Have you been involved in SF fandom before 2011?

Do you have few spare minutes and a few spare bucks to donate?

Then you could help send an Australian to the USA, for Worldcon!

FanFunds are a great concept where lots and lots of little donations all add up to a plane ticket for someone. In return, the winner of the FanFund works hard representing Australian fandom (OK, goes to a lot of parties and visits as many fans in other cities as possible), and then administers the FanFund for the next time.
Previous winners include emma_in_oz, ang_grr, dmw and dalmeny.
guff_trip is a brief account of a fan-funded trip to a previous Worldcon if you want to get a bit of an idea of what's involved.

This year, there are two fine Australian fans vying for a chance to see Tim Powers in Reno at the 69th Worldcon, "Renovation". You can vote for them! Quickly! as voting closes on May 31st.

If you're in Perth, and likely to see me, I have voting forms and will pass the forms and funds on to the current administrator, emma_in_oz.
If not, here's a handy link! http://home.vicnet.net.au/~asff/duff2011.htm
(and isn't it just like traveling back in time, to how the Internet used to be? So 90s!)

And yes, my gregarious husband strangedave is one of those in the running. Vote for him! Or for Paula if you like her better.

Stolen shamelessly from Jonathon Carroll's blog:

CUTTING LOOSE

Sometimes from sorrow, for no reason,
you sing. For no reason, you accept
the way of being lost, cutting loose from all else and electing a world where you go
where you want to.

Arbitrary, sound comes, a reminder
that a steady center is holding
all else. If you listen, that sound will tell where it is, and you can slide your way past trouble.

Certain twisted monsters
always bar the path—but that’s when you get going best, glad to be lost, learning how real it is
here on the earth, again and again.


~William Stafford

drunk, and despondent

It should be illegal to have to work on your birthday.

I was gonna link to this, but you know, now it's been on BoingBoing, I gotta get me on that bandwagon.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/14/fundraiser-to-bring.html

Peter Watts, a man with a visa, who can't go back to the USA - small donations may help bring him out for the Australian Worldcon.

Donate early, donate often! Go on, you know you want to....

It's the one day of the year where I can't read the news online, and am very wary of FB and LJ updates.

Hey, the papers all managed to keep their front pages spoiler free when discussing the end of 'Lost' - why the hell can't the do the same with EV?

as Tommo said, Surround Sounds (local DVD library) had a massive closing down sale yesterday. 30 minutes spent gathering, then 120 minutes standing in line later...

Jamon Jamon
Hudsucker Proxy
Delicatessen
Harvey Krumpet
Monster's Ball
Romeo and Juliet
Curse of the Golden Flower (turns out we already have it)
Reservoir Dogs
That Mitchell and Webb Look Series 1
Kinsey
Mystery Train
Cannibal! The Musical
Barton Fink
Velvet Goldmine
The Big Lebowski
Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead
Coffee and Cigarettes
Thank You for Smoking
The Dark Crystal
Better Off Dead
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
12 Monkeys
The Usual Suspects
Withnail and I
Fight Club
Legend
Mirrormask
eXistenz
Lars and the Real Girl
The Fisher King
Get SHorty
24 Hour Party People

Polyphonic Spree was very good, and it seems that everybody I know went to see them and share in the joyousness.

Samson and Delilah is on ABC on SUnday night, 8.30pm.

Highly recommended.