nomadrush

OK, here comes massive unpopularity, but I'm a bit tired of maintaining a unified front when there seems to me to be precious little unity behind the lines. fjm has posted a (perfectly reasonable) open letter asking that male fans, critics and so on think first when they compile lists, TOC etc for SF, because the women still get left out. This is fair enough. Sexism is still alive and well, and let's kick its sorry butt, but I would like to add something.

The last panel I did in the UK was with Pat Cadigan and Jaine Fenn at the Sf film fest in London, and it was about being women writers in a male dominated world. The message that, thank God, Pat got out in the first 5 minutes was how bored we are about constantly being stuck on panels where we talk about Our Struggle. Instead, IIRC, we talked about books we liked. I have done this 'women' panel in various forms about 5 times now and thank you, Judith, for not making me do another one at Eastercon. Pat and I are not 20 somethings who think feminists all wear dungarees: I hope Pat will correct me if I am wrong, but we both regard ourselves as feminists and in my case, a lot of my views come out of 1970s feminist theory.

Why is it still all about What the Guys Think? Some moron comes out with some reactionary statement on a blog no one reads and we all run about like there's a fox in the henhouse (derogatory metaphor is intentional). Why invest them with a power that they don't really have any more? I'm not that interested in what doesn't get said on Radio 4 - I've done a lot of BBC interviews, they're always cut to hell and you could bang on about female SF for hours and still end up with a 20 second sound bite about rocket ships.

A stack of novel-length editors in pro SF are women. Sheila Williams edits Asimov's, last time I looked, and Shawna edits fiction at ROF. A lot of agents are women. A lot of writers in SF and Fantasy are obviously female and I would contend that fantasy is now getting close to female dominated. I have sat on the InterZone editorial board - a magazine that gets a lot of flack for sexism. Along with the rest of the team, we turned down at least one story by one of the (male) greats of SF because we all felt it was just too tacky for the human eye to bear.

I have had one heartfelt email (sorry to do the 'lurkers support me in email' thing', but...) noting that, at the time of writing, relatively few people had addressed the point I made in the thread, which is not that professional female SF writers feel unsupported by the men, but that, a lot of the time, they feel unsupported by the women and that's actually more damaging. Invisibility, much?

The blokes have done a pretty good job in terms of personal support. Increasingly over a decade of pro writing, the lack of support and in one case, the overt hostility, that I've felt in my own career has been from female reviewers, critics and con com members. I've had a lot of support from fellow pros, both male and female, editing, agent and writing (naming and not shaming - Chris and Leigh Priest, Tanith Lee, Graham Joyce, Peter Lavery, Anne Groell, Storm Constantine, Rob Holdstock, Geoff Ryman, David Pringle, Gardner Dozois, Sheila Williams, Lisa Tuttle, Patricia Kennealy Morrison, Gwyneth Jones, Cheryl Morgan, Tricia Sullivan, Roz Kaveney, the Scheherazade team (female), Bidisha at the Guardian, my own agent Shawna, and I'm sure I have left some people out). And I will be guesting at Eastercon in 2010, for which, thank you, too.

I've had a lot of reviews from men, far less from women. I've subsequently heard from one of the former Wiscon con com, which I do appreciate (thank you), but this is pretty much the first time I've heard directly from anyone involved in Wiscon, Cheryl's efforts notwithstanding, in 10 years of writing what is described in the national press as feminist SF. Maybe they just think that what I write is shit, which is fair enough, if depressing. One of the most unpleasant online incidents I've had this year is with a feminist critic in the US, who took exception to my questioning her sacred right to write RP fanfic, and during Racefail launched into a quite remarkably unpleasant personal attack on a female friend of mine, then cited how proud she was of being 'not one of the nice girls'. With assholes like these - Jesus, give me dear old Brian Aldiss and his generational imperviousness to the girlies any day.

renaissance2010
Turning to photography as a creative outlet during a valiant fight with breast cancer at age 34, renaissance10 survived and set up a photo contest to help raise funds for the Lavender Trust, a nonprofit that provides information and support to younger women with breast cancer. In the first two years, the competition brought in over £65,000 (that's $107,260.73 U.S.!), with entries from 130 countries last year. Renaissance10 recently joined LiveJournal to meet other passionate photographers and find supportive friends.

curiouscupcakes
Holy buttercream frosting! If you have a sweet tooth for sugary goodness or a wandering eye for whimsical confection, this is pure ecstasy iced in deliciousness. Hailing the beloved cupcake as the artisinal canvas of choice, you'll enjoy recipes, photos, and bountiful tips to bake up a batch, whether your taste leans toward French classics or funky and flavorful.

mission101
With New Years in the offing, it's an ideal time to reflect on past accomplishments, make peace with disappointments, and refocus the lens on future goals. This community welcomes you to create a bucket list of 101 things you plan to accomplish in the next 1,001 days. Offering support, guidance, and inspiration, this is a great way to jumpstart those pesky resolutions.

Took a detour on the way to work this morning, and drove to the intersection where I did the snow day slip 'n' slide on Saturday. Turns out that while there is a reflector post there, what I actually almost hit was the stop sign. You can still see Kuro's tire tracks, not quite obliterated by subsequent snows. The edge of the left front tire is 2, maybe 3 inches from the signpost.

That was a close one...

Left a bedroom window open today so that the place could get a good airing. Closed the door and forgot about it until about 10 minutes ago.

Wow. 42F, according to the clock thermometer. I can feel those cold blankets now...

A man on the next street over, whose house is visible from my back door, had the unmitigated gall to start shoveling his driveway. Gaby informed me of his crime with an ear-piercing yodel--you haven't lived until you've heard her let loose within the confines of a small house. Honestly, I thought someone was climbing over the fence into my yard.

She's pacing between my desk and the back door. She wants to go outside so she can inform the poor man of her displeasure personally.

And the Phoenix flies straight and high back to Avalon
Now I'm on my way back where I belong...

More from my mobile phone tomorrow. For today, Avalon calls and I answer.

See you on the flip side.

Just got back from Sherlock Holmes and I LOVED IT. As you can see from my new layout. It was so much fun and RDJ and JL have awesome chemistry.

I went out anyway. I wanted to get a smaller can of pumpkin--all I have is the big can, and I only need about half for the pumpkin bread--and I had letters to mail and some stuff to return. So. Went out to the garage, only to find that rain had gotten into the doorknob and froze. Pause to find the can of WD-40 and unfreeze the lock.

This may have been a warning shot across my bow.

It wasn't snowing hard when I left. But the rains had washed all the salt off the roads, and what snow was there acted like sand on a shuffleboard court. As I turned into the post office parking lot, I tapped the brake and felt the ABS and the start of a skid. Pulled out of it. But that proved to be the worst of it--the rest of the roads I took were well-traveled, and just wet.

Returned stuff. Grocery-shopped. By the time I finished, the snow was coming down harder but still melting as it hit the roads...until I got back to my town. There, the snow was a couple inches or so of unsalted slippy-slide. I decided to turn off the main road and take my chances with the neighborhood streets, which would be just as slick but likely empty of traffic.

So, slowed down. Did I mention that I was going downhill at this time? Tapped brake and started to turn onto side street and started sliding across the side street and straight toward a reflector post. Knew I was going to hit it. Knew I was going to hit it. Turned the wheel as I went up over the curb and somehow, somehow missed the thing. Took a deep breath, trundled off the curb, and headed home.

So lucky. That no one was headed down that street. That there was no one behind me. I had debated staying on the main drag until I came to the next turn-off, which was on the level. But everything was clear so I went for it.

Home now. Gonna bake, and try to keep writer brain from pondering all the possible crappy things that could have happened.

Funny thing was, I couldn't get the smaller can of pumpkin. There's apparently a national pumpkin shortage--the store hasn't been able to get any in over a month.

It's snowing harder. Could get five inches by the time it's done.

The link is to Frank Gallagher's Xmas address to the nation, in which he basically recommends slaughtering the elderly. It is on You Tube as was instantly banned by Channel 4, for reasons that should be obvious (not recommended if you have a problem with swearing, or indeed, unemployed drug-taking Mancunians).

However, if you need an antidote to the saccharine and sentimental this Xmas...this might be it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx3Zdl_V3zo

In a time NINE SECONDS quicker than a decently run novices race earlier in the card, Kauto Star won his 4th consecutive 3 Mile King George Chase today, beating the runner up by 8 or 9 seconds (35 lengths).....

This was his 19th consecutive posting of 170+. Only a dozen or so horses at any one time achieve ONE such rating, and generally they go backwards after that.

Kauto Star has also won TWO Tingle Creeks over 2 miles, and is the ONLY horse EVER to have regained a Cheltenham Gold Cup after losing it (second to the great Denman, in heavier ground than he is used to, coming off a rushed preparation).

The Senior handicapper - Phil Smith, is to be congratulated for his immediacy and openness in discussing the race with the Racing channel pundits before he has had time to assess it in full. His reaction was that whichever way he looks at it under the microscope, this HAS to be the best equine jumps performance in the last 40 years at least. A rating of mid-190 is on the cards - 7 pounds better than his own current top rating.

We MUST enjoy it while we see it. Comparisons to Arkle, 'officially' the greatest chase ever (for whom they changed the handicap rules to give other horses a chance), are difficult - I was only a young teenager when Arkle was destroying all his opposition, and I remember my father being very excited then.

I feel privileged to be able to have seen such a performance. If he turns up for the Gold Cup in that form, the only horse within a FENCE of him will be Denman.

Imperious.

Still in awe, and sitting waiting for the replay!.....

I've been reading a number of detective novels over the festive season, Laurie King's The Language of Bees and the first two novels in Ann Cleeve's Shetland Quartet, RAVEN BLACK and WHITE NIGHTS.

( Read more... )

Out into the Levels, and the fields are already full of flocks of wild swans. We took the dogs to Berrow Flats: a long, cold sunlit line of coast with Wales visible across the islands of the estuary and coffee-coloured water churning in. Sand was dotted with the little wet knots of lugworm casts, and butterfly shells.

Lily tried to catch a whippet bitch (clearly a former racer) and surprise, did not succeed. She pulled her shoulder falling over on ice a day or so ago and effectively has only 3 legs at the moment, so she gave the little whippet a run for her money.

Back via the pub in time for a sudden rainstorm and then the King George VI Chase, won spectacularly by Kauto Star - his fourth, and into the record books. I think the commentator is in tears. No wonder his former French owners nicknamed him 'the extraterrestrial': one of the great racehorses of our day and probably up there with Desert Orchid, they are saying now. In a field of labouring horses, many remarkable in themselves (Imperial Commander, Madison du Berlais), Kauto seems to be barely trying. Also Paul Nichols seems to have corrected the 'oh, what?-am-I-in-a-horserace-I-didn't-notice wandering concentration which has caused heart failure in Kauto's backers on previous Boxing Days at the final fence.

There are a lot of happy people in Kempton Park today. We're not planning on doing a whole lot, although I think POTC 3 is on the agenda later, and at the movies, Avatar, tomorrow. My agent's husband is responsible for a lot of the creatures in this film, so go Wayne, I look forward to seeing the results.

I was going to go out this morning. But the wind is blowing and it's snowing lightly--call me a wimp, but I may stay home and bake instead. Chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Time for breakfast. Coffee. Gaby keeps whining and pawing me. I think she wants her breakfast, too.

While others are relieved Christmas is over and already packing away the tree and decorations and donating ill thought out gifts to charity, I am relieved that hopefully I won't have to hear "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid (I realise I may have to put up with it until New Year - *puke*).

I remember when that song first came out and saw the video on MTV. I was 15 and I remember thinking that it was so cool that these people got together to help the poor starving kids in Ethiopia.

Then I grew up and got an education (not necessarily in that order).

The more I hear that song, the more I hate it because of the stupidity of the lyrics, especially the line, "And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time."

Gee, why do you think that is? It couldn't possibly be because they're close to the equator and have a tropical monsoon climate, could it? I know technically they're in the northern hemisphere but that doesn't mean they should have snow. Even their highlands don't get snow. DUH!

But what really irritates me is the penultimate question and title of the song, "Do they know it's Christmas time at all?" Well, had Bob done his homework he would know that Christians make up over half the population of Ethiopia and that even the poorest villages have Christian churches. It's pretty arrogant to assume just because they're starving they don't know it's Christmas. Seems to me they definitely know it's Christmas. One can say this of many African countries. Christianity is quite popular in Africa. Just because some of the Muslims refuse to convert or some who practice their old religions does not mean the good people of Africa are bereft of Jesus.

I could say a lot more about the whole subject, like how Band Aids don't heal wounds, they only protect them and soon enough they fall off and how this one has majorly fallen off and not actually done anything to solve the problems they were trying to raise money for, but I'll leave that.

The fact this song comes back year after year just irritates me and I'll be glad to be rid of it for another year. It'd be better if I could be rid of it forever but that's a wish I'll not likely get granted.