The Rag Mag

Welcome to The Rag! This is now just my person blog with personal thoughts, usually a page or two of discussion put forward into a very small band of followers every now and then. (There is also my other blog, www.sarahstackman.tumblr.com which contains all my travel stories, albeit before I had any journalism training, all unedited but with original photographs taken by yours truly. ) I very rarely reblog stuff, the few things I do are things I find interesting and I hope you do too. Most of what I put here is things I'm thinking that maybe other people are too, and i put it here because it's nice to get dialogue between use freaky human being types. Feel free to message me your thoughts. Love you more than free cheese Sarah xx

[theragmag]

Hi Gals (and blokes I spose)

Ever wondered what would happen if you didn’t shave your legs for an entire year, in fact, if you threw out all your razors altogether?

It’s a tricky one. There’s a lot of questions to answer. How many souls should you harvest for Satan to make up for your sins?

How many uncomfortable family members is too many?

Should you go ahead and lock yourself in a cupboard now, or should you stock up on peanut butter and water crackers first?

How long should one wait to reveal to your potential knick knack that the frick frack ya’ll might indulge in could be more Hagrid than Hilton?

Well, I skipped all these admittedly important questions about a year ago and asked myself.

“How much can I be bothered to shave my legs” and the answer was “Sweet fuck all”.

So my year of giving zero fucks about my body hair began.

And here’s where it gets interesting…and admittedly less full of puns (so if you’re here just for the giggles probably scroll away now!)

It was a really great year. Not only did it not affect my love life in the slightest, but in fact I had a few extra fascinated hotties take an extra look.

Not one person complained. Not one person even looked grossed out.

A few people asked me if I brushed it. (Which of course the answer was yes. Why would you miss that kind of opportunity?! In fact I shampooed and conditioned the lot. So silky. So shiny. Much wow ;)

I got less scratches and my legs were warmer in winter. Occasionally the hairs got stuck painfully in stockings and made them look like they were actually growing on me but aside from that it was a sweet ride all the way through. Over the months they got softer and shorter (except where I had scars or they rubbed a lot like near my ankles) so by the time I removed them half an hour ago they were like a cute bunch of blonde fluff.

So why did I give up this sweet song of hairy love?

Answer: because it’s the end of summer and there’s pair of hotpants with my name on them and I was curious to see what they looked like smooth.  The answer to that is ‘kinda weird’. Human legs aren’t really supposed to be hairless. It’s going to take a bit of getting used to I think. But they feel nice.

Not sure if I’ll continue with one or the other but it’s nice to know that shaving your legs really is something you do for yourself. Neither society or naked hot people cared.

It’s strangely nice to look down at your calves and see what’s naturally there. In fact I’m keeping the rest- I’d miss the femininity I feel having it around.

So- good luck if you’re thinking of going the same way. I promise I’ll not give a single shit either way but I’ll high five you all the same. :)

[theragmag]

What Sarah Packed

If you’d like to know what I packed for an indefinite cycling trip, here it is:

(Compiled from Josie Dew recommendations, lots of research, a few of my own ideas and a few wild cards. I bought almost everything at a discount from places such as DFO, Kathmandu’s clearance section or online. I saved up by working for four months in Tasmania’s Queenstown- I trip such as mine, lasting for 9 months in Asia plus a ticket to Europe living on a shoestring, should cost around $10,000- very achievable if you find a good job and work hard. My luggage fills about 40 litres altogether including tools.

A couple of words of advice:

a) tell underwire to go fuck itself and give good quality crop tops a go

b) go daggy but still make sure you do like what you’re buying and

c) ‘just in case’ is stupid. Leave it out and buy it there if you’re that worried. There are shops overseas too!) J

 Clothing:

 1 purple Columbia fishing shirt with vents and UV protection

1 Kathmandu red plaid shirt in organic cotton (with snack pocket!)

1 cotton v neck grey t-shirt + 1 loose singlet from Cotton On

1 merino wool t-shirt + 1 merino wool mid layer hoodie

1 kids size bluey singlet- bogan essential

1 old maroon Factorie dress- cotton and great for a bunch of things

2 pairs of Cotton On PJ shorts in blue and black for wearing over bike skins

2 pairs of Andiamo cycling skins (ordered online)

1 pair light blue Target shorts- cotton

1 pair of fat person leggings bought on sale at H+M. Luckily not many obese people are size 10 so I got them for 5 bucks and the extra high band works great for cycling. Bit hot though- might ditch in Asia.

3 pairs of silk and wool blend undies from Kathmandu

3 pairs of treated bug repelling socks from Kathmandu

1 pair of cute novelty socks with bicycles on them

1 swimming costume, 1 pair light goggles

3 sports crop tops from Blockout- they don’t make them anymore and they are awesome- sorry!

Running crop top with a bit of extra support from Cotton On

Pearl Izumi vented cycling gloves

Kathmandu cycling jacket with reflectors

Reflective cycling vest from Aldi

One light cotton scarf- a million uses

Delicates bag- an old pillowcase works just as well but I accidentally melted mine…

 Toiletries:

 Aussie Butt Cream for cycling very long distances- best not to ask!

Lush Godiva shampoo and conditioner bar- much more compact and saves on carrying around big bottles

Lush split end balm- tiny pot

Travel washing line

50m floss- good for lots of uses

Tweezers to keep eyebrows looking fab

Bottle of lavender oil to mix with a tub of Sorbolene as insect repellent

Small bottle talcum powder- shake it into jumpers and shake it out again to squeeze another day or two’s wear out of them

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Soap

 Pharmacy stuff: (All taken out of packets with the front label sticky taped on the front to save space. Keep each medication in its own little bundle with the instructions and the name of the doctor who told you to get them and their number for airport security)

Small bandage

Saline tube for stuff in eyes

Betadine

Paw paw cream

Sunbocking lip balm

Water purifying tablets

2 packets of broad spectrum antibiotics- don’t skip this one

Anti-Gardia meds from a doctor and anti-nausea

A list of your current vaccinations and your insurance and emergency contact details for your family just in case printed clearly with your blood group and allergies.

Super awesome secret undercover society for Ladies stuff

Packet of tissues for runny noses on planes

Small mirror for hoicking insects out of eyes

Small can of pepper spray no airports pulled me up on yet

Panadol

Exfoliating glove

  Other Stuff:

Sunnies

Passport + extra passport photos + photocopies of passport

Overseas driving licence, Aussie licence, bank card + Backup MasterCard Debit, healthcare cards etc

2 double ended ring spanners: 12,13,14,15

Cable ties

Spare tube

Puncture repair kit

Interlocking plastic tyre irons

Carabineer

Dry wax bicycle lubricant

6mm Allen key for removing pedals

Journal and artline pens

Josie Dew’s excellent book Wind in my Wheels. Goes everywhere overseas I go and is a bulky but worthwhile addition

Another good book of some kind to swap out at hostels

XT1 and various bits + manual which I will one day get around to reading and throwing away. Hopefully in that order!

USB with important documents scanned on it (they are also backed up on the Google Drive)

Cheap pair of thongs

Sunscreen

Bike lock

Pair of second hand Boss Orange sneakers

Helmet

Ortlieb ultra-reflective panniers back-roller panniers

Double action bike pump

Needle and thread

Headphones with microphone for skyping in internet cafes

Seriously good head torch

Eye mask and washable earplugs

LUSH solid perfume in Karma scent

Nail clippers

Listerine strips

Power adapter

[theragmag]

There are a lot of things you are told during your HSC years. Some are very relevant, some others mean something if you want to go down a particular path and others are a napkin of bullshit shoved through a dead cat.

Career wise, there are some things I wish someone had told me when I was a few…

[sarahstackman]

I wrote this a year or two ago and it seems relevant again for all those poor poor children struggling through the shit storm that is high school exams. I’m also pretty proud of it as a piece of writing. So I’m popping it up the front. 

Much, Much Love. 

[theragmag]

Bored on Tumblr?

Hey guys, now is a great time to head on over to my other blog- sarahstackman.tumblr.com!

close to a hundred per cent original content- except a cool post about a guy with monkeys which I think deserves to be there ;)

Stay Awesome

[theragmag]

Bored on Tumblr?

Hey guys, now is a great time to head on over to my other blog- sarahstackman.tumblr.com!

close to a hundred per cent original content- except a cool post about a guy with monkeys which I think deserves to be there ;)

Stay Awesome

[sordilezas]

"What about when you get old?" Tattooed Seniors answer the question.

[theragmag]

Walking Through the Valley with Death in your shadow. (I had a go at setting scene in fiction. Let me know your thoughts xx)

The woman turned a small piece of broken bone over in her hands, white and hollow; no longer the scaffold of flesh and sinew.

Way back. A souvenir of days that could never be and would never be.

She took the small fragment and tucked it into stolen jeans, pulled from another and soaked in blood. The label was peeling off and now held a small knife, sharpened on the bottom of a china mug and rusty with moisture and filth.

She wiped her fingers across her brow, collecting dust and grit in the sweaty lines of her hand as she did so.

In the same motion she squinted across the land lying dead and thirsty before her. She likened it to toast crumbling and burnt on a chipped enamel plate, etched with beautiful young flowers.

A twisted feeling grabbed the tubes of her heart and squeezed. She Pushed it down further.

Loneliness is no match for the hardened totality of loss. Loneliness has no useful place in survival. Her heart wrapped it up and swallowed it down and prayed it would not find the strength to undo its ribbons.

There was no beauty here. The flowers had teeth and the mountain streams they fed from were thick with nutrients borne of the decomposing fruits of the battlefield.

Sometimes fingernails came up with the handfuls of sand used to stifle fires at night’s end. They would crackle and then melt into the blue flames before taking the life of the fire with them into blackness.

Her chest heaved and a single trickle of sweat ran from her hair, down the curve of her spine and into the small of her back where it joined a large pool of crusty and damp salt itching into the back of her shirt.  The sweat also pooled around a knife wound sliced across her right buttock.

She cut a hole in those hard won jeans to let the wound heal.

As she turned away from the sun the slash was just visible, nestled among the ripped fabric. Infectious and oozing it twisted with and seduced the loose threads; pulling them into its depths and winding them ever deeper into the crusted blood drying around it’s mouth.

Her boots beat a familiar path back down the hill, crunched over granules of concrete as small stones wiggled their way into the cracks in the soft and worn tread. She ran her hand across her stomach, flickered her fingers against the now see-through fabric.  The Adidas slogan still sat visible in snaking, chipped letters.

No-one was around to notice her take it off and wrap it around her waist.  Her emaciated chest seemed to eat the skin it called home and the rivers of sweat had created stripes of darker dust collecting down her front and into her navel.

She noticed figures in the distance and without putting it back on, crossed one arm and made her way slowly towards them, ever watchful of the shadow barking at her heels.

  —-

  S.Stackman.

[universalequalityisinevitable]

Robert Sapolsky about his study of the Keekorok baboon troop from National Geographic’s Stress: Portrait of a Killer

[rkidd]

holy shit yes

ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IS SET IN STONE

[theragmag]

I know this isn't originally by me, as the trend of this blog is but i found this very interesting and maybe you do too

s.

[theragmag]

Melbourne to Bathurst December 2013

Australia

Family Christmas 2013.

Nikon D200 Body

Nikon DX SWM VR Aspherical 0.28m/0.92ft 52 Lens

Steinzeiser 52mm PRO fisheye

[flapjackssack]

So I’m gonna hedge my bets on the world not ending on the 21st, but lets just suppose it did. How do you think it would all go down?

This is how I think it might turn out.

The begin with, in the days leading up to The Day, things would seem fairly normal. The rational people would…

[flapjackssack]

Remember when everyone was freaked out a year or so ago? haha.

I wrote this then and absolutely forgot it was hiding in the archives.

[theragmag]

Let Them Eat! Tasty rice paper roll recipe!

Warning: Naughty language and naughty advice. Keep the wee chid-lins away if you're worried.

So, yes, it's been a fucking long bastard of a wintertime since I last posted a recipe. I've been busy, ok? I won't bore you with the details but it involved a couch that looked like a cat, a dog that looked like a sofa, several boxes of fruity-bix and a couple of gay cowboys.

Ever wanted to know how to make rice paper rolls?

Here is the no-bullshit, fuckguts-could-make-it, simply as all hell recipe.

  Want to know how to do it cheaper?

Shoplift the expensive bits if you’re getting them from woolies, by all means, fuck them every chance you get. Don’t do it otherwise, (lets keep small business alive, those suckers are struggling anyway.)

Buying your vegies from Woolies is way more expensive and though the things are shiner, they aren’t really any better for you. Get your stuff from local markets or buy from greengrocers/Harris Farm Markets etc and buy what’s on special.

Buying meat from butchers is actually cheaper and if you cook things right most cuts work fine. Just ask them. They know their shit and are actually trained to know about dead bits of animal.

For stuff that grows on trees, just steal it from trees on the sidewalk. I haven’t bought lemons all season, and they are fucking delicious when grown properly.

  You will need:

  Equipment:

  -A frying pan (preferable one with a lid)

-Chopping board (plastic is best)

-Knife

-Small saucepan

-A few fingers

  Food bits:

  -Lettuce (any will do, cos is nice, and it lasts longer. You can either chop it up into haphazard chunks ala wolverine-in-the-kitchen or just rip it up and hope for the freaking best. That shit doesn’t matter) 

  -A capsicum if you like them, if you don’t that’s not my effing problem so just leave them out. Any colour works but I like red.

  -Avocado chopped up into slices. (Do this by running a knife around the whole thing starting at the top lengthways. Then hold it with both hands and twist it so the two sides pop apart. Get a knife, whack the seed with the blade side then flick the knife out and the seed should come with it. Ensure no humans are near. Throw that seedy fucker out. Now put the side of avocado flesh (green bit) down, and cut it in half lengthways again. Peel the sucker and then slice into..well…slices)

  -Thinly sliced carrot

  -Few fresh herbs are nice too, like mint and coriander. You can also chop red chilies up super fine and put those mean bastards in.

Also, word to the wise. Don’t be a cheeky shit and put your finger near your eyeball after cutting chillies. Just. don’t do it. folks.

Learn the easy way.

  -A packet of rice papers (you get them from the Asian section. Yes I know supermarkets haven’t yet learnt that Asia is a bunch different countries. Suck it up)

  -A packet of rice vermicelli (a kind of noodles-same section)

  -Meat (optional) either beef or chicken (or whatever animal, I dunno, maybe the local cat pissed you off. Not my prob bro).

  For beef: cook it whole over high heat with oil, salt, chilli, a little bit of vinegar and garlic rubbed in it. (Try to do this about 15 mins beforehand)

Turn it every minute until done then let it sit for a few minutes before cutting it into slices.

  For chicken, cut a small chicken breast into slices and put in a shallow frying pan with lemon juice (if you have it) a bit of honey and water and put the lid on, letting it simmer away until done.

  -Sweet chilli sauce for dipping

  How to put these MoFo’s together and then get them into your grubby little paws pronto:

  Chop everything up into slices and arrange ready to pick at. Get a clean board and a dry tea-towel if you have it.

Sort out meat if you want it. (see above)

  Put a cake of noodles into a small saucepan about half-full with water. Put it on high heat until the noodles taste ready, stirring occasionally. Drain and put to the side.

  Grab a circle of rice paper and run it under a hot tap until its’ floppy but not fragile. Lay it out on a chopping board.

  Dry your hands and put a flat sausage of lettuce in the middle of the rice paper circle, then lay a slice of capsicum, a slice of avocado, carrot etc, meat and sprinkling of herbs on top.

Put some noodles in there too.

  The paper should be kind of sticky by now, so lift the bottom up so it covers the filling and about 2/3rds of the whole thing, try to keep the filling in its sausage shape.

  Flip the sides in one by one over the bottom flap horizontally and then roll it the rest of the way up.

  Put it on a clean plate and start again until the entire filling is used up.

  Put those delicious, slightly off-putting shaped morsels in your gob and jump on the goddamn delicious stairway to heaven.

  :D

[theragmag]

The Lipton Landing

(I Posted this on the Lipton page and they didn't appreciate my genius. Thought I would at least get a stiffly-worded reply? Or maybe even a cryptic, poetic riddle? All faults aside, whoever makes their artificial flavourings deserves a medal. They are tasty as Fuck) It is made in Russia Singapore distributed With Australian Guilt ‘Orange Jaipur’ Never seen India It has the Taj Mahal grinning stupidly on the front of it’s box. But I bought this tea Because I liked the sound Of tropical fruits in Far Flung Places Even though Orange is not tropical And the Taj Mahal is not in Jaipur And the Tiny Mesh Bags Sewn by slaves  Far away Are bad for the environment.

[theragmag]

Insert Inspiring Bullshit Title

The day someone tells me I don't have to do something is generally the day I will begin doing just that.

"You don't have to be writer" is the moment I get out my laptop and open a new document.

"You don't have to be successful" is the day I send off a few emails to workplaces and mentors.

"You don't have to be beautiful"...well, is the day I put my fatpants on but it's not a rule until there's an exception!

It's not the same as someone telling you you won't ever be successful or write anything worth reading.

It is removing the pressure you put on yourself that builds up so high, yet you don't notice it until it is lifted. 

We are our own harshest critics and our own greatest liberators.

And that is me done for deep shit today.

[theragmag]

If You Want

If you want to wear jeans and a t-shirt and a freaking crop top stretch bra to a club then do it.

If you want to wear a short skirt and a skimpy top and straighten your hair to go to the dentist, then do it.

Maybe there were a lot of pre-war naughty nurses. Dressing like one is totally ok.

If you want to spend your life as a stripper or a doctor, both are ok by me.

Do whatever you want with your life, because its not society's choice, its not my choice, its not your father's or your mother's or your partner's, its yours. 

Maybe you're a dude who quite likes the feel of lace. Not my issue bro.

If you want to wear a naughty outfit in public this halloween, male or female, thats ok by me too. Maybe the tooth fairy really was a stripper. 

But you can also dress up as Jabba the Hutt and we'll have a rip-snorting good time too.

You don't have to fit into a stereotype and you don't have to fight one in this world we live in either. 

So much of feminism tells us we have to look like men in order to be equal. So much of what we tell men squeezes them into a suffocating list of ideals too.

So grab your bowler hat and latex gimp suit, I'll meet you at the Motor Registry for some sweet licence update funtimes in leather.

[theragmag]

The awesome moment when your blog starts being read by people you have never met! *eee*

[theragmag]

It might be OK after all.

There are a lot of things you are told during your HSC years. Some are very relevant, some others mean something if you want to go down a particular path and others are a napkin of bullshit shoved through a dead cat.

  Career wise, there are some things I wish someone had told me when I was a few years younger. Maybe they did and I didn't listen. If I had it probably wouldn’t have made a difference to my career path but it would have made me stress a lot less.

  Anyway, here is a bit of advice. It’s from a 20 year old kid who can claim ownership to not only a very slick shelf but also has only a very minor criminal record. Beat that.

  You don’t have to decide what you want to do when you start year 11, but if you don’t have an idea then keeping your options open is pretty smart. However, you can go about this one of a few ways. You can stress and memorize and stuff your head full of facts and dates and cram your exams and gain 25 kilos eating nothing but trail mix. This is a fairly popular option.

  The other is one I kind of wish I had twigged to a bit earlier. High school is the one time in your life when you not only have a massive diversity of subjects, but you have people willing to invest the time to teach them to you.

My advice here is to forget everything you know about studying. Breath. Do some yoga or some shit. Each a giant sandwich and take a shit. Not my problem.

  Now get all your schoolbooks together and one by one pick them up and have a think back to why you chose that subject to begin with, why were you passionate about it? What made you want to know more? Even if it was only to get credits, what things within that course have piqued your interest? What parts of the course have made you sit up and prick your ears? What pieces would you find interesting even if you weren’t studying them?

Keep organized notes, do your practice exams. Learn some big words and if you don’t get a concept, ask someone old to explain them to you. Find an angle you find interesting in your assignments.

  Start to think of your HSC not in terms of marks but a gaining of knowledge. Use your teacher’s brains. They aren’t just full of Alpine Menthols and fruitcake. There’s some truth nuggets all up in there. Think of the things you’d like to gain from studying each of your courses and how you can go about squeezing them out.

  Secondly, you don’t have to do the jobs you think you do. If you want to spend your life riding horses and being an interpretive mime while making short films then make a clear plan, talk the right people and start working towards it. If you have a university in your town, contact them and ask about special lectures and workshops. These are often attended by industry professionals and if they are anything to do with ‘New Media’ (working in the digital age) then they are goldmines full of people carving their own path and using the internet to build brands, be their own boss and, eventually, making enough money to quit their day jobs.

  Which brings me to my next point. Work hard, but work hard for yourself and for no-one else. A good work ethic is important, at some point you will grow out of being a lazy, self-obsessed teenager and find real enjoyment in working towards things you care about. Even if it means serving fried chicken to obese people with breathing problems, your casual job is a great place to start. It means you can put money aside, learn very important life skills and use that money to buy equipment such as instruments/a camera to start your own Youtube channel/ a mac to begin designing your own games/a good camera to travel the world with/tools to build a website that distributes crowd source funding to humanitarian projects overseas.

But you don’t even need these to begin. Write down all your ideas and keep them safe. Bounce them off other people. If you are really struggling with funds, Pozible is a crowd funding website, which means a crowd of people can contribute to your projects by putting in only a few dollars each.

  There’s a lot more going on than just your small town.  A lot of very successful people began with the same resources you have, you just have to channel your passions. Ask yourself, would I do this for free for the rest of my life? If the answer if ‘yes’ then go for it.

  Don’t tailor your interests to others. Keep an open mind to the new concepts the HSC throws at you and don’t let yourself be backed into a corner by close-minded curriculums. 

  Lastly, the real world is nothing like the HSC. It’s going to be OK.

[goldduustwoman]

[heyfunniest]

Russell Brand telling Westboro Baptist what’s up.