Melina

Big boosting of signal here, guys.

The Australian House of Representatives is seeking submissions on the Marriage Equality act. All they're after is an email address, a quick survey and a couple of short responses. Unfortunately, from the interim reports, it seems that the survey has been mostly found/spammed by people against the act.

Australians, you can go here to express your own point of view. Please, please then spread the word, since you probably have more Australian friends than me</a>

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Despite seeing Deathly Hallows Part 2 twice in 2D, our attempts to see in in 3D were viciously thwarted by Voldemort a power blackout. Today, however, was a local show holiday in our council area, so I popped just south to another council area and finally got to see the film in 3D in an almost empty theatre.

Before I get to my thoughts about the 3D (and the movie in general), one of the million and one trailers was for the next Twilight movie (Breaking Dawn? I've lost track) in which I got a fit of giggles when Edward actually broke the bed head . . .

One of the things I have to get my head around with the HP films is that they have their own canon which kind of fits to the books, but also have some things which make me yell. But I love them anyway, and I love how they bring some emotional moments to the film (the look between Ron and Harry before he heads to the forest just kills me) which are different to the books.

I'm just going to focus on things I adore, because I'm having a bit of a down day and really don't need to add grumbling to that. So here they are . . .

( Spoilers of course )

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Well crocheting and designing mostly. I've begun designing and crocheting a whole bunch of different characters. Unfortunately scrapbook has been terribly slow, so I only have a few to show, but I'll put more up eventually.

I'd like to get this sort of thing to a sellable point eventually, but I'm still trying to think of a decent shop name. Ideas would be appreciated :)



Kaylee from Firefly

( More photos here )

I've very belatedly signed up for Remix Madness, so if you've ever wanted to rewrite one of my stories, you can find my post here

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I still don't know how mud got that far up my pants. I've just finished rinsing out Matt's and my clothes after volunteering today so our poor washing machine wouldn't cry at us, and I'm pretty sure there was more mud than pants in my jeans. Which is a way of saying that I've been trying to write this post all week, and this is the first day I've been able to put the words together.

I was born in Brisbane, and spent my first 8 years essentially in inner-city suburbs, before my family moved to the Sunshine Coast hinterland. We continued to come to Brisbane to visit mum and dad's parents, to go shopping, to visit South Bank, to go to dancing lessons at West End. I went to two universities in Brisbane, met my best friends in Brisbane, lived in parts of Brisbane and worked in Brisbane until we moved just north of the city. To say this last week left me upset would be an understatement.

Almost all my life I've heard about '74. About how the water came up towards my Nana's house but just missed it, about the boats that sailed the city streets, about the smell. Comes, I suppose with having parents who were there and just with being a resident of Brisbane. But I didn't get it until this week.

On Wednesday morning the sun was shining, and we were still reeling at the events in Toowoomba and Grantham as well as the idea of so much of the state being under water. Then the water began to rise. This time it was rising in places you knew, or in some cases knew well. South Bank, West End, the Corso at Yeronga where we used to drive on the way to Nana's house, the University of Queensland where both Matt and I studied. Around the hotel where we had our wedding reception. There were pictures of my old workplace closed with sandbags out front. That games arcade never closed during the day! The river was slowly creeping up towards them all.

Still, except with a brief moment of panic when they ordered the evacuation of low lying areas of Strathpine (Me on the phone "do we live in a low lying area?" Matt "We're at the bottom of a hill . . .") and our area being a little cut off from the rest of the world (along with well stocked shops, petrol and power) I was basically untouched by the whole thing. And feeling useless, because we'd already donated to the appeal (we're donating more, including Matt's train fare for the week, since he doesn't have to pay it). So when Campbell Newman announced the volunteer plan, and one of the assembly points was only a 15 minute drive from our house, we decided to head out.

First of all, I was so impressed by the organization. When a massive line had already formed when we arrived (3/4 hour early) they opened up everything to get it moving. The Boondal Entertainment Staff were amazing in keeping it running smoothly, the bus staff were cheerful and the council staff knew what they were doing - amazing considering how quickly they had put it together. Even the problem of ID was easily solved, with a lanyard for all volunteers which held the ID and the paperwork. Once we were on the bus we discovered where we were going. Turns out, it was the one area buses were going to that I knew well - St Lucia, home of the University of Queensland.

We drove by the uni itself which was closed off, which was strange enough. On their lower playing field near the main entrance was a boat. The childcare centre down there clearly went under. Then we got out to Sir Fred Schonell Drive and everyone on the bus went silent. The sidewalk were full of what you would usually call rubbish, except that this was people's belonging, perfectly fine less than a week ago. The shops I used to visit when I walked to and from the Avalon theatre were being completely emptied, if they hadn't already been. And there was mud everywhere. Up to your ankle type mud. (the water level itself was easily above my head)

(Sorry mum and dad, the smell wasn't as bad as you kept telling me. Better than Rotorua at its worst, a little worse than when we had the flood through the shed and the caravan. Matt said it was worse inside the houses though.)

The worst for me was seeing books -often obviously expensive text books- on the piles outside. But everyone around was working hard, and by the time we finished we could really see a difference. I was saying to Matt that our little effort felt insignificant, but when you multiplied that by the thousands of volunteers who were out there today, I think we made a little difference.

If you're in Brisbane and you get a chance, please go out and help in some way. One of the nicest things I saw was a mum with her two young kids who set up a card table with juice, water and cupcakes for exhausted volunteers. If you're not in Brisbane, think about donating to the RSPCA or Lifeline or the Premier's Flood Appeal. Or try and replicate the feeling I found today, when people smiled at each other and helped each other out.

Meanwhile I'm off to see if I got that mud out of my pants . . .

I've posted a couple of ideas over at this QUT website . For everyone who has facebook and 'likes' one of mine (or someone elses ideas) QUT will donate $2 towards an Oxfam water project. If you contribute your own idea they'll done $5. I'd love to see them hit the $10 000 mark (their proposed limit)

Also, if you 'like' my ideas and I get 25 likes, then I get a free t-shirt (free clothing! I feel like such a uni student!)

There are serious thoughts behind my two education based ideas. First of all, both of them (less time on testing, more time on allowing students to care and a library of books in every classroom) are achievable. (Which is more than some ideas, though I like the idea of chocolate without calories). Then they're aimed at developing caring and thoughtfullness for the world.

The strange thing is, whenever we teach a lesson which focuses on social issues, my students get excited. They get passionate. They want to do something. What if we were able to build on that, if we could teach them to write to people in power, to write advertisements, to research solutions and brain storm new ideas. Instead, more and more, we're directed to focus on drill and kill, fitting every child into a box. At the moment we're learning about re-usable bags. My students are going home, talking to their parents, looking at possible road blocks, designing their own movies. Shouldn't we encourage this in every classroom - after all, these are the people we want thinking as they grow older and begin to vote, and eventually, run the country.

The books idea is connected. More books really does encourage more reading (who would have thunk it). This year my students have read books about characters who are gay, have a disability, have HIV, are poor, of every different background, nationality and colour. They are hurt when the characters are hurt, they are outraged when the character is wronged. They empathise and you see them carry this with them in their day to day interactions. Again something I would love to see in every classroom in the world.

So feel free to go and like my ideas :)

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I seriously just got an email via the Education Department suggesting that students not access any websites other than the clunky Queensland Education ones.

That means they don't want students to access Google, Kidblogs, Animoto, Arcademic Skill Builders, Teacher Tube, Glogster . . . and if we allow them to and someone complains, the department won't back us up.

Anyone believe that they like to call Queensland the Smart State?

(This is why I shouldn't check my email. Also found out I'll have to park on the side of the road tomorrow so they can deliver something for the building that should be delivered outside of school hours)

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Help!

I'm looking for some new music. I want music to listen to, write to, generally groove along to. I'm looking for new sounds I don't know, or older classics I may have missed (and I'm fairly clueless when it comes to music)

At the moment I'm on a real female singer kick, though if you have something with a male singer that I must listen to, please include it!

I prefer softer alternate stuff, piano is always a bonus, though I'm developing a real love for guitar.

Just tell me what you love at the moment, so I can find something new!

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So, after a few years of watching my students take part in readathons, I'm doing so myself this year. I'm entering the MS Novel Challenge, which is the adult version of the MS Readathon. At the moment my goal is to read 50 books in 30 days, and to raise $500 - of course I can always adjust both goals up. You can contribute to the fundraising efforts at my Fundraising Page and feel free to pass this on to anyone else you know who might be interested.
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Ruby Hunter, the first Australian Indigenous woman to be signed by a major record company died overnight.

I found Ruby Hunter's voice through my beloved Seachange soundtrack. When you listen to her voice you can hear life in it, and I adore Aurukun Moonlight. It's a sad loss for Australian music.