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June 28th, 2009
12:37 pm - Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike...
That Simon and Garfunkel song was one of my favourites as a teenager - one of the ones that moves you in a way that music never really will again - and today I am! Because I'm at my cousins' house in New Jersey, which is just the other side of the turnpike.
I'm doing really well here. Getting lots of calming writing done, chilling out and playing with my Tiny Cousins. Last night the little one asked me, 'Laurie, if Jesus was a real person, could he go to Starbucks?'. I have decided that I can stand American children.
A month after I get home (I'm flying back over tomorrow night) I'll be moving out of Straylight into the Mile End house, with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) braisedbywolves and vacanthippy . I'm scared; Straylight has been sometimes a negative and usually also a hugely positive place for me, and I've basically been hermiting for a year. It'll be good, but also very frightening to have my own space again, to not be living with my partner and best friends, to have to actually organise things for myself. The room is lovely, it has a nice big desk by a window looking out onto a little courtyard, and actual cupboard space, which is not to be sniffed at as my clothes have been on the floor for a year.
Home tomorrow night. I'm going to lock myself in a room with cyrus_ii for 24 hours, then I'll be available as usual. Tomorrow morning I'm going to take a last walk through Greenwich Village and say goodbye to New York for now. It's been a fantastic adventure.
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June 20th, 2009
11:16 am - They don't have passports in Middle Earth, apparently.
I had a dream last night in which I met Frodo Baggins in the middle of NoHo. We tried to go for a drink in bar, but we got IDed so we had to leave because they wouldn't believe that we were both over 21. Hobbits don't carry ID. Stupid, if you ask me.
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June 19th, 2009
09:49 am - Here is a thing that I did #2,478
I know I'm not supposed to be working, but I'm quite pleased with this, and I didn't get paid for it so I thought I'd share it: Britain's Got Fascists. It's about migration, and tangentially about the holiday I'm meant to be having. Contributions here or at the site gratefully received. Ta.
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June 18th, 2009
11:23 pm - When they pin me to the wall/ I'll say I'm with America...
Livejournal, hello! I am in New York City, and it's raining. I've been spending my time mostly sitting in cafes writing, wearing fingerless gloves, looking pretentious and nomming down incredibly delicious cake whilst glomping the ubiquitous free wi-fi. I've also got into the habit of going and sitting in Central Park, which is just down the road from my grotty! hostel, in the early mornings eating American breakfast concoctions. I may have mentioned this already: Central Park is beautiful, like Narnia only with infinitely more very small yappy dogs running around the place. I like it here. Yesterday I went and did all the touristy things: looked at the most famous building site in the world and got oddly emotional, on which more later. Looked at the Statue of Liberty, couldn't be bothered to queue for the ferry. Took a long walk around the nose of Manhattan with the sun shining on the water. Got lost in the Financial district. Ate deliciously unhygienic street chicken, drank Bubble Tea. Actually, quite a lot of this holiday has involved food so far. Tonight I went to a teashop with the gorgeous Sinclair Sexsmith and JessMcCabe, who just happens to be in the city too, and had Sangria. As a result of which, got v. drunk. Then we all went to a sexshop called babeland and picked up all the vibrators, drunkly. I have a vague recollection of yelling at Jess 'can't you take a joke you humourless feminazi!' whilst fingering a set of anal beads with the face of a clown. Then we went to a bar. I got IDed, forgetting it's illegal for teenage-looking people to drink in the USA, so instead shambled home to grotty! hostel. Probably a good thing, all in all. I don't think the Americans understand the concept of a single shot. In short: I am enjoying my holiday, and not getting enough work done. Give me a few more days, then I'm sure I'll start missing England and its decent tv, its rolling industrial parks, its charming fascist representatives. But for now I quite like it here.
Current Location: grotty hostel basement computer lab
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June 14th, 2009
June 10th, 2009
07:07 pm
Dear Laurie,
What you have to do tonight is write 1,000 convincing words about feminism, fear and housework.
What you have done so far is write 300 words and 5 pages of notes about how HP Lovecraft explains everything and eat a cheese sandwich.
You're feverish. Have some tea and go back to bed and read the books again. It can't ALL be about Lovecraft.
Love,
Laurie.
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June 7th, 2009
02:12 pm - The best thing ever, ever.
Oh, no! He's got a rhetorical hammer!
Dungeons and Discourse
Oh my god, I love this so much.
Current Mood: glee
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June 5th, 2009
10:27 am - The tribulations of Job.
The Book of Job was phantasmagorical. No, seriously. And in good news, there was enough demand that there's going to be another show sometime soon! It was brilliant, performing again. I've missed Lightly Entertaining. And for this, I got to use all those hammy panto skills. It was great.
But okay, right, after the show I had some drinks. Five drinks. Two halves of cider and three vodkas. And it was grand, I haven't been properly drunk for, wow, over a year. But jeeeeesus, by the time I got home I was already reeling with nausea. And this morning I feel like I've been beaten up with a giant smelly flannel. It is very obvious to me that I have poisoned myself. How do you guys cope with this on a regular basis? I mean, seriously?
Oooowww, my head.
Current Mood: hungover
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June 1st, 2009
02:27 pm - Memetime!
One of the most fun memes ever. Go on google and search for "xyourname likes to"; "xyournaume hates"; "xyourname eats/drinks" "xyourname looks like" "xyourname thinks". Post the best/most appropriate answers from the first page of googlehits.
Here's mine.
Laurie likes to run her mouth and has no idea what she is saying.
(runner-up: Laurie likes to keep misery on hand.)
Laurie hates emotional games and dishonesty
Laurie thinks Miranda did not know the killer.
Laurie looks like hell ran over twice, but whos takingg a picture
Laurie drinks 'buca with her little finger out. Like that makes it ok.
Laurie eats, drinks and breathes this stuff.
Pass it on!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/silly.gif) silly
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May 29th, 2009
09:10 pm - Feminist Friday
Had a lovely day today. It was my day off, and I spent the morning at the British Library doing a long interview with Natasha Walter, author of 'the new feminism', for her new book 'Living Dolls'. She was great. We chatted for literally hours, I just LOVE talking to older feminists, and she said she might put me in touch with her agent when I talked her through my secret plans for a book of my own.
Then I saw that the phone interview I did for the BBC has been quoted extensively in their magazine, hurrah. My noble quest to make a living by giving people a piece of my mind as opposed to a piece of my ass continues apace. Someday young paduan, you too shall be a talking head, yea and be shouted down by men with honeyed voices on BBC regional radio.
Right now I'm sitting in the kitchen trying to wake up from an inadvisable nap and typing away on my new Very Tiny Computer. And on Sunday I get to see r_e_mercia ! Good times.
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May 22nd, 2009
02:15 pm - Genitals and ladymen, your attention please...
You are all hereby invited to attend The Book of Job, The Musical, penned by and starring Simon and Julia Indelicate, a phantasmogorical romp through probably the most theologically complex portion of the Old Testament ever to be given the Joseph treatment on a shoestring. Featuring myself as Elihu the Buzite, Pantaloon and others, stage elephants, boiling lakes of fire and such triumphant musical numbers as 'The Indifferent Love Of The Lord Our God' and 'Your Nasty Rash of Many Colours'.
First performance: Camden Head, 4th June, 7.15pm for 7.30 start.
*bouncebouncebounce*
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/happy.gif) good
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May 20th, 2009
04:48 pm - *fumes*
I am trying to be calm, here.
But having had to write a letter to the Guardian readers' editor explaining exactly why and in what ways I was telling the truth about that show I didn't name in that article I wrote, having ignored nasty comments calling me both an 'inhibited' stripper and an 'immoral journalist' on the article itself, having endured months and MONTHS of people I thought were my friends trying to sabotage my career because they've nothing better to do, I am finding it hard to *stay* calm.
Damnit, I'm a professional, I really and truly am. If you don't like the truth I tell, fair enough; if you saw it differently, fair enough; but go bitching and smearing me whilst I'm trying to actually do something useful with my damn life, and I WILL come after you.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/angry.gif) angry
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May 19th, 2009
11:49 pm
*looks at hands*
Ah, post-therapy fingers! Why bite your nails when you can nibble off all the skin around your cuticles like a total freak?
*sighs, gets sudocrem*
In other news, I made pancakes for Straylight, with bacon and brie. They were yummy.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/okay.gif) blah
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May 17th, 2009
11:29 pm - OH NO
I left my mac under a pile of papers. Knelt on the screen by accident. It's cracked.
I can't tell you quite how upset I am.
Update: I need to sell something to get this fixed. Anybody know anyone who'd want a pair of brand-new New Rocks, silver and black, flats, size 4? I've worn them once, realised I needed the money more, but the shop wouldn't take them back. Bought them for £125. Offering them for £75, but I'll take £60.
Current Mood: inexplicably weepy
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May 16th, 2009
07:16 pm - bloody hell
I did it.
I've done EVERYTHING I needed to do this month. I mean, obviously, yes, there are always more things to do and I'll need to start pitching again soon and my god, yes.
But I've got all this leave, you see, and I've just come into some money courtesy of the Guardian women's pages. And I haven't left the country for five years, and I haven't had a holiday for at least two and a half years. So, I have just done something possibly extremely stupid.
I shall be on a flight from Heathrow to New York City on the 16th of June, and I won't be coming back for two weeks. No, I don't know where I'm going to stay or what I'm going to do there. No, I haven't been there before. Exciting, isn't it?
Current Mood: calm
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May 15th, 2009
12:14 am - Burlesque article UP, baby.
Here.
Oh man, I am so pleased about this, I'm grinning all over my face. Two is good, it's a track record rather than a one-off, and this one is real proper feminism too. With the editor's blessing. No seriously, she was all YOU ARE NOT MENTIONING CLASS WHY and I was all BECAUSE IT'S THE GUARDIAN AND THE OTHER LADY SCREWED ME FOR THAT and she said LO, FOR THOU SHALT TALK ABOUT CLASS AND IT SHALL BE GOOD.
No sign of Ara's picture yet, but I like the one they've used. Have to get the paper tomorrow to find out :) Okay, I'm a tad smug about this, can you tell? Sorry.
Current Mood: good
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May 14th, 2009
01:09 pm - Extra-curricular a-go-go...
I'm doing an extra-curricular activity! Ohyes, for the first time since Maelstrom in 2008 I'm actually doing a Thing that is not anything to do with work.
I'm in a Musical. It's The Book of Job, The Musical, penned by Simon Indelicate, at the Camden Head on the 4th of June, and you should all come and see it, partly because it's going to be lots of fun and partly because Simon and Julia really REALLY need the money. I'm playing 'elihu', a daughter of Job/narrator, after their original cast member had to drop out. First rehearsal tomorrow - I'm so excited!
ION, I'm at work, waiting for Tasks to arrive. We've been sent a book of self-harm poetry to review, and my god, it's really bad. It's dire, and depressing, and most of it's in rhyming couplets. Lovely Editor, the Famous Mark Brown, has to find something good to say about it for the cover that doesn't involve the content. Wurgh.
IOON: Hurray, hurray, hurray! It's NEW MIEVILLE DAY TODAY!'The City and The City' is out now in hardback...have to wait till Guardian paycheck comes in, as it's pricey. NEW MIEVILLE DAY!
Current Mood: better
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May 13th, 2009
12:30 pm - beauty splurge filter
No, this is not what you think it's going to be. Really.
I have a thing whereby, protest as I might about beauty culture, I'm into it. I LIKE grooming, for various reasons, most of which have to do with a period of extreme neglect followed by self-neglect in my childhood and adolescence, others of which have to do with spending 6 months sharing a very small corridor with a beauty therapist, a make-up artist and three models.
So. I like grooming. I like fashion. I like to talk about them, but very very very rarely get the chance to do so, mainly because I'm worried that people will take the piss out of me. I am considering going in to fashion writing but have no idea if I'd be any good at it. So - would anyone like to be on a fashion/beauty filter? If you would, you must promise PROMISE not to point and laugh at me for all my feminist inconsistencies.
Things I know a LOT about include:
1. skincare. I'm very hot on skincare. I actually have awful skin, which is one of the reasons I'm so obsessive about it. I have LOTS of tips.
2. makeup. I know techniques, what works and what doesn't, what not to spend money on, etc.
3. fashion - some of it's great, most of it's ridiculous.
4. style and glamour - which are completely and utterly different. I know about this, too, and not all of what I know comes from Maya Angelou, although hum some of it does.
5. Debunking myths.
6. Products - what works, what doesn't, what's a crock of shit. With the caveat that I spend a bit too much money on products, but another caveat that I know how to make a little go a long way.
Things I know sod all about include:
1.haircare - mine really doesn't give me much trouble and I know bugger all about how to make it do anything it doesn't want to do.
2. tanning/fake tanning - eurgh.
Things I know tons about but will not be talking about include:
1. dieting (because that's really not what beauty is about)
2.excercise (see above, also I can't be bothered).
So, who wants to be on the beautyfluff filter?
Current Mood: lazy
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May 12th, 2009
11:28 pm - it's Meme Time! :D:D
Shitty day. Wearing black baggy jumpers and scowling at everyone. Feel powerless, and am as such picking fights, so have sent self to room without supper with a healthy amount of dinner like a good girl but also recriminations about size of thighs, pettiness and state of room (tip).
You guys will still love me if this article doesn't come out, I'm sure of it.
Meanwhile, have a meme! I nicked this from unkoogabriel and slasheuse . Ten of favourite books. 3 characters (not necessarily favourites BY ANY MEANS) from each. Guess books.
1. Audrey, Thomas, Picadilly - The Deptford Mice, guessed by me_ves_y_sufres
2. Bernard, Linda, Lenina - Brave New World, guessed by strangefrontier
3. Lucy, Carl, Raoul
4. Sam, Rosie, Carcer - Night Watch, guessed byloneraven and sashagoblin
5. Magnus, Soobie, Appleby - The Mennyms (and the rest of the series) - guessed by a gratifying number of people,ktroo85 ,mi_guida andjacinthsong <3
6. Serena, Nick, Fred (bit of a sneaky one here) - The Handmaid's Tale, guessed by ktroo85
7. Louis, Gabrielle, Nicolas - The Vampire Lestat, guessed by countess_rezia , chains_of_irony
8. Maelcum, Molly, Armitage - Neuromancer, guessed by strangefrontier
9. Percy, Marguerite, Armand - The Scarlet Pimpernel, guessed by me_ves_y_sufres , countess_rezia and shiny_and_new
10. Obed, Barnabas, Zadok Allen - The Shadow Over Innsmouth, guessed by cannons_at_dawn
All shall have prizes :)
ETA: no sign of article. curses, will have to chase them to find out where it's gone. meanwhile: only 3 and 10 left guys, come on!
Current Mood: stampy
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May 8th, 2009
12:51 pm - Oh, god.
Guys, guys, I cannot write to save my life today. This is bad, very bad. I shall definitely have to stay in my room all weekend trying and failing to pull this thing out of the front of my head like so much rope. So many interesting ideas, such a pain to distil it all into one simple yet interesting 1,400 word narrative.
But Roxy Velvet, right! God, she was amazing. I went to see her at the (otherwise shockingly awful) Volupte club on Wednesday. She looks a lot like Pink, and has a tiny angry ex-wife who is now her manager. She smokes cigars. She hates what the scene is turning into, which is exactly what I needed to hear. And she defended me from the gropy husband of one of the performers who was trying very hard to get his tongue all the way into my ear.
I think part of the reason I can't write this morning is that Ara's coming round to take some pics that might go with the piece, and I got changed (under my clothes) into burlesque gear in anticipation. It just feels so alien, now. I mean, I can appreciate that it looks good, but I already can't waiti to be back in my jeans, scribbling away at what actually matters to me. The bit of me I'm happy selling.
If anyone would like to proof-read the thing, that would be hugely helpful - partly because having a deadline to show it to someone I care about might actually help me get off my tiny arse and get down to it. :)
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