I see that The Post is continuing with its calculated strategy of trying to bully Green women out of politics. www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Popping in to post a few highlights from a bit of a rough 2024. I try to focus on the positive. Here's the positive.

Update... new awful boss, work imploded, quit my job, got a new one, and I start at the end of the month. Fostering a greyhound, dad's not been well, and generally everything is Big and kinda hard. But this too shall pass.

Had a lovely 90 minute call with my sister and niblings, messaged a lady fostering a hound in Upper Hutt, et an apricot, and am going to go to Mitre 10 for seedlings now - leafies to replace the silverbeet I'm harvesting for tonight's dinner, and hopefully perennials. Seeking light, in a dark time.

Jobhunting. Looks like I'm going to have to take a demotion and decent pay cut based on what's out there. Lead and principal advisor level roles seem to want more than I have. Safety, engagement, policy, and technical (not IT) writing skills and xp, wicked people skills... Hire me!

Daughter tells me she heard today that if you wear a band T-shirt (especially as a young woman) and a man says to you “name five of their songs”, the correct response is “name five women who trust you”, so I pass this on in case any of you need it

Life is weird and confusing. Today I found out some of the miserable and offensive detail of what's happening to my work this year, and got an unexpected and crushing diagnosis of advanced patellofemoral arthritis. I also scheduled an exciting visit to go meet greyhounds who need homes, but WTF.

I am resolved to be more present here, and hopefully less so in the Other Place. Here is very wholesome but can you not message people directly?

Our final push for our Xmas fundraiser, this week. It makes such an enormous difference, and it means the aunties whānau women can do their do, and not have to worry about Xmas, this year. Thank you. givealittle.co.nz/cause/auntie...

Hi Aotearoa Bluesky, I know there's a ton of petitions flying around, but, this one needs our attention. Shared on Twitter. No billionaires or millionaires sanctioned for tax avoidance but our vulnerable whānau & community are being attacked. petitions.parliament.nz/e8e83093-d19... Please sign!

Elon has lost Reddit, this is not a drill.

Oh, FFS, I think this dude used to be one of my baby advisors at WS. I remember him walking out of work with me once (rare), walking with me down the Tce, and asking me how to talk to women. He loved Ron Swanson and said things like "I hate Art" and "I hate salad" basically all the time.

Were I confronted with this order as a public servant, I would simply and honestly re-frame any policies beneficial to Māori as based on need and keep going, because you know, they are. Make them say the quiet part out loud, (no addressing racial inequality) and then leak it to press when they do.

We start pushing back today. We give to the green war chest. We blend te reo into our every day. We add every MP to our email contact list. We send pix of every pothole over 24 hours old to Simeon. We comment on every submission. We do not go gentle into that good night...

Some of my roses are so incredible at the moment. Remember Me, my most fragile princess, has two massive velvety blooms. The colours are extraordinary and she smells like heaven. She's delicate because she lost two good balancing stems to windthrow last season. Top-heavy and vulnerable.

Just got back from a 2 week holiday in the States with my sister and her fam, and I can barely think cos Time and Travel, but also my roses are irrepressible and I wish I had the skills to post photos right now.

I'm not very good at posting here, and maybe it's just Twitter muscle memory or my issue with letting go of things I'm emotionally connected to. But I'm working on that. I just did two days of 30 year college reunion events that I sort of co-organised and my heart is so full. What amazing women.

Robot Mum Sleepover last night, then brunch this morning, then I voted, and did a wee bit of shopping and met a dog, and then got my hair did, and then had a classic O'Doom Family panic attack about the hair, and now I'm gonna eat leftover curry and watch telly. Good Day.

Working from home today, so I'm supre productive plus I get to do some chores in my lunchbreak before Robot Mum comes for sleepover tonight. And I'm trying to decide if I'm going to book a hair appt for tomorrow... Always an internal argument, and I usually just don't, and tie it up.

Looking for a great band for a conference gig next year in Tāmaki. One that will get folx up dancing! Demographic mostly gen X folx/international conference. Prefer live over DJ. ❤️ Suggestions welcome.

What About Me by Moving Pictures. Sweet Lord, when it comes on the radio in the car I swear I scream. The original idea for the song was sweet, but the song itself is just soooo whiny. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzQK...

2.5 weeks til I go on holiday and see my supersister and the niblings. There will be Halloween Shenanigans. My question is this: Do I assemble a (watered-down) Valak costume for the trick-or-treating or is that a little de trop?

Wellington whanau please keep an eye out for these two, their parents are beside themselves with worry! 💜 www.facebook.com/groups/vicde...

I had very good reasons for not doing Anything yesterday.

Today I worked my cushy behind off in meetings and workshops, got positive news from my insurance dudes about the fence, mulched my front rose bed, put the rubbish out, and had a lovely phonecall with Robot Mum. Now I'm turning in with a cup of tea and wrestling catchups. I'm exhausted, but happy.

Hey fellow Pōneke Wellington peeps. Who is this racist guy?

The littlest beneficiaries. My Stuff #cartoon today. #nzpol

Lovely evening with the folks, and RM was stoked with the bits I gave her, and gave me fruitcake in return. It's cool but also a bit sad that carving is now my job. FrankenDad taught me how (and still critiques from his chair) but he can't do it anymore cos standing hurts.

I can't believe it. Mazing and Major came round with little Rakanui AND THEY BROUGHT THE TWINS! One year old and just as ridiculously beautiful as all the other kids. I can't cope! Mazing said it's cos she knows I love babies. It's true. Holy shit. Best day ever.

Having had a day out yesterday, today I've done housework, washing, spring grooming tasks, and some Work work. Plus I've eaten some excellent eggs! This weekend is a surprisingly balanced delight!

My drains are backed up, my woodshed roof is banging on the wind, and I'm dealing with some mean behaviour. So I'm walking away from it all to have a lovely brunch and see people I like. Because sometime's that's adulting, too.

Considering the TERFY flavour of the upcoming stupid protests, I'm staying out of town. I can't imagine how they'd react to Marjorie and I love her too much to put her at risk.

Dinner was a cuppasoup and a smol bowl of hummus eaten with a very tiny spoon. I have stress belly. It's the shitty sleeps. But that aside, I can confirm that it was an extremely satisfying dinner.

Nothing like lying in the dark for an hour listening to the gears in my head just spin wildly. Spring Brain is such a dick.

I watched the vid of the Remutaka candidates meeting, and was impressed with the people I already liked, and made to feel a little ill by those I was already cynical about. And the National girl was either misinformed, or subscribing to her leader's habit of saying v. untrue things with confidence.

This morning I heard Luxon on Hauraki and it was exactly the kind of fluffy bollocks you'd imagine.

Is it even possible to listen to Don't Fear the Reaper without hearing the cowbell really loudly? Like, my brain just mixes it up disproportionately.

I had a very very bad sleep last night. And today I'm get get tired. Then broke a nail and was a little late cos I helped a lady lost in the wilds of Naenae her to the hospital. And now the air con is sounding like a loud kettle boiling. So I'm going to pump up the jams and go hard.

I have successfully gotten two workmates and a dear overseas friend in love with Teddy Swims. Maybe not as obsessed as me, but they 100% get it. And yes, I'll be listening to Lose Control one last time before I crash. Usually this lasts 1-2 weeks.

Still completely obsessed with Teddy Swims and it's the BEST soundtrack for a chill Monday in the office!

I got quite a bit done this weekend, but maybe the thing I'm most proud of is that I shaved my legs. Spring is sprung.

I literally forgot today was daylight savings till someone mentioned it. Tomorrow morning will be brutal.

When you're having a pyjama day because you're exhausted and were up too late writing a paper, and then one of the Rose Society ladies turns up randomly. And spends 10 minutes bitching about the society, snarking about my garden, and generally ranting despite my clearly not being open to visitors.

My favourite recent purchase was a lint shaver. I love my jumpers and it's a bit tardy to get a new shaver at the end of jumper season, but I know I'll be surprised next year when the temperature drops and having them lovely and smooth and clean will be a present to Future Me.

So no one in the New World has called me out on my swears. It'd suck if I fled the apocalypse to find sanctuary here and they were like "we don't use bad language here, we're Nice." I know that's an odd anxiety cos the internet is blue af, but my brain thinks Pleasantville will burn me as a witch.

Somehow I've found another madly talented modern soul singer... Every so often I trip over and these artists turn up in my life and leave me broken in the best possible way. Tonight I found Teddy Swims. Goddamn, that raw voice. My aching heart. I cannot fucking cope.

Today I had a lovely wee road trip with one of my favourite people, to catch up with another of my faves and her lovely husband. Gorgeous lunch, a walk along Foxton Beach, and cups of tea catching up after too long. That was a fucking good day.

So I want to do the Blossom Valley thing sometime over the next couple weeks. I keep missing out for one reason or another, but I'm determined. Anyone want to come along and have a Disney Princess moment?

Funny cos it's true. Chef's kiss, Sir N.