Tags:
It was kind of amusing.
I watch the game of the Superb Owls but once a year - if that. Skipped the last few, tbh. Finally decided to take a day off and go to the watch-party with the guys at church, and, yeah, that game was... "interesting".
( a few thoughts on the Superb Owl )
I made a cake to take along, because we were instructed to bring a dish to share, but...these are guys. You know the joke about the reason nothing happens on International Men's Day is because the men have to actually organise it? This is both a little bit like that, but also very much not like that.
The 'dishes to share' were two chip packets brought by the two other guys, hotdogs organised and cooked by the guy who organised the thing (American national married to an Aussie), and me with a slightly experimental upside-down cake.
It's fine. I enjoy baking, and I also enjoy inflicting it on other people. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it; simple as that.
Also at the end, organiser guy collected the dishes and everything and did the washing up. No leaving it for someone else to do.
--
A small note, in the middle of the game, I was thinking "golly they've got some loud drums at the game".
Uh, no. That was the storm cell dumping about 30mm of water on us in the space of an hour. OOF.
The gutters at church were not coping, neither was the smoke detector in the women's bathrooms... I opened the door and was met with a wet floor and a steady drip. A bucket/bin under it stemmed the tide while I informed one of the guys watching the Superb Owl with me - he's pretty much the church treasurer (we also had two of the three church wardens at the viewing party, and the third turned up for about half an hour just to chat).
Hope they got that cleaned up for the thing that was on this evening.
--
( cut for kind-of-peripheral politics and the world we're now living in, may be depressing )
--
I still have to write up the brief on the Independent candidate. Better do it tonight or I'll lose all incentive.
I watch the game of the Superb Owls but once a year - if that. Skipped the last few, tbh. Finally decided to take a day off and go to the watch-party with the guys at church, and, yeah, that game was... "interesting".
( a few thoughts on the Superb Owl )
I made a cake to take along, because we were instructed to bring a dish to share, but...these are guys. You know the joke about the reason nothing happens on International Men's Day is because the men have to actually organise it? This is both a little bit like that, but also very much not like that.
The 'dishes to share' were two chip packets brought by the two other guys, hotdogs organised and cooked by the guy who organised the thing (American national married to an Aussie), and me with a slightly experimental upside-down cake.
It's fine. I enjoy baking, and I also enjoy inflicting it on other people. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it; simple as that.
Also at the end, organiser guy collected the dishes and everything and did the washing up. No leaving it for someone else to do.
--
A small note, in the middle of the game, I was thinking "golly they've got some loud drums at the game".
Uh, no. That was the storm cell dumping about 30mm of water on us in the space of an hour. OOF.
The gutters at church were not coping, neither was the smoke detector in the women's bathrooms... I opened the door and was met with a wet floor and a steady drip. A bucket/bin under it stemmed the tide while I informed one of the guys watching the Superb Owl with me - he's pretty much the church treasurer (we also had two of the three church wardens at the viewing party, and the third turned up for about half an hour just to chat).
Hope they got that cleaned up for the thing that was on this evening.
--
( cut for kind-of-peripheral politics and the world we're now living in, may be depressing )
--
I still have to write up the brief on the Independent candidate. Better do it tonight or I'll lose all incentive.
Tags:
Well, that was sure a day.
( us politics stuff )
--
I went and signed up to hear more from the independent candidate who's running in our federal election later this year, up against the conservative incumbent. I might join her campaign; we'll see. She's got some good points, and so far as I can see, I could back her.
Call me bigoted; I wish her hair wasn't so blonde. (I have nothing against blondes. But that white-blonde colour? Like, 'my hair bleached for 50 minutes' blonde. No.)
I'd like to get some conversations going with locals - people in the street, church friends, community groups. Talk to people about what is it that they want? How can that be achieved? Can it even be achieved?
( the politics of people )
Anyway, we'll see what the indy has to say, and work from there.
--
I went to Emergency last night. I had a cafe breakfast, planning for it to last me through lunch. While I was swallowing, I swear I felt something in it that didn't feel like food. I swallowed anyway. And then I felt nauseous all morning, and threw up almost all of it by 9am.
I drank a little water, ate some fruit. Threw that up about 30 minutes later. I tried a few things, but couldn't really keep them down.
Went home about 2pm (I was debating whether I should or not) and then thought about going to emergency because my throat still felt like there was something in it, and bits of my chest were hurting.
I ended up drowsing away the afternoon, tried to have dinner, then threw that up, too.
Went to emergency around 7pm. Walked out at 11pm, having had an EKG, blood tests, and an X-ray, all of which could find nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. So they think it's a virus, and I should rest. (Yes,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timespirt, I know...)
And here I am this morning, having logged on. Virus is still going. I think I'm only going to do a half-day, a couple of courses that are needed for compliance sake. Better let my colleague/supervisor know.
--
Finally, social media is exhausting. And today is going to be rather warm. Just a smidge.
( us politics stuff )
--
I went and signed up to hear more from the independent candidate who's running in our federal election later this year, up against the conservative incumbent. I might join her campaign; we'll see. She's got some good points, and so far as I can see, I could back her.
Call me bigoted; I wish her hair wasn't so blonde. (I have nothing against blondes. But that white-blonde colour? Like, 'my hair bleached for 50 minutes' blonde. No.)
I'd like to get some conversations going with locals - people in the street, church friends, community groups. Talk to people about what is it that they want? How can that be achieved? Can it even be achieved?
( the politics of people )
Anyway, we'll see what the indy has to say, and work from there.
--
Personal Health News: cw digestive virus
I went to Emergency last night. I had a cafe breakfast, planning for it to last me through lunch. While I was swallowing, I swear I felt something in it that didn't feel like food. I swallowed anyway. And then I felt nauseous all morning, and threw up almost all of it by 9am.
I drank a little water, ate some fruit. Threw that up about 30 minutes later. I tried a few things, but couldn't really keep them down.
Went home about 2pm (I was debating whether I should or not) and then thought about going to emergency because my throat still felt like there was something in it, and bits of my chest were hurting.
I ended up drowsing away the afternoon, tried to have dinner, then threw that up, too.
Went to emergency around 7pm. Walked out at 11pm, having had an EKG, blood tests, and an X-ray, all of which could find nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. So they think it's a virus, and I should rest. (Yes,
timespirt, I know...)And here I am this morning, having logged on. Virus is still going. I think I'm only going to do a half-day, a couple of courses that are needed for compliance sake. Better let my colleague/supervisor know.
--
Finally, social media is exhausting. And today is going to be rather warm. Just a smidge.
Tags:
It noted that since the UK was so good as to get rid of a dreadful conservative government on the USA's birthday, perhaps the USA could return the favour and shed that damned orange nuisance on a day that's significant for the Brits?
Amen, I say. Let it be so.
*hugs her American friends*
You got this, babes. And whatever shakes out, we got you.
Amen, I say. Let it be so.
*hugs her American friends*
You got this, babes. And whatever shakes out, we got you.
Tags:
( I want it to be a landslide; don't we all? )
Tomorrow, I'll be wearing a blue top, pearls, and some lace-up sneakers. Black with red dragons on them. I got them in 2012 and have never worn them; I'm not sure how my feet are going to take it. Guess we'll find out!
(Maybe I could sew some padded insoles to help support my arches? Hm.)
Good luck, guys. We're cheering you all the way.
Tomorrow, I'll be wearing a blue top, pearls, and some lace-up sneakers. Black with red dragons on them. I got them in 2012 and have never worn them; I'm not sure how my feet are going to take it. Guess we'll find out!
(Maybe I could sew some padded insoles to help support my arches? Hm.)
Good luck, guys. We're cheering you all the way.
Tags:
That's My Girl - A Maria Hill music video I found just today.
--
I'm listening to the Broadway recording of 'Come From Away' - I've seen the musical here in Sydney - and wept at half the songs, as one does. The thing I love about it is that it's a story about human experience in the face of tragedy and I love it.
--
Speaking of human experience:
( on American exceptionalism )
--
Am I the only one getting tired of remakes? Flashbacks to the 80s? I know it's considered 'safe money' but the retrostalgia is becoming overpowering of late.
I can't even remember what this was for. Just that I saw it and thought, "oh, no, not again".
--
Hockey is going well, we topped our grade, have the semifinals to play. I scxored the last goal of our reguar season - a penalty stroke. I wasn't sure if I was going to take it or our Centre Striker was going to, but our team coach/manager/organiser looked at me and said, "you're good?"
It's always a bit unnerving to be facing off ilke this, but I got it in that little corner in the left, between her foot and her hand and the goal post.
We didn't *need* that goal, we already had one on the board, but it was nice to have that little bit of extra leeway and relief.
Now we just have to win against the team next week in the finals - a young team whose skills had us on the ropes to start with in our last game against them. Worryingly, at least one of our players is injured, she's possibly torn her meniscus - she's our most powerful and reliable scorer, dammit!
--
I have two quilts to get ready and up for the quilt show in September. Sandwiched the back-batting-top, quilted it on my home machine, then bound them - all in the last three days.
Just need to finish sewing down the binding on one, and then sleeve and label both. Then get them to the pickup point a couple of suburbs away. No rush. I've only been putting the damn thing off for the last, oh, 6 weeks...
--
I'm listening to the Broadway recording of 'Come From Away' - I've seen the musical here in Sydney - and wept at half the songs, as one does. The thing I love about it is that it's a story about human experience in the face of tragedy and I love it.
--
Speaking of human experience:
( on American exceptionalism )
--
Am I the only one getting tired of remakes? Flashbacks to the 80s? I know it's considered 'safe money' but the retrostalgia is becoming overpowering of late.
I can't even remember what this was for. Just that I saw it and thought, "oh, no, not again".
--
Hockey is going well, we topped our grade, have the semifinals to play. I scxored the last goal of our reguar season - a penalty stroke. I wasn't sure if I was going to take it or our Centre Striker was going to, but our team coach/manager/organiser looked at me and said, "you're good?"
It's always a bit unnerving to be facing off ilke this, but I got it in that little corner in the left, between her foot and her hand and the goal post.
We didn't *need* that goal, we already had one on the board, but it was nice to have that little bit of extra leeway and relief.
Now we just have to win against the team next week in the finals - a young team whose skills had us on the ropes to start with in our last game against them. Worryingly, at least one of our players is injured, she's possibly torn her meniscus - she's our most powerful and reliable scorer, dammit!
--
I have two quilts to get ready and up for the quilt show in September. Sandwiched the back-batting-top, quilted it on my home machine, then bound them - all in the last three days.
Just need to finish sewing down the binding on one, and then sleeve and label both. Then get them to the pickup point a couple of suburbs away. No rush. I've only been putting the damn thing off for the last, oh, 6 weeks...
Tags:
Well, I barely woke up, in fact. I was semi-awake when sister left for work this morning. But fell back asleep and didn't get up until nearly 8am.
Still half-asleep this afternoon.
Technically, I have hockey training on tonight, but the aches and the bruise on the kneecap (I think I can see the ball dimples) suggest maybe that's not such a great idea...
--
Also: news is that Harris has secured the necessary delegates to become the Democratic nominee.
WTF, America. It hasn't been 36 hours. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY GOT ITS SHIT TOGETHER IN THIRTY-SIX FUCKING HOURS. Bloody hell.
I'm fucking impressed.
Still half-asleep this afternoon.
Technically, I have hockey training on tonight, but the aches and the bruise on the kneecap (I think I can see the ball dimples) suggest maybe that's not such a great idea...
--
Also: news is that Harris has secured the necessary delegates to become the Democratic nominee.
WTF, America. It hasn't been 36 hours. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY GOT ITS SHIT TOGETHER IN THIRTY-SIX FUCKING HOURS. Bloody hell.
I'm fucking impressed.
Tags:
Once more unto American politics; you're not obligated to read.
( random thoughts )
FTR, my 'news' sources are:
Tok:
- Under The Desk News
- Politics Girl
YT:
- Beau of the 5th Column
Instagram:
- Sharon Says So (Sharon McMahon)
Web:
- the Guardian, although I haven't really looked at it in a while
Email:
- Heather Cox Richardson
They're all what I would probably call "left-ish" sources, although the adage 'reality leans left' also applies in this case.
( random thoughts )
FTR, my 'news' sources are:
the ones I go to for level-headed, largely factual, serious summary
Tok:
- Under The Desk News
- Politics Girl
YT:
- Beau of the 5th Column
Instagram:
- Sharon Says So (Sharon McMahon)
Web:
- the Guardian, although I haven't really looked at it in a while
Email:
- Heather Cox Richardson
They're all what I would probably call "left-ish" sources, although the adage 'reality leans left' also applies in this case.
Tags:
Fucking Bloody Hell. What a day.
*hugs you all*
--
I had nothing on this weekend. That didn't mean I didn't do anything, it just meant that nothing was scheduled.
Saturday, I gardened - planted seeds and rearranged chicken tunnels, and watched ep2 of Bridgerton Season Three. Then I went out to feed a friends' pets while they're away (and their sitter was away for a day), went out to local night markets to get some dinner, came home and went to bed early-ish.
Sunday, I woke to the discovery that I have a new nephew! Yay!
Then I went to feed the friends' pets again, had breakfast in a vegetarian/holistic cafe near the community garden where I was volunteering late last year, and came home and chipped a whole lot of tree prunings. Watched 2 more episodes of Bridgerton S3, taking me to the 'midway' break, then went to church. Now home, trying to write, and feeling distinctly discombobulated.
But also comforted by the people I'm seeing on threads - calling for calm focus, level-headed care, and seeing the endgame. Stay calm and keep fighting.
Frankly, the chipping really helped - something to keep my hands busy and concentrated, and the podcasts I listened to (Australian Christians talking about Australian issues) helped distract my brain. And the chipping definitely needed doing - and is so satisfying! Boxes of woodchips, all those space-occupying branches now chipped into teeny tiny bits that I can use in the chook tunnels or in the chook yards. They'll decompose swift and neat, all good! And getting a local teen who's been doing yard work for me to trim it down to smaller twigs and short branches meant the chipper didn't block as regularly as it usually does. There's still a couple of branches to be dealt with on some of the bigger trees in the backyard- I decded to wait for the lawn guy to come and do those instead of trying to balance on things with a chainsaw (never advisable).
However, after all that, my left arm is aching (again). *sigh*
If it's not one thing, it's another.
But I had some good conversations at church tonight. Those were very much needed, too.
*hugs you all*
--
I had nothing on this weekend. That didn't mean I didn't do anything, it just meant that nothing was scheduled.
Saturday, I gardened - planted seeds and rearranged chicken tunnels, and watched ep2 of Bridgerton Season Three. Then I went out to feed a friends' pets while they're away (and their sitter was away for a day), went out to local night markets to get some dinner, came home and went to bed early-ish.
Sunday, I woke to the discovery that I have a new nephew! Yay!
Then I went to feed the friends' pets again, had breakfast in a vegetarian/holistic cafe near the community garden where I was volunteering late last year, and came home and chipped a whole lot of tree prunings. Watched 2 more episodes of Bridgerton S3, taking me to the 'midway' break, then went to church. Now home, trying to write, and feeling distinctly discombobulated.
But also comforted by the people I'm seeing on threads - calling for calm focus, level-headed care, and seeing the endgame. Stay calm and keep fighting.
Frankly, the chipping really helped - something to keep my hands busy and concentrated, and the podcasts I listened to (Australian Christians talking about Australian issues) helped distract my brain. And the chipping definitely needed doing - and is so satisfying! Boxes of woodchips, all those space-occupying branches now chipped into teeny tiny bits that I can use in the chook tunnels or in the chook yards. They'll decompose swift and neat, all good! And getting a local teen who's been doing yard work for me to trim it down to smaller twigs and short branches meant the chipper didn't block as regularly as it usually does. There's still a couple of branches to be dealt with on some of the bigger trees in the backyard- I decded to wait for the lawn guy to come and do those instead of trying to balance on things with a chainsaw (never advisable).
However, after all that, my left arm is aching (again). *sigh*
If it's not one thing, it's another.
But I had some good conversations at church tonight. Those were very much needed, too.
Tags:
Car is in for service today, I'm supposed to get a call about it before 4pm. Got 5 minutes, guys...
Been fixing a work issue with the Big Thing That Started Monday (it has largely worked, this is just a cosmetic thing). Spent most of the day doing so.
I posted a thread which was basically about certain types of Americans talking about moving countries the way most people talk about which coat they'll put on to go outside. There were...quite a few Americans who got huffy about it. Also a few Australians saying "ignore the OP! We'd love to have you!"
( the point )
But trying to explain nuance to people on Threads is pointless, so I'm just ignoring that thread. If people have valuable things to say, I'll like their comment and maybe reply, but otherwise I'm mentally blocking out the blockheads.
I did get a number of people who chimed in agreeing with me. Both Australians and Americans who had emigrated elsewhere.
--
Anyway, back to the Memes For Old People...
Any groceries you've been getting into lately?
...different flavours and brands of instant noodle (ramen)? That's the only one I've really been umming and ahhing over. Most other things I regularly buy, I know exactly what I'm reaching for, brand, type, the whole deal.
Youtube,cable TV PayTV, or streaming?
Which do I watch? Or which do I prefer? YouTube. I watch Beau of the 5th Column (pragmatic US politics), Li Ziqi (Chinese influencer with a perfectly produced back-to-nature kind of life), Sydney Backyard Veggies (a guy doing major growing in his backyard), The Holy Post (Christian podcast), some fashion/design/fabric/making, some Bridgerton, some house cleans, some yard cleans, some movie commentaries...
I have streaming (Netflix), but I don't watch it. Not really. For Bridgerton is about it, and I still haven't watched the damn thing.
And my sister and I watch free-to-air (broadcast) for comedic 'this week's news' shows - specifically, 'Have You Been Paying Attention' which we really enjoy. It's five comedians playing a game show where they have to answer questions about what's been going on this week, and it's freaking HILARIOUS. I think the motto might unofficially be something like "if you can't cry at it all, at least you should get a shocked laugh out of it".
What's something you saved up for and then regretted buying?
Oh, man. So many things. SO MANY THINGS. I just can't think of them all. Dresses and clothes, gadgets and technology, hobbies I thought I would get into and simply didn't...
How many cups can you see from where you're sitting?
None, somewhat surprisingly. Usually there's at least today's and maybe yesterday's as well. But it is after lunch and the cleaners came earlier today, so I put stuff in the dishwasher and that included my morning coffee cup.
Which filter are you most likely to go "eh, it's probably fine" when you find out you need to change it?
Oh this one is kind of difficult to decide... We, uh, took down the smoke detector alarm when it kept chirping at us. And we haven't replaced it. That was before I went overseas... EEK. Okay, that should get replaced.
What other filters are there? Oil? Air Conditioner? Vacuum?
Been fixing a work issue with the Big Thing That Started Monday (it has largely worked, this is just a cosmetic thing). Spent most of the day doing so.
I posted a thread which was basically about certain types of Americans talking about moving countries the way most people talk about which coat they'll put on to go outside. There were...quite a few Americans who got huffy about it. Also a few Australians saying "ignore the OP! We'd love to have you!"
( the point )
But trying to explain nuance to people on Threads is pointless, so I'm just ignoring that thread. If people have valuable things to say, I'll like their comment and maybe reply, but otherwise I'm mentally blocking out the blockheads.
I did get a number of people who chimed in agreeing with me. Both Australians and Americans who had emigrated elsewhere.
--
Anyway, back to the Memes For Old People...
Any groceries you've been getting into lately?
...different flavours and brands of instant noodle (ramen)? That's the only one I've really been umming and ahhing over. Most other things I regularly buy, I know exactly what I'm reaching for, brand, type, the whole deal.
Youtube,
Which do I watch? Or which do I prefer? YouTube. I watch Beau of the 5th Column (pragmatic US politics), Li Ziqi (Chinese influencer with a perfectly produced back-to-nature kind of life), Sydney Backyard Veggies (a guy doing major growing in his backyard), The Holy Post (Christian podcast), some fashion/design/fabric/making, some Bridgerton, some house cleans, some yard cleans, some movie commentaries...
I have streaming (Netflix), but I don't watch it. Not really. For Bridgerton is about it, and I still haven't watched the damn thing.
And my sister and I watch free-to-air (broadcast) for comedic 'this week's news' shows - specifically, 'Have You Been Paying Attention' which we really enjoy. It's five comedians playing a game show where they have to answer questions about what's been going on this week, and it's freaking HILARIOUS. I think the motto might unofficially be something like "if you can't cry at it all, at least you should get a shocked laugh out of it".
What's something you saved up for and then regretted buying?
Oh, man. So many things. SO MANY THINGS. I just can't think of them all. Dresses and clothes, gadgets and technology, hobbies I thought I would get into and simply didn't...
How many cups can you see from where you're sitting?
None, somewhat surprisingly. Usually there's at least today's and maybe yesterday's as well. But it is after lunch and the cleaners came earlier today, so I put stuff in the dishwasher and that included my morning coffee cup.
Which filter are you most likely to go "eh, it's probably fine" when you find out you need to change it?
Oh this one is kind of difficult to decide... We, uh, took down the smoke detector alarm when it kept chirping at us. And we haven't replaced it. That was before I went overseas... EEK. Okay, that should get replaced.
What other filters are there? Oil? Air Conditioner? Vacuum?
Tags:
Edited, because pressed the wrong button and ended up posting it early.
I'm not even sure the coupla Aussies reading this will remember that ad but...
Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day cooking a lamb roast. Spuds, honey carrots, green beans with butter, and the roast itself. Most of it was for the local 'soup kitchen and pantry' - a bunch of locals from churches, school groups, and community groups provide meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the community are encouraged to donate goods.
Action is something to do in the face of helplessness. I can't stop wars, I can't stop military armaments, I can't change court decisions, or hearts set in antagonism and fear.
I can cook meals and donate goods. I can write letters to my MP (even if he's conservative to his toenails, and unlikely to listen; I'm pretty sure I'm already a 'pest' in his books for my postcards regarding refugees). I can listen. I can offer pragmatic advice (which a whole bunch of people will interpret badly, because: people). I can vote in my own elections and counter bad narratives among the people I hang out with.
It's pretty much all any of us can ever do towards hope. A little bit of action, a little bit of movement, all of us pushing together in (roughly) the same direction.
I'm not even sure the coupla Aussies reading this will remember that ad but...
Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day cooking a lamb roast. Spuds, honey carrots, green beans with butter, and the roast itself. Most of it was for the local 'soup kitchen and pantry' - a bunch of locals from churches, school groups, and community groups provide meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the community are encouraged to donate goods.
Action is something to do in the face of helplessness. I can't stop wars, I can't stop military armaments, I can't change court decisions, or hearts set in antagonism and fear.
I can cook meals and donate goods. I can write letters to my MP (even if he's conservative to his toenails, and unlikely to listen; I'm pretty sure I'm already a 'pest' in his books for my postcards regarding refugees). I can listen. I can offer pragmatic advice (which a whole bunch of people will interpret badly, because: people). I can vote in my own elections and counter bad narratives among the people I hang out with.
It's pretty much all any of us can ever do towards hope. A little bit of action, a little bit of movement, all of us pushing together in (roughly) the same direction.
Tags:
With the proj manager and immediate supervisor leaving, I'm one of the people who'll be taking on 'interim tasks'. Not project managing, but doing some of the smaller stuff (authorisations and approvals in our Testing system).
Proj Manager was making cheerful and hopeful noises about getting me into permanency with the company...but I'm going to backtrack on that. I just don't want to. And if I lose the job...well, I lose the job.
( what if...? )
--
Speaking of work, going down to the offices for the first half of next week, to meet a whole bunch of people I haven't yet met (was last there May 2021). At least it was next week and not this week, because two years ago, it was US Election 2020 and that was a really rough night away from almost all my support groups.
( from diametrically across the Pacific Rim )
--
I have some pretty good pics of the lunar eclipse c/o my camera and a sky photography app that enables 100x magnification. They're still blurry because I needed tripod (and an actual lesson in how to use the damn app) but for a phone camera they're damn good!
( lunar eclipse pics )
--
Parentals are back this morning, and I spent 3.5 hours retrieving them (and their luggage, which this time actually arrived with them) from the airport.
I hate Sydney traffic. I always forget how much until I actually need to drive through it for some reason.
Which means B1 is back in the house. We're going to discuss sorting, boxing, packing, and storage for stuff. Still need to find out how much a portable pod costs to hire for, say, four months...
Proj Manager was making cheerful and hopeful noises about getting me into permanency with the company...but I'm going to backtrack on that. I just don't want to. And if I lose the job...well, I lose the job.
( what if...? )
--
Speaking of work, going down to the offices for the first half of next week, to meet a whole bunch of people I haven't yet met (was last there May 2021). At least it was next week and not this week, because two years ago, it was US Election 2020 and that was a really rough night away from almost all my support groups.
( from diametrically across the Pacific Rim )
--
I have some pretty good pics of the lunar eclipse c/o my camera and a sky photography app that enables 100x magnification. They're still blurry because I needed tripod (and an actual lesson in how to use the damn app) but for a phone camera they're damn good!
( lunar eclipse pics )
--
Parentals are back this morning, and I spent 3.5 hours retrieving them (and their luggage, which this time actually arrived with them) from the airport.
I hate Sydney traffic. I always forget how much until I actually need to drive through it for some reason.
Which means B1 is back in the house. We're going to discuss sorting, boxing, packing, and storage for stuff. Still need to find out how much a portable pod costs to hire for, say, four months...
Tags:
Still haven't heard back about the time off for the October trip; unfortunately it looks like the other programmer wants to take time off in October, too! ARGH!
Anyway, I have THE ENTIRE WEEK OFF. Stay home, sleep in, do a few things here and there. Plan the house renos. Things to do in my own time.
Having headaches again. I really should try to nail down what they are and why I'm getting them.
( superannuation/401K thoughts: warning, discussion of money )
The Year The (Aussie) Media Lost Its Mind: basically, all Aussie media pretty much went bonkers right around the election - from March through to May. Reporting on all the stupidest things, blowing up the tiniest things for Labor, ignoring or dismissing or flat-out gaslighting when the Liberals fucked things up.
Even now we're still dealing with all the former conservative politicians giving their opinions. Today was moderate conservative former member for an area pretty close to me writing an opinion piece for the Guardian about how the Liberals doubling-down on "climate change is dumb, unions are dirtybadevil, we don't need no stinking moderates" is bloody stupid. But the last few weeks have been all these conservative ex-pollies being invited onto talk shows, opinion shows. political correspondent discussions to talk about plans that they can't implement because they're not in power, and to criticise points of form rather than anything of substance. UGH.
Anyway, speaking of fucked up political commentary, I'm guessing that the Aussie mob Juice Media got bored in the last couple of months since our election. They haven't got anything to really mock yet since parliament only resumed yesterday, so...they went for the SCOTUS. Oh yes, they did.
"Honest Media Ads: SCOTUS"
Another Aussie comedy act: Sammy J sings 'an ode to minimum standards' and it is freaking hilarious.
On a more serious note, if you want to see statemanship (stateswomanship?), then the inaugural parliamentary speeches for two of the new female MPs are beautiful
Sally Sitou (Labor, Reid) is from a background much like mine - family got out of China, made the jump to south-east Asia, and finally came to Australia - an uplifting story of hope, love, family, and a land of opportunity. And Monique Ryan (Independent, Kooyong) toppled the former government's treasurer (and alleged "crown prince" of the federal party) to the side, and her speech is absolute poetry.
Oh, and try this photo of the eight new 'crossbenchers' (independents, neither Labor nor Liberal) - eight women, standing at the table as they're 'sworn in' to the new parliament. An entirely new sight for the Australian parliament, for all that we were one of the first in the world to have women in parliament at all.
I don't expect supergreat things from the Labor government, but there are all kinds of hopeful little things happening right now and I will take the delight where I can.
May this parliament be the start of something more!
Finally, a video: I Know Victoria's Secret (flashmob)
Warning, it's a bit of an earworm.
All righty, I'm off to read the latest Nalini Singh that's just come out - started it last night, then fell asleep. I'm just so tired these days...
Anyway, I have THE ENTIRE WEEK OFF. Stay home, sleep in, do a few things here and there. Plan the house renos. Things to do in my own time.
Having headaches again. I really should try to nail down what they are and why I'm getting them.
( superannuation/401K thoughts: warning, discussion of money )
The Year The (Aussie) Media Lost Its Mind: basically, all Aussie media pretty much went bonkers right around the election - from March through to May. Reporting on all the stupidest things, blowing up the tiniest things for Labor, ignoring or dismissing or flat-out gaslighting when the Liberals fucked things up.
Even now we're still dealing with all the former conservative politicians giving their opinions. Today was moderate conservative former member for an area pretty close to me writing an opinion piece for the Guardian about how the Liberals doubling-down on "climate change is dumb, unions are dirtybadevil, we don't need no stinking moderates" is bloody stupid. But the last few weeks have been all these conservative ex-pollies being invited onto talk shows, opinion shows. political correspondent discussions to talk about plans that they can't implement because they're not in power, and to criticise points of form rather than anything of substance. UGH.
Anyway, speaking of fucked up political commentary, I'm guessing that the Aussie mob Juice Media got bored in the last couple of months since our election. They haven't got anything to really mock yet since parliament only resumed yesterday, so...they went for the SCOTUS. Oh yes, they did.
"Honest Media Ads: SCOTUS"
Another Aussie comedy act: Sammy J sings 'an ode to minimum standards' and it is freaking hilarious.
On a more serious note, if you want to see statemanship (stateswomanship?), then the inaugural parliamentary speeches for two of the new female MPs are beautiful
Sally Sitou (Labor, Reid) is from a background much like mine - family got out of China, made the jump to south-east Asia, and finally came to Australia - an uplifting story of hope, love, family, and a land of opportunity. And Monique Ryan (Independent, Kooyong) toppled the former government's treasurer (and alleged "crown prince" of the federal party) to the side, and her speech is absolute poetry.
Oh, and try this photo of the eight new 'crossbenchers' (independents, neither Labor nor Liberal) - eight women, standing at the table as they're 'sworn in' to the new parliament. An entirely new sight for the Australian parliament, for all that we were one of the first in the world to have women in parliament at all.
I don't expect supergreat things from the Labor government, but there are all kinds of hopeful little things happening right now and I will take the delight where I can.
May this parliament be the start of something more!
Finally, a video: I Know Victoria's Secret (flashmob)
Warning, it's a bit of an earworm.
All righty, I'm off to read the latest Nalini Singh that's just come out - started it last night, then fell asleep. I'm just so tired these days...
Tags:
It feels almost unfair to think of how much my country has changed in just a week - of how the faintest threads of hope have woven themselves through what was looking dire.
( musings )
--
I Don't Just Want Fewer Guns, I Want A Country That Cares For My Family
( musings )
--
I Don't Just Want Fewer Guns, I Want A Country That Cares For My Family
Tags:
Tags:
politics and religion
Some of these are pretty old, just set down for linkage.
( back to January, the Georgia election, and the riots )
--
( a little more timeless; all kinds of bits and pieces )
--
Women have had a rough few weeks in Australian politics.
( TW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, power and religion and scandal )
Evangelicalism is certainly having a reckoning right now. I just wish I could believe that Evangelicals would come out a little more shaken in their beliefs. Not likely, alas.
These next two articles are written by a woman I interact with regularly on FB: Australian, Christian, local. She's a minister in the Baptist church (conference?) of Australia (very different to the SBC) and vocal on women's issues, feminism (although she doesn't call it that), and evangelicalism (the Australian kind).
( the church and sexuality )
...anyway. That was a links dump and a half. What a week. What a week to be an Australian woman - and specifically a woman of Asian descent living in a western country.
I think the terrifying thing is that the US at least has leadership who seems to be willing to move in the direction of doing the right thing.
Australia does not, and although we seem easygoing, we are overall a very conservative culture beneath our larrikinism.
Some of these are pretty old, just set down for linkage.
( back to January, the Georgia election, and the riots )
--
( a little more timeless; all kinds of bits and pieces )
--
Women have had a rough few weeks in Australian politics.
( TW: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, power and religion and scandal )
Evangelicalism is certainly having a reckoning right now. I just wish I could believe that Evangelicals would come out a little more shaken in their beliefs. Not likely, alas.
These next two articles are written by a woman I interact with regularly on FB: Australian, Christian, local. She's a minister in the Baptist church (conference?) of Australia (very different to the SBC) and vocal on women's issues, feminism (although she doesn't call it that), and evangelicalism (the Australian kind).
( the church and sexuality )
...anyway. That was a links dump and a half. What a week. What a week to be an Australian woman - and specifically a woman of Asian descent living in a western country.
I think the terrifying thing is that the US at least has leadership who seems to be willing to move in the direction of doing the right thing.
Australia does not, and although we seem easygoing, we are overall a very conservative culture beneath our larrikinism.
I woke at 3:45am, cursing. So damn tired. But I went looking for the inauguration videos, and got the tail end of Biden's speech, Amazing Grace, the young poet laureate, and the prayer guy. Started to watch them all go out, then got hit by tiredness, turned it off and went back to sleep. Woke up to a 7:15am work alarm to check on a transfer that's been failing every day because of scheduling.
Checked that - all good. Chook needed medicating, so did that. Had cinnamon scroll dough proofing overnight and it wasn't proofing very well. Took it outside in the sun to warm.
Washed up the dishes. (We really need to get a dishwasher. Even just taking out the dishware, glassware, and cutlery would save a BUNCH of time, and we might even be able to 'autoclave' our plastic takeaway containers in it...)
Caught up on all the things that I missed in those hours, including all the relieved posts, tweets, instagram stories, FB posts.
Logged into work to discover that everyone wants absolutely EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW. TODAY. Of course. Just when I wanted to celebrate, too! So I have completed one thing, discovered that another has been done and is now out of my hands, and I am in the process of fixing yet another one now, with a fourth that needs to be done in the next week.
And amidst that, I made sourdough cinnamon scrolls. They rose perfectly in the end, and they are delicious. B1 thinks they're not quite as cooked as they should be in the middle (mental note: 45 minutes rather than 35 minutes) but still very very moreish!
I haven't really had time to watch all the clips. And I find myself wanting to watch them all and just REVEL in this moment.
Sadly, just as Joe Biden signs the executive orders to rejoin the Paris Agreement, I feel Australia slipping towards 'Trumpism': lies stated outright, the insistence on "equal platforming" even for what should not be platformed, and Evangelical Christofascism. I don't know how to fight this war - Murdoch has the lion's share of media, all our people already vote (well, maybe not the kids who don't register when they're 18), and our politics are particularly susceptible to money and rhetoric.
I had a peach-mint mocktail. I was going to drink the last of the Rodham Rye Whiskey, but I might save that for the Sunday morning zoom with my US gang.
This evening, I went around to a friend's house to have a swim, chat, take some of the cinnamon scrolls over, and I ended up staying to have dinner. I always feel a bit guilty going over, because it feels like everything is exhausing and chaotic, but that might just be the house. Also, I feel bad looking at how much she has to do with three kids and a husband, and then I turn up as a guest in her house and add to all that...
Now, I've watched various Late Show clips with Colbert, ordered some sharpening paste for a push-reel mower that I have, and Mal is yowling outside the study door. So I'm going to go and lie down and hopefully sleep through the night tonight.
Welcome back, America. No, it's not perfect, but at least you're not going backwards.
Checked that - all good. Chook needed medicating, so did that. Had cinnamon scroll dough proofing overnight and it wasn't proofing very well. Took it outside in the sun to warm.
Washed up the dishes. (We really need to get a dishwasher. Even just taking out the dishware, glassware, and cutlery would save a BUNCH of time, and we might even be able to 'autoclave' our plastic takeaway containers in it...)
Caught up on all the things that I missed in those hours, including all the relieved posts, tweets, instagram stories, FB posts.
Logged into work to discover that everyone wants absolutely EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW. TODAY. Of course. Just when I wanted to celebrate, too! So I have completed one thing, discovered that another has been done and is now out of my hands, and I am in the process of fixing yet another one now, with a fourth that needs to be done in the next week.
And amidst that, I made sourdough cinnamon scrolls. They rose perfectly in the end, and they are delicious. B1 thinks they're not quite as cooked as they should be in the middle (mental note: 45 minutes rather than 35 minutes) but still very very moreish!
I haven't really had time to watch all the clips. And I find myself wanting to watch them all and just REVEL in this moment.
Sadly, just as Joe Biden signs the executive orders to rejoin the Paris Agreement, I feel Australia slipping towards 'Trumpism': lies stated outright, the insistence on "equal platforming" even for what should not be platformed, and Evangelical Christofascism. I don't know how to fight this war - Murdoch has the lion's share of media, all our people already vote (well, maybe not the kids who don't register when they're 18), and our politics are particularly susceptible to money and rhetoric.
I had a peach-mint mocktail. I was going to drink the last of the Rodham Rye Whiskey, but I might save that for the Sunday morning zoom with my US gang.
This evening, I went around to a friend's house to have a swim, chat, take some of the cinnamon scrolls over, and I ended up staying to have dinner. I always feel a bit guilty going over, because it feels like everything is exhausing and chaotic, but that might just be the house. Also, I feel bad looking at how much she has to do with three kids and a husband, and then I turn up as a guest in her house and add to all that...
Now, I've watched various Late Show clips with Colbert, ordered some sharpening paste for a push-reel mower that I have, and Mal is yowling outside the study door. So I'm going to go and lie down and hopefully sleep through the night tonight.
Welcome back, America. No, it's not perfect, but at least you're not going backwards.
Tags:
The BNF.
Her fans, in whose eyes she can do no wrong.
The mods and superusers dropping or encouraging the banhammer - some of whom love her, some of whom hate her. Some of whom just want her gone, others who think she brings value to the community.
The stans of free speech. The stans of responsibilities when rising to BNF status in fandom. The stans of consequences to actions.
The people who believe that she's posting in good faith, she's just missing the mark. The people who believe she's posting in bad faith all the time. The people who believe that the BNF's contribution to fandom is too great for her to be really, truly banninated for all time and that a warning will suffice...
Truly, it is fandom_wank, just transposed to US politics.
Her fans, in whose eyes she can do no wrong.
The mods and superusers dropping or encouraging the banhammer - some of whom love her, some of whom hate her. Some of whom just want her gone, others who think she brings value to the community.
The stans of free speech. The stans of responsibilities when rising to BNF status in fandom. The stans of consequences to actions.
The people who believe that she's posting in good faith, she's just missing the mark. The people who believe she's posting in bad faith all the time. The people who believe that the BNF's contribution to fandom is too great for her to be really, truly banninated for all time and that a warning will suffice...
Truly, it is fandom_wank, just transposed to US politics.
Tags:
I woke at 4am thinking of all the insurrectionists today who will wake up to phone calls from media companies trying to interview them.
Well, actually, I woke from a dream where ( emotional trauma; pets dying )
So. That's my emotional state right now.
But I lay in the dark early this morning and was furious at the thought of those white supremacists being given more airtime to jabber on about their conspiracies and feelings.
STFU.
So I got on Twitter this morning and responded to my regular news site - Guardian AU's twitter link to an article about Barr condemning Trump, to tell them that I'd like to see more stories about the get-the-vote-out organisers on the ground in Georgia, along with stories from first-time voters. What brought them out, perhaps after a lifetime of non-voting? So many stories to be told and I WANT TO HEAR THEM.
I don't know if it will do any good. I'm just one drop person in a sea of others. But maybe if there's a few more drops asking for stories about the people who made change happen instead of the people who tried to stop it, we might get somewhere?
Now I have to work out who to else contact and whether they'll listen.
Well, actually, I woke from a dream where ( emotional trauma; pets dying )
So. That's my emotional state right now.
But I lay in the dark early this morning and was furious at the thought of those white supremacists being given more airtime to jabber on about their conspiracies and feelings.
STFU.
So I got on Twitter this morning and responded to my regular news site - Guardian AU's twitter link to an article about Barr condemning Trump, to tell them that I'd like to see more stories about the get-the-vote-out organisers on the ground in Georgia, along with stories from first-time voters. What brought them out, perhaps after a lifetime of non-voting? So many stories to be told and I WANT TO HEAR THEM.
I don't know if it will do any good. I'm just one drop person in a sea of others. But maybe if there's a few more drops asking for stories about the people who made change happen instead of the people who tried to stop it, we might get somewhere?
Now I have to work out who to else contact and whether they'll listen.
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So, I guess if Ossoff wins, then all that's left is for Mitch to expire, eh?
I mean, timeframe, mimeshame. I'm not going to be picky about when, so long as it's during election season...
I'm going to need an new US Presidential icon. Or maybe just a Stacey Abrams one.
I mean, timeframe, mimeshame. I'm not going to be picky about when, so long as it's during election season...
I'm going to need an new US Presidential icon. Or maybe just a Stacey Abrams one.
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