Eh, so remember me and my much-loved Linkables series? This post has been sitting in my drafts since January and was - shockingly enough - originally titled January Linkables. Alas, life got in the way and my poor link list fell to the bottom of my priority list. I have instead been keeping myself busy by working in an industry that has its peaks in January, attending the Scottish Greens Spring Conference, and watching every Marvel and DC film ever made (I'm now working my way through the Arrowverse).

Anyway, enough of my film chat - links!  And I've made it a bumper issue, given that it took my three months to publish it.

Politics, Feminism and Everything in Between

With everything going on in the world it's really important to make sure you're feminism is intersectional. If you're looking to get involved in issues that aren't just middle-class white lady issues, here are 50 groups to get you started.

Are you based in the USA and work for a company with a wellness program? They're a load of discriminative shite.

As much as I wish this wasn't true, it is: Fear of losing white privilege led to Trump’s election

Co-signed: Yes, you can be sex-positive and still prefer vanilla sex.

Being Your Best Self

Print out and keep in your networking handbag: 15 body language secrets of successful people.

I've joked for years that I inherited the personality of my childhood dog, rather than my parents (my parents are both outgoing non-geeks while my dog was quiet and like to bask in the sun). According to science there's a chance this is true.

Despite being in my 20s I still struggle to not gush about my current crush/squeeze even though I know it's boring the fuck out of everyone. Here's why we do it.

Veganism and yummy things

Vegan tofu hollumi. I repeat: vegan tofu hollumi.

Other tofu wizardry: tofu omelette.

Baileys Goes Vegan....for real this time.

Loathe salad but wish you didn't? Maybe you're making one of these 8 common salad mistakes.

Geek and Pop Culture

Today in articles that are probably trash but I'm reading them anyway: what does Jonathon Cheban actually do? 

Why academics love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

5 creepy fairytales Disney would never touch. 

Why don't we just let Madonna age the way she wants to?

I've always found name-dropping super cringey, and I'm not the only one.

Replying to guy on Tinder using only Carrie Bradshaw quotes (True story: my Tinder profile used to say "I like to think I'm a Samantha, but I'm probably a Miranda" and the guy who's opening line was a SATC chat-up line went on to become my first Tinder date). 

And the internet's favourite question: why do cats love boxes so much?

Travel

I never blogged about my holiday to Disneyland® Paris because it was technically a work trip...but I finally got round to blogging about it on my employer's blog. 

(Psssst, here's everything else I wrote for them this month: 6 must-visit events and festivals in Malta, what to pack for a holiday in Bali, How to spend 72 hours in Madrid, Top 10 events in celebrate Canada's 150th birthday and 11 guest speakers you'll find on-board the Crown Princess in 2017.)

Apparently Scotland just loves elections and five in three years wasn't just enough fun for everyone. Why not have a sixth just for the bants. No, I'm not speaking about IndyRef2, but that glamorous event known as the council elections. Yes, I know elections when we decide who empties our bins are not nearly as fun as a will-they-won't-they referendum, but all elections are important (I say this, despite the only election I've ever skipped since turning 18 was a council by-election *cough*). 

I wouldn't even blame anyone if they forgot since the yet-to-be-confirmed IndyRef2 has been taking over our newsfeeds. Jesting aside, let's focus on the councils elections as they are 1) confirmed and 2) happening in just over a month.What I'm about to write here is not a soapbox about who to vote for (but, erm, I'm voting Green in case you were wondering) but a guide to voting and why it's important. Like did you know you can vote in two places if you're a student? And that you number the boxes instead of tick them? Ever been to a husting? And are you keeping Scottish Independence out of this? 

1. The council elections give small parties a chance

This is my personal number one reason why I believe council elections are extremely important. With a fairer voting system in place it's much easier for lesser known parties to break through and get a seat, thus giving them a platform to gain more seats in other elections. Given that I am a member of the Scottish Green Party you can see why this is important to me because we've got a better chance of achieving seats and proving to people that we're a serious party worth voting for. 

It does however mean that smaller parties who are a bit sucky have a better chance of slipping through. So if there are smaller parties you want to block, you've got to get out and vote for someone else. 

2. You number the candidates on the ballot

Spoilt ballots turn up every year after council elections because people forget that you number the boxes rather than tick them. And until six months ago I thought you had to number them all! Instead you just number the candidates you like in order of preference (and a blank box effectively means you're not in favour of them at all). 

3. You can vote in two places if you're a student

If your term time address and home address are in different councils you can vote twice. However, I've known multiple people (myself included - back in the 2012 council elections!) who have had to reapply for dual-voting multiple times before they were registered properly. You might have to shout down the phone and refuse to hang up until they process your request properly, but it is your legal right. 

4. If you're undecided, hustings are a great place to gather information

Election hustings are usually attended by political geeks who probably already know they are voting for, or are friends with the candidates. Which is a shame, because hustings are the one of the best ways to get to know the candidates and what they stand for. Have a wee Google and find out when and where your local ones are happening.  

5. Council elections have nothing to do with Scottish independence!

A few of the Scottish Green Party candidates have returned from canvassing saying that people have been asking them about independence. Scottish independence is a hot potato right now and I realise why people are curious to hear the Greens take on it (we support it) but let's not let IndyRef2 cloud people's judgements for an election that will literally have very little impact on whether we vote Yes or No. When you're quizzing candidates or casting your vote, make sure you keep in mind what councils actually can control: such as council housing, bus routes, pot holes, recycling, leisure facilities, road works and - ready for it? - bins. 

P.S. Vote Green. 

For the past week my Facebook Newsfeed has been in a Buffy 20 year anniversary frenzy. Clearly the algorithms know me well as I'm a massive fan of the show and still rate it as one of the best ever made (and judging by the flood of articles, I'm not the only one). 

So much, that it might surprise you to know that I didn't grow up with Buffy. It first aired in March 1997 meaning I was the humble age of six when it graced our screens. I actually did watch one or two episodes but the scene where Darla creeps up at the window behind Joyce Summer made me hide behind a pillow and I didn't watch an episode again until my teenage years. Heck, I didn't even binge watch the entire show until 2013! Clearly, this show ages well. 

Given that I wasn't born early enough to make the threshold for having grown up with Buffy, I know several adults who haven't watched a single episode. I think this is wrong, and reckon anyone who hasn't watched it needs to do so pronto. Here are my top reasons. (with spoilers, duh)

1. The badass female characters

We all know Buffy herself breaks the mould - feminine but feisty and cutesy but ass-kicking. But the whole show is full of strong female characters, and that strength isn't necessarily supernatural. For girls like me who grew up shy and smart, Willow was our proof that we could grow up to be a talented super-powerful witch who successfully seduces Seth Green. 

2. The metaphors and potential for geek analysis

The local high school being directly on top of the Hellmouth = high school is hell for a lot of us

Angel loses his soul after sleeping with Buffy = guy is nice until he gets to sleep with you

Willow's addiction to magic = general addiction

Love between creatures and bigotry towards different creatures = just general real-life bigotry

3. It wasn't all supernatural

We had Xander who - on the surface of things - was an annoying teenage boy with self-esteem issues. But he represented something important: he was proof that nobody needs superpowers to save the world. Buffy stated herself that he clocked more field time than any of the Scoobies put together, fixed the windows (Dawn was right, they did need fixing) and he - literally - did save the world with words of love. 

Then we had Warren who serves as a painful reminder that humans can be just as evil as vampires and whathaveyou. And the heartbreaking death of Buffy's mother - a death that wasn't caused by a demon but a brain tumour, something we all know too well doesn't just take the lives of characters on a TV show. The same goes for Tara's death. 

4. David Boreanaz

*drool* (#TeamAngel)

5. Successfully transitioning away from the high school setting

There's a lot of awesome TV shows that become not-so-awesome once the characters were forced the graduate. I actually enjoyed Sabrina's college years but I feel like I stand in the minority on that one. During her tenure Buffy transitioned from high school student, to college student (and dropout) to fully-fledged guardian of her younger sister. How many television shows that pulled that one off?

6. The passive humour

I've never been a fan of slapstick humour (JackAss? Not interested.) or punch lines, but give me California cool passive jokes and I'm rolling around. Here's a wee compilation.





8. The questionable clothing choices

The clothes in Buffy were awful. And not just awful in a dated 90s kind of way. Just awful. But that's partially what made the show and has become a massive in-joke for the show.  

9. Willow and Tara

Willow and Tara were one of the earliest examples of a loving lesbian relationship on American TV and, to this day, remains one of the most positive representations. Joss Whedon wasn't allowed to explicitly show their love for each other on screen and he had to get clever prior to showing their first on-screen kiss. 

10. It's a show for the misfits

The fact that the first two seasons were a massive metaphor for high school being hell makes it pretty obvious this show wasn't aimed at the popular kids who ruled the school hallways. If you ever felt out of place, Buffy was your gal.