Sunday Statporn!

I'm changing the format of this a bit, and doing stats for the week, rather than the month; this means less continuity (and less C&P) but hopefully makes it a bit more dynamic too.

This week's headline figures:

• 499 absolute unique visitors
• 1453 visits
• Busiest day: Monday
• Readers' favourite browser: Firefox, 52.40%

( more Google Analytics statporn under here )

Exciting stats not from Google Analytics:

• # of unread emails: 10
• # of websites requiring work: 4
• # of blog posts I am committed to write that I haven't written yet: 10
• # of logos/headers to design: 2 (still one for Sarah at Same Difference, and one for next month's sponsor)
• # of Dreamwidth Invite Codes Available for handing out: 0
• # of people added to reading list this week: 6
• # of people removed from reading list this week: 0 (man, mark, please hurry up with those reading filters...)
• # of times I forgot to take my happy pill this week and ended up taking it late: 1
• # of times I checked iPlayer for this week's episode of Top Gear before giving up frustrated and TGless - 12
• Amount of shit to put up on eBay: approx 1 million metric fucktonnes.
• Amount of shit put up on eBay so far: 0

Don't forget to answer my poll if you get chance!

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The Blood is the Life! AKA Sleep is for the weeeeak....

Fresh Squeezings from the veins of the internet!

• Everything you ever wanted to know about electoral systems but were afraid to ask... People keep asking me to explain electoral systems. The Electoral reform society have done it for me. Click here, and in the left sidebar are links to articles explaining all the different systems. Then, when you've realised how fab STV is, lobby your MP for it! I do :D


• Mark Reckons that both Charlotte Gore and James Graham would make fabulous MPs. Having met them both (and having enjoyed the experience) I wish to humbly disagree (at the risk of evisceration). Charlotte tends to get shy and nervous and lose her thoughts when speaking in person - yeah, I know, hard to believe, isn't it? - and James is an archetypal only ever worked in politics type. Both of them, however, would make FANTASTIC advisors for me any MP who was lucky enough to get them to work for them.


• Having said that, I vehemently disagree with Charlotte's reasons as to why she shouldn't be a candidate. I'm with Cllr Tim all the way on this one, even if he is a Labourite: the electorate are crying out for people with honest opinions who have the balls to speak them. It's just that the MSM haven't caught up with that yet.


• Don't forget to vote in my poll! Nag nag whinge whinge moan moan.


• Michael Jackson is still dead. Just in case you were wondering.

And today's Meme, via Stephen at LDV. is Fantasy Liberal Cabinet (because it kills time until we get a real one, natch ;))

• Prime Minister: this is my fantasy, right? Well then, ME. And since I'm Prime Minister, I'm going to create a couple of new departments...
• Chancellor of the Exchequer: Dr Vince, obviously.
• Home Sec: Our Shirley.
• Foreign Sec: Paddy PantsAshdown.
• Skience! innerbrat
• Justice: er, me again. What? I can do both! :P All right then, Ming can do it, I suppose.
• Work and Pensions: Lynne Featherstone.
• Health: Jenny Tonge.
• Education: Patsy Calton.
• Environment:Chris Huhne
• Transport: Susan Kramer.
• Defence: Winston Churchill
• International Development: Julia Goldsworthy
• Communities and Local Government: El Presidente.
• Constitutional Affairs: matgb
• Culture, Media, and Sport: Clement Freud.
• Chief Sec Treasury: Alix Mortimer
• Silly Walks, taking the piss, and throwing paper aeroplanes at important people: Tim Farron

Anybody else who wants to play Fantasy Cabinet can do so if they wish: you can change party/country too if you like, I'm easy.

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Sometimes I wish I could show my f-list something that I can't...

... but let me tell you, internets, it might have taken me a while to be persuaded to join the Lib Dems, but since I took the plunge I have never for one second regretted it. This sentiment brought to you by the lively and amusing discussion going on on one of the Lib Dem email Lists, with a special hug going out to Daddy Richard and the Honourable Lady Ankle-Biter Mark, who are making me giggle hugely.

Today is a lazy day. I am still in bed. Quote Unquote is on the radio. Mat is lying next to me, reading a book and playing with a dribbly candle, with flagrant disregard for heath and safety. The doggies are at my feet, and the emails are amusing. At some point I might get some food.

Today is a good day to be alive, I think.

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The Blood is the Life! By Request Special

The top six most requested things on my poll were (in descending order) Book geekery; Sci-fi/trek/who geekery; Stories about Holly; Beer Geekery; Film Geekery; and National Politics. Here, therefore, is a special entry combining some of the above. Never let it be said that I don't respond to my readership! I promise to find space for some of the others in the next couple of days. And if you think my blog should skew in a different direction, go and fill in the poll ;)

Fresh Squeezings from the veins of the internet!

• Book Geekery - The Atheist's Guide to Christmas is the perfect gift for all the non-God-Squadders you know (hat-tip The King of Twitter)


• Sci-fi ish - Someone is making a girls read comics t-shirt. I want one.


• National Politics - Mr Quist is joining the fight against spin on fatness. Hopefully more people will start listening soon...


• National Politics (sexism special) - FRED PERRY WAS NOT THE LAST BRITON TO WIN WIMBLEDON!!!! Even if you don't count juniors and doubles, what about Virginia, eh? EH? SEXIST BASTARD SPORTS COMMENTATORS!!! (put more mildly by mooism, here)


• Sci-fi - moviegrrl has made a collaborative Space Playlist for spotification. The comm is small, but fab, and is a great place to share spotify lists in general, but this one is sci-fi geek heaven :D.

And today's Meme, via pickwick is 15 books in 15 minutes (for MOAR book geekery) 15 favourite books. I'm going to take it as meaning the words in the books rather than the physical objects (because I could make a list for each, yes.) OK. In no particular order:

• On Liberty - John Stuart Mill
• Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Edgar Allen Poe
• Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett
• Asterix the Gaul - Goscinny and Uderzo
• The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
• Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
• Young Death: Boyhood of a Superfiend - John Wagner
• Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Ghost Stories - MR James
• Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
• The Time Machine - HG Wells
• Smoke and Mirrors - Neil Gaiman
• Rumpole and the Golden Thread - John Mortimer
• The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

Any suggestion that I just C&Ped that list from a previous meme is true politically motivated!

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MPs Expenses Again. Sorry.

Am listening to Nick Robinson's Moats, Mortgages, and Mayhem programme on radio 4. Why is it so hard for him to grasp that people don't really mind an MP claiming expenses for a necessary second home, but the stuff like tellies and cushions are things that most people have to buy out of their own wages and therefore they resent MPs getting them for nothing?

Nick Robinson is supposed to be the foremost political commentator in the country. WHY IS HE SO DUMB???

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Parenthood is tiring but fun

So, you want MOAR stuff about amazing_holly, do you? Right. Here is an afternoon in the life of a busy six year old, after mummy picks her up from choir practise.

First was trying to teach her to tie shoelaces on her new shoes (fake converse, in black with white rubber, and shiny butterflies in rainbow colours on the canvas) when she got changed out of her school clothes. This went... Interestingly. She's not really got the hang of perseverance yet. After her second attempt, she got the pouty face, and said Oh it's NO GOOD! I might as well just GIVE UP! I gently explained to her that some people take YEARS to learn to tie their laces, and some people never learn at all. She then had another go, and almost got it. Still, MOAR practise, I think.

Then we went to the park and played football with her shiny pink KickMaster football which was her choice of birthday present from mummy. She's done really well at grasping that it's only to be played with on grass, and was carefully carrying it over the road. She likes being in goal, for football, and has a fair deal of natural talent at it. We had a few minor tantrums when Mat played as he would against another adult a couple of times, and one very hairy defender tripped her up and made her miss a save, but apart from that it was great fun, even though I did have to spend a small amount of time being a goalpost so that I could rest.

After that we went to Tesco (which is next to the park) and bought ice cream because it was SO HOT. Poor Hol was literally dripping with sweat. Whilst in there we spotted something we might buy with next month's sponsor money - which arrived today. I now have a queue for sponsors, which is rather disconcerting. July, August and September are all spoken for... Although Mr September is someone I owe money to anyway, so that will be reduction of debt rather than increase in cash... But still! The thing we saw to buy was something we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford, and something all three of us will love, and most importantly something that was on special offer ;) If they still have it when we next go in we shall buy, and all will be revealed.

Then we came home, had a bath, and watched last night's Top Gear. For the record, Holly wanted James to win the challenge, and thought the others were being very mean to him (she likes Bach), and thought the McClaren F1 was much prettier than the Veyron (I concur with her on this) and told me I ought to buy a Murchielago. I'd rather have the Vincent from last week...

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