A reformed mouth breather

15 Oct, 2026

It's been three weeks since my surgery and I can now confirm two things:

1. Hospital isn't that scary after all
2. I can breathe through my nose

I've spent the last almost 20 years finding it difficult to breathe through my nose, and it now feels like I'm breathing in high definition. And apparently it'll only get better, as there's still some internal swelling which will take a bit longer to die down. Anyhow, just so you know, I've written this entire blog post breathing through my nose with my mouth shut. Wild.

Other than the miracles of nasal breathing, lately I've been thinking about:

---> How normalised "anti-ageing" treatments/procedures have become for women. I am very pro people doing whatever the hell they want with their bodies, but I am also deeply sceptical of an industry that in 2023 was worth $4.1 billion in Australia and profits off of the insecurities of (mostly) women. Especially when these businesses are also reporting that the clientele are getting younger and younger. In my head this, of course, links back to what we see normalised online and celebrity culture, but it makes me incredibly sad that we're so scared to look our age.

---> I watched a video where a guy consumed only media from a library for a month, and it reminded me of how wonderful libraries are. I borrow online from the library pretty often, but as a chronic book-buyer I want to make more of an effort to borrow in person. Libraries are one of the very few truly free places and experiences left - and these days they don't even make you pay late fees¹. So, check out your local library.

---> The fact that women have been sold a lie about "the pill" for decades. Did you know that the sugar pills that trigger a monthly bleed were actually designed as part of a PR strategy, designed to make it look "natural"? Of course, there's still conversations to be had about potential effects of being on the pill long-term, but I found the history of the pill interesting. Especially as someone who, in younger years, was advised that skipping the sugar pills is "bad" for you - something that apparently doesn't have any real medical backing.

Post-surgery I've gotten to spend a lot of time doing very little as I can't exercise again until I've been cleared by the surgeon. So, here's a list of things I've enjoyed recently:

• the TV show 'Adults', which you can stream on Disney+. Hannah introduced me to this (thanks Han) and I have binge watched it. A sitcom about a group of twenty-somethings sharehousing in New York. It's brilliant. (Bree - if you're reading this, watch it. You're freeloading on my Disney+ so you better watch it)

• The book 'How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates' by Shailee Thompson. It's a romcom meets slasher (and it is exactly what you'd expect from this combo) that is just fun. It's also by an Aussie author! I read this in less than 24 hours and had a great time. Thanks book club :)

• Learning about the indie web and doing some coding just for fun instead of for uni, trying to design my own silly little website.

• The Sims 3. Enough said.

Things I don't want to discuss right now: those extra songs Taylor Swift added to an already bad (... I can almost say this is objective, but I guess it's subjective technically) album. The state of my toe and/or the totally unrelated topic of toenail fungus or how hard it is to cure it.

Anyhow, consider this a sign of life post-surgery. Breathing is brilliant. Getting a degree is exhausting. Maxibons are wonderful (thanks Declan for reviving my love for them). I'd be happy if the moths could remove our house from their migration path. Kmart is still a bottomless pit from which you never return without a million things you didn't know you needed (or wanted). It's too early for Christmas decorations to be out - please put them back.

Signing off, A nose breather.

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