Ed Abbott, 20, is a Wollongong University Student from Dunedoo, NSW. Whilst growing up, his Mother's best friend was like a second Mother to him. When she passed away unexpectedly in 2009, Ed's final words to her had been short and unloving. This audio piece explores Ed's personal experience following her death. 

In: Music... I still remember the last time that I saw her. 

Out: ... I didn't even say goodbye. I didn't give her a hug or anything like that... Music... 

Emotions canvassed: Sadness, Happiness. 

Transcript:

 [Music in background]

Ed: "I still remember the last time that I saw her. Um, I was, she was picking somebody up from school and I was walking past. The last thing I ever said to her was, 'I can't talk I've got to go.'"

Narrator: "Ed Abbott tells a story of love, loss and regret, when one of his closest family friends, passed away."

Ed: "My, my Dad's cousin, who was one of my Mum's best friends, she was like, so I've got three siblings, and she was like sort of another Mother, we saw her everyday, she came up to our house everyday, and in, it would have been 2009, she passed away. "

"I remember times when, she would walk in to the house and I'd go to give her a hug and I'd end up squeezing her really tight and lifting her up off the ground and other times we'd end up rolling around on the ground just that was how we said hello, we'd start wrestling and, um, so that, saying hello and goodbye with a big hug and a kiss was just what we did. And then this day, when I didn't and I sort of just waved her off and said I can't talk, I've got to go."
  
"So when I found out that she'd died the next day, it was, I was sort of just, the first thing that came to my head was the last time I saw her. And it was just me, sort of, every time we saw her I always gave her a big hug and a big kiss. Every time we said hello, every time we said good bye and I saw her everyday. But this day, I didn't even say hello, I didn't even say goodbye, I didn't give her a hug or anything like that." 

[Music fades out] 

"I still remember the last time..." JOUR206

BCM 332 Climate Change Satire- Help or Harm?

“SHE DRIVE ME CRAZY” is a conceptual exploration of the function of a name and the personal implications of having your name constantly mispronounced. 

  I use repetition throughout the piece to signify the repetitive nature of having to correct people; being called Soph/Sofia/Zoe etc. has been something that has plagued me my whole life. 

  I use an ambient room recording of a room full of friends listening to a friends gig as background noise. It represents that even in a room full of people that care about you, your name is still something that doesn’t necessarily deserve accuracy or consideration. 

It further highlights that by consistently having your name mispronounced, your identity and your sense of self start to change too, eventually, the worth of your original name can just fade into the background.   

The last audible vocals on this track are “she drive me crazy, she drive me crazy...”  This line perfectly sums up the whole track, that the constant struggle between mispronunciation and identity “drive me crazy”. 

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