The Ben Cousins Interview.

This is going to be quite emotional. No apologies.

I've just watched the Ben Cousins interview on Channel 7 (more like an interrogation). Hearing all of those questions being asked of someone who is still sick in the accusatory tone that they were just got my back up something fierce. 

Now, before I say anything further, I know full well that the only one responsible for Ben Cousins is Ben Cousins. He is the only one who can decide he's ready to take the steps to getting better. Unfortunately I don't think interviews like this help one bit.

Back at the end of 2014 I had a total mental breakdown and became depressed. I watched, wracked with guilt and self-loathing as my house turned into a total dump and my job slipped away from me. I hated myself every minute of it, and I wanted to fix it so badly. The problem was, I could barely move out of bed. Every day that my boss let me have sick leave was a relief. I'm still ashamed to this day of the mess I made of everything, even though I'm years removed from it. It took me a long time to get help and turn my life around - and I've never been addicted to anything apart from nicotine (275 days ciggie-free!). 

Every time someone saw the mess I was in. Every time my bosses dragged me in to rip into me for taking so much time off. That guilt piled on top of me, like it was trying to push me back under the water. I feel like this interview, and some of the questions and the way they were asked, would do the same for Ben. He should never have agreed to it. Channel 7 should have known better than to offer it. This was just a bad, bad, BAD idea all around. Hope Channel 7 enjoy all that $$$.

If you're suffering drug addiction, depression, anxiety - it's hard. You want to fix things but you're stuck. The biggest thing you can do is reach out for professional help. Feel free to shop around to find the mental health professional that suits you. You might need medication, you might not. The most important thing though is to forgive yourself. You're sick. Your actions might have contributed to your illness, but no one is perfect. You have your entire future to do better and be better, you just have to give yourself the chance. Be kind to yourself.

Do you want a membership to a sports club?

So footy season (of various codes) is upon the Great Southern Land again. Many of us sports fans have already invested in our favourite team, but for those that haven't, a few considerations:

1. Money.

This is a hard one, but thankfully if you want to show your support to your team then most clubs offer packages at various levels for various prices. How many games can you attend? How many people are you paying for? Do you have pets you want to join up?

2. Travel.

Not only does travel cost $$$ but it takes time and can make a night out a very, VERY long night (try driving 2 hours after a night game and getting home around midnight). If you can utilize public transport then definitely look into it. Also, if you're driving, make sure you check on parking as many stadiums have parking exclusion zones around them that can hurt your hip pocket.

3. Loyalty.

This one is simple: Are you going to stick around even if the team starts losing everything including the kitchen sink? Are you going to try your best to make it to all the games you can? Are you going to defend your club to the death, while also acknowledging there are just some things you have to shake your head at?

If you answered yes, then welcome to the club. Welcome to sitting in the same seat all year and making great friends around you. Welcome to family, togetherness and identity.

If you answered no and are going to turn in your membership as soon as the losses pile up: Kindly fuck off and return to cheating on your spouse. In fact, if you're someone who was formerly a member and is now returning to a winning team, I hope you get what you deserve. You filthy bandwagoners are making it that much less enjoyable for the REAL fans who know what loyalty looks like. You come in, force us out of finals tickets, get into fights, bag out the team when they do the slightest thing wrong, you leave when there is even a chance we can lose, you eat all the food and you make getting in and out of the game harder than it needs to be, you selfish mongrel.

This is from someone who has only missed 2 Brisbane Lions home games since 2006. From someone who went to every single Brisbane Lions game in 2013. From someone who loves their club and what it has given them. Being a club member isn't a social status, it's a commitment and if you're not ready for that, then get back into GA or watch from home.

Little Women: My Take on Amy March

I'm definitely on my own here, but I've always loved Amy March, just as much as I love her sisters. Sure she starts out spoiled, but she becomes a level-headed, generous woman and honestly, it pisses me off no end that they never show her complete ownage of the Chester Fair. When Mrs. Chester boots her off the stall that she put so much time in effort into, she could have hit the roof, stormed off and not taken part. Instead, after a brief sulk, she put her best effort in and rose above, impressing everyone.

The big thing people bring up though is when she burnt Jos stories. Dear god, if I had a dollar for every time I've lost a story to my own stupidity, corrupted hard drives, or just plain misplacing handwritten notes I'd never have to work again. The thing is, every time it's happened I've either re-evaluated and realized it was no great loss, or gone back and written something even better. It's a hard, hard blow, but not one that you can't come back from.

However, losing one's sister on the other hand is something you can NEVER fix. I love my sisters more than I can say, and while I'd quite happily throttle them sometimes, if anything ever happened to them I could never recover. They are both extremely talented young ladies and both of them are good-hearted, hard working sorts. Losing them would be a million, billion, bajillon times worse than losing some story.

And I bet if you asked Jo March she'd tell you the exact same things about Amy. I've seen blogs recently where people have suggested Jo should have left Amy to drown! First off, who the hell puts a story above a human life, and secondly, who puts a story above their OWN SISTER?! Disclaimer, I know there are some family members you are definitely better without, but even then I don't recommend killing them (unless in self-defence). Can we please be reasonable about this?

Dislike Amy if you must, but don't expect her sister to see it the same way. Because like Jo, I'm a big sister and as a big sister I can tell you this right now: You even THINK of hurting my sisters and I will hunt you down and make your life miserable.