Buggering Off

OK Gentle Readers the time has come, I've registered my own domain and I'm moving the bulk of content and future posts to my new website. The new site incorporates my curmudgeon's muttering, mumbling and griping, my writing, my hobbies (ALL OF THEM!!!) and my other pursuits all in one place. This blog will still be maintained but as a mostly archival site so if you want to find out what I did/said/promised months or years ago you might find the answer here.

If you want to check out my new site then this is the address

www.grumpys-den.id.au

The definition of relief!!

Yep I know I just said the site is moving but for once I have something important to say. 

Recently I had cause to go to my GP because of a couple of little lumps on my back. Now I live on my own so it's not possible for me to get some one to check my back regularly. It's not until I get a persistent itch or something that I even take any notice of my back at all.  I can't see it, therefore I don't think about it unless something goes wrong.

In this case an itch had been annoying the shit out of me for a couple of weeks before I noticed I also had a couple of tender spots. Time to annoy the Quack. Quack was not impressed and also seemed to actually be a bit concerned. He insisted that I return next day so he could cut a "couple of small lesions" - what ever they are - out and send them to Pathology for analysis. A couple of small lesions turned out to be seven in all and I ended up with a total of 37 stitches in my back. He also mentioned the M word and admitted he was  little concerned as I am already being treated for other cancer problems.

Shit said I - that's all I need  - bloody Melanoma

Now before you send me messages of condolence and all your dribbling sympathies I don't need them - the suspected Melanomas turned out to be the much less scary Basil Cell Carcinomas. 

So what am I whinging about?

As I said, I live on my own and therefore can't inspect parts of my body that I can't see very efficiently - hell it even occurred to me that a partner might have some use after all!

I am 70 years old and from those generations who thought suntans were not only mandatory but actually healthy. Sun Block? - what's that?? I'm an ex service man so I spent a LOT of time out in the sun - often with my shirt off. So if any of my readers live under similar circumstances to myself take this as a warning :- 

GET SOME ONE TO HAVE A LOOK FOR YOU -  REGULARLY

Cancer is not pleasant and I have known two of my mates who have suffered death by bloody Melanoma - it's not pleasant and once it has you in it's grip you're stuffed. The only defence you have is to identify it early - it's insidious and the smallest little lump can hide something really hideous under the skin.

Don't give the Grim Reaper an easy ride - he'll get us all in the end but why make it easy for him - make the bastard work for his reward - we all had to!

Moving

Yep - the Curmudgeons Note Book is moving to a "proper" website with expanded content. I'll still maintain this blog but the cutting edge of my rants and mindless complaining about anything and everything will now appear first on the new site.

Call back in a couple of weeks and I'll post the new Website address for you to have a look at. It might even be worth you checking it out.

Smoking and other annoyances

OK - so I haven't posted on here for over 12 months - what do you want me to do?? Apologise - Yeah? Well you shouldn't be reading this blog if you are dumb enough to expect one!! So - down to the subject of my latest irritation. SMOKING! - Yep I'm one of those nasty, smelly, anti social people who expect to have the right to practice what ever form of legal self destruction I choose.

I'm 70 years of age - yes stupid - even I get older each year - and I took up the evil habit when I was at the tender age of 15. No one told me back then that it was going to poison my body, give me Cancer, Emphysema, Peripheral Vascular Disease and that I'd even have trouble getting out of my own way.

Back then, in 1957 or there abouts, the Advertising Agencies made extra effort in their commercials to tell me how cool and manly smoking was and all the hero's in the movies puffed away to their hearts content. Socially, if you DIDN'T smoke, you were considered a bit of a wimp. Of course the Government quietly and contentedly took their cut of revenue.

So - what's changed in 55 years? In this supposedly enlightened age? As far as the Government is concerned BUGGER ALL - they still quietly and contentedly take their tax revenue from tobacco and cigarette sales and still charge an arm and a leg for a licence to sell this Legal poison to the unexpecting and innocent victims. Oh - some things have changed - the Do-Gooders have got off their collective backsides - so that now, if you are still dumb enough to smoke,  you have to go out the back or down the side or into the ally of where ever you are with the other malcontents before you can light up without getting arrested. So now we have the situation where smokers have to gather along side those other social outcasts who smoke or inhale or stick  ILLEGAL products in their arm and up their nose and down their throats. I remind you that according to our government tobacco is still LEGAL and that same government collects a tax every time you put another nail in your bloody coffin - talk about a bloody DEATH TAX!!!

Ah - I hear you bleat - but the Anti Smoking Campaigners have done SO MUCH to reduce smoking - to which I say BULLSHIT!!! They have banned us from smoking in the pubs, bars, hotels, cafes, shopping malls and just about everywhere else. They have caused cigarettes and tobacco to be sold in plain packaging with each package carrying gruesome photos of the consequences of using the product. Yeah - right - big bloody deal!  I've examined my own reaction to these measured and spoken to other long addicted users of tobacco - the most common reaction?? BELLIGERENT REJECTION - If you back some one up against a wall - OF COURSE THEY WILL COME OUT FIGHTING you mob of bloody DICKHEADS!!!

The bottom line is tobacco is STILL a legal substance, it is still being sold to the general public - and the governments are STILL collecting their taxes. If governments and the bloody Do-Gooders are really dinkum about saving us from a painful, choking, lingering death then make it ILLEGAL TO SELL the product - yeah - fat chance.

One of the ironies of being addicted to tobacco and the long list of toxic substances it contains is that if you finally get that sick - or you finally get some sense in your thick head - and you want to give it up - THERE IS MORE SUPPORT FOR THOSE ADDICTED TO ILLEGAL DRUGS than for those addicted to a legally available and promoted cigarettes and tobacco!! Now I'm not knocking the support given to those who are trying to escape the clutches of illegal drugs - they need and should get as much support as possible - BUT - I fail to understand why  that same level of support is not available to those addicted to cigarettes and tobacco.

Of course the bloody Do-Gooders are already drawing a deep breath to scream out their war cry - BIG TOBACCO! - Get a life you mob of bloody fools - Big Tobacco companies are only producing a product which the law tolerates and - incidentally -  receives a lot of money from. Until governments - and the bloody do-gooders get some spine - and MAKE TOBACCO ILLEGAL - people - young and old - will be drawn into the habit and suffer the consequences of addiction.