Chi

The Chi sculpture, a maligned piece of "modern" art in Swindon town centre. It was paid for by a financial services firm and sculpted by Michael Warren in 1991. Intended as a focal point to enjoy lunch or sit down, with benches and trees surrounding it between the central Post Office and local offices. The idea of a focal point happened, just not the way they expected as the drunks found it an agreeable spot and the sculpture became a magnet for graffiti. Over time the post office was pulled down, benches disappeared and the sculpture cleaned up. So there it stands today mainly ignored by those heading to the bus station.

Decoraring and Girlishly Pink Sites

Back once again for the renegade master...

...With the ill behaviour, another year older *pulls party popper* but hardly wiser.

I've been doing some decorating and spring cleaning, currently wondering why I spent so long moving a bookcase to paint behind it as the bookcase immediately goes back and obscures any work. Then it gives a chance to find the things that fall behind like a box of liqueur chocolates long past their best before, a pay slip from a former job and a card from an old transgender group with a Geocities address (now gone along with so many girlishly pink trans sites and eye-watering early gif's), all coming together like a unintentional time capsule.

And don't forget vote No. 6.

It's Been A Few Weeks

Well hello, you're looking great today, I like what you've done with that...thing... there. 

Happy easter, passover, vaisakhi if you've marked any of those and happy post easter reduced chocolate eggs day if you're celebrating that. For me it's catching up on sleep and family hence the brevity this time round. 

See you soon L.

Late Book

For whatever reason every school I've attended from pre-school to sixth form college has been demolished 6 buildings in all, none particularly great buildings and one I would have happily helped out for the fantastic sense of catharsis. Although I hope they preserved the late books, in some ways my greatest works of fiction as excuse the fact I couldn't be bothered to get up early enough to risk missing the second bell.

For no reason...

Selling On Women's Day

I'm sure you were aware that last Wednesday was international women's day, what was once a twitter date, tho one with serious intentions seems to have been cottoned onto by brands messages along the lines of "happy international women's day, why not celebrate it by covering up your wrinkles..." seems rather crass given the many protests. Its far from a hallmark holiday.

Overpriced Flowers Day

It's the middle of the month of February and youth know what that means, happy overpriced flowers day! It's also a bit of a continuous slap in the face for those looking or lonely. Not that I'll be buying any, instead I'll be tediously reminding folks that diamonds are the most common gem around and no matter how you try to market them as chocolate diamonds, brown diamonds look horrible.

Mental Notes

As I've mentioned in previous years I don't make new years resolutions although I have made a few mental notes. The usual things around health and wealth and to go out occasionally (at least more often than last year). I've given the blog a tidy after a long period of neglect, hopefully the dead links are gone and its mobile friendly.

I'm sure you came here for my hot take on this months transgender documentary, this one being a particularly controversial doozy of a film, but I haven't got round to seeing it yet. A bath and the end of Death In Paradise rather distracted me. Yes, seeing Kris Marshall wander round a Caribbean island solving a conventional whodunnit wins out for me over hearing what Dr Zucker thinks easily. I may watch it eventually but I'd probably have to be emotionally ready as well as having the time.

MMXVII

Hopefully Father Santa brought you something great.

May you be happy, confident and fierce!

The Happy Christmas Entry

For everyone who has made it through blogmas, a very happy Christmas.

Swindon 175

2016 is the 175th anniversary of Swindon New Town and the railway works down the hill from the old market town which the new settlement took its name. The works closed in the 80s after several decades of post war decline, today the site is dominated by a retail area, a railway museum and the National Trust headquarters, the latter a magnificent futurist eco building surrounded by echoes of the towns heritage.

The Trans Lobby

The thought of there being a powerful transgender lobby is quite ridiculous when you consider the hurdles and waiting lists many have to endure and the fact many would argue that day is night just to be argumentative.

In these times when anti-intellectualism seems widespread I guess there are many who would ignore evidence that enforcing gender conformity on to is more damaging than treating trans, intersex and non binary children and that activists are out to damage normal children.

Advent

Just four more parts to blogmas, i should light the first candle on my advent crown after wrapping tinsel round some wire coat hangers posing absolutely no fire risk. Being a child of the 80s, the merest hint of a
spark would have turned my toys into an inferno very quickly. Though I'm sure someone is complaining about health and safety because they use battery candles today.


Christmas trees dancing to Pet Shop Boys? Why not.

Cleaning

"Now mums can power through the cleaning faster than ever..."

I hate to begin a entry with "Is it me..." but is it me or has advertising gone a little backwards on gender roles. In these times there's a tendency at the moment to emphasis tradition and heritage of brands and while many have updated to drop the casual racism they seem to have decided that during these times women do all the housework. Which when I was growing up was not the case.

Christmas No Jumper

Jumpers are a useful and practical wardrobe staple,  Christmas jumpers on the other hand.

Wearing a Christmas jumper out, the whole thing smacks of forced jollity with your work colleagues.  At some party the last thing you need to wear is a bulky top in a warm environment or worse round the workplace you're wearing some large version of a novelty tie. Not to mention most are a collection of fire hazards.

Mince Pie

Today Lucy attempts to make a tray of mince pies.

Pastry made, she er, picked up pre made in the Coop, its time for the mincemeat .

Certainly not as good as Marc Almonds. Wasn't there a urban myth about him and a hundred different types of mince pie?