Francesca's Thoughts

Let's go old-school internet and hold a conversation.

NHS

29/07/2026

Taking action while the kettle’s boiling | Petitions worth your time, July 2026

I don’t know about you, but I’ll see a very worthwhile petition in a WhatsApp group, or in my email inbox and I’ll click it and sign it and then open up WhatsApp or suchlike to send it to people who might also find it worthwhile and then… get distracted. And while I am under… Continue reading

Activism

Amnesty International, anit-Palantir, anti-spytech, Campaign for the Arts petition, Defend the right to healthcare for trans youth, Francesca’s Thoughts, get Palantir out of the NHS, is Palantir in your NHS service, Keep the arts in the government’s 10-year plan for the UK, NHS, quick action activism, The Good Law Project
10/09/2014

Explaining the Internet Slowdown (and protesting so you might not be able to read it)

It’s not that often that a lot of the people who use the Internet agree on something, but it looks like the US government has given us all a common enemy (again. Didn’t this happen with SOPA and Prop 8?!). I don’t have a huge understanding of the technical aspects of it, but essentially the… Continue reading

DISCUSS., Fuckin’ Idiots, Internet, September 2014, Social Media, THE WORLD *head in hands*, Tumblr

#InternetSlowDown, ‘The Guardian’, Battle for the Net, Congress, Etsy, FCC, Indifferent Ignorance, my art, NHS, online access, people on the Internet found something to agree on, Tumblr, Twitter, US government, videos, WordPress
11/01/2011

I Only Have One Thing to Say:

I don’t care what today’s date reads: 11th January, kindly go and fuck yourself. I’m too woozy to elaborate, sorry. Wait, except this: If I catch diphtheria, tetanus or polio now I will be majorly pissed and sue the NHS. Also that a copying error in a piece of work is not… Continue reading

Complaints, February 2010, School, THE WORLD *head in hands*

Diphtheria, National Health Service, NHS, Tetanus, Vaccination

Let’s close the door on the rest of the internet.

Francesca Astraea here.

When I began this blog in 2009, I was a teenager. That’s why you’ll find some posts have been hidden behind a paywall. I was an incredibly different, less eloquent person when I was a teen, so if you want to read the thoughts of that teenager, you can join the No. 1 Readers’ Club for access.

What will you find here now?

This blog continues to evolve with me. My favourite topics are books and reading, travel adventures, the extensive works of up and coming rock band My Chemical Romance and the occasional update about my life and work as an author and scriptwriter. I’m also interested in digital minimalism, how we can solve environmental issues and why it’s probably a better idea to make a cup of tea than it is to shout at people you disagree with.

Speaking of tea… Make a cup and settle in.

Leave a comment on posts to continue the conversation and tell me your favourite MCR song! Oh, and while you’re here: this is a no-gen-AI household. You may not put any of my posts through an LLM. If you’re going to email me or write a comment, do it yourself.

Here’s how we can stay in touch:

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NHS

Taking action while the kettle’s boiling | Petitions worth your time, July 2026

Explaining the Internet Slowdown (and protesting so you might not be able to read it)

I Only Have One Thing to Say: