dirty shitty things

'Clean Coal' may be to some a dirty lie, but to me it is an endless excuse to poke fun at this silly idea that has yet to be proven in the actual real world on a commercial scale. Ever. In the actual real world, however, the increasingly desperate coal lobby is dreaming up more and more crazy, cost-ineffecient and often dangerous methods of capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it deep into the ground. Seriously, if you've had enough of doom and gloom just take a quick squiz at the the DPI's brochure entitled 'Putting the Carbon Back' or my personal favourite for Most-Shameless-Business-Name-Ever-Award Environmental Clean Solutions. I guarantee it, you will be ROFLing on the carpet with bitter tears streaming from your eyes.
On a more serious note however, the next few weeks will be make-or-break-time for the dodgy HRL project that has been limping along for the last 7 years. There is a rally (Feb 1, 12.30, Parli). You should go there.

year for hanging out with books

Happy new year! I'm so excited! Why? Because 2012 is the National Year of Reading! Not that I need that as an excuse to spend time with my nose in a book, but somehow it seems to justify the little pile of Too-Many-Books-To-Possibly-Read-At-Once beside my bed. At the moment I am dividing my attention between Radical Melbourne, one of SLV's recommended summer-reads, and Janet Frame's The Carpathians. I've been on a bit of a Frame kick of late and have been trying to convince N to watch An Angel At My Table for the third time. Apart from the fact it is amazing, I just adore that scene where little-Janet has won a year-long membership to the Athaeneum Library, and she goes there and is overwhelmed by all these amazing books. Its a tearjerker, that's for sure, not to mention a reminder that libraries are super important and lovely.

keep whales in the ground

When my dad was a young hippy dude in the 70s he wore two badges to his science lectures religiously: "keep uranium in the ground" and "save the whales". For the sake of brevity one of his lecturers suggested he combine the two into "keep whales in the ground". Tee hee. The badges have since been retired, but before becoming a washed up baby-boomer my dad didn't fail to pass on his passion for the environment to me. This year has been a big year for me doing hippy things, and while I'm not that into wearing 1-inch badges, I am into chronicling my exploits through the medium of sequential narrative. Yes that's right, I made a mini-comic about my year as a freshly minted activist. Its called Spirit Fingers and very soon I will make some more and take them to place where they may be exchanged for coins or swappage.

dreams of another...

silly season

This year N and I decided that after being christmas-shopping-zombies last year, running round trying to find salad servers, a whipper-snipper and explorer socks, this year we would MAKE everyone presents. I know, crazy right?
We started in earnest last week, and this weekend we're putting the finishing touches on all our little hand-made goodies. I was lucky enough to be gifted the Zakka craft book for my birthday, so I've had plenty of ideas for little things to make. Today, however, N surpassed all my efforts with these super-sweet hand-made wooden buttons! Yes, he made them! With his own two hands! I can't get over them, they're sooo sickly adorable Japanese shabby chic!

freedom

There have been a few kinda scary uses of the word "freedom" this week in the pokies debate and occupy thingies. Maybe I'm getting old and cycnical, but I distinctly remember the saying went
"liberté, égalité, fraternité".

So many words, so little time...

Just over 1 year ago I went up to Brisvegas for the inaugural Allen & Unwin / Queensland Writers Centre mentorship for Children's Literature. After a week of talking with editors, publishers, booksellers and other amazing writers, the idea was that I would go home, finish off my manuscript and resubmit. Well, at least that was the plan! Then I overloaded with uni, got an extra day's work, got involved in a campaign to end coal power in Victoria and lo and behold it was October again, and I still hadn't finished!
I had loadsa drawings, ideas and words, but I'd yet to sit down and finish piecing the darned thing together.
Then, amazingly, I sat down at a desk and finished it off. I know. Crazy. I just sat down and wrote. After doing 'plot-plans', brainstorming, drawing and boring my boyfriend to death about it, I worked out the suprising fact that writing is the way that books are written.
Huh. Who would have thought?

road trip!

This weekend is going to be all about my boy, my bike and my book. We're road tripping up to Castlemaine, courtesy of V-Line, before hopping on our bikes and heading south to Daylesford where the weekend will be spent. Although, the prospects aren't looking promising as I write this, with rain pouring down, and N on the veranda, cursing, with my bike in pieces. Fingers crossed we make it!

awoooo

Ever since my true-love bought me Pablo Holmberg's delightful Edén back from the USA earlier this year I have been percolating, slowly, softly, some ideas about a strange place all of my own, constructed only in sets of four square panels.

bon temps!

N and I just returned on the o'ernight train from Newcastle: sleepy, stiff and satisfied. From the moment we stepped into the home of Newie's finest activists we were made to feel welcome, and it was a shame we didn't get to spend more time hanging out at their inner-suburban californian bungalow compound-cum-activist lair. But there was a festival to enjoy, and a city full of grand broken-down buildings to explore and grumpy service-people to annoy!
Despite warnings from some locals we actually managed to enjoy our time at TINA - though some of the events we went to were pretty average, there were many that were simply stellar, and made the long journey worth it. The zine fair too exceeded expectations (mine were pretty low to start with, after being billed $20 for a stall). To help justify the cost I decided I would lower myself as a zine-maker and do some 'crafts' to sell... I made these super-twee mushroom chains, and someone actually bought one!

who am i kidding?

In less than 2 weeks I will be a qualified Librarian. As well as making comics, I'm finding cooking elaborate dinners is an effective way of distracting myself from my studies.

safety first

Tomorrow is Moving Planet day and I'm facing the dilemma of what to wear! Every time I get on my bike I feel the weight of this responsibility: try hard to look normal or try hard not to die? It usually ends as a compromise between the two. Tomorrow I'm lucky enough to be on team Bikezilla, which is pretty much where its at as far as pedal-powered travel goes. So's... I guess I'd better look my best. Who said lycra can't be attractive?