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[Metope]

Hey guys I'm in Bournemouth! The past few days have been really rad and all, saw The Go! Team on valentine's, walked outside without a jacket for the first time this year (almost spring yay), but the highlight was yesterday when I met this crazy guy at a bar who spilled mead all over himself, then he came inside for a cup of tea in the middle of the night and proceeded to eat some of the birthday decorations in the living room before doing drugs that he claiimed was 'legal' in a corner. You guys might know him, I dunno.

[Inlander]

saw The Go! Team on valentine's

Congratulations! Has your hearing returned yet?

[Metope]

Say what?

[Katherine]

I had an MRI done on my knee today and I am torn between wanting them to find something wrong with it so it can be fixed and I can get on with my life after two years of pain and suffering, and wanting there to be nothing wrong with it because fuck surgery and the associated recovery time. 

[Zingoleb]

Someone's been accessing fetlife from the library computers.


edit: he also didn't sign out of yahoo, so I know who he is now. was tempted to post the name but I dunno, I feel like I've filled my dickish quota enough lately

[Rizzo]

My bags are all packed, had to pull a few things out and set them aside for shipping as they were over the weight limit. Flying out in a little under 4 hours. Have to be at the airport in an hour and a half. About to leave the house. Goodbye Auckland, hello Sydney.

Super excited and terrified at the same time. This whole moving country thing seems to have happened a lot faster and more strangely than I anticipated.

See all you Sydney homeslices soon!

[JD]

Shit my grandfather probably won't survive the week. More blogging when I get back from the hospital.

[Lines]

:c

[jhocking]

That is very sad news, I hope you are okay.

[ummmkay]

i'm watching through all the seasons of buffy for the first time, and i just watched the episode in season 5 where

(click to show/hide)

joyce dies

and man you guys i am kind of crying a lot over this. i'm just sitting here in my bed with tears rolling down my face. i feel sort of awkward for how emotional i am being about this right now.

[scarred]

JD, that sucks, survive though or else.

[jhocking]

i feel sort of awkward for how emotional i am being about this right now.

pfft you are such a girl

[ummmkay]

yep.

[Ozymandias]

No, yeah. Stupid powerful episode. Really well done hour of television. The best bit was completely

(click to show/hide)

Anya, of all people, breaking down in such a spectacularly confused fashion

[Jace]

If Jurassic Bark is ever on, I just fucking lose it.

[Patrick]

I cry every fucking time I watch Saving Private Ryan.

(click to show/hide)

You remember the dude in that movie who talked about how his single mother would come home from work and would just wanna talk to him, and he'd pretend to sleep? And then you watch him get fuckin' owned by some sniper asshole, and as he bleeds out you hear him screaming "MAMA! MAMAAAA!" It hurts like I'm getting stabbed. Every. Fucking. Time.

Dear blag,

Last night I worked. Today, I was two hours late for a shift that they signed me up for as I was leaving work yesterday (since I was leaving yesterday and somebody was giving me a ride, I accepted in a hurry and forgot to write the shift down). But it's cool because it was a 'cover' shift that I was working. You are allowed significantly more leeway if you are late to a shift that was a last-minute addition.

[Alex C]

The only part of Saving Private Ryan that made me uncomfortable was when Mellish got knifed.

[Patrick]

Oh god. You know that feeling that feels like every miniscule muscle in your body is being tickled, and in an aching painful way? That's the feeling that scene gives me.

Movie is so goddamn intense.

[JD]

Soooooo about that grandfather thing. He's not as bad as it was initially feared; the prognosis is a optimistic three weeks instead of a week at the most. He has an infection is his foot which they are treating with the right antibiotics today. One of his lungs also collapsed and he has a bit of pneumonia. He's on heavy painkillers and seems to be out of focus and dizzy all the time. The thing is that he would have to remain in the hospital indefinitely when he only got out a month or so before. The four of us: My aunt, uncle, my dad and I agree that isn't a very good way to live your life. The idea was to see if he is well enough in a week to see if he can make decisions. (additionally lots of family are flying in tomorrow so apparently there will be a big discussion or something) On top of all this my aunt is renovating her house which required a temporary move, My great uncle's health is also deteriorating(though he is stable at the moment_{[oddly enough they are both named Alan]}) aaand we're moving at the end of the month.

Everything is happening at once and augh I just don't know how to react to anything.

[JD]

bluh it's been about two hours since I got back from the hospital and three hours since I got the news and it's only now I feel like bawling my eyes out.

[Tom]

I just checked my mark for Anatomy from last semester and it's a pass or fail mark now (I passed, naturally). Hooray... I suppose.

On related not, here's an update on how the NTEU's industrial action at UNSW is fairing.

On January 21 this year the academic and professional staff who are members of the NTEU (i.e. my colleagues and I) voted to remove the S2 2010 bans. This was not because we had come to an agreement with the UNSW administration.  It was because UNSW management had started releasing falsified results in an effort to undermine the ban.  The NTEU members decided to release the correct results to avoid further damage to the university's reputation by management.

At the same meeting on January 21 progress regarding negotiations between UNSW management and NTEU delegates was discussed. As you are most likely aware, these negotiations have centred around the signing and enforcement of a new enterprise agreement.  Enterprise agreements are standard across Australian universities and are essentially a 3-4 year contract between staff members and university management over employment and work conditions.

Unlike all other Australian universities, UNSW does not have a current agreement and has not had one for two years.  For the last two years the NTEU has been trying to negotiate with the Vice Chancellor Fred Hilmer and the Head of Human Resources David Ward to get an agreement which is consistent with all other universities.  On several occasions during these negotiations it has been made abundantly clear to the NTEU that the Vice Chancellor is not interested in signing any agreement even though it is clearly the desire of the academic staff.

Now after two years of industrial action (including several strikes and two results bans) the negotiations have progressed to the point where we have a drafted agreement which has been tabled for negotiation.  Unfortunately this agreement falls well short of the basic conditions of all other universities and it does not provide any ongoing job security for UNSW academic staff.  Job security is not only essential for current staff wishing to simply plan their lives, but it is also extremely important for UNSW to be competitive with other universities when attracting new high-standard teaching and research staff.

The members of the NTEU as well as many other non-members of the UNSW academic staff would like to know exactly why is it that the Vice Chancellor is so unwilling to budge on this issue. What is so different at UNSW that the staff do not deserve the same conditions of employment as the staff at all other Australian universities? The answer is absolutely nothing.  UNSW is a wealthy institution (a fact which is totally reflected in the current salary of the Vice Chancellor: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fairfax-ceo-goes-back-to-university/2005/10/16/1129401145633.html) and therefore the staff deserve the right to secure ongoing employment like all other GO8 Universities.  The Vice Chancellor argues that it is the uncertainty of overseas enrolments which necessitates the need for short-term employment.  This issue has, however, always existed and it does not seem to concern the administrations of all other Australian Universities.

The upshot is we (the academics and professional staff who are members of the NTEU and care about quality education and UNSW's reputation) have made a vow to continue to fight this issue until either the Vice Chancellor shows some respect and compassion for his staff or he is removed by the members of the UNSW Council (the body of ministerial and elected representatives who govern UNSW and appoint the Vice Chancellor see: http://www.secretariat.unsw.edu.au/council/register.htm).  We have resolved to have more bans in the future as well as other strategic protests designed to exert maximum pressure on UNSW management.  One such protest is to occur on Monday next week (February 21) at 1pm outside the chancellery (i.e. the area to the right of the main entrance to the Clancy Auditorium; also see the attached pdf).  The UNSW council are meeting in the Chancellery at 2pm and the aim is to show the arriving council members that we totally disapprove of Fred Hilmer's unwillingness to negotiate on job security.  Lunch will be provided in the form of a BBQ, so please come along if you too would like to see this issue resolved and the university's reputation restored.

Cheers and I really hope to see you on Monday

p.s. I've also included an email below which was recently sent by the NTEU to UNSW staff for your reading.
If you are so inclined, the following links are to sites which give more information on the issues faced at UNSW.
http://www.ouruniversitiesmatter.com.au/
http://www.nteu.org.au/unsw/
http://www.unswstaff.org/
I find the information at the following link particularly pertinent giving the current situation at UNSW.
http://www.ouruniversitiesmatter.com.au/key/academic_freedom


tl;dr NTEU is now in a position to negotiate a completely unfair deal that is tokenistic at most and as such they will continue to strike. Protest/BBQ outside the Clancy on 21/2 at 1300 if any one wants to support the NTEU/lunch.

[JD]

Man you would think with a uncle and a father on their deathbed my mom wouldn't really sweat a dirty house but noooooo.

[Barmymoo]

Perhaps cleaning is helping her to cope? As in, a menial task she can focus on may stop her from breaking down entirely. I'm so sorry to hear about your news, that must be really difficult.


I just got back from an exhausting but fun week in Brittany with the family I'm working for, and now I'm about to head off tomorrow for a week at home - or rather at all three homes, in seven days. That is likely to be exhausting too but it'll be the first time in six weeks where I've not been around people aged under 12 and I'm looking forwards to seeing my family.

Also I got an email on Valentine's Day from my ex-girlfriend with the following image:



It is just perfect, in so many ways.

[JD]

Well she was actually off in Scotland with her uncle up until now; my grandfather was fairly stable up until the other day.  My dad and I had to clean up a few days before because our landlady had do a showing of the house. I think it was okay for her so I don't know why she is complaining.

But she's obviously under a lot of stress so I'll let it slide.

[KvP]

My laptop done broke

[Stephquiem]

I found out... Tuesday that I'm moving out of my parents' house and into my first apartment  two weeks from tomorrow. My number one thought while packing has been "What the hell was I thinking when I bought all this shit?"

The next time I think it's a good idea to buy something heavy, no matter how cool I think it is, someone please shoot me. And/or remind me that if a book doesn't fit on my bookshelf, it's not going to fit in a box.

[tania]

facebook won't let me change my name to "tania rocket" yeah well how do you know that isn't my real name facebook, what do you even know

[bainidhe_dub]

Seriously, there is a guy from my hometown who changed his facebook name to Furtex Firefox. It is his fursona name. (I do not mock him for being a furry, but I do mock him for being a gray fox with a neon green mohawk and an all-around weird guy.)

[Tom]

My laptop done broke

I feel your pain. At least I'm getting in fixed on the cheap but the loan one the guy gave me has a dead network card (fuck you dell d610, why are you square?).

[Dazed]

"tania rocket"

Honestly I wasn't aware that there was anything you couldn't change your name to. One of my friends is "Talon Clawhammer" on Facebook. Another one is "Kelly McRib."

[tania]

yeah me neither! it started off as kind of a one off joke i made a few months back about how i wasn't particularly attached to my silly last name and "tania rocket" had a better ring to it but now that i've been mulling it over i actually kind of like it. it would be especially fun to be referred to as "dr. rocket" throughout my academic career if i did actually end up pursuing a phd. i mean these are choices i obviously wouldn't make without a much longer period of consideration but for the time being i also kind of don't really want my real name on facebook anymore and yet facebook won't acknowledge the legitimacy of my dumb life choices despite fully supporting everyone else's dumb life choices. you suck, facebook. i'll fight you.

[celticgeek]

Just start a whole new Facebook account, with whatever name you want.

[Scandanavian War Machine]

this is pretty much how i've felt today

Thou art a dreaming thing; A fever of thyself- think of the Earth; What bliss even in hope is there for thee? What haven? Every creature hath its home; Every sole man hath days of joy and pain, whether his labours be sublime or low- The Pain alone; the joy alone; distinct: Only the dreamer venoms all his days, Bearing more woe than all his sins deserve

but then i got paid and bought myself a new video game and i'm gonna get some weed on the way home so fuck feeling sad and weird and i'm gonna get hyped up here when i get off work

[StaedlerMars]

So I was in Barcelona for the past week where I basically just drank and ate too much food, was out every night till at least 5, attended way too many open bars, and woke up at 10 again every next morning.

Is going out again tonight a bad idea?

[Metope]

Not the slightest, it's weekend!

[StaedlerMars]

Yeah, but I'm like not 100% sure my body can physically handle it.

edit: also I just looked at the time and it's 1.30, which means I'd be paying 5 quid to get into a shitty club for like an hour. Fuck that.

[nekowafer]

Apparently they "confirm" changes somehow and this takes 24 hours. How do they confirm anything?

Turns out I'm the only person with my name on all of facebook, unless there's someone whose profile is hidden. There are those with the same first name, though not many. My name is unique! Mostly!

Can you change your last name and put your current last name in as your maiden name? Then delete it later. Trick facebook.

[bainidhe_dub]

Maybe try changing your relationship status at the same time. I did not have any trouble changing to my married name. Who is Facebook to say you didn't have a short-lived marriage to one Mr. Rocket, and then chose to keep the name?

[Dimmukane]

My name is also the only one of its' kind on facebook; I would change it but most people just refer to me by the title of a popular Milton Bradley board game anyway so I doubt it'd improve things.

[jodizzle]

Facebook has recently cracked down on the names you can have.  Like, I could only put my derby name in the middle if it was one word and in inverted commas.  Otherwise it doesn't pass thier 'tests'.

[Jace]

I think that is because facebook started to realize that people aren't really named "Shauna YoBabbyDaddyAintGotShtOnMe BetchzNhaterz"

[McTaggart]

What if your name really is weird? Will somebody please think of the (celebrity) children!?

[JD]

I think that is because facebook started to realize that people aren't really named "Shauna YoBabbyDaddyAintGotShtOnMe BetchzNhaterz"

Hey that name has been passed down in the family for generations.

[Barmymoo]

Why the hell should Facebook decide what we're called anyway? It seems kind of sinister to me that some computer programmer somewhere is passing judgment on people's names.


I'm about to go home! For a whole week! For the first time in six weeks! Actually I haven't been home for a whole week since early December! I am excite! (When I say home I mean England - I will be in three different homes in seven days.)

[Jimor]

Since it's buried up in the Creativity sub-forum, I thought I'd whine here about the fact that the contest judges at genero.tv rejected my entry for the Duran Duran official music video contest. Even though IMO, it was better than my entry for Royksopp last month that made it as a finalist.

Go see it here. Yes that means you have to listen to a Duran Duran song, but there's a pretty girl (a former co-worker), and a pretty darn neat special effect inside if I do say so myself.

Anyway, I'll keep giving it a shot, since whatever the results, the effort has made me a better filmmaker and editor, and I really want to get into music video production. I'll be seeking out local artists to work within the coming months as well.

At school, the TV/film department is offering a 3-day, 1-unit "class" that is basically a field trip down to Hollywood with behind the scenes access to various TV and movie production facilities. That should be fun and enlightening.

EDIT: VVV @Slick: Thanks. That pretty much coincides with my own views on what the weaknesses are. I'm usually much better in building a story, but I only had one day to shoot everything I needed on my own. I'm glad you liked the effect, though, it was something that popped into my mind whole the night before the shoot, and I still have no idea where it came from, I just knew exactly what I needed to do to make it work with what I had.

It still stings, but hasn't discouraged me. I'm more of "Well, I'll show you next time!" kind of person, and with the next contest, I'll start working much earlier to have time to do it all right.

[Slick]

To be perfectly honest, the Duran Duran video isn't terribly interesting? I mean, the editing and camera work is good, I really liked the switch-switch-switches where she doesn't break stride (that looked really good!) but, like, nothing happened and it kind of felt like one long shot where nothing happened.
Just trying to be honest and helpful, I dig your Royksopp one more because the shots all look different and the contrasting motions and speeds work real well. That one is pretty boss.

[The Seldom Killer]

My uncle had a stroke while on holiday in Turkey and had to have an emergency repatriation. Apparently not doing that well. More surprising really that he was one of the few in my family to follow a very healthy lifestyle, which adds a bit more impact to the sudden confrontation of one's own mortality.

[Rizzo]

I've successfully survived 4 days in Sydney. I haven't spent too much money as yet so I geel like I'm doing ok! Got a bank account and applied for a tax number but haven't gotten healthcare yet due to their stringent ID requirements.

...I still feel like I'm on holiday.

[Tom]

Sorry about the weather this weekend, February is kinda crazy like that.

[Jimmy the Squid]

Hey so yesterday I got a phone call from my brother, he said my parents (who I am having dinner with in a few weeks) are very interested in my tattoos. Apparently they're also very upset about it. Apparently my dad is pissed that I asked to borrow $50 to apply for uni when I've clearly had that amount of money and more saved for my arms. This is going to be a fun dinner.