you caught me lingering

So, I'd been putting off watching Season 7 West Wing. Partly because I know it's the last season and I don't want it to be.

In the meantime - WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME JANEANE GAROFALO WAS IN SEASON SEVEN. *LOVES ON HER*

I'm up to Ep 5.

Incidentally, now that I'm endeavouring to be back on the internets, this journal's going to be largely about personal stuff and keeping up with folks. I'll still be reading the flists and such, but much of the substantive feminism/anti-racism/etc blogging will be going on over at:

(Liminal) Spaces.

If you're here for the feminism/etc blogging, probably best to head over there, or grab the rss feed. In light of that, I'm declaring friending amnesty (though it's always been there, so extra-loud reminder, or something), so if you don't really care about my personal shit and want to move over to the other blog (or don't, and just want some cover to de-friend me for whatever reason), Amnesty Declared.

For those who were fond of the linksposts of last year, Wednesday (evening, most likely) over at (L)S will be linkblogging day.

monkeycrackmary:

"Romeo & Juliet wasn't written about people in their thirties, it was written about teenagers, because teenagers have been engaging in tragically overwrought responses to life's problems for much, MUCH longer than My Chemical Romance have been a band."

I shall be running from the cold gracing the northern capital with my presence between July 11 and 23 (with a brief trip to the Gold Coast in the middle as $ has a conference and dude, free hotel room).

Anyone up for catchups and whatnot, consider this your initial heads up. Will post more closer to the time.

GO SEE IRON MAN. IS AWESOMEPANTS.

We've been rearranging the house, and the LAN, so internets have been sporadic.

Off to Sydney for work today. 4:30am is evil from this end. Srsly.

Update on stuff when I get home and 'Kyrie's hooked up again.

So, Impact Comics have moved to a new store, which is bigger, more central and doesn't have a narrow-ass flight of stairs*.

Upon mentioning the awesomeness of the new store, the first reason comics store guy (I don't know his name) gave for why the lack of stairs is awesome? The store is now wheelchair accessible. I thought that was rather tops.


*The only consolation was that it was less stairs than Ace, my store in Brisbane, which is also Awesome, it's just a bit of a trek from here. *waves to Pol*

Happy Holidays, Internets!

Off to Brisbane. See you on the other side.

Looks like my broken finger is doing okay. Reviewed with the plastic surgeon today, it seems the splint thingy is doing it's job and holding the bone in a good position for healing. I have to make an appointment with the OT so they can keep track of how it's healing, and stay in the splint for 6-8 weeks, and it should be fine.

So, after deciding not to do Honours because I didn't really feel comfortable for various reasons, I've just finished my application for the Master of Arts (Professional and Applied Ethics) at ANU. I spoke to the Course Convenor yesterday who said that despite the website saying that I need Hons or a Grad Dip to qualify for entry, I should be fine to get in, given my undergraduate major and the fact that I can argue a case relating work to the degree. Given she's the one who decides who gets into the program, I'm feeling vaguely confident. Now I just have to hope that same argument works as far as the company is concerned and I manage to convince them to sponsor my study, otherwise budgets will be tight for a while.

Still - hi academy, I'm back. It's actually quite exciting, and I really like the sound of the program. I'll be going in part time, which is about four years, coursework, plus a sub-thesis. The conversation I had with the Convenor yesterday was pretty cool, actually, in terms of tying work-stuff into my studies and intersections between bioethics/public health/business ethics that work stuff kinda bleeds around.

In other news, I'll be in Brisbane from this time next week, until about the 6th of January. If you want to catch up, let me know. Don't wait for me to call you, because it's highly likely I don't have your number. Also, what are Brisbane people doing for NYE?

Do not, under any circumstances, go and see Gabriel.

It's bad. Like. really bad. Not in the 'so bad it's good' way, just bad.

I'd tell you exactly how bad, but then I'd have to think about it again. I know if I did, the words "angsty white-boy entitlement cakes" would be involved multiple times.

So, I lost my phone late last week, which is a bit of a pain in the butt, but the result of that is that I have a shiny new Nokia 6300.

However, it also means that I don't have anyone's mobile numbers anymore. So, folks, I need your help. Comments to this entry are screened, so if I had your number, or you think I should have your number, please comment on this entry with your number so I can add it back to my phone. Or, since I'm still on the same number, send me an sms with who you are in it and I'll add the number back.

JERICHO!

*bouncebouncebouncebouncebounce*

Reference: Here (spoilers for Batman and the Outsiders #1).

Dear Chuck Dixon,

I'm not going to comment on most of the issues, because you've constructed some kind of wacky constructed-reality in your head where apparently it's clever to make jokes about oppressed classes of people and try and paint queer folks as special breed of oversensitive precious-pants, and I'm quite comfortable here in actual reality where it obviously makes you an asshole. So I'm going to go with the other question.

What part of 'Batman is the world's greatest detective' do you not understand? Batman, who is obsessed with studying absolutely everyone, in the course of looking at who's going to be on the team, is magically cured of this obsession (and detective-level observation skills, apparently) when it is likely to allow him to tell the difference between a friendship and a relationship? Seriously, are you so fucking incompetent a writer that you have failed to understand such a key aspect of Batman's character? Or are you just projecting your own ignorant baggage onto Batman, which, well, still makes you an incompetent hack who doesn't understand Batman.

You seriously expect us to buy your shite?

no love,
me.

Reference: (from the linked post) "Was this scene calculated to get precisely the reaction it got here? You bet. Did DC run the page it ran in the previews to get a lather on the knee-jerk fans always ready to go to the hate bucket? OH yeah.
Was all of this discussed in advance interrupted with much giggling? Uh huh."

Dear DC,

Uh, did you forget that the point of preview pages wasn't to piss people off but, um, to make people want to buy your shite?
Or are you still, in your financial floundering as an industry, still trying to act as though you're too good for the money of people who expect a little more from you?
Still, feel free to plead with the demographics you're pissing off about how much you'd like us to give certain titles another chance.

me.

I'm emotionally exhausted.

I'm pleased, and feel like a great big fucking weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Like scribewraith said, Rudd's speech made me feel welcome in my own country for the first time in literally half my lifetime.

I think tomorrow, or later tonight, I'm going to have to have a good cry, just to release the emotion.

Honestly, I don't understand the notion that coast-to-coast is a bad idea in terms of balance when you put it against House + Senate. I've heard it a bit from various places, and I really don't understand it. I've always thought House + Senate was a much bigger problem. And really, my main issue is that it seems ridiculous to punish federal Labor for the fact that the State Oppositions just aren't showing up. I mean seriously, The Lib/Nats in Qld haven't shown up to an election for the last decade or longer.

I'm not staunch ALP, and I don't think I ever will be. I'm not overwhelmingly for Rudd, either, and he's a little too right-faction for my liking. However, the ALP has done considerably less to make me feel not only ashamed of my country, but really fucking unwelcome in it. I have spent half my life, literally, feeling unwelcome in my country, and much of the other half was spent being too young to know much of anything (and dealing with shit closer to home in terms of feeling unwelcome). That's increased considerably since 2001, but it started in 1996. Tonight I feel more welcome in my own country, the country in which I have lived my whole life, than I have since I was old enough to start understanding politics.

I'm not going into this expecting to feel everything is going to be great now, but feeling more welcome for the fact that a party that has been so obssessed with Othering those without the backing of privilege and power has been delivered such a clear message of rejection is definitely a start.

Thank you, country. I feel a little safer, and perhaps even a little hopeful, tonight. I feel a little more welcome in my own country. And later, I think I need to have a cry about the fact that it took this long.

Kevin's about to do his victory speech from Suncorp Stadium.

Bob's waxing lyrical about being the last ALP leader to make a victory speech after coming up from Opposition.

HI ANNA BLIGH!

YAY!

What's awesome is that Kevin's wife doesn't look like she's trying to look like she's not there.

NOW THAT IS ENTRANCE MUSIC!

Is that his daughter? Cos, um .. she's kinda hot.

He's much better at controlling his crowd than Howard is. He sounds more sincere, too.

Good man, thank the voters first. Acknowledging responsibility - good if you can keep that one up.

You better not take the trust for granted.

Oh Good Man.

Y'know, I can't heckle this. It's just cool.

Wait. Europe? I never heard anything about us having allies in Europe?

F'ckin southsiders. Northside, dammit.

AHAHAHAHHAHA. Awesome digg about retaining your seat.

WHAT IS IT WITH ROCKS THIS EVENING?

$:politics are stupi. throw rocks at them.

Thanks $. Please stop being one of those awful tshirts.

Hey, at least we can believe Rudd HAS a heart.

YAY! Can I steal Bob Hawke's Union Thug's badge?

Yay! Shoutouts!

YAY JULIA! Our first female Deputy PM.

SWANNIE!

G'ooorn. Shoutout to Maxine McKew. You know you want to.

YAY! He actually sounds more like he actually likes his wife, and it's really obvious that they like each other and get along. And d'awwww, they're blushing. It's so cute!

I'm impressed by him acknowledging his past and his parents as well as his wife and kids.

ICED VOVOS!

*BOOGIES*

THAT WAS AWESOME. OMGYAY!

Howard is arriving at the Wentworth Hotel to make his concession speech.

His music sounds like the ending credits of something. Seems quite apt, really.

At least he fucking conceded.

Ok, seriously. Howard, you remember that Pride is a Sin, right? One of the Seven?

The Australian people didn't give you privilege, you're an old rich white guy. That's privilege.

Oh enough with the nationalism shite already.

What? our economy is the envy of the world? Since fucking when?

Long years. You're telling me. Seriously. Has it really only been 11.5? It's felt like forever.

At least Costello could keep his own seat, John.

Howard's getting a surprising amount of man-love from the crowd.

YAY! BROUGH IS GONE!

SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THE INVASION.

Holy shit, you have accepted full responsibility for the first time in your fucking life.

Wait, does that mean he's claiming full responsibility for the Lindsay debacle?

He's conceded the leadership, at least.

Dude, don't describe your wife as a rock.

AHAHAHA PWND BY YOUR WIFE.

Okay, seriously, this fetish for your wife to be made of rock is weird and a bit creepy.

At least you're pretty much conceding Bennelong.

I'm always fascinated by politicians talking about how honourable public service is at times other than when they're cutting public sector funding and bagging out bean counter public servants who aren't them

YAY! HE HAS CONCEDED!

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

AHAHAHAHA. The Chaser Boys are hilarious, as usual.

Eeee Maxine McKew is in Sky. She is so awesome. She's clever and hasn't called it yet, but has made the point that her campaign has proved something really important in terms of Bennelong never being taken for granted again. Seriously. There aren't enough words for how awesome this woman is. Oh, so much loff.

And because Maxine McKew took up all the awesome for the next hour and a half, they crossed over to Malcolm Turnbull.

Garrett has retained his seat, and I remain hopeful for rocking out Midnight Oil style in Parliament.

AEC's being the most conservative in their numbers, calling 71 seats for the ALP, ABC and Sky are calling 80+ at this stage.

Still no sign of Howard; he's still hiding out at Kirribilli House. Rudd's pretty much said he won't be appearing or speaking until Howard's had a chance to concedespeak.

And just because it needs to be said again, Maxine McKew is made of awesome. And Brendan Nelson really needs to STFU.

Part One
Part Two

AHAHAHAHAHA. Young Liberals are a fucking dim bunch. The two boys who were at Lindsay today are *SURPRISED* by the result over there. I know they're probably mouthpieces but it's hilarious all the same.

Oh Brendan Nelson, please STFU.

YAY BOB!

"Is it disappointing for Howard to go out this way?"
Bob: "It's disappointing for him"

Interstingly, Bob's brought up that the last PM to be kicked out of his own seat (back in 1929) had also brought in legislation that cut away workers' rights. Which is an interesting irony.

Most of the ALP commentators are calling it, and the Liberal Party is obviously under instructions to run a 'no comment' line on Bennelong, given the talking point seems to be "the only person who should be speaking on Bennelong is the Prime Minister".

We're starting on the early figures from WA, but the ALP seems fairly healthy going into it.

Lyton Crosby is still shitting himself.

ALSO: I HAVE KRISPY KREMES. That's just for ebe