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well may the world go when i'm far away

Bad news all round the last few days - TERFs winning a court case to allow anyone who wants to deny GRCs last week, and then Pope Francis dying this morning. Of course he'd been in terrible health for much of the year, but I'm still sad about it.

I didn't agree with everything he said (of course!) but the work he did on refocussing the Church and particularly the media voices away from spending all their time on ABORTION and HOMOSEXUALITY towards, you know, poverty and injustice and all the things that Jesus spent most of his time talking about was just amazing. Now we're left worrying about who will take over, and what agenda they might have; he's appointed a good share of the current voting-age cardinals, which hopefully means that whoever it is won't immediately undo everything. RIP Pope Francis, and thank you.

Today was my big DAY OFF and I have, on the one hand, done two weeks' worth of ironing, three loads of laundry, a week's worth of washing up, and a fair amount of assorted tidying up; on the other hand, I read a JD Robb book, played an hour or two of Dragon Age: Veilguard, had a nap, and spent enough time in idleness that I feel reasonably well-rested. My dad said to me yesterday when I was leaving to come home, "You're really tired today, aren't you?" and I thought about whether I was tired and spontaneously started leaking tears (always a sure indication!!). I feel much more emotionally stable today, fortunately.

Unfortunately I am now going back to their house for the next two days as part of a rota to make sure that Mum has someone around for a) dinner prep and b) potential crises while Dad's in France making sure the house hasn't fallen down since he had to rush back in January. It should be relatively peaceful - there'll be some assorted chores around stripping, laundering, and remaking beds, maybe a bit of restoring order after the departure of the houseful of guests, but I'm taking several books, a few DVDs, and my booklog file to hopefully make some progress on. But no video games, alas. I'll leave there to go to choir, then back home for work on Thursday followed by book group followed by back into the office on Friday, because the fun just never stops!! but honestly the next few weeks are moderately reasonable.

Current Mood: relaxed
Current Location: The Rookery
Current Music: Enigma,MCMXC AD

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Conquest, Isla Bell Charity, and an Easter Message

How have you spent the Easter break? I've spent it at the Conquest gaming convention, where four hundred nerds took over every room of the Coburg City Hall for a convention that's been running since the 1980s. Not that I did any gaming myself, as I safely esconced at the RPG Review Cooperative table with various games that members have put up for sale, which includes a majority of which is fundraising for the Isla Bell Charitable Fund. This particular run, "Gamers for Isla" is now coming to a close after an eight-week fundraising campaign which raised approximately $15000, with a bit in various pledges to come in. I must thank Andrew, Charmaine, Penny, Liz, Karl, Michael, Edward, Rade, and Tim for helping transport goods, staffing the stall, and generally providing awesome company over the three days.

A real highlight of the convention was the visits from Isla Bell's family to our group. This included her uncle, Kieran, who provided an opening speech at Conquest about who Isla was, what happened to her, and the importance of the Fund. Also present on that day was his partner who has a mutual interest in immersive technologies as a teaching tool. The following day, there was a visit from Isla's mother, Justine, and her partner, and then on the third day, a visit from her uncle, Christopher. Justine made a rather delightful Facebook reel about our fundraising efforts, and Christopher and I had a long conversation about an old mutual friend (sadly departed), Simon Millar. Michael O'Brien of the gaming company, Chaosium, donated the special-edition folio set of their most famous roleplaying game, "Call of Cthulhu", to further raise money for the Fund.

In this context, it is necessary to make a few comments about Easter. The Biblical literalism, bound too strongly and ludicrously by religious fundamentalists, is too easy to mock. The notion of "zombie Jesus" brings laughter, and even deeper, the argument that "Jesus the Lich" is even more accurate (gamers understand that one). My irreverent side derives pleasure from this as well. But what is overlooked by both the fundamentalists and the new atheists and their ilk is a metaphorical reading; that for any person of great spirit, not even the end of their life is the end of their story. Certainly, it is a critical juncture in their wider narrative, not just the closing of a chapter, but the ending of a book. But the narrative and themes of the character can continue. And this is what groups like the Isla Bell Fund charity represent: a tribute that continues a story that deserves and needs to be told. So, for all of you (myself included), go and produce great art, seek and advocate for justice and liberty, and unearth the facts of our shared existence.

Easter again

Have survived most of Holy Week! Such minor crises as Fr Bernard accidentally skipping over the Gloria and having to reinsert it right before the Gospel were largely invisible to the congregation, which is nearly the same as not happening, right...

Just the biggest one left tonight. I think we're ready??

Choir went OK - I was a bit disappointed in us, but people I've talked to from the audience seemed to think we sounded good!

And then it's into family stuff for a few days...

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ACMI Cyberpunk and Sean Doyle

Over the past week-and-a-bit, the Australian Centre for Moving Images (ACMI) has been hosting a cyberpunk film festival and I have been fortunate enough to meander across the Yarra a few times to have a taste of these events. Of course, it makes a lot of sense that I should attend; as a self-identified cyberpunk from the 1980s in a dilapitdated duplex with multiple battered copies of Mirrorshades in circulation and our 1970s AlphaMicro AM-100 network along with our gothic rock band in residence, "The Accelerated Men". All such heady days from my well-spent youth, and it set a trajectory to who I am now and, I suppose the "Cyberpunk 2020: Year of the Stainless Steel Rat" conference that I hosted a few years back provided was both celebration and reminiscence. That was quite a day.

Anyway, the first film I watched was with Fiona C., was "Tetsuo: The Iron Man", a thoroughly arthouse production which is correctly described as being similar to the works of Lynch and Cronenberg where a metal fetishist gains their horrific wish and begins to transform into a metallic cyborg in all the wrong ways. Following this, Nitul D., and I caught up for a superb double, "Blade Runner" and "Blade Runner 2049". Those who know me at all know that I consider "Blade Runner" to be my favourite film for its prescience, the story, the characters and their development, and that "Blade Runner 2049" is a truly impressive sequel with a deeply satisfying story and presentation - all of which I have mentioned in the past when I reviewed the film on the LJ Cyberpunk group. Finally, on Monday eve, Liza D., and I ventured to see "Strange Days", which includes all I dislike about Los Angeles culture mixed with influences from David Cronenberg's "Videodrome" and the Rodney King LA riots of 1992 - but who remembers that, anyway? In addition, I managed to get to see the ACMI exhibition, "The Future and Other Fictions", which included various near future movie props (the models from Blade Runner 2049 and Bjork's dress from "The Gate" particularly caught my attention.

I am also going to take this opportunity to spend a few words on an old friend, Sean Doyle. Late last year, I had three friends shuffle off the mortal coil: a neighbour, a dear friend, and my mentor. Somehow, I missed at the time that Sean, who had worked at ACMI for many years, had also died, apparently whilst at his favourite holiday destination on Gabo Island. Sean and I were very good friends during the late 1990s when we did a fair bit of gaming together, along with our interests in left-of-centre politics and Melbourne's history. He was also quite the happy camper, an aficionado of folk music, and loved engaging in the fine arts. I hadn't seen much of him from that period onwards, however, for no particular reason, and whilst I had every intention to go, I missed the "celebration of his life" as I had a different household matter that demanded my attention. I am pleased that the celebration is available on YouTube . Valedictions, Sean. I loved your company, your sharp mind, your sense of the absurd, and your aesthetic sense.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Location: The Rookery
Current Music: Cocteau Twins, Garlands

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Political Matters: Global, National, Personal

So this is a political entry. Starting on the global level, the announcement of radical changes in import tariffs by the United States of America has exposed the instability in global markets and the amount of fictitious capital but is founded on the bizarre calculation from debt. As one commentator put it: "The notion that taxing Lesotho gemstones is necessary for the U.S. to add steel jobs in Ohio is so absurd that I briefly lost consciousness in the middle of writing this sentence". Now, the administration has paused the imposition as global markets tumbled (except China, which has stood up and probably has the edge when it comes to economic resilience). The announcement of the pause seems to have been subject to insider-training.

The international effect of the US administration is influential in the current Australian political climate, with LNP leaders openly aligning themselves to the Trump administration. Policy-wise, they've followed the same playbook as their US counterparts: disastrous economic policies, wrecking public health, stripping the public service, "reforming" labour laws, and, as always, in the pocket of the wealthiest elite of the minerals and energy sector. Even their slogan, "Back on Track" means the track of Abbott, Morrison, and, the worst of them all, Dutton. High inflation, reduced real wages, higher taxes, and higher budget deficits. Weakening public health, education, and, as always, welfare. This 'is The Track' they want us to get back on, with the extra pain of Trump's chaos.

The LNP policies are so terrible they have to abandon them in days after announcing them. With an utter lack of economic literacy and an astounding inability to read the room, they are persisting with their plans for nuclear energy. Their campaign is a mess, with candidates being questioned and even stood down for extremist positions. They are led by a potato. Which we know in the Australian vernacular means a person of remarkable incompetence, the personality of a dullard, and is possibly poisonous. After leading in polls for months as a carping opposition, when actually put on the national stage and asked why they are a viable alternative, they have managed how unready they are. They are definitely not worth the risk; hence their sudden collapse in the polls.

Finally, on a personal note, a number of us met at the Union bar in Fitzroy this week for a small celebration of Tristan Ewins' life, who I wrote about recently. Led by Sarah H., the gathering was mainly made up of comrades from his Young Labor days (I was a bit of an outlier in this regard). All had stories to share (they far more than me), along with loving recognition of his personality traits, his conciliatory and balanced assessment from facts, his equally steadfast and passionate commitment to the underprivileged and working people, and the seriousness he took the public policy. The world is a lessened place by his absence, but we have his writing. I am quite prepared to go out on a limb and suggest that Tristan's writings be read and referred to for some time because he was always thinking about practical implementations and the long-run effects of policy, seriously and long-sighted.

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holy week succeeds at sneaking up on me... again

Easter preparations are inching forwards; I've typed up most of my notes, which is good because we're now into the "scheduling meetings with the priests" stage, aiming for next Saturday.

My Tasmanian home-stay has decided to stay in town instead of with me, which is a little bit sad but mostly kind of a relief (and not least because I was probably going to need to work in the office while he was here, which also meant a lot more complications around meal preparations since I would have needed three packed meals per day every day...).

Next week is not going to be very much fun, with three days of work-and-choir followed by three days of church, but at least once I get to Thursday I don't have anything except church to worry about. And all the decisions should have been made by then. I'm reminding myself of this every time I start to panic again, and it's helping... a bit.

The weather has been spectacular this week - it's still fairly chilly ( regularly going down to 3 or 4C overnight!) and quite windy but it's been dry and sunny for days and days, and going to stay like that for the rest of the week. Sunshine is just so cheering, particularly when it's also cool enough that I'm not sweating.