don't be alarmed by alarms

today I had decided to get stuck in and do studying the renaissance.
so naturally I spent the morning sleeping, thinking about race and reading the ongoing metafandom discussion
and the afternoon thus far either eating, feeling sleepy cause of eating, doing laundry, or sitting here all tensed up because the alarm company knocked on doors to tell us don't be alarmed when the alarms go off cause they're just working on them.

... I can see how it's helpful to tell, but, *sigh*

Also they asked for the key to the electric cupboard. I have a key with a sticky that says 'key elect cupb' so I gave them that. Turns out it don't work. I have now discovered another key that says 'new key elect'. But they've already gone down the housing office to ask for the key. Luckily it's just along the road, but still. :eyeroll:

... how did I end up with a stash of keys when I thought I didn't got one?

... and how come the old keys to the elect don't open things when the old keys to the yale looking front door work plenty well?



also today is rubbish bin day. with rubbish bin machine noise. it is very difficult to have Thoughts in my head when it is full of Noise.
Nobody likes bins noise.
but everybody likes empty bins.

Diversity, of the good

I've been thinking about diversity in fan and media texts, in conventions, in conversations, and I've been trying to pin down why I value it. I think it boils down to the same reason I participate in conversation at all:

I know what I think, please tell me what you think.

Otherwise the inside of my head is like a teeny tiny echo chamber. It's loud in there, but it's all just me. Blah.
( Read more... )

I want to listen more.

I want to read more widely, watch more shows with more diverse writers and actors, read LJs that reflect different experiences of the world.

And when I go to conventions or clubs and chat with fellow fans, I want to be hearing new things from them too.


There's this way of categorising fanfic, so there's some that's trying to be more-of, and there's some that's trying to get more-from.

Friends lists can easily be more-of. We look for people who see the same cool things and want to talk about them. Fun.

But I think we can also all get more-from, if we work to find it.

Public transport. Arrgh.

Someone posted to a torchwood comm that there's a rail strike on the line we'll need to get to and from the Hub convention on the days we'll need it.

Arrgh.

So. Cannot rely on there even being a train, let alone one I can catch.

*does the stompy dance of trains are bad*

Right then. Other plans?

The travel planner site Transport Direct reckons I can take the bus, change at Peterborough.
The Dereham to Peterborough part of the route takes two hours. The Peterborough to Northampton part takes 2 hours 30 minutes. Then I'll need a taxi to the hotel.
X1 from Dereham, in the opposite direction to usual. X4 from bay 15 in Peterborough bus station.

The travel planner and google maps agree that by car it takes less than three hours, door to door, allowing a bit of time for traffic.

... how much does 115 miles cost in a taxi anyways...?
... ugh. I don't even know if I can travel that far in a car or bus without being sick.