thundering blissful

January 27, 2005

crossposted

generally, I don't like doing this, but this is something I'll make an exception for:

post-elections thoughts - there's more, and I'm not entirely sure that they're clear for posting here, so here's an edited version. It's like I got all FCC on myself. Without the wardrobe malfunctions and huge fines.

___ what accomplishment felt like
After a pair of huge hugs, a night at the Gallery (with a toast to me, no less) a round of Fields of Athenry and general Spencer-related hilarity, I figured out exactly what it was I felt when I got those 6 rapidfire phone calls, when I checked the website, and why I damn near cried when I found out that Gav, Spence, and Quinn had all won their positions.

It wasn't "crisis averted." It wasn't "good lord it's over and I'm done." It wasn't "I have an AMS job next year."

It was, quite simply, "this is the first of many steps in the right direction."

___so where do I fit in?
I've been asked a bunch of times whether I will automatically be Spencer's assistant, or if I'll get whatever job I want within the AMS. The answer, of course, is no; part of Gavin's platform (this part) was that he'd improve accessibility and remove nepotism within the AMS, and I think that if there happens to be someone better qualified for the job, then they should get it for the good of the society. Mindblowing, I know, but if this whole "relevance, professionalism, and bringing the society back to the students" thing is to happen, then I don't mind not being instantly guaranteed a job.

___last one
I am immensely pleased by these elections. I made a bunch of new friends, made good friends out of acquaintances, and guided two (and a half if you count Quinn*) candidates to victory in the very first slateless election in over twenty years. We overcame a lot of ridiculousness from all sides, from Progressive Voter Guides to the EA postering over candidates, and I'm proud of the job I've done and the guys I did it for.
More than anything, though, I'm excited to see what happens next.
*not because Quinn is half a person, but because I helped him comparatively little.

January 22, 2005

today

nothing as indepth as last year's elections breakdown, but still a quick listing of my day:

0530: wake up.
0535: fall asleep.
0600: wake up.
0615: shower.
0645: pants.
0650: pack bag.
0700: find keys, check email, procrastinate.
0730: leave.
0815: get to Broadway, pull out handbills, damn near puke from nervousness.
0820: breathe, eat chocolate in bag, decide against handbilling at broadway because I can't handle it. Jump on bus.
0910: hit campus.
0915: play Tekken 5 to decompress.
0930: call from Corbett.
0945: breakfast with Corbett.
1020: meet up with Gavin.
1020-1230: wander campus, handbill.
1230: lunch beer.
1300-1600: wander campus, handbill.
1555: bid Gav goodbye, wish him luck, issue tummy rub, head to work.
1600-2000: work.
1730: Aleks, Jenn and Chris come by.
1822-1830: 6 rapid-fire calls apprising me of the situation.
1835: Write email to Spencer. Wonder, idly, if he'll open-mouth kiss anyone like he promised to last year. Hope Teddy has a camera.
1845: Vanessa comes. We discuss various things, including what I'm doing for the Fair.
Somewhere in there: Jordie, Drew and Neil come by for hugs and congratulations.
2000: Off work.
2005: Head to Eatery with Jenn and Chris.
2100: Leave Eatery, jump on bus.
2215: Home.

I should be drinking, but that's an entry for another time.

January 21, 2005

elections are over.

congratulations, kids.

I move we skip the back-patting and get ripped.

all in favor?

January 20, 2005

apropos of nothing

found this in my inbox, felt the need to share:

click for a larger version.

January 15, 2005

ill philosophizin'

some people believe that one should starve a fever and feed a cold.
for others, it's vice versa.

my parents, however, believe that one should simply drown whatever sickness it may be in curry.

so... full...

January 14, 2005

GERALD SMASH

We're halfway through the elections, and I'm running on dark chocolate, raspberry juice, cold medication and anger. Sounds about right.
Livejournal's down, and I think this is a post that needs to be public, anyway.

The success (or failure) of these newly slateless election starts with the Elections Committee, and therefore, the Elections Administrator. Someone mentioned that the candidates all prepared for a slateless election, but the Elections Office hadn't. When I applied for the job, I laid out three important points:

- slateless elections will be different, and high reaction speed is necessary.
- the elections need to run seamlessly - any sort of scandal now will follow candidates/executives through the year, and only makes everyone look bad.
- the elections office should act as a resource before the elections; possibly even running campaign workshops before the elections start to ensure that everyone knows what they're getting into.

None of these things have happened.

What's happened instead?
- at times, the Elections Administrator is away from his office to teach dance classes. Furthermore, the club which he's involved with (probably in some sort of leadership role, which is another thing that should be looked into) posters over candidates posters. Gina has a photo, but unfortunately, LiveJournal is down and I don't have the URL handy.
- the EA "gets tired of doing elections stuff" and turns a forum over to one of the at-large members. Turning over a forum? Great, moderating is valuable experience. Doing it because you don't want to run it? Absolutely ridiculous.
- I asked him for a market value on shirts on Tuesday. He has yet to get back to me. Elections run for 14 days, and he's taken over 4 to answer a question. That's just short of a third of the entire period. Absurd.

and don't get me started on the all-candidate forums on Wednesday; not having prepared questions is iffy, but having the candidates ask the other candidates questions simply doesn't work. I suspect that the Ubyssey didn't take Spencer seriously because he didn't get a chance to answer a serious question.

I'm not the only one who feels this way, and something could/should come out of it, but I don't know what.
Suggestions?

January 09, 2005

48 hours, round #1: resolutions.

The problem I have with resolutions is that they start from some form of self-loathing; whether it's extra weight, an overused phrase, or an incessant habit of some sort, it's not so much something needs to be started as something else needs to be ended.

So, I don't make them.

Maybe, next year, I'll see what a resolution feels like.
Until then, though, I think I'm better off on the outside, looking in.

January 08, 2005

current mood: ergh.

27 hours down.
309 to go.

I don't know how things could possibly get more ridiculous, but they will.
In the meantime, though, I have work to do.

January 06, 2005

democracy is fun!

I'm shaving tomorrow.

Do I leave a soulpatch or no?

the decision is yours; you have 24 hours.
vote in comments box.

January 05, 2005

you know it's january when:

today's choice quote - walking to the bookstore after poli 101 with erin and her boyfriend andrew:

erin : "c'mon, do a spencer impression."
me: "no."
andrew: "you do spencer impressions?"
me: "yeah. I spend entirely too much time with him."
erin: "admit it. you secretly love him."
me: "yes. I love him. I desire to have his biologically impossible man-babies."
erin: (laughing)
andrew: (aghast)
____
I appear to have crossed into hilariously bitter territory.
It's on now.

January 03, 2005

heap

the new friends page

want on or off?
now's the time; I check the gmail account listed rather sporadically.

January 01, 2005

should old acquaintance be forgot...

new year, new look.

tweaks continue.
thoughts?

December 31, 2004

cue every memory at half speed.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Ran someone else's campaign, drank legally, wrote a final hung over, worked three jobs at once, bought pinstriped pants.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes, and no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Clearly not, because I can't remember any.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yeah.

5. What countries did you visit?
The US.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
To move out.

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 24; the end of the Spencer Crusade.
February 16; the slate meeting
April 8; ACF 13.
April 14; 19th birthday.
April 24; E7A Awards Night.
June 28; My first federal election.
September 7; school starts again.
October 1-3; AUS Whistler.
December 12; The Arcade Fire.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Four jobs, two months, sanity maintained.

9. What was your biggest failure?
The first chunk of summer.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the opposite; the back is getting better.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Gear for making tshirts.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
They know who they are.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
They know who they are, too.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Tuition. The clothes, food, booze, etc.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Work.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Winter: Blur - No Distance Left To Run
Spring: Squarepusher - Tetra-sync
Summer: The Plastic Constellations - No Complaints
Fall: ...trail of dead - Heart in the Hand of the Matter
Winter: The Arcade Fire - Crown of Love

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Maybe a few pounds thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gym time, studying.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Commute.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home.

21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Yes. No. I'm confused.
Hold me?

22. How many one-night stands?
None.

23. What was your favourite TV program?
24.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I have better things to do.

25. What was the best book you read?
Both comics, again. Invincible, or maybe 100 Bullets sneaking in just under the gun.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Annie.

27. What did you want and get?
Material stuff, jobs.

28. What did you want and not get?
Material stuff, jobs.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Napoleon Dynamite.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
19. Met some friends at the Wolf and Hound, then went to see Squarepusher.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less stupid people.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
I like pants.

33. What kept you sane?
Certain people.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy? Not really any of them.
Kiefer Sutherland continues to be awesome, though.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The spoon vs whisk debacle.

36. Who did you miss?
Mostly Jill; everyone else I see fairly frequently.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Neil.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
People are idiots.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
what's the plan? what's the plan?
is it a dream? is it a lie?
I think I'll let you decide.

December 30, 2004

shopping with Rob today:

"So, wait. Do you guys hang out in business casual all the time?"
"Yeah, pretty much. This is about as dressed down as we get."
"Oh."
- salesperson in the Gap, as Rob tries to figure out how often we'd match if he bought these pants.

December 28, 2004

do you ever get halfway through a post, realize you're not making the point you want to, scrap the whole thing and then close the posting window?

because I just did that.

December 26, 2004

Christmas used to be a production over here; lights, tree, togetherness, all of it. Since we've moved, it's basically been canned. Despite the endless media bombardment and everyone else's LJ posts, it could be any day in November right now and I wouldn't notice.

I did get what I wanted; the coat was an absurdly early gift, mostly because I called my mom on it and she agreed that it was bloody cold out now (December 5) and there was no real point in making me wait. My brother, on the other hand, forwent any thought and bought a TV, claimed that it was his gift to us all, and promptly monopolized it at any opportunity. It's 4 and a half feet across, and although it's nice, it makes the whole place seem a lot smaller; the bizarre layout of this place means I can now watch TV in the bathroom mirror if the door is open.

There isn't really a point to this; just a quick vent before I go back to designing shirts and doing campaign stuff. Hope yours was better than mine.

December 22, 2004

things

will eventually do the year-in-review meme.

not for a while, though; I just rented the first four episodes of 24 and will probably be picking up the others with great rapidity.
___
campaigns are odd creatures.
___
Tuesday tours are mine next term! woo!
___
Am putting some thought into running for Senate now; I'm considering doing it in March, and it might be easier to do it when there's five spots open instead of just one.
___
Also considering these pants. Thoughts? Opinions?
___
Have figured out my schedule and that I can fit the gym/pool in three days a week; I'm all excited to go back.
___
I'm a little torn on the redesign. On one hand, I've been using this one since mid-June, which is pretty much unheard of. On the other, it works.

December 20, 2004

new heights of genius

made the heart/headphones/high fidelity shirt (well, the heart/headphones bit; the quote goes on later), and I PUT THE HEART ON THE RIGHT. the hell was I thinking?!

December 19, 2004

that was an interesting night.

I'll never look at Hunan the same way.

December 16, 2004

fuck you, osborne g!

really.

why is it so far away?

in any case, I'm done exams. still have 3 distance ed assignments to do, and then I can relax, by which I mean make t-shirts, redesign, and play videogames all day.

[edit: and run other people's campaigns. damn you, spencer and gavin!]

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