Category: Laughter

  • Laughter as medicine

    Laughter as medicine

    It’s been a rough couple of weeks since my dog passed. His younger sister, a 12-year-old black cavoodle, didn’t eat or sleep for a while. Oh, and she cried each morning when she woke up to find he was still missing. Ugh. The last post since his passing also wasn’t…

  • “Your chronic illness is NOT your kryptonite”

    “Your chronic illness is NOT your kryptonite”

    I’m a big reader, but while I was very sick with chronic migraine, I was also studying for my PhD. I had absolutely no time for recreational reading (other than blogs). These days, I have a bit more time on my hands to read for fun (I just finished John…

  • Grumpy cats, snippy dogs and moody people

    Grumpy cats, snippy dogs and moody people

    There are so many videos on the internet with dogs behaving badly, cats looking grumpy, and pets just generally being moody… sometimes there’s also a dig at another member of the family (usually teenagers) acting out in a similar, snarly, way. It’s like the post I did of animals giving…

  • Pet rocks and pebbling people

    Pet rocks and pebbling people

    Many, many months ago, I wrote a post about ‘penguin-pebbling’ (here). It’s a lovely little bit of romance-rizz where a penguin creates an attractive pile of rocks to woo his intended love interest… or any love interest… I’m not sure if penguins mate for life… or how flirty they are……

  • Kiddy craft for migraines

    Kiddy craft for migraines

    OK, so since I’ve finished my PhD and graduated, I have had a bit of spare time on my hands. One of the things that I yap about to myself and others, here and at home, is the healing power of distraction – preferably through simple, hands-on arts and crafts…

  • Medical detectives (in art)

    Medical detectives (in art)

    Many, many, years ago there was an ad on Australian television that suggested that modern doctors could tell that the model in a Renaissance painting had breast cancer based on some dimples near her armpit. I’ve always remembered it, and it came into my mind again the other day when…

  • Mansplaining migraines (and painsplaining away)

    Mansplaining migraines (and painsplaining away)

    In 2018, there was a massive uproar in the Australian news about an image that was placed on the hoarding of a construction site, on the campus of Adelaid University. Can you see why? [Image source: Ad outside future Adelaide university building ridiculed] I’ll let the newspaper author explain it:…

  • Dream big and (maybe) make magic

    Dream big and (maybe) make magic

    Funny story. My teenage daughter decided to make a cake-in-a-mug. We don’t own the ready-to-go mixes, she just decided that she would start from scratch, presumably with a recipe she found online. The first I knew of her culinary adventures was when she stuck her head around the corner of…

  • “Not tonight honey – I have a headache”

    “Not tonight honey – I have a headache”

    What a cliche! And yet… where there’s smoke there’s fire… or is there? Today’s post is a little bit long (it went places I wasn’t expecting) and it is also potentially a little bit tricky as it initially treads into an area many people might consider taboo for public conversation.…