#weekly email

[swiftacuity]

We need your support, either as a member of our team, or a donation to help end this disease!

[tinutbutter]

Hannah B Monday email...

So I receive an email every Monday from Hannah B who is a blogger and an inspiration! This is the email received today and it spoke to me. I needed to share it. Please note, this is an email written by Hannah B not me: "I knew really early on that Lane was my person. I wasn’t expecting it to happen that fast but it was our third date that made it clear to me: I was falling in love with this man. He cooked me scallops at his home. He showed up at the door with an easy smile and a flannel. He bought me a bottle of wine with a gold-glinted wrapping because he said the story of the wine, on the back of the bottle, was something I would like. It was all about roots and finding your home. We baked brownies and watched Garden state. It was the first time I knew I could build a life with this man. It wouldn’t be true if I said it were that easy though. Even with this deep knowing in my gut that I’d found a man to cover my thin places, I had all this anxiety about fourth and fifth dates with Lane. He knows this. He knows that much of his security was met by my insecurity. I’d scripted this untrue story in my brain before I met him that I was never going to be certain when the right one was standing in front of me. I would never have a way of knowing. That story was dangerous because the more I told myself it, the harder it became to undo it. The story gained power. The story had momentum. 3. Anxiety will have a field day with whatever you feed it. Your anxiety is happy to feed on your love life, your relationships, your career, and your purpose in life. Your anxiety wants to be fed something substantial, something that matters most to you, so it can feel full and still hold a purpose in your brain. Daily feeding my relationship with Lane to my anxiety was like going to the gym and then eating a number 7 from McDonald’s an hour later (I hope there is a number 7… I’m not so sure!). I would pray in the morning but, by 11am, the anxiety had hold of my brain. I never could have clear thoughts about Lane because I was only looking at our relationship with anxiety brain. I didn’t know at the time that anxiety can be managed. 4. I felt like I needed to write about this because a lot of us can so easily be governed by our feelings. We want to believe in our feelings but our feelings aren’t always accurate. They trick us. They distort truth. They want you to go on thinking you never need to tame them, fact check them, or test them. Feelings want to be followed. Falling in love is not about following a feeling, it’s about making a daily choice to pick one person and then following through. I cannot claim to be able to cover all the grey area thats come with relationships. I know it’s not as simple as choosing a person and then never doubting. People choose us and then leave us all the time. It happens and we can’t control that. I never want to belittle those stories or make my story seem like it’s above that. However, the most pivotal point in our relationship was after another spell of doubt and fear that maybe I was making the wrong decision. I would have these doubts all the time. I would let the doubt tell me what it wanted and I would be left anxious and afraid as a result. Love is not about fear. The two don’t coexist. One has to live longer than the other. You decide whether you’re giving the oxygen mask to love or fear. 5. I had to make the decision, at that point in the relationship, to not feed Lane to the lions of anxiety in my head. I told Lane that yes, I had anxiety but it wasn’t towards him. I denounced the anxiety trying to come at Lane from every angle. I told the anxiety, “After tonight, this is not your home. You don’t get to live inside of this relationship anymore.” I really said those things. I really kicked out the anxiety from the relationship and spent hours, in the next few weeks, continuing to kick it out. Every time it came back, looking for a home, I turned it away. I wanted Lane’s love for me to finally have the chance to be bigger than the fears I’d let half-love me my whole entire life. You are allowed to starve out your anxiety and leave it homeless. It’s hard work. It’s constant work. It might not completely release but you can start to make baby steps and micro choices towards choosing what you allow your anxiety to feed off of. It’s Monday. There are precious things we get each day. We get to the be the stewards of people and things we don’t deserve. You could keep feeding your anxiety or you could look up and see that love is hungry too. Love is hungry to come through the doors and make the comfort food on the stove. Don’t be afraid to let love in. Don’t be too scared to let love eat. Tying you closer than most, hb."

[swiftacuity]

James D. King's novella leads sales as print run, sequel are announced.

[swiftacuity]

The aois21 ticket didn't make it to round two, but you can still vote, and show your support be leaving reviews for all the aois21 titles!

[mit3652-blog]

Weekly MIT3652 Email

G'day, g'day,

Hope everyone survived the Super Bowel festivities and the Amurican spectacle that was on display this weekend. Am I the only one that finds it kinda weird that Americans always need to have fighter jets or attack helicopters fly over head after the singing of the anthem? Shouldn't we be terrified by the sight of death machines hovering overhead? What a strange display of power that is interpreted as a moment of patriotic pride...

This Week in 3652, whut it do...

For this week we are going to have a short lecture talking about communicative styles and rhetoric as per the assigned Peters reading followed by an attempt to answer the question "Are Internet Memes new?" There seems to be a popular instinct to talk about memes as though they are this brand new phenomenon, never before seen because "the Internet" is what makes them possible. Tomorrow I will argue that this is not the case, but rather, we have been seeing memetic texts for as long as humans have been communicating, a process that has just been amplified by mechanical reproduction.

Assignment Corner

I haven't had a chance to mark your 2nd round of blogs yet, had some other urgent deadlines to meet last weekend, but intend on getting to on that this coming weekend. Hopefully marks will be released by Sunday night (fingers and toes crossed)

More importantly, though, the second half of lecture tomorrow will be focused on the most pressing assignment, the upcoming midterm. Normally I like to run a study session before the midterm but because scheduling is so tough I have decided to just dedicate an hour to doing a study session in class. What this means, though, is you will be responsible for bringing questions/content to discuss for the remainder of class. I will be supplying some sample questions for us to work through, but really this is an opportunity for you to get answers on any of the course content that you are struggling with leading up to the midterm, so please take a second or two tonight to think about what stuff you are having trouble with so we can discuss in class. Also it's probably a good idea if you bring the course text books/course pack/notes along with you tomorrow to better assist you in answering questions as they come up.

Lastly, if you have not submitted your group names and the movie you'd like to swede, note that this is due at the end of the week so SUBMIT ASAP! Are you not in a group right now? Let me know ASAP and I will assign you to a group. Are you already a group and I assign someone to you? Please include this new group member as best you can. Thanks!

Office Hours

As per usual, I'll be in NCB441 from 1 to 2pm this week. Come by for a hello, a chat, or to get insight on the course. Don't be shy!

See ya'll tomorrow

[mit3652-blog]

Weekly Email

Buenas noches! Hope everyone had a dandy weekend. Tonight's email is going to be brief because screw it and also because I don't have much to say!

...Mark it, January 19th, 2013 at 10:13pm...the moment when Jeff didn't have much to say. This event will go down in history, folks.

This Week in 3652, whut it do?

We're going to begin our descent down the theoretical rabbit hole this week by working through some theories that will be very important for our business of exploring meme culture. For this class, we will be taking an ethnographic approach to the study of memes, meaning it is important for us to live amongst the digital folks, observe their behaviours and interpret what these things may or may not mean.

For those of you who were in my class last term, MIT3435F: Disability in Pop Culture, parts of this lecture will feel a bit repetitive and for that I apologize. At the same time, there will be some new stuff so it's not all bad news.

One of those new things is going to be a discussion on Be Kind, Rewind followed by an explanation of the group project/final essay. How jacked are you for that?

Assignment Corner

As you may or may not have noticed, all 5 blog posts are now open for submission on OWL. I decided to open all of them at once in case there were any eager beavers out there but I would STRONGLY recommend you don't get too far ahead of yourself (ie: don't just write up 5 analysis tonight and submit). I would suggest it might be best to stick to the due days and, at the very least, wait to see my comments on your work before moving on to the next piece. As I mentioned in class, this assignment is accumulative so you will want your work to evolve with you and your growing knowledge on the subject. Groovy?

Office Hours, fo rizzo

I'll be kickin' it in NCB441 again this week, Wednesday from 1 to 2pm. Come visit.

Please. I get so lonely...

[newcastlelgbt-blog]

AGM on 13/05/13 and online!

Our AGM will be Monday 13th May 2013, in the Martin Luther King room upstairs in the Union, at 7.30 . It should only last about an hour, hour and a half maximum. For us to have the election, we need as many of you there as possible – the Union says we have to have a minimum number of people present; It’s always a really good night, sure to be filled with drama, so take a break from revision, and come along to have your say and see how things pan out. Keep reading to find out who you can vote for! We’ll be heading out for some drinks and a night out to celebrate our new committee afterwards for those who are up for it as well.

The schedule is as follows.

1.       Introduction. The President will stand up and briefly explain how things are going to go.

2.       Speeches. If you are standing in the election, you are asked (although not obliged) to stand up and give a short (max 2 minutes) speech to expand on your manifesto and persuade us all we should vote for you. The order will be: PR and Media Rep; Trans* Rep; Bi Rep; Women’s Rep; Men’s Rep; Social Secretary; Treasurer; Secretary; President.

3.       Questions. After each candidate has given their speech, the floor will open for anyone present to ask any questions they may have directly to the candidate.

4.       Amendments. Votes will be counted as we go along. In the mean time, any proposed amendments to the society constitution can be discussed and voted on. If anyone wishes to propose any amendments, let us know. This almost never happens, so in the probable event that we don’t have to vote on any amendments, we’ll go straight to the results.

5.       Results. The bit you’re all waiting for – results will be announced in the order that the candidates gave their speeces: starting with PR and Media Rep, ending in President.

6.       A.O.B. Any other business. This usually consists of heading down to Men’s Bar for a pint.

  If you really really really can’t make it on Monday, although it would be great to see you all there, you can send in an e-vote to Christos, our Union LGBT Officer [email protected] BEFORE 5PM  on Monday 13thMay. Send an email with a list of the positions, and each candidate numbered from 1 (most preferred) to whatever, the highest number being your least preferred. These e-votes will be taken into account and added anonymously by Christos to the total votes at the AGM.

  One last thing: Dr. Michael Keenan, Lecturer in Sociology at Nottingham Trent University would like to run a focus group on the theme of ‘coming out and fitting in’ – it would take between 1 and 2 hours , and he needs 5-10 people to take part. If you’re interested in meeting up for a chat, let us know so we can sort something out.

  So hope to see you on Monday at half 7! Have a good read of the manifestoes, and have some questions ready for the candidates.

[newcastlelgbt-blog]

Fancy Joining? Become a member here for only £5!

Hey guys!

Welcome back. Hope everybody’s had a smashing Christmas and New Years! I’m sure the majority of people are hard at work with deadlines and exams, but here’s the scoop on what’s  in the pipeline for semester 2 and 2013.

In this email…

1.      Monday night social

2.      ‘Re-fresher’s’ Pub Quiz & Bar Crawl

3.      Ice Skating

4.      ‘It Gets Better’ campaign

5.      Rock Climbing Social

6.      Cinema trip in February

7.      Karaoke Night

8.      Welfare

1.      Monday Night Social- There is no official social tonight (14/01/13), however if you fancy a break from revision, you’re free to head down to the scene for usual Monday night antics. There was a decent group last week so if you fancy wetting your whistle, post a message on the society Facebook or text your buddies to see who is up for it.http://www.facebook.com/groups/2213844919/

2.      ‘Re-freshers’ Pub Quiz & Bar Crawl- On Monday 28th January we kick-off our regular Monday night socials. However this is another opportunity to invite anyone who may want to join or get a taster of the society. This is usually a big turn out event with lots of new faces so we encourage you to bring as many friends along as possible. The Quiz will start at 8.30pm in the basement of the union. Please arrive on time so we can sort teams out. You can of course pick your own teams (no more than 6). Entry is £1 and there will be a cash prize as well as a boobey prize for the team in last place.  Afterwards we will be heading to the scene via Sam Jacks. We have drinks tokens for you to use at the scene and then £1 entry into Powerhouse all night.

3.      Ice Skating- On Wednesday 30th January we will be taking a group to the Ice Skating rink at the Life centre at 3pm. Thanks to Peff we can get on for £4 rather than the regular £6.95.  If you would like to go just click ‘join’ on the Facebook group and tell Luke.

4.      ‘It Gets Better’ campaign- After the success of our campaign last  year we will once again be raising money for the Stonewall charity by promoting the ‘It gets better’ campaign. For those of you unfamiliar with the ‘it gets better’ campaign, it is designed to help those who have been victims of homophobic bullying, harm or abuse in the LGBT community.As a society we plan on raising awareness by updating our video we made last year. Anyone who wants to be in the video and leave a message about an experience, coming out, or a personal story is warmly welcomed. We haven’t got a date confirmed for the recording but we will keep you in the loop. The other way we help spread awareness is by the way we know best- with a bar tour. Yes, the ‘it gets better’ bar crawl was massive success last year and we want to improve it this year. This is a big night out where go out in T-shirts and sharpies and raise money for charity. In response to having more socials on alternative nights we are throwing this event on Friday 8th March, so it will be a big one! We sell T-shirts in advance for this event. T-shirts are £7, which gets you drinks deals at Sam Jacks, Free Entry into Powerhouse (normal entry  is £8 on Friday) and of course the T-shirt and Sharpie which you can laugh at the next day. We only have guaranteed t-shirts for 80 people (We have to take money in advance for this event so reserve your T-shirt now as they will sell FAST!) you can reserve your T-shirt at the Re-fresher social (Mon 28th Jan) or email Luke on [email protected] or text him on 07706017343- but a deposit will be needed ASAP. It may be in March but we strongly encourage you to buy yours ASAP. Also, as this is a charity event we encourage you to invite as many friends (gay or straight) as possible, so we can raise as much money as possible.

5.      Rock Climbing Social- Feeling adventurous? Luke (Social Secretary) will be taking a group to Byker’s climbing wall for a session in February. More details to follow, but if your interested let Luke know ASAP.

6.      Cinema Trip- We have another group cinema trip coming up in February. Once again we will be venturing down to the glorious Tyneside Cinema, this time to see the delightful Oscar nominated film ‘Wreck-it-Ralph’. The latest outing from the delightful folks at Disney, check out the trailer here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf4r5q8-aWoTickets Tickets only cost £3.75 (date to still be confirmed).

7.      Karaoke Night- As interest has become very apparent we will be running a Karaoke night on a Monday Night in February. Date will be confirmed as soon as Luke finds an appropriate venue. It will be a typical Monday night social except we will start at the venue with Karaoke first. Even if you don’t like singing, we would recommend coming along for the laugh.

8.      Welfare - Just a reminder that in our role as a welfare society we can be contacted regarding any issues you might have here:[email protected]

                                    If you’d prefer to speak to an individual committee member, including the Reps, their contact details are on the website here:  http://newcastlelgbt.tumblr.com/committee

                                       Our resident Union LGBT Officer Chris is happy to speak to anyone about any issues, good or bad, and can be contacted at [email protected]

                                      Or other welfare services here:

Welfare and Equality office - 01912393917 or [email protected]

Student Wellbeing- 01912083333

Nightline - 0191 261 2905

Samaritans: 0191 232 7272

Drinkline: 0800 9178282

  Don't forget to get in touch via email, Twitter, Facebook, or anonymously on the website if there's anything you want to know or any comments.

See you soon,

Luke

xxxxx

(Social Secretary)