Bebo

Does anyone want to form an alt-country band with an incompetent muso? I've got a fairly decent singing voice, and an autoharp, and know a bunch of Carter Family standards. Bonus points if you can write songs like Jeff Tweedy. Gingham optional.

Several people have asked me whether I'm running for the WSU Executive next year. I told them no, I have more sense than that! Student politics scare me, as they should scare any right-thinking cynic. This year, they scare me even more than usual.

There are some solid candidates for the '08 exec. Current exec members Moira, Olivia and Glen will be getting my vote again next week. Iremonger, AJ and Whetu look like they've got great potential. They look like people with enthusiasm, responsiveness and integrity.

There's a group of students running as 'Waikato Diablos'. We've had groups running on the populist ticket in the past. Last year it was Beer On Campus. We cringed then, but if you ask anyone on the current exec, they'll tell you that the two successful BOCs James and Ana are just swell. But there's something sinister about this new racket. Only three of their ranks seem to have any opinions of their own. At today's candidate speeches, presidential candidate Joseph Mooney answered ALL questions put to Diablos candidates. I questioned why their campaign planks include a reduction in WSU's annual student subscription, and yet none of the party opposed the motion to set fees at the recent WSU AGM. And why they initially campaigned vigorously to reverse the fee rise, then changed this to a "gradual reduction", and claimed that this had always been the group's policy. Mooney responded that noone had been given a chance to oppose the fee motion (untrue, I was there and voted on the rise myself); that their original policy had been changed because nobody understood what they meant by it (the original policy very clearly advocated an immediate fee drop, sounds more like MISINFORMATION than misunderstanding); and that I was one of the people attacking him on the Nexus web forums (which I haven't logged into in months).

The persecution complex goes further, to several claims against Nexus magazine for daring to express an opinion in its Editorial (and for mentioning the fees policy which no longer existed by the time the issue came out, and thus had never existed...how Orwellian!). Meanwhile, at least one prominent Diablo has been posting on several Hamilton internet forums, talking himself under multiple assumed names, and making what could be construed as threatening remarks towards staff of the magazine part-owned by WSU. What a tangled web!

The sad thing is, I agree with a lot of their policies. Internet and printing fees are exorbitant, campus lacks recycling facilities, and it would be great to have more student events. But their flip-flopping and dirty tricks have shown a complete lack of integrity. I don't trust these people and I don't want them representing me.

Actually, is it too late to bring back Beer On Campus? Now more than ever, Waikato Uni needs a bar. The Dons is a rugby club sports bar, The Hilly is a lifeless corpse. Town's too far away and The Riv's a joke. The reason the last few Orientations have cost so much, is that gigs don't make you money. Ticket sales cover the band, the PA, the lights...the profit's in plying 700-odd punters with their Lion Red and Cruisers all night. A bar gives you the focal point for student activity, which Waikato needs. It gives you a place to hold events, on campus, without the huge expenses involved in hiring venues or marquees. Everybody wins.

I write myself to-do lists all the time. There are so many things I want to learn or do or see, it's quite ridiculous. Anyway, I've just checked off three things off the list: learn to play the autoharp, figure out how to use Garageband, and work out how to make simple clips in iMovie. Hell, i've only had this iBook for two and a bit years!

I've posted the result below, that's me playing 'Wildwood Flower' on my new autoharp (you might recognise the tune from 'Walk The Line', it's a Carter Family standard), which i recorded and then made into a wee movie clip with some photos of Rocky, because he's the hottest person i know. It was fun. Learning is sexy.

Now I've got to work out how to perfect my shortcrust pastry, and learn to drive...though I'm not so sure if those two can be combined so well...could get messy!