Sour Crepes

[QueenQueenie]

Well someone had to do it....

Thank you, Stropps for that comprehensive appraisal. I shall order it. A dermatologist recommended it too.

I remember you saying about the derm recommendation, MI. That was how I persuaded the local chemist to stock it and now their assistants recommend it to everybody

at you lot remembering the photo in the rubber ring. I was lying down - you couldn't see the awful truth about my thighs and the general sag and bag. Still, I can't help being built like an anglo saxon peasant. When I was about 13 I read a book about Catherine de Medici which made mention of her ban on "thick waists" at her court. Apparently she only allowed 13" waists. How is that even possible? I subsequently starved myself for 2 years, but still at 5st 5 only managed to get my waist to 18.5 inches. Catherine de Medici would have had me thrown to the wolves. Or something.

I heartily admire your attitude stropps. However, I have at least two stone, and a mere six inches, on you, but have quite a small frame - narrow shoulders, small jaw, small wrists, so the excess fat makes my arms look like hams. My once waspish waist has become 'thick'. Though I weigh less than I did before getting pregnant with DS, I'm not looking good, especially from behind, as I seem to have developed a rectangular arse.

I'm doing a fast day, so will use today's weight as the starting point, as I'll naturally have lost a pound or two by tomorrow in water, which isn't 'real' weight loss.

More info please on your 10-minute daily abs routine! I could do with this.

BTW, can I ask CrepeyPedant question, following run-in with C.Diff yesterday:

Long blocks of quoted speech. I was taught, back in the day, to start new pars with quote marks at the beginning. I have never had this corrected since. My excellent proof-reader has not changed it on current mag, and I have ahem worked for a number of (...repeat to fade).

C.Diff says has never HEARD of doing same. Bear in mind this is also client who refuses the use of what she calls 'hyphens' (mainly m dashes) and so forth.

AIBU?

YANBU. C.Diff is an imbecile.

If the quote follows on from the previous paragraph, that para does not have an ending quote mark, but the new para does. Show him The Times. That usually shuts them up.

YANBU
SIBVVU

You are right
CDiff is wrong

HTH

I am basking in your approbation. I am happy to concede this point in tactical manner but in knowledge that they are WRONG.

It was when she said "they'd never had it like this before" and I thought "well, yes, but that was from a bloke who 'corrected' my copy from 1970s to 1970's".

YY to what A(uriga) said MI. Or KK if you prefer (as ds2 would say).

I am now worried that the talk of weigh ins and the desire (of some) to lose weight has stirred up anxiety and angst. The whole thing is such a minefield - for me at least. It does make me wonder whether those who are interested in the idea of a weekly shame up weigh in would be better doing it in a seperate thread? Crepeys and their Trousers of Truth perhaps? What does everyone think?

Perhaps if we put in a TROUSERS OF TRUTH ALERT when mentioning this?

Inferiorcat just came, shouted at me, and made me follow her to her bowl to replenish it with nourishing foodstuffs. I realise she's ill, but being full-time carer to a feline is surely more suited to ancient Egypt?

Herb cat thought all his Christmasses had come at once last night during last night's committee meeting, with 12 laps suddenly in the sitting room. He caused chaos leaping on the coffee table, scattering papers, howling loudly and walking from lap to horrified lap. I was eventually asked to closet him away in the kitchen.

QQ, I think a separate trousers of truth thread might be a good idea, we don't want to stir up anxiety in anyone, or put anyone off posting if they are having a rough time in any way and it is a Friday....and it means people can stop if it doesn't feel right for them for ay reason without seeing everyone else carry on.

MI, I was taught the same, but I have had a quick look at style guides online and the Economist, Guardian and Telegraph don't seem to specify (perhaps less used in journalism?).The CUP style sheet (comes up if you google) says don't use quote marks for block quotes, and that does ring a bell too, from academic publishing. So dunno, but it looks as if something that varies more now than it used to, perhaps with the move to declutter for web?

MI, YADNBU. CDiff is clearly wrong.

Sorry, bit late with my response. Have been to CBT. Cried all the way through it and am not sure it was very useful. Have had troublesome week, especially as I turned down large amount of work because I had already committed to one weedy day of invigilation and couldn't have met the deadline for the project. Then something went badly wrong at school and I only got 2.5 piffling hours work yesterday and am now hundreds out of pocket. I am an UTTER FOOL for showing commitment to the invigilation work and will have to stop doing it but cannot get out of the next 5 weeks as I need the reference, I think.

I think I probably de-railed the whole CBT session, unfortunately.

Ahh don't worry about me re: Trousers of Truth. I'm quite happy to agree to differ on that score

Lalsy, thanks for the CUP style sheet hint.

I think style guides don't specify, as it's SO BLEEDIN' OBVIOUS. Get him to read a large quoted chunk in a reputable organ.

Sorry to hear about a trying CBT session Stropps. But hopefully it's all useful catharcism (is that a word?). And yes - give up the invigilating, if it's stopping you doing what you feel is 'useful'...

Stropps, sorry to hear that. It is so hard to know when work will come in. I hope you feel better.

(and it wasn't what you said about ToT - which was fab - that made me agree another thread might be best: QQ's post made me think about how the internet works and how you can accidentally press the wrong button for people when you don't know the ins and outs of their lives, and this can be an intermittently anxiety-inducing subject for lots of people I think - but I don't feel strongly at all). I do love the mixture of supportive loveliness and hardline pedantry on this thread .

Ahh Stropps sorry to hear CBT wasn't so good this week - I guess it goes in cycles...

I'd just like to work with people who can write (and read) sentences that are written in English.

Stropps, surely this is progress not derailment?

Am holed up in a campus Costa hoping the rain will cease - about 1/4 mile from my office and the walk round the lake not nearly as encouraging when it's tipping down.

I think I'm going to google weight watchers when I get back to my office. I need a supervised diet because can get obsessive. Being two stone too heavy is much healthiere than two stone too light but it's so hard as a recovered anorexic to keep it optimal. 30 years ago I was more than 4 stone lighter and thought I was fat. Admittedly I only lived on the edge but it was hard enough to deal with it from there.

So sorry to hear about your CBT session, MrsS, and that you were unhappy, but MI is probably right, I think.

Re the quote marks, how old is CDif, MI? Just asking because I was taught (many moons ago as you know) that you put quote marks at the start of every paragraph, but only at the end of the last one. Was wondering if it's an age thing: like I was taught capitals for proper nowns so that you wrote French doors and Cheddar cheese for example.

Will be back: DGD has woken up.

CDiff is well older than I am. No excuse there!

Windy, totally, you need to be really careful.

NU, just to clarify: I'm not MrsS - that's SheherazadeSchadenfreude, who has not said she's having any CBT.

Trousers of Truth - hmm.. I'm on the fence. I'm with Strops - thankful that everything is in working order, satisfied that I have a reasonably healthy lifestyle, and unwilling to go too far in the pursuit of super-slim (although a couple of pounds might be nice).

I just collected some papers from the printer at work, and in the middle of my bundle I found what was clearly a resignation letter, written to the MD, from one of my favourite colleagues. I couldn't leave it on the printer, so I sneaked it face-down onto her desk so she won't know I've seen it. I'm though; she's lovely. But she is struggling with three under-fives and lives a long way from work.....

But CV, you ARE super slim

I was planning to be very sensible today, but one of my lovely colleagues has brought in lovely cakes for her birthday and I have inhaled two macarons

CV, sounds like she's doing the right thing for her - shame for you though.

We have interviews again today so visitors in and out of the class all day!

Yes but CV you don't need to lose any weight - you ARE super slim......

I am really struggling at work, I just feel I am not on top of anything at the moment and I just don't know how to handle it.
I think I need to make myself lists and stick to them.