(no subject)

- been reading up all weekend and I'm getting a much better idea of how I want to use my lists for my research now... I've been saying for some reason that all my lists have nothing to do with my research interests, and that's only half true... my Cultural Studies list is making me think through my project carefully. I had it set up to talk about nationhood and critical race theory, but really it's more "Cultural Studies genealogy and whiteness studies" and that's OK because my diss is going to be a semiotic reading of whiteness in steampunk material culture anyway.

My postcolonial theory list is helping me really think through why representation in SFF matters so much and giving me a lot of food for thought for future projects... we're reading Kristen Mandigma's "Letter from a Socialist-Realist Aswang" and when I introduce it tomorrow for the SF reading group, I think I will mention Benedict Anderson's Specter of Comparisons and how it's appropriately named after a sentiment Jose Rizal has about heightened national awareness coming from comparing against other nations.

My SFF list... well... it doesn't go... I don't have time to read (and it's mostly novels) and the non-fiction and just bleh. I might ask the professor if I can take off the non-fiction stuff, or at least not be tested on it. =/

- Went to see Captain America: TWS after Nalo's reading on Wednesday... I got a huge tickle out of the shot of Maria, Natasha, Sam and Steve walking into the secret bunker together. I only intellectually understand the feeeeeels I keep seeing about Bucky; MY heartbreak was when Peggy literally forgets that she and Steve had obviously been having a conversation. I don't even know if that's how Alzheimer's works??

- The practice questions my Cultural Studies prof gave me are hard tho! Well, maybe they won't be after I talk to her, but one of them deals with Asian cultural production and I'm just like uhmmmmmmmm because I have no idea how to answer that??

- I'm also behind on my reading for Dr. HM which I feel bad about seeing as I see him so regularly and he's always so free with his time for me. Sigh! But we have such good conversations.

- I flipped through a Fatima Busu anthology last night and one of the stories I decided to randomly read.... is a letter from a child to his/her mother and there's a whole thing about "dajal" infesting the village and I was like WHAT THE HELL IS A DAJAL and the online kamus tells me that it's a "one-eyed monster"?? Or some sort of omen for kiamat?? I'm going to ask Dr. HM what it means and if it means what the dictionary tells me, well, no one can tell me that's NOT a spec fic story!!! Neat. I'm also reading some stories at random from a book called Malaysian Short Stories, edited by Lloyd Fernandez.

- Part of my book booty today includes Syed Alatas' Myth of the Lazy Native and Shahnon Ahmad's political satire SHIT (y'all remember that one?) and FUCK YEAH ANGRY MALAYSIAN WRITERS

- man I really want to go to the ETST seminar tomorrow but urrgghhh I don't wanna do the reading.........

- I got out to the Kim Stanley Robinson reading tonight! It was nice. He said a lot of interesting, validating things. And he signed the book I bought just for today, and made it out to me and my brother! And of course I met someone who I share a mutual acquaintance with... two, in fact! And I got to meet the organizer of EagleCon, which is a thing happening in a couple of weeks that I really want to go to because SteamFUNK writer Balogun Ojetade will be there and I don't really want to miss seeing him!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WisCon38 POC Safer Space

This year the POC Safer Space is going to be in 612 / 613, which are adjoining bedrooms. We're going to leave the beds in there, because I'm going to do my best to organize a PILLOW FORT FIGHT!

Also feel free to bring DVDs and laptops in there to play said DVDs because we will have TVs. I'm also trying to get in a microwave so if you wanna have a ramen party or you have leftovers from one of the amazing neaby restos, come have mealtimes in the Safer Space with your fellow POC!

Other things you can use the room for:
- naps
- snuggle parties
- post-panel breakout sessions; if you are a panelist (or not) and you think you want all the POC in a panel to get in here together to discuss what went down, just announce at the end of the panel "BREAK SESSION, 612, 7pm!" to cue to people that you want a breakout session. If people are interested they will come.
- get away from white people (Ok this is the main reason we have this room)
- meet fellow POC!!!
- spontaneous POC-centric programming
- any amalgamation of the above

If you have any questions, feel free to ask =)