He’s thoroughly over being told how lucky he is. But he is.

Girlchild finished her exams and turned seventeen. Seventeen! How did that happen? I gave her the green light to get some heels, which I’d banned because I didn’t want a kid with deformed spine and joints, and she’d submitted to this graciously. She’s been to Savers now and come back with several pairs of spiked killer heels, in which she stalks beautifully about and towers over me. I think she’s absorbed the concept, though, that they’re a Sometimes thing for parties and things, not for everyday walking about. She still loves her McBalletflats for that.

Some of what I’m reading…

While the MSM carried on in their usual loveably idiotic way about the Deputy PM’s partner’s appointment as a Mens’ health ambassador – not because he was her partner, which could have genuine conflict-of-interest implications, but because ZOMG he’s a hairdresser, so funny, hurh hurh hurh… Lauredhel and Blue Milk pointed out the much more important issue of misogynist MRAs and homophobes Barry Williams and Warwick Marshs’ appointments. The papers picked this up after the bloggers and Crikey had already been there. Warwick Marsh is out, but Williams, I think, is just as bad or worse. Time to write letters again.

Kris of Garden Varieties links to an interesting article, full of citey goodness, Law Reform by Frozen Chook: Family Law Reform for the New Millenium?.

Blue Milk also has some wonderful news!

Deborah In a Strange Land is writing about the need to re-imagine work – not just try to make parents and other people fit, but really re-think it, something I’ve meant to do more on this blog, but I rarely seem to get around to it because of work and life balance. Huh.

Jill at Feministe links to Atlas Shrugged, Updated for the current financial crisis, by Jeremiah Tucker.

Sam blogs about the white duck in his local creek, and about how the vulnerable creatures who survive in the city environment inspire our protective instincts. We have a creek next to our house, and sometimes when I walk the dogs in the early morning dark I hear visiting ducks quacking. You don’t see them in the daytime, though.

Richie offers more evidence on why magazines like Zoo Weekly aren’t just a bit of fun for the lads and we shouldn’t all just be lightening the fuck up about it, thanks. Lauredhel writes about the latest Pirelli calendar which is a sewer of rape apologetics and gore. I wonder if it would be possible for some feminist organisation with access to funding to place an ad in upmarket womens’ mags to ask upmarket women to encourage their upmarket men not to buy Pirelli tyres. What’s their closest competitor?