On getting things done

Last week I wrote a Subtext 'to-do' list. It contained 11 items, with 3 supplementary tasks. 14 'to do's' in total.

I've been working like a proverbial beaver recently to get on with completing the list. Today, I felt like I'd had some success. So, I turned back to my list of last week, eager to cross lots of items off.

Imagine my disappointment then, when I found I could only tick off 3 tasks.

3 down, 11 to go.
Back to work.

How do web masters do it?

I'm a web master (mistress), but there's currently no live site to prove it. I forgot to renew the hosting for Subtext, and now it's expired. At first I thought, no biggie! I was going to transfer to a new hosting company soon anyway. Then I realised I had no idea how to work the internet. PHP and MySQL scripts are not languages I even remotely understand, and I have broken my FTP client.

It turns out it is not as easy as it all looks.

Anyone know how to a) fix everything, and b) build me a nice site on Joomla or Drupal that I can't break?

Fingers crossed.

Time to focus

The tv broke last night. It's been warped for almost as long as we've had it, the screen squeezed in the centre, like an hourglass. Last night one side decided to slide back out again, and the image went with it, followed by white noise, a burning smell and some disconcerting beeping.

Hopefully the death of the tv will make me more productive. I have a 'to do' list a mile long - just for home working jobs, one of the downsides to running a 'business' outside of working hours. None of them are remotely fun; accounting, processing wholesale orders, sorting spreadsheets out. As you can imagine, this will bring me a level of joy hardly experienced before. It's no small wonder I've decided to tidy the front bedroom, and write a blog post.

I was reading Colouring outside the lines #2 earlier, a zine I picked up at Manchester zine fest last Saturday. It's a great issue full of interviews with amazing (female) artists, including some comic creators who's work is super inspiring and is reigniting my love of graphic novels. Check out the Colouring outside the lines myspace for more info.

An interview with Cristy Road about communicating about punk and alternative culture struck a chord with me - she talks about sharing her punk roots because her experiences there made her who she is today. I guess this was relevant to me because I've drifted so far from the punk aesthetic that I used to be so into.

I want to reclaim this as, punk is still fundamental to my belief system - through punk I got into feminism, vegetarianism, environmentalism and anti-animal testing. Plus despite my forays into folk, pop and dance it's still punk music that makes my heart beat faster.

When I was in my teens I looked at the old folks at gigs and thought they were drab, boring and no fun at all. When I was moshing, getting a busted lip, they would stand around at the back - arms folded listening without much get up or go. It's all to easy to let that happen, let the pressures and the stifling roles assumed of adulthood push our bright, wild, creative selves into submission so we can fit in at the office. I guess punk is about rejecting the conformity encouraged of us all, the conformity we're goaded into if we're going to achieve what society tells us is success.

But success is about how close you get to the things in life that make you truly happy - it can't be measured in monetary terms or by the number of possessions someone has. 'Wealth' and 'stuff' do not a happy chappy make, don't believe everything capitalism tells you.

Embracing the dumb things that make you happy is a much better measure of success, imho. Dye your hair a stupid colour your boss will hate, listen to music so loud your neighbours will be able to hear the words and then give them all flowers for putting up with you. Pursue a dream you have, and if you get jaded because of the pursuit it's ok to take time out, isn't it. Ultimately the only person you have to satisfy is yourself.

Phew!

Issue 6 of Subtext is out now - hoo-frickin-ray that took a while!

The latest newsletter's on the blog, and you can get it online, or subscribe at the website.


I plan to have a little sleep now.

Contact your MP - say no to restrictions on the time limit for abortions

There is a crucial debate in the House of Commons next Tuesday 20th May, on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Part of this Bill seeks to reduce the time limit on abortions from 24 to 20 weeks. This is based (in part) on the belief that premature babies born as early as 20 weeks are viable (we know that anti-choice campaigners have many other varied reasons why they don't want women to have autonomy with their bodies).

A study published in the British Medical Journal has proved this not to be the case (Link), and undermines the argument of some anti-choice MPs who seek to reduce the time limit and restrict a women's right to make decisions about her body.

The good news is that in a poll of MPs the majority said they did not support this restriction! Please show your MP you support for a woman's right to choose by sending them an email or letter before the crucial vote on the 20th. You can contact them quickly and easily via "write to them" or get their address details from the website for parliament and send them a letter.

Dear [MP’s name here]

I am contacting you to ask you to vote against the proposals to lower to upper time limit for abortions, as proposed in the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill to be debated on May 20th.

There are three reasons why you should vote against this change:
1) A recent, peer reviewed research study published in the British Medical Journal looking at premature births in the Trent Deanery has shown the age of viability for premature babies has not changed since the 1990s, and that 80% of premature babies do not survive. The argument to lower the time limit for late term abortions is based upon the misguided belief that medicals advances over the last 15-20 years has improved this. It has not.

2) Women seeking late term abortions are among the most vulnerable, and often have many and complex reasons for doing so, ranging from pregnancy as a result of rape to unexpected pregnancy as a result of failures in contraception –a small percentage of women will get pregnant while on the pill despite using this contraception exactly as prescribed, and discovering complications with the birth or the foetus.

3) 77% of the population support a women’s right to choose [Abortion Rights 2007], woman’s right to an abortion, and to make decisions about their own health and their own body. The erosion of these rights through incremental restrictions on time limit for abortions restricts this right and works to erode it away. Women must have the right to make decisions about their bodies – not anti-choice members of parliament of the clergy.

As a constituent I am asking you to vote against the proposals to lower to upper time limit for abortions, as proposed in the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill to be debated on May 20th.

Yours sincerely.
[Your name here]

Cross posted on the Subtext blog

Be the first to know

Subtext has launched a blog. Subtext reviews and news.
I've been slaving all day over this! Wish I could get some of the new blogger features for this old dinosaur.

Subtext issue 5

Horray - issue 5 is now available!
This time I've updated the website using FTP, ooh, and it's been surprisingly easy.

Until now I've updated the website the cheats was using frontpage extensions, which is nice and easy and quick and doesn't involved thought or house keeping for those of us who are a little bit scared of netty things. Well, after 2 years of being a 'webmaster' I thought it was time I stepped up and started using FTP. I don't know what I was worried about.

I used Filezilla, a free FTP client you can download, and you just drag and drop files into your remote folder. Then they're online!

Cockknobs

I forgot to write the editors letter for Subtext AGAIN. I am about 2 years over the deadline.
Tomorrow.
I'll do it tomorrow, promise.

Summarising the confusing

Ah, I am trying to write the news section of the magazine. I have been for about 2 weeks already (I hunt for and save relevant news stories for months prior to writing).

I find it one of the hardest things to do - finding relevant news and news that's not been widely reported and re write it in a super short tit bit style.

It's no wonder no one else has volunteered to do the job :o)

Whatta write about?

So, the contributions deadline for issue 5 is drawing close and I haven't begun to think about writing an article. Sure, I have begun editing and compiling articles from super efficient and excellent contributors, but not really given my own writing any thought.

Any ideas people?

Subtext: issue 3 out now!

Apologies for the recent radio scilence.

Good news though, Subtext issue 3 is now on sale!
And on time! With double proof read text and (fingers crossed) all but titchy mistakes eliminated.
Plus, we've got badges too!