Penultimate break before the university shuts down for the Christmas and New Year period. I'll be on leave until the middle of January. Hong Kong next week for six days, then back in Melbourne to sit on the couch for two weeks, writing and reading novels while the cricket is on in the background. Such is life.

I'm reading this and it's absolutely great.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jesus of the Moon

Kids in the Kitchen - Change in Mood

Fucking LOL. The second image.

Response to this on social media has been remarkable. I'm wondering if we're about to see a new trend.

Yeah. I find it's also a significant amount of emotional energy needed to try.

You're absolutely right. On reflection, I think part of the problem is that the kind of disagreements I'm referring lately to have been in passing, and so there hasn't been as much of an opportunity for proper engagement and discussion of the kind you're referring to.

Those are excellent thoughts. So excellent I'm surprised I'd forgotten them. Thanks for the reminder.

I didn't know that about your childhood. Thanks for sharing.

> I've deeply offended several people I've known almost the entirety of my life for being rude to people who say their own child's healthcare should be paid for but not those people's kids because they are brown. For being rude to antivaxxers who are trying to spread their misinformation in a community that is protected from dangerous infections BY vaccines and masking precautions.

Have you had any success in changing anyone's mind? I could use some pointers for climate skeptics down here.

Bloody hell. Sounds expensive. Hope the damage wasn't too extensive.

This is the new place? So was the water actually coming from guttering / piping / leaks etc or was it surface runoff getting trapped under the house?