EXCHANGE INTERFACE

1. Did the house where you grew up have a newspaper delivered regularly?

Yes, I think so. This was back in the 70s and 80s and a newspaper was a standard delivery to most households. I think there were even a few 'free' newspapers around the area at the time.


2. Have you ever subscribed to an actual print newspaper?

Probably back in my 20s - the 90s, when newspapers were still very much a thing.


3. When was the most recent time you physically picked up and read a newspaper?

I sincerely do not remember, it's been a while. I saw someone on the train the other morning who had a full broadsheet, opened it up, and shook it out. I was transported all the way back to the early 00s again, commuting in to the city and having to contend with all the guys who thought that because they were doing important things like educating themselves on the state of the world, they had the right to shove a newspaper corner in your face.


4. Do you pay for news online now?

I do, in fact, pay a subscription for The Guardian Australia, because I do believe in paying for some news so that it's not all funded by billionaires. In Australia we still have ABC and SBS which are relatively sane and unbiased (where 'relatively' may be doing quite a lot of heavy lifting). I was subscribing to the NYT and the Atlantic up until the US Election 2024, and then gave up. No hope of sanity there and I couldn't be bothered.


5. Do you have any saved newspaper clippings?

Not I. What would I have clippings about?

B1, however, has newspaper clippings from the 90s about...topics she was interested in then, and which she intends to read. Someday. (Like all the other things she intends to read/sort. Someday.)

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Sitting in a section of the local pub with a glass of wine, my laptop out and trying to write. It's a bit of a lot.

I'm slowly getting more involved in the local independent candidate's campaign. Delivering pamphlets. Going to trivia nights with the team. Stuff like that.

I think we have a real chance if we can persuade people to put her first, and then their preferred candidate second. And we could. We really could. And the current MP is definitely running scared. They have dodgy tactics, stupid fwittery going on, and no sense of humour. So much brusque shooting down and angry internet postings going on, really. it's pretty sad.

Tomorrow I'm going to do some flyer deliveries up and around my street to raise her profile. (Or maybe I'll do that on Monday? IDK. Have to decide.) I've booked in to wander around the markets with her on Sunday. And I'm contemplating helping do point-of-contact at the major train station junction on Monday morning. I think they could do with at younger, visibly Asian helper for Hornsby - a lot of East and South-East Asians will likely actually think about it if they have someone who looks like them stumping for her. And there's a pretty high percentage of people from those backgrounds in the area...

I can hear B1 complaining about how I'm doing too much again. So maybe let's see how Sunday goes, eh?

( saturday's a special treat: there's a tater pudding )

It's been a quiet day today, though. Still tired, mind. Went to church and chatted with some people, but then felt a bit bleh on the walk home - anxious that a specific friend doesn't really like me. IDK. Not the same as the lady who (a couple of months ago) said there were people she didn't like in the church, and I realised that she's never come up and asked me how I am or shown any interest in me joining the conversation, or been particularly enthusiastic about my presence. Someone else who I'm wondering if they actually like me - but someone who's a lot more involved and around and about.

Also: I feel like I'm being left off a group of people who go and see movies. And I don't know how to get on the list without demanding to be included which...is awkward.

Anyway. I'm very tired and it's nearly 9pm. Might be time for bed now.

Some thoughts I had the other day

( a whole set of thoughts about 'the church' distancing itself from 'politics' )

I set this story in cities around the world, many of which weren't in the USA, but which I'd travelled to: Bali, HCMC, Hong Kong, Mildura. There'll be sections of it in Italian cities where a young man with charm and charisma and the luck of the devil tries his wiles on a young woman who has no resistance - except the resistance to all gifts of Fae.

The character is American; she'll go 'home' at various points of the story - returning to visit her family, to protect them, to grieve with them, and finally to be healed among them. Not that the story is about that.

Currently I'm writing a scene that starts in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and goes into a space which shouldn't exist.

I am actually getting a bit of creativity flowing again. Don't know how long it will last.

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( australian politics: a little )

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WFH today, because there's industrial strikes for transport workers, and I just didn't want to even try. So I have asked forgiveness rather than permission. Also: it turns out I do have access to some of the systems that I need for my work, so WFH is not an issue.

I could do two or three days in the office, but it would be nice to be home some days.

Do I go to the gym and run for a bit? Hockey starts up pretty shortly and I have done almost no prep this year.

It's been a week, even over here.

Creatively focusing is difficult right now, particularly where the ordering of thoughts is necessary. So writing is hard. Quilting is easier, but still difficult.

This morning, I went to the new independent candidate's launch. I kind of wanted to see what she was like, because I hadn't heard of her before this.

( an attempt to unfuck Australian politics )

IDK, I'm having another crisis of personal likeability tonight. Convinced that everyone is out partying and none of them have invited me. That I'm just not the person that people actively specifically think that they'd like to include. *sigh*

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Anyway, I have just asked my FB friends if they know what the Shirley Exception is. So far, 6 for 'no', although one went to look it up and said "she knows the concept, but didn't have a name for it". She's also a lawyer. I'm curious whether people on here know.

I would expect more of us to know, mostly because we are the kind of people who end up classified in the Shirley Exception by our friends and family and colleagues and so forth, and the Shirley Exception does not protect us.

Various people got involved in the "Create your own challenge" idea from snowflakecomm and I'm going to put their answers here in a single post.

From barbaratp: Desafio Cinéfilo de Plantão: liste ao menos 3 filmes que você gosta e 2 que não, em ordem decrescente. Explique ao menos em poucas palavras porque o 5 é seu favorito e o número 1 não.

(translation: Movie Buff Challenge: list at least 3 movies you like and 2 you don't, in descending order. Explain at least in a few words why 5 is your favorite and number 1 is not.)

( movie buff challenge )

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From switchbladeeyes: What is a fanwork you'd like to see? Maybe it's something you've dabbled with. Or you've thought about it, but are coming up blank. Or it's a medium you enjoy seeing but don't personally create with. Make a post in your journal about a fanwork you'd enjoy seeing. For all you know, someone may create it, know where to find it, or chat with you about their thoughts on the idea.

( an epic action-adventure with relationship development )

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From authorbynight: Talk about a remake, prequel or sequel you'd actually like to see. This can be anything from musicals, movies, books.

( a variety of things )

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gingicat asked: What would you take on a three-month trip where you'd be essentially alone and out of touch? Assume that you'd have your personal favorite climate, all the conveniences that would make this fun but not onerous, but no electronics except for indoor climate control panels, household appliance control panels, and assistive and medical devices.

You can bring people with you - who would you bring? Are there any that you wouldn't bring with you but would want to have on a contact-exception list?

Answer in comments or in your own space, as you prefer.

( my answer is kind of complex )

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And there is, of course, my own challenge: If you had to transpose one of your fandoms into another form of media, what media would you turn it into, and how would the story change? Would the story change?

Well, that was sure a day.

( us politics stuff )

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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.

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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.

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Finally, social media is exhausting. And today is going to be rather warm. Just a smidge.

A 12 hour ban and TT is back.

This is bad. You know why it's bad - state controlled media, emotional blackmail, Dumpfwashing...

Hell, I described it last night, only this time the situation has a twist:

The rest of the world are the neighbours listening to the chaos on the other side of the wall every night, and then it went silent, and we were worried but also kind of relieved that it had stopped. And just as we thought it was going to last...they're back. And we know that it's just going to get worse.

CRIIIIIPES.

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Sydney Morning Herald: To Build Trust In The News, We Need A Trustworthy Watchdog
Not sure if this is a gift link, free article, or behind a paywall, but it's an illustration of one of the key problems with the world right now.

Information is power, but if you can't trust the information to be correct, then you're not in a strong position.

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I'll post some positive stuff today. I think we're going to need it

New year on a new project is always a stressful time. Do they want to keep you or not? What things are they going to expect of you in the coming months?

Co-worker/colleague/team leader is good at navigating the project-level speak. I am not. I am a bricks person. (I know I've said this around here before.) I can do planning and big pictures, but I can't speak corporate, or measure KPIs, I'm just here to do the work and go home.

And I'm tired. Life has become very tiring this last year. One part menopause, one part *gestures at everything*. And currently the weather in Sydney is so crazy that sleep is very interrupted and not very deep. Not to mention the commute, my aches and pains, and, oh, just everything, you know?

Today was a Saturday that didn't involve doing anything. Nothing at all! Yes, I did some quilting and I did some shopping, but nothing scheduled. Nothing at all.

I lay in bed until nearly 10 am, it was...weird. I think I'm going to go to bed at 9pm. And read. Probably for three hours...