A Tribute to Lynley Dodd

My baby likes to ride buses.

The baby from Spain likes to dance in the rain,
but my baby likes to ride buses.

The baby in Texas likes to drive a Lexus,
the baby from Spain will dance in the rain,
and my baby rides in buses.

The baby from Turkey likes having high tea,
the baby in Texas drives a Lexus,
the baby from Spain will dance in the rain,
yet my baby rides in buses.

The baby from Niger likes riding a tiger,
the baby from Turkey has a thing for high tea,
the baby in Texas drives a Lexus,
the baby from Spain will dance in the rain:
still! my baby rides in buses.

 

In other words, this blog is being repurposed into a parenting journal, because that's the big thing I'm doing this year.  Love to all.

Thank You Very Much!

Dear Ms Collins,

Thank you for again dragging the ethics of our government (and our country) through the mud.  It's nice to know that every time it looks like we've reached a new low, the National Party will find a way to stoop even lower.

With respect to your proposal to remove the human rights of people accused of certain crimes - if you can't get a conviction in a court of law, it is morally indefensible to declare them guilty and treat them as criminals.  That's a finer point of ethics that most people pick up somewhere in primary school.  Perhaps, if getting convictions is so difficult, you could direct the NZ Police to spend less time sniffing around activists' underwear and more time actually investigating child abuse.  It's just a thought.  By the way - my opinion isn't because I like people who hurt children.  I don't, I think they're scum.  Nonetheless, if I don't stick up for people who are unpopular, how the heck can I expect anyone to stick up for me?

I'd also like to add that similar laws (although they at least require a conviction) have been implemented overseas and the main takeaway is that they don't actually work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah%27s_Law#Sarah.27s_Law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan's_Law#Study_of_effectiveness
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica%27s_Law#Controversy_and_criticism
I'm assuming your staff would have been able to pick that up from a five minute Google search, inclining me to believe that the timing of this announcement is rather more about political chaff than concern for small children.  Oddly enough, most adults are able to be angry about more than one thing at a time - and yes, I'm still extremely pissed off about the GCSB spy bill.

Regards, and thank you for your time.  I hope you get fired at the next election.

Stephanie Pegg

Every now and then...

Something randomly cool just happens to you.

Today, mine was sitting one row back from the front of the men's basketball final with random nice people bringing me food.  There were Pacifika drummers, dancers, singers, some very tall fit people, undernourished women wearing advertising, an enthusiastic crowd and we all had a wonderful time.  Go Saints!

Yesterday's was a concert of Celtic music influenced by rap and Spanish folk, held in a yoga studio by a frisbee player.  (As you do.)

This weekend, I also spent a lot of time huddling inside with the heater on, making and consuming baked goods, and doing yoga.  (It was the yoga that finally made me feel warm.)  My word, but it's been cold and wet this weekend.  Happy next week all!

Back From Holiday

Repton and I just got back from a long weekend in Auckland.  (Official reason was that some family of his wanted a get together on Easter Sunday, but mostly we just wanted a holiday.)

It's been really nice.  We were staying in a bed & breakfast in Laingholm (a small villagey type place out in the hills past Waitakere) and spent a lot of time being Tourists.  And because it's the way we're inclined, that meant lots of bushwalks and going out to the beach (Piha and Long Bay), as well as the zoo and the Botanical Gardens.  (Seriously, the only way to get out of walking when you're on holiday with Repton is to twist your ankle.  ;-) )

Also visiting with people, and generally relaxing, and Eating A Lot.  And the weather was glorious, which is saying a lot since a week before Easter a big storm was forecast.  So really, it ended up feeling like a second Christmas.

(Apologies to the people who wanted to catch up but the timing didn't work out.)

I just published a game!

(And I'm telling everyone.  :-) Apologies to the people who've seen this in multiple places.)

The Bell is a science fiction suspense live roleplaying game inspired by The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky), Five-Twelfths of Heaven (Melissa Scott), Vacuum Flowers (Michael Swanwick) and the works of Cordwainer Smith. The Bell is intended to be an emotionally intense game that pushes moral dilemmas. It draws on a trope of science fiction which treats space travel as a spiritual journey. It doesn't make assertions about any particular religion, but it does examine metaphysical themes and ethical issues.

Dear Diary...

What did I do today?

- I hung all the soft toys I keep for sentimental reasons up on the line (it's supposed to help kill dust mites)

Also, Xi Shi, the lovely doll my sister made me, out for an airing:

- I sipped coffee while Repton and Repton's Dad (TM) did constructiony type things on the garden.  (I've had prior involvement in this bit helping to clear away the mountain of stones some clown put on our nice garden, and digging the drainage trench (now filled in with the same bally stones + compost mixed with clay and gypsum, and faintly visible on the left.)

  

- Possible casualties of war - two rose bushes which had their root balls trimmed like billy-o to fit them into their temporary holding pots.  (Not these ones, which we got hold of today, rather smaller ones.)  Well, they may survive.

And I'm shortly off to visit Cat.  Christmas holidays are great.

Please take the time to vote...

My Gran once told me about when her father was very old and sick and living in a rest home, the election came round, and when she went to visit he told her that he'd announced that morning that he wanted to vote, and the Matron had pooh poohed the idea.  But he insisted and made a fuss and after a bit some of the little old ladies that lived there also announced that they'd quite like to vote, too, so my Gran had to go out and arrange a special booth to be set up there so they could have a turn.  Later, after all the fuss was over, my Gran asked my Great Grandad who he'd voted for, and he said: "That's my business!" and went to sleep, and he died later that night. 

Please remember to vote!  It's important and you don't have to deal with an obnoxious Matron or anything - just go down to your local polling birth and take ten minutes out of your Saturday.