Hybole returns

After an 18 month gap Allie Brosh, author of the highly popular blog 'Hyperbole and a half' has returned.  Her long awaited post details her struggle with depression over the last few months to explain her lengthy hiatus from blogging.  Written with her usual flair for imparting her stream of consciousness, and illustrated throughout with her distinctive, simplistic cartoons the post does not disappoint. 
Although depression is not an obvious source of humour, Allie has described this mental illness in an accessible, funny manner.  If you have ever suffered from severe depression, you will recognise the stages she describes very well.  From the initial confusion at a loss of joy, to apathy through to an inexplicable anger at the world.  Even her floor-crying corn experience will not be unfamiliar to many.
The frustration at people not accepting her mental state, and the social awkwardness at pretending not to be depressed are all eloquently described in Allie's unique style.

Image from Hyperbole and a Half

Perhaps not the best first post to read if you are new to Hyperbole and a Half, it stands alone from her previous posts.  Many of Allie's previous posts are inspired by events in her life, the majority from her past.  I think it is a brave step to write about a personal experience with depression, especially whilst it is still a significant factor in your life.

I, along with thousands of other followers, am glad to see Allie is back blogging again.  I hope she continues to recover well, and takes the time she needs.  If her next post takes another 18 months, well, she has already proven she has a loyal following who will be there to read her work.

Brassic

Right, after having a bit of writer's block for a while (I blame Little Parasite because frankly he can't argue) I've decided I just need to write anything in order to alleviate it.  The result is the post below, which I accept is not great (or even mediocre).  It's not intended to be polished, perfect prose, but an exercise in getting off my arse to write since writing has fallen to the curb lately.

After university, Husband and I spent a couple of years being pretty brassic. During this time, we did a good job at eking out the life of our belongings.  I would sew old t-shirts into tote bags, make skirts from old jeans, bulk out meals with pearl barley and then spend nights in wide-eyed panic over our finances when we ran out of ways to stretch our wages.
However, there comes a point when being so thrifty actually turns you a bit materialistic. After attaching elbow patches to your sweater for the umpteenth time, and making dog toys out of old socks stuffed with tennis balls (also a very useful sling shot), you eventually begin imagining life without holey pants (not devout undies just many, many holes). This then evolves into humbly wishing you had clothes that weren't dated from before your uni days (there's a limit to how long you can pretend your style revolves around the vintage look when trying to pass off wearing your old tat), and lamenting the fact that your DVD collection is primarily based on scratchy throw-outs from the local rental DVD shop that went bankrupt.

Yes, thriftyness can come full circle so it ends up staring at the arse of commercialism in its tight CK jeans.  Does this make me a bad person?  I don't think so.  A little shallow perhaps, but it has helped fuel my creativity.  From being broke, I have learnt to sew, knit, create passable meals from random ingredients (peanut butter and noodles is not one that fits that category) and see the potential in items rather than immediately throw them away.

I can't say that I enjoyed our time being skint, but the skills we gained from this period have continued to prove invaluable.  I think it's a shame that skills such as sewing are only taken up as a solution to an economical situation.  Making things yourself is satisfying in it's own right, and not just as a fallback plan.