RudeBarbie

Just Wow

2008-06-02T19:36:00.002-07:00

The contingencies - and one's ability to pivot from them - have a greater impact upon one's destiny than one's plan.

A Gawk at the Emily Gould Story

2008-05-27T09:07:00.002-07:00

Forgive the bad pun in the post-title. I have had too much coffee.
So, I'm helping a colleague with a class tonight and she emailed me this morning suggesting this article as a discussion piece. Up until now I had never heard of Emily Gould probably because I stopped reading Gawker a long time ago (no particular reason, just that I get out of the habit of reading sites/blogs sometimes). Gould was an editor at Gawker (which is a celebrity NY gossipy blog) for some time apparently and the NYTM article details her personal experiences in the industry (for it is an industry and then some) and her personal life at the time. The article is called 'Exposed: what I gained - and lost - by writing about my intimate life online.' Rachel Sklar at The Huffington Post responds with accusations of narcissism. This exchange is really interesting to me. Sklar's piece quotes multiple sources admonishing Gould (and in part bloggers in general) for navel-gazing, for taking up space in a publication where more 'important' ("brilliant" and "closely-researched") news should be. News that is not about the personal, that has cultural relevance. News that is produced by someone who does not include pictures of herself in a "metallic bathing suit". If you are interested at all in blogging then I urge you to read the original article, Sklar's response, some of the Gawker comments, and also go over and watch the video of Gould's appearance on Larry King where she is questioned by Jimmy Kimmel (irate following accusations on Gawker regarding his behaviour) among others.
It really bothers me that a story like this can be described as being of no political significance. As far as I'm concerned that betrays not only a lack of imagination but a rigid adherence to patriarchal principles of what is important news and what is trivial. What is personal, what has to do with relationships, what is feminine is all too often dismissed as being irrlevant, soft, fluffy, silly .... That an individual story offering (as I see it) fascinating insight into the experience of sharing (and making) oneself online is irrelevant is laughable to me. Web 2.0 technologies are changing (have already changed) the way that news is made and distributed. The exposure of personal writing is HUGE part of this. The vast vast vast majority of blogs online are personal diaries and an enormous number of bloggers (not all of course by a long shot) aspire to the kind of exposure Gould has had for her personal writing. Look at all the bloody books available to show you how to profit from your blog, how to gain exposure, how to market yourself through your blog. In this arena Gould's story is not only relevant, it is important.
Also, Gould is criticised and mocked for discussing the drawbacks of personal/intimate writing in a personal/intimate piece. I am willing to bet (and I am not a betting woman) that if a disaster relief worker, or a pearl diver, or an explorer wrote about the dangers of their work they would not be so lambasted for continuing to do the work. However, when the dangers of the work are emotional rather than physical it is somehow easier to devalue the risks, to write them off as selfish choices rather than brave ventures. Somehow, I also suspect that when the worker is a woman it might also be easier to do this (as our work is often framed in terms of (selfish) choice rather than contribution or vocation). Certainly, there is evidence to suggest that women bloggers face more abusive commentary and personal threats than their male counterparts. I'm not saying that there aren't bloggers out there who write selfishly and thoughtlessly, but I feel that to completely ignore the bravery of the kind of vulnerability involved in personal writing (especially in an environment where it is often so reviled) is to reinscribe that prejudice and hierarchy over and over again. Sklar sniffs at Gould's use of the "well worn lens of her own experience" towards the end of her post which leads me to the questions I'll finish with here - don't we all wear this lens in one form or another? Even if we don't foreground it as much as a writer like Gould does. Do we still really believe the myth of objectivity?

...um, well hello there...

2008-04-08T20:19:00.002-07:00

...so, I'm back. It's been a while.
To explain. This blog is broken. There is something up with my access privileges and I can't edit my template which means that I can't update my blogroll or change the look of my blog at all. This is a weird position to be in. The thing is is that I think it's my own fault. I was twiddling in the back end (fnar) one day and changed something and that was when I lost the privs. Dumbass. My initial plan (once this became apparant) was that I would build a new blog using Wordpress which is what all the cool kids use and probably something that should be featured on Stuff White People Like. I just haven't had time. And to be honest, I am really lazy about stuff like this. I see this task as being on the same level as filing taxes - administration. And I hate administration - especially forms. Anyhoo, so here I am again.
I am watching American Idol again. It is almost unwatchable but not quite. America's Next Top Model is the same. Hanging on on my rotation but only just so (I know, I'm a telly addict -though I prefer 'pop culture maven'). Well I like Jason Castro. Looks like Paula is bombed all the time. They don't even care what she says anymore. They're like 'um, okay...' while Paula's head lolls around on her neck like a tether ball). Simon just mocks her which is not nice really when you think about it, regardless of how funny not-nice can be.
LJ and I went to Belize last month. It was rockin'. There hasn't been a day since we got back that I haven't wished I was still on Caye Caulker.

The Music Biz

2008-02-12T22:08:00.004-08:00

Watched the Grammy's on Sunday night. I was pretty ambivalent about Amy Winehouse before but I love her now. "My Blake...incarcerated"! I have been replaying it a lot. I reckon Amy Winehouse is probably pretty cool. It's such a crock of shit that Natalie Cole is talking up about Amy being undeserving of her awards because she's a junkie. Nobody every said that about Kurt Cobain. Somehow it's just so much worse for a woman to be out of control/ to have a drug habit (not that drug abuse is a good thing).
Also in music - Dolly, what is going on here?! I am very very nervous about this. Of course my first concern is for Dolly and her bad back but I have scheduled my Irish trip around her show and I am planning to go with my mum. I sent her The Essential Dolly Parton so she can learn all the words and so we can listen to it in the car on the way to the show. This is dream come true material and I will be so so so so gutted if the show is cancelled. Prayers people. Prayers for Dolly (and by association my happiness).
Finally...if LJ and I ever have a daughter then we will strongly encourage her to go to this camp. I can't wait to see the movie!

Yes she is

2008-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

I'm coming off the end of a week of having some kind of awful cold/flu thing with a migraine in it's tail so I've been offline a whole lot and not writing anything except for emails and one piddling abstract. I feel so horribly behind in everything. Tomorrow, I hope the headache will really be gone and I can be super productive.
Like many people in this part of the world I'm sure, I've been thinking a lot about U.S. politics these days. It's amazing how North Americentric I've become since I moved here. I am hopelessly out of touch with Irish politics and, although I kept up with the Taipei Times for a while after I left, I know nothing of what is going on in that other place I called home for four years. Pathetic.
However, I'm sure that wherever I might be living in the world I would be interested in the elections for the Democrat party nomination. And whether Clinton or Obama win, I will support them wholeheartedly in their bid for the presidency. I really do hope that the next four years will be a better time for my neighbours to the immediate south. At the time of the last election I was doing my MA in England and I remember the tears of outrage and despair my American classmates and friends shed as they learned that xiao Bush would, indeed, be granted a second term in office. This year I really hope and really believe that they will have something to celebrate.
Anyhow, the point of this post was to say that, although I think that Clinton and Obama both have strengths and weaknesses as candidates, I freely admit that there is a big part of me that would just love to see a woman elected president of the U.S. Of course not just any woman (I grew up in the time of Margaret Thatcher, I know better than that) but an intelligent, and compassionate woman who genuinely wants the best for the people of her country (and not just some people). And while I do have a few reservations (there is the questionable stance on Iraq, and there are the corporate ties) I believe that Hillary will make positive changes, most importantly in healthcare and education, and I believe that America will benefit hugely from her leadership. And you know what? I will get a bloody huge kick out of seeing a woman president. I think it will provide a wonderful example and inspiration to women everywhere but especially to young women and girls in America today. When I think about it, I get that heart-swelling feeling that I get sometimes at the end of The Amazing Race (of course this is more 'important' than a reality show, but I'm just trying to illustrate my point) when the winning team is running to the mat (when I like the team that is). A woman president of the United States. A woman president I could (would) vote for. Now that's something :)

I saw this video at Feministe today and had to poach it. And I have the love on for Alicia Keys too. But not as much as for Stormy of course!

Hot Wax

2008-01-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

From Wax Banks (an old post found while trawling the web looking for conferences I might be able to participate in):

I think I have it in me to do really good scholarly work; I don't know that I could do the dance necessary to be big in what was and in some vague sense ever will be 'my field.' Which realization only increases my admiration for people who (to my mind) stay creative and committed and sane in academia without uncritically buying into the enabling fantasies of the field-at-the-moment.

Me too.

Mom's world

2008-01-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Am very sad about Heath Ledger. He was one of my favourite actors and is in two of my favourite films of all time: Two Hands and Brokeback Mountain.
In happier news, I just found this fantastic Flickr photoset via a lovely blog Soule Mama. Go check it out now! 'Mom's World' is a collection of photos from the 1940's and 50's, there are some beautiful domestic shots and many of the pictures have comments by the photographer.

Sin City is shite

2008-01-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

LJ is watching Sin City which is the biggest heap of shite I've seen in ages (and I watch a LOT of reality TV). I got online because I couldn't bear it anymore. Anyway the reason for my sounding more Irish than usual is that I I started reading Arse End of Ireland which is far and away the best blog I've read in ages. I read back months. Fnar Fnar Fnar.

Feminist goodness

2008-01-21T17:21:00.001-08:00

Now this is why Feministing is such a fantastic blog. And soon too be even more than a blog - the ladies have got some cool plans afoot for this year.
I love being a feminist! I think there's a misconception that feminists are angry, surly, people. Well, I'm sure some are (there are a lot of angry, surly people in the world) but...get this...I see feminism as an uplifting and empowering ideology. It gives me energy. Now, of course, there are many things I see as sad and frustrating because I'm a feminist but being a feminist makes me happy. Does that make sense?

Rita & Fred

2008-01-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

please excuse...

2008-01-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

my crappy blogging (or non-blogging). I've been in a bit of a new year, new semester flurry of activity lately. Lots to do. Lots. Perhaps I should blog about it. Thing is that I'm sick of hearing myself run over things in my head and in various works-in-progress all day every day that I don't want to do it all over again on the blog.
Which leaves me what I do in the rest of my time to talk about. I am ashamed to say that I have been watching the American Idol auditions. And that is all I have to say about that.

2007 Roundup

2007-12-30T18:50:00.000-08:00

Already? Wow. Well here goes:
Best value on the tube Project Runway Canada, Heroes (although I am expecting greater things), and The Amazing Race 12 (am so sad about my lovely goths).
Best Album
This is a funny one. There are albums I could list. We just got Serj Tankian's Elect the Dead. I also liked Ben Harper's Lifeline. But these are easy choices for me. I am a huge S.O.A.D fan and it would be weird if I didn't like Serj's solo effort. Same for Ben Harper - he can do no wrong. Probably the two greatest revelations were Storm Large's Ladylike Side 1 and Verbal Deception's Aurum Aetus Piraticus. I was very unadventurous this year with music and sitting down to write this I realise that this is kind of pathetic. So, for 2008 one of my resolutions is to make an effort to listen to more new music. Of course I will still rock the Dolly and the GnR but I need to step out of my comfort zone a bit (perhaps LJ will think of doing the same but I doubt it).
Best Show
Without any second of hesitation...Storm Large at the Warehouse. Woefully underpromoted (and so underattended) but a kick-ass awesome fabulous show.
Also great - 69 Eyes and Cradle of Filth at Mac Hall, Verbal Deception at the Canadian Legion, and Tim Hus at The Bar Named Sue in Jan (best anniversary celebration evah!).
Best Film
Again, these are films I watched in 2007, not necessarily those made or released in 2007.
Shut up and Sing. Love those Dixie Chicks.
Stardust. Just watched this one. Amazing.
Volver. Beautiful.
Notes on a Scandal. One of my favourite scripts ever. Also Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett - superb.
Best Food
I love thinking about this one because I am greedy :)
Eating out: Vietnamese subs at Trung Nguyen (much much better than Thi Thi if you ask me or LJ); Sushi (esp. veggie tempura rolls and salmon sashimi) at Sushi Kawa; fabulous curry in Brick Lane, London; and breathtaking french food with both my aunts this summer in France (too many places to single one out) and, finally (and my favourite) dinner at the Aldridge Lodge in Duncannon, Co. Wexford.
Eating in: Hungarian Goulash (from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course), this was a triumph and so, so, easy; spiced couscous (I am looking for the link) which was a summer staple; Fondue by Jay and Shan; every single thing made by my aunts and my mum during our trip this summer, esp. cherry toms feta and black olive tart, homemade strawberry sorbet with tuile, and breakfast at mum's (eggs, white pudding, McCambridges bread, tomatoes).
Okay, I'm hungry now!
Best Offline Reads
This is a tougher category because I read so much for Uni and really don't read enough otherwise. I have been heavy on the non-fiction this year aswell (even when not reading for school).
Best for Uni: I have to say (because I have spent so much time with this book this year) Technologies of the Self: A Seminar with Michel Foucault, Martyrdom and Memory: Early Christian Culture Making, and Autobiographical Acts: The Changing Situation of a Literary Genre.
Just for Me (though sometimes also for school: Full Frontal Feminism (read this!); Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women who Created Her, Fingersmith, and In Cold Blood (I know, about time! sooo good).
Best Online Reads
Inside a Black Apple. As I've written here before, I love Emily Martin's art and her blog. This year I bought a couple of her prints for me and a couple for friends.
iCiNG. Gala Darling is a regular, detailed, and creative blogger. I love her style and I love her positivity.
Feministing. One of my long-term faves. The ladies over at Feministing have been doing wonderful things this year (including Jessica Valenti's great first book recommended above).
Trends n' stuff
Of course, Facebook. I think that a lot of Gen X'ers really got into FB this year.
Etsy. Fantastic wonderful Etsy. If you need a (not last-minute) gift (for others or yourself) and you don't want to get what everybody else has from the mall or from the trendy shops then get thee to Etsy!
Photoblogging. It's nothing new but I've been far more visually focused in my blog-perusal this year. Probably my favourite photoblog this year has been 3191 A Year of Mornings. Gorgeous photos from two creative friends who live 3191 miles apart. The year may be over but Stephanie and Mav are planning a year of evenings and there will be a book, yay!
Personal Highs
Painting the living room. I took a week out this summer to paint our (large) living room. It was a fairly daunting mission - three coats on long, tall, walls and plenty of trim and windows to negotiate too. Afterwards I had bruises on the backs of my calves from leaning against the ladder. Now, whenever I look around at the room I spend a lot of time in I feel so happy. I especially adore my blue wall. It seems silly to feel so pleased about something so superficial but I do.
Enjoying both AoIR in Vancouver and the Women's Centre Conference in Calgary within a week of eachother. Lots of hard work, lots of fun. It was nice to attend and participate in an academic event and a more grassroots event almost at the same time. It was also great to spend time planning and enjoying both events with my thesis advisor and fellow student (at AoIR) and my mother in law (women's centre) as well as to meet such cool and interesting people for the first time. The first ICS grad conference in Leeds was also a wonderful day despite my jet-lag.
LJ starting his new job. I am so proud of him for making a positive career change. Things are a bit uncertain at the moment but we are hopeful that they will settle down in 2008.
We had some lovely visitors this year - shouts to Pippy, Beales, Talei and Josie, Nicole, and Sandi who all came into Calgary and made us smile. Also meeting more of LJs family and seeming some familiar faces again for his gma's 95th (yes, really!) was a real treat.
Finally...the release of the new Harry Potter. LJ and I had such a blast on the night of the release. It's something I plan to tell our kids about and hopefully they will think we are really really cool...or big nerds (which amounts to the same thing for us).

and lows
I think I've written about this before but I do find that (for me) there is a tendency to blog the good stuff and to just not mention the not-so-great stuff. 2007 was also a very sad year. Some of my closest friends here in Calgary lost a dear friend and a beautiful person. Robin was always lovely to me and I enjoyed every moment I spent in her company. Her death was shocking and very very sad. I don't really know what else to say except that I know that there are many many people who are working hard to make Robin proud and to honour her memory. I hope I can be as supportive of their endeavors as she would have been.

Okay, that's it from me for 2007. Let's hope I can be a better blogger in 2008 ;) Happy New Year!

A day late

2007-12-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

This evening I returned to my old stomping ground YouTube and spent some time watching old Otis Redding footage.

I first got into Otis when I was about five years old. No kidding. I used to like to look at my parents' records a lot when I was very little. One of my earliest memories is looking at the cover art of the brightest coloured records in the collection. These were an Otis Redding record (it had a red cover but I don't remember much about it otherwise) and a Drifters record which was yellow with cartoon illustrations for a few of the songs. Anyway, there I was watching old videos and I happened upon the information that yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of his death. Otis Redding reminds me of a lot of good things and people - Vinyl records, the brilliance of Soul, my parents, my friend Lu (with whom I shared a Soul obsession in our early teens) and another dear friend K who loved Andrew McCarthy so much in Catholic Boys that I was sure the above would be her wedding song (it wasn't, she went for The Beach Boys) - thank you soul man.
ETA: Still have Otis on my mind and just found this wicked blog - check last year's Otis birthday post.

Inside a Black Apple

2007-12-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

I've been enamoured with Emily Martin's beautiful art and craft work for a long time now (my prints by her are among my most prized possessions) but what has pushed me to finally write about her site is a post she made a couple of days ago. Emily wrote in response to this piece (ugh), she says:

I would be so happy for my potential daughter, thin or chubby, to see Nigella on television...someone bright and lovely and talented and beautiful in her own, self-possessed way. I don't like that saying: "real women" have curves, because it's exclusive and inaccurate...I think real, happy women are active, try to love life, and don't base it on denying themselves. And they are all sorts of sizes.

I really can't add very much (both because I'm out of time and because Emily says it all so well) so just get over there and read it (and then browse her gorgeous shop on Etsy).

Another fashiony blog

2007-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Check out Faking Good Breeding - a fashiony blog 'from a thinking woman's perspective'. Hmm, not sure about that tagline - aren't we all thinking women? Still, some good fashion/beauty recommendations, some interesting discussion and yay for anyone who finds 'princess' culture as disturbing as I do.

Help me find my proper place

2007-11-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

It’s strange to me again and again how a simple thing will transport you back. And it’s a huge cliché, I’m aware of that. But I was tooling around on youtube tonight and came to a clip 'Jesus' by the Velvet Underground. It took me back. And it made me thankful. It took me back to being at my mum’s first house in Wexford which was built at the top of a hill. I had a bedroom there and it was a cool big room with two windows that opened like doors. The house was on one level so you could climb out of the windows and be in the yard. I had a record player at the time (it played cassettes too but I thought I was cool any only bought records to be old-skool). I smoked cigarettes – silk cut blue (very light) – at the time too. I guess I was around seventeen or eighteen. Anyway, when mum and pat had gone to bed I would open the window and sit on the sill smoking, while I played records very quietly (their room was next to mine). I enjoyed it a lot: the night air, the stars like an upturned bowl around me, the gravel under my feet, the bite of the cigarette in my mouth, the smoke threading upwards in the sky, and Lou Reed or Axl Rose or Chris Robinson whispering to me …I’m waiting for my man…all I need is a little patience…bad luck blue eyes goodbye...

The name change thing

2007-11-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

I was reading this post at Faux Real and it got me thinking about that name change thing again. Names are important things - at least to someone as concerned with words as I am *grin* - and so I've thought a lot about if, in the event LJ and I get organized enough to get married, I will take his name. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't drop my name and take his but I'm torn between hyphenating and just keeping my name. I am the last in my family line with my surname who will probably have children. My father has a sister whose children have her (ex) husband's name. My sister will not have children. My half-sisters have my father's name but hyphenated with his wife's name. So that leaves me. In some ways my name is one the strongest connections I have left with my father and for that reason (which is very personal and most certainly not political, strangely enough) I don't want to just lop it off. Also, my name has been with me for 30+ years up to now and I am quite happy with the person I have become in that time. I'm proud of my name because of all the different experiences and attributes it signifies to me.
Most of my female friends who are married to men have taken their husband's name. I have no problem with their choices and I think their new names are really pretty, and I am not them. Actually, I like the idea of taking LJ's name party because I think that it looks pretty. LJ's name goes well with mine (when hyphenated) and I love him so why not combine our names?
But the question I keep asking myself is this: why shouldn't he take on my name too? And that's where I get stuck.

Calgary Arts Development

2007-11-13T08:13:00.001-08:00

Calgary Arts Development have a great website complete with blogs. Have a look - the site also hosts classifieds, has a mailing list you can sign up for, and a space for readers to share their perspectives (as artists or audience members). Cool stuff.

Street Style

2007-11-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

I always seem to have some kind of Internet craze going on. For a while it was youtube and I spent hours watching old Dolly clips. Then it was Etsy and I trawled through hundreds of online stores oooh'ing and ahhh'ing at all the pretty things (okay, and I bought a couple too). Now I'm addicted to street style blogs. I've been working my way through the fantastic blogroll at Facehunter. My favourites so far are Hel Looks (Finland), Stil in Berlin, and Dans Paris. I think I like the European ones because there is a lot less American Apparel stuff and I am just not okay with AA advertisements even if their shirts are probably quite handy. It's still all very hipster though. I guess I don't get the ultra-skinny jean look. I'm too old and too fat. There are still some ultra stylin' gals and guys out there and I like looking at their cool duds. It's wicked too to see how many people make their own stuff and buy second hand.
So there you have it. My latest form of procrastination. I told you that cartoon was apt.

Too Funny

2007-10-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

I saw this over at Kerrie's Place this evening and had to go steal it for myself. Describes the PhD experience perfectly ;) only mine is complicated by the fact that I'm studying online texts so can further cod myself that the Internet time is work (it is sometimes, just not Perez).

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Note: It is extra amusing to me that I found this cartoon when I was engaged in precisely the practice it describes. Tee.

Connections in Calgary

2007-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend at another conference. Connections: A Conference for Women was held to celebrate ten years of the Women's Centre of Calgary. After the Vancouver trip and another busy busy week at school I was dragging a bit about it all but I had a blast. I volunteered on the organizing committee (just doing minutes at their meetings) so I knew how much hard work had been going in to getting prepared for the event.
The entertainment and information sessions/workshops were fun and interesting and the dinner and party last night were so much fun. One of the really cool ideas was to have a dress-up room where we set out clothes that had been donated as well as accessories, make-up, hair products, etc. One of the Women's Centre board members and volunteers did make up for anyone who wanted extra glamorizing. There were lots of really cool clothes there and every five minutes there seemed to be a chorus of oooh and ahhh as someone else found that perfect fit. When we were all gathered at dinner and asked to stand if we felt beautiful everyone stood up and I have never seen so many people hit the dancefloor so quickly after a three course meal! I have met some awesome women at the Calgary Women's Centre and although things look too busy over the next couple of months for me to commit to another project I will seek something out in early 2008 if they'll have me.
I slept like a log last night and LJ and I finally had some QT this afternoon.
Last note today: here's a hilarious video from youtube that my friend Nic showed me last weekend: The Hipster Olympics. Funny stuff.

Roundup

2007-10-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've been my usual slovenly blogger-self :(
I do have an excuse, sort of. I was at AoIR in Vancouver for a few days. 'Twas very good. I was nervous but our presentation went well and we got some really useful feedback from quite a few people. I met some cool Internet researchers, watched some really wicked presentations. Ingrid Hoofd's presentation was my favourite. You can see the abstract here. I enjoyed it so much especially because she used some really cool theory (I'm beginning to accept that I like theory a lot). Anyway, I especially liked her use of Derrida's idea of archival violence and her unsettling of the (mis)conception of games/technology as being somehow neutral and 'clean' instruments. Her presentation was deep, critical, interesting, and presented in a really low-key yet attention grabbing (for me) style. I'm looking forward to reading the paper itself.
It was a good few days. I learned a lot about Second Life and D (who is also working on her PhD though further along than I am) and I are thinking about doing a Second Life project. So many cool projects, so little time...
I also got to meet some really great women I've been working with this year. Jenea and Lesley from /thirdspace/ met me at the Van Art Gallery for lunch and we had some yummy quiche (yay, quiche!) and chatted for a couple of hours. I had never met them in person even though I've been working with the journal since much earlier this year and have known Jenea online for about three years now (!)
I had decided to add on a couple of days beyond the conference to the trip and spent the time visiting, first with some Calgary friends who have moved West, and then with some old Tainan crew who have moved Wayyy West (or East, depending on how you think about it). There is a baby coming and lots of amazing career developments and there was even a painting making it back into my hands after three years - thanks K!
So... back in Calgary. Am going to write up my to-do list after this ;)
Some snippets from my procrastinating about work day today:
Dumbledore gay! I didn't read this piece because I'm worried it will include spoilers about the last book and LJ and I have been so busy lately we have not read a single page of it in over two weeks. As soon as I finish the book I'm all over this story. I like the idea that Rowling has extended her authorial role beyond the printed book but I wish that there would be more openly gay characters in mainstream fiction and mainstream children's fiction at that.
A film I want to see.
LA Ink keeps making my cry. But I love it.
I also love The Sartorialist.
And I have been stuffing myself with this yogurt. Try it, it's the bomb. I've had the blackberry and the mocha and both are deeeelicious. If I had to choose a favourite I'd go with the mocha. I know, I didn't think I would like a coffee yogurt but I can't get enough of it. So much better than the bog-standard shite I've been eating for the past two years.
Okay, that's it for me for now. Now to do the to-do.

Heroes - Kindred

2007-10-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

SPOILER ALERT (if you are not watching the new season of Heroes)!!!

Okay, I was finally moved to post something after last night's episode. I am not feeling the new season of Heroes at all. As I said to LJ last night, if it weren't for my old pals (Hiro, Claire, Ando, Sylar, Parkman...) I wouldn't bother.
Main complaints - the new batch of Heroes are crap. Maya and Alejandro are the worst. I. Just. Dont'. Care. about them. Bad acting, too much pretty, too little substance. I'm very disappointed. Although (SPOILER ALERT) it does look as though they hook up with Sylar next week so ideally he will nab their powers and dispose of them.
Other complaint. The Irish. Or the faux Irish. This is something that pisses me off a lot in American TV/film. I know that the U.S is riddled with Irish people, with people fresh out of Ireland even, and it really can't be that bloody difficult to find three or four Irish actors for a huge show like Heroes. Honestly, the fake Irish accents are atrocious. What makes it worse is that the Peter-in-Ireland storyline is one of the more interesting storylines going on at the moment and I can barely watch it for wincing at the 'brogue'.
There was a little redemption last night - Claire's love interest is getting a bit more, well, interesting, and it was nice to see Micah again. But the thing that made LJ and I laugh was when there was this little 'fun fact' bit before (or after, I can't remember) one of the commercial breaks where the 'character driven' nature of the show was expounded (in contrast to high-budget special effects) and the next fifteen minutes of the show had the WORST special effects ever! Cute.
Overall though, not so much. C'mon Heroes, I'm rooting for you.

Revolution or Tempest in a Teapot - YouTube, Facebook, and Blogs! Do they matter?

2007-10-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is the title of a panel discussion and community dialogue to be presented by The Alberta Global Forum and teh Glenbow Museum here in Calgary, October 10th.
Here are the details I received by email (the online announcement is here):

Revolution or Tempest in a Tea Pot - YouTube, Facebook and Blogs! Do they Matter?

The Alberta Global Forum and the Glenbow Museum present a panel discussion
and community dialogue. This event is free and everyone is welcome.
8 pm Oct 10, 2007
Telus Convention Centre, MacLeod Hall A

Panelists:

Dr. Bart Beaty received his PhD from McGill University and is an Associate
Professor in the Faculty of Communication & Culture at the University of
Calgary. He is the author of Unpopular Culture: Transforming the European
Comic book in the 1990s and Canadian Television Today (with Rebecca
Sullivan) among other works.

Dr. Michael Keren, an Israeli political scientist, received his PhD from the University of
Minnesota and holds a Canada Research Chair in Communication, Culture and Civil Society
at the University of Calgary. He is the author most recently of Blogosphere: The New Political Arena
and The Citizens Voice: Twentieth Century Politics and Literature.

Dr. Toby Miller received his PhD from Murdoch University (

Australia

) an
is Director of the Program in Film and Visual Culture at the University of
California,Riverside. He is the author most recently of Cultural
Citizenship and is editor of two journals: Television & New Media and Social Identities.
Dr. Serra Tinic has a PhD from Indiana University and is Associate Professor in the
department of Sociology at the University of Alberta. She is the author of On Location:

Canada

's Television Industry in a Global Market and of a number of important journal articles.

Michael Robinson (Chair) has been President and CEO of the Glenbow Museum
since 2000. A British Columbia Rhodes Scholar, he studied Anthropology at
Oxford and Law at UBC. Robinson headed the Arctic Institute of North
America from 1986 to 1999 and is the author of Sea Otter Chiefs and Sami
Potatoes (with Karim Aly-Kassam) which was based on his work in the Kola
Peninsula in association with the Gorbachev Foundation. Mike became a member of the Order of

Canada

in 2004.

Of course, I'm attending and I'm really curious as to how it will turn out. I do hope that the emphasis is on community dialogue and that the presence of so many academic heavyweights doesn't intimidate attendees from participating and speaking up. I know I often feel too shy and intimidated in such situations and that's something I'm really trying to overcome. I already have some questions regarding the title of the discussion so it'll be interesting to see if those are addressed by the panel. Dr Keren's 2006 book, Blogosphere, was quite controversial when it came out with quite a few bloggers taking offence to how they saw themselves as being characterised. I wonder if that will come up in the discussion at all?

"Do what you think will win..."

2007-10-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm lifting this interview by Jon Stewart with Chris Matthews from Feministing today. Brilliant interview.
I haven't read the book Matthews is hawking and which he claims is like, but better than, The Prince (or perhaps more scary than because we can't view it as an artifact of a much earlier time). And, although I agree wholeheartedly with Stewart in his assessment of it as a "recipe for sadness", I can't help but think that Matthews sounds like he's getting at something that I've observed in the context of blogging/social networking sites. Now I wouldn't promote this behavior in the same way he does but I have observed it and believe it exists. Stragegies of driving traffic to your blog is one example - linking to other sites, commenting, joining groups, doing things in order to garner readers. Well that's a bit like a promotional campaign. And some blogs are products that exist to be promoted, that's for sure. Others, not so much. 'I blog for me' was the refrain Adam Reed heard during his conversations with British bloggers. But despite these claims, Reed also noted that again and agin the same bloggers would refer to the audience (unknown) as a motivation for their activity and the potential of that audience as part of the pleasure of blogging. I've been thinking more and more lately about that presentation of self in blogging, the intentionality of it and, yes, the strategy of it. For someone who blogs about their personal life in a professional way (like, for instance, Heather Armstrong), or even for the average personal-journal style blogger, there are multiple possible motivations and mediations that must play on the choice of content, the choice of photo, the choice of self that is presented. And how is this not, in some way, strategy?
I agree with Jon Stewart, and I don't like Matthews' politics either. But I might read this book (though I will try to get it from a library). And I will also think more about how I might already be living my life like a campaign. What do you think? Are we promoting ourselves more and more in this current Western civilization? Are we obsessed with building our lists of friends, our links, our 'gifts'? Or is this just a current manifestation of a much older way of living. Think of the 1950's housewife and the pressure to present a perfect home and perfect children. How are these images different to the 'perfect' politician who smiles benevolently from the posters, no spinach between the (whitened) teeth? I sometimes untag photos of me on facebook which I think are unflattering. Why do this unless I am promoting myself in someway?
Thoughts?