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The Corroboree

Halif

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Posts posted by Halif


  1. I wonder if in addition to be "warned" of the dangers of drugs, children will be allowed to speculate on why drug use is endemic in Aus society if drugs are so harmful. Imagine if someone actually dared to ask THE question instead of trying to stamp out perpetual spot fires. The harm that comes from any substances depends on how it is used and thus the risk factor is dependent on every individual.

    Be interesting to see what might happen in years to come if, from an early age, kids were informed about the multitude of reasons that people use drugs (legal and illegal), the harms that can and do stem from that, and what alternatives/long term fixes there could be.

    • Like 2

  2. OK, it gets weirder...

    There's a red number 2 on the chat2 tab for me. I join the room... and before I've done anything it says I've been kicked!

    I'd only just arrived there!

    SAB! Why doth thou hate me so?!


  3. Oh OK, thanks very much for that.

    I probably shouldn't jump into a chat room when I know I'm likely to leave in a minute or focus on something else.

    Maybe next time I'll get the chance to go all txt sp33k on you geeks!


  4. For the last 2 days i have decreased my Zoloft to only 50mg a day instead of 100mg and to be honest, i am starting to feel awesome! I even had fun at work today and that is sooooooooo rare for me.

    Just wanted to comment on this point.

    There is a lot of anti-depressant bashing on forums. I believe it stems from the things being over-prescribed. Obviously the wrong medication will cause negative effects and cause people to speak negatively about their experiences.

    HOWEVER, as a long term experiencer of depressive turns of mood, I found sertraline (Zoloft) extremely helpful. There are times for some when life seems to get increasingly heavy and movement of any sort is damn near impossible. It becomes impossible to help yourself. Anti-depressants are not a cure, but the right one for a person can indeed be like a short-term reprieve from the all-consuming gravity and can allow someone to actually remember what it feels like to be trouble-free and enjoy all the world has to offer.

    In my experience, the window was around six months. And sadly, when I tried to start taking them again after stopping the helpful "push" was less than half of the first time. So while they aren't an answer in themselves, for some people who have reached zero momentum they can actually provide an invaluable window of opportunity to make positive changes.

    Some of the changes I made after the first time I took sertraline have become ingrained long after I stopped the medication. A simple example is that of physical movement: it is possible for a person to become petrified and literally stop moving altogether. This is stalemate. Nothing changes without movement of some kind. One of the first and probably the single most life changing thing I did within weeks of taking sertraline was join a gym.

    I didn't give a shit about what I looked like or being strong or whatever. I was just willing to try ANYTHING at least once, and sertraline gave me the push to leave the house and join the gym. It literally changed my life. I didn't become a gym junkie or buff up or whatever. But I learned something that's never left me - when the ball stops rolling and seems way too heavy to move, hit that thing and push life it's the only thing left to do and be amazed when the damn thing gives a little, then a little more.

    Translation: Mind and body are separate. Sometimes ignoring the mind's logic and doing something as simple as getting up and walking until you can't walk any further can change your life forever.

    • Like 2

  5. heh....

    I accidentally entered a chat room (chat 2 ?) and there weren't many people there.

    I started talking to myself and then a message came up saying: "you have been kicked from the chat"

    But... I was still there, I think? and I clicked the "leave" button and left.

    It was weird... still recovering from the experience...

    • Like 1

  6. Wowzerz... I actually did my best to read every single post in this thread and I got dizzy. Not because there's something wrong with what's been said -the opposite in fact, I'm amazed at the amount of wisdom and compassion in here.

    For some reason I still wanted to post.

    Reason being I feel like I just read the story of my life (well, pretty close) as it continues onwards in both Bush Turkey's originally expressed sentiment, and in the advice/opinions of other chiming in.

    What an anti-climax then, that I simply have nothing to say because while I can emphathise with all that's been said and done, I am still on the path myself.

    I've been on the path, wandered off, dropped back on to it, taken a piss on it, cursed it, wept into it, and everything other human thing that we do. The best parts were when I found pockets of enjoyment on the way and just stopped walking altogether. Simple stuff but profound.

    There's a lot of good will behind those who wish to be true to themselves, and in turn to others. Way more than I ever imagined - hoo wee!

    • Like 4

  7. I definitely think the ideal affirmative action is the most simple one: just remove any barriers to growing and using/consuming plants. PLANTS!

    Honestly, nature has us covered with coca, poppy, cannabis, fungi, cacti, khat, dimethyltriptamine-containing plants....

    There's a massive array of experiences available from things that have evolved to grow all by themselves! Kind of seems like beings are meant to experience these things.... :scratchhead:

    While I still believe there's a place and time for isolation of alkaloids, refinement of substances, and a host of more complex human processes which create pharmaceutical items, it seems like a really really basic starting point to just let people get to know and understand plants. Sorry, I mean, let people re-familiarise themselves with these plants which have been around forever.

    PROS: nature wants us to enjoy it and ourselves and thus has created many avenues through which both fun and a greater understanding of life can unfold.

    CONS: people and groups who wish to claim ownership of and control things they don't understand will get upset.

    EDIT: added words to indicate that I believe there's a place for "man-made" drugs and plant derived drugs

    • Like 1

  8. I was thinking of adding Venetian Snares also! It's music which takes and gives all at once but ultimately Mr Funk is amazingly good at creating atmospheres through cacophony. I was a big fan of that (impossible to say) album above as well as many other albums from him, with Hospitality being a standout.

    There are too many to list but with Snares out the way, I'd put in a vote for Squarepusher because he has invented and re-invented so many styles that every album is truly unexpected. I'm sad that Shobaleader One wasn't better received. I thought it was one of the best fusions of rock and electronic I've ever heard.


  9. Perhaps someone will "come out" at some point and try to extort Woolies claiming to have planted the death cap. Food items have been deliberately contaminated in the past as an act of extortion.

    Who knows? Terrible event either way. I'm sure there'll be more to this story at some point soon...

    When I used to go hunting for Amanita Muscaria (to take photos of - really, they're stunning!) it always sent a little shiver down my spine to spot a death cap with its faint yellow/green hue, just sitting there. It's like walking on a trail in summer and seeing a large Tiger snake on the path slowly move off into the grass. Both of those things are not scary exactly, but it does make me reflect on how we co-exist peacefully the vast majority of the time with fatal plants/fungi/animals all around us.

    Quick story: one time I nearly shit myself rather than stopping to reflect and stroke my beard when I was positively racing on my mountain bike on a sandy walking trail dodging sticks. Yeah... one of the sticks I dodged was a very long Tiger snake which didn't have the time to move its way off the path before I raced almost on top of the thing. And that, my friends, is why I can never again ride my bike while tripping. Every stick is a fucking Tiger snake.


  10. A 22-pound house cat attacked a baby inside a Portland house Sunday, forcing the family and a dog to barricade themselves inside a bedroom. The Barker family called 911

    The Barker family? It was never going to work out.


  11. "There are a number of psychoactive drugs that distort people’s sense of time, so you could imagine developing a pill or a liquid that made someone feel like they were serving a 1,000-year sentence,"

    Pretty sure i've taken that at least twice. Fuckin' RCs

    • Like 3

  12. Thank fuck I checked out the YouTube links you provided as examples of what you mean by "hard" music before I put some recommendations in.... it could have been traumatic.

    I was thinking early Venetian Snares and other breakcore stuff.

    There are way too much sub-genres in electronic music these days. I hear some weird fucking description and click on it - and it's just drum n bass, or techno or some style that has been around for at least 20 years.

    <end old man rant>

    • Like 1

  13. Thanks Foo!

    It's been a lot of fun just letting go and allowing other people's personalities drive the direction of the music.

    In particular, working with Mae Dali has been a real learning experience in a number of ways. It's so refreshing to hear intelligent, cryptic-but-coherent lyrics. I truly believe he's a pioneer in the world of hip hop and rap. His tracks have restored my faith in that genre and shown that it can indeed still be a powerful medium for delivering ideas and concepts which invite reflection, rather than just mindless ego-wanking :devil:

    • Like 1

  14. Hello :)

    Some members here know that I like to make my own type of electronic music. I was very much influenced by British electronica while I was growing up, and I have been attempting to find my own kind of sound within that limitless genre for a few years.

    What has come as a big surprise, however, is the amount of attention my wacky, lo-fi, off-the-wall tunes from people in the US hip hop and rap scene. I've also started writing tunes for some ambient, downtempo songs in collaboration with a very unique songwriter and composer. It's been a real surprise and delight to find that there are some very open-minded (and intense) people out there who are just making music for the sheer love of it, as I am.

    I thought I'd post links to some of the interesting and diverse collaborative efforts that have sprung up spontaneously within the last four or so months. Some of the tracks are really quite different and I'm actually pretty proud of how far I've come as an amateur composer and producer. Hope some of you guys and girls can get something out of these tracks.

    <Disclaimer: there's a fair bit of "strong language" in there and the word 'nigger' features repeatedly. I just thought I'd give people a head's up in case you don't want to hear that sort of talk, or if you don't' want people in the vicinity of your PC to hear it> :wink:

    https://soundcloud.com/snobmob/vintage-praises-x-skunkee (Female gangsta rapper from Compton and two of her friends. Music is original, by me.)

    https://soundcloud.com/pai-mae/ladder-tepalom-and-pai-mae (Female vocalist, songwriter, and composer from Baltimore. Really unique vocal tones and really lovely lady. Music is all original by me.)

    https://soundcloud.com/maedali/maealom-pt5 (Male lyricist and rapper. Mae Dali is one of the most charismatic and intelligent people I've ever encountered. This is our fifth collaborative effort. It was a pleasure speaking with him on Skype a couple of weeks back and getting some insight into a truly unique character.)

    Thanks to anyone who has a listen. The tracks are all quite different and eclectic, and I'm very much open to honest, subjective feedback. These tracks were made for no purpose other than the joy of creating something with highly creative and unique individuals. They won't be to everyone's taste, but they might interest people who want to hear something which is very much outside of the maintream radio sound!

    Thanks and enjoy :)

    • Like 2

  15. The problem is that our system is limited, laboring under the illusion that drug addiction is a criminal issue, a medical issue on the fringes that can be fixed with proper rehab. That all ignores the fact that drugs aren't the problem...what led that person to drugs in the first place is the problem. The drugs are just a means to an end.

    That's the most pertinent line of the article when looking at the broader picture.

    It is infuriating to realise that many people, including those high up in the ranks, have absorbed this view to the point where they cannot see otherwise. I've been waiting for many, many years to see a doctor of health hold a session with me which revolved around my past and present circumstances and how it came to be this way.

    Rather, they are obsessed with the drug use itself, and how to get you out of your routine and into THEIR routine - which itself frequently involves drugs. I've had anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and methadone pushed upon me quite heavy handedly without ever being asked once why I started taking opiates in the first place.

    The core of the thing, the very root cause, gets brushed aside and most doctors seem obsessed with taking control of your experience of life by telling what you can and can't use. The greatest irony and show of ignorance came from a psychiatrist who has 13 years of specialist training under his belt. He swore black and blue that taking heroin was going to kill me - probably soon. Note: he didn't ask how much I was using or how I was using it, let alone why. He wouldn't listen to anything I said but mainted that my only hope was to get on the methadone program.

    This kind of broke my brain. He was adamant about it in an almost feverish way. I could not fathom it until it dawned on me: He sees methadone as a medicine and heroin as a drug which is dirty and depraved. I've heard enough from friends to know that I will never go on methadone. The psych could not understand the fact that I wanted some iota of control over my use. Just because I buy a gram of H today, doesn't mean I'm gonna cain it. I'll use it regularly, sure, but I'll use it when I feel it's necessary.

    I don't want to have my life over to a pharmacy who tells me when and how much to take...


  16. Great article.

    What I find really strange is the dichotomy in Australia where there are incresingly efforts to bring issues like depression, anxiety, eating issues, etc out into the open. There government run campaigns and institutions like Beyond Blue. Somewhere, in some way, people are trying.

    The reason I mentioned a dichotomy is that my experience of trying to use these services has more often than not, hit a dead end very quickly. Sometimes the people on the phones are well meaning, but simply do not have the experience of demeanor to keep that person on the line and help them believe that they still have choices. Same with doctors at all levels - I'm afraid to say that in total I've seen five people who specialised in depression and addiction - who you get can boost your forward and make you think you really can do something about the situation.

    But I can say two of the five I saw fit that category, two others were indifferent, and one was actually negligent and dangerous. Having waiting months, gone through a GP to a psychologist, and finally to a psychiatrist, it was a huge blow to my confidence to find myself face to face with a man whose 13 years of theoretical practice seemed to have stripped him of any human empathy. In one of his sessions he actually said, in a head-masterly tone :" You're very lucky to have gotten away with possessing and using illicit drugs for these last few years. YOu could be behind bars". Was that supposed to help me? Scare me silly, perhaps? A lot of these practitioners are out of touch with reality and cleary have no idea whatsoever about what it means to be suicidally depressed. Scolding someone who is at the very edge is akin to telling them that they may as well just jump of the nearest building.

    Money is another wall. A Great Wall. If you can't afford upfront fees to see specialists and rely on bulk-billing, then you frequently find that there's a waiting list. My shortest wait was a month (and that was pretty fast), but previously it was10 months, and once even over a year. A poster on another board I have been in touch with is suffering through Akathisia - constant torment and the inability to stop moving or get comfortable or concentrate. Medication like benzos actually result in an atypical effect, making it worse.

    Quite understandably, he's in hell. We text or talk via PM and I'm amazed at his circumstances. In his own words, he said he doesn't know how he is even keeping this up. He called beyond blue and they recommended seeing a nerve specialist - but the onus was back on him to find one close by, who doesn't have months and months of waiting, and who bulk bills.

    There are efforts being made to draw attention to the prevelance of these issues, but unfortunately for the moment they are mostly facades which don't go anywhere - at least not quickly. In the case of my Akathisia suffering friend, I am really concerned for his well being. There's NOTHING I can do about it.

    It would be nice to see these systems developed so that there was actual support and follow through as well as a priority system. Some people just won't be around by the time there 6month long wait to see a specialist is over.

    • Like 3

  17. Hello and welcome!!

    I always appreciate a bit of randomness. A friend once called me "Captain Random" after I flung myself from a sitting position to face down splat! position on the ground.

    For no reason. I wouldn't even say I felt like it. It just happened.

    Again, welcome.

    • Like 1

  18. Hey, welcome, and that was a great intro. I actually feel like there's a person behind the avatar for once. That's nice.

    And I'm pretty excited to hear more - maybe post something in the "creative" thread if you want some day - about your music work. I make electronic tunes with outdated software and a really nice 88 key controller/keyboard. For the last seven years I've been practising and just do it for the sheer love of it.

    Anyway, nice garden, too! Two months back I had to mouse out of a house in the suburbs into a two bedroom apartment with zero outdoor space. It was pretty painful selling off and giving away ALL of my plants, but thanks to forum member IndianDreaming it was actually a pain-free experience. That guy is a fucking saint, I tell you. Not only did he pay me well instead of taking advantage of the fact I had to move out in just two weeks and had no negotiating room, but he also offered to create cutting of nearly EVERY single plant he took so one day I can have baby versions of my original plants.

    There are some stellar members on this forum - you won't regret joining it :)

    • Like 3

  19. or preciousss

    At some of my stupidest moments, creeping around paranoid as all get out - I had enough clarity to think that exact same thing myself a few times. Crouching somewhere, feeling naughty, and ridiculous, sucking a glass dick. It's a fucked up loop to be in, especially if you've been out long enough to see clearly how stupid and pointless it is. Self-worth goes down.... down, down, self-worth goes down - DAMMIT fucking COLES advertising is as bad as the shit I smoked!! Stuck in my head!

    • Like 1

  20. Meth just sits there, don't blame the meth, blame the smoker!

    Yeah, or better still, try to understand how it all come to be the way it is. Don't blame anyone or anything. It's complex.

    But yes I know too that there's nothing complex about seeing the effects of meth or crack or certain RCs that get a hold of people. The effect can be horrible to see. I've seen it and been it.

    It's such a complex thing... glass pipes are a good way to smoke: used properly they're more hygienic and require less product for more effect. They can make it easier for people to use less... or more. Nothing's black and white. Banning a pipe isn't going to do much though. Banning anything.... ugh.. whatever.... we all know...

    • Like 3

  21. Hey, I see the bird!!

    Oh wait.. that's a 'star' symbol... man, you must have been wasted!

    (oh, you edited it. Well I'll just keep rambling on because that's what this thread is for)

    So anyway, I was in Coles the other day looking at this discounted box of chocolates, clearly pondering the purchasing thereof, when this old guy just reaches from behind me and grabs it and runs off. WTF?! Don't old people ask if it's OK to take something someone's looking at anymore? What's happening to past generations. I swear, they used to be cool....

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