Input/Output conference plans

Well, we are near the final hurdle, financing-wise. Yesterday proved successful in terms of rallying support for the conference, in the form of statements, so hopefully we can move things on to actionable by Tuesday, which is when Things Will Be Decided. Fingers crossed. We will try and put the final touches to the application this evening.

Strange times. An old friend, Lee, lost half his leg in a motorbike accident. Others are suffering from various frightening diseases. One’s own troubles are small, in comparison.

It feels tight, time-wise. I would like for so much to happen, and time seems compressed. Maybe that is only my frame of mind.

A promising meeting with Punchdrunk earlier in the week indicates that I will be able to begin my field studies in November – I really hope so; it has been a long time coming. I am now working on the ethics approval process, which no doubt will come with its own complications.

How time passes

I am still not well, but better than I have been for a little while.

Last night, we went to the Digital Festival closing party for an hour or so. The usual suspects were there. Today brought at early start, so we left fairly early. Back for food and then sleep.

I can sleep, eat and breathe freely again. It feels pretty amazing. I have been ill for at least two weeks.

What has been happening? Of yes – Nimbus launch last Thursday, 0-1. Thankfully it all went well. Nothing broke. The Nightingale was a perfect venue, and I think about the right amount of people turned up. I was very glad to be working as part of a team on the night – Jamie did the presentation, and I could stay a bit back, which I prefer on such occasions. People seemed happy with the project, which is the main thing.

Afterward, I fell to pieces. Luckily, I was looked after. I was pretty ill on Friday, though we went out to dinner with Johnny and Marina R at Plateau, which was lovely. Very good company. I discovered Day Nurse, which kept me upright and sort of functioning.

The weekend has otherwise been relaxed. Lots of time in bed, which was just what I needed, on all counts. We went for a couple of walks around town, apart from the events above.

And we had some very interesting ideas for future publication. I will keep mum for now about that.

I am trying to reconstruct the past couple of weeks in my head. It has been a pretty inward time. Lots to process. Not easy.

Quite a bit of time spent with the children, which has been lovely. And Julianne was over, briefly. She is hoping to return to celebrate her birthday in February.

I haven’t written anything about the filming in Sweden. It was pretty awesome to act with Gunnel. I was scared beforehand, but it was amazing to feel her support; like doing the tango with someone who can really lead. Annika is happy so far, and said that I was good. We shall see – so much will happen in editing.

Det sjunde inseglet

I have had a few conversations about this movie recently, on account of my adventures as an actress in Sweden with Gunnel Lindblom. It is so widely seen as gloomy, but I view it as a heavy word on the importance of celebrating the lightness of life. Not exactly cheerful, but certainly darkly humorous. And a splendid reckoning with the apocalyptic love affair with death that fearists everywhere entertain.

George Osborne gets booed by 60,000 people and doesn’t know how to handle it

Oops. It all happens the first few seconds of this video.

Bic For Her – for sale now at Amazon.co.uk!

The reviews are priceless. Evidently this has really struck a note – 49 pages! Here are a couple of samples:

“1.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult to use, 28 Aug 2012
By Mrs Toledo (Greeley, CO)
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

I used my new pen to write a letter to my local Congressman requesting equal pay for women and a preservation of my reproductive rights… and then the ground began to shake, the world around me crumbled into flames and molten stone, everything went black, and I was torn asunder from the universe. Did I use it wrong????”

“1.0 out of 5 stars
Insufficent, 28 Aug 2012
By Mr. J. Stevens (UK)
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

Normally I only use pens designed and created for real men, in colours appropriate to such instruments of masculinity – black like my chest hair or blue like the steely glint of my eyes, or the metallic paintwork of my convertible Mustang sportscar. Imagine then the situation I found myself in when, upon taking delivery of another shipment of motorbike parts and footballs, I reached for and grasped not my normal BIC pen, but a `BIC for Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen’ (evidently ordered by my well-meaning, but ill-informed girlfriend whilst my back was turned). I knew something was wrong when I had to physically restrain my hands, gnarled and worn from a lifetime of rock-climbing and shark wrestling, from crushing the fragile implement like a Faberge egg. Things only went downhill from there.

Normally my hand writing is defined and strong, as if chiselled in granite by the Greek gods themselves, however upon signing my name I noticed that my signature was uncharacteristically meandering and looping. More worryingly the dots above the I’s manifested themselves as hearts, and I found myself finishing off the signature with a smiley face and kisses. Obviously I had no choice but to challenge the delivery man to a gun fight on the rim of an erupting volcano in order to reassert my dominance. Had I not won this honourable duel this particular mistake might have resulted in a situation that no amount of expensive single malt whiskey and Cuban cigars could banish. I leave this review here as a warning to all men about the dangers of using this particular device, and suffice-it-to-say will return to signing my name with a nail gun as normal.”

“1.0 out of 5 stars
Outraged at the sexism!, 17 Aug 2012
By AngryManMakeFire
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

I feel I must complain in the strongest terms about the sexism of this item. Where are the “For Him” pens? How can I embrace my masculinity, when there is no pen for me? Am I destined to just watch all of the women around me falling into a sparkly dream of ponies, crochet and butterflies, while I pace angrily here, unable to access the manly world of construction vehicles, barbeques, motor racing and science? I can barely adjust my crotch, I am so angry.

Make pens For Him. Strong pens. Manly pens. Pens that dress on the right. Pens with good grips for masculine hands. MANPENS!”

“4.0 out of 5 stars
Bic for him, 29 Aug 2012
By RustyGolem
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

Interestingly enough, this is what I get if searching for “Bic for him”.
Stylish Refillable Lighter
Because we manly men don’t really need ink. We write with blood and fire.”

“5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, when used with supervision!, 2 Sep 2012
By max other
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

I bought these for my girlfriend and she is so impressed with them that I caught her trying to write a review here on amazon. She couldn’t work out why the ink wouldn’t stick to the computer screen – adorable!”

“4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, 28 Aug 2012
By El Kabong (Seattle)
This review is from: BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen (Box of 12) – Black (Office Product)

But wait a moment – once the women get the pens, what are they supposed to write on? Man paper?”

Pride 2012 in Brighton

Public service representatives got by far the biggest cheers. Lots of heart.

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ECCE in Edinburgh

We had a great week in Edinburgh – not just the conference, which yielded many interesting contacts and connections, but also Edinburgh itself. Uncharacteristically sunny for some of the time, and a very beautiful city (in a handsome sort of way).

We had some splendid Nepalese food, which can only be described as ‘succulent’, and a fun and filling visit to MUM’S Comfort Food.

Some photos of The Mothership below…

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Happy as can be at J’Ouvert (Notting Hill Carnival, 2012)

My man :-)

The man had brains

Bored Shorts TV: Kid Snippets

Weird and funny.