Verbs are doing words

Preparing - Myself mentally and fiscally for May, the month in which nearly everyone I know was born. Birthdays up the ying-yang, and Mother's Day too. Oh my god, I'm having palpitations just thinking about it. AND I'm turning thirty-mumble as well! Birthdays make me a little nuts...

Finished - 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson. What a great book, jammed with facts and yet so unputdownable. This is an honest exploration of a delicate subject, with the nervy Ronson tangling with psychopaths in jail and in the upper echelons of the corporate world, meeting with the therapists who thought (in the 60's - of course) using LSD and primal regression could cure incarcerated psychopaths.

Did it work? You'll have to read the book and find out...

Interestingly though, looking at the traits and behaviours that mark a psychopath, I'm realising that in my life, I've come across a few. With an estimated 1% of the population scoring high on the test, you probably have as well!

 

Dancing - To The Sonics, who just rip it up so loud. The kids and I went nuts to a Sonics playlist yesterday, jumping around the loungeroom like a bunch of kooks.

'Have Love, Will Travel' is pretty awesome when The Black Keys do it, but these guys are amazing.



Australian Women's Complete Household Guide 1953 continued even further...

This dreamy red polka-dotted garden chair beckons you to come, rest your weary 1950's bones. Put down the borax or ammonia or whatever it is, pour yourself a nice Martini, and bask in the glory of your perfect garden.

Australian Women's Complete Household Guide 1953 continued...

Woman! Bring me my pipe and my slippers! I'm tired from a long day at the office, and lawd knows what you've been doing all day. Probably sitting around, eating bon-bons and gossipping on the electric telephone.

Australian Women's Complete Household Guide 1953 continued...

The chairs! That lamp! The wallpaper! Excuse me while I hyperventilate.

Australian Women's Complete Household Guide 1953

Why ever would you throw this out? Doesn't every household need an in-depth textbook to refer to when building a house, lifting a stain from the carpet, making your own gloves or diagnosing poisoning by opium? There's a handy segment on writing business letters, although it does state that the 'average housewife' will not have much need to do such a thing.
There's plenty of sexist and condescending dark-ages writing to raise the ire of even the least militant feminist, but the most striking thing I've noticed is the all-encompassing nature of this book. I'm wondering if this is the birthplace of the over-achieving, do-it-all-and-look-impeccably-gorgeous uber woman?
All that aside, I'm in love with the Atomic Era look of these colour pages. Aren't they just too much?