Because I commented on their entries, they rememed me! Luckily some of the things were things they both mentioned, so here are eight more things for that five things meme:

( click for more than you ever wanted to know about Doctor Who, Motherhood, Feminism, Dogs, Bartending, Liberalism, Multicoloured hair, and my bottom )

And now I go to help Small Person tidy her room, and put up her solar system thing at long last, and then make buns.

... regarding my daughter's YouTube channel (my favourite vid is this one), which he runs as a hobby.

theuklabourparty - #69 - Most Subscribed (All Time) - Gurus - United Kingdom
amazingholly - #70 - Most Subscribed (All Time) - Gurus - United Kingdom

Imagine that, Holly is on the brink of becoming more popular than the Labour Party! lol

((the Ex))

P.S. webcameronuk (unranked)

Bwahahahahahahahaha my five year old daughter, with a budget of zero minus a bit, is on the brink of becoming more popular than all the might of marketing the Labour party and all their cash can muster.

This amuses me no end.

I worked an eight hour shift at work today. It was pretty busy for most of it. By the time the end of my shift came I was dog tired and ready to go home and collapse... And the my small person came to pick me up from work. She had (with a bit of help from Mat) baked some cupcakes, and handed them round to my bosses and my co-workers, and told them all merry Christmas. Then my friend Jonny's brass band came in and played some carols, and she sang along with all the customers...

And then we went home and Mat cooked some pies, and she and I put up the Christmas tree. I don't hold with all this new-fangled putting the tree up early. It goes up on Christmas Eve, and comes down on 12th night. There are enough baubles on that tree to sink a battleship, including some that are older than me, and two Wile E Coyote ones, and one handmade by Small Person at school. We listened to Christmas music, and we talked about what a good girl she is, and hoped that Santa would bring her lots of presents... And do you know what? I think he might.

You guys know my views on Christmas. If it was up to me I'd have nothing to do with it... But for her? For her, it's worth it.

Have a good Christmas, folks.

Various people are committing themselves to doing happy posts for various lengths of time and various reasons at the moment.

I figure I have been whining enough recently, what with the dentist and stuff, so I am going to do a whole week of posting positively on this blog. So, without further ado, here are the things which have made me smile this morning:

• Robert Llewellyn liked my post! (which you can find here, if you're not a TGTer and haven't seen it already)


• Steph is blogging again! And she posted a cute picture of Ros and Lembit!


• Taking Small Person to school in a posh frock for Christmas Party day today. She does love dressing up, and it is a VERY posh frock.


• This video, which is almost definitely NSFW:
  
  

>li>ETA: via ginasketch, this news item in The Australian, about cool new creatures being discovered</li>

That'll do for day one, I think. Now I just have to restrain myself from making any negative posts...

Anyone like to start a sweep on how long I'll actually manage it for? And I might make a start on those drawings/drabbles tonight. Any other takers for that, BTW? Only two of the five spaces taken so far...

Why do they not release DVDs? The swines! One of the shows that Small Person loves is Robotboy. I approve of this - it's sci-fi; it is liberal-leaning without being po-faced; it's a British/French coproduction and therefore fosters international relations; it's very very silly; and it has a bad guy in it that reminds me of Karate from Batfink and gives me a warm nostalgic glow.

Can you get a DVD of it? Or books? Or Games? Can you buggery! You can get a poster, or a heejusly expensive (and probably phlate-filled) toy off some dodgy geezer on ebay, and THAT'S IT.

Have Cartoon Networks only heard of merchandising when it comes to Ben bloody Ten?

The bastards!

(this post brought to you by insomnia and motherly panicking about Christmas)

Only four of us turned up to Liberal Drinks last night, but I don't think the pub were too upset, because we stayed till closing and mostly behaved ourselves. And Mat and Hywel had very indepth and geeky conversations about stuff which I mostly followed, I think - it got a bit hazy when I started on the brandy because after christmas pud and beer I was too full for more beer...

ANYWAY! I am being bad blogger and not blogging enough recently. It's been over 24 hours since I last posted, which is just WRONG for me. Still, I do have SOME substantive content to pass on, courtesy of dearest Chicky Yog:

A well-meaning yet deluded soul writes to the Guardian:

Could I suggest that all those many journalists who failed to see through the lies and evasions of Karen Matthews just pause and think that social workers responsible for child protection do have to make similar evaluations regularly in their work. We should support them more and condemn them less.

Richard Moore of Bletchley in Buckinghamshire (the letter-writer) is, of course, entirely correct. I share Chicky's doom-laden pessimism that it will actually sink into the skulls of those baying for the blood of social workers on a regular basis, though.

ETA: Penny Red on breast-feeding. I'd quote, but I'd end up including the whole post (and it's longer than chicky's). Go, read, it's important.

Mat: She's flirting with Kirk! Already!
Me: Of course she is. She's female, and she's in Star Trek.

And the fearless warrior woman with perfect directional sense just said to one of the men "You gotta get us out of here".

* sigh *

Sometimes I wonder why I love this show so much. And then there's a hilarious slashy moment and all becomes clear...

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If you were expecting sense tonight, by the way, you've come to the wrong place. I spent several hours this evening helping my daughter tidy her room. By which I mean, of course, tidying her room while she cooed over the toys she'd forgotten she had... I am knackered. Still, she is going back to school tomorrow after nearly three weeks off sick, so rest ought to be possible.

So asked padawanpooh in my last entry. Off the top of my head I came up with a couple of examples, but I thought it would be a good plan to expand a bit further on something which I think is very good about the Lib Dems: the way our policies come to be formed.

When I was at conference one of the few debates I managed to attend was Susan Kramer's fringe on childcare. She'd done a bunch of research, and talked to some people, and filmed their thoughts, and we all watched the films. It was a very interesting session, and there was full and wide-ranging debate, even though there were maybe only 20 or 30 of us there. Susan listened to the floor, and the floor listened to her, and ideas were flung about, and between us we approached something which was the beginnings of a policy. Susan promised that she'd do further research, and thanked us for being so helpul, and tbh I hadn't thought anything more about it until a couple of days ago when someone mentioned that family policy would be on the agenda for Spring Conference.

Today, Susan posted this to Lib Dem Voice.

It links to a policy paper which is to be a full-conference policy motion at spring conference in Harrogate. And it's BRILLIANT. It's flexible, it takes into account that each family is unique and has unique circumstances, it removes the problems of gender restricted maternity leave at a stroke... Sure, there are bits of it that need to be tweaked, but the points that were brought up and addressed between ordinary party members are all there in that document, and that makes me kind of proud, even if I was only a tiny part of the overall process.

I was part of the process, and that gives me a feeling of ownership, and that's a wonderful thing in a country where vast numbers of voters feels completely disenfranchised and alienated from the political process.

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In other news: love is making your rather ill fiancée go downstairs and snuggle on the sofa with her still-poorly daughter watching Star Trek: Voyager. And then, when the daughter is in bed, snuggling up with her yourself, and watching Top Gear.

I am very lucky. Every joint in my body aches, and I have spent a chunk of the day throwing up, but none the less, I am very lucky.

&hearts Mat.

Those of you who have been reading a while will know that I have had... shall we say "issues" with the Inland Revenue before. When Mat moved in I decided to stop claiming tax credits because I couldn't bear going through the whole sickening process again; and even though he's not currently earning anything, I'd rather try to survive on my barmaid's wage of less than ten grand a year for the whole family than go through the two years of hell and contradictory bollocks I went through to get them in the first place again. So I haven't claimed tax credits for over a year.

This morning I got a letter. Apparently they have overpaid me £200. They want it back. I don't know when the FUCK they think they overpaid me £200 when they haven't paid me a single penny since Mat moved in, but they're threatening me with legal action.

I haven't got £200.

Right at this moment in time, I haven't got £2.

And Gordon fucking magnanimous Brown thinks this is the solution to poverty? I'm glad I didn't know that skinflint bastard was in Halifax yesterday until after he'd left. Otherwise I might be in a rather small cell by now.

... what with me being anti-religious and her having to go to a church school and all, but sometimes they do quite cool things. F'r'instance, just this minute she came into the room singing:

Days of the week *click, click*
Days of the week *click, click*
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week *click, click*

It's Sunday and it's Monday
It's Tuesday and it's Wednesday
It's Thursday and it's Friday
And then it's Saturday...

... to the tune of the Addams Family theme.

♥

I approve of this method of teaching children the days of the week.

Via el_staplador comes the news that this week is Banned Books Week

If you're not in the USA and so can't join in the organised events, I invite you to do one or more or fewer of the following, to celebrate/commiserate/show solidarity:

- find a Banned Book. It doesn't matter who banned it, when they banned it, or what they banned it for. Read it. Let other people know you're reading it.
- find any damn book you like. Read it. Let other people know you're reading it. Chances are, if it's worth reading, someone will want to ban it for something or other.
- sign this petition
- nominate an author or book you really would like to ban. (Bags Enid Blyton for crimes against English and plot counterfeiting.) Comment, if you want to, to let me know who or what, and why. Reflect that if everything people disliked or found offensive was banned our libraries would have very empty shelves.

I'd like to ban... Actually, I can't think of a book I'd like to ban. Even really awful stuff like Terry Goodkind has it's place, even if it's only to tell everyone how awful it is. Bloody Liberalism LOL.

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Via andrewducker comes this tale of a computer geek taking his small daughter to the computer museum in San Francisco. It made me well up, it's so lovely. Go, read, now!

Further to this entry, Shrubby's latest favourite TV show is Mona the Vampire. I am really really glad about this. Unlike the previous favourite (Ben 10), which features a strong, smart, resourceful female character being overshadowed by her boy cousin because he found the Magic Device (and having to rescue him from his own shortcomings all the time), Mona the Vampire doesn't wind me up at all.

It reminds me a lot of Rugrats in it's whimsy, and has similarly well-realised characters who actually ARE characters. It has the usual kids' show messages of loyalty and consideration and such, but it doesn't beat you over the head with them. But mostly I love it because not only is Mona a strong female lead, but Charley (the male lead) is a heroic geeky boy (and not an object of fun) and Lily (the other member of the trio) likes pink and princesses and fairies and yet is accepted by and accepting of the other two.

It's a very well-written show, too. There is wit and educational value and interesting philosophical conundrums wrapped up in a shell of wild fantasy with a funky theme tune. And Rusty could learn a thing or two about coherence of plot from it (see Andrew Rilstone for further details of Rusty's plotlessness), that's for sure.

I definitely approve.

I am listening to CBeebies on BBC Radio 7 with the small one, and Charlie and Lola was just on. This episode could quite easily have been titled "Clever, Resourceful and Brave Little Girl Repeatedly Outwits Dim and Meanspirited Older Brother". It's unusual for it to be this way around in adult entertainment, but I seem to recall a proliferation of it on CBBC when I was a youngster... What happens in between kids' and adults' entertainment, I wonder?

And then I remembered Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, in which a woman does all the work and is brave and resourceful and funny, and a vacuous and feeble bloke gets all the credit, and thought that maybe not so much has changed after all. I mean, even though Lola is clearly the star, Charlie gets top billing...

Hey ho.

Too tired to give you actual thoughts of my own; here are some that belong to other people.

Brilliant internet campaign strategy in Kansas. Yes, THAT Kansas.

Nick Cohen provides a hymnsheet for secularists to sing to.

In soviet Russia, harrassment sexes you. Note to self, don't EVER move to Russia. Meanwhile, in not-soviet USA, bloggers tax government!

Bwahahahahaha! (in case they put content up, The Green Top has capped it).

If you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear from a national DNA database, right?

Three from Sp!ked: The Privatisation of Politics, Don't Blame Parents for Cotton Wool Kids (I can't help adding a "because they're sheeple who must follow the crowd!" to that headline), and a nice article about online censorship.

And finally, the Orwell Diaries go live starting tomorrow. Don't forget to add orwelldiaries to your f-list.

Mitch Benn would like your help. The poor fella has the same problem I do: without a pressing deadline, I just can't make myself do ANYTHING. He wants us all to nag him, and become deadline enforcers. If you want to add his blog to your f-list, btw, LJ folks, it's syndicated along with updates to his website at mitchbenn_site

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Two from my lovely fiancé. Firstly, The Twat-o-tron. It automatically generates letters by taking quotes from actual contributions to the the BBC Have Your Say forums, complete with typos. Keep clicking new and you get a real flavour of the sort of contribution that makes me not read HYS any more, and keep in mind the oft-repeated mantra that the BBC has a liberal bias as you read.

Secondly, 25 Skills Every Mother Should Learn. Like matgb, I think this should be parent, rather than mother, but that's just nitpicking; it's a great post.

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Via strangefrontier, The Usbourne Book of the Future! Who else is disappointed that we don't actually live in a world like this, post 2000? Still, at least we're not in Mega City One/BritCit (yet), either...

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My my, I tried to hold you back but you were stronger... Mike Smithson wants us all to sing Abba to Nick Clegg.. Er, sorry. Mike Smithson thinks that if there's a Winchester by election (which there may well be, apparently) it could prove to be the Lib Dems' Waterloo. I have become a big fan of the posts on politicalbet_fd (although a lot of the comments could usefully be syndicated to the Twat-o-tron above) and find that Mike's poll analysis is usually second to none.

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Via cabalamat2 and chickenyoghurt, Labour's plan to lose any remaining voters it might have. Depressingly, this is probably very close to what they'd have to do to lose any more support than they already have.

First things first, happy birthday briargate!

Secondly, we just got in from a nice pub lunch and a long dog walk with our two dogs and our friends and their two dogs. And this inspires a poll.

Poll #1159124 Dog walking Etiquette
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You have a large, aggressive German Shepherd dog, and you wish to stand and chat to a friend for half an hour or so. Where is the best place to stand with your dog?

View Answers

?In your house, with all the doors and windows barred
2 (15.4%)

In a deserted field, where it can run and play while you chat without upsetting other dogs.
10 (76.9%)

in the middle of the narrow footbridge over the beck that pretty much everyone entering or leaving the park with a dog has to cross
1 (7.7%)

If you chose option three, was this because you are...?

View Answers

stupid
7 (53.8%)

ignorant
5 (38.5%)

aggressive yourself, and think that having a big dog that causes trouble makes you look hard
6 (46.2%)

a complete twat
11 (84.6%)

a special snowflake to whom all the normal etiquettes of dog ownership do not apply
5 (38.5%)

Between the guy on the bridge and the other guy who just would not let his poor spaniel off the lead to play when it desperately wanted to in case its pedigreeness was sullied by our dogs' mongrelosity...

* headdesk *

Thirdly, the first of a bunch of things I want to link to today, here's an American data set about abortion. Yes, it's an American data set, but our stats are closer to the American ones that the rest of Europe, so it's worth looking at. Some of it I find quite worrying - like the number of women going for an abortion who hadn't used contraception at all (46%) as opposed to those who had had contraceptive failure - but some of the reasons given to the why have you come for an abortion question are quite interesting. I think it possibly gives ammunition for both sides, but the main thing that comes out of it for me is the woeful amount of properly used contraception. Education, education, education, you guys.

Fourthly, and on the same subject, Why I Am An Abortion Doctor. The tone of it is distinctly North-American-continent but, again, it's worth reading from a UK perspective too. I can understand why people are disquieted about abortion. I am disquieted about it. I am unlikely to ever have an abortion, because of my disquiet. But that's my choice. I would never force that choice on somebody else. Abortion is a difficult enough decision to make, without adding Slippery Elm Bark complications and back street abortionists to muddy the waters further.

Fifthly, Ten Things Every Adult Should Know. Definitely not for the easily offended (the title of the website should be a clue to that one), although it would probably do the easily offended good to read and inwardly digest...

Sixthly, PeeZee and Richard Dawkins have a good laugh about some silly creationists who tried to misrepresent them on film and then ban them from attending the film afterwards:



Seventhly, a step by step guide on How to Pack Up and Leave LJ without losing anything you don't want to lose, should you ever actually want to.

Eighthly, lastly, and shamelessly copied from innerbrat, Mitch Benn on Grammar:

I know there's a rule about starting sentences with "but", but screw it, it just means you end up starting them with "however", and since "however" at the beginning of a sentence just means "I really wanted to start this sentence with 'but' but I'm not allowed" , and everybody knows this, then frankly you may as well just start with "but", so I just did

&hearts Gotta love the big geeky fella.

caseytalk, commenting on tinuvielberen's journal entry, gives the best example I have ever seen of how your thought processes change when you become a parent:

There is nothing in the world like 'mommy hell.' You can't know what it is to love some one else beyond your own life. It's scary stuff, let me tell you. From the moment you know you're pregnant and for the REST OF YOUR LIFE you know that every decision you make you have to take some one else into account. Example: I want to read a book. Normal, dull, everyday decision, right? But, shouldn't I be playing with my kids instead? Or, if I do read a book, shouldn't it be one that contains knowledge I can use to help my kids? What if my kids need something OTHER than an obsessive mother who focuses on them every instant of the day? What about my husband? Don't my kids deserve two loving parents who, in the best of all possible worlds, love each other, too? I just want to read a frickin' book and I'm in mommy hell no matter what I choose because of all the wrong answers.

It is such a stark contrast. Before I was pregnant with shrublette, if I wanted to read a book I would just read a book. Now? Casey is right. The questions run through your head, even as you're reading. You have to always have an eye on the clock, because kids run to a schedule. You have to always have your ears open in case your child calls for you. Unless your child is in someone else's house, you cannot just relax and curl up with a book the way you can before you have children, because (even if your child is old enough to look after itself and play happily in it's room), you're always listening out, thinking about when their next meal needs to be cooked, when they need to go to school or go swimming... This isn't a conscious thing, it just happens. Your child's needs are always in your head. Always.

Before you become a parent, I think you know the theory of putting someone else before yourself. Maybe you've fallen in love, and you know what it's like to voluntarily put someone else's needs before your own. But you can't know what it's like for it to be an automatic, unconscious thing until you are a mum or a dad.