Planet of the Crepes

[DukesOfTripHazard]

New bowl of crisps, tuck in Ruby!

I am thrilled at this Pixi lust. Another of their things wot I like is the cheek gel in natural. It doesn't stay on very long but while it does it's well pretty.

I felt a bit rubbish yesterday and spent much too long hunched over the computer looking at not very edifying things. Today is better. Have shredded, spot cleaned the stair carpet, written a letter to DD who will be at an outdoor pursuity place with school next week and am now going out to buy some fabric conditioner at Wilkos. When the mice are away the cat does rather boring things, it would seem .

@ running out of liberal steam. Oh we have had a few suppertimes when that has happened to me. Like the one recently when dd got so fed up with ds going on about girls' "willies" that I decided to give him the correct terminology. Then ds, being ds, wouldn't have it that there was such a word as "vulva" so then he chuntered on and on about how his sister has a "revolver" in her pants. Gah. I dread to think what his convos with his friends at school are like. The only upside is that dd appears still convinced that all boys are vile.

Dh has to wait 2 weeks for his results. Good that there is lots of work in. He is still feeling delicate, but is sitting on a big cushion :)

Oh yes, ds is of the 'I am not having hair there when I grow up' school. He is adament that he and his body are having nothing to do with this growing up changing lark. Makes me :)

Strops, does he need one of those doughnut ones (like for women post-birth)?!

Wilbur ROFL, I wonder what goes on at his scouts! DS seems waaay too knowledgeable for an almost 11yo about all things sex, but still has to hide his face in a cushion when there's any kissing on TV (and says things like I hope there's no tongues)

Am currently wondering how they are getting on at school as they both opted for a change of haircut last night - DD (who now looks like a blonde Jessie J was panicking about what the boys would say) whereas DS dumped his Beiber boy style and spent hours infront of the mirror perfecting his more Michael Buble look!

Herbs, I echo MrsS completely - I can't be doing with needies, but they usually seem to sense that at 30 paces

That's very with-it ruby! I like!

what none? none? not even a bit of tinted moisturiser and mascara and tinted lip balm? none?

Wow, another no make up crepey.... I wore no make up for three years, while I was having my recent break, then when I went back to work in the Autumn, I started again, just on the days I work, but literally mascara, splodge of eyeshadow and lip gloss...... I had to ask my teenage dd for advice. I also had my brows done at the Brow Bar, as they were fading, along with the rest of me

No make up?

I look like a potato if I go without make-up. A potato that has spent rather too long in the back of the fridge.

at "with-it"! I am collecting cool teenage phrases at the moment; DS1 seems to come home with a new catchphrase on a daily basis. He was telling me about something at school which was "bare hilair". I went, "what??" with an old gimmer sneer, then had to rush off and google it to make sure he hadn't invented it (He hadn't; it means "very funny" apparently. Obv).

That there Nicky Hambleton Jones off of 10 Years Younger was once described as a 'new potato in glasses'. Most apt.

I am an old potato in glasses and a fright wig. In my day-to-day loft-based life, I do not wear make-up. Sometimes at weekends I venture out somewhere that is not school or Tescos and have a sudden urge to apply eyeliner and some skin coverage to tone down nose shine. I do, however, have my eyelashes and brows tinted, as otherwise I would look as though I had no eyes at all. And even potatoes have eyes.

I am rewriting some copy I edited last week which has been returned as Not Good Enough. Am prepared to accept it wasn't all that good, but have looked at the original and my gawd that was mind-blowingly terrible. Harrumph.

I am having hellish week at work. My boss went home at four "because he didn't get much sleep last night." I resisted the urge to harumph and say "Try having an asthmatic child. I didn't have an uninterrupted night's sleep for eight years, You Great Jessie." I managed to leave around 6.30 (not too bad) but had friend for dinner and had to cook something reasonable (chicken and coconut curry and prawns chilli fry). I have just noticed that the closing date for the MsLexia Short Story Competition is Monday, but the small print seems to indicate that they are kind and it should be "postmarked no later than 19th March", so will dash to the Post Office tomorrow with the two stories I am submitting. They have already been critiqued by MI.

I also see from my diary that Uberboss is on leave on Friday and the two other senior managers are "working from home" that day. Which means that I will be the only person in the office who is able to take decisions, as neither remember to forward their phones, and their online presence (which I don't think they realise is indicated to all and sundry) generally shows up as "offline" when they work from home. I do hope that my boss manages to catch up on some sleep. I really don't seem to be able to work from home at all on a regular basis as my diary just gets filled up with pointless important meetings. Some of which are my boss's, but he can't do them because he is working from home that day. I think I am going to start getting arsey if this is going to carry on, as I feel they are taking the piss a bit.

I think you need to diarise an offline working from home day for yourself Mrs S. Any time in the next three weeks or so can you find a day to put that in? They are definitely letting you hold the fort.

Ruby I'm interested in your no make up in new job notion. What has inspired it? I'm a bit of slap most days girl. I would do a normal day to school and back without it but couldn't imagine a meeting or something slap-free.

I need to pull apart a sitcom first draft I've written and see how to make the whole thing work better but it makes me feel sick and scared. With no work on the horizon (the play would be only a small amount of money even if commissioned) I feel like a fraud. Most of me knows just to get my head down and do some writing but another part of me is thinking about looking into training as a teaching assistant or working in Homebase (!). My options for retraining are limited as I'm not a graduate. Slightly envious of a friend who is going for that whizz bang train you on the job to be teacher in a year qualification. Oh God. It's hard. I'm living my dream really having a family and being a writer but anxiety about not earning is impacting on my confidence and identity and stopping me getting on with my own ideas which are another route into money albeit requiring a massive amount of work to get there. Oh I've just realised I'm whingeing, sorry about that.

Any thoughts/ass kicks gratefully received.

Love the look, ruby - tis the one DD sports to school every day
Also am very impressed with your no make-up pledge - I daren't not wear make-up - some of our ASD children are very unforgiving!

Dukes, I think you need a degree to do the on-the-job teacher training, but maybe with your work experience.... Or what about private schools - some employ unqualified teachers?

MrsS, good luck on the story front - how did your DD's get on with the video?

Picked up DS1's Blackberry this morning; I noticed the wallpaper was a picture with a caption:

"If someone offers you drugs.........say thank you! Drugs are very expensive, you know."

I pointed out that, funny or not, it perhaps wasn't the best wallpaper to use on a phone he takes to school every day. He did see my point........

Where did my cute Thomas-the-Tank-loving boy go? He will be a teenager in November.

CV that is bare hilair about your ds's phone (see what I did there? ). So polite! It reminded me of his footie match that you told us about when his team were all saying 'after you' to the ruffians.

BTW Wilbur, your post about the buggyboard and the floppiness and the steam took me right back there [shudder]

I am considering putting sudocrem on my face. It appears to be the new thing. I have a small eight year old pot. Anyone care to join me?

Dukes, I'm afraid all our sudocrem was chucked out long ago. But let us know how you get on

Nah, sorry, Sudocrem = sore bum. My face may be a bit, er, raddled, but it's not that bad

BTW, Dukes, I reckon you should just get your head down and do some writing. You are very funny and talented. Just do it, missus.