The Things Delkaetre Warns Us Against

That conversation was important.
We needed to have that.
Many things have been clarified, and this is good and important and I'm very glad and I really do like the arrangement we've ended up at.
But damn it, why did it have to be between midnight and 3am? Now if I sleep, I know I'll miss my wake up and won't get to work.

Today I've been sitting around, feeling bleh, and getting nothing done. I was comatose and unwell this morning, so didn't get to work (sickness is not an excuse! Or never has been before, at least). Had moments where one of the dark days threatened to descend, but thankfully a combination of Beethoven and conversation saved me from that.
Work continues to be easy. I'm tempted to start putting away all the stuff from the audit tomorrow, assuming I'm better and S still hasn't started. It's his job, but he's slow and misfiles, I'm not and don't.
The weekend was a good one. I enjoyed it immensely, and finally got around to talking to someone I've not actually really communicated with since meeting him just after my 20th. I'm rather glad we did end up talking, as he's an interesting chap. The masquerade ball was excellent fun, even if it was under-decorated - not their fault, as the police had been using the place as Pride HQ all day long. Interesting discussions were had, and I was thoroughly flattered- with the certificate to prove it! I've found one image of self and the evening's accomplice from the Ball, which can be found on the Last Tuesday Society's flickr, just here.
Still need new job or home in London or Colchester. Once I have those secured, I will have money. Once I have money, I will be able to get more of the things I like- latex dresses and visits to Leeds or NI and maybe even a pair of boots that won't fall apart.

My current job finishes on 30th 18th June (misunderstanding over the length the contract had been extended by).
I need a new place to live.
Do I continue seeking new place and job in Colchester, or do I try to find new place and job in London?
If so, can you recommend a place in London? Do you want a housemate (clean, pays rent on time, usually quiet. Cannot cook, can make tea)? Do you know someone who wants a housemate? If nothing else, are you willing to put me up on a sofa/ spare bed/ half your bed till I get a job?
Or can you recommend a job? Temp work, secretarial, filing, admin support, etc. are all good for me. I'm quiet, efficient, and pick up systems very quickly.

Otherwise, can you recommend me a job in the Colchester area?
Or a place to stay? My current desire to move out is being a bit sketchy because of the two people I may move in with, one of them may not be able to pay rent. So I need somewhere. A room of my own, one in a house that doesn't contain my current housemates

I know I haven't updated as much as usual. I have been checking LJ every day, though. Like the creepy stalker that I am.
I'm undecided about attending London Pride tomorrow, since on the one hand I haven't been to such a big event and I kind of want to see it just for the sheer EVENT of it, all big and colourful and full of costumes and music and party atmosphere. On the other hand, I could lurk with the young man till he has to go to work and then get my stuff together and head into London for the night for The Last Tuesday Society's Casanova Masquerade.
Speaking of, I have made the decision to attend at rather the last minute and am in need of a bed for the night. I *could* wander London till dawn then get the first train back, but I'd rather not be a young, unarmed female wandering London alone in the depths of the night.
Alternately, could get to Angel and go to Slimes after Casanova and stay there till dawn. But a bed/ sofa/ comfortable rug would be preferred.
Work progresses. I seem to be getting along well, and also appear to be preternaturally talented at filing and understanding where misfiles escape to when no-one's looking, since I continue to get my work done early and even get additional tasks which aren't strictly my job done with time to spare. So if anyone knows of a job that'll pay me more than £11k/year and won't cost me £8/day to get to and from, then my skills are yours. I'm available from about August 10th, because I want to take a break between the end of this job and the start of the next for a trip back to NI.
I continue to look for a new place to live.

Today, just a few minutes ago, ministers voted in favour of extending period that terror suspects could be held without charge from the current limit of 24 days all the way up to 42 days.
They won by nine votes. NINE.
This is making me react by physically hunching my shoulders and tensing.
This is because I do not feel safe.
This is not my government. I did not vote for it, and I have not given it my consent to rule over me. But because I live here, I have no choice. I cannot just change the rules and live by my own common sense instead of their laws. Now, if someone thinks I might be terrorist, I can just... vanish, for six weeks or until they find something to charge me with. And given I'm very leftist with a powerful interest in individual freedoms and an increasingly strong mistrust of government and those who serve it, they could probably manage.

Just popping online to check email and LJ while my hair dries and I work out where I left my clean socks.
I have a question that some of you may be able to answer. Those of you who know me in the flesh know that I am female and have a fairly feminine physique- not a large bust by any means, but at least a reasonably narrow waist. And normally this is all well and good and I enjoy being slender and female.
But of late, I have been wanting to move back toward a more general kind of androgyny or even boyishness instead of being definedly of one sex. So my question is this- do you have any tips for an idle crossdresser who has no desire to invest great money or vast time in being, from time to time, a prettyish boy? I'm not cutting my hair. before that is suggested.
I can bind the chest, wear shirts and ties and waistcoats (you'll know that I rarely do casual), but I rather suspect that something is missing, all the same.
Anyway. Off to locate clean undergarments and meet a friend in town. Must buy lace and white clothing for one of my other gimmicks.

Last night's storm was a thing of beauty. The lightning, so fast and bright and frequent that I felt someone must have been standing with a stobe outside my window! Thunder following barely a second behind the flash when the storm peaked over my house. Ah... so lovely, such power and rage! I do adore the storms. It even cut off the power for a little, and my bedroom light blinked on-off-on a few times before the power cut proper.
And in unrelated news, humans confuse me. I thought that liking me was a reason to want to talk to me, not to go running off.
Time for a shower, then the great job hunt can begin again!

I am meant to be going to B&V tonight.
However, tonight I really don't feel like I can sanely navigate the stupid long journey.
I'm going to sit at home and hide and maybe lurk on msn/irc and get some sleep, maybe clean the bathroom or have a shower or bath or something.
Fucking dark days. I thought they'd gone away. But here I am, sitting and gibbering to myself.
I'll be fine tomorrow, and hopefully be up and away in time to make it to Project Antifreeze or visit Nunhead Cemetary or something.
I'll certainly be making it to Psychozombie's Birthday Bash, since 1) I really want to see people, 2) I really want to see the bands, and 3) I feel guilty enough for missing tonight, I'll feel shit if I miss tomorrow as well.

Oh, I was in London for a bit last weekend as well- taking part in another of those delightful little gatherings culminating in a trip to the pub. More on that in a friends only entry later.



If you know of any vacancies in the Colchester area, let me know. Bar, sales, secretarial work all quite welcome. Full time and permanent position preferable. I want a job, a proper one that will want me around even after the summer.

Much as I do love spiders, the little bastards are starting to get on my nerves.
Last night a normal little house spider actually jumped off the wall onto me when I moved to get my stuff out of his way so he wouldn't crawl into my clothing. Then I found one in my hair, making a daring attempt to crawl onto my glasses. And waiting at the bus today, I kept moving my bags to prevent them crawling into my stuff since a determined couple seemed to have decided that they wanted to come home with me.
And just now, another of the speedy little things went running across the sofa toward me- an unusual one, it was coloured quite light reddish rather than brown or dark. So I got up to get out of its way, since I have no desire to have arachnids up my skirt. She's gone and hidden in the sofa somewhere.
It is effectively summer now. I understand this. But it does not mean that spiders must now flock to me as their designated humanoid leader.

Hm. I seem to have neglected to write up Whitby. How remiss of me. It was good, bar a few minor incidents such as the destruction of a latex skirt. Banshee Aircrew were excellent, the football was entertaining, I have a Real Gothic FC football scarf and have downloaded the team anthem. Sophie's memorial was very moving, I had a meetup about developing the site into something bigger and shinier later that day, and later still I found myself surrounded by wonderful people at the Steampunk gathering at Sherlock's. The fish and chips were excellent, as always. I have a lovely new underbust corset despite promising myself that I wouldn't, and I have jet and silver earrings at long last. Climbing to the Abbey at 3am on Saturday night was fun, and we met unexpected people since the expected ones didn't turn up. Took part in my first gunge/wetlook shoot, though don't know how it's turned out yet so it may just have been an evening of pouring strawberry sauce on and playing in the shower and bath with another goth girl for no particular result other than a nice meal and pay for my time *ah, how we suffer for our art*

The week that passed... passed.

This weekend hasn't been quite what I thought it would. I intended to get to Free Comic Book Day yesterday, but failed due to sleeping too late after staying awake too late. Also therefore failed to get into the city in time to help a friend moving stuff from one house to the other. And, again, due to bad timing, failed to get in even in time to have hot chocolate and a slice of cake with someone who provides interesting discussion. Did manage to get into London eventually, though. Went to Slimes for socialising and seeing people who don't get to London too often. Was a fairly entertaining evening, especially when a troupe of EFG masks turned up, but was greatly spoiled by its ending- one of the Brumgoth contingent seems to have had her drink spiked, and knocked her head pretty badly as well, so I spent the morning from about 5am onward trying to be helpful and look after the injured one and her friends. I saw them off to their train about six hours later, so they should all be home and safe by now. Flyered Camden with the Listing's cards, failed to get to the London Alternative Market due to dislike of extended time on public transport, and eventually stumbled home via tube, train and bus due to works on the line at Liverpool st *and* at Colchester preventing my taking a single journey.

Now, I suspect I still have the grimy air of Slimelight on my flesh, so I think I'm going to have a quick, thorough shower, then a long, luxurious bath. Shower first so that I do not stew in my own shed skin and grime in the bath. Slimes always leaves me feeling grimy.

Yes, the Listing is still alive and kicking. But, as will happen when one gathers a large amount of info about goths into once place, parts of it are no longer of guaranteed accuracy. So, I would like to take this chance to ask very nicely that you pretty please help out a bit with it.
If you could possibly confirm whether the following clubs are alive or dead, I'll be grateful. So grateful that I'll probably buy a drink for you if you identify yourself to me at Whitby, Woolstock, Misfest, Infest or whatever else ends up luring me in.
Bournemouth- Black Machine @ Portman Hotel, last Sat of every month
Brighton- Nightshade @ Gap Club, bi-monthly
Brighton- Lowlife @ the Engine Room, 4^th Saturday
Edinburgh- Club Absynth @ Nicol Edwards, last Saturday
Glasgow- Flux @ Level Four, Strathclye Union, 1^st Saturday
Manchester - Ara @ Sacred Trinity Church, Church Street, 4^th Friday
Northampton- Absolution @ the Racehorse Pub, 1^st Saturday
York- Shadowplay @ The Black Swan, last Monday (variable)
The full club listing is available here, and if you want any festivals, gigs, events, or local stuff listed, then contact us- leave a message here, or use the contact details on the site. Trashcan and I will be meeting at Whitby to discuss the future of the site- we hope to move to a new host and we'll be talking to a few people about that, so the site should grow and improve. But, as with Netgoth, it can't do this without your help- let us know when something's on and we'll get it listed.

I shall head home, get my stuff packed, and head into London.
I plan to call by Coffee Cake and Kink for a few nice snacks and to see a couple of mates before I head on to Blood and Velvet.
And tomorrow I will be about Camden with a friend I keep missing because of his trips to Wales, then on to a pub in Hackney, then on to Invocation.
So. I had bloody well better see most of you at some time or another this weekend!

Ahem.
Goddammit.
Insani has been on Saturdays all of this year.
Was it so very fucking much to expect them to be on a Saturday for their last night as well? Why did it change to a Friday? Usenet says the last ever Insani was to be tonight not last night. Having assumed that the night it was on wasn't going to arbitrarily change, I had assumed Insani was tonight. I was all excited about getting out to it, because I haven't been able to attend as much as I'd have liked and I wanted to be there for this last night. But noooooo... randomly change it, damn you. That's right.
I spent last night online being an insomniac bitch for the nth time when I should have been out drinking and dancing and seeing friends and having fun. Goddamn it.

So, um....
New coins, then? I quite like them. I don't really see why wee *need* new ones, given the old ones do just as well. But I like the new ones all the same. Given the grand era of architectural fuckups we live in, I think they could have done a damn sight worse very, very easily with the new coin designs, and retaining the coat of arms is a nice touch.
The weekend was good. Running perpetually late was not so good, but I don't seem capable of functioning in the same time stream as the rest of the world. The shoots were good fun, and I've seen the first set back from one photographer already- will post some pics up when I have a selection from the other four as well. Vagabonds was enjoyable. It was good to dance and talk and do nothing but that for a few hours (though grr at London transport for ripping up the road and preventing any bus travelling past Shoreditch!)
I like seeing you all, you know that, right? I know I don't always stay long for conversation, easily distracted as I am, but I really don't mean it as any kind of snub, I've just got a really bad attention span sometimes and a powerful desire to say hello to everyone.
In a bit of a foul mood at the moment thanks to housemate and apparent inability to sleep any hours other than a single five hour period between 6am and 4pm- not good for actual communication with outside world. Details not available due to potentially bitchy and incriminating nature. Also, the router's not liking the internet again, so I'm posting this on borrowed time from some poor fool's unsecured wifi.
Enough of my whining. I'll see some of you at InsanitoriuM. I'll see the rest of you at Whitby or in London some time soonish.
Those of you who aren't in London or getting to Whitby, poke me and talk to me. I enjoy conversation.

So... I'm in Northern Ireland.
Friday was spent in the hewitt for the earlier part of the evening, then went on to Malone Avenue for drinking and saying hello to people I pretty much never see. Ended up borrowing crash space rather further up the Malone Road at something like 6am.
Then back to Loanends on Saturday morning, for a shower and fresh clothing, and back into town some hours later- just in time to have a brief conversation with a poor archaeologist suffering for his work- aches and pains from working at a dig. And onward to the Rotterdam, where oddly enough I've never been before, for a quick drink with some wonderful offensive bastards before dinner at Harbour View.
Harbour View is a teppanyaki restaurant, where the chef prepares all of your food right in front of you, at your table. It was excellent. The food was absolutely wonderful, and the chef was most entertaining- lots of flashy moves.
And now I'm at home, with a nice creme egg Easter egg, and rather pricier M&S dark chocolate Easter egg, waiting for dinner and for the Colour of Magic.
I'll see some of you later in the week. This weekend should be quite busy- weekend long shoot in London, with Vagabonds in the middle.

Delicious and excellent weekend... complete with delicious and excellent cake.
This is a long post, and I apologise, and if I get three people telling me to put the damn thing under a cut then I shall do that. There will be a separate friends only post for the rest of the weekend.

Friday I ended up missing Sanctus (after all that!) because I was caught up making flag, patches, sewing IngSoc logo, planning Saturday. Went to bed at 3.30 am, crawled back out at 7am on Saturday.
Saturday- Wake up, get dressed, wonder if activism is worth all this bother, be assured that it is. Get to Tesco, buy 48 delicious little cakes, water, straws, cups, party hats, shiny masks, string, safety pins.
Get lift to station, acquire orange juice, become more human. Too excited to sleep on train despite powerful NEED to sleep. Get to Liverpool street, meet other Anon. Travel with them to Forbidden Planet after detour to scope out second location. Acquire masks, cover faces, descend to tube. Find moar Anon, including Starship Trooper Chickenonymous (a man, I tell you all now, who is made of the most epic and incredible win). Help carry things to Queen Victoria Street, having given some of my own items to Liverpool St Anon. Offer the first of the cakes to charming strangers and start explaining Why We Wear Masks.
Warning is met! Before leaving Blackfriars tube we find a Sign advising us to mask up because spies have been sighted. Everyone is suitably masked, and I start giving away the glittery party masks to poor anon who find themselves with inadequately behaved scarves/sunglasses.
We arrive at QVS. Chickenonymous is reunited with his bucket, and the many bottles of water (26 litres!) he brought is set out, with a hundred colourful party straws so that Anon can drink without taking Anon's mask off. Some excellent chants, including the legendary "Cult! Horse! Cult! Horse!"
Handed out cake, filled in questionnaires, directed the press toward the free cake/ fizzy orange/ water/ sweets. Good warm up for Tottenham Court Road, which was much bigger.
We moved en masse (though a rather stretched out masse) to Tottenham Court Road, partially overground and partially underground, handing flyers to passersby as we went. Upon arrival, I took a selection of informative flyers from assorted Anon and began to inform the General Public of Anon's intent. The General Public were amused, entertained, and wished us the best of luck for the most part.
The Weighted Companion Cake was great, it was delicious and moist (and the icing was very well done), so hurrah for Portal references!
Chickenonymous made collections with his bucket and relays across the road to the KFC were made. Usually I avoid KFC like the plague, but I made the exception this once and enjoyed the chikans with the rest of Anon. About £228 worth of chicken was bought, overall, though some people got a lot more than others. And some bastard stole £30 from the bucket between QVS and TCR. If anyone finds out who did that, please be so kind as beat them up and take their PIN so that they can buy the chicken next time.
Many excellent chants and memes, lots of it was good and clear, really got through. Some truly excellent pictures taken- will put up a further post made of links and pics later, when I have as much info as possible collated and can give you about thirty flickr accounts to look through.
We lasted till about 5pm, when we were dispersed and all went to the pub. We were at all times polite and helpful, and many Anon were seen with bin bags helping to clean the place up so as not to leave mess for General Public or the city to deal with.
I'm planning for next time already- going to bring plenty of water and juice, probably bring some kind of savoury food just as a general thing. If it can be arranged for people to bring those giant tea caddies you see at rallies, that'd be great. English Anon must have tea!

Note- Scilons were indeed taking their children through the crowd, as I know I've never seen that high a percentage of kids with Innocent Members Of The Public when I've been around TCR and Oxford Street on a Saturday except at Christmas. Well done everyone for carefully avoiding even the least incident, as we deprived them of ammunition.

Yes, I am aware that posting my record of Anon's activities shows that I am affiliated with Anon and that now the Scilons can stalk me. Pardon me while I go make certain parts of my journal friends only, yes?

http://partyhard.org.uk/index.php/Operation_Party_Hard
If you reckon you could be awake around 11am, come and join me.
There will be cake. And signs, and memes, and silliness, and a chance to remind Scientology that they're not wise or popular.
Bring a mask. If possible, wear a suit. We want numbers.
Yes, I'm aware it's the same date as the Stop The War demo. If you like, you could come to that first then join Anon at the second location, or join Anon at the first location then go on to Stop The War when Anon moves on, your choice.

I find myself in London, as I almost always am these weekends.
I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here, as the nice person whose bed I inhabit on these weekends seems to be perpetually more interested in work, playstation, or vague attempts at tidying his room than in going out, socialising, etc. He seems to be eternally mired in work, and I can't really see how the playstation is doing anything other than distracting him so that he can kick himself about his lack of productivity later.
I can't really blame him for procrastinating and playing- we're poor, work is dull, and socialising is expensive.
The problem with my wanting to help with any work is that there's only one functioning computer. My laptop doesn't like the connection here, so I don't bother bringing it any more. And I don't know how to tidy someone else's room.
Dunno what I can do, really. Maybe play with my shiny new gauntlets, sketch, see if there's something to read.
If you get texts from me complaining of boredom and demanding we go to a pub, the above would be why.
Gods, it's cold here.

... and blokes with cameras, and anyone that has a camera lying about, and anyone who might be persuaded to pick up a camera at some point.
You are now classed as terrorists, according to the Met!

If someone with a camera looks odd or seems to be doing odd things (and let's face it, photographers fit both of these most of the time), then they should be reported to the police as possible terrorists. It is now my desire to get a camera of my own and take lots of pictures of industrial complexes, train stations, police stations, passport offices, hospitals, airports, CCTV cameras, important landmarks with large crowds of people at them, etc.
Oh, by the way... the other two posters on the Met's site? The one about strange activity in a house near you and the one about having multiple phones? Yes, that *does* mean that students, night shift workers, people with a work phone and a general phone, people who need a spare phone in case their SIM dies, people who like to go for late night strolls or have to take the dog out at unreasonable hours, people with insomnia, tech junkies and so on are also all terrorists.
Welcome, my dear friends, to the future. We're watching you.
I had more stuff to rant about, but the camera thing is just so hilarious-yet-faintly-worrying that I had to put it all aside in favour of the camera thing.

Here, something that should appeal to all you science fiction types. It's real, but it feels like it fell out of a Gibson novel. I love it, and I want one. It has so many wonderful applications, when you think about it. Health monitoring for those with diabetes or other such things... a games console that you can never misplace and that will never run out of battery... find a way to link it to a cochlear implant and you've got an internal MP3 player that can't be nicked by random thugs....
Ladies and gentlemen of the future, I give you- the Digital Tattoo!
And yes, I'm aware that it would become all too easy to abuse such technology and use it for government monitoring of citizens, but fuck the government. I am sick of their attempts to infiltrate our lives.