Cat Hellisen's Blog, page 31

green thumbing

I'm having one of those end-of-year dramarama things I do, where I declare that I will never write again! Etc! and taking time off from words

 

This is usually when I start devoting creative energy to other things, and my children get to eat home-baked bread and the garden stops resembling an urban wasteland. It's a good thing. My brain needs a break from feeling inadequate, and my family needs a vaguely together human-being to hang around with for a while.

 

So, it's well-refilling time, digging-in-the-soil time, let's-get-crafty time. and hey-there-let's-chill-poolside-with-frozen-margaritas time.

 

I'll see you guys on the flip side.

                                      

Black Tuesday

As some of you may know, South African democracy took a solid blow to the nads yesterday when the bill was passed that essentially makes whistleblowing on government a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

 

There's more to it than that, obviously, but that's the gist.

 

This Protection of Information Bill (dubbed the secrecy bill in the media) is something that goes against the principles of a free country. When the ANC government is starting to become indistinguishable from their Apartheid predecessors, one has to worry.

 

It's hard to be proud of a country where the leading powers are in it only for their seat on the gravy train and do not give a shit about freedom and truth, but I am proud of all those who stood up to protest, and who will take this bill to the Constitutional Court and keep fighting.

 

I seriously can't wait for the next election. I know where my X is not going.

                                      

Out of the labyrinth for a Black Tuesday Post

Today South Africans are protesting against a the move to pass a secrecy bill that will stick us back in Apartheid-era thou-shall-not-think-nor-question.

 

Our foremost political cartoonist Zapiro sums it up best with this impressive bit of elequence:

 

While some people sneer at the method – South Africans are wearing black in protest – I want to know what move we are supposed to make first? Would they prefer tear gas and bombings?

 

Perhaps the time will come for full-on violent revolution (I certainly hope not, I feel that needs to be last resort) but let us start with a visual peaceful protest first. There is no point fighting a secrecy bill with secrecy.

 

And now for your musical interlude.

 

 

Hold your fire and listen mister

Don't cause no trouble for my brother and sister

                                      

Reasons to stay alive, one

I've been in a pretty bad place mentally and emotionally for some reason. This second half of this year especially has hit me badly. Whine whine whine etc.

 

But there are reasons not to pull the trigger. Most of them are musical, because let's face it, I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a muso. As things stand, let's just say I'm way better at the thing that was never my goal. I can kindly say only that I am pretty damn talentless when it comes to music. But that doesn't stop me from listening. And that's good enough.

 

So here's one. Only the Manics could sing about cynical commercial despair and make it sound so goddamn uplifting and right. So fucking joyous.

 

All we make is entertainment

It's so damn easy, and inescapable

"We're so post-modern, We're so post-everything"

All we make is entertainment

An end to hope and civilisation

A simple way to seek perfection

                                      

BUT IN OTHER NEWS

I shall choose not to be an angry bunny.

 

                                      

arcproject update

So, if you've been waiting for the arc of When the Sea is Rising Red to arrive, and wondering wtf is going on…

 

yeah.

 

You and me both, baby.

 

 

Thanks to those who did participate. Unless the siutation changes, the arcproject is no more. Sorry for all those who were waiting their turn.

                                      

Day 04 – Your favourite book of your favourite series

Okay, yeah I've been slacking, hush.

 

So the favourite series place was won by Earthsea, and my favourite of the series is probably the one most people don't like. Ha. Not because I'm being difficult, but because I like it for the poetic rhythms and because ultimately it's the story of a girl who is freed from her indoctrination.

 

Ged's still there, but he's just a catalyst, and the book is really Tenar's. Beyond that, so much is said without being said; there are some beautiful moments where Le Guin has just left implication there, and moved on. It's a skill I wish I had.

 

I think the major complaint people have is the pace of the narrative, and that the plot is well.. yeah. That never bothered me. Not when I first read it as a child, not all the times I read it again, and not when I reread it yesterday. I dunno. Maybe I can't explain why I love the book, because I don't have to and that's good enough.

 

Also, I really liked Ged in this. He's a different person from what he was in A Wizard of Earthsea: tempered, he can see his own foolishness, but he's still far from perfect.

                                      

Day 03 – Your favourite series

My initial reaction was "But I don't read series fiction. Much." And I don't, mainly because I never seem to be able to get books in their right order. But there are books within some series that I love very much. So I picked the one with the highest number of books I love and will read over and over, and The Earthsea books came out on top.

So yes, there you have it.

 

                                      

Day 02 – A book that you've read more than 3 times

I have so many of these. Mainly because when I find something I like I tend to wear it out.

I'll go with Tender is the Night – Fitzgerald.

I actually haven't read it in quite a few years, so my memory of it may be slightly tainted. Also possibly because it just makes me too damned depressed with life and growing older. I'm vain, the varnish is coming off and this book reminds me of my own human expiry date.

 

The interplay of characters, how they use each other – when I first read this I loved how vicious it was about people. Now…it just makes me kinda down that the truth is such an ugly thing.

 

                                      

Day 01 – The best book you've read in the last year

Ouch this is hard. I haven't read that many books so far. (I start so many, finish so few)

Possibly my favourite, in a very meta-fiction kinda way, was Black Boy by Richard Wright.

Firstly because I love what it said about reading, and secondly because Jim Crow and Apartheid are kissing cousins, and it's fascinating to see my country's worst parts reflected in the gleam of another. It also helps that it's beautifully and economically written.