Subversive Chic

As we speak I am burning a CDRW, mostly with musics available for free download from Sleater Kinney. I first heard these people through the rather eclectic "Peace not War" CD. That was one of the few I really liked, so I looked them up, and bingo. So that's what I'll be doing tonight.

Ah. Part of what I'll be doing tonight- I'm also down to go to hear Alice Ukoko speak at the Oxford Amnesty group about human rights in Nigeria. Nigeria, incidentally really ought to be the jewel in Africa's crown- they have oil, iron, a good climate for farming...

On a similar kind of topic, I got to take part in a demonstration today. I'm not normally the banner waving type, and indeed it wasn't really like that- People and Planet, a mildly socialist/environmentalist group with branches in various uiniversitites were having a tug of war between people in hats representing Kraft, Nestle et al and some poor sap representing the third world on the other side. I was there in a Stand and Gawp capacity, but then they asked if anyone in the crowd bought fairtrade branded goods: I did, so I got to join in pulling over an allegorical cartel of coffee corporations. It felt good. I may become more involved with P&P.

At one stage a police car came, sirens blazing, and stopped nearby. It caused a tiny, inadmissable shiver of subversive joy to run through us all before it became apparent they were just turning around, even they baffled by Oxfords' traffic restrictions. (This is the only city I've been to where the turn-off from the motorway has a sign saying "Motorists are advised not to enter the city".)

So that was pretty much my day. I do have topics to post about- really, I do- but it's a matter of finding an hour or so to sit down and write about them, vous savez. It's so tempting to tell you all the tawdry details of my life instead.

If I'm living in the Ablethorpe building (college apartment block, known as "Dale") next year, I will have free ISDN and consequently my laptop will never be disconnected from the internet. My blogging habit is only likely to get worse. I might not be, though- the draw to determine who lives where is tonight.

Anyway, I'd best go home. Housemate Jenny is cooking some kind of pie with wine in it.

Song in my head: "Make Trade Fair" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Desmond Tutu (really)