@MDT
Onya Mate!
Exactly!
Go tame that work beast!
Well maybe figure out how to exist beside it and inside it, cos it will likely keep morphing, and just when it comes to heel it might grow another head. Nature of the beast.
I only started speaking strine late in life, so am a bit bantery and tongue in cheek about it. Mind you I heard a lot of it growing up, but not within my own family unit. So its natural it comes out, but its not my first port of call or my "true self", but can be good for lightening the mood. Then lots of travel and lots of different languages as I went to each country. Then my head was lost in lots of study at uni and I loved all the words .. and numbers ... for a while. But enuff of anything is enuff.
The first time I uttered a strine sentence I was shocked at myself. It was at choir, about 15 years ago and it was one of my 2 foster fathers' rough voice. I had been talking to an Aussie lady who was high class (ex Camberwell Grammar senior teacher). All of a sudden I heard my foster father from when I was 7! It was weird and I thought 'where did that come from?' I was embarrassed but probably all the music and stirred up my whole soup of experience. My own father was more educated, nuanced and encouraged learning, though they were all Aussie. I do not remember strine from him at all. My family married mostly migrants so just did not associate the extreme accent with my identity; it was/is an outer shell.
Diagnosis has a place, but IMHO is only ethical and useful if you get good effective treatment and healing, and by that I mean HEALING, not judgment, abuse, or chemical restraint without therapy. I spent time in medical library doing a grief thesis once. Never forget the red carpet, so loud in my usually classy uni..lol. I also did of psychodrama (both personal and professional courses), which had a wonderful practical aspect. That was not cheap but worth it at the time, though other stuff is around now. It was all good food for thought, but I had too much to deal with and I did fall apart, apart from washing, cleaning, shopping, chauffeuring, food on table and a few private students, but what can you do? Gradually pick up all the pieces after the s**t has hit the fan. Put gloves on while cleaning maybe ... idk ... lol. Also there is that part of Aussie spirit which does not take itself too seriously which is a fine trait to cultivate.
I booked a plane ticket last night been putting it off, but feeling son is in reasonable place and I can go enjoy and give him space. Geez there's that flamin' rhymin' again!
Ciao amico! Had more Italian friends ha ha!