Nuclear Rubber Ducky of Doom. Courtesy of the teenager in residence at the House of Books and Dogs. He's in a position to know really :)

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/780751.html

Where am I? House of B&D Feeling... ecstatic Compelled listening... nil Define... # fun

Decided I wanted to spoil the boys tonight, so I cooked us a three course meal.

To start: tartlets with caramelised onion and cranberry chutney topped with goats cheese.

Main: Chicken Provencal with broccoli and snow peas on the side.

Dessert: Vanilla Risotto with Fruit Medley Compote.


Really went down well and I'm very pleased with the results :) Boys were appreciative too *happy*

Last night I cooked a new dish for myself, inspired by my craving for green veggies:

Arabian Green Veggie Couscous

Which was a spiced couscous dish featuring currents, pinenuts, garlic, lemon olive oil, onion, broccoli, green beans and later topped off with snow peas and silverbeet. Went down very well - lots of veggie goodness :) I topped it with some peccorino cheese last night, but aside from that indulgence it was a tasty vegan meal that I think I'll make for Elaine at some stage.

At the moment I'm trying to get through my to-do list, plan my trip for Worldcon and to see loved ones, enjoy my awesome job, get ready for study to start next week, enjoy my surge of cooking enthusiasm, continue to drink lovely teas including a hefty chunk of non tea and caffeinated ones.

I was half watching 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' while cooking tonight, which is what the boys were watching. Equal parts horrifying the entrenched culture and inspiring once the possibility of something different and previously unimagined becomes apparent.

Last but not least, I'm having a Tuppaware party on Tuesday evening, August 17th at 7:30pm. If you're interested in coming, prod me in the comments and I'll provide details. Come and catch up, I'll have lots of lovely tea, likely to have a bottle of bubbles as well :) If you're after something and can't make it, also prod me in the comments and I'll make other arrangements for you.

Okay, well and truly time for me to be in bed if I want to have a brain tomorrow. Work day tomorrow! Yay! Awesome workmates continue to delight me with their loveliness.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/780536.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... exhausted Compelled listening... nil Define... # achievement, cookery, love, melbourne, poly, television, travel, tuppaware party, work

Via Baby_Elvis - Murdoch University have told Grant Stone that his services are no longer required. He has been given 10 days to respond. He was told that SCIENCE FICTION and POPULAR CULTURE are no longer core to the librarys activities! More news on what we might be able to do about this on Monday. Please post this as widely as possible.

I am outraged. Grant Stone is one of the reasons I was really wanting to go to Murdoch - I didn't even apply at any of the others.

We need to ring and write letters. Remember, hard copy letters are taken more seriously than email.

Looking at their website, the contact details are:
Telephone Number: (08) 9360 2563
Fax Number: (08) 9310 2780
Postal Address: PO Box 1014 Canning Vale DC WA 6970
Email Address: libhelp@murdoch.edu.au

The Director is:

Liz Burke
Director, University Library Services
Responsiblities: Library management, policy development, strategic planning
Phone: (08) 9360 2160
E-mail: Liz.Burke@murdoch.edu.au

I can't believe this is happening...

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/780119.html

Where am I? Home Feeling... pissed off Compelled listening... nil Define... # activism, making a difference, science fiction, stupidity, university

Slashcon 2010 was outstanding! Many thanks to my co-convenor chaosmanor for the amazing ride putting the event together. Your expertise in the numbers, in having already done this several times before, in cooking for me and sharing pots of tea with me as we programme plotted, blogged, emailed and set up the slashcon site. Thank you for doing all of the catering for the weekend given I was starting a new job! Thank you for your joyful, adventurous, fannishly wicked and adorable self.

Thank you to James Butterworth for being a fantastic guest of honour, with a brilliant sense of humour, fun and beautiful original music (best and only CD I've wanted to buy in ages) and an inexhaustible fannish delight in such things as Legend of the Seeker. I am a proud #slashconfessor amongst good company :)

Thank you to everyone who joined us down in Fairbridge for a relaxing and fun filled weekend! The company was truly sublime and I revelled in it. I loved how companionable everyone was and how relaxing and easy it was to be around everyone, so much connection and appreciation and respect.

The programme was kick ass in its execution by awesome panellists! The fledgling ideas we put together for the programme truly took flight through the awesomeness of panellists and attendees!

I had many conversations, traipsed about in the dark with my headlamp finding the best spot to stand still in the dark, staring up at the stars. I drank lots of lovely tea, sharing much of the same with others. I succeeded at fire-making and marshmallow toasting. I slept and I appreciated the gorgeous weather. I listened and I laughed so very hard! I came away with hours of new music and tv and conversations and even some potential fiction writing, to add to my list of non-fiction blog posts to write :P

There were many toasts to awesomeness, to each of us, to debauchery and other such things. Absent friends were missed and thought of often. We did the awesome staying up late thing watching songvids on Saturday night till the early hours.

Weekends like these are so incredible, I had such an amazing, awesome time. I only wish that I had my instant transporter so that I could visit hope and jspencer1986 in their respective cities (and entice them back here sooner rather than later!)

Now, off to watch S2 of Rue Paul's Drag Race with the boys. Family time and a much needed massage by K for me. My life is so win.

Thank you so much again everyone.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/779798.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... "In Hidden Places" - The Mountain Goats Define... # adventures, amazing conversations, amazing friends, con planning, concerts, conventions, fandom, fanfic, fun, inspiration, making a difference, music, new friends, slashcon, social

YAY! See you when I get back :)

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/779713.html

Where am I? Home packing Feeling... excited Compelled listening... nil Define... # amazing friends, fairbridge, slashcon, social

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h18RVylmXw&feature=player_embedded

My new favourite book that I mentioned? Here is a book trailer for it! If you liked Anne Bishop's books, particularly the Black Jewels Trilogy, then I think you will find this book worth a look. I don't have many instant favourites, though there are many books I like and love. This was an *instant* favourite.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/779371.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... nil Define... # authors, books

Otherwise known as trying to make FB less attractive to myself...

The American Sign Language version of Rihanna's 'Disturbia' by Visual Music Project - "a revolutionary way how we 'hear' music" This is awesome and just as creepy and disturbing as the original, now with accessibility for more people.


One of my favourite Disney songs "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from 'Mulan'. Fighting the adversity of arbitrarily assigned gender associations? I can has them? Yes I can. Mulan kicks ass in this, proving that you don't have to be male to 'be a man' and sometimes, despite still being problematic... that's enough.

...besides if I cut myself off from every piece of media and pop culture that was problematic that I like or 'used to' like... I'd never watch pretty much anything pop cultureish again. This is a far better option with greater potential for happiness and sharing in my opinion.

"I get around" by Dragonette looks awesome - sassy, queer and cool. I think I have new band love. I need more hours in my day to appreciate stuff like this :D Also, win for being sex positive!

I also want to tell you that "Power and Majesty" by Tansy Rayner-Roberts is my new favourite book. Fantasy that is truly awesome, totally outside of clichéd stuff you may be tired of, filled with inviting, interesting and intriguing characters. My last two instant favourites: Kelly McCullough's 'Web Mage' series and Anne Bishop's 'Black Jewels' universe books. Highly recommended!

Last but not least: This ad by Scotland Anti-Rape Crisis? Seriously it is awesome. Anti-rape but minus the usual victim blaming. It's not up to women (people) to behave better/be safer etc. The onus is not on women (people) to *not get raped* - the onus is on men (people) to not rape, to CHOOSE not to do fucked up things to others. Note: use of bracketed (people) aimed to point out that dominant trends are not always how things happen. Specific gender mentions aimed at not making the dominant trend invisible.

Okay, I meant to go to bed an hour ago, but then I thought I should blog about all this stuff that I read tonight.

But also, just as a final piece of happy: I AM UNDER 1000 ENTRIES BEHIND ON MY GOOGLE READER! *happy dance of joy* I win! There's been some 'mark as read' and skimming, but also some good reads and marking some stuff for later. I'm actually under 800 entries *smug mode engaged* so I'm feeling rather accomplished :)

Now, to bed!

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/779190.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... exhausted Compelled listening... K's video game music in the background Define... # authors, books, favourites, feminism, music, vids, youtube

I spent the afternoon in some of the best of company. I am feeling more inspired and heartened. There was laughter and sharing, spending time, conversation, getting to know one another and connect that as a group we were all interested in making a difference. I really loved every moment.

My low energy weekend is complete, I think now it's time for an early night.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/778934.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... tired Compelled listening... nil Define... # amazing conversations, amazing friends, connectionism, feminism, inspiration, making a difference, social, spending time

Stuck to my low energy plan for today...

I had lunch with Claire in Vic Park. Wow, new cafe of awesome! Crumpet is between the Park Centre and Ninniku Jip and is *awesome* chaosmanor I noted that they had an awesome vegan breakfast featuring avocado and other things! We should have breakfast there sometime! It's also well priced :) I had the 'Omnomelette' which had mushroom, brie and spinach inside of an omelette drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Yum!! Nice coffee and pots of chai for two. So, so good :)

Company was awesomeness and was so lovely just to catch up and spend time - the intention has been there for ages but we keep missing schedule wise. Much to share and delight in.

Came home via Carousel and getting dinner stuffs and cooked dinner for us. We had a family dinner for the first time in ages, and it was so nice. After dinner we sat down with tea and dessert and watched the final two episodes of Doctor Who S5 - which I enjoyed tremendously!

I'm now tucked up in bed after K gave me a lovely gentle massage. I feel loved and less sore and warm. I also had a little bit of a cry as the touching stimulated some of my stress release responses which was also good to share with K. He held me and told me that he loved me, reminded me of my awesomeness and affirmed how hard we were both working and trying to make things happen.

Thirteen years later and I'm more clear than ever that K is one of my life partners. I never get tired of rediscovering what that looks like, what it feels like or of falling in love all over again.

And now, some sailor moon before bed. Despite it being a low energy day, I'm still feeling quite shattered overall.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/778531.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... exhausted Compelled listening... nil Define... # cafes, doctor who, family, k, love, relationships, social, spending time, tea, weekend

Dear all,

Elaine and I are so excited about Slashcon for 2010! Here are the details you may have forgotten:

Dates: July 16-18
Location: Fairbridge (Perth side of Pinjarra)
Cost: $110 (including food)
Guest of Honour: James Butterworth (http://www.myspace.com/jamesbutterworth) James' cd is available from Fantastic Planet, which is well worth grabbing as he'll be doing a couple of gigs for us during the con :) (You can also buy your membership from Fantastic Planet)
Website: http://slashcon.wordpress.com

What we want from you: Please let us know that you are coming! We would like confirmations that you plan to attend, and if you're able to pay up front, awesome.

Email us at: slashcon2010@gmail.com in order to arrange payment and to let us know the following:
Name
Online Name (preferred)
Contact number and email (both if possible)
Accommodation - Party House? Medium/Loud? Quiet/Silent? Tell us where you'd like to sleep :) (all care taken, no guarantees)
Dietary Requirements - are you allergic to anything, or have special considerations for food we need to know about?
Accessibility: We have access to cottages that are wheelchair accessible. Are there other considerations for accessibility we should know about so that you can attend and enjoy yourself?
Do you need transport or can you offer transport? Once again we will be coordinating carpooling for those who need it :)

We have the programme cooking (as well as the catering), but we want to know what you'd like to do, see, listen to, talk about and workshop. We're heavily in a drafting phase but would like to have something useful to show you in the next couple of weeks, so if you can contact us about the programme within this time, we'd be grateful. Also, we have our eye on some of you for potential panels and such, so letting us know that you're coming would prompt us to email you with our panel ideas :D

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you in a few weeks time!

Love,

Elaine and Ju

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/778318.html

Where am I? House of B&D Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... Songvids: One Girl Revolution Define... # conventions, fun, organisation, slashcon, social

Where am I in my to-do list I posted a while back? I thought I'd check and I found out that I'd actually achieved far more than I thought I had! Yay me! *bounce*
( Read more... )
So that's where I'm at with this list. Unsurprisingly there are new things to add :) But not in this post :)

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/778102.html

Where am I? Home Feeling... happy Compelled listening... nil Define... # achievement, to do list, update

* Supanova happened in Perth, once again we blitzed the numbers! 12 200 over the weekend!! This is Supanova's third year in Perth, Sydney which has been running for longer has only just reached this number this year themselves :) This number is also (imo) impacted by the fact that the trains on the Freo line weren't running over the weekend, plus it was freezing cold! Paraphrasing logansrogue: clearly Perth is the geek capital of Australia :P

* I loved Supanova and I want to write up a proper post about this, but for now let me share the highlights: I saw Marianne, and caught up which was *brilliant*, I hung out with organiser peoples who are just the absolute *bomb*. These guys are professional with a capital P, so awesome to work with. I got to Guest PA again, this time for Charisma Carpenter, who brought her Mum to Australia for the Supanova tour! She and her Mum are lovely, though Charisma was quite unwell during her stay here. Also worthy of note, it was freezing!

* I have a job! Or at least, I have one but haven't signed the contracts yet. I'm going to be doing part time project support for Housing. I've met some of the key team members and they were lovely. The bit where the rate is going to be something I can live off, the work will be part time, they're supportive of my study and appreciate my skills and want to train me, makes me happy. Hoping it all comes through. At the very least, I get to go into next semester with a little more stability than this time around. Less stress for the win!

* I got Distinctions across the board for my three units this semester. I'm ecstatic about this! The percentages were all in the 70's too which makes me feel like I'm not far off the mark to push things up to HDs. I'm especially proud of myself given how stressful the semester has been - most stressful yet being worried about work, affording to live, WASFF stress of significance and personal difficulty - it's been a whole lot of things. But I still managed to avoid destitution and achieve well in my study. I could cry.

I'm about to finish at PTA and I'm hanging out for what I hope will be a couple of days off before starting new role. I'm quite exhausted and a little run down at this point. I'd like to do some concentrated self care and catching up on personal projects. I'd like to play video games again for a change :P And read some of the awesome books I'm being recommended. I'm still recovering from Supanova as I worked the whole weekend for it, before and after at my day job so yeah, switching headspaces and timetables = not fun. This weekend looks like it will be as quiet as I can make it, the thought of exerting energy on getting places kind of horrifies me right now. If it's not easy, it's unlikely to happen. That said, there's a birthday party Saturday night for Nacey I'd love to go to, and get home from, but doing so on my own is a bit beyond me atm. Offers of help if it's convenient for someone would be very welcome - happy to do something nice or useful in return :)

Now, I am going to try and record some stuff for feedback bits and pieces. Then, bed I think - before 1am! Win!

Markers for how far behind I am:
- no idea how much over 1000 behind my blog feed is.
- to do book marks and tucked away browser book marks are considerable
- blog posts i haven't written but have noted to myself

I am still drinking lots of lovely tea. But I haven't even had a chance to think and read back over the rest of my to do list that I blogged! Eeep!

Anyway, enough from me. Too much to do. Next!

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/777744.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... tired Compelled listening... nil Define... # dot points, job hunting, making a difference, new job, results, study, supanova, tiredness, uni

*hugs journal* I missed you! ( Wow... apparently I had a bit to say. Assignment, uni, job hunting, tea, rape culture and feminism, projects coming up, Aussiecon question, being social, and the Oxford English Dictionary )

On that note, Bed time. I'm slowly discovering life without an assignment hovering in the background. But it involves music, Filament Magazine, feminist theory books I've been wanting to finish or read for ages, YA fantasy fiction, catching up on my blogfeed and de-cluttering, not to mention organising my birthday stuff bit by bit :)

Also, YAY SUPANOVA! Just around the corner - I *can't wait*!!! I'm volunteering once again and can't wait!

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/777327.html

Where am I? home in bed Compelled listening... "Thump" - Bertie Blackman Define... # assignment, books, feminism, hope, job hunting, making a difference, reading, social, tea, uni, update, work

To Recap: these two units are ones I'm already set on doing. I'm *really* looking forward to doing them.

1. Gender, Globalisation and Cultural Politics

This unit explores the impacts of globalisation practices on cultural and gender politics around the world. It addresses issues of cultural difference and culture clash, of cultural specificity, cultural resistance and cultural transformation in response to globalisation. These issues will be explored through a series of topical and contentious examples which foreground the connections between gendered impacts and cultural politics.

2. Sexuality, Bodies and Culture

This unit aims to provide a conceptual foundation for participating critically in debates about embodiment and corporeality. Students are introduced to a range of contemporary and historical ideas concerning the intersection of culture and embodiment, and weekly topics focus on both everyday experiences of 'having a body' (such as sexuality, gender, age and representations in popular culture), and formal knowledge-making about bodies (such as medicine, biotechnology and genetics).


With regard to the third unit, discussion tonight with e_dan pointed out that rather than branching out and balancing the two thinky units with something else, that this could be a good opportunity to immerse myself in the subject areas that I'm most deeply interested and invested in. Also he's done a couple of the units I've been considering and I take people's feedback in that way quite seriously. (I should have listened to caitlin re. community development, but I remember that the other choices also didn't thrill me.)

So this is my shorter short list:

Existence and Freedom (PHL201)

Investigates key figures and central themes of existential philosophy: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, the Phenomenological Enterprise of Edmund Husserl, and Heidegger and Sartre. Existentialists were disenchanted with the remoteness of traditional philosophical questions and the lack of personal and ethical commitment to the pressing issues of the contemporary world. Themes: the unique manner of human existence, anxiety in the face of nothing, the absurdity hidden behind efforts to find meaning, and the radical contingency at the basis of human freedom.

Representation and Gender (EGL298)

This unit is concerned with representations of gender and the ways in which those gender identities are constructed and sustained or challenged. The conceptual and practical aspects of representation, particularly in relation to sexuality and culture, are also explored. By examining various texts from popular magazines to Hollywood films, advertising, visual arts and literary texts, and using a range of theoretical approaches, the unit aims to enable students to evaluate representations of gender critically and productively.


This last semester was a little difficult to stay focused in, because the units I was doing were so different from each other. No piece of work I did really worked in with other stuff, although I drew heavily on my cultural studies background for community development because it was so crap.

The idea that I could do units that would inform one another and work in conjunction with one another, utilise similar thinky parts is actually welcome for a change - I've done a lot of exploring and trying stuff out already. The idea that I could concentrate in this area and really solidly ground myself in what is likely to be the core of my degree is actually very attractive.

I'm still quite torn between these two units. The philosophy one now that I know that the philosophers mentioned are philosophers of language. I've become rather enamoured of language and it's cultural construction and how we make meaning out of it and hide behind it and all kinds of stuff. Absolutely fascinates me. I also really love the idea of the representations unit because being able to see what the context of representation is and engage critically is valuable - and all around me. It's not like I can ever escape representations of gender - but the unit focusing on this could put that notice to good use :P

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/777020.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... sick in bed Compelled listening... nil Define... # choices, study, thoughtful, uni

It occurs to me that I've been quiet on this front in my blogspace of late.

Part of that is that I'm concentrating on learning as much as I can in uni. I've discovered that I have enough time to work full time, study full time, something resembling socialness and occasionally keep up with my blogfeed which includes all the feminist blogs I follow, but not post about stuff very often.

What I am doing instead is having a lot of conversations in person. I think the me of even two years ago would faint at the thought of some of the conversations I've had in recent months and dug my heels into. ( Read more... )

Mainly this post is just one of solidarity to all those making themselves heard, it's noticed and I value it. I appreciate it and am proud and grateful.

Here's to the future... dreaming the shape of equality.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/776939.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... exhausted Compelled listening... Stronger the Tree (live) - JigZag Define... # amazing conversations, feminism, making a difference, standing up

The kind of awesome to do list where there is little that has any particular hard time frame...

1. Write up 'not-research' project as last piece of assessment. Do kick ass job of the writing, enjoy the hell out of it and impress the socks off my tutor/lecturer who is about to go on lsl. Will be odd after 18 months to not have him for one of my units :)

2. De-clutter my study yet again. Brainstorm for interim ideas for shelves that don't make me cringe. I'm stuck in a liminal space of possessions where, I'm still planning my Eastern States Tour, and so I don't actually want to spend heaps of time and money doing up my study to be *perfect* only to run away from it for 18 months... I'd rather do it when I come back. But I do want it to be a cosy haven of awesomeness that I delight to work in, sit in, read and drink tea in. More to think on there.

Part of the hard bit is, that I'd love to brainstorm with friends about cool and awesome, cute and odd but quirky and delightful (inexpensive) ideas... but the problem with this is that I won't like all of the ideas, and I don't want that to sound terrible and like I don't appreciate all the creativity and thoughtfulness... I feel bad saying 'friends! lend me your ideas!' and then rejecting a bunch of them cos they don't work for *me* or what I feel like is right for the room for me now. It may just me fretting over nothing - I'm willing to deal if this is the case.

3. Go for long walks with friends, with my phone (and thus with friends) and by myself.

4. Write stuff for liminal_boundaries and for the Kinky Feminists Carnival blogspace that I've offered to assist with the moderation of.

5. Write something for the down under feminists carnival.

6. Write something up of the interesting experience watching the bingo card of logic fallacies being played by people against well reasoned feminist/activist arguments.

7. Read the issues of Filament Magazine that recently arrived in the mail. Order a subscription for the future issues now that I have the back issues.

8. Listen to the music I've leeched and yoinked off people. Let go of what really doesn't work for me, see which of the 'so so' songs I come to like/love with more time, find new favourites and create playlists of various focuses with favourites/styles, find a not itunes way of buying some of the awesome songs from Last.fm that I've been loving. Suggestions welcome.

9. Get my blogfeed back under control - it's back up over 1000 entries again :P There'll be a chunk of scrolling in there, as I'm not interested in *everything* Lifehacker posts, but enjoy good chunks of it.

10. Drink lots of lovely tea. Read new books, re-read favourites.

11. Spend time with friends and loved ones, planned and impulsive outings, and outlandish adventures. Fall in love with them and others often, randomly and for both profound and whimsical reasons.

12. Explore spaces of meditation and some related stuff.

13. Figure out how I can get my hands on a cello and some lessons in same, without huge initial outlay till I work out whether I love the practice as much as the idea of playing.

14. Practice some writing for a different space/audience. I have a project in mind for this.

15. Declutter bookmarks and 'to do' bookmarks and stuff - move stuff to Delicious as appropriate and get rid of the obsolete.

16. Try out belly dancing. This is part of a project in my head too.

17. Practice driving - particularly manuals so that I can get my P plates and come closer to spontaneous adventures all on my own. Driving my own awesome bus to wherever awesome town happens to manifest.

18. Figure out what to do for my 30th this year. Suggestions welcome.

19. Pick my third unit for next semester.

20. Figure out the job/money thing post this current contract.

21. Taste and drink lovely wine in good company.

22. Figure out Melbourne trip for Worldcon. See if I can somehow wadge another road trip in around this, particularly if it involves the Great Ocean Road, Tasmania, or the Nullarbor.

23. Buy a book or two and cross them off my growing list of feminist and culturally critical texts on one of my to-do lists.

24. Cook favourite and new things and have people over for dinner and other food like gatherings

25. Watch anime and other things that I've been meaning to and keep forgetting - I have no pending list at this time.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/776627.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... "Memories & Dust" - Josh Pyke Define... # adventures, decluttering, delight, falling in love, feminism, making a difference, music, online community, reading, self, social, standing up, tea, travelling, uni, wine

http://followsthesun.com/consulting/

Also, L mentioned to me today while catching up that I could also work well as a virtual assistant - similar vein less project managementy. I like the idea.

In order to do the 2 Gender and Culture units internally, I need to make some kind of job miracle happen, 2 days a week availability I expect to be no easier than the single day. Especially as I want a similar pay rate as what I'm on now.

*musing*

Something like these ideas could be pretty awesome. Certainly the implication is that I could do them from anywhere that had the internet. Which has uber strong appeal for me - I could be in Brisbane! Or Europe! Or other foreign places!

Thoughts?

Meanwhile, back to my philosophy lecture. Causal analysis - apparently the basis of science.

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/776060.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... curious Compelled listening... philosophy lecture Define... # job hunting, jobs, study, travelling

These two units are ones I've enrolled for, and were easy choices:

(not the least of which is because I've had the lecturer/tutor before and she's *awesome*)

( Below cut for those interested )

These are the choices I'm considering for my third and final unit for next semester (However tempting it is to do 4 units, it's a *bad* idea!)

3 philosophy choices, 1 public relations choice and 1 english choice:

Ethics in Practice (PHL272)

This unit introduces students to the elements of ethics, ethical reasoning and practical decision-making in relation to contemporary concerns about public, professional and personal ethical responsibility in the workplace, community and global contexts. The unit focuses on the development of practical skills in ethical sensitivity, discrimination and judgement, in a world where ethical values are contested and changing. Topics include: truth-telling and integrity, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, racial inequality, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, cyberethics and global justice.


Existence and Freedom (PHL201)

Investigates key figures and central themes of existential philosophy: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, the Phenomenological Enterprise of Edmund Husserl, and Heidegger and Sartre. Existentialists were disenchanted with the remoteness of traditional philosophical questions and the lack of personal and ethical commitment to the pressing issues of the contemporary world. Themes: the unique manner of human existence, anxiety in the face of nothing, the absurdity hidden behind efforts to find meaning, and the radical contingency at the basis of human freedom.


Meaning and Interpretation (PHL217)

This unit deals with central themes in contemporary philosophy of language, in both the analytic and phenomenological traditions. Questions addressed include: How do we make 'sense' of the world? How do we understand others? What counts as a language? Is 'language' necessary to make the world 'meaningful' for us? Can we think without words? What is the relation between thinking, talking and hearing? What is the relation between language and reality? Is it possible to understand what someone else says?


Public Relations: Contemporary Approaches (MCC204)

This unit explores a range of contemporary theories of and approaches to public relations in key areas, including corporate social responsibility, intercultural communication and reputation management. It provides a deepening of students' understanding of public relations theory and professional practice developed in MCC107. Thus, students will also refine and extend their skills in both writing and evaluating public relations-specific texts, such as media releases, feature articles and communication plans.


Representation and Gender (EGL298)

This unit is concerned with representations of gender and the ways in which those gender identities are constructed and sustained or challenged. The conceptual and practical aspects of representation, particularly in relation to sexuality and culture, are also explored. By examining various texts from popular magazines to Hollywood films, advertising, visual arts and literary texts, and using a range of theoretical approaches, the unit aims to enable students to evaluate representations of gender critically and productively.

( My thoughts below the cut... )

I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/775775.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... nil Define... # choices, study, uni

My life, so incredible. Dear friends, you're amazing! Uni, with lecturer/tutor of awesome who I will miss when he's away next semester, lunch with intelligent women legal studies friends, afternoon chats with samvara and chaosmanor, then dinner and St Trinian's 2 with chaosmanor and late arrival of maharetr. NOW, as if that wasn't awesome... skyping to callistra and sajbrfem - uber catch up of mammoth proportions!

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/774957.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... ecstatic Compelled listening... nil Define... # amazing conversations, amazing friends, social

So I've recently been coveting Filament Magazine, and I'm really impressed so far! They do erotic imagery for women - something that is severely lacking! Up till now I've never wanted to be a photographer - but the fact that Filament are looking for submissions makes me wishful! :)

Given I know a fair few friends who have awesome skill with photography, I thought I'd provide the link and leave it in your hands:

http://www.filamentmagazine.com/FemaleGaze.aspx

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/774858.html

Where am I? At my dining table... Feeling... playful Compelled listening... nil Define... # sensuality, sexuality

So out of the 2010 panel for 'Safe Spaces at Cons' where samvara, chaosmanor, callistra and myself talked a little about safe spaces, what they are, how they're made and maintained, which included a lot of discussion about boundaries, boundary setting and in particular, how to hear someone set a boundary with you and respond appropriately. The discussion was quite a success, with further discussions in various places - cafes, kitchens, online etc.

My co-panellists and I wanted to have a space to continue this discussion throughout the year. We think that this is an important subject and one that bears continued discussion as it's not simple, or clear cut.

liminal_boundaries is a space we've created to have that ongoing discussion, including regular online workshopping of situations and how to handle them, or even discussion of things that have happened and how they were handled potentially involving suggestions for moving forward. These workshops will be moderated/run by samvara and will be members only. There will also be other posts as they happen from the rest of us, talking about safe spaces, boundary setting and other relevant topics.

Some of the posts will be open to the public, and some of them will be closed to members only in order to create a safe place to have the discussion, as with the situational workshops.

You are invited and welcome to participate (or, you know, lurk if that's more your speed.) We ask that you treat topics and participants with respect and kindness, and that you bring with you a willingness to look within as well as without :)

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/774567.html

Where am I? At my dining table... Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... nil Define... # feminism, making a difference

Greetings all..

So, the recent bout of silliness is enough for me to actually start my permanent move over to Dreamwidth. You can find me there as 'transcendancing' :) I'll slowly be sorting out reading and access lists, and will continue cross posting and reading LJ flist. For the moment it's all small steps while I get my head around the learning curve.

Dear LJ: Thank you for making it so easy to leave, and leave me with no real reason to stay...

This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/774305.html

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... optimistic Compelled listening... Kitty miaowing at the door wanting to get in....

Word of the Day for Sunday, May 9, 2010

muliebrity \myoo-lee-EB-ri-tee\, noun:

The state of being a woman.

She was one of those women who was waiting in —what is the word?—muliebrity; She had courage and initiative and a philosophical way of handling questions, and she could be bored by regular work like a man.
-- H.G. Wells, The New Machiavelli

Lagerfeld's strongly conceived and modern designs throughout his incumbency ne'er compromised the supple muliebrity for which Chlo was renowned.
-- Leo Bonworth, Leo's Spaces blog

Muliebrity comes from Latin muliebris, "womanly", in contrast to maidenhood.

(from dictionary.com via MS)

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... ecstatic Compelled listening... nil Define... # rox my sox, transcendence, women

No idea what kind of locked or openness these will be...

* death and fear and exploration around this

* seeing clearly - experiencing predator theory in person

* consent, both broader social contexts of sexual consent and how i, and you if you'd like to participate, engage with this on an everyday basis

* music I've been loving

* new authors I've been loving

* intimacy - un-conflating it from sex and love

* thoughts on poly-ness, much learning and growing and moving forward... things look so much different than they did last time I discussed this. I still come from similar places, but I've grown into them more and can share them more articulately now.

* cooking stuffs and realisations about food on a personal level

* new project I'm assisting with - feminism and kink carnival and blog to host for people who wish to post away from their own blogspace.

* highlights from google reader

* tech/geeky skills I'd like to acquire.


Why yes... there is a lot on my mind :) Just no time to sit, sort, write and edit appropriately.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... "32 Flavours" - Ani di Franco Define... # dot points, thoughtful

It's been forever since I updated properly. Here goes...

( Swancon )

( Job Contract )

( Uni )

( Other Stuff )


TLDR: Swancon was awesome, new job contract till July is good, if not deeply satisfying, Uni is win except for the unit that is awful, want more of the awesomeness for future study to continue, friends are awesome, loves are awesome, new friends are win, and relationship with self is also win.

Forgive overuse of the word 'awesome' and associated. Or not - it's still there either way :P

Other bits and pieces briefly:

* Started going to the City Farm markets on Saturday mornings recently, gardens and coffee and fresh veggies for the win!
* Doing quite a bit of walking, want to be doing more.
* Have won at shopping recently, particularly in replacement of necessary wearing out things, like shoes, winter clothes, a going out dress, and a much better pillow.
* Eating much more veggie and even vegan food with much delight. Exploring. This is complex inside my head.
* Bought ethical supermarket buying guide - am blown away by the crapness of some companies, but glad of the alternatives. Also, at least being aware that I'm contributing to un-ethical practice is in my mind better than just being blindly ignorant. I'm always aware that we are all in some way in several ways, complicit.
* Hosting a morning tea party at some stage in May. House cleaning of major proportions required, looking forward to sharing my lovely collection of teas, and doing some baking though. Also, the having people around, just for the sake of it, to catch up.

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... tired Compelled listening... nil Define... # amazing conversations, amazing friends, identity, love, making a difference, new friends, relationships, sharing, social, spending time, swancon, transcendence, uni, update, vegetarian cooking, work

Buckets are not usually terribly romantic things...

But mine is overflowing, with so much love that I can scarcely believe it.

My bucket is infinite.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thankful Compelled listening... nil Define... # love

chaosmanor and I are gearing up for *the* event of the colder months: Slashcon 2010!




Details for those who can't see the image:

Dates: 16th-18th July
Location: Fairbridge, Pinjarra
(we've booked a couple of cottages (maybe even 3?) there will be a loud and quiet cottage and the main cottage is wheelchair accessible, no info for scooters online but we're happy to make enquiries)
Guest of Honour: James Butterworth an interstate fan and musician: http://www.myspace.com/jamesbutterworth
Cost: $110 including accommodation and food
Contact: Elaine or Ju on slashcon2010 at gmail dot com

Slashcon is proudly supported by WASFF.

There will be a receipt book at Fantastic Planet, and arrangements for direct deposit can be made if need be.

The aim of the weekend is relaxation, good company and the celebration and enjoyment of all those fannish and slashy things we love!

Comments also welcome regarding suggested programming.

Many thanks to manic_pixie700 for the amazing poster artwork!

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... Last.fm recommendations Define... # fandom, perth, slashcon

* Swancon

* New job contract

* Uni


But that's not going to happen now as it's 11pm and I have a heap to do before going to sleep, plus that winding down thing.

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... tired Compelled listening... nil Define... # dot points

Today I got word that I have won a work contract till the beginning of July - yay! It's well within my experience and is paying very well. They're willing to compromise regarding attendance at uni on Tuesday mornings, but will need some of my afternoons. So the downside is, that it's essentially full time work. Money wise that's going to be excellent after the past 8 - 9 months. Time wise, it's going to take some work.

I've worked out that with 3 units at uni (one of which is proving to be a bit of a hard slog to work through) and next to full time work, that this accounts for roughly between 60-80 hrs of work per week, realistically it's much more likely to be closer to 80 than 60.

I'm re-evaluating other time commitments at present so that I can continue to take an active part in the lives of loved ones etc. Socialising! Fun! Not thinking! Those things ;)

I'm *deeply* pleased about the job, particularly because it's for an organistion that has a good culture reputation. I'm just a little sad that uni is still not getting the focus that I want to give it. My unit coordinator (and go to person for my degree) was very happy for me when I emailed him today, his suggestion when I asked him for tips to manage the load was to spend less time on uni that 'I'd do well anyway' :) Nice to have the confidence boost :)

I also won at life admin this week in sorting out bank accounts, which had become expensive and not useful. Closed down all but one account, and will now need to open only one more to do household stuff that if I do things through the closing/reopening method will be free. Also as a fulltime student I get a free bank account! Yay! Have gone from $15 all up per month to $0. Next in the financial management organisation stuffs will be super rollover. Need to find out what the general industry (free) superfund is.... Then will tackle backlog of tax I need to submit.

Ventured out purely for social purposes tonight and had dinner with hipikat which was great - Utopia om nom nom food and bubble tea followed by some shopping (despite many shinies, I managed not to buy). Lovely just to be out and social, not to mention conversational stuff that I don't get to talk about very often, so was nice to relax and enjoy that :)

Missing all the awesome people who are going to be heading to Confest this weekend - wish I was going too, in all honesty. I'll get there :) I shall have to enjoy vicariously! Bring me your tales of fun and frivolty Confesters! :)

In the meantime, Swancon starts tomorrow! So looking forward to seeing everyone :) I have done panel prep to a lesser degree than desired - but you know, assessment due next week! I'm on the program - not going to detail stuffs here :) I'm not staying at the hotel, but a kind friend who lives in North Perth has kindly allowed me to stay at her house, so I shall at least not be commuting from Kenwick back and forth, something I'm deeply grateful for :)

See you at the con (or next week), expect I shall still be online throughout the con. (Also that I'll be studying if I can manage it).

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thankful Compelled listening... "Love Changes Everything" - Michael Ball (ALW) Define... # job hunting, life admin, love, sharing, social, study, swancon, uni, update

I was interviewed by a journalist for a poly article recently. Her editor likes the piece but thought that there needed to be a 1-2 sentence definition for 'love' in there to help with context. I can see why, even as I boggle at trying to accurately define and articulate something we experience so personally.

Still, after several conversations, and using a significant chunk of suggestions by e_dan this is what I sent back:

Love describes a state of attraction to someone which is characterised by an intense upwelling experience of intimacy, involvement, interrelation and affinity. From there love is shaped to fit the needs of the relationship between people – whether that relationship is romantic, family, friendship or something else entirely.

My desire to be completely unambiguous wars with the use of 'attraction' given we like to insert meaning or conflate meaning all over the place, but I couldn't think of a better word to say what it does.

I've marked today out as a study day, and there has been knowledge seeking - but not necessarily the catching up on my Intro to Community Development unit (omg the online lectures kill me, they are *not* something I want to enjoy - primarily because they're not well delivered and hard to follow and I want the information so it frustrates me.

But, cool things I've found today:

http://www.symphonyofscience.com./index.html

Science and song inspiration remixes - omg this just humbles me to my core. I found myself teary to contemplate this.

http://www.theworldcafe.com

Conversation facilitation - one of the methods used on Monday night as part of the TEDxPerth gathering.

From the website:

"As a conversational process, the World Café is an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, or community. As a process, the World Café can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of common aims."

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... Comm. Dev. Lecture Define... # amazing conversations, community, music, study, uni

So yesterday's storm was an interesting experience for me, as in... it didn't stand out. Being that I've spent several years in both Darwin and in Noosa, north of Brisbane... storms like the one yesterday weren't unusual. (With the possible exception of the hail.) It took me quite a while to realise that storms like that aren't common to this area of WA... and the buildings and drainage aren't equipped to deal with it by any means. In Darwin rainfall like yesterdays is almost a daily experience - though the wind factor only kicks in to that degree around the advent of a cyclone.

As far as damage and such goes, we escaped unscathed at home and K reported only minor flooding at Rebal Empire HQ, alas many others are not so fortunate, of which I am sorry to hear. However, given that I'm unemployed at present and thus have time aside from studying, if you'd like some help cleaning etc let me know and we'll organise something.

Last night being all stormy didn't put me off heading out to SciTech for the March TEDxPerth event. If you haven't lost a few hours to TED.com go and have a look. TEDx is a project launched by the organisation where groups of people in different locations can get together and watch the talks, discuss them and enjoy being inspired and networking with others who are also interested in what people are doing in the world to make a difference... somewhere, somehow in small, large and significant ways. I love TED. Lots.

It was my first foray to the Perth TEDx event, and I *loved* it. It was really well organised and facilitated, the talks selected for viewing were interesting to the group and prompted some great discussions. I even facilitated a discussion in the second half of the night! That particular discussion session was prompted by an empty whiteboard divided up into sections. People in the group were invited to nominate a topic they'd like to facilitate a discussion on... and so I did. My discussion was looking at what it *really* means to engage with people, to communicate and connect with people outside of our usual comfort zones. Those those who participated seemed to get stuff out of it - I know I did and the range of opinions and experiences was fantastic. I truly cannot wait till next time! :)

This next section is hereby marked for the celebration of Ada Lovelace Day! Yay!

So tonight (instead of listening to a lecture), I was revisiting one of my favourite TED talks given by Erin McKean who is an awesome lexicographer. In 2007 she delivered a talk about 'redefining the dictionary'. She explained that as a lexicographer she was less interested in policing good words vs bad words, and much more interested in fishing for new words. You can see the talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary.html

Last year she launched a new organisation called Wordnik. Wordnik is an online, real time and evolving dictionary. It's mission is simply "all the words". Without the constraint of 'good' and 'bad' words, the opportunity for exploring language and how it's used is infinite. It's linked into Twitter and Flickr, you can add comments, and tags and create lists and in various other ways contribute to the overall body of knowledge about the English language and words. Truly my delight for this knows no bounds. I seem to have slipped and fell on new social media :P Check it out here: http://www.wordnik.com

End of Ada Lovelace section :)

In other news, today was a great day at Uni. The lecture covered researching and research skills which I found *really* useful and timely. In the tutorial we actually discussed as a group a few of our project ideas in order to get feedback and suggestions on approach. I have a fairly solid idea of what I'd like to explore, though I'm being lured in by the shiny that is lexicography, web 2.0, and the ethnography of language and words... (Yes, Wordnik really is that shiny.) My original idea was to consider sexuality and the notion of consent, in particular looking at the difference between implicit and explicit consent in negotiating sexual boundaries. Both are interesting, both are totally doable inside of the brief which requires us to explore and research 'the everyday' and produce a research project. I've already got a whole lot of reference material for my original idea, which makes it very attractive to stick to. But I may hang onto the words and language and social media idea for something else later.

I really am revelling in uni, though given I haven't yet found a new contract I may yet have to revert to completely external - thereby freeing me up to do full time work. However, this is exactly the situation I wanted so desperately to avoid, full time study and work. Not sure how I'll solve this but I am trusting in my ruthless determination in *making* things work. Somehow. Job hunting has at least been more promising this week.

ETA: link, grammar correction and mark out Ada Lovelace section.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... nil Define... # language, perth, study, thoughtful, uni, words

I am struggling to draw venn diagrams to represent logic arguments (and be sure I'm right. I'm turning my brain meats inside out.

Is anyone around who is confident enough to check my thinking so I can get a better sense of my understanding (or of what I'm missing?)

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... confused Compelled listening... nil Define... # boggle, study, uni

And it's even on campus at Murdoch! And they're happy with me having a lecture and tutorial Tuesday!

Now I just need to ace the selection criteria and do a brilliant interview so they hire me!

https://wwwforms.murdoch.edu.au/pls/news/NEWSQIT$NITEM.QueryView?P_UNIQUE_KEY1=5058

I am so hopeful that it hurts. Given how much I'm not coping well atm I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Where am I? home Feeling... indescribable Compelled listening... nil Define... # hopeful, job hunting, jobs

Coming from many angles. I don't know where to begin or end.

I'm not very good at this, and I'm not enjoying it. I'm as much frustrated by my inability to throw this off as I am with any of the things contributing to this mood.

Dear Universe, enough already!

The level to which I'm feeling this right now is a little distressing.


I'm feeling better from the gastro bug I've had this week, but I feel like it stole the week.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... aggravated Compelled listening... nil Define... # rant, thoughtful

I finally have seen from beginning to end the 'Mysterious Cities of Gold'.

Surprisingly, it holds up to time story wise, and though the animation is dated I found it very watchable.

I loved the epic scope of the series and it's story and could really see some values differences in there that I don't think would be seen in today's television.


I haven't yet seen all the way through 'The Twins of Destiny' but I'm after a copy if anyone's got a decent one. But that too is an incomplete chapter! Strangely enough I also have a desire to see all the way through Sailor Moon - I've only ever seen the english dub, so would be interesting also to see the original Japanese with subs.

*muses*

I'm still feeling like I've been run over by a freight train. Aching, headache, sinuses, exhaustion... the works. My tummy is a bit funny but mainly in me being off my food and not wanting to eat much.

Trying to also watch some of the movies that are on tommmo's list of must sees for 2009, as I'm doing that panel with him again on Sunday morning ^_^ I thought I'd seen a whole lot less movies this year, but apparently I have seen a large portion of them. Come to the panel to check out what we all thought of stuff!

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... sick Compelled listening... nil Define... # childhood, movies, panels, swancon, television

So, I put my hand up to do a panel on dark fantasy at Swancon. (I'd forgotten about this).

Does anyone want to come and join me on it? It's scheduled for Friday. If nothing else my plan is to talk about some of the dark fantasy I like - but I've mostly been re-reading this year because of Uni.

What dark fantasy are you liking and reading pray tell?


On my list already is Anne Bishop, Jacqueline Carey, Kim Harrison, Lilith Saintcrow, Patricia Briggs, LKH....


Yeah, as I said. I've been re-reading rather than delighting in new stuff.


ascetic_hedony I think you in particular would be awesome on this panel with me? Pretty please? You can be the person with good taste?

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... sick Compelled listening... nil Define... # panels, swancon

Epic WASFF meeting... 7 hrs 20 mins... we did really *good* work. My time was well spent.

I feel a little lost as to how to convey this... because I can't really articulate what got discussed... but I promise you it was worth it, we worked hard.

We represent you, our community and there is so much love, respect and creativity expressed about the community, Swancon and promoting SF from all of us.

I am proud to serve with my fellow Board Members... even and perhaps especially when I disagree with them.

I've been on the Board for a few years now, this year is where I feel like I - and we have really made a difference. I can really see some results coming through in things I've been working towards since 2005.

If you've ever thought about being a Board Member and want to know a little more about what's involved, let me know. I'd be happy to share some of my experience of this, knowing some of what goes on and what it's about might give you some insight as to why you'd like to do it, or not :) This is afterall a commitment you don't take on lightly.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... "Like the Way I Do" - Melissa Etheridge Define... # thoughtful, wasff

Today is the 13th anniversary since kae_dash and I met, one fateful afternoon in front of the video games parlour :D

I loved you in that moment, and every moment since. To another amazing 13 years... Happy Anniversary Beloved.

Where am I? home Feeling... loved Compelled listening... "Nothing Without You" - Vienna Teng Define... # anniversary, k, love, relationships

* Worked quite a long week over 4 days.

* Studied long on the non working day.

* Job hunted, and came close to new 4 day contract, but didn't manage to quite get it (they needed someone to start Monday, and I won't be finished then).

* Need to find last year's tax return for Centrelink. Need to get completed forms of K to submit.

* Need to finish annotated bibliography for research project. I'm still not convinced I'm on the right track with this one, it's outside my usual comfort zone of research... not usually in and of itself a problem, but am struggling a bit this time. I'm looking at the 'everyday' and instead of looking at a deconstruction of that, I wanted to consider looking at how we create the everyday, using science fiction as an example and explore what that says about the 'real' everyday that we experience outside of these created universes. In that form its far too big, and I'm having trouble working in a narrowing band, which would be something in the area of what it says about women and their experience of the everyday as it shows up in science fiction... or something. Yup, struggling.

* K has planned our anniversary tomorrow, and I have no idea what it is! I'm so excited and delighted!

* There's another WASFF Board meeting on Sunday, the last before Swancon happens, so there will be a *lot* on the table to discuss. Hoping it's at least a little easier than the last couple. By this I don't mean that my time is wasted and that nothing of value is discussed or decided upon, but simply that the topics and their outcomes were difficult to move through. I can with absolute certainty say that nothing is taken less than seriously by the Board, nothing is arbitrary or without query, discussion and reasoning to back that decision.

* If you've ever considered becoming a Board Member and would like to know a little more, by all means contact me. There is work involved, but it is an opportunity to contribute to and shape your community. One of my favourite parts is sharing in the creation of the future Swancon as the committee gets ready to bid, also love talking about the awards - particularly the Mumfan.

* There should be grocery shopping at some point. hahahaahaha!

* Work has been awesome. I've loved doing it all, even if bits of this week have just been a grind in trying to just get stuff done. Everything is looking great, everyone's worked so hard and it is all coming together. I love getting to be a part of this! Also, first ever time that I've been paid to do something I'm good at - events organisation.

* There should be sleep *now* if I'm to get anything done this weekend.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... exhausted Compelled listening... nil Define... # assignment, dot points, fandom, job hunting, making a difference, study, swancon, update, wasff, work

A friend of mine over here: http://samara-47.livejournal.com/41307.html is seeking interest in being a panellist with her on the SF and Romance panel at Swancon.

She's a reasonably new panellist and looking for someone to put their hand up so she can feel a little less out on a limb about it all :)



Also if anyone's hanging around and willing, I'm trying to finalise the Values Statement to go to the Board Meeting Sunday. I could use some hand holding.

Where am I? home Feeling... tired Compelled listening... nil Define... # swancon, wasff

* Low pain day - win!

* Did 2/3 of dishes

* Ate breakfast/lunch (ate first meal of day around lunchtime!)

* Studied and researched for 'Popular Culture and the Everyday' research project, am going to look at the construction of the everyday in science fiction and what a created non-earth everyday says about our own everyday. Might tie this in with gender commentary if the initial scope isn't narrow enough - I have no idea yet. It's not as tightly thought out as I'd like... but is a challenge as it's not my usual area of reading and research.

* Collected sources from various places, and had excellent suggestions from several awesome people, to whom I am sincerely grateful!

* Tried new tea, yum.

* Had dinner with friends, and sprawled across them both successfully :D

* Home and played game for a little while.

* Blank staring at screen wishing for brain so as to continue with work for another hour or two, but so damned tired... bed instead I think.

* Played with puppy and cuddled kitties.

* Admired K doing his Ru-Paul impression. (About as amusing and scarily believable as you'd think)

* Had bookmarked conversation with e_dan from when he was headed out to the airport in Perth some weeks ago going home to Melbs.

* Job hunted within an inch of my life.

* Finger crossing re the above.

Doesn't sound like terribly much.... but it feels like a lot.

Bed soon - work and volunteering tomorrow, then more study. Will need the rest!

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... sleepy Compelled listening... nil Define... # achievement, amazing conversations, day to day, dot points, job hunting, social, study

I have *no* idea....

Thoughts?

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... "Wash Me Clean" - Bernard Fanning Define... # awards

To all the women who have come before and fought for my right to vote, work, have control over my own body, have recourse against those who violate me, to move freely, to choose whether to have children or not, to choose the gender of my partner and follow my dreams; I humbly thank you.

(taken from friend's FB status)

There are many things I could say... but today these words say it better.

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... thankful Compelled listening... nil Define... # international womens day, women

Cam and K went to the beach for picnic-y fish and chips for Valentines Day, so I'm hoping to do something different :)

I'm liking the art gallery suggestion, alas K wasn't thrilled about kayaking....

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'm reading and appreciating them!


In other news, I'm zonked. I don't think I've done enough to feel this drained. I did do a fair bit of walking, but it seemed to zap twice the energy it should. I'm wondering if this has to do with the increasingly un-ignorable problems with my feet or not. It's something I'm being an ostrich about because the money just isn't there to consider an alternative course of action. K's going to give me a massage tonight concentrating on legs in case most of the issue is just pent up tension. *fingers crossed* I have to admit this whole thing scares me just a bit, more than what the dentist will potentially cost me when I go.

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... drained Compelled listening... nil Define... # anniversary, health, k, pain

kae_dash and I are looking for suggestions on ways we can celebrate our 13th anniversary.

We have virtually no budget to speak of for this so I'm all ears.

(anniversary day is March 13, which fortuitously is a Saturday...)

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... nil Define... # anniversary

A friend of mine known to be a Dell afficionado came through for me with a charger that would work with my laptop until I can wrestle Dell Support into submission and providing me one on my warranty. Oh how I hate Dell customer support - so. much. hate.

I have also been feeling sad, stressed and overwhelmed about job stuff, where one of the options I'm reluctantly considering is giving up my one day on campus so that I can get work :( I'm loving Tuesdays at Uni so much that this will break my heart not a little if it happens that way. Have started new Austudy claim and have fingers crossed. Am job hunting, but slow going. Part time - even if it's only one day a week you're not available is *hard to find*.

I did get to have dinner with @helgathevikingqueen and @justadecoy which involved hanging out, nomming and silliness. Also I witnessed the birth of chocolate cake. Mmmm cake!

I'm feeling a little better but it's all just so messy I want to stick my head in the sand.

I'm also sticking my head in the sand and not thinking about my feet, symptoms and how much pain is beginning to become disturbingly regular. Also high on this list is dentistry.

I'm well overdue for bedtime at this point, so end this here.

My happy ending note is that my friends are incredible, I love them and am continually humbled and inspired by the love returned. Just amazing.

Here's hoping that things improve. *fingers crossed*

Where am I? home in bed Feeling... thankful Compelled listening... nil Define... # job hunting, life, study, thoughtful, uni, update, work

Dear all,

Does anyone have a laptop AC that would fit a Dell Studio 1555 that I could borrow?

Or know where I can *buy one here* and don't need to get the fucking thing shipped over ten days?

I had a perfect day today. I woke naturally, then dozed for another hour - and it was atill only 9:30am.

K woke about the same time, as did Cam and we made a pact to do housework with coffee and then have breakfast.

We blitzed the house in tidying, putting things away and decluttering - so unbelievably awesome and something I've been wanting to have happen for AGES! Results are *amazing*!

We then went grocery shopping, I got overwhelmed by the supermarket being all confusing at me *boggle* but we organised that we'd have atlantic salmon for dinner and that K would cook.

Home and there was cooking - I made a perfect potato bake and veggies to match K's fish he did with crispy skin and a dill and lime cream sauce.

We're about to sit down and watch 'Oceans 11' and then possibly 'Ever After'.

The day has been just *perfect*. We haven't all three of us gotten to just spend the day together in forever and it was very welcome for all of us. I think there will be more of this in the future :)

I am feeling loved and full and happy :) On to movies!

Where am I? home in cluttered study Feeling... loved Compelled listening... nil Define... # family, home, housework, love, movies, perfect moments, spending time

The Board of the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation Inc. ('WASFF') is aware of community concern regarding the safety of its members at its events.

The Board is actively working on measures to ensure every SwanCon attendee can expect to enjoy a safe experience at the 2010 and future conventions. This includes putting in place policies and mechanisms to deal with current concerns and future contingencies.

We are following the directions given by our members at the 2009 AGM, and are actively encouraging community input into actions such as a statement of values and expanding membership by-laws. These actions will improve the ability of the Board to act appropriately on incidents of concern. There is a mandated consultation period in implementing these relevant changes to our by-laws.

We ask for some community understanding on the time it has taken and will take to achieve these. WASFF is an incorporated body. This ensures that events such as SwanCon can be organised effectively. It also means that the Board is bound by the laws of Western Australia and has to consider these when making decisions and changes to these by-laws. This does not always allow the Board to make decisions within the fastest timeframe.

The Board would like to make the following points clear.

We aim for all WASFF events to be places where all of our members may enjoy themselves safely. We would like all members to consider the way they act at our events and be aware of not just their rights but the rights of the other attendees. We expect decent respectful behaviour. Antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated. Members are reminded that WASFF events may be open to public participation and members are expected to behave appropriately and according to the law.

Antisocial behaviour may result in expulsion from the event, exclusion from all WASFF events and legal repercussions.

The Board is especially proud of the achievement of SwanCon, its 35-year history, and does not view favourably any occasion where any past or present member acts in a manner that exposes WASFF to public ridicule or contempt or otherwise prejudice the conduct of its activities or the satisfaction of its objectives.

If a member feels that they cannot attend an event and act in an appropriate responsible manner, we strongly suggest that member reconsider their attendance.

The WASFF Board.
Doug Burbidge (Chair), Elaine Kemp (Treasurer), Russell B. Farr (Adminstrator), Jaunita Landéese (elected board member), Sarah Parker (elected board member), Julian Ackermann (elected board member), Paul Raj Khangure (Swancon 2009 representative), John Green (Swancon 2010 representative), Alisa Krasnostein (Swancon 2011 representative), Rohan Wallace (Immediate Past Chair).

Where am I? home Feeling... thoughtful Compelled listening... the wind Define... # making a difference, swancon, wasff

My friend has kindly dropped me the link to her Myspace where you can hear some of her band's music :)

http://www.myspace.com/totallygourdgeous

Where am I? Governor Stirling Tower Feeling... cheerful Compelled listening... nil Define... # friends, music, social