The BESH Old Skool Gin Palais: if you're name's not down, you're not coming in

[FrankellyMyDearIDontGiveADamn]

Cream walls? Check
Pit of Doom? Check
Obscene amount of gin in well stocked bar? Check

The BESH Gin Palais is open to those who fit our demanding criteria. Seek out the BESHtionnaire and prove yourselves worthy - under 30s and instadiffers will be escorted from the premises

YADNBU

Sorry about your lack of popularity, Hest. I empathise. I can be a thread killa.

I went to that rare beast - a state grammar, so swottiness was expected. I managed to bridge the gap between the proper swots and the cool kids though, by helping the cool kids with their homework and having moments of recklessness (drunk on school grounds, etc.).

KFZK went to a far more interesting school - a Jesuit boarding school. He basically lived in a stately home (the one where Three Men and a Little Lady was filmed, if anyone is interested, so basically the stereotypical evil English boarding school!).

ok so - current conversation in the Raspberry house. We are going for a meal on Saturday with another couple who we haven't seen for a long time, MATV has just asked if his other friend can come with his new girlfriend. The two couples have never met and I don't know MATV friends girlfriend particularly well and my other friend is really quite quiet. I've said no because I think it might just be unfair on both couples as we'd either be talking to one or the other? He said I'm being a cow. I really don't think I am, I just want to be able to concentrate on the one set of friends and I'd think it was a bit weird if the other friends suddenly announced they were bringing other people with them for a sit down meal? Am I being a bitch? If they'd met it would be different but they haven't?

Um. Tough one. I can see both your points.

But I would be inclined to go to both. They might get on really well and make friends. As long as everyone is willing....

Are you going out for dinner? If you were hosting, that would be fine, but if you're out then it would be more awkward. Also if you've not seen Couple A for a while then it would be a shame to dilute their company, particularly if neither Couple A nor Couple B stand to get much out of it (except possibly a new friend, but introducing them at another time would be my choice). If, however, both couples are very chatty, then it could work - but you've already said that's not the case, so... YANBU.

Hmmm, tough one. When I'm busy at work I often throw random friends together otherwise I wouldn't get to see them as I have so little time free. But when I am quieter, I like quality time to have a really good catch up, which tends not to happen in a mixed group.

For what it's worth I think they'd get on well but because its a meal out rather than drinks I just think it would be a bit awkward. I'd rather have a catch up with them each separately and I've got to be very selfishly honest, my quiet friend knows about my barreness and I want to be able to talk about it which I can't do if the other couple is there, it would just be a bit awkward.

Anyway, MATV been placated so he's no longer moaning :)

It's a difficult one Rasp. It could be a great night out & everyone could get on but also has the potential for disaster! If your friend is quiet then I'd maybe agree more with you. Could be uncomfortable.

Hest you are correct. I was awful at school. Sarcastic, gob shite with far too much to say for myself. Got ahem, asked to leave one school but behaved better at the next one & managed to leave with some A Levels. Was into Drama. Ugh, looking back I was such a knob.

This has turned into What Would You Do?

Or that daft programme where people were followed round by a crowd of 100 people who were shouting out advice.

Secondary teachers really are incredible aren't they? I could never do it. If a gobby little shite told me to fuck off I would see a red mist, explode, and make a total dick of myself.

I was very good when I was at school, but I'm getting progressively naughty as I get older. Today I sort of accidentally stole some cheese from the supermarket.

I tried and failed to be a secondary school teacher. Teaching year sevens and sixth-formers was great fun, and the years in between were utterly horrific. It's the most thankless task, so much work outside school and no-one gives a shit. I was drinking a bottle of wine every Friday and Saturday night and crying for about an hour every school night, working every minute I was awake and my mentor told me I wasn't doing enough.

I'm beyond glad I ditched it, I think I would have had a complete mental breakdown from the stress, I was at least halfway to clinical depression as it was.

Anyway so all that is why I get mighty pissed off at all the threads on here complaining about teachers - I just want the posters to think about what the job actually entails for a minute. It's not one-on-one finger-painting with well-behaved six year olds. Trying to teach the rock cycle to disaffected fourteen-year-olds is not exactly a barrel of laughs.

I was a teacher for five years. It was chuffing hard, thankless work. I would say "but the kids made it all worth it", but they didn't.

Yes, exactly, Hest.

The really sad thing was being forced to teach the curriculum, regardless of the understanding of the kids in question. Bottom-set year elevens were still shaky on the basics, but we had to teach the stuff that they'd be examined on even though that was building on the basics that they didn't understand. But you couldn't stop and ensure that they got the basics, because then you'd not be giving them any chance at all of getting through an exam. Madness. Set curricula only work for the high achievers, I reckon.

draf I may as well have written those posts!! That's why I'm not doing it any more as well!!

In other news, I appear to be hurtling headlong into a midlife crisis

Have you bought a sports car? Had a boob job? Had an affair with a man half your age?

depressing realisation that a "man half my age" is actually nineteen

Hurrah for our escape, al!

Midlife crisis, eh? Have you bought a motorbike? Dyed your hair bubblegum pink?

Leather miniskirt? Orange tan job? Outrageously big strap-on?

This is a fun game

I have a leather miniskirt.... And a sports car. Hmmm.

In other news, I am getting drawn into an IVF thread on AIBU. This is all going to end in tears (mine). I should have hidden it.

Nothing wrong with a sports car. I have a hot hatch and I love it

Euro - I speak as someone who would look beyond ridiculous in a leather miniskirt (think Nessa from Gav&Stacey).

What do you have draf?

I have one of these (I've decided not to care if this outs me):
<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=350z+images&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&biw=1920&bih=972&tbm=isch&tbnid=vittCoMtyT-YMM:&imgrefurl=www.cardomain.com/ride/2939926/2006-nissan-350z/&docid=FpWQ7bAK51LQIM&imgurl=memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/1760/3521/29399260057_large.jpg&w=1024&h=768&ei=WEddUZbDL4mRO6XFgJgM&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=144&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=53&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0,i:109&tx=99&ty=51" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Euromobile