The Shape of Crepes to Come

[hattymattie]

Here we are crepeys - Friday 13th!

I've sent it again, OPM. Maybe the first one didn't send properly!

Got it, thank you

Sent you a friend on FB OPM...

Here my email to the big cheese has elicited a 'come and see me' email....

FAbulous, lots of new people to bore with my tedious #100happydays updates get to know

Ta OPM. I am a little black pug puppy...

I am another one who has not read 50 Shades. Love the bad sex writing.

We've had a lovely time today; the weather has been glorious and the rose garden was tres magnifique. We actually sat outside drinking Bellinis tonight as it was so warm (unheard of for us).

MI, Dh is fine atm, thank you. He got a copy of the consultant's letter to GP yesterday saying that his pain was not typical hernia or angina so needed further investigation - still waiting for appt for cardio exercise test.

Congratulations to BD on her wedding anniversary.

Off to bed - it's hard work enjoying yourself.

NU, sounds lovely.

I am on a rock with other people, mostly dressed in black. I'm quite confused about who is who on FB.

Work stress is peculiarly awful as you are often powerless, at least for a while. I once had, for legal reasons, to turn up and sit at an empty desk every day for 12 weeks waiting for redundancy and a gagging order. Never drunk so much, even as a student.

at "50-ish With Shades of Greying Hair"!

I did read the whole trilogy; in fact, one of my friends was one of the first people to have a copy and said it was worth a read, so off I went to the library to order it in. They had never heard of it. I can't imagine there is anyone in the western world who hasn't heard of it by now. And, no, it wasn't really worth the read. I tend to skim-read crap writing, so I blasted through the books in no time. Instantly forgettable prose.

INSET tomorrow for DS and DD1. DS has decamped to a mate's house, so I won't see him until the evening, and DD1 is off to Thorpe Park again, having blown a proportion of her birthday money on an annual pass.

DD2 has to learn a poem off by heart by the end of the week. I tried, but failed, to point her in the direction of Hillaire Belloc's "There Was a Boy Whose Name Was Jim" (a poem which I learned at age 7 and can still recite to this day - and often do, just to irritate my offspring), or possibly a fine upstanding number like Rudyard Kipling's "If" , but she has chosen some rubbish piece about Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah. Just not the same.

QQ I'm confused as to whether I've got you or not - but I'm sure all will become clear as time goes on!

CV, I had to learn that off by heart too! There is now a gorgeous picture version of it.

And I tried skim-reading 50 shades. I really did.

I long ago gave up with popular fiction as I found that often the writing wasn't up to scratch. Lest anyone thinks I am very highbrow, I can assure you I am not, my favourite books over the years tend to be scifi or fantasy fiction, but I do ask for some standards. The Da Vinci Code, eg, which falls into the category of books I like, was very badly written.

It's funny how some things from early years school stay with you - first year at high school I can remember learning "the Assyrians came down like a wolf on a fold" (can't remember anything else or what it's from!).

Dragging DFriend into Newcastle this morning (such a chore for her) while DH and I go to JL to order a new washing machine.

I am in love with a Molton Brown hand wash and cream which I was given the other week - rhubarb and rose. It's lovely - highly recommend it.

NU, I look forward to the days when I can have nice beauty stuff and it doesn't disappear in a trice (yes DD, I'm looking at you)

NU, they do a gorgeous citrus scent as well. There was some in the loos in a posh hotel I visited last year, and it was all I could do to stop myself slipping the bottle into my handbag. Not cheap, unfortunately.

I've just remembered the three-month appraisal I had in a job about seven years ago which said 'One of the challenges for MI will be learning to write for a specialist readership'. At the time I had already built up a slightly flourishing freelance career.

I flounced stomped out and ended up working on a rather better mag.

But it's the patronising that is particularly wearing.

NU, have you read Barbara Hambly? Many years of Mr Inferior have exposed me to a LOT of fantasy fiction. When he rearranged all our books a couple of summers ago we ended up with an entire alcove and a half of the stuff, not counting the separate Pratchett bookcase.

He also alphabetised all the rest of our books which means (a) I can't reach lots of the ones I want to read (b) various fiction addictions are embarrassingly exposed - all stacked up in one line - rather than my careful arrangements of the remains of my long-ago English degree in attempt to look intellectual. A look that was particularly important given the fact it sort of compensated for the shabbiness of the Inferiority Complex.

I love this book in particular the first chapter about marrying libraries.........

Our books are arranged roughly by genre, but also height!

Our books aren't arranged in any system, other than DP's highbrow, DP's work-related doom books (about peak oil, climate change, various economic meltdown scenarios), and my 'popular fiction' which he always says we could throw away.

He's been on a leadership course this week, and they had to do one of those stringent personality tests. He is NOT PLEASED by the result, which amusingly highlights a few of the character traits I find most irritating. He's making a plan for change.

You know I spoke of the horrid bone loss problem in my jaw? Well, I think it's flaring up again, this time badly. The whole of one side of my face hurts, including the eyebrow. I'm going to have to do something about it, aren't I.

Gah! Facebook is down! Not only has this removed one of my stalwart procrastination tools, it's also got various messages on it about what I'm supposed to be doing today.

Most of our books are piled up on the floor in DD1's bedroom. Most of those that seem to have made it to the shelves seem to be DH's...

DH's bright idea of the day was to get rid of the cats as they shed fur everywhere, claw the sofa and the carpet, which means we can never have anything nice. They are not going anywhere.

Herbs, fab that the personality test has highlighted some of his failings. Do you think he will be able to change?!

And yes, get to the GP/consultant!

Sadly, first stop is the dentist. One of my many mild phobias. I dread to think what the treatment will involve, but it may have to include sedation/GA.

As for DP and his self-improvement, he does seem more motivated to change for work than for me (not that I've ever asked him to) and has written a plan, so we'll see. I'm hoping I can 'helpfully' say 'actually, another example of [insert undesirable behaviour] could be seen as when you [ignore, sulk, etc]'. Though I think I'd be too scared for that.

He's also still all churned up post DFiL dying, so lots of slack is being cut.

QQ - I'm very short hair and sunglasses with DD and DS also in sunglasses and vague view of Spanish countryside in background. Have definitely got you. I'm a very boring FB member as don't post much.

Will see if I can find OPM before I ask.

Mrs S's bad sex book. Haven't read 50 shades as on flipping through it looked irritatingly bad - in themes and writing style. .

Another big exam today - Maths, Physics was a big meh and she said she had a panic attack in the middle where she saw her first choice uni disappearing. It would be great if she could come out of an exam saying"yeah I nailed it".

herbs that sounds painful. Ouch. Maybe the dentist will actually help? I am also borderline phobic about the dentist...commiserations.

Re Facebook do we need some sort of list somewhere confidential of who's who? I keep forgetting, except tilly for some reason???maybe because you were the first to add me?

First exam free day today. GCSEs are finished. Woo hoo. I
I'm elated. DS taking it all in his stride...bit of an anti climax for him, it seems. I went it hear Tanya Byron speak at the school last night on exam stress etc. She is a very clever woman. Particularly interesting on the interaction between sleep deprivation, short term memory and exam nerves. I liked her.

And tonight I start teaching a new class. Effing World Cup. I don't think any one is going to turn up

MrsS, pervy ex also says he's never having cats again (and is major cat person) as he now has Posh Furniture and presumably a dungeon too, no I am not joking. I quite like being able to blame the cats. DD1 has been known to blame them for drawings on the walls.

NUFC 'and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold'....The destruction of Sennacherib

Why am I getting an 'access denied' message?