I'm furious, I have a friend who lives accross the street, he is not a bad person but to be honest she is sxo shallow that at her 42 years has the brains (and conversation) of a 12 yrs old (probably influenced by her daughters). She is normally making negative remarks about other people being soooo "middle class", however she sefinitively comes from a deprived background in latinamerica and eventhough she was married to a doctor you can't see money or style in any part of her house, apearance and to be frank even her girls are always dressed in rags and she even takes her girls to the local swiming pool every second day so they can have a shower as she doesn't wants to use the one at home to save a bit on the gas bill (?????). Anyways, the problem is that she is always making those "middle class" remarks which she complements with "those people learn even less than a professor" (my DH is a lecturer). Her house is the same size of ours, it has higher ceilings but in in serious need of a serious refurbishement (bad painted throughout, broken doors and severely damaged ceilings), however she is always making stupid comments about us needing to get a bigger house as soon as DH gets a rise (we have a house that I love, which was decorated by the most expensive designer in the area -paid by the previous owners, of course).
But I was so offended today because, she was so damn direct with the comment about professors earning a misery. She may be the ex of a doctor but if there's some one who lives misserably in the street is her (Oh dear! how middle class am I???)
She is on benefits but she is receiving 2400 pounds per months from the ex who also pays the house and all her bills, so what does she do with the money I don't know. However I have seen her cash the money she receive on benefits and then head to HomeBase to spend the full of it in garden decorations for a party she was going to have. Sure this doesn't come to the equation but.... well, sorry, I just needed to take it out of my chest.
I have explained to her that I feel a bit offended about her comments about how little professors earn. But the stupid woman told me... oh yes I know, but academics here earn more more than in Latin America (Thank you! I was an academic in Latin America, however I had a very good salary which allowed me to travel the world and have a very relaxed life). So well, I suppose I just need to erase her from the list of people I like to meet and reduce contact to the minumum. Stupid woman!!