Shoes, Books & Cynicism
Kate Stone Matheson
The Wax That Melts Our Wings

I’d say it’s what separates us, not from the beasts, but the bestial. Creating the future, renewing a learned past - these are reasons to strive. Writing for and with love, taking and framing an image, stretching new melodic skins onto old skeletons of song… it’s how we manage to fly. It’s how we stay you and me, not us and them.

The Wax That Melts Our Wings
Shoes, Books & Cynicism
Kate Stone Matheson
The Lady Jellypants Guide to Grace and Poise

Unlike Osk, who seemed to establish his own tactical task force wherever we lived, scooping up neighbourhood feline troublemakers as sidekicks (including the memorable ginger behemoth Watson, with whom he used to scope the street from the safety of the shed roof), Jelly has the intelligence gathering skills of a sponge cake.

The Lady Jellypants Guide to Grace and Poise
Shoes, Books & Cynicism
Kate Stone Matheson
Love Me Tender

Anyway, somewhere in between my 'and then you should've done this' and 'why didn't you say x and y, rather than z', and 'for the love of monkeys and the general public's eyesight, you didn't honestly wear that heinous shirt did you', something he was saying about the dating extravaganza we were picking to pieces finally penetrated my cloud of self-congratulatory cumulo-waffle. 

"Most people don't talk about how dates are progressing as a tender process, do they?" he asked. 

"What?"

"She said I was 'part way through the tender process' and that she was judging me on my submission. I'd like to think there was irony involved, and I think at the time I may have given an admittedly weak "haha, yesssss, quite". Looking back, I'd have to conclude, computer says no on the presence of Fabulon or other aids to achieving crisply pressed linen."

Love Me Tender

cricket

Fashion Rhymes With - Rugby?

““Girls do not dress for boys. They dress for themselves and, of course, each other. If girls dressed for boys they’d just walk around naked at all times.””

— Betsey Johnson

Yesterday, whilst a lot of hard work, meant combining two of my favourite things.

Footy and frocks.

When I say footy, I mean of course the Great Game - Rrrrrrrugby Union. And by frocks, I mean playing dress-ups with my wonderful Hurricane Henry.

A lot of people can't understand how I can love fashion and sport in equal proportions. Well, it's quite simple; whilst I love playing in the Wardrobe of Life, there is so much pleasure to be had in watching a really impressive try, or for that matter a great game of cricket or AFL - or netball, or a superb drive from the Jensonator in F1... and why should I have to choose between Marchesa and a maul? There's room for both in my brain.

It's hard to explain in some ways; suffice to say I feel the same letdown in the pit of my stomach when Net-A-Porter sells out of the one item I have earmarked as 'gettable' when it's on sale that I do when the Waratahs royally stuff up a potentially very winnable game (no names mentioned - oh wait, Israel Folau).

Girls like sport. They also like dressing up. Why do boys get surprised by the former, but not the latter? And I am not talking about 'oh he's gorrrrrrgeous so I'll watch this' liking sport; I am talking about loving the game, the tactics, the actual play. Because quite frankly I would rather eat my own hair than think about the dudes who play the sports I love (notable exceptions perpetual crushes Carlos Spencer and my husband to be, Jenson Button).

Women do understand sport. We do enjoy it. We like commenting on it. But many people (read: men) still think it's weird if we start in on what we think of Australia's chances in the Ashes (bugger all) or why Collingwood are finally going to lose the preliminary final curse and be holding the Premiership Flag this year (I dreamed a dream).

Yet if we talk about shoes... eyes roll back in heads, auto-yawn commences. So treat those of us who love the game as a precious commodity, lads.

As the Dread commented to me recently, my dream job would be designing the jerseys for the Wallabies - and getting to yell at them for the state of the team as I am doing the fittings. Assistant Coach (Design and Back Line Tactical Play).

Hmmmmmmmm.

As for my quote - well, we all know this to be true. It's probably the one point of this post that nobody would argue with.

Just remember - sport and style can meet halfway. Even on the halfway line in fact.

Now, about the Tahs...

Code Blue

““A lot of people don’t realize that depression is an illness. I don’t wish it on anyone, but if they would know how it feels, I swear they would think twice before they just shrug it.”

”

— Jonathan Davis

It's not very often that I write a post like this, but this is something that I feel very strongly towards. Because it brings together two things I care deeply about, although in very different ways - mental health, and sport. And not just any sport, but the sport of the season... yep, you guessed it - cricket.

Tomorrow is the Prime Minister's XI here in the Can. And obviously the PM is attending - and so is her partner, Tim Mathieson. And he is Patron of the match-day charity, and this is where for me, it gets very relevant, and extremely important. Because not only is it a local organisation, it is one that targets an often forgotten area in terms of societal need.

Its name? Menslink. Never heard of it? You wouldn't be alone. But for young guys aged 12-25, it's a light in the darkness.

Four out of five suicides in Australia are men. Today, five men will take their own lives. While we are traipsing into the game tomorrow, and yelling at the umpires - five more. Each year, more guys die by their own hand than our entire national road toll.

Am I depressing you? I hope so. Because there are so few organisations out there that aim to help young blokes in particular with the positive side of life, that to see one like Menslink getting exposure at a sporting event is, for me, too great an opportunity not to scream it from the rooftops.

Like most people my age, I have lost friends to suicide. Two of them were in my early twenties. One of them was my very first love. And I can't help but wonder - if he had had the support of an organisation like this, would he still be here? I know it's no use looking to the past, so instead I will be looking to the future tomorrow at the crickety and proudly doing what I can to support a group that supports blokey care.

ACTCricket are behind them. As are the Raiders and the Brumbies. So everyone in the ACT, do something amazing for sport and your species - at the match tomorrow, make a very simple gesture.

Wear blue. Just like the Pink Test, but for boys.

Because they matter too.

Go hard. Go cheer. Go think of your mates who may be not as smiley and happy as you think. Go and remember the friends you have lost because they had nobody to talk to.

Go Blue.