Feminist Pub 17: The Bluestocking frolics in the fells and fens of feminism

[AKnickerfulOfMenace]

This is the 17th incarnation of the Feminist Pub!

Here be goats, cannons and chat on feminism and related themes. Also snacks. And booze, copious booze.

Welcome!

Welcome Cosmic!

I got a letter the other day about my annual pay rise. A whole seventy pence a week! I'm not sure what to spend such riches on, but it won't be the sketchpads I saw the other day labelled "for girls" and "for boys". Girls grip the pencil with their vaginas, while boys use their prehensile penises?

Thanks Knickerful. I was up too late last night reading incredibly unsettling twitter threads around That Letter. I eventually unfollowed all the feminist people because, frankly, it's just so horrible. White male person telling black female lesbian person to get over her cis priviledge and also that discussing FGM or anything related to female reproductive systems is cissexist. I would quite like to pluck his eyelashes.

Sorry to blurt this all out here. I am usually only a lurker on these boards, but I haven't got anywhere else to say this!

Cosmic that's more or less why I stay away from ideology discussions on twitter - too much yelling and too many extreme views that I can't imagine anyone expressing to another person in real life (I hope anyway).

In other news, has anyone seen this? Depressing.

Hope your day improves Buffy.

Interview went ok, I think. I felt like I talked too much? And I wish I'd given a few more specific examples. But we'll see I guess.

Post interview adrenaline rush has led to me eating a huge cream bun, feel a bit sick now.

I do avoid those kinds of dicussions most of the time, Subtlety, but got drawn in to reading it last night. Couldn't look away. I am not robust enough to even read that kind of rage for very long, and I don't consider myself especially delicate. It really affected me.

Glad you liked it Buffy

I know what you mean Cosmic. It's like reading the comments on any vaguely feminist news article. The futile rage that fills me is very hard to cope with. I usually rant at DH about it and he tells me not to read it. But then I think sometimes of that quote about the only thing evil needs to flourish is for good (wo)men to do nothing (I paraphrase) so occasionally I try to read it. Then start dreaming about starting my own micro nation where bigots and violent nasty people are excluded!

Can I just sit quietly in the corner this evening? I don't think I have the capacity for any coherent contribution to a discussion at the moment.

Gosh, everyone's feeling rather battered I think.

Luckily I have 3 cauldrons here with chicken soup, sweet tea and brandy.

I think I need to hand in my feminist badge. Our washing machine broke today, just the catch on the door but I couldn't open it. Did I get onto youtube and figure out how to fix it? Nope. I ignored the problem completely until dp arrived home and dumped it into his lap to deal with. So he has now gone onto youtube and looked up how to fix it. That's what he's doing now. I just couldn't be arsed to deal with it myself.

Ha! Subtlety, I recently decided that all the awful people ought to be plonked on a landmass somewhere to fight with each other, while all the peaceable souls can drink horlicks or gin in harmony.

I agree that disengaging isn't a positive step, but it is sometimes necessary. Helps with perspective if nothing else. I can get so carried away that I forget that most of the people in my actual life are kind and interested people.

I might be able to manage chicken soup and brandy whilst I sit in the corner being anti-social. So glad it is Friday tomorrow. Unfortunately I have to run survive an all-afternoon meeting with all my senior stakeholders before I get to the weekend.

You can do it Oubliette, nearly at the finish line weekend now.
I've spent the evening watching the west wing and enjoying a gin. I recommend both for medicinal purposes.

Oh - it'll be fine (I'm doing a damn good job of keeping lots of balls in the air without dropping any, so they will be nice to me). Just hate having to do it on Friday pm. In fact I've blocked out Friday afternoons for the rest of the year to stop useless secretary scheduling the next one for a Friday. I had 2 requests this time around. 1. Not a Friday, 2. Not half term - the last 2 meetings were also on Friday afternoons. If I were suspicious, I'd think it was because she doesn't work Friday afternoons, and can therefor avoid providing any last-minute support. Tough - she's going to start doing things at my convenience - I'm sick of facilitating her general crapness.

Might have a 'medicinal' gin

I'm having a 'medicinal' Scotch. I hit some debris on the A1(M) last night doing about 80 70mph. There were four small piles of pressed steel in the outside lane on an unlit section and I couldn't see them until I was on top of them. Each impact took me about a foot in the air and once I'd got the car back under control I pulled over to assess damage and alert the police.

Luckily the car seemed undamaged when I checked it over via torchlight so I carried on driving. Then tonight, again on the A1(M) the front nearside started to wobble alarmingly. So, in the pouring rain, I pulled over and with the aid of the torch checked under the wheel. I couldn't see anything wrong so it could be anything from a wheel weight to driveshaft damage.

At work (my job is to ferry people between two sites) I've noticed, and commented on, that there is lots of promotion from within, with many of those promoted being women. Most of the departments are headed by women, something I found refreshing.

One of the women is off to her graduation ceremony. She's done her Masters. So I congratulated her and told her I was an uneducated oaf and she said she wished she had my general knowledge. She will be running a company soon, she's that good and only in her mid twenties. When it happens I'll be first in line to congratulate her and say "told you so."

Gosh. Have a medicinal double. That sounds terrifying.

Oh, no, Dr, that sounds scary.

Is it possible you've fucked the shock absorber? I managed to do that to mine, and it looked absolutely fine, just wheezed a bit going over traffic calming, but the one of the wheels started wobbling. Not fun - and I wasn't on the motorway!

And oi, don't call yourself an uneducated oaf.

oubliette - good luck with tomorrow, then. Will be thinking of you.

Gosh that does sound terrifying!

this made me laugh this morning:

the-toast.net/2015/02/19/pattern-behavior-cartoons/

Doctor That sounds scary... And I never knew you were an uneducated oaf! I'm an educated ignoramus. So much to learn, so little time...

I have been out and about but must squeeze some work in now.

Good afternoon all. It's Friday!
And I have the day off because I had a long day yesterday (AGM business & a very successful meeting). So now sitting here with a cup of tea thinking about looking through the Madhur Jaffrey Curry Easy book for inspiration. And wondering what nice craft ales DP is going to bring back for our evening in the inglenook by the fire (in the Feminist Pub).
Doctor- hope you've recovered from that shocking incident.
Hoppy - any news about the interview?

No news yet.

Made the mistake of checking work email on day off. Bloody good job too as there's a huge cock up that needed sorting. Gah! Why is nothing ever simple?!

Hope you have relaxed now Doctor, that sounds really frightening.

Read his earlier and it made me smile. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/20/ten-things-feminism-has-ruined?CMP=fb_gu