ADs dream of 'bum' tomatoes, gin and tonic sorbet and next year's holidays

[RealityExistsInTheHumanMind]

New thread.

previous thread

The one with the phallic aubergines

My friend is struggling with her degree. After two contraceptive failiures she has a baby and a toddler. Her partner is facing redundancy from his graduate job after only 18m (although he has something promising in the pipeline.) University teaching is limited anyway, but they're saying that they don't want students with children on campus and to add insult to injury as you're home, we won't pay for nursery fees . They live in a two up two down so no space and expect her to study while in charge of a 8m old and 2yo.
She needs time on campus to concentrate more than most!
She's bloody marvellous to still be partway through her degree with all the curveballs along the way. Plus the family had to shield for baby for months because of a concern that occurred just before lockdown so there was no respite or escape for them.

Universities are behaving diabolically.

If anyone can help me out on the 'are you trick or treating' thread I'd appreciate not being the lone voice!

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito I’ve just posted on a trick or treating thread

Been away from MN for a few days so while dh is dementoring at Newsnight and I catch up on the thread, I’ll be late to the party and post my “wtf went wrong with my cucumber” pic

Not any more though. People want tongs, and bags on sticks, promoted by a media campaign.

@DominaShantotto I’m more of a lurker than a contributor on these threads but I remember you posting your excellent results. I say defer. I’m academic support at a university and we’re getting loads of deferrals now, you wouldn’t be alone in making that choice.

@BogRollBOGOF you’re absolutely right that universities are behaving diabolically. My own organisation still hasn’t officially announced that all teaching except practical labs will be online in semester one. There’s a paragraph buried somewhere on the website to cover their arses but we’re inundated with emails from students asking if they should sign rental agreements and it’s falling to support staff like me to tell them the situation so they can make their own minds up. My heart breaks for these students, it’s utter shit.

My friend from work is just back from Poland (where she’s originally from) and though there’s still all the masks and distancing she says it just feels nicer and more relaxed. People don’t jump 6 foot away from you, nobody’s getting shouted at in shops to sanitise their hands, folk are happily hugging in the street etc. She says there’s just a feeling of people being normal with each other rather than weird and suspicious.

DB is about to do a Masters, so for him, it's half the course. Fortunately he's not the most sociable type. When I caught up with DM last week, she finds DS1 very, very similar to DB... He hadn't particularly intended to defer a year ago, but by the time the university confirmed his place, it was too late to make practical arrangements so he held off. He's happier that it fell this way round with knowing what the first half is like, rather than everything going out of the window in the second semester if he'd done it last year.

Hmm, halloween, Our road is totally taken over at Halloween as a local Halloween hotspot along with selfish arseholes parking like shit and blocking residents from even getting onto the road, never mind getting anywhere near their own home/drive, no chance of emergency services getting thru etc. So, would it be totally inappropriate to dress up as a huge glowing coronavirus and sit at the entrance to our road. 🧐

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

If anyone can help me out on the 'are you trick or treating' thread I'd appreciate not being the lone voice!

I just posted on one. Didn't see you is there another?

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

just been on the thread and thoroughly supported the trick or treating - even though I live on a cul de sac and every year have to force myself to eat the treats that no-one comes for.

Me too but I cant get mn to go 5o page 1 of that thread. Is it all going tits up again?

@RealityExistsInTheHumanMind
just been on the thread and thoroughly supported the trick or treating - even though I live on a cul de sac and every year have to force myself to eat the treats that no-one comes for.

Me too! I have been known to keep quite a few sweets back for personal use

Why is Halloween even being thought about yet? It's two months away. Surely we should all be shopping in preparation for the second wave that will be due in 2-3 weeks'time? Don't people realise there's a bank holiday coming!

but they're saying that they don't want students with children on campus

That is truely appalling.

@Justgivemewine
That cucumber is magnificent.

Sorry guys fell asleep. The Halloween thread is so depressing. People are positively revelling in the idea that it will be cancelled and that no-one can go out. Fair enough if you don't like it, don't do it but don't be fucking gleeful about yet another thing being taken away from kids this year.

They’ll come for Christmas soon

@DominaShantotto

They’ll come for Christmas soon

They absolutely will. Twats.

At that point surely the majority will rebel? We can't go on with this doom and gloom forever. Its just not sustainable.

I'm hoping!

@BakewellTarts

At that point surely the majority will rebel? We can't go on with this doom and gloom forever. Its just not sustainable.

I used to think like this - now I'm no longer so sure. We've gone from it being miserable but doable - to heading back to the Puritans terrifyingly rapidly.

I'm so confused by them all saying about outdoor fireworks displays being cancelled too, surely they are fine, easy to stay away from people in groups, outdoors and can see fireworks from a bloody long way away!
To me a firework display is similar to drive in film screenings which have been going ahead
Just wondering where these people have been waiting for an opportunity to ban everything they don't particularly like

Obviously no fun is allowed in the new world order, that's why we need the masks, to hide smiling

I'm so confused by them all saying about outdoor fireworks displays being cancelled too, surely they are fine, easy to stay away from people in groups, outdoors and can see fireworks from a bloody long way away!

I think it was more planning should have been happening few weeks ago and getting people meeting up and sorting out event insurance and other mundane stuff when it wasn't clear what rules and restictions would be be in place.

Same with panto big decision of it they were going ahead this year were being made a few weeks ago often with no idea what theather situation they were facing in December.

Plus big displays you get lots of people coming in via public transport - we've done that for a few big displays near here.

Crowds can also be dense and stopping them forming or socailly distancing them would be another thing to manage - and ones where you pay entrance fee can need miniumum numbers to cover costs. Plus you'd be spending money out now for equipment with no guarantee stuff can happen.

We're slowly picking up things for the garden for bonfire night - quieter firesworks and spaklers and have eye on a fire pit.

I'm sure socially distance treak or treating could happen - if people wanted it though we tend to do scary food and films rather than that.

I've been picking odd thing up for both evernts and will start chirstmas stuff soon as we like to spread costs out plus make sure we can get hold of things.

Just wondering where these people have been waiting for an opportunity to ban everything they don't particularly like

Hiding in plain sight. Turns out a lot of people are proper twunts.

Tsk! Don't you all know that fun is sinful and spreads the virus?

They are loving it, aren’t they? What a brilliant year it’s been for creepy wee curtain twitching fun police.

Just got an email saying the gym at my work (uni) will reopen the first week in September, and I was so excited. But we’re not allowed to use changing rooms and the (8 stall) toilets in my office are one in one out so changing would be interesting. May just have to strip off in the wild. Christ.

Ah makes sense! I did see one person say assume it's not happening then you'll be pleasantly surprised, not sure I can cope with that pessimism at the moment. Its nice to have something to look forward to

My 2 are too small to really do trick or treating but last year my toddler got so excited helping us carve pumpkins and getting the sweet basket ready so I really hope it goes ahead round here

Our fireworks aren't happening anyway - but we knew that - because the guy who organises it has retired and no one else wanted to take it on.