Feminist Pub XVIII, in which the Bluestocking greets the first signs of spring with a glass of something soothing

[PuffinsAreFictitious]

Just starting this one as the last is nearly full

You can do it scone!

Stormy, I'd include things like punctuality/ reliability (can you say you had a perfect or near to attendance record at previous jobs?), knowledge of similar processes (ie prove they don't need to spend as much time training you referencing how many similar roles you've been in), any positions of responsibility you've held (to prove you can be trusted), include any nice things previous employees have said about any of the above either actual quotes or the slightly vague option "previous employers have consistently remarked on my reliability and consistency; references are available on request".

Thanks, y'all.

Hello, I found you!
Here I am mainly petrified about going back to work in 10 days and not really ready to go away with the Brownies this weekend.
But we've booked an extra hour a week with the cleaner and I have enquired about an extra morning a week for days in nursery so I can have some one-child time, whch I have really appreciated while I've been on leave.
A discussion about housework on FB led me to download a time sheet app. I've done about 2 hours today, mainly meal prep, washing up, and clothes washing related things.

Phew, thanks Jeanne. I'd like to rid the world of men who think like the cloppers who you linked. The fewer of those types about the better.

"It seems safer in and out of the queer community to be attracted to men" is such a scary thing to realise

This rings true Petula because for years I used to get women sit with me in my then local who weren't interested in me, they were waiting for their girlfriends. Apparently they'd ask at the bar for somebody 'safe to sit with' and I was that somebody. It just meant that sometimes I didn't get to finish the newspaper 'cos I was talking to someone new. I knew I was their beard and I actually loved that they thought me unthreatening enough to sit with me.

Let us smash the patriarchy together.

I am feeling much less misandric now, you'll be happy to know.

Agree with you and petula that it is scary - and fucking terrifying about women needing to sit with you. Though, actually, I am not so surprised by that when I think about it. I've never heard of that situation, but I do know that if I chat to an unthreatening bloke in a bar, or to the barman, I am much less likely to get unwelcome attention. Depressing.

It does make me think how good you get at making conversation purely to cover the 'woman in public space' issue.

stormy - sorry I wasn't helpful, and good luck. I hate CV writing.

Jeanne - so totally with you on the fiction thing. I HATE it when men write as if they're a female character. They always get it wrong (except Chaucer, maybe)

I have to post and run. I'm on a 5 min break in a 14 hour day.

Today I mostly hate parents, particularly the ones who have turned up for parent teacher meetings. If they all stayed home, I could go too!

Ohh - Chaucer gets it so wrong.

(But yes!)

Sorry about the hating of parents, and more sorry about the 14 hour day. Ouch! I do hope you get a break soon.

SoMuch, that was actually very helpful - a year ago I was utterly stumped by such suggestions, which is why I've been volunteering. Thanks!

Oh good, glad it helped. Good luck!

Oh FFS, there's yet another thread about women's titles, and as usual the "I'm a Mrs because I'm so proud to be married" brigade have turned up. But you know who are the most frustrating ones? The ones who say "I hate Ms because of the way it sounds". Really? So the phonaesthetics of a word is more important to you than the societal implications for your entire sex? I have a feeling that if Ms meant married and Mrs meant none of your business, then suddenly they wouldn't care so much.

I told the delivery person yesterday that I'm Dr not Mrs my-own-name and not DH-name and he just changed it on his little gadget without making a face. I'm getting quite used to that now.

Urgh. The over-abundance of Annies on MN is distressing me again. I'm on yet another thread where there are more then one of us and when someone responds to "Annie" I don't know which one of us they mean.

I need a new name. But I can never think of a good one. Herumph.

Yes, I'm finding it disconcerting too. I keep thinking it's you and they're very not-you opinions.

But Jeanne, of course I luffs my DH very much and am so very proud to declare this to the world by calling myself Mrs DH Hisname.

Actually, I love my ex-DH. But I am enjoying being literally a divorced, hairy-legged Ms-using feminist.

Bingo. Someone has turned up with "feminists should be worried about more important things".

Anyway, I have decided my new name. I'm going to go put it on.

Indeed. Well done Buffy! See, if there weren't so many other damnable Annies, I could change it depending on my mood, since Ani means "I am". But I am well impressed with your investigative skills.

However, I am now this new name.

I've got an otherwise-very-intelligent woman telling me repeatedly that feminism is bad because we have to think of the poor men suffering violence. Sigh. She's had her share of harassment and knows I have too.

I love that book too, ex-Annie!

Hooray, first go of my new name and you know who I am, Flapdoodle. It's my favourite book ever. A might feminist "fuck you", but in the most restrained and gentle of ways.

Thank you, Buffy. Though credit must go to the ever-awesome Ms Elizabeth Moon.

Well you answered Buffy in it Sera Falfurrias. The book is 'Remnant population' and it is very good. I only ever found one other of hers I liked, Speed of Dark I think it was called.

I see what you mean now, I am rather less wise!

Speed of Dark actually troubled me, because although it was well written, writing from the perspective of an autistic person when she isn't made me uncomfortable. Although perhaps that was the point, and of course it's about time that a protagonist of a book wasn't NT.

But mostly, as a huge fan of old-fashioned space opera, I love her Serrano Legacy series. A huge expansive space opera over multiple volumes with the most kick-ass female characters.

I really need to read her Paksenarrion series too, as I am also a great fan of fantasy. I'm holding off in case I'm disappointed, but I don't now why I think I would be since I love all her other work.