I’ve spent the last 8 months walking. I’ve fought my way back from post-cancer problems. They still plague me, but they no longer hold me down. As I get physically healthy, my mental health and overall spiritual outlook has improved as well. I’m stronger. Better able to face up to my problems. I feel as though even if I *did* have to face up to cancer again, it wouldn’t crush me. I’d fight, as I did last time.
(But I hope I don’t have to!)
As we move toward September, I’m entering into the serious planning phase. The goal was to start getting out into public and promoting the charity next month, but the lockdowns in Brisbane across August have held me back. Plus in July I did get pretty sick .. I had been under-eating-over-exercising for months, and became malnourished. All on track now though.
So my challenge is to figure out the CAPTAIN AUSTRALIA UNIFORM now that I’m bringing the old boofhead out of retirement.
I figure I’ll build the superhero outfit from a basic military uniform, as you can see from my sketch. I’m not sure about the chest emblem. The “@” symbol last time didn’t work (nananananana AT-man, AT-man, AT-man, people would chant). A boomerang is an iconic Australian symbol, but it’s a tool and weapon of the first people, and although I’ve lived amongst indigenous communities as a small child, I don’t want to appropriate. I wrote to a few elders, but I got no response, I don’t think they took the concern seriously. I’m not sure I’m supposed to either – they have boomerang monkeys in a game my kids play (Bloons Tower Defense) and some dude called “Captain Boomerang” in Suicide Squad. But I want to get it right, be respectful.
I’m waiting for these teardrop banners to arrive. You’ll see the design to the right.
They cost me $360 that I don’t really have, but I think there’s something about carrying them around strapped to my backpack like some kind of insane Samurai. It turns me into a mobile billboard for the charity.
My car broke down on Wednesday, catastrophic engine failure. The dealership where it’s routinely been serviced cited “oil sludge neglectfully built up over 3 years”. I don’t think they checked the service history first, because I have to figure out if the neglect is mine or theirs. Anyway, if we have to do without a car, we have to do without a car, I can’t afford a new one and I need this time to execute on my BIG WALK strategy, help the charity, heal myself. Maybe the dealership will come through and help me out with some kind of solution. (fingers crossed)
The next two weeks are just about continuing with my fitness, and then getting the uniform done once the banners arrive (which I need to integrate into the overall ensemble). I hope to start hitting the street from the first week of September, if everything goes smoothly.
But when do things ever go smoothly ?
Since December, I lost a little over 50kg in body weight, but I’m (sadly) still a little tubby. Strong like the bull (stamina-wise), but still carrying a tire of fat around my thighs and middle. Tomorrow I see the dentist (public clinic in Herston – can’t afford professional dentistry since my business collapsed, haha, so I have to let a student have a whack at m’teeth). The walk to the dentist is about 15km, so I’m going to leave at 5:30am and walk there, get the treatment and then take a lovely long winding walk home up across Mt Coottha (great city views, will take a photo or two for you).
Captain Australia Online (and THE BIG WALK) 