Election Day!

You talk about your politics and I wonder if you could be one of them / but you could never kiss a Tory boy without wanting to cut off your tongue again

Today's the UK general election. Couldn't figure out why this was such a foreign concept, given that obsessing over foreign elections, especially UK elections, seems like something that I would have been into. Turns out the last election was five years ago, which was right in the middle of my post-bush antipolitical phase. Also, it wasn't really much of a question that (my beloved) Tony Blair and the Labour government would be reelected.

This time, sad to say, is a different story; I don't need to get into the details, and besides, I'm not exactly qualified to do so, but there is definitely the terrorizing thought of a Conservative government. On a philosophical note, the Tory policies are absolutely idiotic, and will hew to the same lines as fat-boy Chris Christie's rampant destruction of NJ schools, libraries, and other essential public goods. On a personal note, the Tories are the worst of the three when it comes to immigration, and it's not exactly thrilling to be told that they'll be making it even more difficult for me to have the chance to live in the same country as my fiance.

Needless to say, if I had the right to vote over there, I would be voting Lib Dem (and probably doing whatever sort of campaigning they do over there); instead, I'm hoping that all my UK friends do the right thing and keep Cameron from office, and refreshing the Guardian liveblog while at work. The UK's made this mistake before, with Thatcher, and the US has made this mistake even more recently, with Bush. It's not a mistake that we can afford to keep making.

That's my two cents for now; more later tonight, when the results come in.

Blogging on the move

As part of this new initiative to be a responsible blogger, have downloaded a blogger client for my phone in the hopes that it'll encourage me to post while stuck in traffic (like right now.)  So here's hoping this actually works!

In new york metro area news:

--it is supposed to hit eighty again today. Eighty! I feel like we've had more eighty degree days since may's started than we did in the entirety of last June.

--what the hell was lost last night?? Really not cool with when shows manipulate me into being sad. Next week's episode looks good though...hopefully.

--man city v tottenham today in what is turning out to be a pretty epic battle for fourth. I know that as an arsenal supporter this is blasphemy but I hope tottenham make it! I do respect spurs an awful lot more than city--city's greedy attitude is such a turnoff. Also eew, northerners. Of course, we haven't locked in third yet...

To anyone who might want to read ridiculous posts on Arsenal fanfiction:

Check it out here, it makes me laugh at least!

In other news, I am going to try this whole 'blog-keeping' thing again. It will be an epic battle to write stuff while leading what is on the surface a rather boring existence at the moment, but hopefully entertaining internet things will come up.

The Red & White: Arsenal v Porto

Just look at that hair go!

Currently at the pub with a nice strong cup of builder's tea to watch the Arsenal v Porto Champions League match. Probably under the category of 'good news' is that the erstwhile Hipster McGoalieface (Almunia, #1 goalkeeper) is injured and sitting this one out...the epic number of mistakes he's made lately has made the occasional 'Hipster McGoalieface must be hung over from Union Pool' jokes less than funny. In other what-I-hope-is-good-news, my favorite player, Our Lady of the Flowing Locks (Tomas Rosicky, cutie pie) is starting, so hopefully he won't do anything too embarrassing tonight.

Anyway, watch along with me and John (the internet is a miraculous thing) at Hipster Gooner's liveblog.

Link of the Day: Verbal Valentines

Some books are meant to be together. Oh, they may come across all coy, or act as if they can't stand the sight of each other – but deep in their heart of hearts they know that it's only a matter of time before they're pressed up against each other on some heaving bookshelf, shamelessly comparing marginalia. [The Guardian]

Gallery Crash: Atmosphere in the Spectrum

"Blue Dream New Wave" by Leo Cohen.

Towards the end of last week, we found ourselves going along to a friend's girlfriend's art show at the Crypt Gallery in St Pancras Church. It was advertised to us as "free wine" but we were pleasantly surprised (by the quantity and the fact that they had vodka too...no, just kidding, by the art, sillies.)

The show was called "Atmosphere in the Spectrum" and claimed to have as its unifying force each artist's take on the concept of atmosphere. Besides that, the show was catholic: student artists as well as professionals, video installations besides paintings. Though of course some of the work was a bit, erm, "theoretical" -- take the piece made of cardboard and ostensibly referencing Foucault's acid trip at Zabriskie Point -- other pieces were more accomplished and seemed to mean more than just art-for-pretentious-art's sake.


Amy Brooks' "Grave Article" brought an appealing sense of humor to the show. The piece was the only one that seemed to directly address the surroundings, blending in so perfectly with the crypt's stacked tombstones and yet providing a clever contrast to the solemn atmosphere.

Other pieces were equally impressive: Sydney Southam's "Ice Cream," based around old 16mm footage of her father who committed suicide when she was young, was particularly notable. And the video installation by Patricia Delgado, our friend's girlfriend, was also fantastic -- eight one-minute films with voice-overs -- but asked for concentration, and suffered a bit from being in a room filled with free-wine-imbibing twentysomethings.

The best thing about being friends with artists (besides the late-night cheap-wine-fuelled overly-intellectualized conversations) is the opportunity to find out about private views (with cheap-wine-fuelled overly-intellectualized conversations), so stay tuned for more updates.

Street Scene: Valentine's Day at Columbia Road

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all.