Teenage sex.

Call me a hypocrite, but we HAVE to address teenage sex. I counselled a kid yesterday who was freaking out because he might have gotten someone pregnant and contracted an STD - and he's not the only one. One of my clients just had an abortion, and another's going to have an abortion. Then there's the childhood sexual abuse girl who flings herself at any willing penis, and she's just fourteen.

Abortion is not the solution to the problem: this mindset must change. We must teach our teens that abortion isn't 'just another contraceptive' and that sex 'isn't just another thing'. And preaching 'safe sex' doesn't help either.

On one hand, I think contraception is a useful and essential tool. On the other, contraception devalues sex. The illusion of 'no consequences' has turned sex from a sacred loving act into 'just another thing'. Sex is not something to brush aside, it is an integral part of the human experience and needs to be treated with the respect and dignity that it deserves. I really believe that.

Forget preaching abstinence or precautionary measures, lets talk about sexual responsibility. Sure it might be 'responsible' to wear a condom. But is it responsible to even have sex in the first place? And when you have sex, are you treating sex with the respect that it deserves? Are you treating your partner with the dignity that he or she deserves? Are you having sex because it is an expression of your respect and love for that person, or is it purely self gratification?

We need to be sexually responsible adults, and we need to teach that to our teenagers.

EDIT: If you're in WA, the Family Planning WA site is a good source of information and services.

Redneck boy needs smacking

Let's ignore the whole debate about Palin's suitability as McCain's running mate for a minute. Let's even overlook the whole pregnant daughter debacle and the kind of questions its raising in Oz and focus on something else: the daughter's boyfriend.

Sure you might be a teenage 'redneck', but posting this sort of drivel ought to get you shot. What kind of person goes around talking about his life and girl in that fashion? Do you even love this girl? It's people like you who give us blokes a bad name. Man up, you redneck prick! Take some responsibility and do the right thing.

Sure you might have made the post private NOW; but it got out, mate. If I were Sarah Palin, I'd crucify you. Just the perfect thing to kick off the campaign for vice-presidency.

The MySpace page looks nice and clean now. Oh look, Bristol is your life and you even want to meet John McCain! Oh you freshly minted Republican darling, you! If that doesn't reek of spin, I don't know what does. I wonder if you had to be 'persuaded' to toe the line.

EDIT: I have given this post some thought, and it's not fair of me to target an adolescent boy for his mistakes. I was in his shoes once, and I should know better. My apologies if this offended people.

Kick backs.

For the fourth time this week, I've tried to take a shower before heading out (as is my habit), and someone's either already in the shower, or runs into the shower when I step into my room to get clothes/take a piss. Hence, I've been late for work, or in today's case, losing valuable daylight hours for shooting.

Considering that the plumbing is so shot that whenever someone turns on the hot water elsewhere in the house, you almost immediately get a cold shower, it's a wonder I even bathe as regularly as I do. (Approximately thrice every two days, if anyone's asking)

If this isn't evidence that it is better to live alone, don't know what is.

Toss in the fact that my internet is slow (1200kps is nothing when you have up to four computers running at the same time, and my sister is invariably downloading/streaming). Add in the fact that I can't even get a beer because of health problems. And you'd have a rough idea of how pissed I am right now.

I've just wasted an entire Saturday. Thank you, family.

Hungry. Irritation. Rar.

(Why yes, I do believe I AM complaining!)

So since I've got no one to have dinner with after mass, I pop down to Taurus to have wonton mee, and find that I've got no cash on me because I've forgotten to visit the ATM.

Drive to the closest ATM, which is conveniently out of order.

Decide to go home to cook up mushrooms and eat some chicken I've got marinading. Sister's beaten me to it. My mushrooms and chicken are gone. (And she's gone out too, otherwise I would raise hell at her)

And someone's eaten the chicken burger I had in the fridge. Someone owes me $6.35.

Miso soup and tofu are options, but they're not very filling, and I am very hungry. Decide to cook instant noodles because they're faster.

Discover that I've got nothing to go with the noodles, so it's just plain indomee. How exciting.

Eat my one packet of indomee. Still hungry. There is no food in the house!

Discover that FoxTel does NOT screen live Euro matches. What's the fucking point of having cable if you can't bloody watch football?

Guess I'll just go to bed.

Minor irritations.

Some minor things which have tried my inexhaustible patience today:

1. Persons who stand around when you're busy and expect to be served immediately without at least politely coughing, or saying 'excuse me'. The customer may be 'always right', but at least be polite!

2. Telemarketers who refuse to shut up to the point that you just hang up the phone after pretending to listen to a 10 second drivel-splutter.

3. People who try to push products and services on you (even though they're not promotion staff) and insist that you must buy this because it's such a fantastic deal, etc. The enthusiasm's appreciated, and I'm sure whatever company will thank you profusely for trying to push their products. Your cheque's in the mail, by the way.

4. Insurance claims forms which are carefully designed to make getting your money back such a monumental effort that you probably spend more man-hours filing the claim than the claim's actually worth.

For all the above problems, my doctor prescribes a large heavy mallet to the head of the offender. Sadly due to a patent dispute, we are currently unable to administer said treatment. Plus there is that inconvenient trifle sometimes known as the law. Such an inconvenience, eh?

Jaded.

It all boils down to the bottom line. When I started down this career path, I wanted to help people and make a difference. Today I want to get into Masters of Psychology because it helps the bottom line, not because of any great desire to actually chase that path.

In an ideal world I'd be a counsellor and a writer. That's all I want to be. But this world isn't ideal. I need to pay the bills.

Yesterday I met a guy working behind the counter at the post office. He graduated from IT the same time I did. How the mighty have fallen.

It sucks to be compared to people who are either already rich, or getting there. Maybe I'm materialistic, but providing for myself and my family is important. I like the cool and interesting things. I like sharp clothes, cool gadgets and fast cars. I'm tired of looking at other people getting those things ahead of me.

I am jaded. I'm looking to survive. I might be turning twenty-six, but in terms of where I am in life, I'm still twenty-three. The best years of my life were conscripted. I never had years nineteen to twenty-two to better myself. In that, I'm way behind a lot of other people.

But damnit, I need to stand on my own and make my way. I want to be financially secure. I don't want to be beholden to my parents. And I don't give a rat's arse who I have to stab or step on to get there.

Checking in.

Just went for my guitar lesson (yes, I'm actually taking lessons), and I'm amazed at how crap I am. I'm starting on playing the blues, since they're the basis for most music out there today. Not so wild about that though, I'd rather jump straight into the rock I so love. Then again a guy has to start from the basics, right?

Still trying to feel my way around the guitar a bit. Technique's shaky, but that's something that only practice can cure. Trying to break a few bad habits too.

Popping out in a bit to mail out/settle things for my new job. It's a pain. I'm spending around $116 in total to run all these federal checks in order to be eligible for the job (working with children, police records, etc, etc). Thankfully I can claim that back at the end of the tax year.

In related job news, Life Without Barriers called me this morning for an interview. I'm really not keen on this job, but I'll go for it just to keep my options open. Took their bloody time though. The information session I went for was a month-and-a-half ago. Ridiculous, no?

Okay, I'm off again! No rest for the weary, eh?

EDIT: Got back from sorting out the job stuff. Apparently all the clearances will take another 3-5 weeks to process. Crazy shit. Good thing the job doesn't start until July.