Well, no reason really. Any time is a good time for banjo.

On Saturday I’ll be going back to Sydney. But hopefully not for long. My supervisor is taking leave for a semester and will be unreachable until a few weeks before I have to submit, so I’m pretty much moving back permanently. Here is me working out the pros and cons of the situation!

Pro :D
+ I get to see my Perth friends more.
+ I get to start a band.
+ I get a TV and furniture.
+ In the event that I meet a girl who likes me (it could happen!), I won’t be leaving town.

Con :(
- Time to buy a car.
- Housing here is really expensive now.
- I’ll still have to fly back a few times.
- Moving house will mean not having my stuff for up to a month.

Maybe buying a car should be a pro.

Hi guys. This meme is from Misha. I am sitting here procrastinating atm. It blows.

Eight things I’m passionate about

1. Money and security. I’m not necessarily proud of that, but we’re supposed to be honest, right?

2. My work. Aside from providing ample opportunities for self-indulgence in the pursuit of the perfect resume, philosophy is all about getting people to think about stuff they really need to think about. Life, the universe and everything, y’know?

3. Like Nietzsche said - you gotta have music.

4. Cakes and desserts. Yum!

5. My friends.

And… that’s all. Can someone truly be passionate about eight different things? Not me anyhow.

Eight things I want to do before I die

Um, well this is hard…

1. Buffython.

2. Make out.

3. Maybe have progeny.

4. Start another band.

And, again, that’s all I have.

Eight things I say often

1. Lame.

2. Really?

3. Whatever.

4. Fuck.

Actually, that’s pretty much all I have to say most of the time. I get by.

Eight books I’ve read lately

1. The Promise of Politics - Hannah Arendt

2. Security, Territory, Population - Michel Foucault

3. Michel Foucault - Clare O’Farrell

4. Foucault and the Political - Jon Simons (notice a trend here?)

5. Critical Resistance - David Hoy

6. Essays in Understanding - Hannah Arendt

7. Hannah Arendt - George Kateb

8. Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics - Bonnie Honig

Eight songs I could listen to over and over

1. Fuuuuuuuuuun - Be Your Own Pet

2. Cold Hands! Hot Bodies! - You Say Party! We Say Die!

3. Aurora - Veruca Salt

4. New Slang - The Shins

5. Only Skin - Joanna Newsom

6. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case

7. Delirium Cordia - Fantomas

8. Y Control - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Eight movies I’ve watched close to eight times

1. Serenity

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

3. Fight Club

4. S.F.W.

5. …? I’m not that into movies really.

Eight bloggers who should do this meme

Meh.

it may even be a bit too cool.

it sucks that you didn’t publish my journal submission, but what really pisses me off is that you didn’t tell me. Now I’m looking for my name in a table of contents and it isn’t there. I could have revised the paper by now and sent it somewhere else. In short, you are a tool.

Luv,

Mark

I am very tired.

Hey, who would have thought it would be difficult teaching Marxism and feminism at a Catholic university?

I AM WORKING NOW. I HAVE A JOB. AND A LONG COMMUTE. THAT MAKES ME ANGRY. AND TIRED. SO IF YOU COME NEAR ME, AND YOU HAVEN’T EITHER DONE MY WASHING OR MADE ME SOMETHING TO EAT, I MIGHT JUST PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU.

Nah, I just need some sleep. The students in my tutorials are good, and the course material is easy. And do you know what? I think I’m good at it.

Mind you, I may be proven wrong during existentialism on Monday.

Mark: “So existence precedes essence, and that accounts for the fundamentally empty character of the for-itself, right?”
Students: (Heavy snoring)

Here are the lyrics I was working on a while back, just because Shelley wanted to see them. It’s part of my whole project of writing songs that you could slow dance to at a high school formal. It’s meant to be cheesy.

the lights are low and a record’s on
your parents are away
I put my hands around your hips
in a high school slow dance sway
falling deeper everyday
bare feet on the lounge room floor
but I don’t understand
what you’re waiting for

a slow dance on a quiet night
maybe you don’t know what’s right
but we’ve got a long time
left and right till you make up your mind

think of all the lies I’d tell
just to make you mine
the finest prize hiding in your eyes
might drive me out of my mind
every curve beneath my hands
every turn and twist
I have to hold my horses babe
wait and dance with you like this

a slow dance on a quiet night
maybe you don’t know what’s right
but we’ve got a long time
left and right till you make up your mind

the lights are low and a record’s on
your parents are away
I put my hands around your hips
in a high school slow dance sway
you don’t have to be afraid
we’ll take it slowly now
only sway from side to side
just like you showed me how

a slow dance on a quiet night
maybe you don’t know what’s right
but we’ve got a long time
left and right till you make up your mind

New Year’s Eve was neat. We had a road trip, climbed up big scary trees and tasted wine at wineries.

Some dude proposed to my friend’s sister. My idiot friends played a Queen CD. We stood on some very dangerous rocks by the river and waved sparklers in the dark.

Unfortunately, all the quad-bike riding was done fully-clothed.

There are photos.