family was also interested in visiting the East Lismore Cemetery where my dad’s parents and my mum’s father are buried. It’s also the place where mum and dad buried a still-born child called Joan back in the 1950s. Although older family members must have known about this child, the younger ones certainly did not. Joan is buried in an unmarked grave under a tree. “Why is she in an unmarked grave?”, Nancy asked, to which I replied, “I guess it’s because they didn’t have the money for one”. We’ve never been a wealthy family.
We also spent a fair bit of time this afternoon and evening on the back verandah. We watched the sunset and we watched the lightning which, contained in a rather large cloud system, was rather spectacular.
I guess that’s what I like most about coming home for Easter – just hanging out. When you live 800km away from your nearest and dearest, the phone calls tend to be about the major things in life. The thing I like best about coming home for Easter is that you get to experience everyday things.
For example, I learned this trip that my now seven-year-old nephew absolutely loves his fart joke book. As he read countless jokes out to me, I remembered how much I used to love fart jokes also. Hey, I still laugh at fart jokes now. One of my all-time favourite jokes is Bette Midler’s joke…
I was sitting on the ferris wheel with my boyfriend Ernie and he said to me “did you just fart”? I said to him, “Of course I did Ernie. Do you think I always smell like this?”
I guess it must be part of the humour gene that only resides on the y-chromosome. I also learned this trip that my nephew believes his nan should go on Master Chef, and could win solely on the basis of her homemade sausage rolls.
It’s also nice to be home as my niece awaits the birth of her first child. As she awaits the birth, her partner has been working for the City Council on the construction of some new roundabouts. If you’ve ever been through Lismore, you’ll know that it’s a city of roundabouts, but apparently, that hasn’t stopped motorists from stopping their cars and getting out to abuse the council workers working on the construction of these new ones. That’s such a Lismore story.
It’s nice to be home.
Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens
There’s something really terrific about being a tourist in your own town, especially on a weekday. On weekends, the area around Circular Quay is full of both tourists and locals enjoying the space. But on a weekday, most of the locals are still at work, so it’s just you and the tourists. The only locals you’ll see are retired people and those running around at break-neck pace during their lunch-break.
At this time of the year, the weather is perfect: winter hasn’t quite kicked in yet, so you avoid the extreme temperatures of summer and winter. The lite is a little less extreme, too. There are more shadows than you often experience in summer.
Today was a perfect day to go on a walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, as part of my week-long “staycation”. Twice a day, the RBG runs tours with volunteer guides. Our small group included some Americans, an English woman, a family from Malaysia, and retired couple from the NSW South Coast. “Though I have visited the gardens on many occasions”, I told our guide, “I never really look too closely at the plants, and don’t know too much about them”.
I certainly learned a lot today, on the 90 minute tour which focussed on both native and introduced species. And it was great to take some photographs.
PS: There’s two plants I couldn’t identify when I went back through my notes: the purple berries, and the fluffy red flower in the tree. If you can help with identification, I’d really appreciate your comments.
Sydney to Canberra
I can’t remember the last time I got a nightclub stamp. Aside from the first glow-in-the-dark stamp I received twenty years or so ago from Tracks nightclub in Brisbane, nightclub stamps are mostly fairly forgettable. But the one I got tonight from Cube nightclub in Canberra has to go down in history as the first one I’ve ever seen based around a daytime tv quiz show.
As with the last time we came to Canberra, Sam and I have travelled by bus. It’s fast (only slightly longer than driving), cheap (much less than hiring a car), and reasonably comfortable. That said, the air conditioner did struggle with Sydney’s high temperatures.
As we travelled we chatted, read, listened to music, dozed, and looked out at the rural NSW landscape. “It’s a lot greener than the last time we travelled to Canberra” (twelve months ago), I said to Sam, and then seconds later realised the side windows of the bus were tinted green.
Along the way, we spotted a couple of things that made us laugh/cry. We felt incredibly sorry for the fully-decorated wedding limousine (presumably containing a bride) which had been pulled over by the police for speeding. And we laughed at the road sign declaring “Rydges Canberra” was ”now four stars”. “So what were they previously?”. I said to Sam. “Have they gone up from three stars or down from five?”
Soon after arriving in Canberra, Patrick picked us up from the bus centre, and we then proceeded to have a bit to eat at “Edgars Inn” at the Ainslie Shops, followed by a drink at “Tilleys” at the Lyneham Shops.
It’s a delightfully quaint naming tradition from Canberra – that everywhere seems to be called “the shops” – that we’ve decided we just have to bring it back to Sydney. “Where shall we meet”? someone can ask. “I’ll meet you at the Potts Point Shops”, another can reply. “Where do you live?”, I can be asked. “I live just behind the Surry Hills Shops”, I can reply.
As we came back to Patrick’s place we chatted and listened to a variety of musical styles that spanned Marilyn Manson to Melodifestivalen.
After a suitable rest period, we headed out for a bit of a night on the town, visiting a number of bars, including the Canberra-cool of “Hipp” (five dollar entry), located right above “The Happy Chinese” and “The Kremlin” which must have the busiest toilet in Australia. The music is good, the surroundings are great, the crowd lacking in pretension. But for some reason or other, there always seems to be a regular flow of people to and from the toilets. “It’s like those clown cars”, I said to Patrick at one point, where seemingly hundreds of clowns emerge one by one from a tiny car.
Our evening ended with a dance and a drink at Cube. For just a moment I was transported back to my European trip last year when “September” came on with “Cry For You”, and the wonderful refrain of “You’ll never see me again”. And that’s where I got this stupid nightclub stamp from.
This Working Life on Radio National
I made a brief appearance on radio today (Radio National) sharing my experience of acquired disability and returning to the workplace after my lower right limb amputation.
It’s by no means an exhaustive explanation of the many different experiences of people with disability, but it covers some important issues. I have written elsewhere on this blog about the experiences of other people, and of course, everyone has a different experience. This program, for example, really only talks about physical disability, and doesn’t touch on other types of disability.
This episode of “This Working Life” also features Teresa, a support officer with Stargardt’s disease. We both discuss the challenges we face at work, such as inaccessible documents, heavy doors, and navigating spaces designed for able-bodied people.
The episode also features Tom Bevan, an accessibility expert, who emphasizes the importance of designing inclusive workplaces and highlights the role of technology, flexible work arrangements, and open communication in supporting employees with disabilities.
The episode underscores the need for greater awareness, education, and understanding of disability issues in the workplace.
These are my bits…
A Life-Threatening Emergency
James O’Brien: My name is James O’Brien, and I work for the ABC in audio as the planning manager.
Lisa Leong: James has worked here for a very long time. Then last year, he had a life-threatening emergency.
James O’Brien: I’d been overseas, travelling in Cambodia with friends, and I got a cut on my foot. When I arrived back in Australia, it was still hurting, but it wasn’t bad. However, over the course of three or four days, I went into a coma.
It turned out I had diabetes, and sepsis kicked in. Sometime that Friday, I failed to meet a deadline for work. My workmates started to panic because I always meet my deadlines. They came to my house, knocked on the door, no answer. They eventually called the police and the ambulance. I was taken to the hospital in an emergency, and the bottom half of my right leg was amputated. The sepsis had gone up my leg, and I had started developing gangrene.
The Road to Recovery
Lisa Leong: And how are you now?
James O’Brien: Still lucky to be alive! I had roughly four months off work last year. I spent about three months in the hospital because I was very, very sick. I also had some rehabilitation and had to learn to walk again with a prosthetic limb. Late last year, in November, I went back to work three days a week. Then at the start of this year, I went to work four days a week as part of a return-to-work plan.
Physically, I still get tired. It’s interesting—I didn’t know this, but when you’re an amputee, you’re actually doing much more exercise than everyone else because there’s so much more work involved. Plus, I have other issues like diabetes, and maybe the fact that I’m now 59 years old plays a role. I’m not sure how much of my fatigue has to do with those two things—whether it’s my illness or the fact that I’m getting old.
Adjusting to a New Reality
Lisa Leong: James joined an amputee support group and has since learned that he went back to work pretty quickly compared to others. His first day back was big.
James O’Brien: My colleagues were really fantastic, visiting me, sending gifts, sending messages, all those sorts of things. So the first day was pretty emotional. I was in a wheelchair on that first day when I came back. I had my prosthetic limb for maybe two or three weeks, but I was still getting around largely in a wheelchair. So that was an interesting kind of experience to come into my workplace and suddenly have to look up at people.
Lisa Leong: And it wasn’t only his emotions that he had to deal with. James was experiencing his workplace from a different perspective. James found some of the spaces at work a little bit more stressful to use now that he lives with a disability, even the space we booked for him to speak to us from.
James O’Brien: The studio I came to this morning—the door was really very heavy. I think I would struggle in a wheelchair to come into a studio like this. I also found interesting things like using the disability toilet. It’s got an automatic door, and I was just terrified that the door was going to open while I was sitting on the loo.
And then there are other little sorts of physical things around the place. For example, at our Parramatta office, we have a lift there which takes us up to the 39th floor. I would press the buzzer at first, and then the lift at the far end would open. And by the time I got to the door, the lift would close. So there were those physical kinds of things that were really a bit of a surprise.
The Importance of Flexibility
Lisa Leong: Being able to work flexibly is an adjustment that’s really important for James.
James O’Brien: I’m incredibly fortunate to have an office job, which I can do from home. So what I’ve settled on now is three days in the office, one day at home, and one day where I’m having my medical appointments.
Lisa Leong: In terms of the workflow, why have you decided to break your week up like that?
James O’Brien: Because by the end of Tuesday, I’m pretty tired. Monday and Tuesday, I work really quite hard. So on Wednesday mornings, I sleep in. I sleep in until about 9:30. It’s really good. And I also try and do all of those medical appointments.
- I go and see my doctor.
- I go and see the diabetes educator.
- I go and see my physiotherapist.
- I do some hydrotherapy.
I do all of those things on a Wednesday. So even though they sound actually quite energetic, it helps break up the week for me and means I don’t have to keep saying to my boss at work, “I need to take an hour off to go and do this as part of my rehabilitation.” So that’s what I’ve settled on. And that re-energizes me for Thursdays and Fridays.
Unexpected Challenges
Lisa Leong: James has some frustrations as well. He felt some of his colleagues, although well-meaning, did treat him a little bit differently.
James O’Brien: Some people really weren’t sure about things anymore. So I actually had a really interesting instance with a couple of people who started speaking to me a little more slowly and a little more deliberately. Look, I mean, one of the things early on was the prospect that if I’d been found a few hours later, I could have had brain damage, but I don’t. But I did find some people started to treat me in a different kind of way at work, which I just didn’t anticipate.
Lisa Leong: So what’s an example of treating you just that little bit differently?
James O’Brien: You know, “Whatever you can do, James. If you feel you can do it,” those sorts of words. And look, I really appreciate the emotions and the feelings and the expression behind that. But don’t kind of underestimate me. I’m OK. You know, that sort of thing. It’s the feeling that sometimes the extent of my disability is over-emphasized by people.
A New Perspective
Lisa Leong: What’s really interesting about you, James, is that you’ve now got this situation where you’ve got a different perspective from the one that you’ve had for quite a long time. So what are the biggest mindset shifts or perspectives that have opened up for you?
James O’Brien: So even though my disability is a physical one, I have started to interact with a lot of people with other types of disabilities as well. I think I’ve always been a good ally of people with disabilities, and I do a lot of work in the ABC around this, or have been doing. But now I have this kind of lived experience. And the lived experience means that I’m probably more inclined to look around to other people and what their needs might be.
26, 36, 46, 56
“I have a text message that says I’m eligible, but it’s still a few weeks ago”, I heard one bloke tell the nearby pharmacist. As I sat and waited at my local medical centre, I took a “healthy interest” in the people coming in for appointments. Almost everyone coming in was looking for a “booster’.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have enough stocks”, the receptionist told people, adding “Since they’ve changed the period from six months to five months, we haven’t been able to order anything more in the lead up to Christmas”. He was directing people to nearby pharmacies.
I suspect news about the massive increase in projected cases has sparked interest in getting boosters.
I’m still a bit dumbfounded about the modelling predicting 25,000 cases per day in NSW by late January. Even with vaccination, there’s surely going to be significant deaths, as well as significant lost time from work, and long term health problems? Has the actual modelling been released?
Much of the “narrative” is now focussed on hospitalisation. Unless people are in ICU, we shouldn’t worry about it, seems to be the predominent school of thought. But in my mind, hospitalisation is only one factor. There’s also long term illnesses, and absences from work etc that need to be factored in. For example, I had a staff member who was diagnosed last week. Not sick enough to go to the hospital, but still away from work for a significant period.
I was in the medical centre/pharmacy to seek treatment for a sebaceous cyst on my back. It’s been a health problem I’ve had before, and it’s back again. Almost exactly ten years ago I had day surgery to remove a cyst. It “grew back” a couple of years ago.
When I went to the doctor today she said to me “You should have come earlier”. I said, “I didn’t think it was urgent, and you would be busy with COVID etc”. She said, “Yes a lot of people have said that”. I think this is probably another “hidden” story of the COVID problem. People putting off seeking treatment, or not being able to get in for treatment for other conditions.
When someone pointed out the other day it was “poking out of my shirt”, I decided it was time to do something about it. On top of the physical protrusion, I have become increasingly worried it might become infected, as it did ten years ago. Thankfully, it hasn’t reached “crisis stage”, but it has reached the stage where the GP wrote “urgent” on my referral to a surgeon/specialist. “Can I ask a favour?”, the GP said to the specialist, emphasising the urgency of a referral in the busy time leading up to Christmas. “Don’t worry, he’s pretty healthy, aside from some flaky skin, so it should be quite straightforward, and he has private health insurance” she told the receptionist at the specialist/surgeon.
I’m feeling pretty good about this treatment. It hasn’t reached crisis stage, as it did a decade ago. I’m not in pain, and I have some pills.
And if I do have surgery in the next few days, I’ll be well supported as I head up to Lismore for Christmas. Michelle is a nurse, and she’s well prepared to “pack” the wound as was required a decade ago.
Chess – The Musical
Judy, Greg, Cotton and I went to see an amateur production of the musical “Chess”, performed by the Eastwood Uniting Church Musical Society at West Ryde this afternoon.
As far as amateur productions go, it was pretty good, with the musical direction being absolutely terrific. Greg said the guitar solo at the end of “Pity The Child” was the best he’s ever heard… and apparently, he knows about these things.
The singing and acting were both a little patchy, although there were some very good performances in the midst of it all. The guy playing Anatoly had a sensational voice – lots of comparisons with Tommy Korberg – although his acting was sometimes a little overdramatic.
The chorus was excellent, especially in those moments without musical backing. They harmonised very well.
The one disappointment was “One Night In Bangkok” which, unfortunately, they failed to cut the mustard on, perhaps due to technical issues… or maybe because it was just too complex for an amateur production to stage.
It occurred to me the reason why “Chess” has had only limited success is that it spends too much time early in the piece talking about the game, the history, the politics when actually it’s the love story and the personal motivations that are the most interesting. If I was doing a production I’d chop out most of the first half and begin with “1956 Budapest Is Rising” as it’s from then onwards that you understand so many of the motivations – both personal and political – that govern the action of the characters.
Curiously enough, the director, Penny Wilson wrote in her notes, “From the earliest days of conceptualising this production, it has clearly been a ‘problem play’. For me as a believer in Christ, and for EUCMS as a Church-based organisation, the problems it poses were the aspects we wanted to emphasise rather than avoid.” She was obviously talking about the selfishness of the characters and that there were no happy endings, leading her to conclude that it could be read “as a sort of anti-parable”. Who would have thought…
Overall a good production and well worth the trip to West Ryde.
I do like a nice view, and this one is not bad at all.
Now you just making me jealous