R Cawkwell

Review: Earthquake Time Bombs By Robert Yeats

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: 15th December 2015

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FIFTEEN REASONS WHY THE UK NEEDS FEMINISM

Another post I feel like reblogging, because I think it’s interesting.

Entering the Unknown

Because if a lecturer shows interest in me, he must fancy me, but if a lecturer shows interest in my male counter part, he must be intellectual.
Because if I wish to acknowledge myself as a sexual being and not hide my sexuality, I am a slut/dirty/a tramp/easy, and if a boy wishes to express his sexuality in similar ways, he is a hero.
Because boys are still encouraged to express emotions physically or sexually and are often looked down upon for being able to communicate.
Because I shouldn’t feel like pretty is a better compliment than intelligent.
Because I shouldn’t feel like a less powerful person for making the choice to prioritise my career over my love life.
Because I am still socially expected to marry and take their husbands last name, and many women do, not because they want to, but because they feel they should.
Because all…

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Fuck Off, Sweetie: The Ultimate Guide to Fierce Femme-inism

A blog post I found that I thought I’d share, because it’s interesting. And the title reminds me of Dr. Who.

Wander Woman

“Gender is a universe and we are all stars.” – Lacey Roop

Full disclosure: I am one of the most stereotypically feminine-presenting people you will ever meet. You’ll find me in flowery skirts and winged eyeliner (when I’m not in hiking boots), usually smiling broadly and gushing about one of my passions in life. I could write (and have actually written) theses on the male gaze. I could talk for hours about bell hooks, Virginia Woolf, and Audre Lorde. I could tell you all about the infantilization of women and sexualization of women’s bodies and how each is contributing to rape culture. And yet I still find myself most confident in my favorite little black dress with the plunging neckline and mascara-laden eyelashes.

Especially as a queer-identifying feminist, I have grappled with this stark discrepancy for years. Isn’t my stereotypical gender performance problematic? Is my way of being in the…

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A timely post from ‘Gods and Radicals’ about disability

http://godsandradicals.org/2015/10/02/do-we-act-justly-disability-mental-illness-and-vulnerability/
Gods and Radicals is one of my favourite blogs. I thought this blog post was really important to share.

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Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

It’s not a great photograph, but this is the view from my window this morning. I’ve been watching the trees slowly change for the last week or so. It astonishes me how quickly it happens.

If you go down to the woods today…

You’ll get eaten alive by insects.

Three bites in one half hour stroll round the woods. It’s itchy as hell.

I like the woods, they’re practically on my doorstep and I remember when they were planted.
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I can’t sleep

Also, do bees get drunk?

I’ve been bad

Since I got my arrears payment on Monday I’ve been treating myself to all those things I’ve gone without for most of this year. I had a Chinese takeaway on Wednesday, and made it last til Thursday, because I can’t eat that much any more and I’ve got into the habit of making two meals out if one if I can.

I’ve also bought myself some DVDs, mostly secondhand (I finally got to see the first two series of Vikings!) but today I splashed out and got The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies [Edit 30/09/2015: they sent the wrong film! I already have Desolation of Smaug, thanks Amazon, I wanted Battle of Five Armies when it’s released in November!] and Thor: The Dark World [Edit 30/09/2015: it didn’t arrive with everything else. Tomorrow maybe?] new from amazon. I also bought three Tolkien books I wanted – The Story of Kalervo, The Monsters, The Critics and Other Essays, and Finn and Hengest. The first is a new release, and will go lovely next to ‘Beowulf‘ on my Tolkien shelf – they have similar dust jacket designs. The other two have been around a while but I’ve never had the chance to get them. They will be here at the end of the week and I shall surface from my Tolkien immersion eventually.

But that’s it, there will be no more money being spent. I want to keep a months rent and bill money in my savings just in case of an emergency, and I don’t want to touch my ESA until next month’s rent is paid. I’m so used to having to eke out my income to cover my bills and rent that I’m scared to use any of it now that I have a bit more coming in even though, theoretically I know I have enough for the bills, food and the odd treat.

Review: ‘Children of the Comet’ by Donald Moffitt

Open Road Integrated Media
Publication date: 13th October 2015

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Work Capability Assessment: The Results Are In

And I’ve been found not fit for work. What’s more, they’ve put me in the support group, so I shouldn’t get hassled by the job center. Seven months after my initial application, and I’ve finally got my answer, it’s such a relief to know now instead of being in limbo. The constant trips to the doctors have been exhausting, I’ll only need to go when my condition worsens from now on, or for unrelated problems. I got the first notification, from the job center actually, rather than the official ESA notification letter, last Saturday. I’ve been waiting to make sure everything was confirmed before I passed on the news.
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